What's up? Here's what's up, the next chapter. As always, I appreciate the support. I do not own RWBY.
A large figure crouched on four legs among the thick foliage in the forest. If one were to cast a glance over the place where the creature lay hidden, they would have never seen it until it was too late. Years of experience had served the creature well. Thanks to his survival from an encounter with a certain Hunter, it was able to learn from past follies. However, the creature did not leave untouched. A long vertical scar ran down the monster's left eye.
Ever since then, it knew that it needed to grow and become stronger to hunt for the meat bags. The creature had observed that the humans were crafty little things. They had neither fang nor claws but they carried sharp and pointy objects that were fatal to it and its brethren that met the wrong end. This made killing them an even more difficult task.
For as long as it could remember, the creature had always felt the urge to hunt and kill humans. Only now did it bother to question this desire. It was a strange sensation to describe. It was like a hunger that needed to be satiated or a thirst that had to be quenched. What was odd however was the fact that it didn't need either food or water to survive. The creature had endured an entire week without eating or drinking and yet there was no notable threat to its existence.
The only thing that remained was the strong impulse to sink its fangs into a human and end them.
Nowadays however, new things began stirring within the creature. Somehow, it was able to become more aware of its surroundings. It still had the craving to kill humans but it learned to be patient. It noticed that members of his brethren died rather easily at the hands of the humans when they act mostly on impulse. It also learned that the fewer the humans, the easier it was to kill them.
That fact alone was the most horrifying. It was learning.
A lone human was no threat to him. It had grown over the years thanks to that particular Hunter. If it ever encountered him again, it would probably rip his throat out with and savor his agonizing sounds. For now, it would have to settle for another meat bag to satisfy it today.
As luck would have it, it picked up a scent that was not too far from its position. In fact, there were two scents now. One that reeked of sweet perfume and one that smelled like roses.
Taking long but silent strides, a large Beowolf emerged from the foliage. The beast stood at least three times larger than any of its brethren. Its claws were sharpened like knives and teeth as dangerous as an ice pick. It had been a long time since a human had wandered into these forests. The last time it encountered a human was a couple of months ago when a lone traveler decided to trudge into its territory. He never even got a chance to scream before he was torn apart.
Now it was time to search for its next prey.
Pyrrha had just finished disposing three Beowolves that tried to ambush her. She made quick work of them with her weapon Milo. Now, she was resuming her trek through the woods in the hope of finding a partner. Preferably a certain blonde boy…
She had landed on a high tree branch after she was launched from the cliff and used her rifle scope to locate where Jaune would most likely touchdown. Pyrrha was able to see him disappear into the trees that were a good distance from where she was perched. She hopped down from the tree and landed in a graceful crouch. If she hoped to find him, she needed to be quick to ensure that he hasn't teamed up with anyone else. The girl had seen some of the others land within the area close to the boy and that made her hasten her efforts.
She kept her weapon and shield drawn as she made her way through the forest. Constantly scanning her surroundings, she made sure nothing would get the jump on her. These woods were home to some of the Grimm and she couldn't afford to be careless.
Pyrrha was determined to be on a team with the blonde boy. He was different from most of the people she had ever interacted with. Part of her knew that she was being silly. She hardly knew anything about him and they barely held a conversation longer than a few minutes but that was about it. He was most likely looking for one of the girls she saw accompanying him when he walked out of the locker room.
The other part of her was still determined to find him. From their brief encounter, she could tell that he was a good person. Pyrrha had no idea how she could prove that but she had a feeling she was right. The only good thing that came from her celebrity status was that it made her a good judge in character. Jaune just had that kind of trustworthy and open look in his eyes that made you feel at ease. Plus, he didn't treat her like all of her other fans and admirers when they first heard her name.
It also helped that he was far from bad looking with his messy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and cute grin….
The girl blushed as her thoughts trailed off. Focus Pyrrha, She thought.
Then she heard a few leaves crunch underfoot from somewhere to her left. Reacting reflexively, thinking it was another Grimm, she threw her spear through the foliage at the source of the disturbance. The girl heard Milo embed itself on a tree not too far away and after waiting for a moment, Pyrrha went off in the same direction to retrieve her weapon.
She was shocked to say the least when she found a very pale Jaune staring at the spear that looked like it nearly impaled him. The boy stood stock still with the weapon a few inches from his face. He gulped and slowly turned his face toward a very embarrassed looking redhead.
"Oh Jaune, I'm so sorry! I thought you were a monster!" She apologized and rushed forward to retrieve Milo and sheath her weapon.
The boy gave a nervous laugh and swallowed. "N-no worries, you were just being cautious."
She fidgeted a little uncomfortably and was unsure of what to say next. She didn't have a lot of experience with starting conversations. Other people usually did that for her. People always saw her as this confident young woman that could do anything. It was true to an extent. She was confident about her physical and mental capabilities as a warrior. What she lacked however was the proper social skills when it came to interacting with people. Besides, what do you even say to a boy you nearly stabbed with a spear?
Failing to notice her conflicting thoughts, Jaune cleared his throat. "So…uh, have you found someone to team up with?"
"Well, no. I haven't actually." Pyrrha replied.
"Me too." Jaune said.
There was a bit of silence after that and the blonde was the first to break it.
"So I guess this makes us teammates then huh?" Jaune said, looking at her straight in the eyes and offering a small smile.
Pyrrha returned the smile. "I guess it does."
They began their trek north at a quick pace. The sun was perched at the top of the sky meaning it was around noon. Thankfully, the trees provided ample amount of shade and blotted out most of the heat while still providing a good amount of light. Pyrrha led the way while Jaune stayed a few paces behind her to cover the rear just in case.
The two avoided small talk and tried to make as little noise as possible. Pyrrha didn't mind. She knew that they were in the middle of a Grimm infested forest and attracting any attention would not be the best idea.
But when this initiation was over, they would have many chances to talk since they were teammates now. And maybe, she might actually be able to form a significant bond with someone that could appreciate her as herself and not as the girl on the cereal box.
Weiss was beginning to wonder what she had done wrong for her karma to be this bad. First, she had the worst first day at Beacon thanks to some people vomiting and blowing up on her. Second, she failed to team up with Pyrrha, the ideal partner for her, so now her dream of being on a really popular team with the Mistral Champion was slowly slipping away. Lastly, she had gotten stuck with Ruby as her teammate.
"What's the hurry?" Ruby called out from behind her as the Schnee heiress walked ahead.
"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow." Weiss replied. "I swear if I get a bad grade because of your-what the-?"
Weiss felt a small gust of wind as Ruby suddenly appeared in front of her with a smile. "I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"
"When did-?" Weiss started, trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Weiss, just because I don't know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters."
The younger girl stepped up to her and threw an arm around Weiss's shoulders. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today Weiss. And after it's all over you're going to be like 'Wow, that Ruby girl is really, really cool and I want to be your friend.'"
She then disappeared in a swirl of rose petals.
Ugh, that girl irritated Weiss to no end. She was clumsy, talkative, and too childish. How did she even get accepted into beacon anyway? She was obviously younger than everyone here and yet she was still allowed to take part in this initiation. The heiress knew that she must be a special case of some sort or else Ruby probably wouldn't even be here. However, the fact remains that Weiss wanted a better partner.
Heck, she even felt a bit regretful that she had turned down Jaune's offer. At least he seemed to possess a level head and didn't seem like the type to rush into things without thinking about it.
The heiress inhaled deeply. There was no use thinking about it now. She had to make do with what she was given and press on with her head held high.
Before she could follow after her partner, a rustling of bushes made her pause. "Ruby?"
No answer.
"Hello?" Weiss called out a bit unsure.
Then from all around her, a pack of Beowolves emerged from the forest. Weiss counted at least seven of the creatures. She was trapped in the middle of the ring they formed around her. She drew her rapier and got into her position. She straightened her back, held her head high, and adjusted her footing.
Great, just when she might actually need some backup, her teammate was nowhere to be found.
On the other hand, the heiress was perfectly capable of defending herself. She wouldn't have gotten into Beacon if she didn't have what it took to become a Huntress. A couple of wolf monsters should be easy to handle.
She adjusted her rapier and chose a red dust crystal and lunged at the nearest wolf. She flew like a bullet and was about to thrust when Ruby suddenly appeared and sliced the Beowolf in half. The heiress stumbled to a stop and managed to redirect her aim before the rapier fired off and set a nearby tree ablaze.
Another wolf lunged and took a swipe at Ruby but the younger girl managed to block the strike with her scythe. The force of the blow however knocked her over to where Weiss was.
"Hey, watch it!" Ruby said.
"Excuse me?" Weiss snapped. The younger girl's tone irked her. "You attacked out of turn. I could've killed you!"
"You'll have to try a lot harder than that." Ruby muttered. Weiss heard this and rolled her eyes.
They stood shoulder to shoulder as more monsters appeared from the woods. Currently, there were now a dozen wolves ready to rip them to shreds. Ruby inserted a fresh cartridge into her weapon while Weiss switched for a blue dust crystal. They were about to attack but then a loud and piercing howl cut through the atmosphere.
The sound washed over everything in the clearing and made them all pause for a moment.
The effect was instantaneous. The wolves all began to whimper and back away from them. Even some of the bigger ones among the pack looked a bit unnerved and slowly took steps back. Before long, each of the monsters had retreated back into the forest, leaving the two girls standing there, confused.
"Okay, what just happened?" Ruby asked, completely bewildered.
Weiss shook her head. "I don't know. They just left…"
The heiress had a very bad feeling about this. A sudden chill was making its way up her spine, not that she would ever admit this out loud. Something was definitely wrong. Beowolves don't just retreat without a proper reason. It was almost as if something had scared them…
"Weiss, look out!" Ruby shouted in alarm.
Before the heiress could even react, she felt something massive barrel into her from the side. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet and made her lose her grip on her weapon. She tumbled onto her side and rolled a little bit before coming to a stop. It was then that she got a good look at what hit her.
It was the biggest Beowolf she had ever seen. The beast stood at a respectable height of seven feet while it was hunched over. The spikes protruding from its arms and spine were longer and sharper. Weiss could also spot a couple of places where normal skin had been replaced by tough bone-like armor. The beast's head swiveled from side to side, switching from Ruby to her. Weiss noted a long scar on the left side of the wolf's face.
From where she was, Ruby cocked her weapon, took aim and began firing shots at the large wolf. However, this proved ineffective because most of the shots bounced off of the beast's tough armor. Still, this only served to anger the wolf. The beast growled and crouched down before lunging at the scythe wielder with amazing agility.
The beast made a zigzag pattern to avoid getting hit by Ruby's rifle as it quickly cleared the distance between them. Ruby prepared to swing her scythe when she saw the beast was ready to take a swipe at her. She moved Crescent Rose to intercept the attack when the girl was suddenly blindsided by the other claw. The creature's powerful attack raked across the girl's stomach and knocked her into a tree.
Luckily for Ruby, she had activated her Aura just in time before it connected otherwise she would have been seriously injured. The force of the blow was still painful but she couldn't afford to get distracted now. She had not expected that fast follow up attack.
Meanwhile, Weiss had managed to get back on her feet and retrieve her weapon. When she turned back to the battle, the heiress saw Ruby slam into a nearby tree. The Beowolf stalked toward the girl but Weiss was not about to let it take another step.
"Take this!" Weiss thrust her weapon into the ground and tall spikes made of ice erupted from the ground as it began to quickly make its way to the beast. The Beowolf managed to avoid being frozen by leaping backward.
The ice formed a small barrier between the girls and the wolf. The heiress quickly made her way over and stood next to Ruby as the girl cocked her weapon again. The two faced the wolf that was pacing back and forth on the other side of the small ice wall.
"That thing is fast." Ruby said.
The heiress nodded. "Yeah, it's strong too. I've never seen this kind of Beowolf before"
"And it has some tough armor. I can't make any good shots." Ruby agreed. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"
Weiss was about to speak when a strange thing happened. A sudden gust of wind blew through the area and disappeared just as quickly as it came. The bizarre thing was it seemed to have an effect on the beast. Its head immediately snapped up and started sniffing the air. Then it let out a low guttural growl before taking off into the woods.
The two girls stood there, staring at the direction in where the creature had left.
"Uh, what just happened?" Ruby asked, obviously baffled by the turn of events.
"I wish I knew." Weiss replied. She didn't have a clue either. "Come on, we have to go or else we'll be caught in the fire."
The Schnee heiress did take note of a small detail. The creature took off in the direction where the wind had come from.
Jaune felt a strong breeze pass through the area where he and Pyrrha were walking. It was only for a moment and stopped abruptly afterwards. He came to a halt when he heard something off in the distance. He scanned the surrounding area and was rewarded with the sight of a smoke column from somewhere behind them.
"Pyrrha, look," Jaune said, pointing toward the smoke. The warrior followed his line of sight and spotted the rising column.
The girl nodded curtly. "Gunfire, it seems that some of our comrades have engaged the enemy."
"Yeah," Jaune took another moment to stare. "I hope they're okay."
"I'm sure that they are capable of facing any danger that they may come across." Pyrrha assured him.
Jaune tried for a smile. "I know they can but I just can't help but wonder a little bit."
There was a slight pause before Pyrrha decided to speak up. "Are you worried about your friends?"
"You mean Ruby and Yang? Yeah, I guess you could say so." Jaune admitted. "I know that I just met them yesterday and all but I can already tell that they're good people. Besides, it's natural to look out for your friends."
"That must be nice, to have someone looking out for you." Pyrrha said. Jaune didn't fail to notice the wistful tone of her voice. "Anyway, we should probably keep moving. We will probably meet up with them at the temple."
She began to walk ahead and Jaune followed.
As they continued, the blonde couldn't help but stare at the girl in front of him. Judging from the way she just spoke, Pyrrha must not have a lot of people to call friends, at least, not real ones anyway. She probably had hordes of admirers and fans that considered themselves her "friends" but it could never compare to the real thing.
The more Jaune thought about it, the angrier he felt. He had been ridiculed and ignored for the most part of his younger life and this hampered his ability to form any kind of bond with anyone from his age group back at home. Here was a smart and talented girl that could mop the floor with most fighters and yet people only wanted to get to know her because of the attention she received in the hopes of entering the spotlight themselves. In one way or another, Pyrrha was just as alone as he had been.
Well, things are about to change.
"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune addressed the girl.
"Yes?" Pyrrha curiously turned her head to face him.
"I have a favor to ask of you." Jaune said in a serious tone.
"What is it?"
The blonde exhaled deeply. "I need you to help me win a bet."
The girl only stared at him with a blank expression. "What?"
"See, I kind of have this bet going with Ruby and Yang and we agreed that the last one to reach the temple will have to treat everyone to sodas afterward. I seriously don't want to lose. They'll probably rub it in if I do."
"I'll… do my best?" Pyrrha said, unsure with where this conversation was going.
Jaune clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Oh come on. Help a friend out here."
At that point, Pyrrha's eyes had widened as she heard what he just said. Her mouth hung open a bit. She looked as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She studied his face intently as if looking for any sign of deception or falsity.
"Alright, I'll cut you a deal." Jaune said. "If we win, I'll make sure they buy you a soda too. What do you think?"
He held out his hand and gave her a genuine smile. Pyrrha switched her gaze between his hand and his face. She seemed to come to a silent conclusion and hesitantly shook his hand. It was at this point that Jaune decided to get his meaning across without being misinterpreted.
"In case I'm not clear enough," Jaune said, gripping her hand firmly. "You're going to have to put up with me from now on since we're partners now. Might as well be friends to make things easier, right? I have to warn you though, I have a really bad case of airsickness and I tend to get cranky if I don't get my three meals a day."
At that point, Jaune never knew that a person could look as radiant as Pyrrha when she beamed at him.
"I think I can handle it." Pyrrha said confidently. "I've faced bigger challenges before."
"Good, because I don't want my new friend to get grossed out if I ever have to puke my guts out when I'm on an airship."
The redhead giggled and tried to cover it up with her free hand.
She has a cute laugh, Jaune couldn't help but think to himself.
"Alright, let's get moving." The blonde said. "I can already see a nice cool can of soda with my name on it."
Meanwhile, Professor Ozpin stood atop of the cliff where the students had been launched, overlooking the vast expanse of the Emerald forest. He held a scroll in his hand and studied the live footage of the events that were unfolding thanks to the multiple hidden cameras set up at certain locations. He was currently observing the progress of Ruby Rose and her partner, Weiss Schnee.
Apparently, the two had just finished from a battle but Ozpin frowned when he replayed the footage. The camera was hindered due to the amount of smoke generated from the forest fire. Visibility was limited. However, the spectacled man did catch a glimpse of a very large creature engaging the two girls. Whatever it was, it had fled into the woods after a short pause in their battle.
The professor tried to track the creature's progress but was unsuccessful in this endeavor. It was slightly troubling but he could think more on that later.
Currently, the two girls were having a small argument over which direction the temple was.
He heard someone approach him from behind and was not surprised to see Glynda stopping beside him.
"Our last pair has been formed, sir." She informed him as she tapped on her own scroll. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, poor boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, we can only wait and see how things progress from here. By their current pace, they should reach the temple in a few minutes."
The man only hummed in reply, not taking his eyes of his own scroll. He didn't even bother to reply as Glynda asked what type of relics he had used this year when she walked away. The headmaster was more interested in the events that were transpiring in the forest.
He tapped on another live feed that showed Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc.
Ozpin had to admit that he didn't think anything of the young man when he read his transcripts. He passed the physical examination with more or less average scores and while his academic test results were very promising, it was still within the capabilities of a dozen other students who took the entrance tests. If one were to look for him in the face of a hundred students, you would be hard pressed to find Mr. Arc among them.
But now, Ozpin was starting to realize the amount of potential the young man possessed.
He seemed to be an adept fighter by taking out an Ursa a few minutes after landing. The headmaster also factored in his involvement in the Dust robbery where Glynda had intervened. The boy was certainly no push over when it came to battles.
However, the quality that impressed the headmaster the most was the boy's keen intellect. He had managed to avoid being partnered up with Weiss by using Ozpin's own instructions to his advantage. It was the first time he had ever seen a student thinking out of the box while others seemed to take the headmasters word at face value. They had yet to learn that not everything would be explained to them and that they were expected to become independent minded one day.
Apparently, the boy had been trained by someone who was very well aware of the requirements needed to face the real world. Ozpin was sure that he had a good idea on who it might be. He was one of the few people that remembered the vital role the Arc family has played in the war before they faded out of the spotlight.
Only time will tell if the boy was ready to take up the legacy of his family.
"This is definitely not the temple." Jaune couldn't help but state the obvious.
The two of them stood just outside the mouth of a cave that was at the base of a small cliff. The blonde spotted some primitive cave paintings along the outer wall. The roughly drawn stick figures depicted a bunch of men holding spears that were trying to fend off what looked to be a giant scorpion. There was only one scorpion that could possibly grow to that size and Jaune had no wish to meet one up close…again.
A Deathstalker was a tough Grimm to slay. His grandfather made sure that he would be well prepared for any encounter with the many species of Grimm. This particular one had a very thick shell that made it difficult for a weapon to pierce. Unfortunately, you have to get past the massive pincers and long deadly tail before you could even dream of scratching the beast.
He did manage to kill a smaller one during his training, but even then it was a fierce battle. The blonde wasn't in the mood to see what a full grown Deathstalker looked like in person. Besides, the mission was not to go looking for trouble but to retrieve a relic and return to the cliffs.
"You're right." Pyrrha conceded. "We should keep heading north and pick up the pace a little bit."
"Sounds good," Jaune agreed and the two soon continued their trek through the forest.
Unbeknownst to the two trainees, the cave did in fact serve as a home to a certain Grimm but not the one they originally assumed. The creature that once dwelled within the cave had vacated a week ago and never returned. However, the cave did not sit unoccupied for long before a newcomer decided to claim it.
This particular Grimm was much more sensitive to sounds and smell than most of its kind. It had been resting on its paws when the sound of voices echoed around the cave. It was faint but it could hear it perfectly. It recognized that sound.
That was the sound of his prey.
The massive beast then stood on all fours at its full height in the darkness. It licked its lips in anticipation before letting loose a loud…
"ROOOOOAR!"
The sound carried over a good distance and eventually made the two partners freeze in their tracks.
"Uh…you heard that too right?" Jaune asked to which the redhead only nodded. "Oh good, I'm not hearing things."
The sound of pounding steps crashing through the trees could be heard and was closing in fast. Jaune quickly unsheathed his weapon and activated his shield. Pyrrha did the same and the two of them turned to face the source of the commotion that was heading toward them.
It was at that moment that a hulking figure crashed through the trees and stood in full view.
It was a Grimm like they had never seen before. The beast resembled a mountain lion of some sort but that was where most of the similarities ended. Its size was comparable to a very large Ursa but it looked twice as deadly. Jaune noted the rippling mass of muscles, the large maw that could tear off a person's head with its dagger like teeth, and the razor sharp looking claws. He also spotted a spike at the end of its tail.
"What kind of Grimm is that?" Pyrrha asked and got into a fighting stance.
Jaune raised his shield a little higher before replying. "I have no idea and that makes it all the more dangerous. Be careful and don't take any risks. We don't know what it can do."
The lion snarled at them before crouching low and in the next instant, pounced at them. The two Hunters rolled away in opposite directions and avoided the attack. However, the two didn't expect it to react so quickly because as soon as its feet touched the ground, it launched itself again toward Jaune.
The blonde was able to deflect the powerful swipe with his shield but the force of the strike made him slam against a nearby tree.
The beast was about to pounce again but Pyrrha began firing her weapon to distract it. The lion growled before setting its sights on the girl and leaped in her direction. The redhead sprang to her left and continued firing Dust ammunition. However, as fast as a cobra, the lion's tail shot toward Pyrrha and quickly disarmed her.
Before the Grimm could lash out at her, Jaune quickly took action and swung his sword and managed to cut a wound into the beast's left hind leg. This gave Pyrrha the moment she needed to retrieve her weapon. The lion moved to intercept the girl but Jaune blocked its path and slammed his shield hard into the lion's face.
"Jaune!" He heard his partner call out. Jaune turned just in time to see Pyrrha running in his direction. He quickly made the connection with what she had in mind. He held his shield up above his head and crouched down on one knee. The redhead jumped onto his shield before Jaune pushed upward with all of his might, sending his partner rocketing in the air.
The Grimm snarled at the blonde knight before a spear pierced its shoulder from above. The beast cried out in fury as Pyrrha pulled out her spear and leaped back to stand next to her partner. Unfortunately, before they could respond, the lion was suddenly in front of them and swatted them away with the force of a powerful battering ram. The two managed to activate their aura just in time before they broke through a tree with their bodies.
"Damn that hurt." Jaune panted as he got back on his feet. "We need to fall back for now."
"It's too fast. We won't be able to put enough distance between us." Pyrrha said.
She was right. The Grimm was definitely built for speed and power. The two hunters kept their eyes locked onto its movements as it began to circle them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Jaune noticed the slight limp it gained due to its two injuries: A long cut on its hind leg and a pierced shoulder. However, these looked to be only minor hindrances for the creature.
Jaune did not like their odds at the moment. They were surrounded by thick trees which left little room for them to move freely. He also didn't like the fact that another threat could emerge while engaging the lion and he did not want to take any chances. Being ambushed by another Grimm while they were engaged in combat was not a pleasing thought.
"Pyrrha, when I give you the signal, I want you to run as fast as you can." Jaune said, while slipping his shield hand into one of his pouches. "We'll split up and try to draw its attention away from the other. Make your way north as quick as you can. We should be close to the temple by now and we'll regroup there."
The redhead was about to protest but Jaune cut her off. "We don't have time to argue! Another Grimm might catch us off guard while fighting. Our best bet is to get to the temple and hopefully meet up with the others who have made it there. I'll give us a head start."
Pyrrha looked troubled, obviously not liking the idea. Nonetheless, she gave him a grudging nod.
He then took out two dust crystals, one that was color yellow while the other was a plain white. Jaune saw the creature crouch down on all fours, ready to spring into action, and started pumping some of his aura into the two crystals. The two objects began to emit a slight glow and the knight knew that he only had a few seconds before they activated.
The lion then pushed itself from the ground and flew at the two partners, claws extended and maw opened. As soon as Jaune saw the beast move, he flung the two crystals at the Grimm before they exploded in a great big flash.
"Run, now!" Jaune shouted. He locked eyes with Pyrrha for a moment before she dashed away while he sprinted in another direction. Behind him, he heard the Grimm unleash a howl of pain and rage.
The yellow crystal had managed to produce a large amount of lightning while the other was meant to be used like a flash-bang grenade. He figured that the shock would paralyze it for a moment while the sudden flash would blind it to give them a head start. Either way, the Grimm was bound to follow one of them but at least there was a great deal of distance between the two hunters and the beast. Hopefully it pursued him instead of Pyrrha.
Now all he needed was to focus on staying alive long enough to get to the temple, meet up with his partner, and finish this stupid initiation.
Pyrrha couldn't help but worry about her partner as she ran through the forest. She had been about to oppose the idea of splitting up but the blonde had cut her off before she even got the chance. It was a risky move in her opinion that could end badly in many ways.
On the other hand, his reasoning was quite logical. He didn't seem to be the type to act recklessly without pondering the consequences. Once he had thrown the Dust Crystals, Pyrrha had no choice but to go through with Jaune's plan. The redhead hoped he was right about the others already arriving at the temple. They needed more manpower if they wanted to take down this kind of Grimm.
Please be careful Jaune, Pyrrha thought to herself as she picked up her pace.
There was no mistaking it now. The young man sprinting through the forest was definitely the one.
The wolf Grimm that had faced off with Ruby watched as the blonde unknowingly dashed past its line of sight. A feeling of excitement bubbled up within the creature. It finally had the chance to repay the hunter in kind for what he did.
The Grimm found it a bit odd however, since the young man appeared to have not aged a day. Strange, don't humans age? He looked the same from all those years ago. The hunter did seem to have a variation of the clothing it used to wear and his hair was a bit longer and shaggier than before but the scent was still the same.
The scar on its face seemed to burn as if it was made fresh by the person who gave it a long time ago.
Rising from its position, it began to stealthily follow the blonde's progress. The Grimm would wait for the right moment to strike. It had learned from its previous encounter. The wolf would not be making the same mistake of underestimating him again. A new burning desire to tear him apart limb from limb grew with every step. It was difficult to describe, but deep down all it wanted was one thing.
Revenge.
And done. Okay so that was slightly longer than the previous chapters. So what do you guys think of my own two Grimm? I just feel like doing something different from the Deathstalker fight since everyone already knows how that will end. So that's it for now. As always, leave you reviews and tell me what you think!
