Eliana panicked as she flew closer to the woods and did the only thing that she could think of, which was covering her body in a force field and hoping that her aura would keep her alive through the impact. She closed her eyes, her semblance assisting her in smashing through an entire tree and coming to a stop in a small crater that she had accidentally created. Eliana laid on her back for a long moment, watching as the clouds rolled by and wondering to herself if Neela had landed nearby or not. She smiled to herself as she caught her breath, taking a minute to note that fact that her landing had gone far better than she could have imagined. Her next mission was to find Neela before someone else found her. She leapt to her feet and started heading towards where she assumed her friend was.

Eliana stopped after a couple of steps. Neela was the better tracker, what if she accidentally ran into someone else while trying to find Neela? She cringed at the thought and stood in place for a bit, admiring nature. Surely Neela would get to her soon and then they could continue towards the north. Eliana smiled, removing her guns and looking them over. They felt great to hold again, even if they were only replicas. She needed to think of a way to make it up to Neela. What could she do? What could she get Neela that she had always wanted or needed? Something moved in the foliage several yards away, snapping Eliana out of it. She peered out, guns trained as she moved slowly in the direction of the disturbance.

"Neela?" Eliana called out. She moved closed, noting that whatever was in the brush was moving regularly. She took one last step before a small rabbit leapt out and caused her to jump as it scurried away and Eliana chuckled under her breath. What was she so afraid of? She had fought Grimm before, no big deal… Except for the fact that nine times out of ten Neela was there to give her guidance and take them down with her. She just needed to remember what her father would tell her. Her courage was stronger than her fear, as long as she remembered why she was fighting. Eliana was fighting to keep her mother and Neela safe, that's what she fought for.

She inhaled deeply and slowly moved north, assuming that Neela had probably decided to do the same. If Neela had landed nearby she would have used her semblance by now and would have come and gotten her. Just head north, you have to run into her eventually… But what if someone else runs into her first… Eliana had taken into account the fact that someone might find her first, but what if she found Neela and Neela already had a partner? At this point, any hope of teaming up with Neela was now out of her hands and was up to destiny to decide. She quickly moved towards the temple, hoping to find a partner soon.

Eliana grew anxious again before long and realized that she had a short list of people that she didn't want to end up running into, only this time figuratively. The tall guy with the green hair, the shirtless guy with the Grimm pelt, or Cobalt. She shook her head. Cobalt wouldn't be that bad, he seemed the most normal out of all of the people she had unofficially met. Plus he was quite the looker and she felt like he would be the perfect match for Neela. It was a given that whoever Neela decided that she was going to date, first had to be approved by Eliana, She would decide whether or not they were worth Neela's time. She was halted once again as she reached a King Taijitu.

"That… that's a snake. That is a big snake…" Eliana said as she contemplated sneaking around it. She began to slowly creep back into the woods when the black half slithered towards her and stuck its tongue out to sniff the air as she hid behind a larger tree. She muttered to herself as the tongue slid past her, rattling through the air and smelling passionately, pleased with the aroma it had found. Eliana removed her guns from their holsters, flicking her thumb over the dial and selecting gravity Dust as her first choice. She smiled remembering Neela's happiness. No more changing magazines constantly, now she was back in it, playing for keeps.

The black half suddenly slid past the tree, turning to face her and hissing as it prepared to strike. Eliana fired several shots, driving the head backward and buying her some time to run as she assessed the situation. She threw up a force field at the last second as the white half came barreling in without as much warning, wanting to finish her off quickly instead of toying with her.

"Two heads got it," Eliana noted. She ran past them, quickly adjusting her guns and freezing their middle to the ground as she leapt over its body. Her next choice was fire Dust and as much as the shots seemed to aggravate it, it did nothing more than that in the long run and forced her to take a moment to think things over. Someone ran in past her and leapt into the air, coming down and slicing at the snake, also having very little effect and regrouping on Eliana.

"Well?" Ilia asked. "There has to be something that we can do to take this thing out." Eliana shrugged.

"Can you keep the white half distracted?" Eliana asked. Ilia nodded and took off running as Eliana ran for the other end. She had an idea, but it was more of a long shot and if it didn't work there was a good chance that she might die, but she had faith in her plan. The snake reared back, watching her for a moment before coming in for the strike. As it came down to eat her, Eliana opened a force field in its mouth, forcing it to stay open. She quickly flipped her wrists up, extending the shock batons on the end of her gun and jammed them into the snake's gums, giving it everything she had. The lightning that flew past her lit up the beast's mouth, allowing her to see for a split second before the monster began thrashing, throwing her out. She landed on her feet and slid back, watching it writhe in pain as she looked for Ilia. Ilia was letting the snake strike, moving at the last moment, and giving it all she had with her blades. "Those guns you have there have got to be more powerful than mine, right?"

"Probably," Ilia called out. "What's your point?" Ilia fired off a round, aggravating the King Taijitu. It slithered around the two of them, preparing to constrict them. "You have a plan?"

"Taking that thing down used all of my lightning Dust. I can't use my tasing rods again until we get back to the school unless you've got more. Here's the plan, I'll hold its mouth open. You unload a clip into its throat." Ilia turned her attention back to the snake.

"It could work," Ilia admitted. As the snake snapped in towards them, Eliana opened a force field, straining against the beast to keep it open. Ilia slammed the gravity clips in and opened fire, her rounds piercing straight through the Grimm, and exiting through its scales. It flopped to the ground dead, and Eliana gave a sigh of relief. Ilia smirked as she looked it over. "Is that the first time you've fought something like that?" Eliana nodded.

"Something that big," Eliana replied. Ilia chuckled.

"Oh we've got Grimm that are way bigger than that in the desert back home," Ilia told her. Eliana gave her a look of disbelief and brushed herself off, looking Ilia over. She seemed normal enough and her weapons looked really cool, not to mention her tattoos.

"Those are neat! Do the tattoos represent anything?" Eliana asked. Ilia rubbed the back of her head and gestured forward.

"Maybe another time. We should get going and get one of the relics," Ilia replied. She extended her hand out to Eliana and she shook it. "Ilia Cherny, pleased to meet you."

"Eliana Latherus." They offered each other a smile and commenced with their journey. "So, what brings you to Beacon? I mean, school obviously, but is there someone specific that you're fighting for?" Ilia became distant for a moment as she used her blades to slice through some taller grass in front of her. She looked back at Eliana and nodded.

"Yeah, you could say that," Ilia told her. Eliana wanted to ask her what exactly she meant by that, but she knew better than to pry and decided that they could continue on in silence for a while.

Ilia had to admit that when she had come across her future teammate and had discovered that the girl was trying to take on a King Taijitu by herself, she was utterly impressed. Taking on a Grimm of that size took guts and precision. After observing Eliana for what must have been a minute or so it became clear to Ilia that she should assist her, as the girl clearly had never seen one of these before, the second head had almost dealt a blow that would have cut her aura level in half. Ilia had never been given direction before in a battle, but she was compliant, deciding to let the girl work it out on her own, which in the long run would be better for both of them. She would be able to gauge if her new teammate could think on the fly and it also tested her own ability to take instruction. It worked well.

The girl was scrawnier than most of the other students that she had come across thus far, but she did have a nice rack and an ass to match. She was built, she just wasn't as built as everyone else. There wasn't much else special about her, however. Ilia had noted during their fight with the snake that Eliana was more than proficient with her semblance, which she gathered was some sort of force field generation or telekinesis, and she was also highly trained with her weaponry. In a matter of speaking, yes, she did fight for someone. If anything, she fought for herself, but she didn't believe that to be what Eliana was getting at. Ilia held up a hand, ceasing their motion and crouching as she shifted forward.

"What is it?" Eliana asked as she attempted to peer past Ilia.

"Pack of Beowolves, 6 of them," Ilia informed her. Ilia let the grass settle and turned back to Eliana. "Plan of attack?" Eliana shrugged and smiled.

"I'm open to suggestions," Eliana told her. Ilia smiled and pat her hard on the shoulder.

"I like you." Eliana beamed and Ilia turned back towards the Grimm to calculate her attack. She looked back at Eliana who waited for a response and gave her a devilish grin. "I have an idea, but I may need to borrow your body." Eliana offered her a blank stare, blinking twice and raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, what?" Eliana asked.

"Trust me," Ilia reassured her. She held out her hand and waited for Eliana to take it. Eliana was still unsure but took it anyway and Ilia instantly jumped into her body, knowing that she would have to move fast. "Here goes nothing!" She built up a force field and held it tight against her body before launching out of Eliana and releasing the energy. She flew forward, slamming through the two Beowolves in the middle, her blades slicing right through, giving her the kill in one hit. "Ice!" Eliana quickly spun the dial, freezing the next two closest to Ilia in place as she readjusted her guns for fire Dust and blasted the last two away, running past Ilia to take them down. Ilia unloaded a clip of gravity into the one to her left, blowing most of the Grimm away before turning to the other as it was close to breaking free. She fired at a tree behind the beast with gravity, causing it to stumble forward. As it did she planted the right gun's barrel in its chin, extending the blade, and skewering its skull. She blew its head off just to be sure.

Eliana finished off her targets with an earth Dust bullet, the Dust exploding as the bullet entered their skulls, turning their heads to stone and shattering them as it exited the other side. Eliana blew off the ends of her revolvers and holstered them once again. Ilia shuddered slightly and giggled as she wrapped her arm around Eliana and rubbed the top of her head.

"That was awesome! You'll have to teach me a thing or two when we start training next week!" Ilia let her go and jogged ahead. Eliana fixed her hair and shook her head slightly.

"Shouldn't we worry about finishing up here first?!" Eliana called out. Ilia had never imagined that it would be like this. She had always been alone, and truth be told, she would always be a loner deep down, but this working with someone opened up a whole world of possibilities that she had never known before. She was determined to become great friends with her entire group, and then she'd have her own security detail of sorts. It was a brilliant plan and couldn't go… Eliana wrapped her arm around Ilia's shoulder as she walked beside her. Ilia smiled sheepishly and slipped Eliana's arm off of her. Maybe she wasn't ready to go full blown 'friend mode' with these people, she enjoyed her personal space too much.

"You could almost see the entire forest from the cliff, there's no way that it's much further," Ilia told Eliana as she finally noted there was a clearing up ahead. As they reached the edge, Ilia stopped her again, turning around and scanning the area they had just come from.

"What is it?" Eliana asked. Ilia brushed past her and spotted the beast as it roared and beat its chest.

"A Beringel!"

Cobalt's boots adjusted as his feet met the ground, the nanites redistributing the force of the fall as he landed, preventing too much stress on his body and keeping him from breaking anything. Already he knew that two others had landed close to his location and he was almost one hundred percent certain that Neela was one of them. Quickly his scope processed all of the technical information around him as his mind was lost to a sensory overload. A stream flowed past where he had landed and the sound of the babbling water filled his mind. There was a beauty to it, but that beauty was going to get him killed and his scanner didn't care about aesthetics. It gave him the facts and kept him on task.

The filter buzzed in his ear and he took notice, it informed him that there were several Grimm that were closing in on his location and that less than 100 yards to his west he would be able to find Neela. He smirked as he reached into his right pocket, pulling out a small electronic device that was black with a single button on the end. A red light glowing slowly to notify him that it still had power. It was about the size as a roll of coins and he pressed the button. The light became green and clear Dust ejected from both ends, thickening immediately and becoming two long, flat, sharp blades that were connected in the middle by the device.

He twisted the device so that it was vertical and it split into two, giving him dual Dust blades to fight with. He swung them lightly, getting a feel for them as the Grimm grew closer and his scope buzzed again to remind him. He sneered and had it recalculate Neela's distance. No one was close to her, he would have time to take the creatures down and still be the first to reach her. The other student that his scanner had picked up on had moved further away and he let out a sigh of relief. Things were going a bit too well. Two Creeps rounded the corner and Cobalt smirked as the sun glinted off of his scanner and he charged hard.

The one that stood in the middle sprinted towards him and his armor adjusted, locking up and powering through its bone armor as he smashed his fist through its skull. He quickly sliced it four times, alternating his blades and watched as it fell to the ground, disappearing, the smoke temporarily masking the other as it moved in quickly. He chuckled, his filter scanning through the obstruction, giving him the upper hand. He leapt into the air over the stampeding beast, hand-springing off of its head and landing on its back. He drove both blades deep into it and it bucked him off into the air, his tech quickly working to calculate force and ensure a safe landing. He chuckled, it was too easy.

The device blared in his ear, throwing a flashing warning notice in his field of view. He spun towards the threat but it was too late and he was plowed into by another Grimm. Cobalt slid across the ground, planting his feet and allowing his armor to bring him to an immediate stop. He glanced up. The new beast was a Creep that was at least double the size of the others. The scanner calculated feverishly as Cobalt strafed out of the way, the creature moving at an absurd speed for its size and tearing through the forest. Numbers flashed in front of Cobalt, as well as information and known weaknesses.

"An Abingdon Creep, huh?" Cobalt said to himself. The standard Creep had found him again and he slammed his swords back together, twisting the handle and reconnecting them, slicing through the smaller Grimm as he retreated from the Abingdon once again. He rolled out of the way, watching it slide into the forest, tearing down a mass of trees as it tried to stop and chase after him again. More information filled his sight and he grunted in displeasure. "Didn't think I'd be using that so soon. How many uses will I have left after this one?"

*THREE*

Cobalt shook his head but realized that if he intended on getting to Neela without this thing trampling him, he had no other choice if he was going to take it down alone. He jerked back on the handle of the sword and the device glowed a bright white, grinding and making a high pitched shriek as the light grew brighter and brighter, The Abingdon screeched and stamped its feet as it prepared for another attack. Cobalt grunted and gritted his teeth as his arm shook, gripping the sword as tightly as he could.

"Almost… There…" He seethed. His entire right hand was now consumed by the light, which was beginning to interfere with his optics, causing static and disabling his tracking system. Luckily it was maintaining its ability to project his trajectory, and he pointed the sword at the beast as it began moving towards him. He felt his armor lock up, preventing his arm from shaking as the scope sounded in his head once again. It was ready. "AHHHHHHH!" A laser blasted from the sword, 2 feet in diameter, and sliced the beast in half as he pulled it up from its belly through its head.

It collapsed into two separate pieces as it approached him, flopping onto the ground, and evaporating into a giant cloud of black smoke, leaving Cobalt in the middle of the chaos, looking at the sword in his hand before receiving the notification that his optic systems were functioning completely again. There had to be some sort of way to fix that. He deactivated the blades, they became Dust powder again which the device sucked back in. He placed it back into his pocket and took off towards the last location he had known for Neela.

Neela had several things going for her that fueled Cobalt's decision to try and find her before the others did. She had a reputation that no one was able to deny, an instant popularity that she might not have asked for, but that everyone was well aware of. She had won more archery contests in Vale than anyone else her age had before, and she had been featured at least once in a magazine that looked at upcoming Huntsmen and Huntresses. The article detailed that she was possibly one of the most tactical thinkers since Coco Adel, and that wasn't just something that they said about anyone. Not to mention that her parents had both been members of Team RWBY. She'd be an asset to have on the field for sure.

His optic scanner pulsed, giving him a clear visual of how far out she was from him and informing him that someone else was closing in on Neela. He sprinted harder, his armor complying and giving him everything it had, he had to get their first. He had meant to ask her during the lock-in, but he wanted to take a better look at the device that was on her arm and perhaps upgrade it for her. That was sure to solidify a spot on her team and perhaps a chance to talk to her friend again. Eliana was it? There was something about her that made him feel comfortable, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, knowing Neela's track record, it made the idea of dating either of them quite intimidating. Breaking either of their hearts was sure to land anyone in a world of pain.

*VISUALONTARGET*

Cobalt came to a stop, his body bounding into a tree as his total focus had been placed on spotting Neela and had been lost on all of his surroundings. A warning flashed across his sight which he mentally dismissed quickly. Now was his chance, the moment that he'd been waiting for since he had first heard of her talent. His team was sure to be the top team to graduate from Beacon, perhaps with the best marks of all time. He stepped past the tree line and cupped his mouth to call out to Neela but someone tackled him and covered his mouth. He grunted as they struggled to hold him down, keeping them both hidden in the bushes.

"That was close," the assailant told him. His eyes grew slightly as his scanner informed him once again of who was in the immediate area. He knew the voice to well. It was that girl, that 'Maniac', that had challenged Neela back in the courtyard. His armor assisted him in removing her hand from his mouth.

"What was close?!" He demanded. She struggled against him armor again and clasped his mouth shut, forcing him to submit. He lay on the ground as she peeked out again, watching Neela track towards something. This is it… After all of the preparations that went into forming the ultimate team. I ended up with the Maniac of Mystral instead of the Huntress of Vale. He sighed and waited for her to remove herself, though it seemed as if she was in no hurry to do so.

"I need your help!" She told him in a whisper. If nothing else he found her insanity slightly amusing and he decided to take the bait.

"With what?" Cobalt asked. Tawney leapt up off of him and pulled him to his feet. She smiled and he found it slightly unnerving as she started to drag him in the direction of the relics.

"We've got to get to the relics before Neela! Come on!" Tawney told him. He managed to free himself from her grip and he stood there for a moment with his arms folded. "What's wrong? We're wasting time! Come on!" Cobalt rubbed his brow and took a deep breath in.

"You couldn't have grabbed anyone else!?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"I saw you first and I knew if you teamed up with Neela, I'd have no chance of beating her, now come on!" She demanded again. His eye twitched slightly as his mind processed what she had just told him. The only reason that she grabbed him was so that she'd have a better chance at beating Neela?! At what?! Didn't she understand why they were out in this forest?! His scope warned him of his own erratic breathing pattern and elevated heart rate. I'm well aware! She waved her hand in front of him.

"You okay?" She asked. He seethed and offered her a fake smile, forcing himself to nod.

"I'm fine. Never better, really." She smiled and began heading north again.

"Great! Let's go get us a relic Colby!" She exclaimed. He cringed.

"It's…"

*WARNING*

Cobalt watched as his scanner transposed the image of two Beowolves and an Alpha just past the edge of a large rock formation to Tawney's right.

"Tawney, get down!" He shouted as he ran towards her. He removed his device, quickly forming his blades and keeping them joined together. She glanced back to see why he was shouting at her for when she also heard the growls and roars of the Grimm as they made themselves visible. She cracked a smile and bounced on her feet.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" She called out. She rushed in, standing in the middle of the two smaller ones and smashing both of the Beowolves in the knees, slamming her tonfas against the top of their heads as they bent forward from the pain. She pulled them back quickly, lining her weapons up with the sides of their skulls and blasting through both of them, killing them instantly. The Alpha swatted her away and Cobalt leapt into the air. He hated using it now, but he found himself doing it before he could talk himself out of it. A clone formed beneath him and its armor adjusted, grabbing his feet and throwing him, allowing him to catch Tawney. His right arm slammed against the small drop off and he set her down, much to her disbelief. "How did you do that?"

"I can explain later! Let's just worry about the Alpha!" He exclaimed. She nodded towards him in agreement. The clone joined them, scanning the beast over. "What's it look like?"

"Your blades would take too long and her normal firepower won't be enough," the clone explained. Dammit. Looks like I'll have to use my laser again…

"Do you and the clone share pain?" She asked the clone. Cobalt looked past her at him.

"No, I don't feel his pain, why?" Cobalt explained. She smirked.

"I just need a few more good hits," she told the clone. She sucker punched the real Cobalt, batting him around with her tonfas before plowing him into the rock with her final smash. Her eyes lit up gold, burning with a kind of fire. Her black tonfas became the same color, the golden fire consuming them as well as she slammed them together. She ran towards the clone who cringed in confusion, leaping onto his shoulders and blasting him apart under her, throwing herself into the air. Cobalt watched in horror and amazement as she flew through the air, batting the Alpha's head towards the ground, placing her barrel against its head, and firing it clean off. His mouth fell open as she hit the ground, the Grimm disappearing behind her.

"What… What was that?!" He asked. She smiled and helped him up.

"I can explain later. Let's just worry about the relic," she told him winking. He smirked. Maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought.

Next week the initiation continues with Neela and Titus in - Initiation (Part 3)!

A big thank you to Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay classy!