Yo, me again. Now enough about me and let's get back to the story. I don't own RWBY yadda, yadda (Seriously, why do I even bother putting disclaimers when I'm pretty sure all of you know this?) and again, your support and reviews really motivate me to write more so thanks.
A young thirteen year old Jaune laid in an exhausted heap on the ground as he greedily gulped down huge amounts of oxygen. His whole body ached and he barely had any strength left to move. His t-shirt was soaked in his sweat and had smears of mud all over it. He just wanted to lay there and pass out but his grandfather had other ideas.
"Get up boy!" His grandpa commanded as he sat on a nearby tree stump. "We still have a few hours of daylight left so don't waste it and try again!"
"Are you serious?" Jaune asked in disbelief. "In case you haven't noticed Gramps, I can barely move as it is. I've been running through these exercises from dawn to sunset for the last three weeks! When am I going to learn something useful like how to use weapons?"
From the moment that the heavy snows of winter began to die down to make room for spring, his grandpa had introduced him to a new training regime that was downright mind-numbing that he could never think straight every time they finished. The exercises themselves were pretty straightforward. Run from here to there, climb this tree, scale that cliff, balance these rocks while holding this position, and do push-ups were some of the things his grandfather made him do every day. The only thing that infuriated the boy was the fact that his trainer never seemed satisfied with his results and would always tell him to repeat the exercise.
His grandfather's reasons often ranged from logical to whimsical. Sometimes Jaune would be asked to repeat an exercise because he was expected to accomplish it faster or better. Most of the time, he would be redoing a task because he had failed to meet some sort of quota for it. They eventually fell into a routine where the boy would always be too tired to move by the end of the day.
At some point, Jaune secretly wondered if his grandfather was some sort of sadist.
His grandfather's lack of a response irritated him a little bit. "Seriously, how am I supposed to become a Hunter if I don't know how to use a weapon? I'm tired of doing these pointless exercises! What good is it if I know how to climb a tree or carry some rocks? We're wasting time—,"
Jaune paused with his ranting when he felt the sharp end of a sword poking his neck. His eyes traveled up the length of the blade and came into contact with his grandfather's hard eyes. A scowl marred his features as he stood over the boy.
"Pretend I'm a Beowolf." His grandfather instructed. "Now I'm about to kill you. Defend yourself."
Jaune blinked a couple of times. "Well that's not fair. I don't have a weapon and I'm tired."
Clearly this was the wrong thing to say as his grandfather crouched and looked him dead in the eyes with an angry scowl.
"Do you honestly think that a Grimm will care whether you have a weapon or not?!" His grandfather demanded. "A Grimm won't hesitate to rip your head off the moment it lays eyes on you and it certainly won't give you the luxury of catching your breathe. Out there, in the real world, it all comes down to two choices: Life or death. Which would you prefer boy?"
As the memory faded, Jaune had never felt more grateful for his grandfather's training as he slowed to a jog through the forest. It was thanks to those grueling exercises that he was only getting slightly winded when he should have been gasping for air given the distance he'd traveled over a short time. Hopefully the Leo Grimm would be after him instead of Pyrrha.
As he ran, the blonde remained vigilant and attentive to his surroundings. It would do no good to be ambushed now. He could not afford to be delayed. The sooner he could meet up with his partner at the temple, the closer they were to finishing their test. Admittedly, he also wanted to get to the temple before Ruby or Yang. He could seriously use a nice cool can of soda about now.
Jaune was snapped out of his musings when he thought he heard something odd. He was immediately on alert as he did a quick scan of the trees around him. He found nothing out of the ordinary but he could tell that something didn't feel right.
The blonde quickened his pace and strained his ears to find out if anything was out of place. He could hear the leaves crunching under his feet, the slight rustle of the leaves as a gentle wind blew past, and the birds fluttering about. He quickly familiarized himself with the sounds when he caught a slight disturbance after a few minutes.
It was faint, so soft that you would never have noticed it if you weren't listening for it, but it was there. Jaune could just barely make out the soft padding sound in the distance. The sound was keeping pace with him and it was almost in perfect sync to his own footfalls. The only way the blonde was able to discern it was because of the slight pause in between the sound of his own steps. Otherwise, it moved exactly in time with his jog.
This sent Jaune on edge because it only meant one thing…
He was being followed.
The young knight spared a glimpse over his shoulder but found nothing but empty forest behind him. Had he been imagining it? Maybe his nerves were still adjusting from his previous battle. However, he had a gut feeling that there was definitely something behind him.
Trust your instincts.
He was about to go into a full sprint but that was when he heard the most bizarre sound.
"YEEEEHAAAW!"
What the heck was that?
Ren was not a person that was fazed easily. He maintained a calm and level head most of the time. Growing up with a friend like Nora, the boy could honestly say that he'd seen his fair share of strange and outrageous sights. The girl always had a knack for getting into the craziest situations and of course, she never failed to drag him along for the ride.
"Giddy up!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully as she rode atop an Ursa.
Ren sighed. Some things never change.
"Look Ren! I found us a ride!" She called down at him. The girl was completely nonplussed by the fact that the Ursa was desperately trying to buck her off. However, the beast's efforts were futile as she held strong and remained seated on the back of its neck. "Ooh, Ren, I can see the temple from here! Let's go! Mush!"
She took out her hammer, Magnhild, and slammed it onto the Grimm's back. A small pink explosion erupted from the point of impact and sent the Grimm blundering forward through the trees. Ren could only shake his head at his friend's antics. That girl would be the death of him one of these days.
"Holy crap," A voice spoke and Ren whirled around to the source.
A boy with blonde hair and light armor stood dumbfounded as he stared at the direction where Nora had left. Ren recognized him as the student who had thrown up on the airship. Although, he kept that detail to himself as it would be considered rude to bring it up. He had also seen this boy accompanied by a tall blonde girl and a shorter girl in a red hood during breakfast.
The boy turned his gaze on him. "Did that girl just ride off on an Ursa?"
He regarded him for a moment before replying. "Yes. My partner can be very…spontaneous at times."
"No kidding." The boy said as he approached. "I'm Jaune Arc by the way."
Ren shook his outstretched hand. "Lie Ren and the girl you saw riding the Ursa was Nora."
Jaune nodded and briefly glanced behind him. He seemed to be agitated by something. Ren followed his gaze but found nothing to warrant such behavior. Perhaps he was being pursued? It was an apt possibility since the blonde looked slightly winded and nervous. Taking another glance down the path where the blonde had come from, Ren found no sign of immediate danger.
"Is something wrong Jaune?" Ren prodded curiously.
The blonde narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure but I think I'm being watched."
Ren thoroughly gave the surrounding area a quick scan. He could not sense anything that would be considered threatening but still, it never hurt to be too careful. If Jaune was right, then there was a possibility of being blindsided by an unseen foe.
"Where is your partner if you don't mind me asking?" Ren inquired. Quite some time had already passed since the beginning of the initiation and it was highly improbable to still be alone this late in the game.
"We were forced to separate while fighting a Grimm." Jaune replied. "We promised to meet up at the temple."
After a few seconds of silence, Jaune cleared his throat. "We should probably catch up with your partner before she gets too far."
Ren merely nodded in agreement before breaking into a run in the direction where Nora claimed to lead straight to the temple, the blonde followed closely beside him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jaune taking slightly furtive glances behind them, looking for threats that apparently only he knew about. Perhaps it was the Grimm that forced him and his partner to split up that was pursuing him?
For their sake, Ren hoped that the blonde was just being cautious.
In retrospect, Ruby had to concede with Weiss. Riding on top of a huge Nevermore to make it to the temple seemed like a good idea at the time and things had gone smoothly for the most part. She was feeling pretty proud of herself when she spotted the temple below them. It was at that point that she was confronted with a new problem: How in Remnant were they going to get down there?
She glanced nervously back at her partner who was clinging tightly to the bird's giant feathers while giving Ruby a stern glare. She didn't want Weiss to think that she couldn't follow through with her plan so she proposed that they both jump. The younger girl never heard her partner's protest as she released her hold on the Grimm's feathers and began to fall to the ground.
At some point during her descent, Ruby realized that there were no trees for her to use like she did with her landing strategy. She could barely make out two figures already at the temple. However, her biggest concern at the moment was the rapidly approaching ground below her. So, she did the only natural thing…
"HEAD'S UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs while her arms flailed around helplessly in mid-air.
She closed her eyes just before she was about to come into contact with the ground. However, she was surprised when she heard a grunt as a pair of arms caught her and a body cushioned her fall. Ruby cracked her eyes open to find herself lying on top of her sister.
"Quite the entrance sis, but maybe next time, land on someone else." Yang grinned at her.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked the blonde.
Ruby helped her up and smiled at her. "Thanks Yang!"
"No problem. How'd you get up there anyway?"
"Well, you see—," Ruby was interrupted by the sound of an Ursa bursting through the trees and thrashing wildly. The odd thing was, they spotted a girl riding atop the creature who looked like she was having the time of her life. A pink explosion went off before the Ursa fell face first and remained still.
"Aw, it's broken." The short-haired girl pouted.
Two others emerged from behind the dead Grimm and Ruby recognized one of them immediately. She waved enthusiastically as Jaune quickly made his way over to them. The other boy followed behind him.
"Glad you made it Jauney-boy." Yang greeted him with a sly grin. "If memory serves me correctly, then I think you owe us some refreshments later."
Jaune clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Darn. I thought for sure I'd at least beat Ruby getting here."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" was the indignant cry of said girl. Ruby scowled at the blonde knight.
The boy only chuckled at her reaction. He turned back to the other boy and gestured to him. "Almost forgot, this is Ren and his partner Nora. I ran into them earlier. Ren this is Ruby and Yang."
"Hi."
"'Sup?"
Ren nodded in greeting and offered a small smile. All of them turned to look at Nora as she picked up a golden rook chess piece and began going through a series of poses while singing "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" The small group laughed a little at her antics while her partner gave an exasperated sigh.
"Oh yeah, Jaune, I'd like you to meet my partner Blake." Yang threw an arm over the other girls shoulder.
"You poor girl—ouch, I mean nice to meet you Blake!" Jaune rubbed the arm where Yang punched him. Ruby giggled at this while the raven-haired girl cracked a small smile. "Hey, by any chance have any of you seen Pyrrha on the way here? We got separated while fighting a Grimm."
"I don't think you have to look far Jaune." Ren spoke up and pointed at the girl emerging from the forest.
A relieved smile made its way onto her face as she saw Jaune and hurriedly made her way toward them. The knight met her halfway and gave her a quick hug which lasted only for a second. However, Ruby spotted a slight pink hue appearing on the girl's face as they broke apart. They brought each other up to speed about the events that took place after they were split up and Jaune introduced her to the others.
"So is the gang all here?" Yang asked.
Ruby fidgeted with her thumbs. "Well, not exactly…"
"Ooh look Ren, she's riding on a Grimm too! No fair, I want to fly!" Nora complained as she pointed up at the Nevermore circling above them. Sure enough, Weiss could be seen dangling from one of its massive talons but given the circumstances, not for long.
"She's going to fall." Blake commented offhandedly.
"She'll be fine." Ruby assured them.
"She's falling." Ren deadpanned as the Schnee heiress plummeted toward the ground.
Everyone merely watched as the girl fell, knowing full well that she could easily make glyphs to serve as a platform or better yet, slow her descent. However, doubt began to creep in as each second passed with Weiss simply falling.
Jaune turned to Ruby. "Why isn't she using her glyphs?"
"She might have used up a considerable amount of Aura before this." Pyrrha ventured. "Or she might be in a state of slight panic, preventing her from taking action."
Ruby was seriously getting worried. It had been her idea to use the Nevermore and now, her partner was in trouble because of her. She needed to think of some way to help her. Maybe she could use her Semblance to catch her before she could hit the ground? It was worth a shot but what if she missed? She was falling too fast and Ruby doubted whether she would make in time. Nonetheless, she prepared to use her speed but someone had apparently beaten her to the punch.
"Yang, throw me as hard as you can!" Jaune said.
"You got it!"
The blonde brawler grabbed his arm and spun him around before using her superior strength to send him flying to intercept the heiress. Jaune wrapped his arms around the girl's waist as soon as he made contact and flipped them over so that he was at the bottom. The two of them crashed into the ground and skidded to a halt a few yards away from the rest.
Ruby let out a relieved sigh. She was about to make her way over to the two with the other behind her but then a huge hulking Grimm burst from the trees and unleashed a mighty roar. Unfortunately for them, the Grimm was now only a few feet away from their friends.
Jaune groaned as he came to his senses. Thankfully, the fall wasn't too bad and he might have bruised his back a little bit but his Aura would have it healed in no time. Yang had one hell of a throw judging by the distance he traveled, not to mention how fast he was going. He looked up to see Weiss clutching on to his hoodie while her face was buried on his breastplate. The blonde called her name to get her attention.
The pale girl looked up from his chest and stared at him for a moment. It was then that Jaune noticed a small scar running over her left eye. You would never have seen it from afar or simply glancing at her face. It was at that moment they began to realize the rather intimate position they were in with his hands around her waist and her hands on his chest.
Weiss turned tomato red and hastily pushed herself off of him. "Y-You fiend, how dare you wrap your hands around me like that!"
The blonde rolled his eyes and got back on his feet. "You're welcome princess."
"I didn't need your help! I was fully prepared to handle the situation on my own." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"It sure didn't look like it. Listen—," Whatever Jaune was about to say was interrupted by the sound of something large crashing through the trees a few feet away from them.
The Leo Grimm he and Pyrrha had faced let loose a great roar and instantly set its sights on the two of them.
Crap.
"Run!" Jaune said as he quickly drew his sword. He grabbed onto Weiss's wrist and tugged her along as he broke into a sprint. The sound of dust bullets being fired were heard as he saw the others unloading onto the Leo. He risked a glance behind him and saw that while it seemed to slow it down, the shots only served to annoy the beast as it took no notable damage.
Weiss quickly drew her rapier and created a glyph underneath them. The rune served to propel them forward and the two huntsmen in training stumbled into a halt next to the others.
"Jaune, is that the Grimm you were telling me about?" Ren questioned as he continued to shoot the Grimm.
The blonde knight nodded and activated his shield. "I've never seen anything like it before, but it's fast and strong."
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Ruby proclaimed before shooting off on Crescent Rose toward the Leo.
"Wait, Ruby!" Yang said but it was too late.
"Hold your fire! You might hit her!" Jaune quickly ordered and everyone did as they were told.
Ruby was already closing in on the Grimm with her scythe held back ready to be swung. Unfortunately, the Leo had fast reflexes and managed to leap out of the way as Ruby tried to deliver a deadly blow with her weapon. The young girl slid to a halt and prepared for another strike but the Grimm acted first. The Leo raised a massive paw and sent a powerful swipe at the young huntress. She raised Crescent Rose to avoid getting sliced to ribbons but the sheer force behind the attack sent her tumbling away.
"Ruby!" Yang called out worriedly and began to run toward her sister. Jaune turned to his partner and she nodded as they both came to a decision. The two of them sprinted after Yang to provide support if the need ever arose.
Meanwhile, the young knight heard the flapping of massive wings as they ran to help Ruby. Jaune looked up just in time to spot the Nevermore beginning to swoop low. He turned his attention back on the ground. Ruby was on her feet again and was hastily making her way back to them with the Leo not too far behind her. The beast was gaining on her and the Nevermore in the sky was also closing in on them.
Think Jaune, think!
"Yang, Pyrrha, distract that Nevermore!" Jaune told the two girls as he picked up his pace.
"What about Ruby?" Yang demanded as the knight overtook her without a reply.
"Do as he says!" Pyrrha dropped onto one knee, shifted her weapon into a rifle and began to fire rounds at the Nevermore. Yang hesitated for a moment but then prepared Ember Celica. She decided to entrust Jaune with the task of looking after Ruby for now while she kept the giant bird from attacking the both of them.
The blonde knight charged ahead and adjusted his grip on the shield. Once Ruby was close enough, Jaune would make his move. Thanks to his partner and Yang, the Nevermore above them won't be able to interfere or assist the Leo below. All that was left was to somehow immobilize the beast long enough for them to regroup.
"Duck, Ruby!" Jaune shouted once she was ten feet away from him. The girl immediately complied and bent her head down while still running toward the blonde. The knight jumped, pivoting in mid-air, before hurling his shield at the Leo like a Frisbee, putting every ounce of strength he had into the throw.
The shield sailed through the air and smacked the Leo on the snout eliciting a snarl from the beast as it clattered to the ground a few feet away. The Grimm's eyes fell onto the knight as it prepared to resume its attack. It crouched down on all fours and lunged at the blonde knight.
Jaune quickly rolled out of the way and avoided getting mauled but unfortunately, he forgot about the beast's spear-like tail. The appendage whipped around and caught the boy with the sharp end. It painfully slammed into his right side and sent him rolling on the ground. Luckily his Aura prevented him from breaking any ribs but it still hurt like hell.
"Jaune!" Ruby called out in concern as she saw him go down. She unsheathed Crescent Rose into its scythe form and aimed a swipe for the creature's neck. The Leo sidestepped and assaulted the younger girl in earnest. She did her best trying to fend off the blows but she was clearly getting overwhelmed.
The young knight quickly ran through his options. His shield was too far away to retrieve and he could not afford to leave Ruby alone to defend against the Leo's blows. He needed to draw the Grimm's attention away from her long enough for her to recover from the rapid onslaught but the question was how? If only he had a long range weapon…
Just then, his eyes were suddenly drawn to the glinting metal of his sword. He wasn't quite sure if it was merely the reflection from high midday sun but to him, the sword was seemingly giving off a faint white ethereal glow. He also noticed the small blue gem on the cross-guard radiating a smidge of energy. Curiosity led him to try pumping some of his Aura into the weapon and to his surprise, the faint glow emanating from his sword flared brighter.
Jaune glanced up to see Ruby losing ground little by little as she was pushed back by the Leo. Acting on pure instinct alone, a small part of his brain questioned what on Remnant was he planning to do from so far away. The knight raised his sword and quickly brought it down in a diagonal slash. His eyes couldn't believe what happened next.
An arc of pure white energy shot from the sword and raced towards the unsuspecting Grimm. The Leo howled in pain as soon as the arc connected with its shoulder. A thin gash opened up on the beast's skin as a trickle of its blood ran down its side. Ruby merely stared wide-eyed as the events transpired right before her eyes. However, she quickly came to her senses and used the opening Jaune provided to vanish in a swirl of rose petals before reappearing next to the knight.
"That was amazing! How did you do that?" Ruby said with a bit of awe in her voice.
Jaune was just as bewildered as her. "I have no idea, but it looks effective at least."
Nonetheless, the young knight grinned as he adjusted his grip on Excalibur. He didn't know how to explain it but it felt like the sword had used his Aura to unleash a long ranged attack. That would explain the notable drain he felt at the moment but nothing too serious. Jaune had heard that most weapons used today were conduits for one's Aura but he'd never seen one use it to this degree. The sword had somehow tapped into him before releasing a pure wave of energy.
However, he had to consider the drawbacks. While effective, Jaune had yet to figure out how much Aura it consumed for it to be useful in combat. If he immediately used up all of his energy, then he would be vulnerable to injury. He would have to find out his limit while using this move but for now it would surely give them an edge over their current obstacle.
The Leo was bounding toward them now at dizzying speeds. Luckily for them, someone else decided to step in.
"Move you dolts!" They heard Weiss command. The heiress came zooming in out of nowhere and stabbed her rapier into the ground in front of them. As soon as the Leo would have been on them, a wave of ice erupted from the ground and trapped the creature's front paws in a thick layer of frost. Ruby grabbed Jaune by the wrist and used her Semblance to whisk them both back to the others at a ridiculous speed, leaving behind a trail of rose petals in the process.
After a brief rush, Jaune doubled over and heaved as the world seemed like it was spinning. Thankfully he didn't throw up this time and the nausea eventually faded. He was vaguely aware of conversations happening around him as he tried to get himself together.
"Do you ever think before you act?" Weiss reprimanded the younger girl. "You're so childish, and dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. I suppose that 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."
"I'm not trying to show off." Ruby replied sincerely. "I just want you to know that I can do this."
"You're fine."
"Ruby!" Yang quickly came over and gave her sister a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked her somewhat green looking partner.
Jaune took a few deep breathes before replying. "Yeah, I'm good. Just warn me the next time you try something like that Ruby."
The girl simply rubbed her head sheepishly.
"Here, I think you dropped this." Pyrrha said and handed him back his shield.
"Thanks." Jaune accepted it gratefully but he did have to wonder how she was able to retrieve it.
Ren cleared his throat. "We should move. That Nevermore looks to be circling back and I don't think the ice will hold off the other Grimm for much longer."
True enough. The Leo was thrashing wildly to try escaping his current predicament. Small cracks were beginning to show and it would only be a matter of minutes before it broke free while the Nevermore was indeed making another turn in the sky.
Jaune then quickly selected the golden rook piece among the variety of relics while Ruby took the remaining knight piece.
The eight candidates then proceeded to make haste towards the cliffs with Jaune and Ruby in the lead. The group crested a small hill and immediately entered an area that was littered with ruins. The tree line ended behind them and was replaced by huge pillars on either side with huge chunks of debris scattered all around the ground. They spotted a huge structure up ahead that looked to be a giant tower connected by a small bridge.
The knight looked up to the sound of a loud caw of the avian Grimm. The Nevermore flew past them and perched itself on the damaged tower where it let loose a screech.
Behind them, the unmistakable noise of crashing trees was heard as the Leo burst through the forest and came bounding toward them. The situation was not looking good at the moment. They were initially hoping to avoid any more confrontations with Grimm but apparently these two were not too keen on letting their prey escape so easily. Now they had no choice but to slay these two monsters to complete their initiation.
Sensing a difficult battle ahead, Jaune thought that now would be a good time to use his Semblance.
Pyrrha hid behind a pillar beside her partner while the others did the same. The Nevermore would prove to be problematic since Dust bullets seemed to have little effect on it. She was contemplating on the best approach they should use to tackle the avian when the Leo had managed to free itself from the ice prison and was now quickly making its way toward them.
By a unanimous decision, everyone quickly made a dash toward the tower. The Nevermore had of course been waiting for them to do just that and swooped in preparing to launch a volley of its deadly feathers when it was halted by Nora who had begun firing her grenade launcher at the bird.
As they ran, Pyrrha heard Jaune mutter something beside her. As soon as he did so, his pace sped up immediately and he began to pull ahead of her. Strange, but she decided to ponder on it later as she turned back to see Ren and Blake trying to fend off the Leo. The two agile students were using their speed to their advantage by using the hit and run tactic. Unfortunately, the beast spotted the others closing the gap between themselves and the bridge.
The Leo instantly disregarded the two attackers and bounded ahead of them. In a massive leap, the Grimm managed to clear the distance between itself and the rest of them, cutting them off from using the bridge. Luckily, Yang, Ruby, and Weiss had already made it to the other side. However, the Nevermore quickly destroyed the structure by ramming it with its tough head. As a result, a huge gap now separated the three girls from the rest.
Pyrrha and the rest of them came to a halt just before the massive Grimm. It growled threateningly before lunging at them. The Spartan leaped out of the way in time but she was horrified to see that not all of them had.
"Jaune!"
The young blonde had been caught and was now trapped underneath one of the Leo's massive paws. Fortunately, the knight had wriggled his arms free and activated his shield just in time. He rammed the shield in between its gaping maw before it sank its teeth into him. The two fought for dominance but it was clear that the Grimm held the upper hand in terms of brute strength. Once more, Pyrrha heard Jaune grunt something and soon, he was having a considerably less of a hard time pushing the Leo back through strength.
She would not just stand by while her friend was in danger. Not wasting anytime, Pyrrha lunged into action. She transformed Milo into a spear and hurled it at the Grimm, giving it a boost with the recoil of the rifle. It impaled the creature through its left shoulder. The Leo roared in fury as the weapon sunk deep into it. This gave Jaune the opportunity to escape and the blonde quickly rolled out of the way as Ren began to rapidly fire his weapon at the Grimm so as not to give it time to recover.
Pyrrha held out her hand and used her Semblance to retrieve her weapon. Her spear flew toward her hand while Nora began to bombard the Leo.
"I owe you one partner." Jaune said as he stepped up next to her. He once again muttered something under his breath but this time Pyrrha felt slight rush of energy emanate from him.
"What did you just do?" She asked.
The blonde just winked at her. "You'll see."
They turned their attention back toward the battle. Blake had snuck up behind the Leo and was about to use her weapon when it's thrashing tail caught her in the chest and sent her tumbling over the edge. Luckily, she was able to use her weapon as a grappling hook and used the stable part of the bridge to swing herself up to the other side where Ruby and the rest were fighting the Nevermore.
Meanwhile, Nora had transformed her grenade launcher into a massive hammer and was using to bat away the beast's claws. Ren continued to pepper the Grimm with Dust bullets, occasionally using his blades for quick strikes before leaping away. The two worked pretty well together Pyrrha observed. Nora kept the beast focused on her while Ren would come in with quick strikes whenever he saw an opening. The girl's hammer was also nothing to sneeze at. For a small girl, she could wield her weapon pretty easily.
"I have a plan." She heard Jaune say and he quickly whispered it to her.
It sounded simple enough and if carried out properly, they would no doubt come out on top. Although there were some steps that she did not understand.
"I need you to distract it for a while." Jaune told her as he brandished his sword. "When I give the signal, the four of us will make our move."
He took a deep breath before he uttered a word. "Enhance!"
Pyrrha felt it again, the strange rush of energy that emanated off of her partner. She noticed that it was stronger this time and more noticeable. He grinned at her before taking off toward Ren. She would ask him about it later but for now, it was time to act.
The Spartan quickly joined Nora in fending off the lion Grimm. She used Milo in its javelin form for its extra reach. Pyrrha ducked and weaved whenever the smaller girl would swing her mighty hammer while she followed up with a quick thrust or jab with her spear.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Jaune touch Ren on the shoulder, making the other boy jump in surprise. The raven-haired boy stared at the knight incredulously for a moment before the two of them rushed in to join the fray. Was it her imagination, or was Ren moving faster than before?
Ren unleashed a barrage of fast swipes with his blades while Jaune quickly made his way over to Nora.
"Hi Nora, hold still for a second." Jaune said and patted her on the shoulder.
The moment he did, the smaller girl went bug-eyed. "Whoa!"
Nora then gripped her hammer, charged ahead, and swung her weapon upward, catching the Leo on its side. What surprised Pyrrha was the fact that the hulking Grimm was lifted off the ground and crashed a few yards away from the edge of the cliff. Had Nora always been that strong? It seemed highly unlikely since she seemed to have been struggling before but now she delivered a powerful blow to the beast like it was child's play. It happened after Jaune…
"Okay Pyrrha, your turn." Jaune said as he touched her on the shoulder. "Don't hold back."
It was then that she felt it. A rush of energy flowed into her the moment her partner's hand made contact. It was like she had been injected with caffeine. She sensed that she now had a lot of pent up power that was waiting to be used. Not wanting to let this newfound rush of adrenaline go to waste, she immediately sprinted toward the Grimm.
Pyrrha was amazed by how fast her legs carried her. She had never run this quickly before. Whatever Jaune did to her, it must have been some kind of overall boost. She wanted to test if her strength had also increased by ramming her shield headfirst into the Leo. The power behind her blow managed to make the Grimm slide back a few more feet.
She followed up with a series of fast cuts and swipes before leaping before the Leo could retaliate. It was at the edge of the cliff now, just as Jaune had planned. All it needed was the final push.
"Stand back!" The knight called out as he held his sword with two hands. The weapon was bathed in pure white Aura and the blue gem in the middle was glowing rather brightly. Jaune swung the sword horizontally, releasing a wide arc of pure Aura that hit Leo full force. The wave of energy cut deeply into the Grimm's midsection while sending it flying over the edge. The echo of its agonizing roar could be heard as it fell to the depths.
As soon as the cries died down, Pyrrha saw her partner slump to his knees. She rushed over to check if he was alright. She was immediately joined by Ren and Nora. Jaune was covered in sweat and his breathe was slightly labored.
"I'm fine." Jaune assured them. "I'm just tired."
Pyrrha bit her lip couldn't resist asking. "Jaune, what did you do to us back there?"
The other two looked just as curious.
"That was my Semblance." Jaune answered. "See I can boost my abilities by the amount I have. So say that I'm as strong and fast as one guy. If I use my Semblance, I can acquire the strength and speed of two men. However if I use it again, then I would have the abilities of four men and so on. I can also pass on this boost to other people through contact. The effects are only temporary as you may have noticed and the only drawback I have is that it leaves me exhausted."
"That was so cool! I thought I could have skinned that Grimm with my bare hands!" Nora exclaimed cheerily.
Ren nodded. "I've never felt anything like it before. It was strange but exhilarating at the same time."
"Yes, in the end, you saved us Jaune." Pyrrha smiled at her partner as she helped him up to his feet and allowed him to lean on her for support. She didn't mind how close their faces were and she just hoped that her face wasn't as red as she felt.
The knight smiled bashfully at the comment. "I couldn't have done it without you guys. It was a group effort."
They all turned their attention to the battle taking place at the tower, which has also reached its conclusion. Ruby was now running vertically up the cliff face with the giant avian in tow. She reached the top and promptly decapitated the Nevermore while she landed in the midst of swirling rose petals.
Jaune whistled appreciatively. "I have to admit, that looked pretty damn awesome."
The ceremony had passed by before they even noticed it. Apparently, you were grouped according to which chess piece you picked up. However, Jaune was fortunate enough to be put on the same team as Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. Together they would be team Juniper or JNPR for short. He was a bit surprised though when Ozpin announced him to be the leader. He would have thought Pyrrha would be the one to lead them given her reputation and prowess. After all, the blonde had zero experience with leading people.
Next up was team Ruby or RWBY. It was no surprise there. From the look of things, they seemed to be a pretty solid team. The way they handled that Nevermore was impressive and they cooperated well with each other. Weiss did look a bit peeved when Ruby was named leader. Hopefully she won't hold it against the younger girl since it was the headmaster's decision.
Now that all of the commotion had died down and as soon as they were sent off to their rooms, the two teams decided to take a quick detour to the cafeteria.
"Remind me again why you dragged everyone along for this?" Jaune said as he inserted his Lien into the vending machine.
Yang smirked. "Because it would be rude not to invite our teammates after everything we've been through today."
Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "I think this is a big waste of time. I could be sleeping in a nice warm bed right now."
"Cheer up Weiss!" Ruby slung her arm over her partner's shoulder. "We can sleep later. Now we get to reap the rewards."
Jaune groaned. "No need to rub it in Ruby."
Pyrrha only smiled as she patted his shoulder comfortingly.
Ren came up to Jaune and whispered something in his ear before he pushed a button. After a moment of consideration, he had to agree with the other boy and quickly pressed another button.
The machine deposited their drinks and the beverages were distributed among the eight of them. Although, Nora pouted a little bit when she was handed a juice box instead while everyone had sodas. Jaune and Ren had come to the agreement that the girl would not be allowed anything caffeinated for a while.
Jaune popped open his can and raised it up. "Cheers to passing the initiation and becoming official students of Beacon."
Everyone raised their drinks, even the usual uptight Weiss and the stoic Blake cracked a small smile as they did so.
"Cheers!"
"Well, I was going to settle for a Boarbatusk to show the students tomorrow but I think you'll make a much more dashing good show!" Peter Port spoke as he tapped the cage that held a Grimm he had just captured.
He couldn't resist the thrill of a challenge when this peculiar Beowolf had crossed his line of sight when he was scouring the forest for a Grimm to present to his students. It had been a tricky task to capture him but in the end, Peter had once again triumphed. He had never seen this kind of Beowolf before. It was quite large for its kind and had accumulated more spikes and bone plating around itself.
The most unnerving thing about this particular Grimm however was the fact that it was completely still as it sat in its cage. Most of the Grimm he had captured before always thrashed about in its cage, demanding to be let out through constant snarls and growls. This particular Beowolf however, simply sat there calmly while they made their way back toward beacon. Its dark red eyes stared back at you and you couldn't help but feel as if it was…observing you.
Once they had reached one of the main entrances, Peter noticed the Grimm take a huge sniff of the surroundings.
After which, the odd thing was, Peter could have sworn that a sinister grin had made its way onto the wolf's face.
Done whew, that took longer than expected but here it is. I gave Jaune a semblance that enhances his abilities since I think this version of him is determined to push himself beyond his limits and to become stronger (typical MC). I also gave him a means of attacking long range with Excalibur since I got some suggestions that he get a crossbow or something but it just doesn't feel right for him to have that so I gave him this. I hope you guys don't see him as OP here since I'm just laying the groundwork for his basic skills and whatnot. He's still pretty raw and will still get stronger gradually as the story goes. So yeah, as always tell me what you think and leave your reviews!
