Hello, and welcome back to the regularly updated story of mine that's keeping me from my studies and other stories! Hurray! Just kidding, but yeah, I've had a lot of Ruby stuck in my head lately, so I'm just getting onto writing this and getting it over with. Anyway, I'd hope some of you who are reading are giving me positive feedback...please. Anway, enjoy. Oh, and I'm sorry for making the fight scenes so small.
…no surprise that I haven't run into anyone yet, this place is huge!
I kept my eye out as I continued making my way toward the ruins.
I can either run into Sierra, that'd probably be best before someone rapes her…Hotel, screw that guy, his head's probably filled with muscle…the last choice would be….
I turned, suddenly seeing something fly past me. An audible "THUNK" filled the air as I turned to see a hatchet in the tree several feet in front of me. Turning back around, I saw familiar wolf ears as Lima approached me. I sighed with relief and said, "And here I was thinking I'd be walking to that ruin by myself."
Lima blinked, then nodded.
Seriously, what's with this girl?
I un-lodged her hatchet from the tree it was in and handed it to her, getting a nod of thanks as she put it away. Looking around, I asked, "So you wouldn't happen to know where these ruins are, would you?"
Lima looked around, then pointed eastward.
Turning that direction, I looked back and asked, "Are you sure?"
"…people going that way…," she said, albeit quietly. I blinked at her several times, then said, "Okay, lead the way."
We continued making our way through the brush as Lima continued looking from left to right. Almost as if she was trying to locate something.
"Lima," I asked, "you sure we're going the right way?"
She nodded as we continued on our way. I didn't argue; I had to trust her that she knew where we were going.
"Lima," I asked again, "are you a faunus?"
She froze, but then continued onward several moments later. No answer? I don't blame her.
Continuing onward, I looked up as she finally stopped.
"We're there-?"
"Shh!"
She slowly reached down to her weapon, her eyes set keen on something in front of her. I heard my sword handles click into place as I reached back to them, feeling the velvet handle in my hand and fingers. I was about to ask her what was wrong until I heard the click of her weapon, watching as it the blade moved to a vertical position with the blade flipping inside out, a piece of the handle coming out and forming a grip with the butt of the handle folding open and forming a crosshair.
"Beowulf," she breathed out. I could feel a spike of adrenaline in my body as I pulled my sword out, preparing for a battle that could possibly kill me.
Lima kept her eyes forward, staying still, suddenly turning around, causing me to reciprocate her action, seeing a Beowulf flying toward me.
"HOLY -!"
A gunshot filled the air with the Beowulf flying backwards, regaining its footing as Lima changed her gun back into an axe. I threw my sword at the Grimm, hitting my mark as it hit its chest. The Grimm cried in agony, only to get cut in half as I teleported to my sword, drawing my second sword and driving it through the other side of its body, cutting it clean and half and ripping my first sword out of its body.
Another wolf appeared as I used my momentum, slashing that one in half, the Grimm's blood splattering a bit on my cheek as I continued through to the next one and the one after that.
Stamping my foot into the ground, I let out a shout of strain as I threw one of my swords at the assumed leader of the pack, nailing it in the left shoulder. I traced my sword to the spot, slashing through the neck, only to dig my blade only a few inches in. The Beowulf attempted to throw me off as I pulled my lodged blades out of its body, landing on both feet as it turned around, getting ready to lunge at me. However, it stopped in its tracks, causing me to raise an eyebrow in confusion as it collapsed with a hatchet in the back of its skull.
Lima walked over, pulling her weapon out at the same time as I sighed with relief, slashing my swords clean of the blood that was on them. Whistling, I said, "Well, that was fun!"
The faunus girl looked like she didn't show any interest, but then cracked a small smile of appreciation at my optimism. I caught sight of it, smiling back. Looks like I found my partner.
"Ruby, you've been pacing back and forth since we got back from class," Yang said to her sister, clearly concerned. Ruby, however, paid no mind as she struggled to remember who it was she ran into at the café. Zwei barked and chased his tail as Weiss fawned over him. Blake continued reading through her book as Yang finally sighed and shrugged, asking, "Just what are you planning on accomplishing by thinking so hard?"
"I'm trying to remember someone," she answered, her finger on her chin as she finally sat down at the desk chair. The person she had run into seemed so familiar, yet she just couldn't figure out just who it was.
"D…D…De…," she started saying, remembering a fuzzy face from back at Signal academy. Suddenly, glasses appeared on the boy's face.
"No, he wasn't wearing glasses," she muttered to herself.
Blake's ear twitched slightly, but then returned back to her relaxed self as she continued reading.
Yang walked over to Ruby, putting a hand on her shoulder as she said, "Hey, don't worry about it sis!"
Ruby looked up at her as she continued, "You're bound to remember him some time soon, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," she replied, standing up from the chair that she was seated on.
"N-no no, I'm sorry for not moving, Ruby!"
Ruby winced, clutching her temple. Yang caught her action, turning back to her and asking, "you alright?"
"Y-yeah," Ruby replied. Taking her hand from her temple, she thought to herself, "ugh…this is so…FRUSTRATING!"
"Yo! Delta!"
I looked up, seeing Sierra and Hotel standing at the ruins we were scheduled to reach. Walking up to her, I gave her and Hotel a high five as Lima nodded her hello.
"Ah, you got wolf girl," Sierra said, a finger on her chin, "I'm envious of you!"
"Envious?"
I looked at her, confused. Sierra laughed and said, "You dope; Lima's semblance is super sensory!"
I blinked, then said, "ooohh," finally realizing how she had detected the Beowulves so quickly while I took a bit to notice them. Looking at her, Lima nodded, picking up what looked like a bullet. I walked up to it, picking up a similar piece and asking, "Are these the artifacts we're supposed to bring back?"
"Damn straight," Hotel said, picking up a similar piece. Sierra smirked, picking up the last of the similar pieces as she said, "Okay! Let's get moving!"
Just then, Lima shot a look at the forest, agitated.
"Lima? What's up?"
"…enemy…approaching fast…," she said, pulling out her axe, turning it into her rifle. I grabbed onto a sword handle as Hotel pulled out what looked like a lance with a revolver chamber at the back of it and Sierra with a handful of knives.
Suddenly, I felt the ground rumbling.
Whatever was coming at us was coming hard and fast.
"Get ready," Sierra said, her usually smirking face turning into a suddenly serious look of determination.
Lima kept her eyes toward the forest. I kept my eyes on her to stay alert of early warnings.
Suddenly her ear twitched. She looked down, then said, "IT'S BELOW US!"
Hotel stuck his lance into the ground, suddenly shooting hundreds of bullets into the ground.
Unfortunately, it didn't do a damn thing.
The ground beneath us, as well as the ruins and the rest of the artifacts, caved in as a Taijitu exploded from the ground. Debris flew all around as I fell through the air, looking for something to set my feet on.
"DELTA!"
I turned, see Lima extending her hand as she flew toward me.
Sticking my hand out, I felt the her momentum drag us both to a floating rock, where we momentarily regained our balance, jumping off several moments later as it slammed its jaws where we were standing.
"HEADS UP!"
We both landed on proper ground again, dashing to either side of each other as Hotel came flying through in between us, stabbing the giant snake Grimm with his lance. The Taijitu wailed in pain as Sierra suddenly appeared, saying, "You might want to stay back."
She turned to face us, snapping her fingers. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, only to be stricken with surprise as thousands of knives suddenly appeared piercing through the snake's body.
"Delta, now!"
I caught in quickly, drawing my sword and tossing it into the air, drawing my other sword as I made my first cut, then reappeared back to the sword I had thrown, sheathing my sword in hand as blood flew from the open wound.
"Lance it, Hotel!"
Hotel then charged forward, lance ready to penetrate, as he forced his way in one side and out the other, blood flying from both sides of the snake.
Sierra smirked, finally saying, "Take the head off, Lima!"
The faunus girl nodded, jumping up to where the head was, slashing the beast in half with her axe. It began raining blood as I stared in awe at what we had just pulled off.
"…we…seriously just did that, right?"
Sierra looked at me, then the rest of the team, then laughed, saying, "Damn straight, we just killed a King Taijitu!"
Falling on my back, I began laughing with satisfaction, suddenly feeling something land next to my head with decent force. I looked at whatever landed next to my head, freezing in fear as I saw the reflection of my eyes in the knife that sat just inches away.
"Del~ta," I heard Sierra say, turning and seeing her face upside down in a smirk as her eyes held an intimidating shadow to them.
"Get your lazy ass up," she said with a fairly dangerous tone, causing me to scramble back to my feet as she picked up her knife and said, "good, now that we're all finished here, let's head back."
Hotel, Lima and I nodded as we began making our way back to the cliff.
"Sierra Hawthorne, Hotel Lancer, Lima Kerrigan, Delta Ordance. You each retrieved the Black Bullet pieces. From this day forward, you shall now be known as: Team SHLD. Led by: Sierra Hawthorne."
The crowd cheered, Sierra's smirk turning into a smile as she fist bumped Hotel. I looked at Lima, who was looking at them, causing me to reciprocate what she was doing as we watched the board with our pictures slowly line themselves up horizontally at the center of the screen. Smiling, I looked back, seeing Team RWBY, catching Ruby's eyes for a brief moment.
However, that brief moment felt like an eternity as it seemed like she had finally remembered something. What it was, I can't really say.
"Alright, SHLD!"
I turned back to face Sierra, who had circled the others. I took my spot as she suddenly lunged for me and Lima, putting her arms on our shoulders as Hotel did the same.
"Team motto time!"
Team motto? This aught be good.
"Our names in order," she said, "hand over hand, we're all together for the next four years; we live and die for each other, and don't leave one member behind."
With her signature smirk, she backed all of us up and stuck her hand out.
"SIERRA!"
Hotel reciprocated.
"HOTEL!"
Lima sighed, smiling and reciprocating.
"LIMA!"
I smiled, sticking my fist out as well.
"DELTA!"
Our hands over each other, we all grinned as Sierra said, "SHLD on three; one, two, three!"
We all brought our hands out and yelled.
"SHLD!"
...you guys better not start saying I ripped that off from somewhere cuz I did...it was too good to pass up...