Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Emerald Forest
"I'll keep this brief,"
Boots clattered against the dirt in a panicked, haphazard sprint, pounding against the underbrush at a frantic pace. Frighteningly loud howls echoed not far off in the distance, getting ever closer and closer.
"My name is Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy,"
The creatures tore through the shadows cast by the massive trees of the forest, growling and snarling to one another as they charged forwards after their prey, slowly spreading out in a disorganized, loose line.
"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft as huntsmen and huntresses and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people against the creatures of Grimm,"
The girl huffed in exhaustion as she veered hard to the side, slapping and pushing her way through the greenery of the thick forest, dark eyes wide in terror, ripping at anything that impeded her dead sprint. She was short, with dark, choppily cut hair, skin tanned dark, and warm, hazel eyes, freckles dotting her features, dressed in white and silver, a thick-cut dress covering most of her form, a copper emblem emblazoned on her thigh.
"You assume knowledge alone will prepare you for this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far,"
Her eyes shot to the side as something began to tear through the underbrush just a few short feet away, a mass of blackness; gleaming red and yellow eyes staring at her as it easily kept pace.
She let out a frustrated yell, raising a hand into the air- there was a whirring sound as a large ring of gleaming steel shot from her hip into the palm of her gloves. She lashed out with another wild swing, a gleaming slice of green energy emanating from the blade, slicing through the greenery to rip into the creature's hide, drawing a pained howl from it, the beast slowing as it stumbled away.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest. Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die,"
The howls picked back up, increasing in intensity as the pack neared closer and closer, the sounds of things ripping through the forest around her beginning to close in.
The girl grimaced in exhaustion and anxiety, another ringed blade flying into her other hand, both lengths of steel swinging around her, cutting through the thick bramble as she rocketed through the trees, leaping up and through the brush-
And into a small dirt clearing, white boots sliding against the loose ground as she skid to a stop, making a hard turn to the side and back into the depths of the verdant forest, the sounds of several of the creatures flying into the clearing behind her, scattering across the ground, scrambling to rise back to their feet, tearing off after her.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics,"
The girl let out a growl of frustration as she continued to charge forwards, muscles aching, breath coming shorter and shorter, even as the beasts seemed to grow faster and faster, their pace slowly beginning to overtake her own, dark shapes almost imperceptible in the shadows of the great trees of the forest roaring through the greenery around, the darkness filled with dozens of red eyes.
"Each pair of huntsmen must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately,"
A pair of red eyes tore through the brush, poised to cut her off in her path, razor sharp, white claws ripping through the dirt below as it closed in with frightening speed, the girl's eyes widening in terror-
"It is up to you to take the first step."
It crashed into her, the creature taking both of them off of their feet, claws and teeth ripping away at her as they tumbled through the underbrush, further and further, before breaking out into a clear area, both girl and beast rolling across the dirt, a cloud of dust appearing in their wake.
Both combatants frantically scrambled to their feet, the girl gritting her teeth as she held her blades high.
The grimm before her was sizable, taller than her and vaguely lupine in appearance, sparse patches of white bone covering its otherwise inky, black form.
They slowly circled each other, dark eyes staring into unnervingly intelligent red and gold.
The standoff didn't last, however, as another one of the creatures exploded from the forest around them, gleaming teeth gnashing at her as it flew through the air. She narrowly rolled to the side, letting it soar over her to clamber into the dirt, the girl spinning back to a knee, gaze whipping around her as the sounds of growls began to echo all through the forest, more and more red eyes appearing in the dark.
Slowly more and more grimm began to trudge into the clearing, heads bowed lowly as they cautiously starting circling around her, growling and snarling at the lone huntress.
The creatures slowed to a stop, muscles coiling as they slowly leaned forwards. The girl grit her teeth together, holding her ringblades up at the ready.
A grimm let out a loud growling bay, then leapt from the ground, dirt flying up in its wake, fangs aimed for the girl
It never made it.
There was a blur of red and gold from the shadows, the small object soaring through the air with considerable speed and momentum, crashing into the beast and plucking it from the air, sending it spiking back down to earth.
The eyes of the other grimm, as well as the girl, turned towards the fallen creature in sudden shock, her eyes wide as she took in the red and gold javelin impaling the limp beast, dark smoke beginning to curl lazily from its form.
Her eyes widened even further as a wave of realization rolled over her.
None of the prior combatants were given a chance to react, before a golden saucer flew from the darkness with just as considerable of speed, crashing into one of the grimm's snouts, sending it careening head over heel. A loud magnetic whir echoed around the clearing as both weapons went flying back the way they'd come as something larger tore through the greenery of the forest beyond.
The girl crashed down onto a knee, javelin and shield landing comfortably back in her grasp, dressed in dark leathers and golden armor, long, colorful red hair pulled into a high ponytail behind her. Green eyes narrowed as she looked around the clearing, deadly serious as she took in the situation- her gaze stopped on the other girl, before widening.
"Daria?" She asked, head perking up.
"…Pyrrha?!" The white-clad girl called back, equally as surprised.
One of the beasts charged at the newcomer, claws swinging through the air, and the redhead snapped back to attention, leaping out of the path of the charging grimm, pirouetting gracefully before lashing out with her javelin, cleaving its head clean from its body.
Daria stumbled back to her feet as well, ringblades clutched tightly in hand. One of the grimm let out an ear-ringing howl, and the rest of the creatures leapt into action, charging at the two huntresses.
The shorter combatant spun away from one of the lashing beasts, both blades ripping through its side, a pained growl escaping its maw. She took off at a sprint, leaping off of its body and towards the tree line, boots colliding with one of the forest's massive trees, coiling up before leaping off with inhuman speed and strength. She spun in the air, swatches of green energy rolling out around her as she shot towards her companion.
Pyrrha's shield went up on instinct as Daria reached her, the smaller girl sliding off its surface to land smoothly and safely onto the ground, slicing up at one of the beast's attempting to flank the redhead. The gold-clad warrior's shield came up again, battering a swinging claw of one of the creatures, sending it tumbling away, before she spun quickly, flinging the saucer away, its sharp edge cutting through the grimm with ease.
Without losing a step, she swung her javelin at another encroaching creature, ever aware of her companion fighting behind her, blades flying through the air, green slices of energy cutting through the air, coming close to hitting Pyrrha, but always barely missing, the two huntresses synergizing effortlessly.
The redhead sliced through two of the beasts, spinning her javelin with ridiculous precision- and as she spun, its parts shifted and moved, sliding across its form, before the weapon came to a stop, the barrel of a gun pointing out at the beasts. She began firing quickly, rifle shots echoing through the depths of the forest as she spun in quick, measured circles, each bullet finding its target.
Pyrrha turned on her heel, firing back towards Daria- the shot flew over the diminutive huntress' shoulder, colliding with the grimm behind her. The white-clad warrior didn't waste a moment with shock, leaping forwards and landing in a roll as she narrowly dodged another grimm's wild slash, shooting back to her feet, turning as she did, striking out with more slashes of energy, ripping through the offending creature.
The shorter girl took off at a run, before falling in a slide, dodging under another set of vicious swipes. Her legs swung out around her, taking its paws out from under it, before she leapt back to her feet, landing soundly onto the creature, a grunt leaving it as she launched itself from its back, flying away from it, tumbling across the dirt before leaping back to her feet.
Pyrrha continued to fire around them, before whipping her rifle through the air, the gleaming blade of the javelin retaking its position, swinging out wide to take out one of the creatures, several beginning to close in on her. She grimaced as she quickly sized up her attackers, before hurling her javelin away, puncturing through one of the grimm, sending it soaring away.
Without a moment of hesitation, she leapt upwards, her hand clenching into a fist, black energy surrounding it as she ripped her limb back towards her. Her shield flew through the tree line back towards her. She expertly tucked her legs towards her, waiting until the shield was beneath her- then struck out, pushing off of it and high into the air, hands glowing black, both weapons shooting back into her grip.
Her green eyes narrowed as she stared down at the beasts beneath her, before she began to fall quickly back down to earth. With two quick thrusts, she sent both weapons careening towards the grimm, impaling one and cleaving another.
"Daria!" She called out.
The shorter huntress blinked back to focus, taking her eyes off of the soaring redhead, and to the grimm below, face twisting in understanding and focus, ringblades lighting up with energy, two swathes of green ripping through several of them.
Pyrrha rocketed back down to the ground, heeled boots colliding with both gold weapons, sending them flipping back into her hands-
Her shield hand struck out, crashing into one grimm's snout with a satisfying 'crunch' while her javelin hand lashed out, impaling another cleanly through the midsection.
Both grimm crumpled to the ground, and the clearing went quiet.
Daria and Pyrrha stared off for a few moments, before they burst out into disbelieving giggles, the tension draining from them- even as the former collapsed onto her rear, shaking her head, blades dropping into the dirt.
"Are you alright, Daria?" The red head asked as she walked towards her fellow huntress.
"…Y'know? All things considered; I think I'm pretty okay!"
Pyrrha extended a hand to the girl, helping her shorter companion back to her feet. "I hadn't known that you were coming to Beacon! I'd have to try to meet up with you otherwise!"
Daria stared up at her for a long moment, dark eyes meeting green, before she blinked back to reality, a dark, dark blush spreading across her cheeks. Her gaze shot away quickly, a nervous smile claiming her face as she rubbed the back of her head. "Uh- well… it's… yeah, you know? I… didn't think it was… you know, that important to tell you, you know? Not like… we were… super close, or anything like that, you know? You know."
The smile slowly drained from Pyrrha's face, a more somber look taking its place. "Oh… I'd… always thought we were friends."
Daria's lips went tight, her blush darkening in embarrassment. "…Oh," The two huntresses stood awkwardly in the clearing for a moment, before the shorter girl let out a nervous laugh, punching her old friend in the arm. "Well… thanks for saving me back there! Aha… yeah, I would've… probably died… but hey- we made eye contact, right? I guess that means we're partners now!"
Pyrrha smiled again, a small sigh escaping her lips as she turned her gaze down to the dirt. "Uh… not quite."
On cue, there was the sound of something clumsily working its way through the trees, quiet cursing following it, before it finally broke its way through the greenery to the clearing beyond.
The boy huffed in exhaustion as he came to a stop, leaning over to plant his hands onto his knees, fighting desperately to catch his breath, holding a finger up to the girls as he did.
He was dressed more casually than the huntresses; Chuck Taylor sneakers, jeans, and a hoodie covered in sparse, white armor. Finally, he threw his head back. "Whoo!"
Daria stared at him for a long moment, before her gaze slowly shifted back to Pyrrha, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern.
"…Ahem!" The redhead called out, shooting back to attention. "Daria- meet Jaune, my partner! Jaune- meet Daria. She's an old... classmate of mine."
"Yeah, hi, Dinah," He managed to wheeze out, hands on his hips. "Great to meet you-" He stopped in his tracks as he took in the state of the clearing, a dozen slowly dissipating grimm bodies littered around them. "Uh… and, uh, what… happened here?"
"Oh…" Pyrrha began. "Nothing to worry about. We took care of it, right?"
"Uh… right," Daria said unsurely, looking back and forth between the huntsmen before her. "Well… this is great, and all, but, uh, I… need to go find a partner. Before I meet any more grimm. Hey, uh, if I find the temple, though!" She snapped two finger guns at Pyrrha. "I'll, uh… call you. I… have your number, right?"
"Yes, you have my number."
"Group project, right! That ended up… just being us doing all the work- yeah, I'll call you- yeah, great seeing you," She nodded hard as she began to back into the tree line. "And, uh… nice meeting you, Jaune."
"You too, Deborah."
"Daria."
"Right."
She gave them another awkward smile, snapping her finger guns again- before disappearing out of view. She'd only taken a few steps away, before she dropped into a crouch, her hands going to her mouth as she poorly attempted to stifle an anguished scream, shaking side to side angrily.
After a moment, she popped back to her feet, letting out a disappointed groan, beginning to pick her way back through the forest ahead.
The boy let out a slow exhalation of breath, muscles relaxing as the tension drained from him. He rose from his crouch, flourishing his katana- its steel blade inlaid with silver characters, a purple ribbon hanging from it- before sheathing it, expression cooling from one of intent to a stony stoicism. He was dressed in dark, flowing clothes, sporadic pieces of armor cladding his form, hair short and combed neatly, undercut on the sides.
Dual purple orbs turned over his shoulder flatly, taking in the collection of fallen and disappearing corpses of grimm placed haphazardly behind him. He gave a small, unimpressed exhalation of breath before turning forwards again, one hand resting lazily on the handle of his blade, the other reaching out ahead of him to calmly push his way through the thick underbrush, his gait even and measured despite the uneven ground beneath him.
The samurai had only managed to walk a few short meters from the remains of his battle- before gunshots began to ring out through the trees around him, his gaze shooting to the sky as a small flock of birds fled from the tree-tops, disappearing into the distance. His eyes closed, a small, relaxed breath exhaling from him, when-
Poof.
A sizable, large cloud of purple smoke enveloped him, rushing out to fill the air, wisps rounding the trees. It stood for a moment, before fading to nothing- and the samurai was gone.
Poof.
The thick smoke filled the clearing, sets of confused red eyes visible in it, before the length of steel flew through the air, cleaving neatly into the smoke, ripping through the black flesh of the grimm with ease, quick, efficient slashes thrown out around the samurai, inky, smoky body parts flying through the smoke as the boy made quick work mincing through the pack of beasts.
In the midst of his deadly focus, he was unaware of the girl stumbling out of the smoke, a cowboy hat held in hand as she battered the fog out of her face, coughing raucously as she did so. She was dressed in brown leathers, golden designs swooping across her coat- her skin was deeply suntanned, contrasting starkly with long, deep red hair and vivid green eyes.
She came to a stop, taking a deep breath of fresh air- before rapidly turning on her heel, a large revolver held tightly in hand, her head cocked to the side as she stared into the dark smoke.
A grimm leapt from the cloud; it was shorter, but more robust than its lupine cousin, dexterous claws outstretched for the gunslinger.
A hearty gunshot echoed through the forest as she fired, the creature's head recoiling, bullet hole firmly placed in its forehead, the beast tumbling away. She scoffed as she took a hard step forwards, her gun spinning around her finger as more of the grimm lunged for her, a quick spray of shots blossoming out from the girl, each finding their targets with ease.
The gun clicked empty loudly, and the girl gave it an irritated, side-eyed look, before hurling it into the air, immediately lashing out with a boot to another of the creature's domed face, sending it stumbling away; right into a well-timed slash from the still hidden samurai.
Her hand lashed out, catching the revolver solidly in her hand, bashing it hard into the snout of a grimm, a satisfying 'crack' greeting her.
The clearing went still as she stared into the dissipating cloud of smoke, hip cocked out, resting her weight on one leg. There was a beat of silence, before the samurai stepped out into the clear air, wisps of smoke reaching off of his form, skillfully sheathing his katana.
A smirk slowly found its way onto the gunslinger's face- before her freehand came up with lightning speed, another revolver held tightly, the hammer cocked, and the trigger pulled before the boy had a chance to react.
The bullet flew true, arcing over his shoulder before burying itself into the head of the grimm behind him. His eyebrow raised as he looked over the shoulder to the fallen beast, gaze turning back to the girl as she ducked low, picking up a pair of dark aviator sunglasses, looking them over, then putting them on, satisfied.
"Well, hell! Looks like we're partners, huh?" She asked, moving her sunglasses to perch onto the tip of her nose, emerald gaze looking him up and down, a smile spreading across her face.
"…So it seems." He muttered, giving the clearing one last scan.
She stepped towards him, holstering her pistols and extending a hand. "Oracle Carmine."
He stared at it for a moment curiously, before taking it, giving her a low bow. "Kyani. Shinai."
"Kyani, huh? That's a pretty forei-"
"Shinai." He cut in curtly, voice even in tone.
"Pardon, hon?"
"Shinai is my given name. Kyani is my family name."
The partners stared off for a moment quietly, Oracle's emerald gaze slowly narrowing. Finally, she gave him a small, understanding nod. "…Kay, then. Last name Kyani, first name Shinai. That… ain't weird at all. You must not be from around here, then."
The samurai held his part of the stare-off for another moment, before finally looking away, adjusting his katana stiffly. "…I was born on Patch. My name is Mistrali."
The smirk slowly began to crawl its way back onto Oracle's face. "What a complex man you are. I'm lookin' forward to seeing what's under all those layers, mm."
Shinai stopped in his place, eyes falling to stare at the dirt. Slowly, a deep, resigned breath escaped his lips, his face fading from an expression of polite impassivity to one of stone-stillness, eyes going dark and guarded. He straightened back up, turning to continue his stiff march towards the trees. "…We should keep moving. Before the sun sets."
Oracle watched him go for a moment, leaning back to take in his gait, her look turning coy. "Ooh, dark, handsome, and stoic. This day just keeps gettin' better and better." She sauntered off after the samurai, sashaying forwards with all of the confidence in the world.
"Now, of course, it may seem silly to you, but at the time I was simply enamored!"
"A-ah."
"Truly. It was glorious- simple, but majestic in its own right, and I simply had to have it."
"Mm."
"Since then, I simply refused to let go of it. Part of it is, of course, nostalgia, but I truly do believe that it has a well-worn, warm thrum to it that I can't seem to replace or recreate. Eventually, it'll pass on, but until that day, I can't help but love it for all it is. I wish I'd brought it, but alas…"
"Ah… of- of course."
The duo stopped in their tracks.
The boy looked over to his companion- he was well-tanned in his complexion, hair silver and messy on his head, eyes a lupine pale yellow in color; he was dressed in a casual white and red tracksuit, sneaker cladding his left foot- in the place of his right leg, though, was a silver mechanical limb, tapering down into a set of canine paws, razor sharp.
And behind him lazily wagged a shaggy canine tail.
He raised a fine eyebrow, a coy look playing on his face, before speaking in his light, lilting accent. "Dear, you don't seem too terribly enamored with the story about my guitar."
The girl jolted, eyes going wide, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks. Her skin was warm and dark, hair pulled into a messy dark bun behind her, tall, willowy body covered in comfortable, form-fitting blue and black gear, height aided by the heels beneath her. She shook her head quickly. "Ah- n-no, no! I- I'm listening." She pled anxiously, her own voice sharing an accent, though completely dissimilar to his.
The faunus' look shifted from coy to teasing. "Ah, you wound me, my dear! I'd thought it an enthralling story-"
"I-it is!"
"No need to protect my pride now! Too little too late, Miss Cerulean. Very well, I shan't speak more of it."
Her hands quickly balled up in front of her, a wave of shame washing over her as she dropped her head low, her blush only growing more intense.
The boy's look faded, his eyes rolling. He threw an arm over her shoulder as they continued on their way. "I'm simply teasing, dear! No need to be so easily abashed- this will be a difficult year for you if you do so."
She- flinching at the sudden touch- nodded quickly but said nothing.
The boy's gaze turned to the treetops as they marched ever onwards, expression thoughtful. "Tell me, archer- where do you think this temple is, exactly? I caught a small view of the forest on our way in, and, quite frankly, it's rather massive. While I do enjoy this land's ever stretching greenery, I'd rather- draw."
That finally drew her gaze back to his face, his tone going deadly serious. She blinked in confusion, before he quickly shot away from her, mechanical leg sliding in front of him, bouncing from foot to foot as he adopted an admittedly casual fighting stance.
She followed his example, skittering backwards, pulling an ornate compound bow from her back, drawing an arrow from the laying just beneath the bow, her warm brown gaze pirouetting around the forest surrounding them, anxiously searching for the source of her partner's paranoia.
The faunus peered into the depths of the greenery with narrowed eyes- before lifting his mechanical leg, the plates shifting to reveal the barrel of an oversized cannon, steam spitting through the cracks as he kicked out and fired, the gunshot ear-shattering in volume.
The over-large bullet flew into the trees, disappearing from sight- and the partners were greeted with the distinct sound of metal hitting metal. The boy's gaze shifted from one of suspicious to one of confusion, leg lowering as his stance relaxed ever-so-slightly.
Two shapes began to move through the underbrush, becoming more and more apparent before they finally broke through into the trail the huntsmen were perched in.
The leading figure raised an eyebrow as he stepped into view- slung over his shoulder was a massive steel monstrosity of a greatsword. He was fair in skin, hair blonde and slicked back, red long-coat lined in gold undone at the top, baring a well-muscled chest to the duo. He thrust his freehand forwards- and tossed the cannon shot back to the faunus, who nimbly snatched it from the air.
"Might needta be a little more careful where you fire that thing, bud," The blonde said. "Someone might get hurt like that."
"I'd…" The silver-haired huntsman let loose an appraising chuckle. "You can never be too careful, no?"
"Uh huh. Ebony, you can come out. It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you, buddy." He turned over his shoulder expectantly, sheathing his greatsword onto his back casually, idly swiping his hair backwards, placing any cuticles back into their rightful places.
The greenery began to move again- as a massive, hulking figure made his way through, standing at least a foot over the other three huntsmen, nearly twice as wide as well, his skin pale, standing out starkly against wild, long black hair and equally black, very irritated eyes. He was dressed exclusively in shades of black and grey, most of his form covered in a long, thick, winter trench coat.
He shifted his form angrily as he bared down on his comparably smaller partner. "Call me bud. One. More. Time."
The swordsman snorted derisively, none-too-threatened by the towering individual. He gestured at him with a thumb over the shoulder as he turned back to the opposing pair. "That's Ulysses. I'm Lance Zaffre."
He extended a hand to the faunus, who took it with little hesitation- and then bowed lowly with a flourish. "You may have the pleasure of calling me Rainier Platina, son of Leonardo and Camilla Platina, brother to the White Wolf of Vacuo, scion of the legendary house of the Wardens of the West- and well-renowned bachelor in the lands far west of here."
Lance retracted his hand, idly wiping it onto his coat, before looking passed Rainier, a smirk crawling onto his face as he caught sight of the girl standing further back, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "And who's the honey behind you?"
Rainier blinked, turning back to his partner, jolting as if he'd just realized she'd been standing there. "Oh, yes, her! That is one Miss Gail Cerulean," He turned back to the swordsman. "She's an archer."
She gave a tiny, uncomfortable wave before dropping her arms again, shrinking into herself, gaze averting from the trio of huntsmen before her.
Lance's expression soured slightly, before he shrugged noncommittally, attention turning back to the Vacuoan before him. "Well, wolf, pleasure to meet ya and archer-girl. You two any good in a fight?"
The faunus' expression twisted into a more-than-a-little vicious grin. "Am I good in a fight. I forget sometimes that I've left my kingdom for another. Oh, yes, Mr. Zaffre. I am very good in a fight."
Lance looked him up and down again, scoffing slightly. "Yeah, sorry if I'm not exactly convinced, Platina. You look like you just got out of bed, and I don't trust anyone who fights in their pjs."
"Well… I'm more than willing to give you a… sample of what I'm capable of. Up close and personal… if you wish it." Rainier muttered, head cocking to the side.
A grin of his own slowly crept onto the swordsman's face, hand creeping up to latch onto the handle of his greatsword. "That so, wolf? And, uh, tell me, chief- what, uh, happens if I say yes?"
"Shall we find out?"
"Uh, R-Rainier?" Gail asked, leaning around the faunus, finally joining the confrontation, her face a veil of uncertainty. "M-maybe we shouldn't, um, fight? Tha-that feels like a… a bad idea. We might- we might bring grimm here."
The two huntsmen continued to stare off for a moment- before Rainier's face brightened considerably, his muscles relaxing as he leaned back in his spot, hands reaching up to clasp behind his head. "Ah, Miss Cerulean, I was simply testing Zaffre's mettle, that's all. Just a little friendly… sizing up, no?"
"Of course!" Lance said, giving a laugh, his hand dropping from his sword. "Of course… of course," the last word was delivered quietly, his smile dropping back into a hard stare for a moment. Finally, he cocked his head to the side. "Aight, enough chit-chat. You guys comin'? Big man back there and I think we've got a lead on the temple. Four's better-"
One massive, black-taped hand wrapped around the swordsman's shoulder; and began to tighten, just enough so that it was uncomfortable, turning the swordsman around in his spot. Ulysses' face was drawn into an absolutely irritated snarl. "We. Are. Going."
Lance stared up at the brute, before ripping his shoulder free from his partner's grip. "Says who, bud?"
"Says me," Ulysses growled. "Or you can find the temple by yourself." Without another word, he turned on his heel, marching back into the forest, disappearing into the shadows with unsettling ease.
The blonde swordsman watched him go for a second, before rolling his eyes. He turned back to the other duo as he began to saunter backwards after his partner. He inclined his head to the faunus. "Maybe next time, Platina." He began to disappear into the brush- but not before giving Gail a cheeky wink and click.
She blinked hard, near eternal blush finding its way back to her face. Rainier chuckled, shaking his head as he stared at the spot the duo had disappeared through. "Come then, Miss Cerulean. The day is not getting any longer, yes?" He himself began marching away, and after a moment, his partner continued off after him, fishing a book from a holster on her belt as she did so, opening it up and immediately engrossing herself into it.
Rainier began to whistle as he walked, eyes locked back to the sky casually, with hardly a care in the world.
Daria leapt to the side in the nick of time, the ursine grimm slamming a massive claw down into the dirt, a cloud of dust flying into the air from the impact. The girl hit the ground in a roll, a flurry of quick, green energy waves launched towards the beast, ripping into its inky flesh- but not nearly doing as much damage as they did to the beowolf grimm, the beast letting loose an unnatural roar of pain and fury.
It dropped back to run on all fours, charging towards the huntress with ridiculous speed, roaring as it went. She winced hard, lifting a hand and averting her eyes; a large, brilliant orb of light emanated out, filling the small clearing.
The blinding flash was more than enough to disorient the grimm, a pained growl emanating from it, head shaking side to side as it continued to charge blindly forwards, missing Daria and running full-speed into one of the massive trees, shaking the gargantuan trunk with the force of the impact.
Furiously, it turned on its heel, roaring as it searched for the huntress- and found nothing.
Confused, it began to trudge forwards, red eyes scanning side to side for any sight of the diminutive girl.
Her eyes, rather, were locked onto the beast, perched high above it, balanced precariously on a large branch, waiting patiently; right until the grimm turned away from her, and she pounced, leaping from the bough to land solidly onto its back, dual blades ripping into its hide, before dramatically tearing them back out, green slices of energy following the wake of the steel weapons, further shredding the creature's back. It let out another roar as it began to thrash from side-to-side, both in pain, and in an attempt to knock its rider free.
Swaying wildly atop the beast, Daria grit her teeth as she continued to slice downwards into the massive grimm, working furiously to rip her way through its black mass, letting out an irritated, frustrated scream as she did so.
Finally, the beast took a hard step to the side, shaking wildly, then shot the other way, the drastic change in movement enough to send Daria flying, hitting the ground hard and rolling uncontrollably away.
She shook the impact from her mind, trying to frantically climb to her feet.
She was too slow, though, the ursa shifting onto its back legs, its hulking form bearing down over the comparably tiny huntress, sharp white claws held high, gaining height and momentum, before bringing them down.
It was too slow, though, as a monstrous blur of red steel shot from the side, bodily slamming into the beast with a hearty 'crunch', both the offending object and the creature charging towards the end of the clearing, the grimm hurtling directly into a tree, leaves falling from the force of the ridiculous impact, splinters of wood exploding outwards.
Daria shot to her feet, her eyes wide.
Holding the creature by the throat, and lifting it off of the ground, was a monstrously large red-metal humanoid construct, the mech as large as the beast itself.
A mocking scoff of a laugh emanated from the construct, the voice deep and heavily synthesized. With ease, it turned on its heel and hurled the ursa away, the beast tumbling across the ground.
The mech turned towards Daria for the smallest moment, a glowing green-glass gaze passing over her emotionlessly before it turned back towards the grimm, beginning to stalk towards the injured, recovering beast.
The creature stumbled back to its feet, roaring furiously at the construct, before leaping towards it, throwing its entire weight into the red monstrosity of metal. The mech's hands flew up to catch the beast with ridiculous speed, several jets of flame lighting up on the back of its arms with the movement, massive metal digits snatching the ursa out of the air, feet digging into the earth and sliding inches backwards the only inclination that the beast had any weight to it all.
The grimm snapped viciously at the helm of the construct in vain as the mech held it off, one hand rising up to latch onto the bottom of its jaw- and sent it crashing into the ground with ease, a cringe-worthy crack ringing out through the forest.
The mech didn't let up, the other hand reaching out to grasp the other half of the jaw, lifting the ursa back into the air.
With one swift, vicious movement, it jerked its arms apart, a sickening tearing sound ringing through the clearing. The grimm's jaws went slack, its body going limp in the construct's grip. The mech let out another synthesized, unimpressed chortle, before turning on its heel, hurling the creature's limp body away, crashing it against a tree.
After a moment, the mech finally turned back towards Daria, her ringblades instinctively coming up in a defensive stance, teeth gritting together as she faced it down. The clearing went silent with tension as the two combatants stared off.
'Tschh', the sound of steam releasing filled the air as the torso of the mech split into two, the head disappearing down into the depths of the suit, the construct's plates shifting loudly.
There was a blur of movement- and a tussled mop of blonde hair popped out of the opening of the mech, a pair of bright, cheery blue eyes and a brilliant, beaming smile greeting Daria as a very youthful face stared down at her.
"'Ello!" He called over, raising a hand into the air and waving giddily.
Daria's body went lax as she stared at him in dumbfoundment, blinking in disbelief.
The boy climbed through the top of the mech, leaping out to land solidly onto the floor- he only stood a few inches taller than Daria, and was dressed surprisingly casually in an outfit more appropriate for a schoolboy than a combatant, down to a pair of chuck Taylor's and rolled up blue jeans, his fingers wrapped in bandages and tape.
He brushed his hands off onto his jeans, still shaking with excitement as he extended a hand to the girl. "Name's Nash! Nash Aspis! Looks like we're partners now, huh?"
"…Daria." She muttered unsurely, stiffly shaking the offered limb.
Nash, still grinning, turned hard on his heel, scampering back to his mech- of which he barely reached the knee-joint of- and patted its red metal affectionately. "This- this is Phalanx, my baby!"
"…Hi."
"Oh, he can't talk- well, he can, but it's, like, more," His face went still, arms adopting right angles, his next words spoken with uncharacteristic stiffness. "'Beep boop I am a robot, I have one-thousand pre-recorded lines I may say, beep boop'," He snorted, dropping the act. "I tried really, really hard to try'n program a responsive AI, but, eh, it was a lotta work an' it wasn't really actually workin', so I just said 'eh' and scrapped the idea, and did this! The Phalanx Program's great! I just wished it wasn't, y'know… so buggy."
Daria blinked rapidly, shaking her head slightly as she struggled to process the word vomit he'd just spouted at her. After a moment, she cleared her throat. "You're a… little young to be out here, aren't you?"
"I dunno, I mean, how old are you- oh, my b! Mama said that asking women for their ages was rude, my b, my b!"
The newly minted partners stared off for a long moment.
Finally, a disbelieving smile climbed across Daria's face, even as she shook her head. "…Y'know, Nash Aspis? I think I'm going to like you."
He grinned back bashfully, blushing at the sudden affection, shifting contently. "D'awww, thank youuu."
Daria inclined her head to the side. "Alright, get back in the suit. Let's get a move on, partner."
Nash let out a giddy squeak at the word, scampering back towards his mech, scaling it with practiced ease before dropping halfway back inside, tapping the shoulders of Phalanx rhythmically.
The Mistrali huntress shook her head as she continued on her way through the forest, the sound of Phalanx's heavy footsteps just a short few feet behind her.
Shinai steadily climbed the steps up towards the temple, eyes closed peacefully, a wave of relief washing over him, his goal slowly coming closer and closer into view.
"I could watch you climb stairs all day, darlin'." Oracle murmured from her position behind him, head cocked to the side leerily, a smirk plastered onto her face.
The samurai let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Still, you insist."
"Ooh, you bet. Mama didn't raise no quitter."
Shinai finally reached the apex of the ascent, coming to a standstill, gaze turning to take in the temple itself, eyes ever wary of his surroundings. Oracle snorted as she joined him, bumping her hip against his- to his quiet chagrin- hands looped into her belt.
"Aw, cheer up, hon," She cooed as she stepped passed him. "You'll get used to it eventually," The gunslinger continued into the open-air pavilion, eyes glued to the outer edges- a collection of large chess pieces stood on equally spaced pedestals. She reached over and picked one up, turning it around in her hand, before returning it, intently waiting for something to happen. After a moment of silence, she turned, leaning against the pedestal, an eyebrow raising towards the samurai. "Chess pieces, huh?"
"So it seems."
"Could be the artifacts Professor Oz was talkin' about."
He hummed noncommittally as he joined her on the platform, looking over each piece in turn.
"Two to a set?" Oracle continued to muse, walking along the edges of the temple, investigating each artifact closely. "Two pairs to a team- oh, this must be how they'll throw us together when we get back to the cliff."
Shinai came to a stop, eyebrows furrowing as he stared at her. "…Very astute."
"I try."
"…You're a talented fighter, Carmine."
She turned a cocked eyebrow to the samurai. "If that's your idea of flirtin', hon, you might need to re-evaluate."
"No," He muttered in slight exasperation. "You… surprise me."
"Well…" Oracle shrugged, picking up a piece. "I surprise myself sometimes. How 'bout this?" She tossed it to him.
"…Black knight?"
"In honor of my strappin' samurai," At his confused look, she rolled her eyes. "Samurai, knight, whatever, same difference."
"I…" He trailed off, his past, reassessing gaze fading back to stony indifference. "Very well. Back to the cliff."
Hands in her pockets, Oracle began to make her way back towards her partner, the duo beginning the descent down the stairs back into the forest proper. "Sure hope none of these other idiots get killed out there. I'd hate to have to make a detour on the way back."
Shinai simply hummed flatly, guarded gaze turning back forwards as they disappeared into the trees.
"And we have our first victors." The woman said, an electronic tablet-like Scroll held in front of her, Shinai and Oracle plastered onto its screen, disappearing into the thick of the forest. She was older, blonde and fair in complexion, dressed formally in white and black, a riding crop tucked under her arm, a tattered cape hanging from her back.
The man let out a thoughtful hum as he stared at his own tablet- the image of a girl clad in red and black on his screen for a moment before it shifted to the samurai and the gunslinger, his free hand lifting a steaming mug of hot chocolate to his lips. He was dressed formally as well, a black and green suit cladding him, his hair messy and silver in color, an intricate cane resting against his side.
"The Kyani boy continues to impress…" The woman went on, nodding to him. She caught sight of his distracted expression, frowning. "Professor? Are you alright?"
"Quite," He said back lightly, flipping to another screen on his tablet. Lance and Ulysses appeared, the swordsman looking to be bickering with his larger teammate as they continued to trudge through the forest. "Miss Goodwitch, please focus on Mr. Zaffre and Mr. Ebony."
The image zoomed out from the unsuspecting huntsmen- and just a short few dozen meters ahead of them, the trees shook and swayed as something massive began to make its way towards them, pushing the towering, ancient trees of the forest around with remarkable ease.
"I believe they may have some company."