So, it took a while to put this one out because I've been swamped with school and my family problems have exponentially increased, but I won't let it get me down! On with the RWBY I say, that being said all stories are sorta on a "I don't know when I can write" Hiatus. So they'll be here and there along the way but will be just as good if not better! So without further ado, the Exam!
Chapter 4- Run!
Arriving at the Hunter Exam, Ruby and companions quickly learn about their competition and meet a few sinister characters. Preparing to embark on a long and arduous journey to claim the title of Hunter that few hold, these youths will soon see the hard trials before them.
"Now if you will all kindly follow me." The Huntress declared as everyone moved in a sort of mob format following her all the way out to the cliff behind the school. She led them to the edge and stopped, turning to face them. "As I stated before, I am Glynda Goodwitch and I am the examiner for the first portion of the Hunter Exam, I really don't feel like repeating myself so please pay attention." Everyone snapped to attention and she continued to speak, "The reason you are here is because you are lucky. Not because you are strong, intelligent, or skilled, it is due to luck. So as an examiner it is my job to weed out the weak and break the unbreakable so that only the finest specimens remain to become Hunters."
Jaune gulped and Ruby was on edge with everyone else in the crowd as everyone seemed to shift from confident to uncomfortable. "That being said, your first task is very simple. Keep up." She said as she dove suddenly off the cliff to the forest below. Everyone stood around questioning if she was serious, but quickly jumped when Ruby and Yang shot to the front and jumped.
"Woohoo!" Yang cried as she and her sister were used to the woods and were very sure of their abilities to maneuver and survive. Yang grabbed the closest tree in a grip strong enough to break a man's arm, and kicked off, jumping from tree to tree as she reached the floor and saw Glynda jogging along at a decent pace as she trotted on to catch up as Ruby swung from a branch and landed next to her sister matching her pace.
"Nailed it!" Ruby grinned.
"Don't take my thing."
"I wonder where Jaune and the others are." Ruby said as she looked behind her to see Tonpa running with Todo and Zepile close on his tail.
"I wouldn't worry about it, they're probably fine." Yang replied focused only on the woman before her.
"Yang's right, you need to have your eyes ahead of you." Blake said appearing before them with a grin as she had rushed past them.
Ruby looked back and saw a very odd sight rushing towards them towards the head of the pack. "Skater punk!"
"Stupid rich boy!" Knives roared as he and Luxus rushed past Ruby and Yang sending them spinning as they charged towards the front, with their foreheads locked as they angrily tried to push the other off the path.
"When did this 'follow the leader' become a race?" Yang asked as she quickly recovered from dizziness.
"I don't know, but I don't want to lose!" Ruby said as she took off at lightning speed leaving Yang behind to jog on her own.
"Jeez, Ruby always was quick-footed." Yang said as she jogged keeping a good eye on the pack as Glynda picked up the pace to stay ahead of the racers.
"I'll say." Caradin said jogging up to her, "Caradin Cross." He said extending his hand to shake.
"Yang Xiao Long." She replied shaking his hand and noticing the unusual coffin he was carrying while running. "And you're carrying a coffin."
He looked at it, "So I am."
They shared silence for a few minutes as they jogged on towards the pack, before a sight caught them off-guard. "Faster, Deverou! A Schnee will not be second best in this race!" She said as she was being carried by her butler who took off at incredible speeds towards the front of the pack.
"Well, that was a thing." Caradin said with a laugh.
"Why is everyone stealing my one liners?" Yang mumbled in frustration.
"You say that too?" Caradin asked in genuine ignorance.
"Yeah."
"Awesome, I guess the others are working their way through the traps by now." He added scratching his chin.
"Wait, what traps?" She responded in shock.
"Oh, you didn't know? Yeah there are traps along the path to weed out the weaker members." He said, "There are trip-wires, pitfalls, sometimes they just let the environment do the work for them."
"Move it losers!" A boy in armor called as he shoved his way past them flanked by three other boys. He had short hair and was rather big.
"Get a life, Cardin!" Caradin cried at him.
"You know him?" Yang asked.
"Yeah sort of, he took the exam a few years back, but failed so now he's brought some meat shields with him I guess." Caradin said with a smirk as Carlos approached him.
"Yo, Cross, we gonna hurry along or do you want to flirt more?" He asked.
"Ah, yeah. Hey listen, if you need any help come to me, because I'll help you more than Tonpa, he's got a bad rep around here." Caradin explained as he and Carlos took off talking about temples and relics.
Yang ran on, being passed by other sprinters and people who were trying to make it to the front first as the pack pulled so far ahead of her she wasn't sure which direction to go. She just kept running in a straight line, running out of steam as she went on, hoping she was getting closer. The ground shifted beneath her and she felt herself falling, looking at the spikes beneath her and quickly grabbing the wall of the hole trying to climb out, the dirt crumbling in her grasp. She saw her fate before her and a familiar hand shot out and grabbed hold of her to pull her out. She looked up at her rescuers and saw Jaune and Pyrrha hovering over her, "Are you okay, Yang?" Jaune asked her.
"Yeah I'm fine, where were you?" She asked.
"Let's just say I got caught up in Ruby's enthusiasm without thinking of a way to get down safely." He chuckled nervously, "Pyrrha here came to my aid; I guess I'm really lucky."
"No kidding, gee thanks." Yang said to Pyrrha.
"Oh it was no trouble, as they say, there is strength in numbers." She said confidently with a smile.
"Well then I guess we should get moving." Yang added, stretching her arms and legs for an even longer run. The three of them took off running as a group, quickly catching up with the pack, as the forest receded and a wide open field was before them with uneven rocky ground.
"Yo, long time no see." Pyron said with a smirk, dropping behind the pack to run with his friends.
"Yeah, I got distracted and these two pulled my ass out of the fire." Yang replied gesturing to the two behind her who jogged on diligently.
"Hey again." Jaune wheezed.
"Hello." Pyrrha said with a smile and a wave, barely breaking a sweat.
"So you're Pyrrha Nikos, world renowned fighter?" Pyron asked.
"I'd hardly say world renowned." She said looking down modestly.
"Well you're a big player in Heaven's Arena right?" Newt asked.
"Yes, I guess so." She replied timidly as they passed more people and neared the front.
"So why'd you come to become a Hunter if you're already such a good fighter?" Newt asked quizzically.
"I figured it would be best to test myself and plus Hunters are among the privileged few who can go where they please and act however they wish." She said, "I'd like to see the world and experience the freedoms that this world has to offer." She added with a smile.
"That's pretty weird." Pyron said as they bumped into the people in front of them. "Hey, why are we stopping?" Before them were the other candidates as they had all gathered at a large ravine with a stone bridge crossing to the other side, and a large cliff behind it.
They looked at the sea of people before them as Ruby rejoined her sister and her friends, "Ms. Goodwitch is seeing who made it and continuing from there."
"How were the traps?" Pyron asked her.
"Ms. Goodwitch said about fifty people probably fell for them and died, but for us it wasn't hard to spot them and get around them."
Yang bit her lip in anger. She noticed and evaded them all and I got caught in one measly pitfall? I can't lose to Ruby. She thought as her sister bounced with excitement.
"Alright, 442 of you successfully made it through the initial run, so congratulations on passing the first half." Glynda said as there were cheers and cries of relief. "However, this is meant to test your resolve, and I refuse to accept weak willed individuals. So to end the first test, you must jump into the ravine." She said sternly.
"Are you insane?" The blonde haired boy with Cardin cried, "The first jump was fine because we watched you go, but you're telling us to jump into a pitch black ravine?"
"I didn't know you were so weak-hearted." She replied coldly as he backed away with about 75 others. "Well there you have it. The rest of you, feel free to embark."
Yang and the others dove from the cliff into the darkness of the ravine, quickly finding that a net of vines lay beneath and they all scurried down into the darkness to be greeted by a giant metal door. "What do you think it is?" Yang asked Ruby.
A loud screech came from the speakers near the door as the pre-recorded message played, "Hello and welcome, my name is Glynda Goodwitch and you will now be entering Blood Gulch Prison, home to some of the most notorious criminals in the world, your second phase will be to successfully navigate out of the prison and survive. Good luck." It clicked off and they faced the large steel door as it slowly crept open.
"I guess there's no going back now." Ruby said extending her scythe and slowly walking towards the door, on the other side criminals of unfathomable depravity.
Another chapter of the Hunter Exam comes to a close as our Heroes enter Phase 2. Will Ruby and her companions survive the trials ahead, or will the depraved criminals of the ravine asylum be their tomb? The remaining number of candidates is 367.
So I know this was kind of short as the anime took about 3-4 episodes to cover the first phase, but they short changed the second so I intend to do the opposite and drag out the second phase with riddles, puzzles, battle, death, and Cardin getting punched in the face! So look forward to the next episode and expect to see a familiar face in the next one. :3