Chapter 3) Making Friends
Pyrrha landed on a wide branch with substantially more force than she had meant to, having not quite succeeded in slowing herself down as much as she would have liked. As her knees began to buckle under her, she thought quickly and transitioned into a forward roll and then into a low crouch to stop herself from tumbling to the forest floor below.
That was a little too close.
After taking a brief moment to regain her bearings, Pyrrha stowed her shield, Akoúo̱, on her back, then switched Miló into its rifle form so she could use its scope to scout her surroundings.
The Emerald Forest sprawled for miles in every direction. Behind her was the cliff she had just departed from, but besides that she could make out no other landmarks to indicate any areas of significance. If the ruins were indeed here, they were quite some distance away.
Well, I suppose I should keep moving forwards for now, see what I can find.
With that, Pyrrha leapt down from her perch, using the branches below her to safely make her way down to the forest floor. After a quick scan to make sure no Grimm were nearby, Pyrrha switched Miló back into its sword form and slid Akoúo̱ back onto her other arm. With her weapons at the ready in case of any ambush, she began to make her way deeper into the forest.
Pyrrha did not run. After all, she quite literally had all day to complete the appointed task, so conserving her energy was the priority right now. Wearing herself out early on would not end well. She needed to be ready to fight at any moment, and that would be tricky if she was exhausted from running everywhere. Better to take it slow for the time being.
The forest was fairly quiet, save for the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, and the occasional gunshot in the distance that indicated some of her future classmates engaging in combat with Grimm.
I wonder how the others are faring? And who might I run into first?
Although she felt a bit guilty for thinking it, she hoped that she didn't run into that Weiss girl first. Pyrrha had never particularly liked it when people gushed over her like that. It was part of the reason why she had chosen to attend Beacon instead of Haven back in Mistral.
I shouldn't judge her so quickly. Who knows, she might be a good partner if we teamed up.
Pyrrha was wondering if she should head in the direction of the gunfire and find herself a partner now, when she heard the sound of someone, or something, approaching from her right.
Her combat instincts and training taking over, Pyrrha turned towards the sound, raising both shield and sword and adopting a defensive stance. She could tell by the sound that whatever was approaching her, there were more than one of them, and they were approaching fast.
Beowolves, most likely. I'd guess about a half dozen, judging by the sound of it. Young ones, if they're so eager to charge in without fanning out to surround me. But they won't be the only ones to realise I'm here. I should deal with them quickly and move-
Pyrrha's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of something else approaching her from behind.
And then, a voice called out.
"Hey, is someone there?"
Pyrrha did not have time to respond to that, as the Beowolf pack chose that exact moment to erupt from the shade of the trees and charge at her all at once.
Six in total, just as she had predicted. Black-furred, with white-skulled heads lined with red markings. Jaws filled with long, sharp teeth. Claws like daggers. Spurs of bone protruding from their bodies.
All other thought left Pyrrha Nikos' mind. All she was focused on were the Grimm in front of her.
Claws slashed. Jaws snapped. Pyrrha dodged or blocked it all, Miló and Akoúo̱ dancing in her hands as she parried attack after attack, keeping her eyes open for any opportunity to respond with a strike of her own.
She had been right in her assumptions. These Grimm were indeed quite young, and thus not especially cautious or well-coordinated. Soon enough, openings began to make themselves apparent as the Beowolves grew impatient and sloppy.
A quick thrust took out the first Beowolf, skewering its head and killing it instantly. Two more followed in quick succession, leaving only two more to deal with.
Roaring with rage, the final pair leapt in unison, clawed forearms outstretched as they closed in on both sides.
They were both wide open and defenceless.
With her left arm, Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱, the sharpened edge of her shield slicing into the body of its target as if it were butter. With her right arm, she thrust with Miló, extending her main weapon into its full spear form. The lunging Beowolf was impaled fully through the chest and dangled lifelessly on the end, its body already beginning to evaporate as all slain Grimm did.
The fight had lasted less than half a minute. Pyrrha had dispatched the entire pack with practiced skill and efficiency-
ROAR!
Wait, I only took out five! There's one more!
Acting swiftly, Pyrrha pulled her weapons back into her hands with her Semblance and spun around, ready to engage her final opponent.
Only, it seemed that this Beowolf had chosen a different target. It was Jaune, the blonde boy she had spoken to earlier back in the main locker room. The Beowolf was on him, swiping for his head with its claws.
Jaune raised his shield to defend himself, stepping backwards as he did so, seemingly trying to put some distance between himself and the Grimm. It was useless. This Beowolf was clearly not feeling patient, and continued to lunge at the boy, swiping at him over and over again.
Pyrrha stowed her shield away and switched Miló into its rifle form, but otherwise did nothing. She stayed where she was, watching the fight play out in front of her. She was interested to see what Jaune could do.
I shouldn't get in his way. I'll step in if he needs help.
The Beowolf continued to slash wildly at its prey, and Jaune continued to stay on the defensive, blocking each blow and stepping backwards each time he did so.
Is he trying to lure it somewhere? What is he doing?
The Beowolf stopped its advance, dropping onto all fours and rearing back. Pyrrha recognised the act as a preparation for a powerful leap. The Beowolf was planning to ram Jaune head-on.
To Pyrrha's surprise and alarm, Jaune chose that moment to thrust with his sword, clearly aiming to stab the Beowolf's head.
No! You should have let it leap at you, dodged, then attacked! If you attack now, you'll just-
Sure enough, the crouching Beowolf moved its head to one side to avoid the lunge, then twisted and opened its jaws to seize the sword. With a quick tug, the weapon was wrenched out of Jaune's grasp and flung away.
Then the Beowolf sprang forwards, slamming head-first into Jaune's stomach and sending him flying backwards. The boy landed on his back several meters away, but that distance was quickly closed by the Grimm, jaws wide and ready to maul its prey.
This battle was over.
Pyrrha raised her rifle and fired a single shot, hitting the Beowolf in its throat. A second shot to the side of its head finished the job.
"Are you OK?" Pyrrha asked after taking a moment to make sure there weren't any more Grimm approaching.
"Y-yeah," replied Jaune, slowly getting back on his feet. "Thanks."
Pyrrha made her way over to Jaune, picking up his sword and returning it to him. "We should move on. Other Grimm will be here soon."
Jaune nodded, stowing his shield and sword. "I guess we're a team now?"
Pyrrha smiled, holding out one hand. "I suppose we are."
Jaune seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he took Pyrrha's hand and shook, wincing as he did so.
Pyrrha frowned. "You're injured?"
"I think I landed on my shoulder a bit hard." Jaune pressed his left hand to his right shoulder with a grimace. "Gonna have to be more careful."
Pyrrha felt very confused by this. Unless Jaune had already been in multiple combat encounters, which was doubtful considering how little time had passed since they had been launched into the forest, Jaune's Aura should have been more than sufficient to deal with that hit.
"Why didn't you activate your Aura?"
Jaune stiffened at that, turning away from Pyrrha.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha stepped forwards and placed a hand on Jaune's other shoulder.
"I don't have Aura."
Pyrrha blinked. "Huh?"
"I said I don't have Aura!" Jaune snapped, pulling away. "I never unlocked my Aura."
Pyrrha stared at Jaune, stunned by what she had just heard. No Aura? How had Jaune managed to make it this far with such a huge disadvantage?
Crack!
Pyrrha knew better than to turn and see what was behind her. Trusting her instincts, she threw herself to one side, just in time to avoid the much larger Beowolf's jaws from chomping into her body.
An Alpha? No, this one is just older than the others were.
Alpha or not, this Beowolf was still a threat, so Pyrrha quickly switched from rifle to spear and prepared to launch into combat once more. She needed to take this one out fast, and not just for her own sake now. Jaune was in no condition to…
Pyrrha once again found herself staring at Jaune in shock, but for a very different reason than before.
The Beowolf had continued its advance after Pyrrha had evaded its initial attack, charging straight for Jaune instead. Jaune however, rather than try to evade, instead swung his still-sheathed weapon into the Grimm's head, knocking it off-balance and causing it to stumble and fall.
A second blow to the now-downed Grimm was then delivered with enough force to cave in its skull with an audible crunch, killing it instantly.
…
He's strong.
"Arg!" Jaune collapsed to his knees, dropping his sword, and clutching his shoulder as his face twisted in pain.
He's reckless.
Pyrrha once again walked over to Jaune and knelt by his side, equal parts impressed, concerned, and dumbfounded by this bizarre boy in front of her.
He's had no training, I can tell. But I can also tell that he has potential.
"Dammit!" grunted Jaune. "I'm sorry. I should've been more careful."
"Yes, you should have," agreed Pyrrha. Then she smiled. "But given the circumstances, I'd say you did very well."
Standing up, Pyrrha offered Jaune her hand.
"I can unlock your Aura for you, if you want me to."
The look on Jaune's face almost made Pyrrha laugh.
"H-how!? Don't you need, like, special training to do that sort of thing?"
"Yes, you do," agreed Pyrrha. "Don't worry, I've done this before. So long as your body can handle it, it's perfectly safe. And based on what I've just seen, you should be fine."
Well, that wasn't entirely true, but Jaune didn't need to know that.
"Why would you do that for me?" he asked.
Pyrrha cocked her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"
Jaune's mouth opened and closed several times. He seemed completely lost for words. After a moment, he took Pyrrha's hand and allowed her to pull him up.
"So what do I do?"
Pyrrha placed one palm against Jaune's temple and her other against his chest, over his heart. "Just close your eyes and concentrate on what I say."
Jaune complied, closing his eyes, and standing very still.
Pyrrha closed her own eyes and took a deep breath. Calling upon her Aura, Pyrrha pushed it out of her palms and into Jaune's body, reciting the words she had been taught while she directed the energy of her soul to seek out Jaune's.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death."
There!
The energy of Jaune's soul thrummed within his body, warm and strong and very, very plentiful. It was ready to be unlocked. Pyrrha latched onto this with her own Aura, and began to pull it out.
"I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."
Jaune's Aura needed no further prompting. With a sudden rush, Pyrrha found her own Aura pushed out by the sheer force of Jaune's. Letting go, she took a step back and panted, suddenly feeling quite tired.
"Pyrrha? Are you alright?"
Pyrrha opened her eyes to see Jaune looking at her with concern.
"I'm alright," she replied. "It's done. I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you is now your own."
Jaune tentatively raised his injured arm, and Pyrrha saw his eyes widen in surprise. "It's all better. It doesn't hurt anymore!"
Pyrrha gave him a smile. "You have a lot of it. But do remember that it doesn't make you invincible. You still need to be careful."
"Right, of course." Jaune lowered his arm. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," replied Pyrrha. "Now, we should really get going."
Jaune nodded. "Lead the way, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha chuckled a little at that, and the pair resumed their journey through the forest.
I have a lot of questions I want to ask him, but I suppose they can wait. I don't want to press too hard. I get the feeling that he may not appreciate that.
Let's just finish the initiation for now. I can find out more about my new partner later.
Blake remained crouched within the bush, watching the fight play out before her eyes with interest.
"Sheesh, you guys are so slow! I've known old ladies who could move faster than this!"
Blake had heard the sound of someone fighting Grimm and had come to investigate, staying low to avoid being seen. She had arrived to find Yang, the blonde girl she had met yesterday, running circles around a pair of Ursai that had attacked her. Neither beast had managed to land so much as a single hit on her in that time, and Yang seemed to be treating the whole thing like a game, grinning madly and cracking jokes all the while.
"Welp, I'm getting bored now," Yang quipped. "Shall we wrap this up?"
Blake watched as Yang's bracelets unfolded across her arms, transforming into a pair of gauntlets. With a yell, Yang delivered a quick one-two combo to the first Ursa, each blow accompanied by shotgun blasts that sent the enormous Grimm flying across the small clearing they were fighting in.
The second Ursa swiped at Yang, which she easily ducked underneath before delivering a swift uppercut to the Grimm's jaw, blowing its head clean off with the force of the hit. The now-decapitated Ursa fell to the ground, already beginning to disintegrate.
Yang actually seemed a bit disappointed at that.
Well, if I were to have a partner, I could certainly do worse. She's a bit on the hot-headed side, but a skilled fighter regardless.
Then again, she probably wants to partner-up with her younger sister. I should move on and look for someone else.
"Well, what did you think of that?" Yang called out, turning to face the direction of Blake's hiding spot.
Blake blinked. Had Yang known she was there the whole time?
"You wanna come on out and say hi? Or are you just gonna stay in that bush all day?"
Choosing to disregard her previous line of thought, Blake rose to her feet and stepped into the clearing.
"Hello there." Blake gave Yang a small wave.
Yang waved back and smiled at her, a much more confident smile than the awkward one she had given Blake the night before.
"You're pretty good," said Blake. "I've not seen many people who fight so… directly."
Yang's confident smile morphed into a smugger one. "Well, that's just how I roll. Swords and scythes and stuff never really felt right for me."
"I see," replied Blake with a nod. She could appreciate that.
Yang held out a hand towards Blake. "Welp, I guess we're partners now. Nice to meet you, Blake."
Blake took Yang's hand, the blonde giving her a very firm handshake. "Nice to meet you too, Yang."
Releasing each other's hands, the pair fell in step with each other and began to walk through the forest side by side. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. At least, Blake felt comfortable. She had never been one for idle conversation.
"So, you use a sword?"
Yang however, it seemed, was not one for long silences.
"I do," Blake replied. "Although it's a bit more than that."
"Can I see?" Yang asked.
"If we run into any more Grimm, sure."
The pair were silent once again, but now it was a less comfortable silence. Blake could sense that Yang wanted to talk more, but Blake didn't really know what they could talk about. She was pretty sure Yang wouldn't be interested in discussing books with her.
"I wonder if Ruby's OK?"
Yang had probably not meant for Blake to hear that. She had muttered it under her breath to herself, but Blake's hearing was quite a bit better than most. Not much escaped her ears.
Maybe she really was hoping to pair up with her sister.
"Do you want to try and look for her?" Blake asked.
Yang shook her head. "No, I'm sure she's fine. She may not look it, but Ruby's really strong. She can handle herself in a fight."
"You aren't worried about her?" Had Blake misunderstood Yang's mutterings?
"I'm always worried about her," came Yang's reply, sounding much more casual than her words implied. "But not because I think she's weak, because she isn't."
Blake felt a bit lost, like she was missing some context. "I don't understand."
Yang sighed. "You probably noticed yesterday, but Ruby… struggles sometimes. With other people. And with some situations."
Blake thought back to her interactions with the smaller girl. The way she avoided eye contact. The way she tripped over her words almost constantly when she spoke. The way she had reacted when Schnee had started yelling at her, shrinking into herself, and seemingly trying very hard to keep herself from crying.
"I had gotten that impression," Blake admitted.
"She's gotten a lot better," Yang said quickly. "Seriously, she's come so far, and I'm so proud of her for that. She used to never talk to anyone else besides me, dad, and our uncle. Now, well, you saw her last night."
"The real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. Things don't always turn out OK for everyone."
"W-well, that's why we're here. To m-make it better."
She may have stammered her way through the whole conversation, but Blake could not deny that there had been a lot of confidence in what Ruby had said to her.
"She's quite something," Blake mused aloud.
"She sure is," agreed Yang.
"But you're still afraid for her." It wasn't a question so much as an observation.
Blake saw Yang grimace slightly out of the corner of her eye. "I don't wanna smother her. She needs space to grow into her own person. But I still need to look out for her, so I can be there when she does need me."
Blake pondered Yang's words for a moment, weighing in her mind whether or not she should say what she was thinking. After a moment, she decided she might as well offer her suggestion.
"Well, if we do run into her," Blake said, turning to face Yang properly as she spoke. "I won't be offended if you want to be her partner instead."
"No," replied Yang firmly. "Like I said, I don't wanna smother her. She should find her own partner." Yang then turned to look at Blake with a sheepish expression. "To be honest, out of everyone, I kinda was hoping you'd run into her first."
Blake wasn't sure how to respond to that. She felt a little flattered that Yang trusted her to keep an eye on her little sister, despite having only know each other for a day.
Snap!
That branch breaking was not because of her or Yang. Something was approaching them.
That something turned out to be another Ursa.
"Do you mind if I take this one?" asked Blake, already stepping forward and reaching for her weapon.
"No problem," replied Yang. "Show me what you got, Blake."
Blake smiled at that. Drawing her sword, she took her stance and prepared for battle.
"I think w-we're lost."
It took every ounce of Weiss's willpower to keep herself from simply walking off and leaving Ruby to fend for herself.
"We are not lost! I know exactly where we are going. The forest temple is this way."
"W-well, m-maybe if I climbed up a tree, I could s-see w-where w-we are."
Weiss let out a huff of annoyance. "Fine! Climb a tree! I'll wait here, but don't take too long! We've wasted enough time already."
Weiss watched as the smaller girl in red began to clamber up one of the nearby trees, pulling herself up branch by branch as she made her way into the canopy above. Once or twice her hands missed the branch she was reaching for, causing her to take a bit longer, which only added to Weiss's frustration.
"You would probably be able to see where you're going better if you took that silly hood off for five seconds!"
Either Ruby didn't hear her, or she ignored her, because she did not lower her hood. In fact, she had kept her hood up the entire time they had been walking.
Why did I have to run into her first? Out of everyone else, why am I stuck with a little kid who can barely string a sentence together?! I'm training to be a Huntress, not a babysitter!
Weiss continued to silently fume and curse her own misfortune, not paying any attention to Ruby anymore, too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice anything else.
Until she heard the sound of several Grimm approaching her from all sides, which quickly snapped her out of her trance.
Weiss spared a quick glance upwards, saw that Ruby was no longer in sight, then returned her attention to her surroundings as she drew Myrtenaster and prepared for battle.
Beowolves emerged from the foliage around her. Weiss counted four in total, surrounding her, and approaching slowly, cautiously.
Remember your training, Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward. Slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike.
Weiss spun the barrel of her weapon, selecting the Red Dust chamber and preparing to activate it at a moment's notice. Her eyes darted between the four Grimm circling her, waiting for the first one to make a move.
NOW!
The Beowolf to her left was the first to attack, leaping for her with claws outstretched. Pivoting on her feet, Weiss lunged towards the attacking Grimm, activating the Dust, and sending red energy surging up the length of her blade, ready to set the offending enemy ablaze-
SLAM!
The sound and force of something impacting the ground behind her threw Weiss off balance, causing her to stumble mid-attack. Unable to fully regain her footing, she was forced to twist around and catch herself on the tree beside her.
In doing so, Weiss had no choice but to swing Myrtenaster out to her side. The Fire Dust, already activated, erupted from the end of the sword, and set a nearby bush on fire.
The blast of fire narrowly missed Ruby, the source of the impact, who was forced to leap aside to avoid being burnt. The Beowolf she had been in the process of attacking was able to back off and avoid being struck down.
The Beowolf Weiss had been about to attack backed off as well, joining its brethren as they fell back to regroup for another assault on the pair. All the while, the fire from Weiss's wayward blast continued to spread, engulfing their surroundings, and turning into a full-on inferno.
"We have to go!" Weiss yelled. She grabbed Ruby's arm and began to sprint in the opposite direction, dragging the smaller girl behind her.
After running for about a minute, putting enough distance between themselves and the blaze, Weiss and Ruby stopped beside a pair of very tall trees. Weiss leant against one of the trees and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath after her sprint.
"Um, are you OK?"
A small part of Weiss' brain registered the genuine concern in Ruby's voice, but any appreciation she may have felt for that was entirely drowned out by pure anger.
"What is wrong with you!?"
Ruby flinched and stepped back at the volume of Weiss' shout, but Weiss paid that no mind.
"You attacked out of turn! I could have killed you! I had the situation completely under control, until you blundered in and ruined everything! If you had just exercised even the slightest amount of caution, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"
"I-I was just trying t-to help."
"You weren't helping, you were acting like a child!" Weiss was in no mood to listen to Ruby. She just continued to vent all her frustrations at the other girl, heedless of anything else. "You can't just charge in without thinking about what you're doing! This isn't a game, this is serious!"
"I know!"
Weiss paused her ranting, Ruby's sudden yell breaking her momentum.
"I know this isn't a game. I know I m-make m-mistakes. B-but I… b-but I… I…"
Ruby stammered to a halt, and Weiss felt her frustration begin to bubble up again.
"Just spit it out already! Can't you even talk properly!?"
…
"… N-no. I can't."
For the second time in the span of a minute, Weiss felt the momentum of her anger break, but this time it was much more jarring. "Excuse me?"
Ruby did not respond. She simply turned and began to walk away, head bowed, and eyes hidden from sight.
"Wait, where are you going?"
No response.
"Oh, very mature of you!" Weiss yelled, although with less energy than before. "Fine, go sulk somewhere else, see if I care."
And with that, Weiss turned and walked in the opposite direction, perfectly content to forge ahead by herself.
…
…
…
After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Weiss began to calm down enough to feel a pang of shame for how she had acted.
You called her a child, but she wasn't the one throwing a tantrum back there. You're supposed to be better than that.
Weiss stopped walking. The memory of her outburst played out in her mind, the image of Ruby shrinking back away from her adding a touch of guilt to her shame.
I'm supposed to be better than him.
Weiss took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping. She shouldn't have lost her temper like that, and now her would-be partner had walked away. Weiss supposed she could hardly blame the other girl for leaving. After all, hadn't she done exactly that?
Well, there's nothing I can do now. She's gone, and I have a job to do. I should get back to finding the ruins.
But where to begin? Despite what she had said before, she really didn't have a single clue as to where she was, even less so now that she had blindly wandered around after Ruby left…
Weiss looked up and to her left, sizing up the tree beside her.
"Worth a shot, I suppose," she muttered.
Hello again to those of you from before. And to those of you who read all three chapters in one sitting, hello for the first time! I'm Not Scot!
This one was tricky to write, especially Weiss' section. I stumbled over her part a lot. The end result was the 5th re-write, and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but after a certain point, I felt I had to draw a line and move on, or I'd never make any progress. I didn't want to make her unlikable, but at the same time I wanted to get across her frustrations clearly, and set up her dynamic with Ruby that will play out in the future. Feel free to tell me I did an awful job in the comments if you feel so inclined.
In contrast, Pyrrha's section was very easy for me to get down, and Blake's only needed a bit more work. As for the changes I've made, allow me to explain. Firstly, Jaune is not quite as clueless here as in canon. No, he has a different character flaw in my version of events, which will cause his arc (pun intended) to play out in a different direction. Secondly, my version of Ruby is, as I'm sure you can gather, almost a completely different person. There is going to be a backstory-related reason for some of this, which we will come to in time.
Next chapter will be uploaded just as soon as I finish it, so for now, I will take my leave.
Until next time,
Not Scot.
P.S: Ren and Nora are fine, by the way.