Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 4:
Jaune looked around desperately, unable to remember which locker was exactly his among the rows of duplicate, slim boxes placed against the room's walls. Naruto was completely unhelpful as he sat on one of the plain wooden benches and watched his fellow blond blunder about; then again it's not like there was anything he could do regardless. Jaune Arc was the only one who knew where his stuff was supposed to be so all the grumpy ninja could do was wait to get that elusive toothbrush. Leaning forward with his hands propped against his cheeks the blond watched some of the other students go through their last minute adjustments and conversations before they headed out to the field.
Yang and Ruby were arguing over teams.
A black-haired female in a monochrome-with-purple color scheme was quietly wrapping a black ribbon around her right arm, amber-gold eyes intently focused on the task at hand.
Jaune was wandering about, hoping something would jog his memory.
Weiss was desperately sucking up to some girl with vibrant red hair in a ponytail and vivid green eyes lined by a similar shade of eye shadow, strapping on bits of bronze armor to her tallish frame. It was the hair color that made the blond do a double-take after originally looking around and then peer closer.
Slender but developed, Pyrrha possessed a body type similar to Yang's but just a bit more firmly muscled. An intricate circlet looped around her skull above her ears and under her bangs with small green gems hanging from thin chains; a bronzed gorget was also clasped about her thin throat. A shoulder-less armored top over a strapless v-neck revealed the topmost of her cleavage, and a belted red miniskirt hung down to Pyrrha's thighs with a longer flowing red cape-like accessory tied around her skirt with the length flowing about her ankles. Attached to the belt was a small circular plate near her right hip bearing her personal symbol of a shield and spear. Both arms were covered in bicep-length brown gloves and the redhead's left forearm had an attached bronzed bracer (and a band around her bicep) similar to the rest of her protective coverings. To top it all off the gal possessed elaborate greaves protected her legs with heeled brown boots up to her calves.
Naruto winced when he noticed the heiress say something to which the other girl responded positively, making Weiss look away with a rather devious expression. This was followed by groaning as Jaune decided to take a break from his search and, of all things, hit on the Schnee. Pyrrha saw this as an opening to formerly introduce herself since her eavesdropping this morning but the blond was so focused on the cold beauty he paid little attention to his equal in height...only to swiftly shift gears to try and place his charms on the celebrity after getting a good look at her. Naruto had to hand it to him: Jaune had confidence in one department at least.
Overhearing their discussion, the shinobi learned her name was Pyrrha Nikos and that she was some kind of celebrity. Jaune started to gush over it and the blond rolled his eyes.
Unable to take the posturing anymore the jinchuriki clapped his hands against his lap and stood up, walking over to the other boy and promptly lifting him by the back of his collar in a show of strength the others still in attendance hadn't expected of him. The swordsman hung there helplessly in front of the smaller blond before finally the whiskered youth set him down and folded his arms across his chest. "While it's pretty entertaining watching you hit on Weiss-"
He got an icy glare for the trouble. "Not for me."
"-and this Pyrrha girl-
"Hello!"
"-I really need that toothbrush."
"Oh! Sorry Naruto, I forgot!" Feeling embarrassed the hooded male's eyes flickered between the two ladies before rushing over to locker 636 and tentatively inputting his unique six-digit code. With a slight hiss the door opened and Jaune twitched in surprise. So it was his locker!
"Nice hair color." Naruto said with a nod to Pyrrha before walking away, who blinked her emerald eyes in puzzlement at the backhanded compliment while Weiss shot him a look of scorn. Nothing was said about her status, or looks, or the praise about her accomplishments. But...simply the shade of her hair. That was now two people today who didn't recognize her by her appearance or freak out over her skill. Jaune and Naruto. Normally a celebrity would feel annoyance at not being identified on the spot...but Pyrrha was secretly intrigued over how they saw her as just another regular teen.
Naruto's excuse for the lack of knowledge was him being from another world while Jaune just didn't pay much attention to that sort of thing.
A hand appeared suddenly at the Arc's side and groped within before pulling back with the knight's assistance, an unopened toothbrush and tube of toothpaste grasped by the fingers as Naruto pat Jaune on the shoulder before walking away. Seconds later Glynda's voice piped in over the loudspeakers and Jaune hastily shrugged on his family's Crocea Mors; the familiar weight of the sword and sheathe/shield comforted him slightly under the looming trial only moments away. Exhaling quietly, the Beacon trainee straightened his posture and closed the cabinet.
"Good luck, Jaune." Pyrrha said cheerfully with a small wave before she and Weiss vacated the room. Following her was the silent ravenette in the skintight leggings, and though he tried to appear confident in his steps he had to hand it to Yang and Ruby for staying with him all the way to the Beacon Cliffs. The two sisters sticking around was quite comforting and he thanked them for the fact before they arrived and took the final three slots in the row of Hunters waiting for their mission to start. He could do this, he could do this...
But Ozpin's instructions worried him.
Watching his fellow students launched one by one over the cliff side worried him even more.
His legs buckled underneath him as the blue-eyed knight lost his balance and went flipping end over end through the air, squealing in a way that wasn't exactly manly as the plate he stood on fired him like a catapult into the Emerald Forest.
Ozpin took a drink of his coffee and watched the flying children grow smaller and smaller in the distance. Glynda already had her eyes glued to her Scroll, switching through the different camera angles set up from the base of the cliff stretching all the way to the small shrine where their targets waited. It was a lot of hidden devices but when something with aura passed by their sensors it would notify the blonde Huntress and let her choose instead of constantly flipping through the channels and hoping she found something. Brownish eyes took a peek at the stoic Huntress and he smiled into his mug. The headmaster's part in all of this was currently done for now...god, did he love the ability to delegate.
Five minutes later a soft crunch of grass underfoot announced a latecomer to the party, though all apprentice Huntsmen and Huntresses were currently accounted for so it couldn't be any of them tardy for the test. The pressure of a large aura field, however, explained it all by sensation alone. No one else he ever met possibly possessed such a massive reserve of energy. Not even Port...no matter how much the robust professor liked to brag. "Ah. Mr. Uzumaki. Thank you for meeting with us."
"Well...yesterday you did ask me to come here once the others' exam started."
"Indeed." Turning around, the older gentleman saw his younger companion rolling his shoulders to loosen the joints. "Have you given any thought to your plan for tomorrow?"
"Yup. I've got a few ideas."
"Good to hear. I can't wait to see what you have in store." Inhaling some more of the steaming liquid in his cup, Ozpin steadily spun back around to continue watching over the forests down in the valley.
Naruto stared at the grey-haired man before bright blue irises looked over as the Goodwitch beauty nose deep in her Scroll released a soft hum. She looked up and nodded, clearing her throat before she stepped forward with the look of a professional in the middle of doing her duty. Which technically, she was. "Mr. Uzumaki, do you own a Scroll?" He knew exactly what she was talking about...but considering who he was and the fact he did not, when the boy pulled out a small paper cylinder from his back pouch the teacher looked rather un-amused.
"Of course." he said with a cheeky grin.
They would have to correct that later if Ozpin got his way. Stifling a sigh, the blonde woman pushed pressed a few buttons on her screen. "You may be wondering why you are here while the students are off beginning their careers here at Beacon Academy. As it is, I've reserved a school mission to...test your capabilities. While Professor Ozpin sees fit to simply take your word for it, I prefer a physical showing to check your level of skill. Our staff are made up of highly qualified Huntsmen and Huntress graduates, of which you are clearly not. Therefore I wish for you to seek out and destroy a nearby infestation of Beowolves who ventured outside of their normal territory and have been multiplying rather rapidly. Normally this would involve one or two experienced teams due to the possibility of high danger presented by the number of Grimm."
Years of practice helped Glynda school her features after dropping that bomb on Naruto. No matter how good the blond believed himself to be, the idea of facing down a whole horde of the beasts without a squad to watch their back would make even a seasoned veteran think twice about the danger. The entire idea was her plan to make the Uzumaki back down. The instructor did not trust him with the students' wellbeing so readily...or at least not before she understood him better.
All the whiskered male had to do was refuse. Ozpin agreed that a personal examination wouldn't hurt anyone, which was why the blonde mage scoured Beacon's student job log for something appropriate. Skeptical or not she didn't want to see him injured out of hubris, which was why Glynda had chosen one with plenty of risk involved to create doubt. If he felt it was too hazardous and backed off...then no harm done. The end.
"Sure. I can do that."
...of course the boy would just accept like that. The invincibility of youth clouding his judgment so readily. Just in case Naruto actually chose the more foolish of the options presented, the Goodwitch woman had a second-year team on standby to cover all angles and provide support from the shadows.
"Are you certain? There's no harm in declining."
"No, it's no problem. At least Beowolves have a kinda normal name." Naruto crossed his arms and stared at the two adults with a rather dry expression. "Nevermore and Deathstalkers? Dumb."
Ozpin's mouth quirked from behind the rim of his mug.
"Yes, well..."
"But before I do anything, can you tell me anymore about the Grimm? All I really know is that they look like animals and attack humans."
"They are destructive creatures, taking on many different forms similar to the shapes of regular animals as you are already aware. Unlike other living things however they lack aura. They have no soul within them to harness. Our ancestors exploited this fact once Dust was discovered to work well against them and to this day all everyone at least knows the basics of controlling their aura for offensive and defensive purposes. But in turn it is nigh impossible to properly locate Grimm due to their missing energy signature. Plus they are drawn towards humanity's negative emotions and will amass in areas with large amounts of envy, greed, despair, and so on. Their size equates to experience; the larger the Grimm, the longer it has survived and learned to pick and choose its encounters. While smaller Grimm are singularly focused on killing, their bigger counterparts are far more dangerous. They know how to watch and wait and strike at the perfect moment your guard is down."
"Negativity huh? I've already accepted my own hatred and made friends with Kurama so there goes my most powerful sources of anger..." he muttered to himself. Walking to the grassy edge Naruto stared down at the wide forest of large trees stretching off into the distance. The sight reminded him somewhat of the view outside Konoha and he reveled in the familiar feeling for a moment before sobering and focusing on the task. Glynda said the Grimm have no soul huh? And therefore no aura to feel out.
Well that made no sense at all.
Well, he'd already done this once before and it was quite different from what he was used to but if he was going to finish this quickly...then sage mode it was.
"What are you doing?" the female mage asked of the blond as he dropped into a seated position and closed his eyes.
"Trying to focus."
"I hope you realize there is a time limit for your performance." Glynda stated before trailing off as Ozpin raised a hand to forestall anymore arguing. This was a test of ability after all and therefore the grey-haired man was keen on watching whatever the shinobi had up his sleeve. The stern instructor pursed her lips but consented to the silent demand all the same. They didn't have to wait too long though; Naruto was back on his feet in no time flat.
During the silent argument between adults, the Uzumaki had already ascended into a state of mind far different from the norm, of which only those who achieved the same status could ever truly understand. His senses expanded far beyond the normal five as the whiskered boy reached out with his chakra and simultaneously drew the surrounding land's energy within himself to create a balance. Compared to when he first started out it only took a few scant moments to do so. Just like when he used the Six Paths Sage Technique, a whole new world opened up before Naruto as he became one with nature. But what was so different from what he was used to...was the fact that humans weren't the only ones he could feel.
Everyone's energy signature was completely unique although family members shared some similarities between them. But once he could put a name to a face, their inner power only took a little longer to recognize. Which was why Naruto knew that the klutzy blond Jaune was walking alongside that courteous redhead...uh, Pyrrha. And how poor shy Ruby was trudging behind Weiss' innate coldness, and that crazy Nora was bouncing around the stoic Ren guy. Yang's explosive aura had died down as she fell in line with some other student he had yet to meet, and throughout the woodland everyone else was pairing up, or fighting, or running away from a threat. All of them were drowning in varying degrees of pessimism at completing the quest without injury or death hindering their progress, and living up to the professionalism of the Hunter title they all sought.
But these things belonged to the ones with a soul.
The sage also knew that Pyrrha and Jaune were walking right towards a rather powerful Grimm. Possibly a Deathstalker if he was reading that form correctly. Yang had just finished pounding an unfamiliar form of Grimm into the ground. And...oh, Weiss. Maybe Nevermores just didn't like the snooty heiress.
Negativity attracted negativity. Perhaps that's why the monsters were drawn towards the murkier emotions emitted by humans and Faunus, because they themselves were nothing but a roiling mass of darkness in a physical shell. Kurama's ability, shared by both halves of the same whole, was what let him focus on the negative sensations and use that as a guide. It was very handy and he could maintain it to a lesser degree without the fox's cloak empowering him. It was how the Konoha nin knew something was wrong back when he was in Vacuo's desert, and why on the Schnee airship Naruto felt like that innocent black blip in the distance was more than just a black blip. Now he fully understood why they had set off his radar in spite of never meeting one before. But it wasn't only the biju's power which allowed him to sense the Grimm.
With sage mode activated, in one fell swoop the outsider rejected the tried and true fact that Grimm were without any source of energy.
Naruto just didn't understand why he was the only one given the circumstances. Breaking expectations and acting unpredictably was just in his character though so there sort of was an explanation. Not a very viable one, but still something nonetheless. Standing up and looking towards the west, the now toad-eyed jinchuriki heard Glynda gasp and even Ozpin make a small noise of surprise as, to their senses, his aura simply vanished. Oh sure...they could see him and such but if they didn't know any better the two would have claimed he'd died and no longer had any sort of soul.
Raising a fist in front of his body the boy clenched it tight and borrowed his tenant's chakra to enter the state of his upgraded Nine-tails Chakra Mode for the first time since he lost the original yang portion of the Kyuubi and unwillingly swapped it for the yin. With the biju's assistance, sage mode remained in sync without a loss of balance as the blond temporarily shelved his own energy for a boost in every stat.
Bright energy exploded across his flesh to form a secondary skin of powerful chakra. Normal bluish eyes, having already shifted to gold with bar-shaped pupils from the senjutsu technique, morphed even further from the vulpine's influence into orange with cross-shaped pupils. From his head to his feet, Naruto glowed whitish-yellow with an orange-tinted outline, black markings spreading out over his body and a long coat materialized over his torso. Yet the only change he was unused to happened to be the flickering aura of shadowy flames wafting off his figure. They seemed to only be an aesthetic feature born of the spiritual half though; other than that he didn't notice much of a difference.
The pair of faculty from Beacon were taken aback by the abrupt change. They had no idea what the hell Naruto was doing, because to them he no longer had any aura while being lit up like a flood light. How that worked, they hadn't a clue. Turning briefly the former blond nodded his head only to return his gaze towards a far valley beyond the Emerald Forest where a centralized cluster of negativity/energy resided. With Kurama's help his boost in parameters was immense, but still within reason. Six Paths Sage Mode was tremendously overkill and the land would not remain in its healthy condition even if the boy held back. Plus it was incredibly draining...but then again the Grimm, while durable, could still be taken down in a simplistic fashion. Regular sage mode could handle it...hell, just fighting without any power-ups could do it if he hit them hard enough. But this way it didn't take too long to reach his objective...ah, he was over-thinking it. "Okay. I'm going. Be back soon." Before anyone could say anything else he vanished on the spot, the lone visual aid marking his departure being a quick flash of dazzling illumination.
Unknown to any...most, if not all, of the nearby Grimm currently not locked in combat perked up instantly at the feeling of Kurama's powerful yin chakra.
Ozpin tilted his head and looked at Glynda with a faint smile that made the woman sigh. Pressing a button on the screen of her Scroll, the instructor waited a moment as the electronic handshake connected before speaking into the teleconference function of the device. "Team CFVY (Coffee), are you in position?"
"Yes ma'am. We've remained on standby and maintained a fair distance from the horde per your instructions." A feminine, accented voice piped in over the speaker as a member of the second-year group responded to the question. On the screen was a small picture of a girl with long brown hair and similarly colored rabbit ears sprouting from the top of her skull.
"Good. You are to remain as backup. Only provide assistance should Mr. Uzumaki appear to be in trouble."
"Um...are you sure about this? I-I mean...all together it's only five people against a large group of Beowolves. While I'm certain of my team's strength in handling the issue, I simply...fear for this Naruto person fighting on his own."
"It's quite alright Ms. Scarlatina. I daresay your team is about to witness quite the show. Mr. Uzumaki is on his way right now." Ozpin commented, following the slight trail left behind in Naruto's wake towards where the wolf-like Grimm were known to be hiding out. An idea crossed his mind when the dapper gentleman realized they had no cameras set up in that quadrant. "Oh, and if possible please record as much of the action as you can."
"U-um...yes sir, headmaster."
Velvet's voice winked out as the call abruptly ended. The timid Faunus and her squad would handle that end on their own. But while that was happening, Glynda would continue to monitor the trainees for any sign of trouble they couldn't handle. Which still meant there wasn't anything else for him to do here. Normally he would stick around and help the woman monitor the students but there were still a few forms for him to fill out concerning their new *ahem* employee... and it wasn't like he couldn't have his Scroll out on his desk. Finishing off the last dregs in his cup Ozpin readjusted the grip on his cane and began to leave. "I'll begin preparations for the induction ceremony after I finish Naruto's paperwork. Call me if anything problematic arises."
"Of course, sir."
Ozpin was confident everything would work out. The search for relics never ended in tragedy, with the worst outcome being a few failures for those who either couldn't retrieve the object in question or bowed out under the difficulty. The multiple explosions and gunshots that soon followed only made him stop for but a moment to take a quick look back before continuing on his way. My, my...it seemed the crop of testers this year were quite energetic...
After the students were launched but before Naruto showed up:
Yang snarled savagely as the bear-shaped Ursa waiting at the edge of the tree line paused before attempting to run away into the woods. The corpse of its slain brother was left to rot as a sign of her victory, the crushed and broken body already beginning to decompose into flaking, smoky bits. When she accidentally stumbled into a pair of the beasts she figured it was no big deal. But when one took a swipe at her and ripped free a single strand of her beloved tumble of yellow locks, painstakingly cared for to look decisively messy, well the fist-fighter let her Semblance take over and the rest was history. Using that fiery rage gave her the additional power to easily decimate these low-level Grimm but she lost her edge when the one she still hadn't joyfully beaten into a pulp tried to rush back into the forest like the hounds of hell was after it. It was an odd sight...but it sure as hell boosted her confidence.
The buxom female remained blissfully unaware that her skill only factored slightly into its retreat. Sure, the creature's limited intelligence realized it wasn't a match at their current rate, but it was the sudden influx of an undetectable (to humans) and powerful energy that drove it to leave.
Her lingering anger came to a dead stop as the remaining Grimm fell to ground with a couple rounds of Dust bullets lodged in the unprotected backside of its neck; another girl dropped from the cover of the tree tops and Yang noticed it was the one from last night who made it painfully obvious she had no interest in making small talk with herself or Ruby. But the violet-eyed student's emotional state had already done a complete switcheroo upon believing she scared the Ursa away and was continuing to grow as the seconds passed. Even the other female's silent stare couldn't put a damper on her new poise and she threw a self-assured wave in the ravenette's direction.
"Oh hell yeah! I kick ass, and now I have my partner! We are so gonna ace this thing!"
Blake Belladonna rolled her amber-yellow eyes but saw no reason to refute Yang's claims. Compared to the short pajama-yukata of last night the disguised Faunus now had on a buttoned black vest with coattails underneath her medium bustline, of which was worn over a sleeveless white shirt that exposed her stomach. She wore a pair of white shorts with zippers up the front of the legs with black stockings reaching up under the bottoms that gradually turned purple the closer it got to her black feminine boots. Both leggings had a white symbol of a flower on the thigh.
Her black hair was similar to Yang's though a touch less messy and a bit shorter, with a few strands that always curled inwards towards her pale face. Also, like Pyrrha, she liked to wear eye shadow although Blake's was a light purple instead of green. Her accessories happened to be the black bow that never left her scalp, black ribbons around both wrists, and a detached black sleeve over her left arm held in place by a silver band. On her back was the multi-purpose Gambol Shroud: its scabbard doubled as a cleaver, and the ninjato sheathed within could fold into a sickle-shaped form. When attached to one of the reinforced ribbons the girl carried around she could manipulate it like a chain scythe...or she could simply use the compact pistol which was built in as the sword's hilt.
It honestly seemed like an incredibly fickle weapon to use with all its transformations but the female could still control it just fine. As the blonde allowed her gauntlets to receded back into wristband form Blake returned her own weapon to its spot against her spine and studied the body of the Ursa that tried to escape. The quiet beauty did find it odd though that the Grimm acted as they did. It hadn't tried to flee from Yang so much as acted as if it found something more important to get to instead...
Jaune stared at his hands as the whitish energy surrounding his limbs tapered off and vanished, the feel of his newly unleashed aura sending a rush of power throughout every muscle. The cut on his cheek healed up nicely too thanks to Pyrrha's intervention on the matter. He had...grown somewhat flustered when she pulled up next to him and gently touched his cheek but the sudden upwelling of strength in his body circumvented the embarrassment.
He was quite happy that the redheaded Nikos became his partner because she was nice enough to overlook his lapse in knowledge of rudimentary hunting prowess. She seemed like one of the people least likely to raise a fuss over Jaune's mistakes.
Plus she smelled rather nice and...oh, best keep that to himself. All he needed now was his partner to think he was some sort of deviant when the truth of the matter was his experience with the opposite sex was incredibly limited. His mother and sisters didn't exactly count. It would be loads better for his reputation if the ladies believed he was as suave and confident around them as he acted. I mean, just look at how well it worked so far. Pyrrha hadn't slapped him or anything for hitting on her and even reacted positively while Weiss...she'd come around eventually.
But that awkward swirl of thought was overshadowed by the feeling of warmth in his chest at unlocking the use of his aura. It made him feel good. Real good. Better than he'd felt in years, and there honestly wasn't much wrong with Jaune after the seventeen years he'd been alive on Remnant. There'd been bumps, bruises, and scrapes but never anything dire enough to leave his systems at less than working capacity. The blond took care of himself, ate well, and exercised, especially after deciding he'd make his family proud by deceitfully forging his transcripts and enrolling at Beacon to live up to his ancestors' legacy.
With a new attitude at taking another step towards becoming a Huntsman the male Arc began leading with way with a gently smiling Pyrrha at his side. It wasn't so bad but after walking without any sign of a 'relic' anywhere the twosome began to think maybe their path wasn't as clear as they originally thought. The opening of a cave looked rather promising despite the rudimentary paintings left on the stone near the entrance depicting stick figures with spears and bows chasing a large scorpion. Considering there wasn't much else to go on, the partners decided exploring it was worth a shot.
Jaune only took four minutes of banging two rocks together before he gave up the notion and finished his makeshift torch with the aid of a match and strip of excess cloth. To save face the knight decided it was only proper he led the way into the dangerous and unknown cave to prove his mettle. That...and because he was the one who made the source of light in the first place. But just in case there were any problems the armored gladiator kept her double-edged sword/javelin/rifle triple threat Miló drawn in its blade form while her shield Akoúo̱ remained on her back, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.
The boy seemed confident in his course and Pyrrha had made the silent promise back in the cafeteria to provide assistance to the obviously misinformed male. While she didn't exactly agree that this was where the relic could be, she was happy to at least go along with the decision for a little bit at least. Jaune was different than most other people she'd ever met...innocent in a naïve and goofy sort of way. Plus back at the locker room he'd barely known who she was until her cereal endorsement was brought up. It was ironically heartening for the swordswoman to be seen that way.
So for now the green-eyed female would watch his back until she found the proper moment to lead him back on course.
...
...
...
Uh...that glowing orange object couldn't actually be their prize, could it?
The large snake Grimm's head exploded as its broken fang was shot directly through its eye and into its brain thanks to Lie Ren's aura-enhanced palm strike. King Taijitu were mobile, agile creatures despite being essentially two serpents attached at the ends and if it hadn't been for his own aura blocking its teeth the young man would have wound up as a snack for its conjoined stomach. The black half was lifeless but the white portion still had enough movement to be a nuisance...even with the dead weight hanging off its tail. However the remaining snake's red eyes were focused on something else. Its tongue flickered out between its lipless mouth and multiple fangs before the Taijitu looked between the human recovering his discarded weapons and whatever else had its attention.
As Ren readied his dual StormFlower bladed submachine guns to strike, magenta orbs completely focused on the opponent, the Grimm shook its head and came to a decision. Winding up its body like it was surrounding something at its center the rotations allowed it to lash out with its headless corpse of a tail, striking the boy who was sent flying into a tree just as he started to run forward. Despite the pain in his spine the worst of the damage was softened by his internal energy and he opened fire at the rapidly approaching face. Dust bullets pinged off its scales but accumulated enough damage to its skin to sufficiently cause the creature to react and lose focus; hisses of displeasure slipped from the Grimm as the black-haired male rolled out of the way in time and the King demolished the trunk Ren had leaned against.
Nora watched from that very tree as her best friend went up against the King Tajitu and totally wrecked half of it despite a few mishaps in his combat form. But then the beast stopped and seemed to drop into thought before doing something rather creative and whipping the boy with its other half. The orangey-haired warrior winced as he struck her hiding spot but continued to silently cheer for Ren, although that was a pretty cool thing the Grimm did despite being their enemy.
But then the goddamn snake broke her tree fortress where she was hanging upside down and totally ruined her grand plan of making an entrance. How could she make sloth noises to follow up on her claims and alert the black-haired boy to her presence now that she lacked a branch to hang upside down from? That...royally pissed Nora Valkyrie off.
If the snake had legs she'd totally break them!
As her tree began to tilt and fall Nora spun around, planted her feet on the trunk and pushed off with a roar while simultaneously pulling her grenade launcher Magnhild free and unfolded it into its primary war hammer form. Her jump arc had taken the lively teenager above the pale serpent and as she began to fall the girl pulled the trigger and fired an explosive canister of Dust (pink in color with a heart symbol stamped on its front) from the rotating chamber into the air where it exploded harmlessly in a blast of rosy particles and jolts of electricity.
However...each action always has an equal and opposite reaction. The Valkyrie shot the grenade skyward with her powerful weapon to create extra force to propel her towards the earth at a far faster speed than gravity would create at that height. Spinning to add even more power into her swing Nora smashed the flat end of Magnhild onto the King Taijitu's head right on the crimson marking both halves possessed and slammed it into the ground with enough strength to crush its skull into broken little bits.
The Grimm didn't get up after that.
Ren brushed off his jacket after allowing StormFlower to return to its compact forms and slid them into his long sleeves of his combat clothes. They were composed of a long green tailcoat with gold trim and black highlights, golden fasteners in place of buttons near the black collar, and pinkish cuffs that stopped at the forearm. Underneath that was a secondary skintight black shirt, of which his weapons wrapped around when not in use. His white pants were slightly baggy but still didn't leave too much extra fabric for an enemy to grab hold of, and Ren finished it all off with thick black shoes acceptable for fighting. All in all...had Tenten been around she probably would have adored the male's style in clothing as it was similar to her own tastes.
Throwing his misplaced ponytail over his shoulder the mellow man with a streak in his hair then stepped back as his friend leaped over with her arms in the air and a huge frown on her face. "Did you see that?! I was waiting in the tree to totally catch your attention with my spot-on sloth impression after you won but then that darn snake destroyed it! It just doesn't work properly without hanging upside down and being the sloth!"
Nora huffed and crossed her arms across the black collared vest/white sleeveless shirt with a heart-shaped cleavage cutout over her modest chest matching the emblem of her explosives. Her waist showed that she also sported two extra fabrics of red over blue, with oddly-shaped armored trim running along the length of her multi-layered top. On the back of the vest was her personal symbol of a hammer and bolt of lightning, currently hidden by her weapon's compressed shape. A strip of pale blue fabric was tied in a bow above her rear to act as a belt with a simple pink skirt hanging down to her thighs. To round it all out the orangette had on finger-less pink gloves, detached white sleeves/elbow guards, and white sneakers with pink laces and accents.
Normally the girl was all smiles and it took a great deal of disapproval to make her frown, but the destruction of her carefully crafted plan to become Ren's partner had fallen apart at the seams. No one else would have ever suspected they were working together from the start! But she needed the proper environment to bring it all to a head!
What she seemed to forget was once they locked eyes the two were now partners regardless. Dark pink had met turquoise more than once already, in fact. But Nora's peculiar mind wasn't registering that reality at the moment.
"Nora-"
"WAIT! I've goooot it~! Stay right there Ren! I know how to fix this all up so we can still be partners and no one will ever discover our secret plans!"
Lips quirked as the young Lie's childhood friend attempted to scramble up a second thick trunk to start anew. "Nora, your plan was to become partners by finding each other while calling out like a sloth. But the two of us have already met the general parameters of pairing up anyways."
The normally expressive girl stopped as she digested the martial artist's words before her sullen mood did a complete 180 back into proper, cheerful 'Nora territory'. Snapping her fingers the female was instantly at her friend's side and did a happily little jump, hands curled near her face while the bubbly Valkyrie's lips split into a familiar smile.
"You know what? You're absolutely right!" Pointing towards an Ursa that lumbered into the grassy clearing on its way towards Naruto's disturbance, her giggly grin turned somewhat menacing despite the chipper attitude. She had a plan for that walking bag of darkness. "So let's kick its ass and be on our way, buddy!"
Pulling out her massive hammer the Grimm felt confused by her stance. Nora was emanating a focused amount of negativity...but it was pointed right at the Grimm. Had it been smarter the thing would've turned and ran away to survive another day. But it was still young by Grimm standards and reveled in her emotional state.
It was a very big mistake to make.
High, high, high up in the air an immense Nevermore sailed on the warm updrafts, occasionally flapping its mighty wingspan when needed. From its talons hung the diminutive figures of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, clinging on for dear life and arguing over how they got into this mess in the first place. Or more like the silvernette continued blaming the younger girl...which was actually correct this time. After accidentally creating a small forest fire because their teamwork was nonexistent, the fifteen year old destroyed a tree out of anger at Weiss' antagonistic attitude. That tree just so happened to alert a Grimm to their location. Therefore her actions brought the wrath of the Grimm down on their heads.
Through a series of unfortunate events in trying to escape the monstrous beast Ruby came up with the bright idea of hitching a ride, Weiss loudly exclaiming it was a terrible idea but going along anyways so as not to wind up alone, and now the pair were far too high up for their liking. There was a constant wind shear buffeting their bodies and one little slip up would send them falling to their doom. The Grimm didn't even try to dislodge them, lazily waiting for either to lose their grip as it sailed about with a smug sense of animalistic satisfaction.
This was hell!
And the damnable Nevermore wasn't even near the Emerald Forest anymore, having turned at one point. It was pretty clear the two pre-Huntresses were moving farther and farther away from the relics they needed to pass. It was heading towards a darkened valley...which upon closer inspection when they got within range was now a literal sea of writhing Grimm bodies...save something bright yellow zipping around them. It was so fast it left behind an afterimage of itself, which wasn't anything more than a glow...and was continuously wiping away the black stain on the land like a powerful eraser.
The Nevermore was now starting to descend towards whatever the hell that was, adding to the growing nervousness shared by the teenagers.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"I GET IT ALREADY! STOP TELLING ME THAT ALREADY AND TRY TO THINK OF SOMETHING!"
"LIKE WHAT?! SHOULD I ASK THE GRIMM TO PUT US DOWN NICELY?!"
"STOP COMPLAINING! UNLESS WE FIND A PLAN THEN WE'RE DEAD, WEISS! EITHER THE FALL WILL KILL US OR THE NEVERMORE WILL DO IT ITSELF!"
"OH, THAT MAKES ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!"
"YOU KNOW WHAT?! I'M SCARED TOO BUT AT LEAST I'M TRYING TO SAVE US! THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!"
Weiss' teeth clenched as the big bird dove again, sending her stomach careening into her throat from the sudden drop. She knew there was supposed to be Grimm in this test. It was just another obstacle to tackle. But...WHY WERE THERE SO MANY LARGE VERSIONS AROUND BEACON?! THIS WAS A SCHOOL DESIGNED TO TRAIN THE GRIMM'S MORTAL ENEMY! There were honest to god Huntsman and Huntresses working at the flipping academy and yet this...this...this was totally IRRESPONSIBLE!
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE! RUBY! WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?!" She mentioned she was trying to save them, which meant the young Rose has some sort of plan in mind. The Schnee did her best to look over her shoulder at her young partner, only to find the spot where Ruby was supposed to be holding on to suspiciously vacant. The small shred of hope in her chest instantly turned to disbelief as the fencer realized one terrible truth about her fate. "...SHE LEFT ME!"
Weiss cursed her partner before choosing the lesser of two evils...and simply let go.
The four teenagers comprising Team CFVY shared a look as the distant throaty howl of a Beowolf pierced the air. The quartet were hidden in the tree line overlooking the valley, watching from afar over the large gathering of Grimm with varying emotional states. Having already completed their first year at Beacon it felt a bit incredulous just to sit there and not take care of the problem themselves. Upper-level students were allowed to undergo missions permitted by the headmaster, as well as any freshman who proved themselves so long as an experienced Huntsman or Huntress was there to oversee the trial.
Team CFVY was one such team who established themselves as a competent squad early on. Their collaboration with each other covered any weaknesses, the two males fighting up close and personal while the pair of females could switch from long-range support to another set of heavy hitters in a pinch. Not even the fact there was a Faunus on the team caused any problems. It was the perfect example of the two races co-mingling together peacefully...although that didn't stop others from trying to cause trouble in their stead.
Yatsuhashi and Fox's stern expressions usually kept the bullies away from picking on their friend and when that didn't work...well, you didn't want to cross Coco.
"Anything interesting happening yet?"
Yatsuhashi shook his head at Coco's question, the binoculars in his hands trained on the dangerous wolves while it slowly raked back and forth for any inconsistencies in their ranks. The young fashionista sighed and continued running the nail file over her manicured fingers while she sat on a downed log with one leg crossed over the other. Why they let the man of few words be the lookout, she had no idea. But he was the one who volunteered and so, why not?
"I say we give it five more minutes before taking care of the problem ourselves. So long as the Grimm are removed I don't think there will be much of a problem." Fox said quietly, his voice sounding soft but still surprisingly firm in the hush of their little campground. He stood next to his much taller buddy and stared at the boring sight of a bunch of ugly shadow beasts snarling at each other and lumbering around on their spindly legs.
Velvet, from her perch on a high tree branch, was simply there to get a different perspective on things. "Professor Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin seem interested in allowing this Naruto person the chance to do it himself. I don't think we should destroy the Beowolves without at least getting the okay from one of them first."
"Does anyone even have any info on this guy? Is he a new student? Or...?"
"Ugh, who knows." Coco cut in, slipping the piece of metal into her pocket and stretching out her back. All this waiting was seriously cutting into her free time. She could have been lazing about in her room or down in Vale looking for some new stylish clothing before the freshman ceremony but nooooo...
Her Scroll vibrating, Velvet quickly pulled out the device and answered the call from her professor. The others listened in before the slender brunette cut off the communication and peeked down at them from the branch she was kneeling on. "Apparently he's on his way."
"Finally." Fox said before his brow creased as the taller man next to him suddenly stiffened. "What's wrong?"
"The Grimm...they've all stopped what they're doing. They're looking towards..." Yatsuhashi memorized where all their snouts were pointing before following the line of sight and trying to discern the angle and location. His deep voice sounded confused. "Each and every Beowolf suddenly stopped and started looking towards the Beacon Cliffs."
"That can't be right..." the single Faunus whispered as an interested Coco stood up to join her teammates. As the leader of CFVY, now that things were picking up she couldn't sit back anymore and wait.
"What do you think it means?"
"The Grimm have never exhibited this type of behavior. At least none that I've ever heard about."
"Do you...think it relates to the freshman?"
"Possibly. But there's no way to tell."
Coco's eyes appeared over the rim of her aviator sunglasses as she leaned forward and used her fingers to grasp and lower the frame down the bridge of her nose. Even from here she could see how they were unnaturally still before they all started moving in the direction they were staring with a singular determination. It was incredibly odd and didn't bode well for anybody. Pushing the specs back to their proper place the second-year quirked an eyebrow and began issuing orders. "Alright Team CFVY, it looks like things are starting to get interesting and the main attraction still has yet to show his face. That means we're in the spotlight now. Velvet, update Professor Goodwitch. Tell her I don't feel comfortable waiting any longer and if the main event doesn't show in the next ten seconds we're moving out."
None of the other three questioned the slender girl's instructions as they prepared for battle. Velvet had already dropped down to ground level while Yatsuhashi had removed his large cleaver blade from his back. Fox's unique bladed gauntlets unfolded around his wrists in a matter of seconds. Coco lightly fingered the strap of her incredibly heavy purse and the foursome nodded to each other.
Luckily it took only two of the allotted ten seconds for shit to go down.
The Grimm began to roar in a frenzied matter as a bright golden flash filled the valley clearing, instantly drawing the attention of the Beacon students. The tallest member of group was the first to recover, blinking at the sight before retrieving the binoculars to see what the fuss was about. "...I think that's him. I've no clue what he's doing, but his entire body is glowing and seems to be...flickering like fire."
"Perhaps it's a Semblance?" Velvet supplied, trying to be helpful. Yatsuhashi simply shrugged before nudging his fellow male with his elbow.
"Record it."
"I guess that was the order, huh?" Fox looked at Coco as his head tilted back slightly in question. The stylish woman just bit her lip before sighing again.
"Yeah, yeah...everyone, we're still going in. But spread out and don't engage unless the Grimm target you or begin fleeing in your direction." There was no need to mention how they would jump in if Naruto became overwhelmed. With her hip cocked to the side and a fist pressed against her waist, the leader couldn't help but make one last parting remark. "And do try to get some good shots of the action, people."
The V,F, and Y of Team CFVY couldn't help but grin at Coco's blasé attitude even in the growing tenseness of the situation. Soon enough they were all sprinting their way down the hill into enemy territory, able to clearly see that the huge influx of Grimm had already surrounded the lone combatant in their midst with no chance for him to run away. Velvet and Fox, being the fastest of their faction, had already pulled ahead to run to the far side of the vale's outskirts while the remaining pair spread out to do their own thing.
And in the middle of it all, Naruto looked out at the sea of bony masks staring back at him and decided this wouldn't be a problem. The animals were a bit larger than humans, bipedal in nature and their muscular bodies stood with a slouch. The only adornments beside their helmeted faces were a row of sharp spikes set along the spine and poking out from the forearms and elbows. The Beowolves growled and huffed and appeared to be confused before ultimately realizing he was just another human...albeit very different in nature.
But that in itself was a major reason for him to die.
The moment the first one rushed in to attack with its pack mates hot on its heels, Naruto had already begun formulating his battle plan. His right arm was thrown out to the side while the left was held in front of his body in the half-ram seal. From out of his back sprouted a large, claw-like hand formed of pure chakra which arced over his head and left behind a row of fully formed Rasengans (Spiraling Spheres) in its wake. Time appeared to slow down as the first wave of Grimm leapt into the air, bleached white claws aching to rip him to pieces, and the Uzumaki merely clenched his teeth in a confident grimace.
In the next moment those Beowolves leading the charge were torn apart as the sage-enhanced Rasenrengan (Spiraling Strife Spheres) were thrust outwards through their forms by a plethora of energy limbs, the act marking what would soon become utter devastation on the side of humanity's greatest enemy.
Soon after, the area of the valley exploded in a cacophony of light, chakra, and bloody Grimm residue.
I don't recall it ever being specifically stated but I'm going out on a limb here and making the assumption that the leaders get their initial first in the teams. RWBY Ruby, JNPR Jaune, CRDL Cardin, so CFVY...yeah.
Not much else to say. More character introductions, and next chapter should bring about the end of the initiation section of the series. I keep listening to Volume 2's opening (thank you iTunes) and it makes me want to work on this story. Volume 1's is good...but 2's is just great.
I did well on both my midterms but now I've got two big projects to finish up and not much enthusiasm towards doing so. But it has to be done. So chapter 5 should at least be done during Thanksgiving break...maybe.