(Chihiro's POV)
Thank heavens I was able to make it in time. Stella was almost a goner… I'd hate to imagine what would've happened if I was too late… I looked towards my new partner and gave a smile. "Y'know, it's kinda nostalgic. You know, with the four of us together?" Stella seemed a bit better after her brush with death. "Yeah. It's nice to see so many familiar faces. Ones you'd think you'd never see again." It was true what I said. Years ago, when we were all 8, Roderick, Stella, Leichter, and I were the closest of friends in Vacuo. I can still remember the days of us laughing, playing, and talking together as kids. One day, we were separated. Roderick's father had to go to Atlas for work-related reasons and had to take his son with him. Then Stella's mother had found an opening for a blacksmith in Mistral, so Stella had to go with them. And my father had been given an opportunity to teach at Signal, which is why I had to leave to Vale. We all promised to be friends, always. But we were too young to have scrolls, so we could never talk to each other across the kingdoms. But deep down, we remembered each other. Our bonds, unbroken to this day.
"Oh! I think I see a clearing!" I shook myself out of my trip down memory lane and caught up with Stella. Sure enough, there was a clearing. It was the abandoned temple we were supposed to go to. We noticed chess pieces sitting atop the many pillars of the temple. "Chess pieces as relics? What could this mean?" I did wonder the importance of this as well. Then I noticed something. "These look almost freshly carved out. Do you think Professor Ozpin made them?" Stella seemed to have the same thought. "If that's the case, did he travel all the way here to place them here?" We looked at each other with curiosity. "Do we take one?" I was a bit worried that there was something else if we do. "I guess. What could go wrong?" Famous last words. Or not. Stella toke a black rook from its pedestal. I waited in anticipation for something to happen. Nothing did. "Oh thank god! I thought there was going to be a trap here somewhere." I shook my head in agreement. "Yeah, me too." I then noticed something else. "It seems as if some of the pieces aren't here. Did others get here before us?" Stella put the rook in her pocket. "That seems like what happened. I only see one of the white bishops and both black bishops are gone as well." We walked toward each other. "There's no point in staying here. Let's get back to the cliff." Stella started walking on her way to said cliff. "Yeah. I'm with you." I followed.
(Yang's POV)
It looks like Stella and Chihiro made it here before us. It also looks like others got here before they did. It seems they're leaving. I wonder if they know they're going the wrong way?
(Roderick's POV)
"So how did you get yourself in the situation I found you?" I was curious since Leichter's not one to throw himself into a fray like that. "I was looking for my partner and the Beowulves attacked me. I was thinking it'd be nice to have a pleasure stroll in the forest since it might be my only chance in here. Nope." I chuckled a little. Despite being a bit crass, Leichter always had that humor I always enjoyed. "I can't believe that we are all here. Thought I'd never see you guys again." I surmised. "Yeah. I thought you'd be going to Atlas Academy. That place seems pretty efficient." My face turned a bit bitter. "Yeah. But… thing change…"
*Flashback Begins; Yesterday*
"So you're really leaving?" Melody asks me. "Yeah. You guys are amazing. But alas, Atlas just isn't for me anymore." Flynt walks up. "I think I know why. Let me guess. More discrimination toward Faunus? So bad it's driving you away?" I nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. I can't stand such bigotry and don't want to be around to be a part of it anymore." I hung my head down in a little shame. "We won't stop you." I looked up and saw Brick. "It's your decision." I smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I'll see you around." I waved goodbye. "It was an honor being by your side!" Brick saluted. "Catch you on the flip, Rod!" Flint tipped his hat. "Don't forget us!" Neon called out. "Au revoir, my friend!" Eduard waved with both hands. "Hope to see you soon!" Melody waved with one arm. "Fare thee well." Infra bowed. I got on board the airship to Beacon and left my true friends behind. I haven't been able to see them since, though Infra and Brick texted me last night about my trip there.
*Flashback Ends*
"I'm sorry. Guess I shouldn't have brought it up." I looked toward Leichter after my reminiscence. He truly looked apologetic. "It's fine. It was a bitter-sweet moment anyhow." I put my arm on his shoulder. He put his on mine in return. "Like true brothers, yeah?" I remembered Leichter saying this when we were younger. "The ones we never had." We both smiled, remembering our blessing and curse as only children. "Hey, I think I see the temple." We let each other go when Leichter said this. Seems he saw something. "Let's check it out." We dashed through the trees and, lo and behold, the temple. It looks like we're not alone either. "Hello there." The two girls turned around. Blake and Yang. Guess they're partners now. "Hey Roderick! Sorry about the gut punch." So it was her that blew my down. Eh, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. "Eh, it was nothing major. You're forgiven." Leichter walked toward the pedestals. "Remind me to teach Stella how to play Chess. She knows the pieces' names but doesn't know how they move." I looked and, sure enough, the relics we were sent to find were indeed chess pieces. "Well, which one you gonna pick?" Yang asked. I looked around and saw a few of the pedestals were empty. "So you two weren't the first ones here?" I asked. "Doesn't seem like it." Blake answered. I turned toward Leichter. "Do you think Stella and Chihiro were here?" Leichter took the remaining black rook from its pedestal and walked toward me. "I don't know. Do you think the two of them are partners?" We both looked a bit concerned for the two of them. "I'm not sure."
Our conversation was interrupted by an unnaturally high-pitched scream. "Some girl's in trouble!" Yang yelled out. I facepalmed, as I knew the origin of that scream. Jaune, what did you get yourself into? "You guys hear that?" We turned towards Yang and Blake. I was more focused on Blake. She looked terrified. She was looking up at something. "What should we do?" Blake pointed upwards. I decided to look up as well. "You can't be serious." Leichter deadpanned. "Heads up!" Ruby was falling directly towards us. I heard another scream nearby. It was Jaune, flying towards Ruby. The two crashed into each other and were sent into the forest. "So that happened." Leichter looked completely unamused. Blake shook her head in disbelief. "Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Yang looked just as baffled as I was. "I-" Before Yang could finish, we heard more Grimm from the opposite side of the forest that Ruby and Jaune entered. Some of the trees fell down revealing an Ursa swinging its claws erratically. "Yeehaw!" The Ursa dropped dead and revealed Nora riding on top of it. "Aww, it's broken." What? Just how crazy is this girl? Ren came from behind the newly dead Ursa. "Nora? Please… don't ever do that again." How does Ren put up with her so much? Nora zoomed over to the temple, leaving an exhausted Ren behind, looking for his friend. She eyed the white rook with sparkly eyes. "I'm Queen of the castle! I'm Queen of the castle!" Nora sang and danced with the rook. "NORA!" Ren finally snapped. "Hehehe, coming Ren!" Nora saluted. "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Another question from Blake. "I-" Another question from Yang interrupted as we turned and saw Pyrrha running from a Deathstalker. The giant scorpion Grimm snapped its pincers at Pyrrha. "Jaune!" She called out. So I guess Pyrrha's partnered up with Jaune huh? Guess it's kind of fitting since it might be needed to balance out Jaune's frailty. I still have yet to see Jaune fight, so it might be too early to call. Ruby rolled out of the forest. "Ruby?" Yang looked at her sister. "Yang!" Ruby seemed happy to see her- "Nora!" Nora interrupted Yang and Ruby's sisterly love. "Of course." I heard Leichter behind me. After what we've just witnessed, I can't necessarily blame him. "Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Yet another question from Blake. I can only wonder how Yang's answer is going to get inter- "I can't take it anymore!" Yang burst into flames, her hair flying wildly in the air, and her eyes turning red. This whole thing must have really gotten to her. "Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again!?" Next thing we know, Ruby taps on Yang's shoulder. "Um… Yang?" We all simultaneously look up. We see Weiss hanging on a talon of a giant Nevermore. "How could you leave me!?" Weiss shouts from above. "I said 'jump'." Ruby shouts back. "A Nevermore?" Leichter looks at Ruby in utter dismay. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Ruby tells us. "That took about 2.5 seconds." I tell Yang. "Not helping." She says back. "She's gonna fall." Blake, ever the pessimist. "She'll be fine." Ruby, ever the optimist. "She's falling." Ren deadpans. Sure enough, Weiss is falling down. Then Jaune comes in and catches her bridal-style… in mid-air. Jaune looked so smug until he realized how high up they were. They embraced each other in fear. "NOOO!" Jaune yells as he unceremoniously falls down. He lands on the ground face first. Weiss lands on his back. "My hero." Weiss says sarcastically. "My back…" Jaune says weakly. "My sanity." Leichter says in nihil. "This whole ordeal has gotten to be absurd! What could possibly make it worse!?" I've just about lost it as well. I turn around and hear yelling behind me. It's Stella and Chihiro. Guess the two of them are partners. Speaking of which, I can only surmise that Ruby and Weiss are partners since they are the only ones left unchecked. "What happened?" I ask them. "Well, we got to the temple, we walked along a pathway, it turned out to be the wrong way, and then that!" Stella lists everything that went on. We look in the direction she points, and we see a rather angry Goliath. "I just had to open my mouth…" I completely jinxed it. Pyrrha falls over in front of us after running from the Deathstalker all this time. "Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang and Leichter say at the same time. Speaking of jinx. "Not if I can help it!" Ruby looks back at us cockily, and charges into the fray. "Ruby, wait!" It's at this time Pyrrha get up. "Duh… duh… does she have a plan…?" Chihiro asks, completely out of breath. "I hope she does…"
(Stella's POV)
Why did Rody say that? We know we have a Goliath on us right now. So why is Ruby going the opposite way? Then I looked in the direction she was running and saw a Deathstalker. Then I proceeded to look up and saw a Nevermore. Great. Three of the most dangerous Grimm known to all of Remnant are all on the prowl for us. And Ruby is charging in head first into the danger. She launches herself into the Deathstalker, aiming to slash its head. No avail, the Grimm scorpion swatted her away with very little effort. "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!" Ruby says this, but she looks the complete opposite. It's as if she was in a daze. She turns around to see the Deathstalker snapping its claws at her, as if it was looking at its prey. Ruby packed away her scythe and made a mad dash to us. Yang went out to get her herself. "RUBY!" The two sisters are converging on each other when the Nevermore shoots its quills at them. Ruby didn't get hit, but her cape did. Yang managed to stop just before one of the feathers got her. "Ruby, get out of there!" Yang tells Ruby in complete worry. "I'm trying!" Ruby struggles to get her cape free, to no avail.
Then we heard a loud wail behind us. The Goliath. Left unchecked, it's going to be a problem. "Come on guys, let's go!" Rody tells us. I see Leichter clap his face with both hands. "Right. No time to waste!" And with that, Rody, Chihi, Leichter and I do all we can to stop the Goliath from inflicting any harm to our new friends. Roderick used Rubicante to burst it back with his explosive musket shots and heavy swings. I used Starktronic to blow it back with wind, knock it back with forward strikes, and blast it back with rockets. Chihiro used Phasisstutter and sent particle explosions at the beast, holding it in place for a second before bursting into plasma. Leichter used the gun function on Safer to do whatever he could, since a head-on assault against a Goliath with a knife wasn't going to be very effective. We held it back for a while. We saw ice form below the Goliath's feet. It slipped on it. "What was-" I was cut off as a white blur went forward, in Ruby's direction. We turned and saw the Deathstalker about to pierce Ruby with it's massive stinger. "RUBY!" Yang attempted to reach out to her sister. The Deathstalker lunged its stinger at Ruby to kill her.
It never made impact. Well, it did. It just didn't hit Ruby. We saw a wall of ice trap the pincer right before it struck the little rosebud. "You are so childish!" Weiss. She saved Ruby's life. "And dimwitted, and hyperactive. And don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose, I can be a bit… difficult. But if we're going to do this we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be… nicer." Well what do you know. Guess whatever Leichter told her got through to her somewhat. I look toward Leichter and see a small smile on his face. "What did you say to her?" I hear Rody to my right. "Eh, just to take it easy every once in a while." Leichter looks a bit proud. Not smugly, but as if he accomplished something. "I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this." Ruby looks a tad ashamed. "You're fine." Weiss says, and helps Ruby on her feet. Then I saw Yang and Rody run to them. Yang lovingly embraces Ruby, a look of relief on her face. "So happy you're okay!" Rody pats her on the back. "You showed bravery there. Admirable. But rushing in without a plan is an easy way to get hurt, or worse. You CAN do this. But not alone. WE can do this, together." And with that speech of inspiration, Yang, Ruby, Rody, and Weiss regroup with the rest of us.
(Leichter's POV)
Glad I was able to ease Weiss's anger a bit. A calm mind is a boon in combat. And in the situation we're in, we're going to need it. To the north we have a very predacious Deathstalker. To our south, a very savage Goliath. And above, a very deadly Nevermore. Which is circling back toward us. "Guys, that thing's circling back." Thanks Jaune. No really, some of us legitimately didn't see the giant deadly bird turning around to get us. Mostly because they were focused on Ruby almost going through Death's Door. "So, what happens now?" Chihiro asks us. "Well, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss states. "She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs." Ruby agrees. I could see Weiss's face light up in approval. However, what Ruby says next… "There's no point in fighting those things." That's wrong. I'm sure Roderick knows this too and will point that out. "A good strategy, but unfortunately not one we can utilize. At the Grimm's current state of being, if we leave, they're sure to follow us. And you can immediately tell how much damage they're able to cause." Roderick gestures to the surrounding forest area. Indeed, most of the trees in the general vicinity are either broken or tipped over. "If we leave those things be, they'll follow us to Beacon and cause some serious damage until someone there eventually destroys them. What applies to us applies to the Grimm as well. Alone, they are weak. Together, they are devastating. I'd rather not take any chances on the destruction of Beacon property." I do admire Roderick's professionalism. He was always a bit orderly, but his time in Atlas definitely improved his general thinking. "So what do we do?" Jaune asks. "First, any pairs who have not collected a relic should do so now." Ruby and Jaune nod and go to collect their relics. Ruby grabbing a white knight and Jaune acquiring a white rook. "Good. Now, we need to lure them to a place where we can separate the Grimm. Preferably one with ample cover for us to kite them." Stella steps up. "I saw a deserted sanctuary somewhere on the path we took. We should be able to divide and conquer there." That'll do. At this moment Ruby and Jaune recongregate with us. "Time we left." Ren declares "Right." Ruby affirms. "Lead the way Stella!" Roderick instructs. "Alright!" And with that, we leave to guide the Grimm towards the sanctuary. And just in time too. The Goliath regained it's balance and started charging at us, and the Deathstalker got its stinger free.
(Roderick's POV)
So far, so good. We managed to get the Grimm to chase us to the sanctuary, which didn't take us very long to find. "Right here!" Chihiro exclaims. We all hide behind pillars to stay out of the Nevermore's sight. It fails since it knew we were here in the first place. At least we got it here. Then I notice something. My face turns into one of calm-mindedness, to one of irritation. "Stella! THIS IS BEACON CLIFF!" I yell. Stella looks dumbfounded. "It is!? Man, I'm terrible with directions." Leichter face-palms. "Well that's great." Yang says sarcastically. "Looks like we'll have to take them out here, divided or not." Pyrrha says, she is correct in saying this. Behind us, we see the Deathstalker and the Goliath approach us. "Oh man, run!" Jaune says. We do. "Nora, distract it!" Ren says as we run. Nora rolls to dodge the feathers the Nevermore shoots at her. Then locks her grenade launcher and unloads her explosives at the Grimm. It actually works better than intended and forces the Nevermore away from our path of travel. "Yeah, Stella could testify to how strong those grenades are." Chihiro tells me. "Did she get- Nora! Behind you!" I couldn't finish my train of thought as the Deathstalker creeped behind Nora. Nora turned around to see the Grimm approach, but Blake and Ren intercepted it. Stella then used the briefly dazed scorpion to jump of its head and ram her pillar to force the Goliath behind the Deathstalker back a little. Wiess used a glyph to launch herself to get Nora to safety shortly afterwards. Pyrrha, Ren, and Leichter stopped to take a few shots at the Grimm behind us, but when they saw it was to little avail, they hastily retreated. The Deathstalker and Goliath stopped before stepping on the bridge, presumably due to its inability to support two heavy Grimm on it at once. The Nevermore returned behind a small mountain and rammed into the bridge, separating the twelve of us. Ren, Pyrrha, Blake, Chihiro, and I were forced to stay on the side of the other two Grimm. Ruby, Jaune, Weiss, Nora, Blake and Leichter safely made it to the other side. Stella wasn't so lucky and was hanging on the edge of the destroyed bridge. Chihiro used her power glove to create a portal below Stella's dangling feet. The other portal appearing right beside me. Stella let go of the bridge and safely landed on our side of the bridge. "That's twice now you've saved me Chihi!" I heard her say. Chihiro giggled a little. "Check your six!" I yelled. The Deathstalker had seized the opportunity to attack us while we couldn't get anymore distance from it, the Goliath not far behind. We tried to fight it off as best as we could, but any of our Dust rounds couldn't dent it's armor, and any close-ranged offensives were only swatted away. "We need help!" "Man, we have to get over there!" I hear Jaune behind me. "Let's do this!" Nora says. "And how do you suppose we get over there? I don't think we can clear this jump." Leichter remarks. What happens next is unbelievable. Nora knocks Leichter and Jaune back and unpacks her hammer. "Oh, wait!" And proceeds to smash the bridge they were standing on. Fortunately Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were on solid ground at the time. I could see Jaune and Leichter fly in the air, thankfully landing where we were. Nora blasted her grenade on the rubble she created to propel herself to our side and proceeded to smash the Deathstalker. It survived, unfortunately, and attempted to skewer Nora with its stinger. She jumped back to avoid it, bumping into Blake in the process. I was able to catch Blake before she fell off the bridge. "Your partner needs help." I tell her. "Get me over there." She tells me. "Get on." I have Blake step on my axe's wayside. I swing to give her the momentum needed to make the jump. Firing my weapon also provided a boost to the speed. It would've actually worked, but the Nevermore saw this and flew towards Blake. Seeing this, I shot my musket at it once to knock it away. Blake, however, didn't need my help as she used her grappling hook to etch itself into the broken bridge and proceeded to tilt herself away from the other side of the bridge and propel herself upward with the pendulum movement she created. She landed on the Nevermore's head and proceeded to run along it's back, slashing it a few times with her katana before landing on the other side. We smiled and nodded at each other before returning to our respective fights. "Chihiro! Get us behind the Goliath!" If we can get behind the Goliath, we can split the two giant Grimm's attention on two fronts. "Yes, sir!" Huh, never was called that before. Chihiro complies and teleports me, herself, Stella, and Leichter behind the Goliath, still focused on what's in front of it. "Stella!" "Right!" Taking her cue, Stella launches a rocket at the Goliath's back. That got it's attention, and thankfully, not the Deathstalker's.
It was Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang against the Nevermore, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren against the Deathstalker, and me, Stella, Chihiro, and Leichter against the Goliath. Perfect! This is what we needed! "Alright guys! Let's go!" I rally my friends together. "Right!" They're all ready. WE'RE all ready. I issue one more order; "Fire at it! Keep it busy! Chihiro, you know what to do!" Leichter goes to the left, Stella went to the right, and Chihiro and I stayed in the center. We all fired at the Goliath, forcing it to change its aggro numerous times. One of the thing's I learned about the Goliaths is that their attention can easily be obtained with even a simple pot shot. That was the goal. Keep it off Chihiro until her plasmatic disruptions knock it off balance.
(Chihiro's POV)
I used Phasisstutter to blast the Goliath with plasma bursts. What I wanted to do was knock it off balance, or at least make it stumble, even just a little. It worked, and the Goliath was forced a little back. I used my portal to trap one of it's feet and send it on the other portal to Leichter Its main body hit the ground and the foot was suspended in mid-air. "Do it Leichter!" I hope this works.
(Leichter's POV)
With the Goliath's foot exposed, I knew what I had to do. The foot of a Goliath is what makes the beast so sturdy. Take that away, and you only have a flailing, stationary walrus. Relatively harmless. Once Chihiro teleported the foot to me, I used Safer to skewer it multiple times, carving holes in it. Then I forced the foot back through the portal, knocking it off balance again. Chihiro teleported another foot to me and you can guess what happened next. We repeated the process with each of its feet. After the last foot was cut up and forced back, the Goliath fell over on its stomach. "Stella, you're up!" Now we wait.
(Stella's POV)
Now it was my turn! I rushed into the grounded Grimm with all I had. I placed Starktronic on its face and spun it's fan-like wheels against it. My goal was to break the armor on said face and make it open for an instant kill. After a solid 5 seconds, the mask cracked. Not enough, got to blast it down I guess. I jumped and rammed my rocket-side of Starktronic into the mask, cracking it a little further. Then I fired my missile into it at point blank and the mask finally cracked. I deactivated Iron-Will just at that time and let my body get blown away from it. "It's all yours Rody!" I know you can do it!
(Roderick's POV)
It's time to end this. I let out a battle cry as I ran up to the Goliath and swung Rubicante down on its head. To guarantee the Grimm's death, I fired an explosive round into its head. It sagged as I took my axe out of its head. It's done. I turn around to see Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren exhausted. They were able to defeat the Deathstalker. I was able to hear Jaune giving commands during our fight. "Great tactical work Jaune. Your defensive capability's not bad either." I pat Jaune's back. He smiles at me. I look forward again and… I can't believe it.
(Stella's POV)
I gaze toward Nora. She looked a bit guilty. "Sorry about the bomb to the face." I could feel her heartfelt apology, even from that innocent little smile of hers. "I'd say I almost died, but after today, ANYONE could say that." The two of us laugh a little. "I forgive you." I say cheerfully. I think we just started a great friendship here… Well that's not something you see every day.
(Chihiro's POV)
I smile at our successes. Pyrrha's right beside me. Should I tell her that I think she's… "You did well. Nice work Chihiro." Oh gods… She put her hand on my shoulder… She complimented me… Her eyes are beautiful just like her… I think… I…
(Pyrrha's POV)
Chihiro fainted. Oh dear. I puck her up and carry her. She's very light. I think she's a bit subconscious about that. Maybe putting my hand on her shoulder wasn't the best idea then. Oh well. I hear Chihiro moan a little. She just came to. I feel her legs trembling. I guess they're feeling a bit weak. "Thanks Pyrrha…" I guess she's happy… Oh my…
(Leichter's POV)
Oh dear, Chihiro fainted again. Pyrrha's carrying her. If I had to guess, Chihiro's head couldn't take Pyrrha's beauty and niceness and shut itself down. I look over to Stella and she and Nora and they're talking about me and Ren, who just so happens to be right beside me. "What great friends we have, huh?" I ask him. "Yes. They are." We smile at each other… What on earth did I just see?
(Roderick's POV)
I can't believe what I just saw. I look at my friends, old and new, and we all have the same look of surprise on our face. Ruby Rose had just decapitated a Nevermore. She ran up the cliff, the scythe firmly hooked onto the Grimm's neck, and it cut clean through. Words cannot express how amazed I was, and I'm sure the others all think the same. "Alright guys. Let's get back to Beacon. Chihiro, if you please." The easiest way is usually the best one. Chihiro can easily teleport us to the top of the cliff so we can return triumphant. "Yeah, I got it." She conjures a portal to where Ruby is, the other right where we are. One by one, we step through the portal and rejoin the Red Reaper. After the last one goes through (Ren), Chihiro relocates the portal to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. They walk though and join us up on top. "Okay guys. Let's get back to Beacon." Ruby tells us. We all follow her, heads held up high.
"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team CRDL. Led by... Cardin Winchester." Ozpin had formed the third freshman team here at Beacon, CaRDinaL. There were two others before them. ECRU and HoneYDeW. ECRU consisted of Emmet Vio, Clive Gronn, Ruediger Rosa, and Uhai Machun after they collected the black knight pieces. HYDW was comprised of Herald Razzmatazz, Midori Yochu, Diane Limerick, and Kallyn Wheatley since they got the white bishop pieces. Everyone applauded as CRDL left diligently as the next set of four went up. "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team JNPR." Nora hugs Ren as the crowd applauds. Ozpin wasn't finished yet. "Led by… Jaune Arc!" Jaune seemed confused. I, despite my initial thoughts of him, was not. Despite his combat prowess seemingly to be defensive only, he is a good tactician who can hold his own. Even though he can be a bit clumsy, which Pyrrha has just shown since a light jab to the shoulder made him stumble a bit, but not fall over. They left the stage in high spirits. Now, it was our turn. "Leichter Xandercat, Stella Capulet, Roderick Montague, Chihiro Ariado. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RSCL." An odd color to choose. Rascal Red was conceived only three weeks ago. It was a lighter shade of maroon, yet darker than burgundy. "Led by… Roderick Montague!" I was the leader? "We expect great thing from you, sir." Leichter puts his arm on my shoulder. "I vow to be ever ready to lead my new team forward." With these new words, I leave the stage with my old friends from Vacuo. It looks like we might never be separated again. Now, it was time for the last team. "And finally, Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose. Ruby's new teammates look towards her. They all look proud. Even Weiss. Yang runs up to Ruby and hugs her. "Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year." Ozpin says as everyone departs to their dorms, or new dorms in the first years' case.
Author's Notes (Fixed an error on HYDW's team)
Well gee. Longest chapter I've written to date. I'm sure that's going to change somewhere down the line. Our teams are now formed. Here are the OC teams;
RSCL: Roderick Oliver Montague, Stella Copperpot Capulet, Chihiro Lazuli Ariado, Leichter Sangria Xandercat.
ECRU: Emmet Vio, Clive Gronn, Ruediger Rosa, Uhai Machun.
HYDW: Herald Razzmatazz, Midori Yochu, Diane Limerick, Kallyn Wheatley.
And as promised, the weapons of RSCL;
Rubicante: A dual-sided axe encrusted with fire Dust. It can cut through most objects and has an explosive musket built into it.
Starktronic: A turbine pillar powered by wind Dust. It has great vacuum power on both sides of the spectrum. Also functions as a rocket launcher, its ammunition being high concentrations of Dust energy.
Phasisstutter: A spacial power glove. It can create portals and cause plasmatic bursts of energy. It has a hexagram of Water Dust woven into it. Somewhat strengthens Chihiro's Semblance.
Safer: A hand knife with an earth Dust carved edge. It has a six-shooter built into it that can fire off earth Dust rounds. Can easily wear down Aura but has a hard time cutting armor.
Also, you can already tell that RSCL's presence if altering the course of canon. Even if it's only minimal or insignificant stuff now, it will evolve into something major soon enough. Examples include Weiss picking Ruby up (She doesn't do this in the original), Blake not falling off the bridge involuntarily (Here she purposefully does it as Roderick veers the Nevermore away), and Jaune not falling over (Which he does in canon. This actually will make Jaune become a little more significant later on).
That should be everything. ECRU and HYDW will have some importance in the story later on. Sorry it took until the end of my deadline to post this, but my schedule, as I predicted, made it so I couldn't finish this before today. Anyhow, you probably noticed on my account page that I have new stories on the horizon. Look forward to those. Next chapter of RSCL shall be completed and posted between 9/6 and 9/10. I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. I only own Teams RSCL, ECRU, and HYDW, Melody Mars, Brick Valter, Eduard Killarney, and Infra Nett. Also, a bit of a small hinter after the ANs. I'll leave you to that. Until next time, I'll stay Enigmatic.
-UltimateEnigmatic
(No POV)
The night of Remnant, in an abandoned warehouse. We see a criminal known and loathed in all of Vale. Roman Torchwick. He has just finished a call with his employer. He seems frustrated. He pulls out his cigar and smokes it with his lighter. A White Fang member pushes in a massive container, filled with Dust. Roman pays the grunt. "Open it." He commands. The grunt complies. Roman takes a piece of water Dust from the newly opened container. "We're gonna need more men." He states dryly. That's when the door opens only a smidge. A man with mahogany, flat hair, arched in a V straight down to his nose. He's wearing a white, sleek jacket and carmine red, thin jeans. His shoes are blood red and his belt is silver, which holds two steel rectangular prisms that look like they could unfold. He slides headfirst and stomach down into Torchwick's base. "We know. That's why the boss sent me!" His raspy voice resounds throughout the warehouse, as he stands up without kneeling. "Mikhail Orochi. What are you doing here, sir?" The grunt is curious about his sudden appearance. "Oh can it, would you? Taurus just sent me here. And you already know the why." Mikhail walks toward Torchwick. "Alright, sir." He says the last part sarcastically. "Let's get to work." Mikhail sinisterly grins, bearing his snake fangs tipped fuchsia and his eyes glowing yellow. The last thing heard is another grunt coming in and closing the warehouse door.