The door closed. A simple soul was brushing her teeth.
It was late, but the girls couldn't sleep right away despite their exhaustion.
Ruby was in the bathroom, humming a tune.
They had just come back from the other side of the corridor, where the former team JNPR lived.
How would they be called from now on?, Ruby asked herself. JNPRO? That sounds really cool.
Weiss was transcribing and sorting some notes from class.
She was trying hard to concentrate as there was one question nagging at her thoughts.
Why a transfer in the middle of the semester?
Blake and Yang were laying on their beds.
Blake, who was surprisingly bookless for the time being, was waiting for something.
A question she knew would come sooner or later, she knew her partner well enough.
Yang turned to the side so Blake could hear her clearly. She had a thoughtful look on her face.
'Hey Blake, why were you so forward with this guy, Owen? You..., I mean you even talked to him'
Blake's bow twitched at her cue.
There it is.
She didn't move, laying on her mattress, a smug smile appearing on her lips.
Yang was teasing her. Blake knew she could also play this game, albeit in a more subtle way.
'Well, you seemed to know him, I just wanted to be polite'
At the unexpected response, Yang could only scratch her head in embarrassment.
Right. I didn't tell her.
'Yeah, I met him earlier today, he bumped into me'
She had somehow forgotten to tell her partner about the coincidence and felt slightly ashamed of it.
Yang's cheeks reddened and she was glad Blake couldn't see her right now.
At the revelation, Blake raised an eyebrow, now listening closely to what Yang had to say.
She had been always fascinated by riddles and when Yang began recalling what had happened earlier that day,
she felt some of the dots connect.
Yang stood up, she couldn't feel her legs anymore. She observed how her bookish friend was completely enthralled by the book and rolled her eyes at the sight.
Yang had grown to love her but sometimes...
Blake was reading again in the shadows, reclined against the foot of a tree.
Typical Blake. This girl should loosen up sometimes. Always lost in her world of fantasy...
With the evident blonde brawler hovering beside her, Blake looked up to her and asked 'What's wrong? Is something bothering you?'
'Nah, I think I'm just gonna take a stroll, stretch the legs, tease a few boys, the usual. It is a beautiful day after all'
'Do you mind if I finish this chapter?'
'Don't worry Blakey,
take your time,
enjoy your book.
I will come back soon'
Blake nodded softly at Yang and was about to continue reading when she lowered her book and a slight twitch of her bow could be seen if you watched closely.
Wait a moment. Was that an Achieve Men song? The lyrics sounded familiar..., she asked herself when Yang left.
Yang was walking towards the edge of the cliffs, overlooking the lake separating Vale from Beacon.
Then she noticed a new arrival, gliding out of the clouds
She spotted the origin of said ship on the arrival board.
An airship coming from Patch?
What was father's advice? Gotta greet your homies, yo.
No. That was uncle Qrow, extremely drunk.
She shook her head and smiled at the fond if rather awkward memory.
She lurked around the landing pad and watched the new arrival from the distance.
Yang was curious. I might meet someone we know.
The sliding doors opened and a myriad of passengers of different heights, colors and races poured out of the airship.
No, nope, you neither, no, and no, not even in your dreams, Drexler.
Yang shook her head. All the uninteresting people from Patch and one bully from Signal. No one worth greeting.
Boring.
Wait.
There was a blonde guy in some really weird clothes sporting a badly shaven beard.
And wearing a leather jacket. Bingo, Yang Xiao-Long.
She decided to scare him.
What was what Jaune always said? There are no strangers, only people you haven't pissed off yet.
No. I think it was not quite like that, Yang grinned in anticipation.
She strode straight towards the newcomer, the smug grin still on her face.
This must be your lucky day, Cheesecake.
When said person lost balance and almost fell out of the ship, Yang smirked at the clumsiness.
She was about to tap him on the shoulder when he suddenly turned around on his own and bumped into her, falling back on his ass.
The stranger quickly got up but appeared to be disorientated.
He tried to walk a few more steps but then the surprised blonde stranger stopped walking altogether.
He had a distant look in his eyes and remained completely motionless, what made Yang ask herself if the guy was breathing at all.
She tried to communicate with this rare species.
Yang tried using her usual charm to break the trance this guy seemed to be in.
'Hello? Beacon to ... scruffy beard ' Yang waved her hands and smiled at the stranger.
He seemed quite unresponsive for a grown man.
Even more so if it was Yang Xiao Long who he was ignoring, that intrigued Yang a lot.
Maybe 'Scruffy Beard' was the wrong nickname. What did she... ah yes, Cheesecake.
Or maybe he has a concussion...
She quickly dismissed that thought when the newcomer squinted his eyes, looking at her.
Just as she thought she was making progress, there was something behind her that caught his attention.
And just like that, the guy was alive again.
'Oh, I'm sorry. I am in a hurry, excuse me'
The blonde - Cheesecake - woke up from the trance, stood up and walked past her, mindlessly.
Yang was perplexed. Excuse me?
Only ...how were those called? ...Zombies or Weregrimm would show no reaction at that kind of teasing and those existed only in the movies. Right?
'You shouldn't be watching those movies Yang, some of them are even forbidden', an imaginary Weiss reminded her.
She followed with her gaze the blonde stranger who was striding right towards...Was that Professor Port?
Yang could recognize the rambling self-centered belly with a moustache from the distance.
It was decided. There were only so much sacrifices you could make for a good teasing, but this was too much.
Sorry bearded Cheesecake, I'm so not going that way. No more bumping into eachother for shit and giggles.
Yang turned around and walked back to the Academy with more questions on her mind than before.
Why did he seem surprised?
Had they met before?
And why was he so absent? Did I hurt him?
Heh, it wouldn't be the first boy I've stunned, but there was something else...
I think he likes me.
She smiled to no one particularly.
Yang approached the tree where Blake still sat reading.
Blake noticed her and stood up, closing her book. 'Let's go back, it's getting late'
Yang simply nodded.
Odd, thought Blake. She is rarely this quiet. Something is on her mind.
'Yeah, I bumped into him earlier today'
Yang was deep in thought reminiscing when Blake decided to burst her bubble.
'Really Yang? ...wait...was it intentional?' Blake raised her brow and tilted her head so she could look up to Yang.
Shit
'Are you saying I run into people on purpose? Yang looked down from her bunk bed to Blake with a fake frown on her face.
Weiss, who had been listening quietly from her desk, turned her head attentively and squinted her eyes at the blonde brawler.
Weiss shook her head and quipped a single, effective and devastating word.
'Guilty'
Yang turned her head to the Heiress - newly self appointed Judge - and gave her an overly exaggerated dirty look, which Weiss knew was just in jest. Yang crossed her arms dismissively.
'You are no fun, Snow Angel''
'Ugh, don't remind me of that' Weiss shivered, showing a wry expression on her face when she remembered Jaune's sweet but awkward advances.
'We all know the only one who hits people accidentally is Ruby' She added as an afterthought.
A high pitched 'Heey' came from inside the bathroom.
Ruby leant on the doorframe, using her big puppy eyes and pouting face for greater effect.
The girls were able to tune out Ruby's most effective weapon only thanks to daily practice since their initiation.
Blake spoke next. 'There is no point in denying it Yang, we know you like to tease boys.'
A unusually smug grin appeared in Blake's face before she caught herself.
She muttered under her breath 'I am sure you'd like to tease some pretty girls too'
Cozy. Fuzzy. Warm. Perfect.
Owen knew he would have to get up at some point but he wanted to stretch the blissful moment as long as possible.
It was decided. As soon as it was widely accepted, he would marry that couch.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. Still in a drowsy state, he wondered why everything was so...orange?
He jerked up, only to hit Nora with his head.
'Owww'
'Yep, Ren. He is up now' Nora rubbed her forehead, giggling.
'Nora, I told you to leave him some space' Ren shook his head while he smoothed the sheets of his bed.
Ren couldn't suppress the hint of a smile on his face completely, Nora always managed to do that to him.
'Good morning, sleepyhead' Nora grinned and stood proud in her aerobics attire, having finished her morning routine recently.
'Hi Nora. How come you have no headache?'
'After playing and experimenting with Magnhild for a few years you will manage to hit yourself a couple of times'
'Yourself and your friends...' Ren corrected her, not looking away from Stormflower while he inspected the inner workings.
Nora simply shrugged and continued 'Owen, you might be headstrong, but you still are a lightweight'
...'You mean it didn't hurt much to you?'
Nora nodded and her eyes brightened up.
She had an idea.
'I know exactly what you need to wake you up'
'Besides concussions? Shoot'
A big inviting grin appeared on Nora's face.
'Do you want some pancakes?'
That sounded like a delicious offer he couldn't refuse.
'Sure. Why, do you have any?'
'No, but if you ready up, I'm pretty sure we can still get some at the cafeteria'
'How can you be so sure?' Owen was curious, to say at least.
Jaune chuckled in the background while he laced his shoes 'Because nobody dares to hit her stash before she does'
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After brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower, Owen followed his new teammates to the cafeteria,
where he got whole five pancakes just for himself.
Nora was being very kind.
He reconsidered. The pancakes will probably come at a cost, he thought.
But he didn't care.
Owen just wished he had a jar of Nutell...
'Oh hi Owen!' His thoughts were put to an end when he heard Ruby greet him.
He turned around to see Team RWBY had just entered the cafeteria.
After gathering their breakfast, which in case of Ruby consisted mostly of milk and cookies, Ruby and her team joined the others at the table.
Weiss and Ruby sat down facing Jaune and Pyrrha while Yang and Blake faced Owen, Nora and Ren.
Reserved but curious, Weiss inquired politely 'So Owen, how are you fitting in?'
'Oh, great, everyone has been very kind and friendly to me' Owen replied.
Jaune tried to take part in the conversation, nearly choking on the sandwich he was munching.
Pyrrha noticed his struggle and reacting quickly, slapped him twice on the back.
'Thanks Pyrrha' Jaune whispered, after gasping for air.
Pyrrha shook her head. 'Jaune, just finish up before you speak'
Whenever he is not in the battlefield, he acts before he thinks.
She sighed at her partner with a small smile on her lips and turned to face Ruby again.
'Owen has to go through initiation after breakfast' Pyrrha explained to Ruby in place of Jaune. She knew he wanted to tell just that.
Ruby recalled their initiation fondly. 'Whew, that was lots of fun. I'm pretty sure you will have some fun too'
Then a thought occurred to Ruby which made her raise an eyebrow. 'Who will be joining you?'
'Ehm...I...don't know? I think it will be just me' Owen shrugged.
'Oh' Ruby swallowed hard. Not so fun then.
Ruby looked to Weiss, who seemed well versed in rules, legal matters and all those things Ruby found excruciatingly boring.
'Is that fair or ...even allowed?' Ruby asked her with a worried look.
'Of course it is, there are no rules set for initiations, at least not in Beacon' Weiss quickly quipped.
'It still sounds a little extreme' This time, it was Ren talking, who had enjoyed his breakfast in silence so far.
Blake didn't find it excessive but then again when she thought of her own background and experience regarding combat,
the initiation was still a challenge, even more so on your own.
'I only want to get through it with all my limbs attached. That would be nice'
Owen tried to make light of it to alleviate the worries of his mates.
Both teams jumped when Nora, rising to her feet and smashing her fists down, almost knocked over the table.
'Ren, we cannot let him get broken, I like him'
'Don't worry Nora, we could go and watch his progress after classes'
Nora nodded excitedly, gulping down another handful of pancakes while beaming to Owen.
I'm not quite sure how she does that, Owen thought silently about Nora's pancake annihilating abilities until Ruby's voice brought him back to the present.
'Yeah, all of us could go watch Owen's initiation after classes, what do you say team?' Ruby asked in the round.
'Sure, why not' Blake said, only her Bow sticking out behind her book.
Weiss thought of all homework and readings she could get done in the same time but after seeing the excited look in Ruby's face,
she gave up, rolled her eyes and smiled. 'Yes, whatever'
'We will come too' Jaune and Pyrrha grinned at Owen.
'I'm glad to hear so many people enjoy watching my life of suffering, guys' Owen held his arms up in defeat, letting out a chuckle.
He felt a mighty slap on the back which almost knocked him over.'Don't be a puss, you'll rock it'
Was Yang being supportive or had she just tried to murder him?
Hard to tell.
Owen softly shook his head and smiled, looking around the table.
I must give it to Ozpin.
It didn't take long to make friends.
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Owen was about to stand up after finishing the pancakes when he got a glass shoved into his face.
It is Orange. Orange juice?
A dark, thick voice commanded 'Drink up hunter, you'll need the strength'
The voice suddenly changed pitch to an, in comparison, extremely girly one 'Was that good, Rennie?'
Ren shook his head chuckling 'I think you scared him, Nora'
Owen took the glass and gulped the tasty drink in one go. He grinned at Nora's proud expression after he did so.
It tasted weird though, Owen wondered what kind of oranges grew on Remnant.
After the teams had gathered the dishes and brought their trays back to the counter, Owen glanced at his wrist watch.
It read 7:25.
Provided the watch was working at all, he should hurry.
Having noticed the time as well, Jaune motioned for Owen to tag along, the rest of his team following closely behind.
Owen heard Ruby shouting and wishing him luck in the background while the rest of team RWBY waved or, in the case of Yang, stood proud with her hands on her hips.
After team JNPR had wished Owen good luck and rushed to class, Glynda did not take long to arrive.
'Quite a following you got there', she addressed Owen, mildly surprised and obviously amused.
Is she trying to make me relax?
Owen shrugged 'What can I say, Ozpin was right'
At this remark, Glynda raised an eyebrow.
Another thought occurred Owen. 'Will Ozpin oversee the initiation?'
'Yes, but he will attend the initiation later' Glynda answered, motioning for him to follow her.
Glynda and Owen arrived at the cliff overlooking Emerald Forest
She motioned for him to step forward. 'Please step unto the launchpad, Mr. Crown'
'Just call me Owen', Owen grinned nervously at her.
If I get her to say my name just once before I die, I'll be happy.
Glynda noticed the nervousness in his eyes.
He wouldn't be the first to show fear during an initiation launch, she thought.
Glynda made an rare, motherly expression and tried to encourage Owen.
'I get that you might be scared, Owen, but...'
...She said it! ...I will die now, right? Owen thought to himself, half jokingly.
'Scared? I am excited!' Owen grinned for Goodwitch but he was mentally shitting his pants.
Glynda mentally shook her head and continued.
'Do you have any questions before we begin?' Glynda inquired in her more usual, business-like tone.
'How will I know if I passed the initiation?' He asked, hoping for more hints.
'The Headmaster and I will come to pick you up when you are done'
No special requirements? Owen was delighted.
On a second thought, it sounds easy. Too easy, he thought.
'Anything else you want to tell me?' He asked Glynda one last time.
'Be prepared for anything and good luck'
'Thanks, Miss Goodwitch'
He knew he had forgotten to ask something.
What was it? Damn it Owen, you are getting old.
Those were his final thoughts before the unconventional candidate was propelled into the wilderness of Remnant.
Glynda just watched as Owen trashed about in the air, trying to regain his balance.
She didn't have much doubts in what to expect from this initiation.
But she still had one small, selfish request, if Owen didn't happen to be a Spy.
Please, don't die.
Owen was zipping above the treetops when he remembered...
A landing strategy, that's what I forgot.
Damn it Jaune, why did you change topics yesterday?
There was no time for facepalming.
He positioned himself on top of his suitcase, banking it and hoping that he could avoid cuts from the branches by doing so.
When he saw a wide trunk drawing close directly in front of him, he took out Apollo and unfolded it.
Just a blink away from crashing into the trunk, he rammed the sword with all his strength into it, managing to stop his momentum and get a hold onto the tree.
Despite his initial descent, Owen was still hanging quite high above the ground.
When he spotted a couple of wide branches below him, he hugged the tree firmly and yanked his sword out of the wooden log.
Owen then let go of the trunk and landed on one of the branches.
Without stopping, he got a grip onto the next one and from there he swung down to a wider branch.
Which broke under his weight.
He would have to improvise.
Owen managed to touch the tree with his foot, pushing himself away from it and crouching into a roll which dampened the fall considerably.
Still, the landing was hard but he was glad he didn't really hurt himself in the process.
Owen checked himself for any injuries and was pleased to find only small scratches in his hands, nothing serious.
His leather jacket and jeans had helped avoiding most of the scratches.
After standing up, Owen dusted off his clothes and observed his surroundings.
No immediate danger. I shouldn't let my guard down, though.
A few meters away from Owen stood Apollo in its sword form, sticking out of the ground.
Owen had lost the grip of it when he crouched into the roll.
Next time I should let it fold back into the coin before jumping.
They hadn't given him a clear mission, they just expected him to survive.
Surviving meant killing every Grimm he encountered. Or outrun them.
They didn't give Owen any clues about the Grimm he would be fighting, but that seemed to be the case in previous initiations.
Owen decided to go offensively and strike those hiding first.
He walked towards the center of the forest, or at least where he thought the center would be.
There, on the side of a large boulder, he spotted a cavern which looked very familiar to him.
It was where Jaune and Pyrrha had found the Death Stalker.
Owen entered the cramped, wet and creepy cave and was glad his scroll had a flashlight.
After a while of careful exploration, he decided to descend further. Owen was sure he had already passed the spot where the Death Stalker had been, as it seemed impossible for such a big monster to fit through the tunnels further ahead.
The cave widened and he noticed a big chamber, so big he couldn't illuminate the whole cavern with his small flashlight.
Something moved in the shadows and it dawned on him then.
Owen froze. Those weren't shadows.
It was fur.
Inside the chamber, just in front of him, there was one giant Grimm.
Owen was really thankful the Grimm was facing the opposite way. The beast must have been at least two stories high.
He decided a more defensive plan of action would be more fitting in this situation.
Owen slowly withdrew back into the tunnels, glad the Grimm hadn't spotted him.
Just when he thought he was out of earshot of the beast, a Creep Grimm emerged from nowhere.
Shit. I had forgotten those.
The Creep had bursted out of the ground and effectively blocked his only way out.
In the dim light coming from the outside, Owen pondered what to do.
Turning around and going back was plain suicide, at least in such a confined space.
The Creep stood on his only two appendages, having a small stump as a tail with which he could maintain his balance and it had a small protuberance instead of a nose, a horn so to speak.
I should avoid that end, Owen considered just as the Creep lunged forward, surprising Owen.
The Grimm would have tackled him to the ground if not for the slippery surface of the wet rocks.
Owen had tumbled backwards involuntarily.
In retrospective, I could have done a backward roll, but hindsight is always perfect.
After a few dodges, Owen rolled again to the side before the small monster impacted into his shoulder.
When and most importantly, why did I put Apollo away?
He took the coinsword out of its pouch and confronted the incoming beast.
Jumping back, Owen had more room to move and managed to cut the Creep below the bony face,
only making it more aggressive.
The two legged monster pounced at him and managed to hit Owen in the ribcage.
It hurt like hell, but nothing was broken. Aura is a wonderful thing, he thought.
Owen was left sitting on his rear after the Grimm had charged him.
Then the Creep happened to lose its footing, slipping on the rocks just as Owen before and when it stood back up, it was standing sideways to Owen.
Losing no time, Owen swept his sword under the small Grimm and cut its tail off, before it managed to attack him again.
Thankfully, the small Creep didn't have much bony armor yet underneath.
Without his balancing appendage, it stumbled for a moment and finally fell headlong to the ground.
I was aiming for the knees. I guess I won't complain.
Owen didn't lose any time and plunged the sword into its skull, killing the Creep instantly.
Is it dead? Do they die or are those already dead?
A different voice answered in his head. You are overthinking things, Owen.
Since when did my concience have Myra's voice?, he wondered.
Owen didn't have much time to assess his own mental state when he heard a loud rumbling coming from underground, from the chamber he just had escaped from.
Owen gulped and deduced the giant Grimm must have heard the fight.
I gotta get out of here.
After Owen reached the sunlight again and the rumbling sound had receded to the background, he stopped for some air and thought about the small beast he had just encountered.
Is it that why they call them Creeps?
A small smile appeared on Owen's face.
Yes. I should check my head.
The fact that he was grinning like an idiot while surrounded by a whole forest full of murderous beasts wasn't lost on him.
Owen shook his head and walked back into the forest again.
He couldn't spot the cliff he had jumped off, but he had a feeling he was going the right way.
Ozpin watched deep in thought over the cliff, occasionally looking at his scroll.
His scroll showed Owen's position and vitals. The Aura gauge seemed to have malfunctioned after Owen was struck in the chest by the Creep.
Ozpin decided he would rather watch the video feed in the evening, with a cup of steaming hot, recently made coffee.
Glynda wondered if they weren't being too harsh on the new guy this time.
Other than the usual initiations, they hadn't given him any specific mission,
what meant he would have to survive until they decided it was enough.
Ozpin turned his attention to her, speaking up after observing the progress in silence for nearly an hour before.
'Glynda, if he cannot prove himself against a such simple threats,
how could he protect my students in case of overwhelming odds?'
He wasn't expecting an answer, just stating a point.
Ozpin knew her very well too, she admitted to herself.
In any case, she wouldn't call Owen's initiation simple, not even for a student of second or third year.
But she understood Ozpin's view on the matter, even if she didn't agree.
The Emerald Forest wasn't really big, but any false step could end in death for a freshman.
This stranger was still not much more than an inexperienced student, they usually sent them to the fight in groups.
I must be getting soft, she thought, gently rubbing her temples.
She silently nodded to Ozpin and looked at her wristwatch while she adjusted her glasses.
It was already 3:40pm.
After having wandered around for a while, Owen came to a clearing.
He spotted old ruins he instantly recognized.
It was the place where the teams had found their totems, which decided what pairs would form a team.
This time the ruins were empty.
He had been assigned to team JNPR already and Ozpin probably deemed a partner to be an unnecessary burden that might distract him from his mission goals.
Owen stepped forward and looked around for clues in the ruins .
Maybe Ozpin hid something for me anyway.
While walking around the long forsaken building, he was pretty sure he had heard something.
After hearing it for the third time, he stopped walking altogether and paid attention to his surroundings.
There is it again. Wait. Is that ...a ...flapping noise?
A loud and ear-splitting screech caught his attention.
Owen looked up just in time to avoid being devoured by a Nevermore.
He rolled to the side, crouched and held his sword up, hoping it would kill the looming beast.
It worked. The Nevermore's momentum was enough for the sword to pierce the feathers and skin.
Owen felt a flash of pain go through his arm, the impact of the heavy beast translated to his nerves.
He was quite disappointed when it became clear the damage dealt to the beast wasn't enough to kill it.
It was a rather small Nevermore but they had always seemed difficult to kill, without even taking their size into account.
Owen quickly seized his sword from the Nevermore, jumping away from it.
He decided to run back into the forest, where the trees and branches were dense enough to discourage the feathered nightmare material from following him.
While he ran, Owen realized his mistake and suppressed the urge to growl in anger.
Grimm didn't reason like other beings, Grimm were only interested in killing, even disregarding their own life.
At least that's what the dumb, inexperienced ones did.
The recklessness of the cursed bird became clearly evident when the Nevermore broke through the tree branches and began tackling smaller trunks to the sides with ease, rapidly closing the distance to its prey.
Owen arrived at a dead end, two big boulders blocking his path.
When he turned around, the Nevermore was almost within arm's reach.
Owen winced at the sight. I'm screwed.
The winged beast was bigger than he remembered. Or maybe it was the increasing fear that made him aware of its real size, Owen realized.
The Grimm tried to snatch his head with its beak, but Owen rolled away, dodging the attack in the last possible second.
Having already seen how brainless and straightforward the winged Grimm could act, Owen decided to take a risk.
He hopped from side to side, circling around the beast until he wasn't trapped against a wall.
After a few close calls, he managed to lead the Nevermore into the corner.
Not actually believing he could hold the beast off on that spot for long, Owen ran at it, ducked just before being eaten alive and used his momentum to climb up the rocky wall besides it, managing to get a hold onto a branch nearby and doing a flip in the air, landing on the Nevermore.
As soon as Owen had a grip on the Nevermore, he crawled forward as quickly he could.
Owen was about to make an incision into the beast's skull when he was startled and almost fell off the giant bird as it rose to the skies.
For a moment, he entertained the thought of riding the raven black monstrosity to the edge of the cliff,
a sentiment the Nevermore didn't seem to share.
The winged Grimm lashed at him with his clawed wings, banking everytime it tried to snatch him,
making the ride very rough and clumsy.
While he always ducked in the right moment, Owen couldn't dodge every slash from the Nevermore.
Failing to throw off the human from its back, the cursed bird tried to tear off his head with the beak.
The beast looked directly at him and judging from the vile look, Owen realized he would have to kill it, no matter how. Running was not an option, the Grimm wouldn't allow it..
Owen decided after some deliberation that the easier ride home wasn't worth the risk.
After some of his jabs with the sword missed anything of importance, Owen managed to deal considerable damage to the Nevermore, slicing his sword along two of the beast's eyes, rendering the beast blind on one side.
The now furious bird -its blinding rage almost palpable- dove repeatedly in a final attempt to shake Owen off its back.
The Nevermore seemed far more experienced dealing with enemies in the air than on the ground, which made sense to Owen. Its foolish moves on the ground were an obvious proof of inexperience.
Grimm were dumb but could learn in time.
In one of the dives Owen lost his hold and he did, without thinking, the only possible thing to get a firm hold onto the beast.
He rammed the sword into the skull of the beast, just below its bony armor.
The attack drove the bird insane and made it soar high to the skies again.
Owen barely kept the hold on his sword after the sudden change of direction
The scruffy bearded flyboy formerly known as Owen knew that jumping off the Nevermore before he killed it was out of the question.
He was certain the Nevermore would rip him apart before he touched the ground.
There was only one option.
Cutting the head of the beast in mid-flight wouldn''t be one of Owen's brightest ideas, but he was out of time and the beast kept climbing higher every passing minute.
Baby steps, Owen, baby steps, he thought, trying to calm himself down.
He grasped the sword with both hands and wrenched it repeatedly to the side, applying as much force as he could with every pull.
The Nevermore let out a piercing cry and died instantly when Owen managed to severe the already damaged spine with one of his yanks.
The cry being just the reflex of a beast already gone.
Owen took a firm hold of the falling corpse. He was glad he would have at least something soft to land on.
Just a moment later though, the Nevermore began dissolving into dust and smoke.
Fuck my life.
Owen looked down and saw he was rushing to the trees and rocks below him.
He flipped in the air and quickly unstrapped his suitcase from his back.
Laugh towards death and it might laugh with you. Sarcasm is always valid in case of imminent death, he thought.
Please stow your tray tables and put your seats in the upright position...
This will be a rough landi...
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Wind, the rustling of leaves, an incredible headache.
Owen wasn't quite sure which one of those three had woken him, but it meant he was still alive.
It had been a pretty nasty crash. His elbow felt strange and he was pretty sure some of the rocks had splintered into his head. He felt that way at least.
Wildest kind of rodeo I've ever been in.
Owen wanted to take a look at his Aura level.
Searching his pockets for the scroll, he realized that he had landed on top of it.
The device had broken into many pieces, strewn between him and his suitcase.
'For dust's sake, this scroll was new! ' Not even changing universes would fix the always recurring curse.
Now he was cut off from the outside world and had a throbbing head.
Wonderful, just wonderful.
Still a little disoriented by the headlong fall, he wandered through the forest when a thought occured him.
Did I just say for dust's sake? Just how hard did I fall?
He was pretty sure he would have died thrice if it wasn't for his suitcase, Aura and luck.
Probably even the scroll had helped dampening the fall somewhat.
Owen kept walking, wandering through the woods, trying to find a way back to the launchpads.
His headache was already receding and the elbow felt much better but he was worried, it was getting pretty late
Owen stepped out of the treeline and the trees gave way to a glade.
He had a good look at the cliff where the initiation started but it was still far away.
Owen sighed but something had caught his attention.
The silence; something wasn't right.
Growing uneasy by the minute, Owen realized he was being watched.
A man was standing along the treeline, at the other side of the glade.
The moment the unknown man stepped out of the shadows, Owen was certain. This man had no intentions to bring him back to Vale.
The stranger looked familiar, but Owen couldn't quite place him.
He was blond, muscular and tall, at least taller than him.
Wait a minute...
He had seen this man only once before, but his brain made the connection instantly.
His eyes widened as he realized it was Taiyang Xiao-Long who was standing in front of him.
The arms of Taiyang were angled to the side, while his legs were tense and glued to the ground.
His stance was one of combat.
It was most likely Ozpin's sincere way to tell him he would be fighting other persons as well, not only Grimm.
He had been given no instructions what to do in this case.
Like a real situation, with no clues and cut from any reinforcements, he would have to decide alone how to proceed.
Use your brain, weigh your chances.
Taiyang seemed to be waiting for the student to commence the attack.
Owen chuckled, he was really glad it wasn't Qrow he would be fighting.
But he still had no idea how Taiyang fought, his style or even his weapons.
Owen decided he would force Taiyang to change his strategy, he would wait and let Taiyang grow impatient.
Maybe Taiyang would reveal involuntarily his next course of action.
Owen began to ponder about Taiyang being a teacher at Signal, it made sense somewhat.
Taiyang was an experienced fighter, probably exceptionally skilled, a fatherly figure and the embodiment of patience.
That's why Owen didn't expect him to attack so soon.
A fist flew, grazing his nose, Owen had barely managed to jump back.
So Taiyang is a brawler too? Or maybe he is just playing with me?
Taiyang was incredibly fast, his fists a blur, a deadly blur.
Most of the punches hit Owen before he even knew what was happening.
He learned to fight the barrage of punches and kicks in a painful but effective way.
Getting hit first, jumping back and from that point on, he never stopped dodging.
After Owen thought he was getting an idea of Taiyang's attacks, Taiyang swooped the feet under him and Owen should have fallen on the face if he hadn't remembered his previous mistake with the Creep.
Owen used the momentum of the fall and managed to do a backward roll.
Taiyang seemed to enjoy the fact his opponent wasn't giving up yet.
~~~•∞•≈•≤ ≥•≈•∞•~~~~~~•∞•≈•≤ ≥•≈•∞•~~~~~~•∞•≈•≤ ≥•≈•∞•~~~~~~•∞•≈•≤ ≥•≈•∞•~~~
Owen was having difficulty breathing. What the hell is this?
Are those Taiyang's weapons? Speed, kicks and fists?
He is the father of Ruby and Yang, no question.
If Owen had ever seen a breakdancer doing Taekwondo, it would be this guy. Holy shit.
He was fast, really fast, but Owen could sense Taiyang was holding back.
Either way, Owen knew he was slowly running out of options, he felt his Aura dipping lower with every hit.
There has to be a way to surprise Taiyang somehow.
Owen had been stopping most of the blows with his shins and arms so far.
And they hurt. Badly. But even that wouldn't work much longer.
Owen backed away and took his coin out of a pouch, unfolding the blade.
This time Owen decided to put his suitcase to good use as well.
Taiyang had kept hitting Owen, never stopping. He had been told to put the student under stress to observe how he reacted.
When Owen jumped back and took something out which materialized into a sword right out of his hand, Taiyang grinned So this is his weapon. Taiyang wondered how the student would use it.
The same student also unstrapped a ...is that a suitcase? Taiyang raised a brow.
Owen swung the sword couple of times at the blonde brawler, not really bothering to hit him hard.
It was just to keep his ruse going.
Owen backed away once more, luring Taiyang closer.
Taiyang kept an eye out for the sword.
His own Aura was getting low as well.
Owen's sword had managed to connect a few times, not really harming Taiyang but it was still enough to keep slicing down his Aura at a steady pace.
When Taiyang closed the distance, it was Owen who attacked first, his sword held high, coming down one handed in a slashing motion.
Taiyang was already too close to evade the attack completely.
Despite being attacked, Taiyang grinned at the rookie move.
At least he is shielding himself with that suitcase. The guy is not a complete beginner, but he still has a lot to learn, Taiyang thought for himself.
He knew he could stop the sword with both arms and then neutralize the guy for good with a powerful kick, but it had to be quick.
In an unexpected move, the student in front of him twisted the blade on its own axis and the sword came down flat.
Taiyang widened his eyes and realized that if he tried to catch the blade from the sides like he had intended, it would tear his hands and arms open.
He quickly crossed his arms to stop the sword without cutting himself and then he became aware that he had been played.
The student wasn't shielding himself anymore.
In a blur, Owen swung the suitcase directly to Taiyang's head, before the blonde brawler could react and avoid the blow.
Taiyang's arms were still down after being hit by the blade and though he tried to raise them, it was too late.
The suitcase hit him with full force
Taiyang stumbled to the ground, his Aura finally hitting the red.
He knew that, in reality, it would still take a good beating until he would be out of the fight for good, but if the dizziness was any sign,
he shouldn't be taking another hit to the head.
It had been an all-or-nothing attack, but it had worked, Taiyang hadn't expected it.
Owen offered a hand to the brawler and pulled him up.
Taiyang nodded his thanks and then raised both arms up in defeat. "Good one, you win"
'Yeah, but you were holding back' Owen quickly noted.
He noticed? Taiyang had the slight feeling, Ozpin had played him as well, not telling him the whole story.
This new student seemed to be better than he should have. But Taiyang wasn't a sore loser.
'Still, there has to be yet one of my students who beat me this fast...
There is one or two who could, but they refuse to fight me'
Owen was pretty sure of who Taiyang meant.
'If your attack had failed though, you'd be in deep trouble' Taiyang continued.
'I know, that is why I risked it, I was already in trouble' Owen grinned and shrugged.
'Heh, why does this remind me of someone...' Taiyang thought of a particular partner of his.
Owen looked around and shrugged
'So...what now?'
'Let's wait for Oz and Stoneheart' Taiyang quickly quipped.
'Who...ah...' Owen realized who he meant, although she only had been really evil once to him.
So Glynda was already in the school back then. She seems a lot younger, Owen contemplated.
Rubbing his temple, Taiyang smirked and addressed Owen 'What do you have in there anyway, rocks?'
'As a matter of fact, I have yet to manage opening it.
The lock mechanism blocked a while ago and I forgot what was inside' Owen answered, as sincerely he could.
'I'm pretty sure it's rocks' Taiyang grinned, still rubbing his temple.
'Finally someone who can kick this showoff's piece of butt' came from the woods.
Both Taiyang and Owen turned around quite surprised, only to see their favorite drunkard bow at them and,
in almost the same motion, take a sip of his throat burning beverage.
He simply introduced himself as 'Qrow'
until Taiyang crossed his arms and smirked.
Guess the kiddo's got his respect. Ok. Ok. Qrow observed Taiyang's annoyed reaction and decided to be an ass. If just a little.
'Branwen, Qrow Branwen, at your disposal' He bowed deeply, mocking both blondes.
'Don't be a jerk, Qrow'
'And this is yours truly, Taiyang Xiao-Long. Brawler, breakdancer and ladies man, all in one' he motioned for the blonde.
He wouldn't reveal more than that, at least for now.
'Be grateful he was unarmed, otherwise, you would have had some trouble, Kiddo'
Before Taiyang could argue about his weapon choice, Qrow continued.
'...because the only real weapon he has ever carried was me'
'So you...carried him? ' Owen not missing a beat, smirked at Taiyang, who only facepalmed, having been played by both Qrow and a stranger in just one day.
And Ozpin.
'Oh, where are my manners. I am Crown, Owen Crown' He approached the two hunters.
'Glad to meet you, Owen' Taiyang offered a hand while Qrow politely nodded while keeping some distance, as if he was expecting something to happen. Always on guard.
Qrow had for once actually read the report Ozpin had sent him, so he knew Owen's name already and some other things Ozpin had mentioned in the report.
Qrow was officially on a mission but Ozpin preferred to maintain him well informed in case of eventualities.
They still hadn't figured out who this Owen was or why he was spying on the school. Or if his claims were true.
Qrow was intrigued as this whole mess could very well involve his own mission.
Taiyang seemed puzzled by Qrow's sudden appearance until something clicked in his head and he relaxed,
chuckling to himself.
'So you were watching my back?' He pointed accusatorily to Qrow.
'Sure thing, every time you concentrate on your students, Grimm sneak behind your back and I have to save your ass.
I couldn't let you both get eaten. I'd be grounded forever otherwise' Qrow quickly quipped.
Yang would probably kill me if I let her dad get eaten, but Qrow wouldn't tell them that.
...Ruby would forgive me...probably...
'You have been fighting amateur kids for so long already, you forgot there are some who can kick ass', he explained.
Qrow was quick to discourage Owen when he noticed the grin on his face,
'Don't get your hopes up flyboy, I wasn't talking about you'
The nickname surprised Owen. How? Had Qrow seen me riding the Nevermore?
Qrow was there to protect them. Or maybe to stop Owen if he tried to kill Taiyang.
Probably both, Owen thought in silence until Qrow chugged from his flask, an action that prompted another question from Owen.
'Are you always drinking?' He asked Qrow awkwardly.
Qrow chuckled, a furrowed brow on his face.
'Not always, I also sleep sometimes' Qrow responded, without even blinking.
Owen smiled at the remark, oblivious to his slip up.
But Qrow had noticed.
He knew he hadn't met Owen before, so how did he know about his little passion? This kid knows more than he lets on.
Or...maybe he just... It was just my flask, not everyone carries one. Right? Qrow wasn't so sure anymore.
How can someone be so egocentric and boring at the same time, Weiss would likely never know the answer.
What she did know was what they would be doing as soon as the class was over.
Weiss Schnee huffed and looked at the clock.
She recalled the first time they attended to Port's class.
There had been still lots of tension between her and Ruby back then.
Mostly because of Ruby's appointment as leader and her own frustration but it was luckily a thing of the past now.
Despite Ruby's age and usual childish demeanor, she had proven her qualities as quick thinker and she had shown her worth as selfless leader many times.
Five minutes had passed.
After some weeks, Ruby's behaviour in Port's class had made more and more sense.
She had been rubbing off on Weiss and Weiss was fully aware of that.
Weiss looked to the side, where Blake looked -to the untrained eye- quite interested in class.
But Weiss wasn't just anybody. She knew Blake better than that.
If you observed carefully, you would notice Blake was reading from the textbook laying in front of her.
Or rather the filthy excuse for a novel laying on top of the textbook.
Twelve minutes passed.
Yang had her sunglasses on, which most likely meant she had passed out long ago.
She had the innate ability to rest her head on her palms without collapsing and seemed not only interested in Port's class, but also came across as flirtatious.
I don't know how she manages to do that while sleeping.
Twenty eight minutes passed.
The only ones who seemed to really pay attention were Ren and Pyrrha, though she doubted Ren was fully concentrated with Nora's constant shenanigans and sketchy notes.
Thirty two minutes passed.
Jaune was trying desperately to write down everything Port's storytelling was trying to convey until Port clarified to rather no one in particular that the next exam would be about a completely different topic.
At this revelation, Jaune's head slammed remarkably hard against his notebook, waking up Yang from her slumber, two rows further away.
She was startled and her head fell through/between her palms, almost hitting the table before she regained consciousness.
'Whaaa. ...'
'Yes, Ms. Xiao-Long?'
For a small fraction of a second, Yang Xiao-Long looked like a deer-in-headlights but quickly returned to her normal, confident self.
'It's nothing Professor, what you most likely heard was my heart, bursting from your exciting narration, please, continue'
Professor Port didn't think a lot about it, chuckled and continued explaining why Grimm spiders were so uncommon in Vale but so abundant in Vacuo and how he smashed thousands of them armed just with one piece of newspaper and his boots.
Yang picked up her Sunglasses from the floor, snorted and leaned backwards, smiling at no one in particular.
Pfft, no big deal.
'Yang?'
'Yes Ruby?'
'There aren't any Grimm spiders in Patch, right?'
'No Ruby'
Ruby visibly relaxed, took a deep breath and slumped in her seat.
Weiss was perplexed. Was Ruby actually paying attention?
'Weiss, could I have one of your red pencils?'
Weiss, still enthralled by the rare occurrence unfolding in front of her, simply nodded and complied.
The rare occurrence being Ruby having paid any attention to class at all.
After just a couple of minutes, Weiss shook her head. It was too good to last for long.
Ruby was quite amused, sketching one of Port's various adventures. Like every week.
Some time later, Ruby held the drawing in front of Weiss.
It depicted a smug looking Professor Port smashing the Grimm spiders while he only sported the newspaper and his boots. Nothing else.
She then noticed Ruby had coloured the Professor's bum in a bright red.
My precious pencil, defiled by this little monster, disgraced and misused to paint...this...rather accomplished cheeky sketch. Cheek-y. She looked at Peter Port's drawn buttocks.
Weiss almost snorted but managed to contain her laughter.
'Ruby, for the love of...'
A rather loud ringing noise interrupted her. It was her own clock.
The class was over.
Freedom.
Ruby stretched her limbs. No matter how much she had swung her feet, she still felt a crawling sensation in her boots.
But the class was over now.No more spiders! Yay.
And now they could go and watch the initiation. I hope Owen is alright.
Jaune slowly raised his head and didn't bother to hide the goofy smile on his face. It is over. Finally. Friday.
His hand was aching. He was sure he had burned spots on his notebook while taking notes.
And I guess we could pay Owen a visit if the others are up to it. We kinda promised.
'So, Jaune, what are guys doing after class?'
'I guess we will go and watch Owen. Are you coming?'
'Of course, I promised'
'No Ruby, you didn't actually promise' Weiss clarified with a smile. 'But I guess we are going anyway. Let us change into our...'
'Combat Skirts!''
'...Yes. We don't want our uniforms to get dirty in the forest'
'I don't think we will need...' Blake meant to interject, but Weiss was quick to remind her of why she
suggested it in the first place.
'Blake, you know how excursions with Ruby usually go, right?'
'...Y...you...are right'
After changing clothes and stowing their school books away, both teams met at the cliffs an hour later like they had agreed upon.
The leaders waved at eachother.
'Hey Ruby'
'Hey Jaune'
'You brought your weapons too?'
This time, it was Yang who answered instead of Ruby. 'Just the bare basics for an any outdoor activity with Family Rose-Xiao-Long'
After Yang had explained that Ruby always liked to be prepared in the forest,
Ruby grinned awkwardly. 'Port was babbling way more than usual today. Maybe we can put some of his teachings...' Ruby snored loudly, '...into action'. She finished purposely patting Crescent Rose for emphasis.
Stretching the legs sounded like a good idea.
'Yeah, I think I really fell asleep after I knocked myself out' Jaune smiled at Ruby until he noticed Blake was frowning.
He inquired 'What is it, Blake?'
Blake asked the question people with any kind of attention span would have on their minds.
'...Where is everybody?'
Neither the headmaster nor Glynda were to be found.
To break the silence and to provide a possible answer the questioning looks on some faces, Weiss remarked 'It seems to be a very rare occurrence , but if I recall correctly, there was a rumor that in some special cases the teachers would go to the initiation area and gather the newcomers themselves, instead of waiting for them here'
'Then let's go find them' Yang and Nora exclaimed simultaneously, readying their weapons.
Team RWBY was about to descend into the forest until Pyrrha held an arm up, signalling for their attention.
They turned to Pyrrha and looked to the clearing in the woods she was pointing to.
From their position, they could spot two persons sparring.
Pyrrha unfolded Miló into its rifle form and looked through the ironsight.
'Wow, Yang is that your dad? He is really fast. He seems to be fighting with Owen and taking him apart'
Both Ruby and Yang perked up, exclaiming 'Dad!?' at the same time and while they seemed like they would have wrestled for Pyrrha's rifle,it wasn't really of any use to them.
Jaune didn't know why, but Pyrrha always observed distant fights with its ironsights even if it didn't have a real scope.
Maybe she just wants to be prepared for anything.
Ren, who had anticipated the sisters' reaction as soon he heard their dad was mentioned, took out a binocular out of a pouch.
He unscrewed a pin and separated both scopes and offered both pieces to the particular sisters.
Ruby and Yang blushed at their previous outburst and took the offer without uttering a word, just nodding their thanks to Ren, who in return just smiled politely.
'Oh, Owen is taking a beating' Yang exclaimed.
Ruby snickered 'Almost as bad as when you broke our sink out of rage, Yang'
'My hair had broken tips!, I was 13, it was the end of the world for me. You wouldn't understand, you always cut your hair short'
'At least you grew up somewhat after that' Ruby rolled her eyes, grinning at the memories.
'Hehe, I just wanted to fight pops but he wisely decided to stop and ground me' Yang explained.
He was probably running out of options when he realized he couldn't keep up, she thought, a satisfied smile on her face.
'Ow, I hope dad leaves this guy in one piece, I still wanted to see his weap...oh...nice...OH...awesome...'
Jaune was curious on what could have excited Ruby that much 'Ruby, what happened?
Probably a weapon, he pondered.
'Owen somehow unfolded a sword out of the palm of his hand. Dust, it's beautiful' Ruby blurted out, not able to hide her passion for weapons.
Knew it! Jaune smiled and shook his head at Ruby's predictability.
Pyrrha chuckled at the antics of her petite friend as well.
Jaune realized Owen hadn't shown them any of his weapons yet.
Well I saw his suitcase, he pondered.
Jaune was happy there would be someone who fought similarly to him.
Finally another swordbearer. Maybe I can learn some new moves.
'He is swinging it at pops. Ow.'
'I have to clarify, he is swinging his sword at dad'
Blake took back her hand which had just connected with Yang's head. 'Not improving'
'Ruby, let me see' Weiss meant to grab Ruby's scope but Yang was quick to assist her.
'Weiss, I'm pretty sure I've seen one of those in your pouch'
Weiss' froze, nodded and took out a monocle with magnifying glass out of her side pouch.
Purple eyes glanced to the side and saw a small tint on the heiress' cheeks, who awkwardly took her monocle to the eye.
Yang silently nodded herself and returned to watch the fight.
Weiss hated that particular magnifying glass and the memories that came with it.
It had the Schnee Coat of Arms imprinted on the side.
Thrilled by the unfolding fight, she neglected her hate towards the little piece of gear as she watched intently.
Shortly afterwards, Blake spoke up 'I have to say, this guy Owen tries really hard to keep up with your dad, even if it's quite clear he has no real chance against him'
Yang wondered how Blake had spotted that with the naked eye, her thoughts interrupted by Nora who was just beaming at her.
'When your dad is done with Owen, may I go hunting with him? He is sooo cool, pleeeeease?'
Ren just looked at Nora and warned her with a simple yet powerful word.
The only one that worked.
'Nora'
Nora pouted for the upteenth time that day.
Crossing her arms, she decided that she would go hunting with Ruby's dad, no matter what.
'Shit, Owen is done for ...wait...whoa'
Ruby lowered her glass but took it again in the eye, not quite sure of what she was seeing.
Yang was silent as well.
For a short moment, Nora was worried if the sisters were broken until she realized there was no actual reason for that.
Pyrrha spoke out loud for the sake of the others, as the sisters were still taken aback by the sight.
'He hit Mr. Xiao-Long in the head and brought him down. At least it didn't seem like a hard hit.
Owen is giving him a hand and Mr. Xiao-Long is conceding defeat.
The match is over'
Ruby was quite astonished, she had never seen someone bring her father to the ground so quickly or his father giving up.
Granted, they didn't watch the whole fight, but they couldn't have been fighting for so long.
'Wait, why are they fighting in the first place?' Jaune asked in the round.
'I guess Oz-man wanted to give this guy a special sort of entrance exam kinda initiation, not as fancy as ours but maybe just as hardcore?'
'Oz-man, Yang, really?' Weiss made a face of disgust. Some puns were just bad.
Yang simply ignored Weiss and signalled with both hands at the glade 'But bringing in pops is really overkill'
At her side, Ruby's eyes widened and she lowered the scope in her hand. '...Qrow?'
Yang noted how her sister stiffened. What? Qrow is here?
'Wait...Ruby?'
Before Yang could even make a step towards Ruby, the petite girl had disappeared in a twister of red petals.
'Ruby, wait!'
'Ughn I hate it when she does that' Weiss quipped and propelled herself and her other classmates forward with a glyph.
Her classmates quickly transitioned into a full run, glad for the momentum Weiss had given them.
They were close behind Ruby but they were losing ground quickly.
'I wish I had brought Bumblebee with me, it's quite a task to keep up with my sis' Yang shouted between gulps for air.
'You don't say' Weiss was maintaining her momentum using glyphs but she knew she would have to resort to running soon.
Ruby was getting away, despite everyone's effort to keep up.
At some point, Yang and Weiss had fallen behind Pyrra and Blake, who were now leading the chase thanks to their stamina and yet unbeknownst to the group, Blake's faunus heritage.
Ren was keeping up until he noticed Nora was lagging behind and he decided to slow down to run by her side.
Yang and Weiss were running alongside of Jaune, who had managed to catch up with the group, surprising both girls.
He tried to say something a few times but his breath was failing.
'Who is this Qrow again? I keep hearing that name'
'He is our uncle, Ruby adores him but we have barely seen him lately'
Jaune simply nodded, trying to maintain the pace.
Turning on a corner, Blake and Pyrrha stopped abruptly on the spot, barely avoiding a head-on collision with an unperturbed Ozpin and a startled Glynda.
'Hey Ozpin, did you see a red twister flying past here? Yang asked nonchalantly after slowing down and catching her breath.
'Miss Xiao-Long, why doesn't this surprise me. Sneaking out of Beacon this late to wreak havoc in the woods?' Miss Goodwitch glared at her.
Yang knew the risk, but she enjoyed making Glynda angry simply too much to care.
I can't get detention for this.
She grinned. 'Yup'
Ozpin slowly turned around and observed the rest of the group arrive.
Ren quickly defused the situation, nodding to the teachers 'Good evening, Miss Goodwitch, Headmaster' while he pressed a finger over Nora's lips.
The pout in her face was evident but she kept quiet. She had learnt that Ren always had a good reason when he did that.
Ozpin greeted them 'Good evening team JNPR, team RWBY' and turned around to face Miss Goodwitch.
The Headmaster tried reasoning with her.
'Well, it seems both teams share our enthusiasm to learn of the outcome Glynda, why don't we let them take the lead?'
Glynda's own opinion in the matter could be easily read from her frown but she conceded at last.
Ozpin had always something in mind when he intervened or went against her wishes.
Letting the students take the lead would mean they could observe up close how the teams interacted and how their dynamics had changed after a whole semester.
Glynda sighed and she motioned for their impromptu fellowship to guide them to the others.
Pyrrha noticed a couple of red petals dissolving on the ground. 'Ruby must be near' she whispered to Blake.
'Why are we whispering?' Blake asked in return.
Good question 'I...well this is deep into the forest, we wouldn't like to attract more Grimm than necessary, right?'
'Hm hm, I guess you are right' Blake conceded.
Pyrrha smiled. Despite everything, Port had taught them well, a couple of ill advices regarding their amorous lives aside.
For just one small moment she was just Blake, the Beacon Student and not Blake, the White Fang ninja Adam had intended her to be, her usual attentiveness during battle forgotten while running, probably due the silliness of the situation.
Pyrrha's reasoning was sound, why didn't she think of it?
Something broke her reverie. Blake's bow twitched. She had heard something not far away.
While Listening closely to the sounds of the forest, Blake was painfully reminded of the fact that there were others who weren't as stealthy and quiet.
Yang and Nora were crushing down some trees to open a path. They came to a clearing and found Ruby.
But something wasn't right.
'It seems you jinxed it, P-Money'
Pyrrha turned her head and was about to ask what that nickname was supposed to mean when Yang's serious expression made her turn around and gaze to Ruby's direction.
Ruby had Crescent Rose fully extended in her hand and was facing at least half a dozen beowolves.
'Why Beowolves, why are they always Beowolves?' Jaune overheard Ruby as she prepared herself for battle.
'Ruby', Weiss came running into the clearing and used one of her glyphs to propel herself instantly to Ruby's side,
ready to assist her partner.
The others were quick to arrive and positioned themselves at Ruby's and Weiss' flanks, facing the beasts.
'So... what are we waiting for?' Owen asked the two hunters in front of him.
'Oz wanted to meet us here' Qrow stated as he leant on a tree.
'So...you both are partners?'
Taiyang was sitting on top of a log when he unexpectedly jumped in place and growled at Qrow 'Don't even think of it, Qrow!'
'I haven't even said anything yet' Qrow simply tried shrugging off whatever Taiyang was implying.
Taiyang tilted his head slightly, raising a brow and pointing to his partner with an accusatory finger
'But you were about to...'
Owen was completely at a loss at their obvious inside joke.
'Anyway, yeah, well, we were partners in the past and we still do some missions sometimes, but we have different schedules'
At one of Qrow's glances, he quickly added '...for the school, of course, we are both teachers at Signal'
Owen smiled at their antics but his smile faded at an odd sight.
He cleared his throat 'Ahm guys, I know you said you wanted to wait here for Ozpin but...'
'...Yes. Why?' Taiyang raised a brow until Owen pointed to the forest and spoke up.
'Those there are clearly Beowolves and that there is definitely Ruby'
At her name, both hunters turned their heads to the direction Owen was pointing at and sprinted wordlessly into the fray.
'Hey, wait!' When he noticed both wouldn't slow down or stop their dash, Owen simply ran as fast as he could, diminishing the distance to the two experienced fighters.
While running towards the danger, Qrow teased Taiyang 'You should get real weapons, old man'
'Stop it, Bran, I'm just a few days older than you and you are the one getting grey hair.
Besides, I don't need much more than those' Taiyang shook his fists for emphasis.
'Duck!' Someone shouted.
Both hunters instinctively dodged whatever was coming their way, skidding on the ground.
Nora had sent the corpse of a headless Beowulf crashing in their way.
They had avoided the heavy beast and its claws by mere hair breadths.
Taiyang looked at Qrow, who shrugged and grinned.
Both thought the same.
We are getting old.
'Hello handsome', Nora blowed a kiss in their direction and turned around to smash another Beowulf, the evil beast unaware of the hell she would unleash on it.
Yang shook her head and rolled her eyes, it was always the same.
Whenever their dad and their uncle appeared, all girls tried to impress them.
Ruby saw her friends and family come in her aid.
She was touched by the noble gesture and she felt grateful for the people watching her back.
It still annoyed her a bit they would think she wasn't up to the challenge.
She wasn't a little girl. Not anymore.
So she charged.
And everyone with her.
A big dark patch of fur moved. It groaned. Then it shouted. Or rather a shout came from it.
'Would someone please take this off me, I can't breathe' Owen called from below a rather peculiar Beowulf. This particular specimen lacked a head.
The corpse had hit him like a freight train, he didn't manage to react in time when he had noticed his new acquaintances ducking away.
Jaune ran to his side and pulled him out from below the beast, smiling at the scene and patting Owen's back in sympathy.
'Thanks'
'Not at all, Owen. Come on, I think they could make use of our talents'
'Haha, don't make it sound that bad. We aren't that bad, are we?'
'No, Owen, I meant it, while we might not be as deadly as some of our peers, we can deal a good amount of damage by ourselves'
Owen nodded and followed the tall blonde into the battle.
'Let us just watch their backs, don't let them get flanked' Jaune shouted over his shoulder.
Perhaps Jaune isn't useless as a leader, Owen thought.
Glynda and Ozpin gently strolled through the trees into the clearing when they saw the fight unfolding in front of them.
She meant to take her riding crop out of its holster and intervene, but Ozpin shook his head, gesturing to the two professional hunters in the crowd.
They will manage just fine. Ozpin had a way to say a lot with his eyes.
Glynda let out a short sigh. Sometimes she wished one of the beasts would crush that drunkard Qrow and send him to retirement but he was simply too good at what he did or rather too stubborn to die.
She didn't exactly hate him, she just would like to strangle him sometimes.
No. Most of the time.
But she agreed with Ozpin. Taiyang was backing the students, they would manage to defeat the Grimm.
No need for them to intervene.
At least, until a gigantic Grimm came out of the woods, rushing to the gathered crowd.
It was the giant beast Owen had seen previously underground.
Ozpin nodded mostly to himself and prepared for combat, as Glynda was already on the move.
The teams had returned to Beacon and were checking their gear and dusting off their attires in the locker room.
'Man, I think I have beowulf hairs even in the back of my throat.' Jaune complained.
'Don't be silly Jauney, Grimm remains disappear quickly' Nora interjected while inspecting Magnhild for hairs,
disregarding what she had just told Jaune.
'...Unless they have killed recently, Nora' Blake frowned, recalling lessons of unhappier times.
'What?' Jaune eyes widened.
'Whenever Grimm had killed recently, I noticed their remains wouldn't disappear instantaneously.
'But then how did those...? Oh...' Jaune realized what that implied.
'I... I've heard some gangs send people to the forest to get rid of them, but I hadn't believed it until now' Blake remained motionless. Something from the past came to her memory.
'That is so sick and wrong' One could see the disgust marked in Jaune's face from the distance.
'I know' Blake's mind went to a dark place, from where she had escaped once.
Blake had heard of it. They wouldn't just send them to the forest.
They would leave them there, unarmed, beaten up, desperate.
All of this would only incite the Grimm more and more and guide them directly to their victims.
Even more so if those victims were chained up, like animals.
She had seen a fair amount of atrocities and violence for her age, but more than infuriated, those thoughts made her feel revulsion at her core.
She shook the feeling away and continued cleaning Gambol Shroud.
A few locker rows further, the conversation was of a more cheerful tone in comparison.
'Man, that ride back to the school was quite cramped' Owen complained.
'I guess Ozpin can be lazy sometimes too' Ruby scrubbed her Scythe and looked for any smudges on the polished surface of the blade.
'Sure but look at the time, I wouldn't want to walk back for an hour' Yang stretched her arms in the air, smiling good-naturedly.
'Me neither' Owen agreed, now painfully aware of the soreness of his muscles.
'Perhaps he arranged the transport because he thought you would be exhausted, Owen' Weiss pointed out.
'I guess you are right, Weiss. But he certainly didn't count with all of you in that small airship, riding along', Owen thought aloud and he couldn't hide the satisfied grin on his face.
'Nope, he didn't!' Ruby exclaimed.
She then turned around and then whispered "Sweet dreams" into her personal compartment.
Ruby patted Crescent Rose, as if she was putting a baby to sleep and closed the metallic lid of her locker.
Walking back to the building where the sleeping accommodations were, Owen turned around to Ruby and Yang while he awkwardly rubbed his arm.
'Say, was that your pops? He hits hard' His mouth broke into a sheepish half smile with one side of his lips curled up, as Owen admitted it.
Ruby nodded with enthusiasm while a knowing, teasing smirk appeared on Yang's lips.
'You better behave, cheesecake, you don't want us to snitch, do ya?'
Owen visibly gulped until Yang broke into laughter, Ruby joining her.
'You should have seen the look on your face, oh man' Yang wiped off a tear and waved at them when she went into their room.
I'm done for with these girls.
Owen shook his head smiling, knowing the teasing nature of Yang.
'Don't worry, if Yang causes you trouble, I can talk with dad' Ruby patted him encouragingly on the shoulder and tried to lift his spirits.
'Thanks Ruby, I know she is just teasing me'
'Yeah, she does that a lot' Ruby grinned and looked at the place her sister had just stood at. 'But that is just her way to show you she respects you. I think'
'I can live with that, I guess.'
'Good night, Owen' Ruby hugged him, surprising him for a moment until he hugged her back.
'Good night Ruby. See you folks tomorrow' Owen waved at her and entered the room belonging to his team.
My team. It felt surreal.
Owen was exhausted but happy.
Owen unstrapped the pouch in which he carried his coinsword as he closed the door, depositing it on his improvised night stand.
He leant his suitcase against the frame of the couch he used as a bed.
Owen sat down and unbinded his boots. He was glad he had been wearing boots that fateful day.
The boots had been a better choice than plain shoes back then. With the beginning of Autumn there were always some puddles in the route of his daily commute.
Owen sat on the couch for a moment, reminiscing on his journey to Remnant while he absentmindedly put on some slippers.
Back home ...it seemed so far away, like months had already passed but it had only been a few days. Right?
He looked down and saw dirt at the side of the boots. He inspected the muddy soles of them and when he looked up,
he noticed the smudges of grime coming from the door, he had forgotten to change them before he entered the room.
Pyrrha will kill me if she takes a glance at the floor. I better look for a mop.
To say Owen was startled when his suitcase sprung open would be an understatement. He almost fell off the couch.
...the hell?
He wanted to look inside it until he noticed a tall amazonian girl slowly coming his way.
Is she looking at my suitcase? She is sure curious. Oh.
He figured out why Pyrrha wasn't looking very pleased.
She wasn't looking at his open suitcase, which was a good thing. Phew...
Oh shit. My boots.
That was most likely even worse for her to notice.
Owen quickly got up and started walking towards the door, avoiding her scrutinizing looks.
'I will get a mop and clean this mess up, Pyrrha. I just wanted to put on something more comfortable before doing so'
'Catch!'
Owen followed the voice and barely caught a key Jaune had thrown at him.
Jaune shrugged and explained to him 'Every team gets one key for the janitor's closet for whenever we need to clean,
you are lucky I found our key yesterday'
Judging by the look Pyrrha was giving Jaune, it didn't please her either that he had lost the keys.
Jaune scratched the back of his head and tried to appeal for Pyrrha's sympathy with a nervous grin.
Pyrrha shook her head and smiled when Jaune wasn't looking.
Owen just smiled at their antics and left the room to fetch the mop.
His suitcase was finally open.
This is good. And bad. There were a lot things inside his suitcase that didn't belong to Remnant.
For some of them, he would have to think of a good excuse if they were found.
And some other, should be rather not found at all.
It was his own kind of time capsule.
Owen arrived at the janitor's closet and one thought crossed his mind that made him chuckle.
It seemed Taiyang's skull was hard enough to unjam the suitcase, when nothing else in the world would.
'Man, he must have a really thick skull" Owen shook his head and smiled absentmindedly.
While he didn't think Taiyang was stupid, Stubborn, maybe, his head was definitely made of steel.
Owen twirled the key in his fingers and reached for the lock, unaware of what was about to happen.
If the stars all fall
when there's no more light
and the moon should crumble
it will be alright
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A/N:
1)
I used the word Zombie, which should have no context in Remnant, but if I had used Zogrimm, Grommbie or something like that, some people might have been confused.
I would like some feedback on that, because as soon as I find a decent solution, I would rather change it into terms more fitting into the lore.
2)
Funny enough, a big chunk of this chapter was ready before Chapter 4 was even half done.
This chapter was the catalyst for wrapping up Chapter 4 .
It started as a 63-, then 800-word rough concept [around April] and expanded to monstrous proportions.
It could have been split in two, but I felt that would be rather dull and it would feel like a lame an excuse for a cliffhanger.
3)
Blake's "Do you mind if I finish this Chapter" could be applied to this one crappy writer as well xD
I hope the next chapter needs less than 2 months to be published. My life has been a little chaotic the past half year.
3.1)
Many things have hindered my actual writing, I'm mostly writing at night, half asleep and I'm procastinating writing author notes now (like this one).
3.2)
Tell Shavranekto to stop hindering my progress showing funny vids to me.
4) I am sorry this chapter took so long, but I wanted to work on characterization without limiting the later developments.
Many thanks to my Betas ViridiHarmonia64 and Shavranekto for their input and support!
ps: Just realized this morning that FF deleted my fixed chapters 1-3 which I hadn't updated yet. Hallelujah!
So I will have to rework those again.
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ps2: As of Feb/April of 2019, this chapter has also been fixed for typos. Some lines were rephrased too.