"My god!" Weiss gasped as team RNJRS crested the final hill to view the next town. The place was literally reduced to splinters as if a bomb had gone off in every building. Several times over.
"That doesn't look good." Ren agreed as he continued to approach with Nora. "The most recent messenger came through here about a week ago. Fan out and look for survivors."
"Come on, Weiss. Hopefully we can find someone to tell us what happened." Ruby said as she started in a slightly different direction.
Weiss followed, wading carefully through the wreckage, finding nothing but the remains of several people poking out of various piles of the wreckage. There was a single plume of smoke coming from farther into the village, but she assumed that it was just from a heater that hadn't yet run out of its dust supply. Around her, there was the evidence of buildings in the way of foundations with the major supports still jutting out into the air before they were shredded into rugged points as if something had chewed or ripped at them.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen carnage, seeing as the SDC had it's fair share of problems, but this was on an entirely different level. The attack didn't just gut the place like what had happened in Mountain Glenn, but it had erased the town almost completely. She could see the other four members of her team walking around and occasionally bending to investigate something but she doubted they'd find any survivors or clues to what had happened.
But in reality, she already knew what had happened. The creatures of grimm, though not often this aggressive, could easily do this much damage with relatively few numbers. Especially when people were scared and unexperienced in aura use and combat. She approached the nearest foundation to get a better look at the shredded remains of the posts sticking out of the ground. The splintered portion wouldn't be of much use as it had obviously been hit hard enough to simply break the beam, but the marks on the edge of the wood suggested teeth had gnawed on the beam before it had been broken. She guessed that they were from a Beowolf, but couldn't be sure as small Ursi had only slightly larger teeth.
She looked around at the team, remembering each of their strong suits from when they were in Beacon. Nora had been the one who excelled at tracking grimm, Ren excelled at hand to hand combat against other people, Jaune was typically more strategy oriented than combat oriented, and Ruby was an ace when it came to dispatching grimm as well as formulating strategies on the fly. Weiss knew she was the one who often helped Ruby prepare a variety of strategies as a preemptive measure, and liked to think she was good at reading the geography of a battleground to find advantages.
"Hey Nora?" Weiss called as she straitened up. "Can you tell what grimm made these marks?"
"You bet!" Nora replied, approaching a different foundation closer to her and crouching as she investigated the marks. "Looks like big Beowolves from this one, but the impacts that shattered most of these buildings couldn't have happened from them. Definitely not strong enough to create this destruction."
"What do you think did this then?" Jaune called back from his position as he continued deeper into the village with Ren and Ruby.
"I know a Goliath would be able to do this, but that doesn't explain the death toll. Those guys are pretty slow." Nora replied, and Weiss almost flinched at how unfeeling the girl's response had been. It just reminded Weiss of how much these four had seen in the five months that she'd been living comfortably in Atlas City.
"I heard a guy speaking about there being an increase of Beringel attacks on the continent." Ren supplied to the conversation.
"That could be…" Nora thought for a moment. "If the last encounter we had was anything to go by, then a whole pack of them could have been more than enough. Never mind if there were Alphas with them."
"Sorry, but what's a Beringel?" Weiss asked as she continued on to join up with the rest of her team.
"Right, you wouldn't know." Ruby perked up as if just remembering. "After the stuff at Vale was over, there were reports of rare grimm activity increasing."
"Professor Port gave us a digital copy of his grimmoire, here." Jaune tossed his scroll to Weiss who caught it with a glyph before allowing it to drop into her hand.
"Let's see…" Weiss flicked through the index that listed at least a hundred different grimm. She'd only really heard of a few which she assumed were the more common types. She shuddered as she looked over the five that had been combined to create her Beacon entry test, and reminded herself that her father couldn't touch her so long as she was with her team. She pushed the thought aside and found the entry to the Beringel and brought up the description.
If the picture didn't speak to the brute strength of the creature, then the description of it's combat abilities and tendencies was enough to inform her that she was very lucky she was with her team at the moment. Her fighting style would do horribly little to a creature that was all about close combat and that possessed a high stamina. It wouldn't be impossible to fight, but difficult without the use of her semblance's summoning ability.
"Alright." She tossed the scroll back to Jaune who caught it after a slight fumble and replaced it in his pocket. "I'll get a copy of that later. So I'm guessing these Beringel's move across the ground like most other grimm, right Nora?"
"Pretty much. They're a bit harder to track because they tend to jump from place to place, so I won't be much help this time." Nora replied.
"That's fine, I think I have an idea of what we can do." Weiss replied. "But let's finish this sweep first."
The five of them continued to search for any sign of survivors, but it was painfully obvious that they were at least a week too late. The few bodies that weren't crushed in rubble held mortal wounds that had caused them to bleed out. The stench of death was still light due to the cold climate, but it was unmistakably present. Weiss was unfortunate enough to find a girl that couldn't have been older than nine or ten impaled through the chest on what appeared to be a metal bar. From the position of the bar, she could tell that the girl had undoubtedly survived to suffer a pain she could only imagine until she eventually succumbed at least hours after she'd been impaled. It was an image that she knew would haunt her, but this was the life she'd chosen. She'd known that things like this happened, but there was a difference between acknowledging that fact and seeing it's validity in person.
"Weiss? Are you okay?" Ruby asked as Weiss approached her and the rest of the group who were setting their packs down for the moment.
"I'll be fine, just… don't go back there." Weiss warned with a nod of her head in the direction she'd come from.
"Right. So what was that idea about the grimm?" Ruby asked, switching topics as she knew all too well the type of thing that would cause her partner's already pale skin to lose it's remaining colour.
"Here." Weiss set her pack down and pulled out a book. The rest of the team gathered around her as she opened it to reveal an atlas of Remnant. "We're approximately here."
Weiss pointed to a spot on a local map of the Mantle region of Atlas. She flipped a few pages to find a topographical map of the hills and valleys of the region.
"We're in a sort of valley here, but the grimm could have come over the hills from anywhere, but I think it's likely they'd come from this direction." She pointed out a break along the northeastern hillside. "The ravine here is fairly short, but it's a perfect place for a nest. Not to mention it falls along a Grimm Line."
"What's a Grimm Line?" Jaune asked in confusion and Ren sighed.
"A Grimm Line is a myth that says by connecting certain notable geographical sites such as volcanoes, mountain ranges, and dust deposits, you can get an approximate grid that represents the flow of Remnant's power and normally results in grimm following that line when they aren't attracted to our fear and other negative emotions." Ren summarized. "It's a myth because it has never been proven scientifically, though it's not for a lack of lives wasted in attempts to do so."
"I'm not saying your summary is wrong, but you seem to disregard the fact that my family owns the largest dust company on Remnant." Weiss said scathingly. "Of course we're going to have information that isn't publicly available, even if you're right on the fact that it isn't complete."
"What do you mean then? If these lines are Grimm Lines then there's nothing intersecting that ravine." Ruby pointed out as the line did indeed miss the entire area by about ten kilometres to the north.
"Well, you see how the lines curve? That's because they never actually touch the sources of power that are used." Weiss commented. "If we can assume that this line is curving up and arcing over this area, it has to be because of this dust deposit here."
Weiss pointed out the line and the circle on the map that indicated the dust reserve. It took Ruby a moment to notice that all the lines Weiss was referring to were drawn in by hand, and that the book looked older than any book she'd seen before. Thinking about it, she should have realized that when she'd seen the old leather cover.
"That specific deposit was completely depleted approximately two months ago, so assuming that the next closest power source will change the draw of the line, I'd guess that the line fell back down to about here."
Weiss pulled a pencil out of her bag and carefully traced a new arc between the previous points and the new power source that would draw the line. Ruby watched as the line intersected the ravine perfectly.
"And why does it curve like that now? For convenience?" Ren asked skeptically.
"No, because that reserve had an estimated ten billion tons of dust, and this one only has two." Weiss stated, writing the deposit capacities on the map as well. "Assuming that previous arc is accurate, an arc in the opposite direction with a magnitude of twenty percent is the final resting place of the Grimm Line."
"It does make sense, and it's not like it's too far to go." Jaune stated after a moment of thought. "I say we check it out."
"I still say it's a waste of time." Ren replied, looking to Nora and Ruby.
"Well… I'd like to say it's a good idea, but I've never known anyone tracking with a Grimm Line to be successful." Nora stated with an apologetic look at Weiss.
"I say we give it a try because we don't have anything else to go on, what do we have to lose?" Ruby asked with a shrug. "It's up to you then, Weiss?"
"Well… I'd like to know whether or not this theory is actually reliable." Weiss mused as she closed the book and put it away. "And there's no guarantee we'll actually find anything even if it was reliable. But as Ruby's said, we don't have much else to go on tracking-wise. Right Nora?"
"Well, I could probably find something but it could take a while." Nora shrugged. "But I don't think we have time for that. It'll start to get dark in a few hours and we'll need to set up camp."
"Nora's right." Jaune nodded. "Let's give this a try and then we can always come back and look more tomorrow if we don't find anything."
"Alright team RNJRS! Let's go!" Ruby cheered as she turned to walk away.
"Team RNJRS?" Nora asked with a sour face. "That's sort of dull isn't it?"
"Well, what do you want to call us then?" Ruby asked with a look of hurt on her face.
"How about… Team RAWLN?" Nora asked excitedly. "It's like we're brawlin' without bras!"
Silence fell as the two men in the team turned away from them as they coughed and scratched their necks awkwardly.
"That might work if we were all male, Nora." Weiss sighed, but couldn't help but crack a smile at Jaune and Ren's reaction.
"But I do-mmph!" Nora said as Ruby covered her mouth quickly.
"WE do, Nora." Ruby said pointedly with a nod to Weiss.
"Oh, I guess that won't work then." Nora deflated as Ruby released her. Weiss shared a questioning look with Ruby who seemed to be telling her to just ignore it. "OH I KNOW! How about RWVJR? Like, cause we're the avengers of Vale and we're going to get revenge on Cinder and everyone who helped her?"
"That sounds fine, Nora." Ren piped in as he and Jaune started to walk away from the girls. Weiss had the idea that it was in fear of Nora making another inappropriate comment about something they didn't need, or want to know.
"Alright!" Nora cheered. "Team RWVJR off on their first official mission as a team!"
Weiss watched with Ruby as she ran up and nearly tackled Ren as she latched onto his arm. She turned to Ruby slightly to see her shaking her head but smiling still.
"They're together. But not together." Ruby whispered to her partner as they started to follow at a distance. "Me and Jaune have a bet about who confesses to who first."
"You sound too much like Yang." Weiss replied as she nudged Ruby in the ribs, making her giggle. "But it's obvious she'll have to tell him she wants more."
"Sort of like you did?" Ruby asked, coming to a stop. Weiss felt her throat go dry as Ruby looked deeply into her eyes. "Listen, Weiss-"
"I know, I shouldn't have just sprung that on you out of the blue." Weiss cut the girl off. "But my feelings haven't changed. Even if we're walking through wilderness toward a potentially huge grimm nest with absolutely no hope of backup, I'm still happier because you're here than I would be if I was sitting with my father at the SDC. I don't regret my decision to come along."
"Actually, what I was going to say was that I know I just told you I'd like to take things slow, and think about it more, but… I think I'd actually like to give it, I mean us, a try." Ruby blushed and looked down. "I mean, I've been thinking a lot and… you know… um… I know I like you a lot, but… well…would you be my girlfriend?"
Weiss almost wasn't able to contain the excitement that burst through her as she registered Ruby's words. She wanted to jump and shout, something that a Schnee never did under any circumstances, ever. But more importantly, she wanted to make sure that Ruby was comfortable with her decision.
"Ruby, I'd love to be your girlfriend." She replied quietly, afraid her voice would carry ahead on the gentle breeze. Ruby looked up into her eyes with a demure smile on her face that had Weiss melting on the inside. "We can still go slow. I want to make sure we're not making a mistake, but… will you kiss me?"
Ruby closed the gap between their lips for their first kiss as girlfriends. Weiss completely surrendered herself to Ruby and sunk into her warm embrace as she herself wrapped Ruby as tightly as was comfortable, considering both had huge backpacks on their backs.
"Hey! Stop messing around and get a move on!" Ren called, obviously disgruntled by the display that he hadn't expected to bear witness to.
"What's… Oh!" Nora shouted from ahead. "I want one too! Ren, come here!"
"Down Nora!" Ren yelled in a rare panic, as Weiss and Ruby parted to look at Jaune scratching his head as Nora attempted to catch Ren who dodged out of her grasp repeatedly while repeating that she wanted a kiss too.
"Is it normally like this?" Weiss asked in disbelief.
"Only on the good days." Ruby laughed as she took Weiss's hand and started leading her up to the rest of the group. "On the bad days, she catches him."
"And they're still not together?" Weiss asked incredulously.
"Nope, it's more of a… you know what? I have no clue what it is. But… it's pretty funny to watch." Ruby laughed as they joined Jaune. "Hey Jauney boy, ready to go?"
"Let's just get this over with." Jaune sighed as he walked away, leaving the two couples to their own devices. Weiss felt bad as she remembered Pyrrha had always been the one closest to the blond swordsman. But now he was alone and surrounded by two couples that were more or less happy. Weiss didn't exactly have experience with the feeling, but she knew it must hurt, so she turned to Ruby as they started to follow slowly.
"Maybe we shouldn't act like anything more than teammates around him." Weiss suggested, even if it hurt to imagine forcing a certain distance between herself and Ruby. But Jaune was her friend too, even if she had been annoyed by his constant attempts to ask her out at Beacon.
"I don't really want to, but it would probably be better." Ruby sighed as she reluctantly dropped Weiss's hand. "At least for the time being."
"And at least I brought us a few tents to sleep in." Weiss smiled at Ruby, knowing as she watched her girlfriend's eyes light up that her meaning was clear.
"I'm looking forward to it then." Ruby replied smugly as she snuck a quick kiss onto Weiss's cheek before running over to save Ren from the kiss obsessed Nora. Ruby gave Nora a smack on the back of her head, making Weiss chuckle as Ruby became the new target for her energy.
The two ran around as Ren approached Weiss and the two simply watched Jaune walk away and Ruby and Nora run back and forth behind him as Nora tried to catch the elusive girl.
"You do know what you're getting into, right?" Ren asked after a moment of contemplative silence.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked cautiously. She could tell Ren was trusting her for the sake of the rest of the team but knew she still had a long way to go before she earned his trust again.
"Ruby puts up a strong front, but she's more fragile than anyone gives her credit for. Yang asked me to keep an eye on her, so that's what I've been doing." Ren replied with a sigh. "She cries herself to sleep most nights, Weiss. These past months haven't been kind to any of us, but they've been especially cruel to her."
"I… can understand that." Weiss said quietly. "If you're asking me to go back to just being friends, the answer's no. I left this decision up to her, and I trust her to make the right one for herself."
"Even if that means you're out of the picture?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I… I hope it doesn't come to that." Weiss mumbled, but she knew Ren would be able to hear her. "But yes, even if it means I'm out of the picture."
The two walked in silence for a moment before Ren spoke up again.
"You know, the reason why I won't accept Nora's advances is because I can't answer that last question like you did." Ren replied with a wry grin. "I'm too greedy to give Nora up, and that's why I won't start a more intimate relationship with her. It wouldn't be fair to our friendship if she wanted to end it and I couldn't let her go."
"Maybe our thinking is backward." Weiss commented. Ren shrugged in response.
"Maybe. But for now everything seems okay as it is." Ren replied after a pause. "Just don't hurt her. She's like a sister to us."
"I wont." Weiss replied quickly. "And I hope you'll think of me like that one day."
"Oh, I didn't say we don't." Ren replied simply. "But Ruby's been here longer."
With that, he walked away to join the team as Weiss continued to watch her teammates chase each other. They were a team, a family. Ruby was like her sister, but so much more at the same time. But the others were still like another team to her. She knew it was pointless to worry at this point, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was intruding on their team. She pushed the thoughts from her head and continued on. It wouldn't take long to get to that ravine, and if she was right, she'd need to be ready for a fight. She picked up her pace to rejoin the group as she looked at the thick clouds that threatened snow. Night would fall soon.