Author's Note: It's time to say hello! As per usual, I shall grace you with my presence and offer you the next chapter to my story. I would also like to proudly announce that I have now broken into double digits for follows to this story, including author follows (GG peeps, you know who you are!). As a thank you and a treat, I will be releasing not one, but two chapters of 'Spectre: B2F' next week.
Also, I will be taking part in a series of crossovers with other writers and their stories. These writers are: CJ Foxy ('Before the Beginning'), Elxroid (story is yet to be published) and (maybe) SirDerpsAlotThe7th ('You and the Gang'). These guys are great and I really like their stories (or stories to come). They have all contributed to present and future chapters, so be sure to give them some attention.
(Oh, and one more thing... I've noticed that when I've said Bulldogs in past releases, I really meant Bullheads. Just one of those little things that really got to me that's all.)
Other than that, keep up the good work guys - you're the best! Now, once more into the fray!
Chapter IV: Initiation (Part 2)
'…or you will die.'
Suddenly, a flash of white glimmered before me. It was if time had frozen just when we needed it, the Deathstalker's stinger mere inches from my visor. Regaining my bearings, I discovered that the stinger was quite literally frozen, not in time, but in ice.
"You are so childish."
"Weiss?" Ruby asked.
"And dim-witted, and hyperactive," Weiss continued, "and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And, I suppose, I can be a bit… difficult. But if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show-off, I'll be… nicer."
"I'm not trying to show-off," Ruby countered, "I want you to know I can do this."
"You're fine," she replied. Then she turned to me. "Spectre, what you did there was heroic, but foolish. What if I was too late, and the Deathstalker hit you?"
"What if I hadn't taken out Garrath and his men, back at the White Castle?" I said, letting the comment sink in for a few moments. "And besides," I continued, "I'd rather it be me to take the blow, not her."
She looked at me with pitiful eyes. "I just can't figure you out Spectre. If you'd like to talk to me about anything, you only need to ask."
"Thanks Weiss, I'll think about it."
With a nod and a sad smile, she left to join the others. At this point Yang was free of the feather darts, and ran up to us, quickly wrapping her sister in her arms.
"I'm so happy you're OK!" she said releasing the hug. To my surprise, she then put me in a deadly bear hug too. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done without Ruby!" She then mercifully let me go. "But why? Why did you risk your life for her?"
I found myself asking myself the same question, but I already knew the answer: "Trust me, I know what it's like to lose someone close to you… It's horrible; nobody deserves to go through such pain…"
Her face dropped. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Before I could reply, the Nevermore growled, looming higher in the sky, preparing for another attack.
"Guys, that thing's circling back," Jaune pointed out nervously, "What are we gonna do?"
"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying," Weiss said, "Our objective is right in front of us."
Ruby backed her up. "She's right our mission is to grab an artefact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."
"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind," Jaune agreed.
A plan now devised, Ruby and Jaune selected their relics, the White Knight and the White Rook respectively, and made ready to fall back to the cliffs. By this point however, the Deathstalker was beginning to escape from its prison, the ice encasing its stinger starting the crack in response.
"Now would be the perfect time to leave," I thought, moving towards the others. Only I couldn't. Only then had I registered the cold feeling in my foot, and looking down I realised that it was stuck in the ice this whole time. Despite my best efforts, my foot simply refused to be dislodged, and seeing as I'd rather not die by Deathstalker, I called for more desperate measures. "Uh, guys!" I shouted, "A little hand over here!"
Both Weiss and Yang quickly made their way towards me. "Oh, that's a problem…" they both said simultaneously.
"Don't suppose you have some way of retracting this, do you? Or some salt maybe?"
"I can't retract it," Weiss replied, "But I can try something else…" Whilst she was delving into a satchel, Yang had already grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me out. It was a good effort, but I wasn't budging. More cracks were appearing in the ice by the second, and once it broke, we would certainly be dead.
"Stop!" I said drawing Doom from my back, "You guys get out of here."
"What are you going to do?" Yang asked desperately.
I rose my blade above my head. "For the wolf to survive, it's got to chew off its own leg."
"Spectre…" Weiss said breathlessly.
"No!" Yang said trying to stop me.
"It's the only way. Get out of here!"
"No it's not! You are not chopping your leg off!"
"Yang…"
"I said NO!" she screamed, igniting the very air around her, "I won't let you do something as stupid as chopping your leg off to escape a Deathstalker, when it clearly isn't the only way!"
For a moment, I felt the entire forest fall silent. There were no leaves rusting and there was not a sound from any of us. Even the Deathstalker had finally shut up. Yang was catching her breath and I was still shocked by the whole thing. It was Weiss that broke the silence.
"Uh, guys…" she said pointing downwards. We both looked down, and the ice trapping my foot had withered away. It turned out that Yang's uproar had provided enough heat for the ice to melt. Surprised, we stood staring at the tiny puddle for a few more seconds, still processing what had just happened. Suddenly, an ear shattering cracking noise returned me to my senses, realising that the Deathstalker was still right next to us. With one last effort, and a mighty roar, the beast pulled its tail free, and was gathering itself quickly.
"Time to go, ladies," I said grabbing them both and Void-Jumping back towards the pedestals. I ran in, grabbed the White Bishop chess piece, and with Shadow's blessing, I sprinted after Yang and Weiss as they caught up with the others.
Now united, we rushed deeper into the ruins. The area was huge, tall pillars supporting ancient roofs. They ran alongside us, as if boxing us in towards our enemy. We took cover behind the pillars in pairs; Ruby and Yang, Weiss and Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha, and Renn was with Nora. I joined Ruby and Yang at the front. The Nevermore loomed ahead, waiting for the right moment.
"Well that's great…" Yang put in helpfully.
To make matters worse, a pack of Beowolves, perhaps thirty or forty strong, surged over the hill towards us.
"Oh, not these things again…" Weiss said uneasily. With the support of the Nevermore and the Deathstalker, the already numerous horde would be near impossible for us to defeat. Near impossible.
"Think you guys can take the big fellas?" I asked the group.
They all looked at me sceptically. "You want to take on those Beowolves by yourself?" Jaune asked.
"Yep." There was an awkward pause before anyone could interject.
"You think you can take them?" Ruby asked, repeating the question.
I switched to combat mode, all the confidence in the world. "Can I?"
She hesitated. "Can you…?"
"Of course I can," I snapped, "Now these Grimm aren't going to kill themselves, are they?"
Then the Deathstalker smashed through the trees behind us.
"Oh man, run!"
We burst from cover and darted through the open ground. Weapons discharged and feathers whizzed by. I Jumped franticly to avoid the black hail, still advancing on the Beowolves. They too were running now, covering the ground with speed that could only be animalistic. A shot from Nora's grenade launcher put an end to the feather storm and cleared the way for the final charge. The rest of the group ran across a bridge crossing an enormous chasm, luring the larger Grimm away from the fight on my side. Now I was alone, my enemies before me, nothing to distract me.
"Let's do this."
I leaped the final metres towards the pack, swinging Doom and Fall in a short arc, unleashing explosive hell amongst the Beowolves in front, leaving little else but chucks of singed flesh. Once I had landed however, another group were already one me, teeth snapping and claws bared. I dodged and struck, slashing one clean in half. I stabbed another through its gaping mouth, then decapitated the one behind it. The pack quickly surrounding me, I leaped into a spin, using a fallen Beowolf as a stepping stone, and mowed down several with my gun-swords set to full-auto. One by one the beasts fell by my blades, my fury leaving none alive. I finished the last by throwing Fall at it, then blowing it apart by using the recovery gem to fire a point blank explosive round into its chest. The creature's death only contributed to the stink of smoke that now filled the air. It was a smell that I associated with two things – barbecues, and victory - but not barbecues.
I sheathed my weapons just in time to see the Deathstalker topple into the abyss below. Nora, Renn, Jaune and Pyrrha had done a good job together. I emerged from the thickening smokescreen, and joined them at the chasm's edge. Jaune was the first to see me, staring at me with his mouth wide open.
"What?" I asked eventually.
Pyrrha answered for him. "You look a bit… messy."
I looked down and noticed just how blood-soaked my clothes had become. I'd even go as far as to say they weren't black anymore. I didn't smell too great either; it was like somebody had tried to smoke body parts and have them for dinner. Jaune looked like he was going to be sick. Then he was sick. He managed to pull himself to the chasm before vomiting over the edge. At least most of it ended up down there…
After checking Jaune was OK, Pyrrha returned to me. "That was a lot of Beowolves there, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any doubts…"
"Trust me, I don't blame you," I replied, "You did well against the Deathstalker. All of you did."
Pyrrha and Nora smiled at my phrase. Jaune was still vomiting and Renn was too tired to care.
"I wonder how the others are doing…" Pyrrha said gazing behind her.
We looked for the others, and found them absorbed in battle with the Nevermore. Somehow Weiss had managed to freeze its tail to the cliff, keeping it from flying off. Then Yang and Blake tied her chain scythe between two pillars, a bit like a giant slingshot. Ruby then fitted herself into the string, using one of Weiss' glyphs to hold her in position. After a moment, the glyph disbanded, and she was sent flying through the air, using her sniper-scythe to increase her speed. Her feet hit the cliff smoothly, her scythe blade catching the Nevermore by the neck. A long line of Weiss' glyphs sprang up from thin air, making a path to the top of the cliff. The bird's noose now sealed, she ran up the chasm's wall, dragging the Nevermore with her. Its doom lay at the top, as the sheer force of the scythe tore through its neck and ripped its head from its body.
Not a word was uttered among us. We only stood in awe of the swirling red figure upon the cliff, her cape catching the wind like waves on the sea. Words came to mind to describe the moment, but now was not a time for words, it would only ruin the moment. It must have been near enough a minute before the silence was broken.
"Wow," Jaune said.
"Wow indeed," I replied.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," Professor Ozpin began, "The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."
A round of applause filled the assembly hall. It was here that the results of our initiation would be announced. I had my doubts about being called up. I had not made a partner, so unless someone else had taken the second White Bishop, I wouldn't even be in a team, full stop.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Renn, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."
Once again applause echoed around the hall. When it came down to events like these, I usually like to find a shady corner and observe, not attracting any attention. But this was different.
"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."
And there it was, one final applause before the curtains close. For once in my life I had actually wanted to be up there, to be openly accepted into the new life before me. But it seemed that this would never happen.
"Spectre."
The crowd murmured in confusion. I looked at the stage to see that the professor had found me on the edge of the crowd. He beckoned me up to the stage. As I climbed up the steps, the crowd grew louder, eager to see this unexpected event.
"Spectre, you alone recovered the White Bishop piece. It is rare for students to emerge without a partner to aid them."
I swallowed down the saliva that had built up since my name was called. I was anxious to see where this was going.
"Nevertheless," Professor Ozpin continued, "you have proven that you are more than capable of dealing with situations that some other teams would struggle with."
It was then that I noticed that footage of my encounters with the Grimm had flashed up on the screens.
"Not only this, but you are able to use your abilities to assist other students, just as they will do the same in return."
Now my various meetings with the others were shown for the school to see. I hadn't actually been asked permission for the footage to be used; I didn't even know that this was coming in the first place.
"Henceforth, you must start your journey through Beacon alone, but you will have many friends at your side. From this day forward, you will work with your peers as Lone Spectre. Congratulations." The crowd clapped and cheered for me. It seemed that they were impressed. I'll admit, the feeling felt daunting at first, but it soon turned warm and comforting. I had made it, Beacon Academy…
"Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."
It wasn't long before evening fell upon us, the broken moon rising to assume its position, looking down at us from the night sky. We were shown where we were to rest our heads for the next four years. Upon scaling multiple flights of stairs, we came to a long corridor dotted with doors on either wall. We flocked around the dorms, anxious to see the living conditions. Team JNPR's room came first, then Team RWBY's just opposite them and mine was the next one after that.
Upon gazing into the first two dorms, I found a good sized room with four beds, split into pairs either side of a window in the centre of the far wall. There were also en-suite facilities with a shower, bath and toilet to the right.
"Seems quite homely," I thought. Once Team JNPR had retired to their room and Team RWBY were more or less settled in, I made for my room. But then something occurred to me. "Where's Blake?" I asked.
It was Yang who answered. "Oh, she went off to the library. She said she had some reading to do or something…"
"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Weiss questioned. I nodded but said nothing.
"Well either way, I'm sure she'll be back soon," Ruby said in a carefree tone, "Don't you want to see your room Spectre?"
"Yeah I do, the thought just hit me that's all… Anyways, good night guys." I moved from the doorframe and into the corridor, followed closely by various 'good nights' and a closing door. I approached the next door down. It, like the others before it, had no lock. The door was locked and unlocked via the personal scrolls that each student was issued after passing their initiation. I chose to mount mine on my left wrist; it wasn't an advanced tac-pad like the one I used in Forever Fall, but it was a close second. When my fingers wrapped the door handle, the locks clicked open and I pushed through the door.
The room was dark and untouched, only the light from the corridor and the moon through the window let me see. That's what made me tick. The window was wide open, the wind blowing the closed curtains gently. In the other rooms, the window wasn't open, nor were the curtains closed…
I turned and closed the door behind me, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. I froze and listened for anything out of the ordinary. The curtains flapped and I could the faint sound of people in the distance. Then the floorboards creaked.
"Should have guessed you'd be here," I said without turning. As soon as I heard a rush of air behind me, I Void-Jumped ten paces backwards. Blake slammed into the door with a small groan.
"I suppose I've got some explaining to do…" I continued. She recovered quickly, raised her sword and lunged for me again. This time I Jumped to the side, and she hurtled onto the bed behind me.
"…that said, so do you." Even as I spoke she had thrown her chain-scythe, wrapping it around my waist. Before I could react, she pulled me off my feet and onto the bed, moving herself to kneel on top of me with her sword at my throat.
"Why are you here?" she threatened, "Are your employers out to kill me?"
"I should be asking you the same question."
"I think I'm in a better position to ask the questions."
I knew she was right, and so did my throat. "Alright then. I am no longer employed by the Blades and I came to Beacon to find another life. You know the rest."
"You're lying," she said pressing her weapon deeper into my throat.
"Am I? Because I've got a feeling that you're here for the same reason."
She hesitated, then sheathed her sword and stood from the bed releasing a sigh as she did so. I exhaled; I wasn't sure whether my hunch was right or not, but it paid off.
"When I came here, I thought I could leave the past behind me, all those bad things I've done, all that hate…" She turned to me. "Then I saw you last night. I wasn't sure that it was you at first, but during the initiation when you're helmet…"
I switched into combat mode as a demonstration.
"Yeah, that. I didn't feel safe from then on, so, I had to make sure."
I hesitated before answering. "I thought the same, but what you did on the train, you saved dozens of innocent lives. That is not the action of a White Fang operative. That is why I left you alone and held back."
"So you believe me?"
I nodded in response.
She made her way to the door, but before opening it she turned again. "I need to know one more thing. The guy that was with me, Adam, is he…"
"I didn't kill him," I said, "I defeated him, then handed him over to the Atlesian military for interrogation. I'm afraid I don't know anything past that point."
She processed my answer, then opened the door. "I think it will take me a while to trust you completely, so…"
"I understand," I said cutting her off.
She stood there for a few more seconds, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. The lock clicked into position and silence had fallen in the room. It wasn't long before my body grew heavy, and I fell into what would hopefully be a restful period of meditation.