RWBY: The Verdant Light of Remnant
Chapter 5: Players & Pieces
Author's Notes: Okay, so i was scared that i wouldn't be able to post this chapter today, since my PC was bugging out yesterday. but it all turned out alright, so now i can post C5.
I know that my fics have many grammatic errors & typos, so i'll adress them really quickly. Despite being native to USA, i was actually raised in Southern Brazil. So although my english is good, it's not my main/fluent language, that'd be Brazilian Portugese. So even though i double-check these damn things everytime, i know there's gonna be some grammatic errors here & there, so try to forgive me with those, please & as always.
The following is a non-profit Alternate Universe fanfiction.
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, Warner Bros. & the late Monty Oum. While Fire Emblem: Three Houses is owned by Nintendo, Intelligent Systems & Koei Tecmo. Please support the original release.
Also, major spoilers for both RWBY & Fire Emblem: Three Houses, specifically the Verdant Wind Route. If you haven't caught up with either of them, it's recommended that you catch up with both of them before reading this story.
& On that note, enjoy this chapter.
The Initiation Test at Emerald Valley finally begins & things get very interesting very quickly. Yang & Blake managed to find each other & partner up, with Yang learning bits of Blake's reasons for why she fights despite telling Byleth that she hates violence. Ruby however isn't as lucky as she finds Weiss & is forced to partner up with her, Ruby tries to get a chance to Weiss & at first, it wasn't so bad. But after a Grimm attack & a small scale forest fire that Ruby had to deal with, they started arguing constantly & it ends with Ruby ditching Weiss after the latter just badmouthed her Mother. The professors can only watch as things keep getting more & more interesting.
But before we get to that, let us take a look at how some of the other students started their respective trials. Mainly with Pyrrha Nikos who after getting launched, she used her acrobatics to maneuver around the air & use her shield to land safely on one of the taller trees. She uses her short-sword which turns into a rifle, allowing her to spot the falling Jaune from afar via her rifle scope. She then turns the rifle into a javelin & with the impact of her rifle rounds, fires the javelin from very (& I mean VERY) far away until it suddenly stops just as Jaune stops screaming as he was falling to his death. Jaune finally answers.
Jaune: THANKS, PYRRHA!
Pyrrha: *Waves* I'M SORRY~!
Pyrrha's "I'm sorry" counter: 3
Cuts to about half an hour later where Jaune is already freed from getting hanged by his hood with Pyrrha's help & started walking towards wherever The Emerald Altar may be. That's when Jaune decided to start a conversation with Pyrrha, first talking about the Rose Xiao-Long Sisters & how they're the children of Team STRQ.
Jaune: Say, I overheard that those sisters you met earlier were apparently the children of Team STRQ, right? I didn't know they had kids.
Pyrrha: Neither did I, honestly. But when the red-haired one introduced herself as "Ruby Rose", I was able to piece things together pretty quickly.
Jaune: Oh, I get it… Anyways, what's up? You're apparently very strong, right?
Pyrrha: Yes, I was training very hard ever since I was around 6 years old.
Jaune: Since you were 6?! I know it's rude to ask a girl's age, but how old are you now?
Pyrrha: I'm 17 years old, now.
Jaune didn't know what was more shocking; the fact that Pyrrha started training since she was around 6 years old, or the fact that she was totally okay in telling him her age. Which also means that Pyrrha has been training for 11 whole years, what a woman!
Jaune: Holy crap, that's 11 whole years' worth of training! No wonder you're so powerful. As for me, I was mostly working around the house & helped my town out whenever I could. Unfortunately, I had to take up arms once my Dad got ill & couldn't fight anymore.
Pyrrha then stops walking & looks at Jaune somberly, trying to comfort him in some way.
Pyrrha: Oh! I see, that's-… I'm sorry, I don't know what to say in these kinds of situations.
Pyrrha's "I'm sorry" counter: 4
Jaune: No, no! it's alright, Pyrrha & my Dad isn't dead! He's just-… sick, that's all… But I appreciate your kind- OW!
Jaune gets hit by a small tree branch that Pyrrha moved out of the way, which hit Jaune from behind & get a cut on his cheek.
Pyrrha: Oh!... I'm sorry, Jaune.
Pyrrha's "I'm sorry" counter: 5
Jaune regains his footing as the cut on his cheek starts to bleed out a little bit.
Jaune: No, no, it's alright! It's my fault for not paying.
Pyrrha then looks at Jaune's face, mainly the small cut on his left cheek. She wonders why didn't Jaune had his Aura active, unless he couldn't? No! There's no way someone who came to attend Beacon hasn't even awakened their Aura… Could they?
Pyrrha: Jaune? Why didn't you have your Aura active?
Jaune: My Aura?
Pyrrha: *Raises an eyebrow* Jaune… You do what Aura is, don't you?
Jaune clearly didn't know what Aura is if he didn't have it activated to heal a simple flesh wound, yet Pyrrha can't believe that Jaune actually came here… without awakening his Aura beforehand, that was both stupid, yet hilarious. Jaune just scoffs & tries to play cool, only to fail miserably as Pyrrha can see him through the act.
Jaune: Of course, I do! do you don't what Aura is?
Yup! He doesn't know jack about Aura, fantastic! Then again, Pyrrha kinda took a liking to Jaune in this short span amount of time they spend together; so instead of scolding him about it, she plays along & goes with the flow.
Pyrrha: Aura is the physical manifestation of one's soul, it is an energy source that runs on how lifeforce & willpower, the stronger the willpower of the individual, the greater the Aura. Aura is classified in 2 categories, there's its barrier form where the individual uses their Aura to envelop their body in a forcefield normally unseen by the human eye. It protects the individual from attacks that would normally be considered deadly for normal people, like headshots or lethal attacks from bladed weapons.
Jaune: Oh, so it's like a forcefield?
Pyrrha: Yes, it is. Aura in its barrier form can also heal wounds a lot quicker than the human body can normally heal, although there are still limits on what you can heal with your Aura. There's also a limit on how much your Aura can take hits before it breaks & like any forcefield, it can take a lot of damage, but it's not unbreakable.
Jaune: So, it's like a block meter from fighting games, or super armor from boss fights. Where they get very vulnerable for a short time as their armor is broken, right?
Pyrrha: Huh… Ya'know… This does sound like it's out of a videogame, doesn't?
Jaune: Hey, I personally think it's kinda cool. But what about the second type of Aura?
Pyrrha: That's more focused on your lifeforce & willpower, mainly on offensive skills & how you use your Semblance. You can't awaken your Semblance without Aura in most cases… Although I have heard about some instances where the individual has awakened their Semblance without awakening their Aura beforehand.
Jaune: I read in a book once that Semblances are awakened during very traumatic events & when someone is going through a lot of stress… Or something like that, maybe that's how someone can awaken your Semblance without awakening your Aura beforehand?
Pyrrha: Who knows? Remnant is a very weird place as it is already, anything is possible. But Semblance isn't the only form of using Aura that doesn't involve your barrier, those who are really well trained with Aura can not only envelop parts of their body with Aura to land stronger hits, but also fire long-ranged Aura waves with their weapons.
Jaune: Woah, seriously?! Can you do that?
Pyrrha: Believing or not, I'm actually still a beginner in that department. Training your Aura in its more offensive form takes a lot out of you & it can take many years before you finally have a grasp on it, let alone master it!
Jaune: Oh, I see. That makes sense, not everything can just be- given to you, ya'know?
Pyrrha then gets an idea that would help Jaune in the long-run.
Pyrrha: Ya'know, I can just awaken your Aura right now… If you don't mind, of course!
Jaune: Wait, you can do that?!... I mean- yeah, I don't mind at all…
Pyrrha just chuckles at Jaune's attempt to look cool, only to fail miserably. But she can't help but smile at this lovable dork, she then puts her hand on Jaune's left cheek & closes her eyes for a moment as she clears her mind.
Pyrrha: Alright, Jaune. Close your eyes & try to clear your mind, okay?
Jaune: Wha-?... Uh, okay.
Jaune does as Pyrrha tells him to & closes his eyes, although it takes a while for him to clear his mind; but one he does, Pyrrha begins to chant in Latin as she awakens his Aura.
Pyrrha: "Et factum est, ut transeat immortalitatis. Per hoc autem facti omnes res aptus consiliique virtutem et gloriam supergreditur omnia. Per spatium infinitum atque solutum a morte, et dimittere tuum anima mea, et in humero meo, protegere te".
Editor's note: The speech above is Pyrrha's Aura speech, but in Latin.
As Pyrrha keeps chanting, her scarlet red Aura surrounds her body as she slowly awakens Jaune's Aura, which takes a bright yellow color. When she finished the chanting, Jaune's Aura heals the cut on his left cheek, almost as if it was never there in the first place. But awakening Jaune's aura like that takes quite the toll on Pyrrha, to the point where she almost falls to the knees trying to catch her breath. When Jaune snaps back into reality, he kneels down to his partner, checking if she's okay.
Jaune: Woah, this power… It's incredible!... Wait- Pyrrha! Oh my god, are you okay?!
Pyrrha: *Panting heavily* Yes, yes! I'm okay, thank you for your concern... It's just- I haven't seen so much Aura in a long time, you have a lot of it.
Jaune: Do I? Man, I feel so strong, now. I feel like I can take on a horde of Goliaths!
Pyrrha: *Chuckles* Alright, "Vomit Boy", let's not get too crazy too quickly, okay?
Jaune: *Blushes* Yes, ma'am.
Jaune helps Pyrrha get back up to her feet & the 2 of them continue onwards towards their destination while still chatting & bonding with one another along the way.
We then cut back to Weiss sitting on her own, reflecting on what just happened. She's angry at Ruby for suddenly leaving her like that.
Weiss: Ugh, I cannot believe this! How dare that brat strike me in the face & leave me all by myself like this?!... I didn't even say anything wrong; I was just telling her the truth!
Weiss looks up to the sky & sees the afternoon sun slowly descend as its rays of sunlight shine at her, she gets up while thinking back to what she said to Ruby before she left.
Weiss: Although... I probably have gone too far, I forgot that Summer Rose died a long time ago… *Shakes her head* Nonsense! I'll just find that peasant & knock some sense into her! I'll show her what happens when you leave someone like me in such a way!
Weiss then looks at the small trail of petals that Ruby left & starts following it, all the while a large black feather silently descends behind her as she's walking away.
Speaking of our favorite red reaper, we see her taking a nap as her Aura keeps refueling itself in a slow & steady pace. What Ruby is dreaming about now isn't a normal dream so to say, but a very faint, yet cherished memory of her early life.
We then cut to approximately 10 years into the past as we see a very small 5-year-old Ruby Rose, a small 7-year-old Yang Xiao-Long with pigtails instead of having her hair loose & a young woman who looks exactly how Ruby looks in present day. With the main differences being that this one has slightly longer & smooth bright scarlet-red hair as opposed to Ruby's short & spiky dark crimson-red hair, she's wearing a long, white hooded cape that has a blood red inner layer, she's also carrying what appears to be a large, bloodred halberd of sorts & she's about 160~ Cm Tall as opposed to present day Ruby who's 153 Cm Tall. This is Summer Rose, the Mother of both Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao-Long. They appear to be taking a stroll through the woods of Patch while being led by their Mother, holding a small basket.
Ruby: Urgh, we've been walking for hours~! How long will it take until we get there?
Yang: Stop complaining, Ruby! Ya'know that we wouldn't be able to keep up with you if we were running instead.
Summer: Just a few more steps, you two. I can't wait to show you this, I found this wonderful place while I was hunting for food last week.
Summer finds a few bushes on the way & pushes them off to let her girls pass, what they see is a true sight to behold. It is a big open field with lush & wonderful greenery, which is cut in half by a huge waterfall that forms a beautiful river. Animals like deer & small rabbits live in this land peacefully without a care in the world, while the singing birds that live in the trees fly close to the waterfall. The Rose Xiao-Long sisters have their eyes widen & sparkle as they see the place their Mother took them to spend the afternoon for today.
Ruby: Woah~! what is this place? it's beautiful!
Summer: This place is called a "Cascade", Ruby. It's a place where you see a flowing river flowing through a small open part of the forest, they are a great place to eat a picnic & go for some swimming.
Ruby: Really? That's so cool~!
Summer: You girls can go on ahead & play, I'll sit down for a while… All of that walking made me a little tired.
The girls look sad & concerned at their Mother as she sits down to catch her breath.
Ruby: Wait… Mommy's not gonna play with us?
Summer: *Smiles softly* No, no! Mommy will come play with you girls in a moment; she just needs to rest for a little bit, okay?
This cheers up the girls a little bit, knowing that their Mother is going to be alright & playing with them in a moment.
Ruby: Okay, come on Sis!
Yang: Coming~!
Summer: Be careful, girls!
The Rose Xiao-Long sisters start to play around the field & have the time of their lives. When Summer eventually gets up all well rested, she joins in the fun & the 3 of them even go for a swim together. After some nice swimming & playing with the small animals for a little bit before they sit down the small field of flowers & make flower crowns for each other. Summer making one for Yang, Yang making one for Ruby & Ruby making one for their Mother.
Summer: I swear, you girls have way too much energy. Now I know for certain what you both got from your Father, he was never one to stand still himself.
Yang: *Giggles innocently* You have a lot of energy too, Mom. Especially since you do solo missions all the time, I think we get that from you too.
Summer just laughs as she ruffles her eldest daughter's hair a little bit.
Summer: Hahahahahah! you're not wrong there, my Sunny Little Dragon. I'm actually happy that you girls have so much energy, that means that you'll both grow big & strong!
Yang: Do you really mean that? Could we become as big & strong as you?
Summer: Yes, I do. But don't go thinking that I'll just let you girls surpass me, you both still have a lot to learn before even coming close to my level.
Yang: But- you're Mom! Nobody could ever beat you, let alone come to your level.
Summer: Perhaps, but only time will tell. I for one think that you both have what it takes to become the best Huntresses of the next generation, maybe even surpass me.
While Summer & Yang are chatting, Ruby is way too concentrated on making a flower crown for her Mother. She wants to make a wonderful rose crown, which unfortunately comes at a cost of having her small hands getting pricked a few times. But Ruby pulls through the pain, she won't let some small pricks from thorns to get in her way. As she does so, Summer & Yang already finished their own flower crowns.
Yang: Woah, this flower crown is beautiful! Thanks Mom.
Yang goes towards Summer & gives her a big hug, with her Mother returning the kind gesture by wrapping her arms around her Sunny Little Dragon.
Summer: *Giggles* You're welcome, sweetheart. You made quite the flower crown yourself. I'm sure your sister will love-
As Summer turns around to see her youngest daughter, she notices that she's too focused on making her flower crown. After a few more seconds, Ruby finally finishes it & shows it to her Mother.
Ruby: Almost there~… &~ Done! Look Mommy, I finished my flower crown for you!
Summer looks at the wonderful flower crown made out of different colored roses, she's so proud of her little Petal for doing this for her.
Summer: Oh my god, Ruby! Thank you so much, I loved it.
As Ruby gives her Mother the flower crown & puts it on her head, she noticed that Ruby's hands are very bruised, mostly from getting pricked by rose thorns.
Summer: Oh, sweetie. Why didn't you tell Mommy that you were getting hurt?
Ruby looks at her Mother curiously before looking at her small hands, which are bleeding a little bit because of getting pricked over & over again by the rose thorns. But Ruby tries to act tough & just shrugs it off, even if it DID actually hurt a little bit.
Ruby: What, this? It's okay, it doesn't hurt that much.
Summer: Don't say that!
Summer gently takes Ruby's hands & brings them close to her face so that she could softly peck them a few times. Summer's eyes then shine brightly for a mere moment & soon after, Ruby's hands are completely healed.
Summer: Ruby, I know you want to act strong & show some guts since you're the small one of the family. But you must understand that true strength isn't about shrugging off any kind of pain, nor is it about trying to be something that you're not…
Ruby looks down sadly, thinking that she just upset her Mother in trying to act tough. But Summer isn't mad at Ruby, she's just worried about her youngest daughter. A smile grows on Summer's face as she pulls her Petal into a hug to comfort her.
Summer: But… I'm really glad that you worked so hard for me, it shows that you're not one to give up… Just promise to be more honest with me, okay?
Ruby widens her eyes at her Mother's response, while also leaning closer to her embrace, feeling that motherly warmth that Summer provides in her embraces.
Ruby: O-… Okay…
Summer hugs both of her daughters & has a little moment of silence with them, she then looks at the sky & notices that the sun is starting to set.
Summer: It's getting pretty late, so what do you girls say in heading back home & eat some fresh baked cookies after dinner?
Yang: Yay, cookies after dinner!
Summer giggles at her eldest daughter's reaction & as she turns to face Ruby to see what does she think of the idea, she notices that the small red-haired girl is fast asleep. Her Mother smiles softly as she & Yang share a "shush sign" to one another so that they can keep quiet & let Ruby sleep. Summer then gets up, holds Ruby in one arm & takes Yang's arm with her other arm & starts heading back home with her daughters.
Cuts back to present day as Ruby slowly wakes up from her short nap, with her Aura now back to full strength as she covers her eyes for a moment, as faint tears were forming in her soft & gentle Silver Eyes.
Ruby: Mom… Why did you have to go…? Why didn't you come back home…?
As Ruby is reminiscing her past with her Mother, which she can only remember bits of it, she starts to hear someone call out for her name… & Unfortunately, Ruby is able to recognize the voice almost immediately.
Weiss: Ruby~!
Ruby looks down & spots Weiss from afar, it seems that she's looking for her. Well screw that & screw her! Ruby doesn't want anything to do with that Atlesian Jerk & turns away, ready to walk away while pretending that she can't hear her "Partner".
Weiss: Ruby, come on out! I just want to talk; I know you're around here somewhere!
Before Ruby could leave the area for good, a giant Nevermore suddenly comes & swoops Weiss with its enormous talons. Weiss screams helplessly as Ruby finally decides to turn her attention to Weiss now that she's being held captive.
Ruby: Oh great, NOW WHAT?! Huh?
Weiss struggles to get out of the Nevermore's grasps as it quickly takes up to the skies & glares at Ruby with anger. The small flock of tiny Nevermores that Ruby killed earlier were most likely its children, the Large Nevermore dives down at Ruby's direction, who's able to dodge the enraged beast with easy. But the Nevermore doesn't give up as it fires a barrage of giant feathers like a rain of swords, Ruby is able to dodge them, but it's quite difficult to keep up with such relentless attacks in a forest as oppose to a more open field. Weiss keeps struggling to break free of the Nevermore's grasp.
Weiss: Let go of me, you disgusting bird! LET GO OF ME!
The large Nevermore then gets the idea of making Ruby follow them to somewhere else, it takes off as Weiss keeps screaming from the top of her lungs, completely helpless as she's carried away to The Emerald Hills. Ruby watches on as she sees the winged beast carry her helpless "Partner" away. As much as Ruby would REALLY prefer to just leave the Atlesian upstart by herself, her heart & instincts take the better of her once again. She starts getting flashes of her Mother's face, as well as when her Father held her Mother's bloodied hood. That's more than enough for Ruby to finally act, she's not letting someone else die for being weak again. NOT. THIS. TIME!
Ruby: Crapbaskets! Stupid rich brat!
Ruby quickly dashes through the forest in pursuit of the giant Nevermore, in the hopes that she can get to Weiss & save her in time.
We then cut to Yang & Blake's perspective, with Yang still trying to keep a conversation with her partner so that things don't stay in awkward silence for too long.
Yang: Hm… If I recall correctly from the map, the Altar should be that way.
As Yang looks on to confirm her theory, Blake just sighs as she adjusts her bamboo hat.
Blake: What the hell am I doing?
Yang takes notices of Blake's little murmuring & tries to get her to talk a little more.
Yang: Ya'know, it's always best to say it now instead of keeping things up to herself.
Blake scratches her cheek a little before looking around Emerald Forest & realize how stunningly beautiful it is. In fact, ALL of Vale is beautiful. The Kingdom Capital City, the Emerald Valley, Beacon Academy, everything! It's so quiet, peaceful & beautiful to her.
Blake: This place looks so beautiful!...
Yang looks at Blake confusingly as she motions at the Valley around them, thinking that she's referring to Emerald Valley, mainly the forest that they're currently at right now.
Yang: What? You mean this Valley?
Blake shakes her head as she answers her partner.
Blake: That's part of it, yes. But what I'm talking about isn't just Emerald Valley… Look around us, Yang. Everything so peaceful here. There's no civil conflicts like in The Mistral Dukedom; no political unbalance like in The Atlesian Empire & not even a tribal dispute like in The Vacuan Alliance. The people are living here happy & in peace, Headmaster Ozpin is a good ruler to his people & what Vale can offer is something I've never seen from anywhere else in Remnant… It's quiet, it's peaceful… & It's beautiful…
Yang is confused by what exactly Blake means by that, until she remembers that Blake is technically a foreigner & a traveler. Well, at least Yang has finally managed to start a conversation with the quiet Ronin.
Yang: Huh? Oh, that's right, I almost forgot that you're not from here. & You're right, Vale is definitely something else, isn't it? I'm not a traveler like you, so I can't speak for the other nations like you can. *Looks at Blake* Ya'know, I could show you my own place if you want. There's this wonderful field with a huge river & waterfall that Mom took my sister & I once when we were kids, you'd love that place!
This gets Blake curious as she turns to see Yang & the look of optimism & excitement that she's giving her. That kind & gentle heart, filled with energy & optimism, it's just like "her"… Her first human friend… Blake can't help but smile while looking at Yang.
Blake: Is that so? I'd love to go there & see it for myself. You're from the Island of Patch, correct? I heard that it's rich in greenery & wildlife.
Yang: Yeah, it sure is. It's also where Signal Academy resides, that's where Ruby & I were training to become Huntresses. It was a nice place; my Dad & Uncle are teachers there.
Blake: Ya don't say? It's not often when you attend a school where 2 of your teachers are your parental figures, I can see how you're so powerful.
Yang: *Smirks* Trust me, Blake. You haven't even seen half of what I can do!
Blake can't help but to rolls her eyes as Yang just flexes her arms & shows off her abs & muscles, Blake then spots something odd from afar. It looks like some pillars made out of cobblestone or something.
Blake: Hey Yang, remember when you said that the Altar might be that way?
Yang: Yeah, but I haven't confirmed it just yet.
Blake: *Smirks* Because you were right, I can see it from here. Look over there!
This revelation shocks Yang greatly. She tries to see the same direction Blake pointed at, but she can't see anything other than the trees of Emerald Forest.
Yang: Wait, seriously?! I can't see a thing from here.
Blake: Come on, let's get our relics!
Blake then dashes towards the direction where she spotted the Altar as Yang just looks even more baffled. This girl was almost as fast as Ruby & that's saying something.
Yang: What the- HEY, BLAKE! WAIT UP!
Yang goes after Blake as fast as she could, she's built some nice speed gains given who her little sister is. But even then, it's not enough to keep up with her for the most part. Now her partner has similar speed? That's just great. Thankfully for Yang, she manages to catch up with Blake in no time as she finds her on a cliff staring down at the Emerald Altar below. Yang was right, the Altar was there. She holds her knees tightly as she slowly catches her breath after running so much.
Yang: *Panting heavily* Gods, I finally caught up to you!... Good lord, you're fast!
Blake turns around to see the exhausted Yang panting heavily while also being all sweaty. Perhaps Blake made it difficult for her given that she just rushed in so quickly.
Blake: Oh, Sorry about that. I thought that you'd be able to catch up with me.
Yang: Well… Clearly, I can't! I'm not a speedster like Ruby!... Holy shit, just-… *Panting heavily* Just give me a minute for me to recompose myself really quick, alright?!
Blake: Sure thing, take your time.
After a few more minutes of rest, the Bumblebee duo descends & head towards the Emerald Altar, where the relics reside. They notice that 12 of the 20 relics were already taken, now there's only 8 relics remaining. 4 Yellow knights & 4 yellow queens.
Yang: Looks like some people got here first, huh? There's only 8 of these left.
They look around the Altar & can see how ancient it is given that it's covered in vines, as well as the growing plant life that's enveloping the cobblestone Altar. Yang then takes one of the yellow knights as she shows it off to Blake.
Yang: How about a cute little pony?
Blake: Sure.
Blake rolls her eyes as she takes another yellow knight, making them half of whatever team they will become. But before they could talk, they hear a girl screaming as she's swiftly carried away by a Nevermore that flies above them almost as fast as they can blink. They look at the direction the Nevermore went, wondering what was going on.
Yang: What the-?!... Was that a giant fucking Nevermore?!
Blake: Yeah, it was. It looked like it was carrying-
Ruby: WEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISS!
Before Blake could finish, a giant flash of rose petals dashes in between the Bumblebee duo almost as fast as the speed of sound. When they look at the direction the trail went, they noticed that 2 of the remaining yellow knights were taken away with it. It doesn't take very long for Yang to realize that Ruby just ran in between them, took 2 of the relics & was chasing after the giant Nevermore all by herself.
Yang: Wait… That was Ruby! What kind of trouble did she get herself into now?!
Blake looks at her partner with a very shocked expression on her face, she wasn't kidding when Yang told her that her sister was really freaking fast.
Blake: Ruby…? Wait- that was your sister just now?! How can anyone be that fast?!
Yang: Yeah, it was & it looks like she was after that Nevermore for some reason, so let's-
Before Yang could even finish her sentence, they hear ANOTHER scream. One coming from the sky as they see Jaune falling at their direction, but Blake is already at the move.
Blake: Hey, it's that Blond Kid who got motion sick yesterday. Don't worry, I got this!
As Blake says that, she draws one of her reverse bladed katanas, pulls a trigger to pull the blade back & turn it into a short sickle & pulls another trigger that shoots a black ribbon under the katana's holder. She wraps the ribbon around her wrist as she starts spinning Gambol Shroud like a chain whip & throws it into one of the far away trees, wrapping around at a high point of the tree. She then presses another button to retrieve the ribbon, which makes Blake go towards the tree she wrapped Gambol Shroud around & climbs on top of the tree. Once she does that, she pulls back Gambol Shroud & starts spinning it around once again as the incoming Jaune comes flying towards her direction; once he passes through her, Blake threw Gambol Shroud at him, which wraps around his waist. That makes him stop his descent as he's saved by Blake who's pulling him back.
Jaune: ARGH! Ow~… Why didn't I listen to Pyrrha when we entered that cave?... Huh?
Jaune looks up to see Blake pulling him upwards to the tree she's standing on, she then pulls him by the collar of his hood & looks at him in the eye once he's close enough.
Blake: Alright, Vomit Boy! You're going to tell me what the hell just happened & why you were suddenly sent flying just now while screaming like a little girl?!...
Jaune: Hey! That's not nice!... But-… Thanks for saving me back there... *Shakes his head* Never mind that! There was a big scorpion Grimm on a cave Pyrrha & he grabbed me by its stinger, only to throw me to wherever I was going to fall before you saved me.
As Jaune finishes speaking, Blake turns around as she hears some rustling from far away. Only for Pyrrha to show up running from a giant Deathstalker. Blake just groans as she descends to the ground while letting go of Jaune, falling with his face on the ground.
Blake: Well… Guess this won't be as easy as I hoped, just my luck…
Jaune (Faceplanted on the ground): Ow!
Both Yang & Blake ready their weapons as Pyrrha goes towards them & Jaune starts to get up, the 4 of them prepare themselves for one tough battle.
[Music: Rhythm & Balance Remix from Sonic Forces]
As Blake & Yang prepare for whatever the Deathstalker has in store for them all, we cut back to Ruby who's giving chase to the Nevermore as she's traversing to the high peaks of Emerald Peaks. Ruby's not playing around anymore now that a life is at stake.
Ruby: You really think you can get away from me?! Well, you got another thing coming!
Ruby hops from peak to peak as she gives chase to the Nevermore as fast as she could while still making sure that she doesn't use up all of her Aura from the get-go. The Nevermore finally decides to fight back as it turns around & starts firing a huge barrage of feathers towards both Ruby & the surrounding area, making it hit a few hills, which start breaking apart as boulders start falling. Ruby sees no issue in that as she starts jumping from rock to rock until a much larger boulder starts descending at her, Ruby the starts spinning rapidly like a small tornado as her body turns into a petal tornado that's both sharp & strong enough to go through pass through the falling boulder & break it apart into many pieces, that technique took quite a toll in her Aura.
Ruby then jumps at one of the taller peaks & starts running upwards until she reaches the top, glaring at the approaching Nevermore. Ruby spots Weiss still bound by the Nevermore's sharp talons as she readies Crescent Rose in its scythe form & takes a stance, waiting for the perfect to strike. The Nevermore finally decides to strike as it flies high into the sky & charges at Ruby at full speed, she does the same as she envelops both of her legs & feet to give her enough boost to jump off the peak at full speed & charge at the Nevermore. The Nevermore tries to attack Ruby with its large beak, but she turns her body into a storm of petals once again to both dodge the incoming attack & dive under the Nevermore. Once she gets close to the talons, she pulls back her scythe & slices one of the talons off, freeing Weiss as she's now falling as the Nevermore screeches in pain.
Weiss uses this chance to pull Myrtenaster & summon a couple of Black Glyphs to make her descent less lethal; as she passes through each Black Glyph, her fall gets slower & slower until Ruby lands on one of the other peaks & uses the same trick with her legs to launch herself towards Weiss & grab her in a bridal carry.
Ruby: Oi, are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?
Weiss can't answer Ruby as she looks at her in the face, completely surprised that she bothered coming to her rescue like to begin with & with such style & efficiency too. Weiss has never seen this much speed & skill before in her life, not even from her older sister or any of the officers of the Atlesian Military. But another shout from Ruby finally wakes her up back to reality while shaking her violently.
Ruby: Weiss! Are you even listening to me?!
Weiss: Huh?! Oh- right! Yes, I'm alright!
[Music end]
Ruby finally sighs in relief as she jumps from a few peaks until they eventually land on a safe ground to stand on. That's when Weiss finally realizes that Ruby was basically princess carrying her this whole time, she blushes madly as she pushes Ruby away & gets away from her a little bit.
Weiss: Hey! Hands off! You red-haired peasant!
Ruby just sighs in frustration. Of course the girl was gonna bitch even after she just saved her ungrateful ass, she turns around to face the very flustered Weiss.
Ruby: Wow, didn't know you had a way to thank people who just saved your life!
Weiss: "Save my life"?! You cannot fool me! You just wanted to carry me like I was your princess in distress, correct? & I could've sworn you've touched my thighs, as well.
Ruby just groans in frustration & rolls her eyes at the ridiculous nonsense that Weiss was spouting. "Touching her thighs"? "Carrying her like she's Ruby's princess in distress"? What the hell is this girl's problem?! At this point, Ruby just shouts at Weiss & admits why she even bothered to save her from the large flying beast.
Ruby: Oh, for crying out loud; CAN'T YOU JUST SHUT UP & LISTEN TO ME FOR 5 MINUTES?! I was after the Nevermore! Plus, saving you was the right thing to do!
This catches Weiss completely off-guard, "It was the right thing to do"? But-… But she just badmouthed the dead Mother an hour ago, yet she went & came to save her… Just because it was the right thing to do? Ruby wipes out some sweat as she gets closer to Weiss to see if she's alright.
Ruby: *Sigh* Never mind that, are you alright? You don't look seriously injured.
Weiss: Huh? N- no! I'm alright, I'm alright!... I'm just-… a bit little exhausted, that's all. Those Black Glyphs took a toll on my Aura.
Ruby nods as she reaches for her pouch to give Weiss a yellow knight, it was one of the relics that she took when she blitzed through the Altar while going after the Nevermore.
Ruby: Here, this is one of the remaining relics I managed to find while passing through. Guess that means that we won't be needing to go to the Altar after all, huh?
Weiss: Oh!... Yeah, you're correct.
Ruby gives the relic to Weiss, who takes it & puts it on her own pouch that rests on her belt. Weiss looks away while blushing a little bit.
Weiss: P- pardon my rudeness!... I have never been good at showing gratitude…
Ruby smiles softly at Weiss, knowing that she was being fully honest this time, not lying or showing sarcasm like the other times Weiss tried to play nice. Hey, it's better than nothing. She's still a little mad at Weiss for earlier, but she'll put it to the side for now.
We then cut to see the perspective of the teachers once again as they're shocked at both Ruby's speed, skill & power, as well as her willingness to save Weiss, even after their big argument from earlier. Byleth just smiles in relief, having a sense of pride in the young reaper, Sothis is fist pumping in the air like an excited child, celebrating Ruby's incredible performance & Ozpin is just smiling contently, knowing that this would happen. Glynda however is just shocked that someone this powerful could even exist.
Glynda: I- Impossible! How can someone this young & ignorant to the dangers of the real world be this powerful?! Not even Summer demonstrated that much power during her initiation, let alone such high levels of speed that far surpasses normal capabilities!
Sothis: HAHAH! Way to go, kiddo! I knew you could do it! I guess miss "Unworthy" isn't so "Unworthy" after all, is she? Looks like you were proven wrong once again, Ms. "Mage General of Vale". You really need to stop underestimating those around you.
Glynda just looks at Sothis angerly, clearly not happy that this up-start child just got lucky once again. But Byleth can't help but shoot a smirk at the Mage General that screams "I told you so". The secretary just looks away, not wanting to deal with them right now. But deep down, she knew that they were both right & that Glynda was wrong in calling Ruby "Unworthy" a few moments prior.
Glynda: Well-… I will admit that Ms. Rose's skill is certainly remarkable, although I didn't expect Ms. Schnee to suddenly be taken hostage by that giant Nevermore that came down as quickly as it took to the skies.
Ozpin: Neither did I, although witnessing Ms. Rose go to such lengths to save one person who not only wrong her, but also was very close to an early death was quite the sight to behold. Byleth, Sothis, I hope you take Ms. Rose's way of thinking as an example of what a Huntress should inspire to be.
Byleth: That Won't be necessary, Your Majesty. We already know who she really is deep down… I never doubted her resolve.
Ozpin can't help but smile at Byleth's response, he was right in choosing her as a new teacher for the next generation of Huntsmen.
Ozpin: I see, that's very good.
Byleth then looks back at her monitor, watching Ruby's progress & how her trial is going on her end so far.
We cut back to Ruby who gets up & extends her hand to Weiss, who surprisingly takes it as Ruby pulls her back to her feet.
Weiss: So, now what?
Ruby: We keep heading north from here until we reach the top of the Ruins of Emerald Castle, we still have some time left.
They then hear the Nevermore howl in anger as it finally finds the girls from afar & begins taking chase, Ruby then turns around & takes Weiss in a bridal carry once again.
Weiss: What the- Hey! Is this necessary?!
Ruby: Just shut up & hold onto me tightly until we get to lower ground, alright?!
Ruby then jumps down from peak to peak & runs down the hills as the Nevermore chases them relentlessly; Ruby dodges every flying feather that the Nevermore fires at her direction, but it seems that the Nevermore is getting more & more aggressive as it even starts charging at them & trying to tackle them. The ground below starts cracking & breaking apart as the sharp feathers made some of the hills & platforms become more & more unstable, making Ruby jump from falling boulder to falling boulder until they finally arrive at the entrance of The Ruins of Emerald Castle. Ruby finally puts Weiss down, knowing that she won't be needing to carry her anymore, much to Weiss' relief.
Weiss: *Panting heavily* Don't you ever do that again!... Huh?
Weiss takes some time to look at the Ruins of Emerald Castle. Even in shambles, this place was just gorgeous! Despite being in pieces, Weiss could tell that this was a massive castle that belonged to some royal family from the past. The greenery that's now growing through the castle only adds to the mystical beauty of this ancient palace.
Ruby: It's beautiful, isn't?
Weiss: Yeah, it is… Who would've thought that such a place would exist in a big valley like this? Wonder what happened that turned what was a wonderful palace into… This!
As the Ice Flower duo remanence at the beautiful scenery, they hear the Nevermore from afar once again, but also a screech from another large Grimm. They both look around until Ruby spots Yang & everyone else running from a giant scorpion Grimm.
Ruby: Looks like we aren't the only ones having trouble, look over there!
Weiss looks at the direction is pointing at & just when she thought that the Nevermore wasn't enough, here comes a giant freaking Deathstalker that's chasing 6 people heading their way, wonderful! Yang finally spots her little sister who's waving at her direction & gets excited as she reloads Ember Celica once again.
Yang: Wait, is that- Ruby?! HEY~, RUBY~!
Yang launches herself with Ember Celica towards Ruby's direction & then tackle hugging Ruby, much to her dismay. Good thing they didn't fall into a cliff or something like that.
Yang: I'm so glad that you're alright, what happened & where have you been?!
Yang is hugging Ruby a little too tight, to the point where she can barely catch her breath.
Ruby: {Y- Yang!... Too-… Tight!... Can't B- Breathe~!}
Yang finally stops hugging her little sister so tightly & helps her get back up to her feet, while also dusting her a little bit.
Ruby: & To answer your question, we were running from a giant Nevermore that was chasing us down & now we're here in the Ruins of Emerald Castle!
Yang: *Raises an eyebrow* Wait, "We"?
Ruby then points at Weiss, who's completely dumbfounded at what she just saw. Yang just came from many yards away to where they are just now like it's nothing, what the hell is wrong with these girls?! How can they be this skilled & powerful, it doesn't make any logical sense! Yang isn't very pleased seeing Weiss right now, given her attitude & the fact that she's most likely partners with her baby sister only made things even worse!
Yang: Oh, great!... It's you…
Weiss: Well, it's nice to see you too.
Before they can continue, they noticed that everyone else has regrouped to where Weiss & the Rose Xiao-Long sisters have gathered. The Deathstalker is too large to cross over the gates & shattered bridge of Emerald Castle, so it walks around the ruins trying to find another way to get in. The Nevermore however just flies in circles around the Ruins of Emerald Castle, almost like a Dragon guarding its palace. Ruby then takes a look at the remaining contestants that have gathered around; herself, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha & 2 other people who she didn't meet in person yet, but recalls seeing them together on a few occasions. Ruby looks around them & see both "Boss Grimm" waiting for their chance to strike, that's where Ruby decides to take charge as she looks at Jaune & the others that were being pursued by the Deathstalker.
Ruby: We can't get to the ruins with those guys on our way, are any of you guys alright?!
Jaune: N- No, we're fine! Thank you for asking, but what do we do now?! We can't possibly defeat both of these Grimm at the same time, can we?!
Ruby looks at the Deathstalker from afar, climbing down the cliff that divides the hills & the castle with the plan of just crawling its way up to them; as well as the Nevermore that's hovering above them. Ruby whips out her Scythe as she smirks confidently.
Ruby: Yes!... We can defeat these Grimm!... But if we want to win, we have to work as a team & show those guys what we're made of! *Raises her arm* Who's with me?!
Everyone gets shocked as Ruby not only said that they have a chance of victory, but is also taking charge & requesting their help, their very surprised that a little girl is so confident, yet doesn't come across as arrogant when she suddenly takes charge like that. (Minus Yang, who's smiling softly at her sister. She was really proud of her.) Although Weiss isn't very happy that she's taking charge like that.
Weiss: Now wait just a moment! Who decided to put you in charge?! Do you even know what you're doing?!
For once, Ruby has to agree with Weiss. She doesn't know jack about leading a team, much less a group of many teens training to become Huntsmen. But at this point, she doesn't have any other choice but to try! So she's gonna do what she does best as she shoots a confident, yet reassuring smirk at Weiss.
Ruby: Nope, I don't… But I'm not going to turn back or give up! Nothing starts until you take that first step into the unknown, that's my way of life!
Weiss then sees something she thought that it was impossible, she suddenly saw a glimpse of her deceased Grandfather through Ruby. But why? Did that confidence of hers reminds Weiss of Nicholas Schnee? Did that ray of positivity & comfort was in some way similar to the late Atlesian Emperor? Weiss isn't very sure. But regardless of that, she just sighs at Ruby's response, but while also giving her a soft smile.
Weiss: Honestly, you're one crazy girl. Alright, what's the plan?
Ruby then looks down the cliff & see that the Deathstalker has begun climbing its way towards The Ruins of Emerald Castle, but she also notices some damage on its legs. That gives Ruby an idea as she looks at Pyrrha.
Ruby: Say, Pyrrha. Those bruises I spotted on the Deathstalker's legs, were you & the others behind those injuries?
Pyrrha: Yes, Nora & Yang fired some grenades & shotgun barrels respectively to slow it down earlier, are you implying that it caused a lot more damage than we thought?
Ruby: Yup! That's gonna be our trump card against that giant bug.
As Ruby explains her plan, Blake suddenly appears next to Ruby to correct her about calling the Deathstalker a "Bug", much to her annoyance.
Blake: Actually, Deathstalkers are based on scorpions; which are arachnids, not bugs.
Ruby: My point is that you guys can knock it down & make it easier for yourselves to remove its large pincers & stinger. Vomit Boy, can you & those 3 with you handle the Deathstalker while it's still weak?
Jaune: Urgh! For the last freaking time, my name is Jaune!... But yes, we can keep the Deathstalker at bay. But what about that giant Nevermore up there?
Jaune says that last bit while pointing upwards as they see the Nevermore land at the top of the Ruins of Emerald Castle & spread its wings while proudly screeching. Ruby then looks back to the remaining 3 girls, Weiss, Blake & Yang.
Ruby: Oh, I have some unfinished business with that jerk! Yang, Blake, Weiss, you're coming with me! *Takes out Crescent Rose* We're having fried Nevermore for dinner!
As Ruby glares at the Nevermore, almost like its glaring at a lifelong enemy that she clashed with many times in the past… Too bad that this cool little moment of silence is ruined by Blake being "That Guy" once again, much to Ruby's annoyance.
Blake: You do know that Grimm aren't edible, right?
Ruby: Oh, for the love of- just follow my lead, alright?!
Ruby heads towards the castle as Weiss, Blake & Yang follow suit. Meanwhile, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha & Ren stand their ground as they prepare themselves to fight the incoming Deathstalker. This will be the final trial for the contestants, can they win? Let's find out!
[Music: Red Like Roses Part 2 from RWBY]
Jaune & the others pulled back as the Deathstalker finally rises up, ready to kill anyone who stands in its way. But now, Jaune & his future teammates were ready for the face-off! Being the weakest of the team, Jaune decided to take up the roll of strategist for this fight & despite just meeting each other, they have this odd feeling that they can trust Jaune & whatever commands he can give them.
Jaune: Alright, Ren! Pyrrha! Attack the Deathstalker through the sides & strike its legs, we need to make those injuries even worse!
Ren: Roger!
Pyrrha: You got it!
Pyrrha charged towards the left while Ren charged right, The Deathstalker tries to attack one of them with its large pincers, but Jaune came in between them & pushed the incoming pincer away with his shield. While Ren was able to do some damage to the right legs of the Deathstalker, Pyrrha was able to cut off its left legs, making it impossible for the Deathstalker to walk. It tries to attack Ren with its giant stinger, but the ninja boy dodges the incoming attack & climbs its tail in the attempt of cutting off the stinger. The Deathstalker tries to wave its tail & throw Ren to the side, but it keeps getting distracted as Nora keeps firing grenades from her grenade launcher, while Pyrrha keeps firing it with her rifle. Unfortunately, the Deathstalker is able to throw Ren to the side, sending him crashing against one of the pillars & uses its large pincers to strike down the others. While they were able to dodge the incoming attack, the strength of that attack was able to break the bridge & separate both sides. That's when Jaune notices the damage that Ren dealt on the Deathstalker's tail, giving him an idea as he looks at Pyrrha.
Jaune: Pyrrha! His tail!
Pyrrha looks at where Jaune pointed & notices the damage as well, she nods at the young man before throwing her shield in between the Deathstalker's tail & stinger like a boomerang & cuts the stinger off, which falls on top of the Deathstalker's head. Jaune then looks at Nora as he shows off his shield, knowing what to do next.
Jaune: Your move, Nora! Finish him off!
Nora: *Smirks* With pleasure!
Nora transforms her grenade launcher into a giant metal hammer & jumps high into the sky. She places her feet on the lower end of her hammer as the upper end lands on Jaune's shield & uses some of his newfound Aura & give Nora a big jump boost. Nora is sent flying high into the sky & smiles at the camera before diving back down & slamming her hammer in the stinger, which goes deep enough into the Deathstalker's head & kills it as it falls into the abyss below.
Jaune, Nora & Pyrrha get to safer ground as they watch the Deathstalker fall to its demise, with Ren coming towards him while holding his left arm. That's one boss Grimm down & 1 more to go, they all look at the fight with the nevermore against Ruby's team.
Jaune: Good luck, Ruby.
The teens watch on as the battle between Ruby & the girls against the Nevermore keeps raging on as the Nevermore flies circles around the Ruins of Emerald Castle while getting shot by Yang, who's at the top of one of the pillars & firing many shotgun rounds at the Nevermore. The Nevermore then dives down to eat Yang, only for her to jump & keep its beak open by force by pushing her foot downwards & holding the beak open with her left hand, then Yang starts firing more shotgun rounds right at the Nevermore's throat.
Yang: I. HOPE. YOU'RE. HUN. GRY!
Yang then looks behind & sees that they're about to hit the castle. Once they get close enough, Yang jumps off the Nevermore's mouth & safely lands on the ground below, just in time for the Nevermore to crash into the castle & have bits of it fall into its back. Yang looks around & spots Blake spinning one of her sickles around, preparing to fire & wrap around a distant solid area. Yang also sees Weiss running at her direction & smiles as they cross paths, the Nevermore pushes off the rubble that was on top of it, but it could not have taken to the sky as Weiss uses Myrtenaster to stab the floor & summons a giant glacier around the Nevermore, freezing its tail & making it incapable of taking off.
Weiss uses her glyphs to launch herself back to the others as Blake throws her sickle towards Yang, who catches it & stabs it on the pillar she was holding onto, while Blake pulls the elastic ribbon of Gambol shroud to form a slingshot of sorts. That's when Ruby jumps at the ribbon with her scythe & gets pulled back like a reloading catapult by Weiss' black glyphs, waiting for the perfect moment to fire.
Weiss: Of course, you would come up with a plan as crazy as this one.
Ruby: *Smirks* What can I say? I like taking risks in life. Just wait for my signal, got it?
Weiss: *Huffs* Whatever, dolt. Just don't screw things up!
Once the Nevermore starts to break from the ice, Ruby reloads Crescent Rose & gets ready to lay waste on the flying beast. Once the cracks on the ice start to show up, Ruby gives Weiss the signal while reloading her rifle.
Ruby: NOW!
Weiss nods as she launches Ruby like a catapult straight at the Nevermore who finally gets free from having its tail incased with ice, but it can do nothing as Ruby charges at the flying beast & places her scythe in its throat while she plants her feet on the walls of the Castle. She then begins accelerating until she finally bursts off at full speed while running around the castle while holding the Nevermore by its neck with Crescent Rose. She keeps getting faster & faster until she eventually reaches the top of the Ruins & runs her scythe through the Nevermore's neck & decapitates the flying beast, killing it once & for all, ending the long, hard-fought battle.
[Music end]
Everyone else watches on as Ruby brutally kills the Nevermore with such skill & efficiency, that they're almost scared at how efficient Ruby is at killing Grimm. Although Yang can't help but pump her fists in celebration.
Yang: YEAH, WAY TO GO, SIS!
[Jingle: Round Clear from Sonic Adventure]
Ruby smirks as she spins around Crescent Rose for a while until she strikes an elegant, yet flashy victory pose.
Ruby: Yosha!
[Phase 1: Ashen Rose – Prologue: The Trials of Emerald Valley: Cleared]
[MVP: Ruby]
Ruby: *Whistles* That was tight!
Ruby then starts heading back down as the team regroup, with Yang giving her little sister a big hug & expressing how proud she is of her.
The teachers all watch in amazement at the level of skill & performance that the young teens have just displayed, Glynda is speechless once more, Sothis is celebrating like an excited kid once again, while Ozpin & Byleth share a fond smile at one another, proud at the great level of teamwork that was displayed in this fight.
Sothis: Hah! looks like these children were a lot better than you all predicted, don't you think so as well?
Sothis looks at Byleth who nods in response, but still keeping quiet as she watches the kids celebrate their victory through her monitor, with Yang & Nora holding Ruby high to the sky while they keep cheering her on. Ozpin just smiles as he starts dialing in his scroll.
Ozpin: Well, how about we give these youths a ride back home so that they can bask in their victory at a better location?
Ozpin then calls for a bullhead to take them to where the kids are & go back home. As they're waiting for their ride back home, Byleth can't help but see her precious Golden Deer through those kids. She's struggling to hold back a few tears of pride & sadness.
Later that evening, everyone watches Headmaster Ozpin call forth & form the newly formed teams that passed through the test at Emerald Valley. He stands on top of the amphitheater as he calls forth the final 2 teams that have passed the trial, he calls forth Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha & Ren to come stand alongside His Majesty.
Ozpin: Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos & Lie Ren. You have assembled 4 relics representing the Queen; from this point onwards, you will be known as: Team JNPR (Juniper). Lead by: Jaune Arc!
Jaune: Wait, what?!
The crowd cheers as the newly formed Team JNPR takes the stage, with Nora hugging Ren tightly & Jaune being incredibly surprised that he was chosen as team leader. Ozpin just gives him a nod of reassurance as Pyrrha congratulates the young man.
Pyrrha: Congrats, "Fearless Leader". You've earned it.
Jaune: I… I did?
Pyrrha: Yes, you did. You've shown great skill back there, especially in tactics. Be proud!
Jaune can't help but smile as Pyrrha & his new teammates congratulate him, maybe he has more potential than he thought? He did indeed manage to form a strategy to defeat the Deathstalker on the spot, so perhaps he can become a great Huntsman after all. After their celebration, they step out of stage to let Ruby, Weiss, Blake & Yang take the stage as Ozpin calls them to step forth.
Ozpin: & Finally, our final team to have passed the Trials of Emerald Valley, please step forth! Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake & Yang Xiao-Long. You have assembled 4 relics representing the Knight; from this point onwards, you will be known as: Team RWBY (Ruby). Lead by: Ruby Rose!
Ruby gasps in excitement when she hears that she'll be the leader of the newly formed Team RWBY, much to Weiss' disappointment since she wanted to become the leader.
Weiss: WHAT?!
Yang: I'm so proud of my little sister!
Yang pulls her baby sister in a big hug, who returns the kind gesture as she gets excited. Blake just keeps her arms crossed & keeps her stoic demeanor, but she does look at the young child & shoots her an approving nod that says "Good job, kid" & Weiss just looks away all grumpy. The crowd cheers as the newly formed team takes the stage. Ozpin smiles at the girls while feeling a great sense of pride at them, especially towards Ruby. He knew that she had great potential & he's glad to know that he has made the right choice in enrolling her early. Byleth smiles from afar at the newly formed Team RWBY, knowing that this will be quite the year for Beacon Academy. All that's left to do is get Ruby in her class & she can properly start her mission as Ruby's "bodyguard".
Later that evening, the new teams finally get to sleep in actual rooms. In one of the dorm buildings that's right next to Beacon Academy, Teams RWBY & JNPR have already gotten into their new rooms. The rooms have a bedroom that consists of 2 desks that reside next to the door, one per each side, 2 wardrobes that doubles as a drawer in the right side of the room, while the left side has a door where the dorm bathroom is located. Which is small, but not too tight & it has a shower, a bath tub, a toilet, a mirror, a sink; ya'know, things that you expect a bathroom to have. As for the beds, a pair of bunkbeds that has drawers on the bottom bunks. The girls are rather impressed at how simple, yet well made these dorm rooms are, impressed with Beacon Academy's great quality service.
Ruby: Woah, there's bunkbeds here?! Sweet!
Blake: It's certainly more practical & effective, having 4 beds placed down on the floor would occupy too much space for a room this small.
Yang: Yeah, we'd probably make our own bunkbeds if that was the case.
Weiss: Well then, it's a good thing that we don't need to do that. Since I get this odd feeling that you & your sister would make very impractical & dangerous bunkbeds!
The Rose Xiao-Long sisters laugh awkwardly as Blake just rolls her eyes at the thought of it, the girls started to lay down their bags & suitcases to begin unpacking & decorate their new home. Weiss' stuff is the typical rich stuff like jewelry & pretty clothes, Yang's stuff is a few music posters, some training equipment & a few biker jackets, as well as placing some Fire Emblem figurines on her side of the wardrobe. Blake reveals that she's a bit of a bookworm by placing a bunch of novels & adjusting them in order one by one on the table; but when she was about to place a novel titled "The Ninjas of Love" alongside her other books, she blushes madly & goes to hide it somewhere else. As for Ruby, it's nothing too special like the other 3; just some books, video games & a small fireball sculpture that was a gift from a childhood friend of hers. She places the fireball sculpture down to one of the tables while having a tender smile on her face. After cleaning things up & adjusting their wardrobes with some of the clothes they brought over, they sat down their beds & relax a little bit. Ruby takes the left top bunk while Weiss takes the bottom left bunk, while Blake takes the bottom right bunk & Yang takes the top right bunk. Ruby then begins reflecting on how she got here in the first place.
Ruby: *Takes a deep breath* I still can't believe it, we've made it!... I've made it!
Yang: Yeah, powerful feeling, right? Feeling a little overwhelmed, little sis?
Ruby: Heh, yeah! I guess you could say that, I'm just glad I was able to get in the same team as you. With that in mind, however… Me? As a leader?... I don't know, it doesn't really feel right… I mean, we were mostly able to survive today's fight by pure luck…
Blake: I couldn't disagree with you more, kid.
Ruby & Yang look at Blake curiously as she keeps her eyes on one of her novels.
Blake: You've looked at the situation in front of you & thought that the only way out of it is if everyone cooperated & fought those 2 Grimm separately instead of fighting them both at once. You were efficient in developing a strategy in the nick of time as we were weakening the Nevermore just enough for us to launch you towards it & finish it off. We didn't win out of luck, but rather because you managed to rally us all up & stand against those monsters as a unit… You should take pride in that, kid.
Ruby can't help but look away & blush sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head, appreciating Blake's words, even if she was a little embarrassed in expressing it through words. Yang smiles at how her sister is reacting & how her partner reassured their leader like that, joining in with Blake & her compliments.
Yang: She's right, Ruby. You've earned this victory & you've earned the title of leader, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, got it?
Blake puts her novel to the side before getting out of bed & taking one of the towels, about to head into the bathroom & take a shower before going to sleep for the night.
Blake: I'm kinda tired today, so I'm going to take a quick shower before hitting the hay. Try not to make a mess while I'm gone, please?
Ruby: Okay, just don't take very long.
Blake nods at Ruby before she heads inside of the bathroom & closes the door behind her, making her teammates rather confused as to what the hell was that about, perhaps Blake is someone who keeps things to herself a bit too much? Maybe, but they're not going to worry about it for the moment… Well, everyone except Weiss.
Weiss: I don't trust her!
Yang: What?! What's that supposed to mean?
Weiss: I can't quite explain, but she's hiding something… I just know it!... & Don't both guys find it odd that when we were at the amphitheater earlier, His Majesty only called her "Blake"?... Why didn't he say her last name like he did with the rest of us?
Yang looks at Weiss shocked to even think of such a thing while Ruby just rolls her eyes at the thought, not a fan of the suspicion that Weiss is expressing about their teammate.
Ruby: Come on, Weiss; knock it off! Okay, it is a little weird that Prof. Ozpin didn't call her by her full name during the ceremony, but maybe she doesn't have a last name to begin with, or maybe she did have one, but she might've discarded for some reason… Besides, Blake looks like the kind of person who keeps things to herself. I say we give her some space & just let her be, she hasn't given us any reasons to mistrust her yet.
Weiss clearly doesn't like this idea one bit & looks away in disapproval. Something about that ronin rubbed her the wrong way & she's going to find that out one way or another. So for the moment, she'll keep her eyes on Blake from afar & see if she can find anything that might prove her suspicions right, but she can't get careless in this task. One small mistake & it's all over, she also must keep a close eye on these 2 sisters, she still wants to know why they're existence was kept a secret. Before she can think any further, their front door suddenly gets knocked. Ruby gets out from her bunk to answer the door, she gets really excited to see who it was.
Ruby: Ah! Byleth, Sothis!
It was them indeed. Byleth was carrying a small basket in one of her hands while Sothis greeted her like she's seeing an old friend again.
Sothis: Yo! Congrats on the exam earlier today!
Ruby blushes as she scratches the back of her head, feeling her face heat up a bit.
Ruby: Yare Yare, you guys are acting like I've done something special. I was just doing what I needed to do, that's all.
Byleth chuckles as Ruby lets them get inside, taking a look at their dormroom.
Byleth: So this is your dorm? It looks nice.
Ruby: Thanks, we finished decorating just a few minutes ago.
While looking around, they noticed the lack of a certain someone on their team.
Byleth: Where's Blake?
Yang: She's in the bathroom, she wanted to take a shower before hitting the hay.
Yang then sits up before getting down from her bunk as well, going to greet Byleth.
Yang: So, what brings you here?
Byleth shows off the basket for the Rose Xiao-Long sisters before speaking.
Byleth: We just got this from the mail, His Majesty asked me to deliver this to you both. It was from someone named… "TaiYang Xiao-Long", or something like that.
Ruby & Yang: FROM DAD?!
The Rose Xiao-Long Sisters immediately took the basket from Byleth's hands & opened it while sounding very excited, seeing what was inside of it. A pile of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies & a piece of strawberry short cake for Ruby, while Yang gets some kung pao chicken & a homemade cup ramen, they're favorite snacks gathered in one warm basket. Both sisters feel a kind warmth alongside the desire to feast themselves with these treats they're Father send them.
Yang: He made all of this for us?! Our old man never ceases to surprise us, eh Rubes?
During their drooling, Ruby takes note of a piece of paper in the basket as well. She takes it to see what it is, it's a letter from their Father.
Ruby: Look, Sis! He sent us a letter too!
Yang: Well, go on. Read it!
Ruby nods as she begins reading the letter, this is what it reads: "To my girls. If you're reading this, then that means you both passed Ozpin's test & are now at Beacon. I could never be prouder of you both, so I had these made in preparation. Ozpin told me how great the both of you were in the Trials of Emerald Valley, I'm happy to know that my Daughters will be safe & sound under His Majesty's watchful eye. I wish you both the best of luck & always remember to live your lives to the fullest! Love you both, TaiYang." Ruby blushes as she finishes reading the letter, feeling a warm fuzzy feeling inside of her from hearing that her Father did this for them.
Ruby: Yare Yare Daze… Even when we're not home, he's watching after us…
Byleth: I think that's wonderful, not everyone gets to have a Dad like that.
Weiss has been ignoring these "annoying peasants" from the moment Byleth & Sothis came in, but she suddenly tilts her head back when she heard Byleth's last statement. A couple of bad memories begin going through her head as she decides to get off her bunk, get her rapier & pass through the others. Ruby's curious about what's going on with Weiss & tries to call out to her.
Ruby: Oi, Weiss! What's the matter?
Weiss suddenly stops to look back at Ruby to answer her question.
Weiss: I'm gonna get some fresh air, I'll return in about an hour or so.
With that, Weiss leaves the room without another word as the others look at each other before shrugging, not taking her decision to go outside very seriously at first. That's when Ruby decides to speak up as she looks back to Byleth.
Ruby: Hey, Byleth! Wanna spend some time together with us here? We can celebrate our arrival at Beacon together, what do you say?
Yang: *Chimes in* Yeah, it'd be fun! What do you guys say?
While a little hesitant at first, she suddenly feels a wave of nostalgia from the earnest demeanor coming from these 2 sisters. She has flashes of Claude & the other Golden Deer asking her out for a feast after their victory over their test. At that moment, Byleth couldn't refuse the offer anymore & a small smile grows on her face as she speaks up.
Byleth: Yes, I'd love that.
Byleth & Sothis say at Team RWBY's dorm for a while so that they can hang out with these sisters, they shared some wacky & fun stories with each other, ate the food TaiYang send them & even played some videogames together… & Despite being their first time, Byleth & Sothis were really good, almost as if they were from a videogame themselves.
After a lot of trial & error, Ruby has finally become an official student of Beacon Academy & the leader of the newly found Team RWBY, consisting of herself, Weiss, Blake & Yang. Which also means that they'll officially start taking class sections from Byleth starting at Monday: March 24th of Valean Year 1180 since tomorrow is Sunday & they have breaks on Sunday (Thank fuck). But how will their first day in class will go? How will Ruby fair as the leader of Team RWBY? What are Weiss' suspicions over Blake? What are Blake's ultimate goals? Find out next time on RWBY: The Verdant Light of Remnant!
RWBY: The Verdant Light of Remnant - Chapter 5: Players & Pieces - End.
Author's notes: Okay, that was a longass chapter & as you noticed, i SUCK at writing action scenes... Although in my defense, writing action scene through words is a PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS! & this is RWBY, combat plays a big role here, so i can't just skip it or cut it out & trust me, THAT SUCKS! So for those complaining that the action isn't good here, let me remind you that this is purely literature, i don't have the advatantage of animating & express storytelling & action scenes through visuals like THEY have!
Anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter cause next time, we're having one of the first REAL exclusive chapters of this AU Xover, where we not only learn how Remnant works here, but also see how Byleth will start her dynamic with her new students. i'm a little tired after writing this AND chapter 4 back to back, so i won't be answering any of the inevitable questions i'm gonna have for this chapter's author notes. This has been Remnant Bardock & until our next meeting, have a wonderful day, my friends!
Edit: Once again, some slight dialogue changes for the most part. The REAL game changer was the ending. Yeah, i removed Blake's meeting with Oz so we could focus more on Ruby & the others. Also, i wanted to give Tai some shine by having him deliver a congratulations gift for his girls. Now things might change a bit more in the edits of the NEXT 2 chapters, but only time will tell. Alright, that's enough for me. This has been Remnant Bardock & until our next meeting, have a wonderful meeting my friends!