For future chapters, I will be adding ambiance options to try. Listen to the suggestions if you want.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth
Little Nightmares belongs to Bandai Namco
Chapter 5: Team RWBY
"Raagh!" Raored Yang as she punched one of the stone pillars. A web of cracks formed around its circumference. Pacing away from the damage she inflicted upon the ancient stonework. With an angry stomp, she cried out. "Where is she!?"
Yang was getting worried; it had been a total of three hours since they arrived at the temple and there had been no sign of her sister. The slow build of anxiety was getting to her. This has never happened before; her sister always knew her way around. Why was she taking so long?
Looking up a separate pillar was her partner simply known as Blake. She stood sentry over their makeshift outpost in the Emerald Forest. She stood up straight, perched on the like a bird in its roost. She remained still as the breeze pushed against her.
"See anything?" Yelled Yang.
"Nothing," Blake replied, her tone serious. That helped lift Yang's mood at least.
Most people would get bored by now, but Blake treated this admittedly unorthodox situation with a level of concern that was quite endearing. Not once did Blake express her displeasure at the whole predicament. Not once did she sound bored or disinterested. It was good to know that there were people out there who were willing to help even when they did not fully understand the circumstances.
And Blake did not understand. No one did. No one understood what Ruby was like when they went on hunts together. Ruby's personality would flip. She would be bubbly, happy, energetic, and even silly at home. But put her in a dangerous environment or situation, and she becomes someone else. Not everyone notices it, but Yang does. She becomes focused, calm, and determined. But that is only the surface of the change. It took Yang a while to notice, but Ruby has a wild side to her when fighting the Grimm. Like a switch gets flipped in her head. No one else notices it because they've never spent any time around Ruby when fighting live Grimm. The little reaper always approaches combat with skill, focus, tactics, and instinct. Yang thought it was the same as her addiction to thrill-seeking, but over time she began noticing that it was more than that. For seconds after the Grimm fall, she catches a feral look in her sister's eyes. That was not the same as the joy of adrenaline at all.
Still, Yang had faith in her sister's abilities. If her sister was late that would mean she ran into trouble. As stated before, Ruby is smart enough to run from fights she can't win alone. Meaning that she would be here if all she came across was a powerful Grimm. That only left one other possibility. Her partner was slowing her down.
"Something's coming," Blake called from on high.
Yang readied Ember Celica. The Grimm had made spontaneous visits to their location over the time they'd sent here. The obvious reason is Yang's anger. She didn't care, she'd fight this whole forest if it meant her sister would be safe.
By the sudden jostling of the tree branches, Yang deduced that the Grimm was fairly large. Had to be the size of an Ursa at least. It was probably bigger, as an Ursa would have to repeatedly crash into said trees to create that effect. And that did not seem plausible. Grimm are dumb, not insane.
What burst from the trees threw the brawler for a loop. A lone Ursa made a mad dash across the plain, wailing in distress. Above that, Yang heard something else. Was that cheering?
Looking closer Yang spied something on the Ursa's back. A girl with bright orange hair, with a large hammer, which she beat against the Ursa's side like a riding crop. The girl was laughing like a kid on a rollercoaster. Yang might have laughed too if the scene weren't so bizarre.
The Grimm tired out quickly. Not even making it halfway across the open field, before dropping dead. This upset the girl. "Aww, I think it's broken."
Another person came running out of the forest. A boy dressed in a green tailcoat jacket and black long pants. Yang could see them talking but not what they were saying. Not that it mattered. There were no Grimm on the attack and her sister still hadn't arrived.
Yang disengaged her gauntlets as the new arrivals approached. The girl wore a collared vest. A white sleeveless t-shirt with a heart-shaped cut out above her breast line. Pink fingerless gloves and detached sleeves. Some kind of silver armor pieces wrapped around her waist, and a short pink skirt. She skipped lightly on white ankle boots.
When they reached the steps, the girl spoke first. "Hi. I'm Nora. Is this the temple with the old dusty relics we're supposed to find?"
Yang glanced at the boy who stood calmly to the side. These two were an odd pair.
"Yeah. They're all lined up inside." Yang answered.
Nora turned to the boy and with an ever-present smile said. "See Ren. I told you I knew where I was going."
"So, you did Nora." Said Ren in a monotonous manner. This guy did not sound like he was in touch with his emotions.
Nora ran up the stone steps and into the pedestal chamber. Yang paid her no mind and focused on Ren. "Hey. Did you two happen to run into a girl in a red hood by any chance?"
He shook his head. "We haven't encountered anyone since Initiation started. I'm sorry."
It was worth a try. She had asked pretty much everyone who came by. Even the flirty jackasses. Then there was Winchester the pompous prick. None had the answers she wanted, and others were straight-up rude about it. If she ever found the in the combat arena, she would make sure to let them know why they deserved their beatings.
"Lei Ren. It's nice to meet you." He greeted politely. At least one guy was a gentleman.
"Yang." She answered simply. Too agitated to use her usual carefree mannerisms.
"Are you from Mistral?" He asked. Noting her name as Mistralian.
"No. My dad is."
A cheer rose from the ruins, and Nora came bounding out of the temple yelling. "I'm Queen of the Castle. I'm Queen of the Castle."
She skipped to Ren's side, holding a black rook. "That's a rook, Nora."
"But it looks like a castle." Nora stopped and tilted her head far to the side. "Is someone yelling?"
Yang looked around to see no one. She was about to turn up to call Blake when something came flying overhead. A nearby tree shook with a sudden impact.
The trio stared with a mixture of surprise and amusement on Nora's part. As a person fell from the branches and into the dirt. For a moment Yang thought this individual was dead, that impact nearly uprooted the tree. Most people's auras weren't that durable.
"I'm okay." Groaned a familiar voice.
Standing on shaky legs was none other than Vomit Boy. Battered but not beaten. Maybe he was tougher than she'd given him credit for? Then again, he was limping, so maybe he just got lucky.
Jaune trudged up to the group and waved a greeting to Yang, one that she returned.
"Hey, blondie do you know that guy?" Asked Nora.
"Nora, please be polite. We talked about this." Ren said calmly as he walked to Jaune.
"Ok. Miss Blondie, do you know that guy?"
Normally Yang would be slightly annoyed, blondie was the primary barb most people used to insult her. The usual stereotype was that she was lacking in the brains department. Right now, she barely noticed.
"Yeah." Was all she said as she watched Ren shoulder Jaune.
"Hey Yang," Jaune said. "This the place?"
"Yup," Yang replied, crossing her arms. "Where's your partner?"
Yang felt slightly apprehensive, at the theory in her mind. That Jaune might be Ruby's partner. He was a nice guy, but when Ruby's personality did a one-eighty that mattered as much as Zwei's dung. If he was Ruby's partner and he couldn't perform, then he was in for a world of hurt. On the upside, they'd get along in every other respect.
"Pyrrha's on her way. She probably saw which way that Grimm threw me." He answered.
Yang frowned, Pyrrha was his partner. In any other circumstance, she would have found that funny. The way Weiss was pining for Pyrrha's attention at breakfast would make you think the pop star would go to any length to get the champion as her partner. Yang herself had hoped that Pyrrha would be Ruby's partner. Since she had yet to see either of them.
That also meant the Ice Queen could be her sister's partner. She had yet to see the rich brat pass by either. Yang hoped she came through here before the marking of this place as home base.
"You happen to see Ruby before you were yeeted over here?"
Jaune stared at her for a moment. "Haven't seen anyone since I met up with Pyrrha. Also, what does yeet mean?"
Yang did not answer as she turned away to collect herself. All dead ends. No sign of her sibling anywhere. She was running out of patience. Right now, she was half tempted to go into the forest alone to find her.
While she paced about again. Ren helped Jaune up the stairs and into the chamber. The pedestals were all empty, except for one. Another black rook. Jaune looked around and asked his new friend. "Are we the last ones?"
"It would seem so," Ren said.
The two stepped up to the last pedestal for Jaune to collect his prize. He stared at the chess piece and likely had the same questions in mind as everyone else. But he said nothing and took it. The ache in his leg slowly vanished and he lifted it up a few times just to be sure.
Telling Ren he was alright the Mistralian teen released him. "Thank you." Said Jaune.
"No worries. Lei Ren." He said offering a hand to which Jaune gripped.
"Jaune Arc." He said with a friendly smile.
"Do you know her?" Ren said gesturing to the pacing Yang.
"Met her this morning. She's not so bad. Even if she nearly broke my hand." Jaune joked.
"She asked me if I saw a girl in a red hood. Do you know who she means?" Ren asked as they walked out of the ruins.
"Her sister is taking the Initiation too. I haven't seen her since we were thrown off the cliff." Jaune replied regaining his stride.
Yang continued to pace as her temper built up again. A snapping noise could be heard in the distance. Everyone heard it and stopped to listen.
"Yang," Blake called down, pulling out her Gambol Shroud and readjusting her stance on the pillar. "Something big is coming."
All present heard it. The sound of roots snapping and branches breaking. Something was coming and it was strong enough to topple trees. Yang's Ember Celica enveloped her fists. Ren pulled out a pair of green-bladed pistols. Nora presented a silver grenade launcher which unfolded into a large hammer. Jaune unsheathed his sword and expanded his shield.
As the sounds of falling greenery grew closer, Pyrrha Nikos came running out of the forest and into the open field.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out.
Not long after a giant Grimm emerged, brushing aside the trees that stood in its path. Its body was that of a scorpion. Bone white pincers, six large legs, segmented bone armor, a round multi-eyed mask, and a tail topped with a golden stinger.
Yang had never encountered this type of Grimm before and did not expect to find one here. Deathstalkers were not common in this region. They were mostly found in the wilds between Vale and Vacou. It must have been hibernating. Grimm often claimed territory for themselves.
This Deathstalker was old, as average Deathstalkers were said to be the size of a car. This one was the size of a bus. And it proved to be faster than its size would indicate as it kept pace with the red-headed champion.
Yang grinned. This big guy would not go down easy and that was great. It was a shame Ruby was not here right now. She would love this. But that would have to wait for the moment. Yang finally had something she could use to vent her frustrations.
{Bottom Feeders-Tobias Lilja Little Nightmares 2 Soundtrack}
The shriek of the Nevermore echoed overhead as the two girls ran through the trees. Ruby led the way with Weiss trailing close behind. The avian monster had locked onto them and gave relentless pursuit as they made their way to their objective. They were in no position to fight this beast by themselves. Ruby could tell this was an ancient Grimm. Normal Nevermores were the same size as the average person. That made the juveniles dangerous enough by themselves. It only got worse when they flocked together. Nevermores have a tendency to only join a flock that had members of equal size to themselves. It meant this guy was alone and Ruby could not have been happier. Because this buzzard was the size of a private jet. Any more than one and you could forget the notion of fighting altogether.
Giant black feathers shot through the canopy of leaves, implanting themselves into the soil as they failed to find their mark. Nevermores have the ability to turn their feathers into projectile weapons and rapidly regrow the ones they lose. It was blatantly unfair in Ruby's opinion. A limitless supply of ammunition.
When it realized the ranged tactics weren't working it made a dive for them. Given its size, the trees would be no protection against its talons bearing down on them at full speed. As the forest gave way to the behemoth, the two huntresses in training spattered to avoid its grasp. It tore great gouges in the dirt before lifting off again. Neither target having been caught.
Ruby and Weiss resumed their sprint to the temple's location. Neither used their semblance to boost their speed except to dodge the talons. They both knew doing so constantly would drain their stamina. A drawback they could not afford when facing an enemy, they could outmaneuver but not defeat. It applied even more when it was a foe they did not need to defeat. Their objectives were to get to the temple and receive a relic and return to the headmaster. If they could shake the Nevermore before they arrived all the better.
The Grimm cawed as it rounded itself to make another attempt at claiming them. It came from their left. Ruby held out her hand to Weiss. The heiress did not know what it meant initially, but when the Grimm neared, she took it. Both girls' forms broke down and reshaped into a cloud of red and white petals. The Grimm's claws found no purchase on them as the cloud of petals surged forward.
Soon the mass coalesced into the running forms of Weiss and Ruby. Ruby appeared unphased by the experience while Weiss showed signs of disorientation, which she quickly shook off and the two ran separately again.
The Nevermore shrieked as feathers began to rain down on them again. One nearly pierced Ruby's should as it skewered a tree she ran past. This time the beast was more insistent. Utilizing the full force of its feathery projectiles. Creating a near-constant flurry in its outrage.
"How far are we?" Yelled Weiss, boosting herself with a glyph to dodge a feather.
"Not too far. Just hang on." Ruby yelled back sidestepping her own near death. Her aura was tough, but a pinpoint strike from one of these would be fatal.
Ruby could see it. The line where the trees ended. They'd be exposed while they retrieved their relic. Good thing they've rationed the usage of their semblances. Else this would be a lot harder.
As they reached the forest's edge, Ruby noticed the ground, or more accurately the lack of ground. They were running toward a chasm. "Stop!" Ruby cried as she came to a halt at the cliff's edge. Catching Weiss before she took a nasty dive.
Both girls stared down into the abyss before them. They couldn't see the bottom. On the other side was a rock wall that stretched up for at least one hundred meters. "Great. Now what?" Weiss asked.
Ruby did not answer right away. Both of them knew they could make the distance to the wall and climb it too. But with the Nevermore on their backs that was a very bad idea. The beast could bring the cliff face down on them or smash them against the rocks. Too risky. "There!" Ruby declared pointing along the wall.
Far to the right, suspended above the chasm, was a large temple structure. It had a large foundation supporting multiple spires that stretched roughly halfway up the rock wall. That had to be the temple. It was within reach, the cliffside they were on had enough room to run along without too much trouble. They could make it.
"Come on!" Ruby called as she ran along the edge of the chasm. Weiss gave no objection and followed along. Ruby had to admit, the girl had changed her attitude quickly when she accepted her part in their lacking performance. Maybe this partnership wouldn't be so bad after all.
The Nevermore flew above them and perched itself at the top of the rock wall. Shrieking as it tried to find them. Ancient Grimm were smarter than their younger kin, but they were still Grimm. They get confused easily. But that would not last long. It had exceptional eyesight, as most avians did. It would spot them as they neared the temple.
Within moments they reached the end of the cover provided by the trees. Leading them to a large open space, lined on both sides with large stone white pillars. On the cliff, in the center point of this open gap was a narrow stone bridge that led to the temple.
The duo wasted no time as they ran across the bridge. At that point, their pursuer caught sight of them once again. With another loud shriek, it took off and began circling the temple.
The two girls ran past the pillars and archways that lay in disrepair, straight toward the entrance to what they guessed was the main chamber. They sprinted inside, to find a large empty circular chamber. The walls were engraved with esoteric markings and strange hieroglyphics. This place predated Vale itself. But that was unimportant. What concerned them was the reason they had come all this way. The relics.
"Okay we're here," Ruby said catching her breath. This was similar to her weekend runs with her father. It was necessary to have a surplus of stamina. You never know when you'll find yourself in an unwinnable situation and need to escape. Grimm were not known for giving up the chase.
Weiss looked to be in worse condition, but not to the point where she had to take a prolonged rest. It was impressive that she kept up this long. Whoever trained her knew what they were doing.
"Alright, let's find the relics then," Weiss said, taking deep breaths.
Yang roared as she delivered a right hook to the Deathstalker's pincer. Knocking it away, but not staggering the Grimm. It was tough. Even with the six of them fighting together, it wouldn't go down. For something with such a large body, its reaction time was surprising. It managed to avoid or intercept most blows that it recognized as being able to damage its exoskeleton. Nora and Yang were having a hard time landing decent hits on the thing. They managed to land one or two hits each at first, but the scorpion had more brains to it than they initially thought. It always saw them coming. Using its tail or pincers to run interference. Resulting in only minor damage. Which in the long term equated to no damage at all.
Yang knew they needed decisive hits if they wanted to kill this thing. All Grimm have a level of regeneration that makes injuring them pointless. Sooner or later they would recover and get stronger from the experience. This thing knew that minor damage was no problem, and it utilized a strategy that reminded Yang of her sparing matches with her sister. It would tank the less lethal attacks and use the opportunity to counterattack. While avoiding hits that would disrupt its own flow of combat or cripple it. This only made Yang angrier. She knew what the Grimm was doing but did not have the same means of countering it.
With Ruby, Yang always utilized her superior strength and close-quarters burst fighting style to overwhelm her. Her sister's smaller frame made it simple to push her around after she got past Crescent Rose. That would not work against something that could easily run her over. Only the heavy hits would work.
Nora came flying in from above for another overhead smash with her hammer. The Deathstalker delivered a counter swipe with its left pincer. Both were stunned by the impact, but Nora was the one thrown to the side. Yang took this as her chance to attack the body. Activating her semblance, she ran at its face, but the Grimm had already seen her coming and used its remaining appendage to intercept her. As the claw came down Jaune stepped between it and Yang. Catching it with his shield. This gave the brawler the opening she needed to strike.
With a yell, she delivered a powerful punch to the Grimm's bone mask. Pushing it back, slightly and stunning it in the process. The sudden force shoved Jaune aside. The Grimm took the hit, but the armor was not broken. She needed to hit it harder. But she'd barely taken any damage from the thing. The tail was mostly used for the faster members of their group, like Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha. And the pincers would crush Yang if she got caught in them. Her aura was tough, but it couldn't protect her from everything.
While a shrill hiss the Grimm regained its balance, and she could have sworn it was looking at her. The multitude of eyes made it hard to tell. Blake and Ren danced around the scorpion, hacking, and slashing at every opportunity. They mainly focused on the legs and joints. Those too proved to be highly durable. A testament to the danger of letting the Grimm age and mature.
If this thing could keep up with someone as speedy as Blake, then it was clear none of them had the means to take this thing down alone. Pyrrha took Yang's place as the primary focus of the Deathstalker's aggression by striking one of its eyes with her shield. She and Jaune began to taunt the beast. Each claw is blocked by one of the two.
Blake wrapped her ribbon around the beast's tail in an attempt to pin it down. While she failed, she did slow the whip-like tail down long enough for Nora to perform an overhead slam on the scorpion's armor. The carapace cracked under the weight of her hammer and the Deathstalker shrieked in pain.
What it did next could only be described as panicking. Its body began to rotate, knocking Ren Nora, and Jaune aside, Pyrrha had managed to avoid this unorthodox move, while Yang was already out of its range.
Blake wasn't so lucky, as she failed to untie her ribbon before the monster began freaking out. She was pulled off her feet and carried around like a toy. The Grimm continued to spin at an increasing speed while the ribbon around its tail unwound itself, sending Blake flying across the field.
Yang saw her partner land at an awkward angle. Running to her side Yang sighed in relief that nothing was damaged. Turns out Blake was just extremely flexible. "You okay there?" She said offering Blake a hand.
Blake said nothing, but she did smile as she took the offered hand. After pulling Blake to her feet something caught her attention. Following her partner's gaze, she witnessed something even more shocking than the giant scorpion. A Nevermore, a giant Nevermore circled the nearby cliffs.
Now that was an unwelcome sight. If that thing noticed them and joined the fight, they'd be toast. They're struggling to get through this Deathstalker's armor without an aerial menace coming in to harass them. Judging by size alone, it was clear that the Nevermore was even older than the Deathstalker by a good margin.
"Why is it just hovering there?" Asked Blake as she stared at the giant bird.
Yang questioned why Blake would honestly care about such a thing right now. They should be more focused on the immediate threat and hope the massive woodpecker doesn't notice them before they squish this overgrown arachnid. Then again, after taking a closer look, Yang saw that the Nevermore was in an aggressive state. It flew around the cliffs as if anxious to get at a piece of meat that was just out of reach. Grimm are never like that unless they feel threatened or are unable to get to their prey.
The Nevermore was chasing something. Something or someone. Yang then felt something sink into her stomach. It was an uncomfortable feeling brought on by the notion that she had just found the answer to a question she had been asking everyone for the past three hours.
The answer was that her sister had just found herself in a huge mess of trouble again. A giant Nevermore was an opponent neither of them had any experience with. Yang's first instinct was to rush over to investigate. All the anxiety she'd built up compelled her to find out if her sister was in danger.
Looking at Blake she said. "You stay here. I'm going to see what's up with that."
Yang started running, and as she gained distance, she heard her partner call her name.
Blake was at a loss, what was going through Yang's mind? Why rush from one Grimm toward an even bigger one? She wanted to follow but looked to the others in their group. She couldn't just leave them. Not again.
"Don't worry about us." Said Jaune who witnessed Yang's departure. "Go after her. She needs her partner."
"Yeah." Cheered Nora. "You take care of Blondie. We'll handle Mr. Pinchy while you're gone."
The hammer-wielding girl laughed as she charged in to stunt the rampaging Deathstalker. With permission granted, she ran after her partner. She would not abandon anyone again.
"There's nothing here!" Cried Weiss as she marched around the chamber in anger.
Ruby silently agreed. This temple was completely empty. It contained a total of three levels. All of which were composed of chambers that were nearly identical to the one they were currently in.
"Maybe there's more than one temple in the forest?" Ruby suggested, and while Weiss did look like she was about to chastise Ruby for the question, the heiress took a moment before answering.
"Perhaps. It's possible the entire forest was some kind of sacred land in the ancient eras. If that's the case, there could be ruins scattered all over the forest." She said, her tone becoming more distressed as she spoke. Which made sense. It created the idea that they would have to scour the entire Emerald Forest to find the right temple.
Then again Ozpin said temple and Ruby could not think of a better example than this place. What another name would you give it? Sure, it had seen better days, but this was the best example of an actual temple you would find in the modern world.
Their contemplation was cut short by the rumbling of the Nevermore trying to bring the temple down on them. Ruby decided to be the decisive one. "I think we should go. There are no relics here and I don't want to see how strong the foundations are." She said, making for the entrance.
Both of them ran outside and made a mad dash for the bridge. Only for the Nevermore to block their escape by landing on the cliff side where the bridge connected to it.
They stopped and drew their weapons. Looks like this would be a fight after all. The giant avian spread its wings into a large black corona of feathers. Now looking more than double its original height. It gave out a cry, as it felt triumphant. Ruby pondered this action. She read in an advanced Grimm studies journal, which she stole, that as more successful predators, elder Grimm do not often experience the same struggle as their smaller counterparts. This combined with their growing intellect gives them a semblance of ego similar to humans where they celebrate victories, they deem difficult. Big Bird here must not have had much trouble growing to that size. This did not detract from the danger, but it was good to know in case it provided an advantage.
Amid its revelry, an explosion ran off on its back. The cry of triumph became a shriek of outrage as it turned its head around to see what had attacked it. For another explosion to go off in its face. This startled the giant Grimm, and it took off soaring high.
Standing on the grassy field stood Yang, her gauntlets smoking from their recent discharge. The two sisters took note of each other immediately and ran toward each other.
Meeting in the center of the bridge the two crashed into each other.
"Ruby!"
"Yang!"
The two stayed in their embrace for a moment, when Ruby tried to disengage, Yang only tightened her hug. Leaving the reaper squirming in her grip.
"I was so worried about you!" Yang said in jubilation.
"Yang! Uncle! Uncle!" Ruby cried.
"Druncle Qrow ain't here to save you, sis." Yang laughed as she let her sibling go.
The two girls' partners converged on them, and Ruby looked past her sister. "Oh. Hi Blake. You Yang's partner?"
Blake nodded with a slight smile.
"I'm so sorry for you," Ruby said with mock sympathy.
"Hey!" Yang laughed knocking her sister on the shoulder.
Ruby did not feel pain from the punch, but she rubbed her shoulder anyway to add to the effect. Blake kept smiling, having gotten the hint. Yang must have told one of dad's horrible jokes.
"So spill, sis. What took you so long?" Yang asked with concern.
Ruby wanted to immediately point the finger at her partner, as it would have been the truthful answer. But stopped herself as that would be breaking the deal the two had made. Ruby did not have a high opinion of Weiss' character, but they were stuck together so it was simply better to stay on good terms with her.
"Umm." Ruby stuttered, not knowing what to say. Ruby always led the way in their hunts. Her sister knew that anything she said would have been nonsense.
Weiss' heels clicked against the stone, drawing the group's attention to her. Blake said nothing, but Ruby did note a look of surprise on her face before it fell back to neutral.
Yang stared at Weiss with a questioning look. "You're my sis' partner?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, that answers that question," Yang said nonchalantly.
"What does that mean?" Weiss questioned offended by the comment.
Ruby could tell Yang wanted to fire more barbs but was interrupted by the shriek of the Nevermore.
"It's coming back." Said Blake watching the sky.
"We should leave." Said Yang.
"Agreed. Do you know where the temple is?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah, just go straight from here. You'll be there in no time. Although it's not much of a temple if I'm being honest." Yang said pointing a thumb behind her.
"That doesn't matter. Let's go, Ruby." Weiss ordered, making Yang frown. The heiress walked past them but Ruby did not move.
"No," Ruby said, watching the circling Nevermore.
"Excuse me?" Weiss asked. Her tone was more surprised than angry this time. "Why not? The temple is right there. We don't need to waste our time fighting this thing when we can just take the relics and go."
"You're wrong." Ruby turned to Weiss, who flinched at the cold steel stare the reaper gave her. "If we run now, that Grimm will follow us all the way back to the cliff, acting as a rallying cry for all the small packs in the forest. If that happens and one of us gets stuck, we'll be finished. We can't outrun it. We've already tried. Our best option is to fight it here where we can reach it." Ruby gestured to the stonework of the temple. Namely the high spires.
"Why the change in attitude all of a sudden? Earlier you were more than happy to run from it?" Weiss asked hastily, noticing the Grimm circling around to make an attack.
"We were in a bad position, and the two of us wouldn't have been enough to kill it." Ruby countered. "Now that we have a chance, I say we take it." Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and held it at her side like a spear. Displaying the sheer size of her weapon. "We are here to be huntresses. Leading this thing back to Beacon would only cause problems. Huntresses are supposed to solve problems like this. Not leave them for someone else."
Ruby could not tell if they were convinced, but she knew at least one of them would stand with her.
She then turned to Yang. "Plus, it would give us amazing bragging rights."
Yang responded with a grin. "Heck I'm convinced." She said slamming the knuckle guards of her gauntlets together. "Not like I needed any. I'd never leave my little sis."
Blake appeared to lighten up at her partner's remark. "I suppose it would be better to stop it here before it gets the chance to hurt anyone." She said, pulling out her Gambol Shroud.
Weiss was the most hesitant to go along with this. Ruby understood why. Weiss was motivated by her desire to get into Beacon. Same as all of them. She was just being pragmatic and an option to avoid a struggle she did not need to take part in. Pulling out Myrtenaster she conceded. "Just so you know. This is just so you don't get killed. I don't want to be known for losing my partner before we even make it into Beacon."
"Like a real huntress Weiss," Ruby said with a smile. She meant it. A huntress's job was to make sure as few people died as possible. She expected Weiss to be indignant, but she actually smiled at that. This girl was more complex than Ruby first guessed.
The four did not have a moment more to talk as the Nevermore swooped down to crush them with its talons. The four rushed toward the temple as the Grimm crashed into the bridge, breaking it off from the cliff.
The girls did not stop moving as they began to ascend the tower, in an attempt to reach the most advantageous position to fight their monstrous enemy. Blake used her ribbon to climb up, and Weiss used her glyphs as platforms to hop to the higher levels. While the sisters used their weapons to boost themselves up to better food hold. Soon all four of them stood on a stone ring that connected the seven spires on the upper portion of the temple.
"What's the plan, Rubes?" Yang asked.
"Nevermores are fast but not very durable. Mainly around the neck. But as Grimm grow older their hides become tougher no matter the breed. We need to see how much damage it can take first." Ruby said swapping the magazine in Crescent Rose to her energy dust rounds.
"So, we hit it with everything we got. My kind of plan." Yang grinned, as she jumped to a broken pillar for a better firing arc.
As the avian soared in for another attack run, all four girls unleashed their full arsenal against it. Ruby fired her rifle, aiming for the joints connecting the wings and the body. The bullets did not seem to have any effect.
Ruby took note of Blake and Weiss' means of ranged attacks. Blake had a pistol attachment to her sword. While Weiss attacked using icy projectiles made from her glyphs. It was an indicator that their weapons were not designed to fight Grimm. Ruby and Yang's weaponry were power weapons with a lot of striking potential. That was important when encountering more powerful Grimm. Weiss and Blake's weaponry was designed with more human-sized targets in mind like they never thought about fighting anything much bigger than a beowolf.
Weiss could be excused from this as she appeared to rely more on her semblance and dust than her weapon alone. Blake also has a contingency judging by the grip on her scabbard. But it essentially served as a secondary blade more than a heavy-hitting weapon.
Weiss had versatility while Blake had agility. Against Grimm, you needed power behind you. Good thing Yang was here, or else Ruby would have to do the heavy lifting in that regard.
The Nevermore closed in, unphased by the barrage sent at it. The girls scattered as it wrecked the stonework they stood on. Each of them used the falling debris as a steppingstone in order to reach the nearest walkway. Yang went on the attack the instant she landed, using her long-distance explosives.
Ruby looked at Blake and called out. "We need to get on its back!"
Blake did not question. She just nodded and started running towards the highest spire. Ruby followed along calling out to her sister. "Yang! Try to slow it down."
"You got it!" The brawler called out continuing her barrage.
Ruby gave Weiss no instructions, she could do what she wanted, for now, they needed a way to test how durable the Nevermore was to their weapons up close. That and Ruby didn't know the full capabilities of Weiss's semblance. Granted she did not know what Blake's semblance was, but judging from her recovery from the fall it was clear Blake had superior agility by comparison. That was more important for this maneuver.
The Nevermore unleashed another flurry of feathers, Weiss responded by slamming her rapier against the stone, she cast a massive glyph that covered the whole walkway, and a light blue barrier rose up to stop the feathers.
Yang was shocked by this. Not just the display of power, but its function. "Holy crap. Is that Hard light dust!?" She looked back to the heiress who smiled confidently.
"Heh. Guess your better at this than I thought." Yang's praise pleased Weiss.
"Thank you."
Yang jumped from her perch to intercept a falling feather and used her gauntlets to return to her spot. She then tore all the hair off of it and called Weiss. "Hey, pop star. Got any tricks to help with this?" Nevermore feathers were said to be as hard as steel. If she could hurl one at it fast enough, she would hurt it or stun it as her sister wanted. Either way was fine.
"Certainly," Weiss answered holding Myrtenaster out like a wand. Three yellow glyphs formed around the feather.
Yang smirked and took aim; her plan was to use the feather as a javelin. She held it above her head and used her left hand to aim. As the Nevermore took another pass, she hurled the feather. The glyphs exploded as it left her hand, giving it the equivalent of a railgun shot.
It soared through the air and crashed into the Nevermore's bone mask with enough force to disrupt its flight pattern. Bringing it in low enough for Ruby and Blake, who were on the tallest spire, to jump towards.
The Grimm did not attack the stonework as it righted itself. Not noticing the two girls on its back.
Blake and Ruby began hacking and slashing at the beast's spine. All their blows did not appear to even register to the avian. They tried attacking the wing joints, but the results were the same. "This isn't working."
Ruby let out a yell and she forced the tip of her scythe into the base of its neck. It was deep enough to get it stuck. "Let's try this." Then she pulled the trigger. The burst was enough to create a small tear in the Grimm's hide.
It cried in rage. Throwing caution to the wind, it picked up speed. Ruby held on to Crescent Rose as her feet lost their purchase. Blake grabbed onto one of Ruby's boots. Both held on for dear life as the Grimm dive-bombed the temple.
The Nevermore rammed straight into the foundations of the ancient structure, tearing out a good chunk of it. Ruby felt Blake let go as the Nevermore broke free of the rubble. A stone struck the side of her head, making her red aura flash as the pain dissipated.
As the Grimm regained its height, it slowed its speed allowing Ruby to stand again.
Looking down at the ruined temple. Bits and pieces of its old stonework fell into the abyss. And that wasn't the only thing.
Ruby's widened in shock as she witnessed Yang and Weiss both plummeting from their destroyed vantage point. Neither appeared to be conscious, as they both just fell without any attempt to correct themselves.
Her vantage point was almost directly above them. The sight of her sister and partner falling helplessly stirred something in her.
Her vision began to shift. One second, she sees her sister and partner falling. Yang's golden hair flowed wildly over her head. The next they were replaced by a girl in a yellow raincoat with long brown braided hair and a girl in a green dress with white hair.
Time seemed to slow down for Ruby as she witnessed this. Every second her vision shifted from one image to the other. A sense of panic began to rise in her. Her breathing quickened and she soon began to hyperventilate.
"No..." Ruby whispered to herself as she focused on her sister and the girl in the raincoat. "Not again..."
She didn't know where these thoughts came from, but she didn't care enough to question them. Her mind was focused squarely on the image of her falling sister and the look of pure terror on the other girl's face. Ruby couldn't look away. She felt like she was somewhere else. Witnessing events for a second time.
Her muscles tightened and she felt something rise from within her. Awakened by her panic and demanding to be let out. Wisps of black mist began to form around her as she let out an echoing scream that distorted the very air around her.
"NNNOOOOOO!"
Ozpin flinched as the feed to his scroll suddenly cut. He quickly swiped to the next only to see the same letters in red.
No Signal.
He kept trying, going across over fifty cameras placed around the massive structure. All offline. This was unexpected. He tried something further away from the battle. Like the skirmish with the Deathstalker. The results were the same. Ozpin decided to check the maintenance records. While he had an impressive poker face, he could not stop himself from staring as he read the number of cameras that were now registered as non-functional.
Glynda walked up to him from the bottom of the hill. As she had just congratulated the most recent pair of students to make it back.
"That's the last pair beside the four still at the target area."
Ozpin did not respond as he did an area scan of the cameras that were disabled. The distance was shocking.
Glynda immediately noticed his silence and began questioning. "What's wrong?" She asked in a stern manner. Knowing that when Ozpin went silent it was a bad sign.
He handed her the scroll, and she recoiled at the statistics shown to her. Over seven hundred cameras were declared no longer functional by the system.
"What happened?" Her voice was slightly raised.
"I'm not sure." He answered staring over the cliff and into the Emerald Forest. "It happened suddenly and without warning. Call our technicians. We need to look into this immediately. I want everyone to examine the footage of each downed feed. If this is some sort of plot from her. Then we need to prepare."
"Isn't that a bit extreme? I know it seems far-fetched but how do we know Ruby wasn't responsible?"
"I highly doubt she could have built a pocket-sized EMP this powerful. Also, the last second I saw her she was riding on the back of a Gaint Nevermore."
Glynda slapped her forehead at that last remark. "She's definitely Summer's daughter."
"Feeling nostalgic?" Ozpin asked with a hint of mirth in his voice.
He knew seeing the red-cloaked girl brought back some memories for Glynda. It was a hard time for her when she got the news about Summer. Ozpin had to bend the knee and give her some time off to grieve. Glynda was one of the closest people to her other than the members of Team STRQ.
She did not give him an answer, deflecting with a question. "What do we do about the pairs still out there? Do we send out a bullhead to retrieve them? Besides your exception, there are many promising students out there that we can't afford to lose."
"Have one prepared just in case." He replied. "Send out some long-distance drones. We need to be cautious here. In any situation that could involve her."
Blake was sent flying but managed to hook Gambol Shroud on a large chunk of falling rubble. Pulling herself to it she jumped closer to the remaining foundations of the temple. She repeated this until it was within reach of her ribbon. When she managed to hook one of the few walkways remaining, she pulled herself up and landed on her feet.
The temple was losing pieces of it every second. The impact of the Nevermore had turned the place into a deathtrap. A hint of yellow caught her attention. Yang and the Schnee were falling and looked to be out for the moment. Blake was half tempted to just save her partner and let the Schnee fall. Good riddance. The world would be better off without any more of those bigots holding the reigns in Remnent's infrastructure.
Then she remembered Ruby, the girl who genuinely appeared to want to help people. Taking on this monster just to remove the chance that it might hurt someone in the future. The girl who took the time to discuss the ideology behind her readings. The less mature ones at least. The Schnee was that girl's partner, so Blake couldn't just leave it at that. Even if she wanted to, she made a promise to her father to never sink to the same level as the humans who refused to listen.
Blake prepared to use her ribbon to lasso both girls as they fell past her, but a deafening scream caused her world to start spinning. She clutched her bow tight in a useless attempt to block it out. Stinging pain and ringing were what came after. She felt dizzy like the platform was balanced on a toothpick. Were her ears bleeding?
Blake slowly rebalanced herself, the ringing was still present, but she regained her ability to concentrate. She remembered what she was about to do. So, she prepared her ribbon to catch the approaching girls.
She whipped her ribbon out. When she saw it encircle the girls, she pulled hard and braced herself as they fell past. The ribbon tightened around them, bringing them back-to-back, and leaving them dangling.
Grunting from the effort pulled them up, hefting them over the edge. After retrieving her ribbon, she lay the two on their backs.
"Yang." She barely registered her own voice through the ringing in her ears.
Gently slapping the brawler in the face, she said again. "Yang."
The blonde girl's eyes slowly opened; she was wincing from the pain she was in. Aura can protect you from a lot, but enough blunt force can cause enough pain to render someone temporarily unconscious even without breaking it. "Blake?"
The ringing was fading. "What happened?" Asked Yang as Blake went over to Weiss. They could afford to waste time here.
"The Nevermore rammed the temple," Blake answered as Weiss regained consciousness.
"Where's Ruby?" Yang asked, and then came the Nevermore's cries.
Ruby pulled, she pulled on her scythe firing shot after shot, slowly cutting into its neck. She wanted to kill it. She NEEDED to kill it. Just to get the images out of her head. Just to make this pain stop. When her magazine ran dry, she replaced it with her ice dust and placed her shots behind the Grimm's head.
The spikes of ice crashing into its head caused the Grimm to become more erratic. Angling its flight to deliberately crash its back into the mountainside. Ruby gave a strong heave and managed to pull Crescent Rose free.
A moment before impact she leaped toward the rock wall, hooking to it using her scythe. After the Nevermore scraped it, she gave chase, with a swing to gain height, a shot to propel herself and her semblance, Petal Burst, to maintain her velocity.
Had any of the others been able to see it, they would notice a trail of black mist following each red petal her semblance created. After landing back in the beast's feathery spine Ruby decided to change targets. Approaching the right wing she brought her blade down on it. She managed to cut it, and the Grimm squawked in shock. She tried again and again. Hacking and slashing at it with wild fury. The cut was getting bigger, and the rate grew with each strike as she felt new strength flooding her body. It was a subtle growth in power, else she would have noticed the stream of dark mist flowing from the Nevermore and into herself. This stream of mist became more constant and began to spread and swirl around Ruby's form.
At that moment, the Nevermore started to panic. It sensed something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Nothing, not its own kind, not even the distant queen, had been able to do what its assailant was doing to it right now. Its strength was leaving it in a very real way. It had to get this thing off of it.
As it tried to turn to the cliff again, Ruby sunk the blade of Crescent Rose into the wing for the Grimm to flinch from the pain. With a cry of rage, she pulled on her beloved weapon. ripping a huge chunk out of the black muscle tissue.
This sent the Grimm into a tailspin, falling down on the base of the temple. Ruby was thrown off seconds before the crash. Sending her falling into the same chasm she witnessed her sister fall into. But her fall was cut short by a sudden pull across her waist. Blake's ribbon had caught her.
Blake pulled Ruby up with help from Yang. The moment Ruby was over the edge she stared at her sibling. "You're, okay?"
Yang meant to give some remark about how one knock wouldn't bring her down, but the sudden embrace of her sister cut her off. Ruby sounded like she was about to cry.
Weiss stood with her arms crossed as she watched the scene. Loathe to admit it, she felt slightly jealous of both of the sisters. She had never been in such a position with her own sibling. If Ruby were less stubborn and proficient, Weiss would try to justify her dislike by saying it made Ruby soft. But she couldn't, so she just kept that little secret to herself. She knew Winter's intention, but still, a hug every once in a while, wouldn't have hurt, would it?
Blake was just happy no one died under her watch.
"How the heck did you bring that thing down? We couldn't even dent it." Yang questioned.
The pile of rubble that buried the Nevermore began to fall away, allowing the avian to shake its upper body loose.
"I managed to damage its wing, but it'll get back up," Ruby said, her voice becoming steadier as she spoke. Collapsing Crescent Rose, she took the spare air dust rounds from her belt and loaded them up into her first magazine. She would need all of them for what came next.
"So, what do we do?" Asked Blake. "It takes a considerable effort just to scratch the thing. Even the Deathstalker from before wasn't this durable."
"It's that tough?" Asked Yang. "No wonder our feather throw didn't hurt it."
Ruby ignored the fact Yang fought a Deathstalker without her. She would be thoroughly interrogated on that later. For now, Ruby needed to execute a maneuver that would end this fight.
"I have an idea. Yang, Weiss, pin it down."
"Aye, sis," Yang affirmed and charged.
"Do you really have a plan?" Weiss asked.
"Do you have one?" Ruby shot back.
Weiss wanted to argue, but again she found herself coming up short. She had no idea how they were supposed to kill this thing. But she would eventually. Right now she has been forced to concede that Ruby had greater experience. For now.
Without another word, Weiss launched herself after Yang with a glyph.
"Hey Ice Queen," Yang called out making Weiss frown. Why is everyone calling her that? "Can you give me a boost?"
Despite her anger, she complied. Creating a repulsion glyph ahead of Yang that would increase her momentum the moment she stopped touching it.
The brawler ignited her semblance and hopped onto the glyph like a trampoline. Turning herself into a human projectile and ramming into the Grimm's breast. This greatly staggered the beast, forcing it to regain its balance on its taloned feet.
Weiss took this moment to use her dust to incase them in ice. Temporarily immobilizing the Grimm. The two retreated as the Grimm thrashed around attempting to break the ice.
Ruby stood at a halfway point between them and Blake. "What now?" Asked Yang.
"We're going to shoot me at its throat."
"What!?" Yelled Weiss.
"Interesting." Said Yang, making it sound like a joke. "Why would we help you do that? If anyone in this team should be turned into a cannonball it should be me."
Ruby held out Crescent Rose and then slid a finger across her throat.
"Oh." Said Yang, understanding her sister's intention. "This is definitely going to boost your respect, Rubes."
"You're alright with this!?" Weiss exclaimed.
"Yup. Let's get to it. That ice won't hold him long." Yang said running to Blake, who clung to one of two pillars.
Yang jumped on the opposing pillar, to which Blake tossed the blade of Gambol Shroud, stretching out the ribbon. Ruby took a running start and fired her rifle to gain elevation. Planting her feet on the taught ribbon, pressing it down. Weiss used an attraction glyph to pull her to the floor.
That was when Weiss felt something was off. It was small at first, but Weiss felt an increasing strain on the glyph she was casting. Like it was destabilizing. With each second that passed Weiss had to pour more aura and focus into keeping it working.
"Can you make the shot?" Ruby asked shunting Weiss out of her thoughts. She wanted to make some smart comeback, and give the girl a taste of her own medicine just once, but she felt her concentration slipping. She needed to shoot.
"Yes." Was all she managed to say.
"Okay," Ruby said, activating her own semblance, and meshing them together. Turning the glyph red. This somehow made the strain on Weiss even worse. Gritting her teeth she reversed the glyph, sending Ruby hurtling toward the avian monster.
With her Crescent Rose in hand, she hooked the Nevermore's throat, she hit it with enough force to tear it from the ice that held it in place. The blade sank into its flesh as they impacted the rock wall. Not enough.
Ruby began firing her rifle and marching straight up the hill. Weiss spotted this and created a series of glyphs leading all the way to the top. Ruby quickly found that she could run completely vertically with these and with a yell she charged upward.
What happened next was something many witnessed would never forget.
Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren made their way to the cliffside to offer assistance after killing the Deathstalker.
Ozpin and Glynda watched from a drone that had just arrived on the scene.
Blake watched in surprise, while Yang looked on with pride at her little sister.
Weiss, fell to her knees, supporting herself with Myrtenaster. The strain her semblance was putting on her was beyond taxing. She could feel her aura draining at an alarming rate.
Ruby dragged the Nevermore by the throat straight up the cliff and when she hooked it at the summit, fired one final shot from Crescent Rose, forcing the blade straight through. Decapitating the Grimm.
"Woah." Said Jaune, as they all watched the headless body of the ancient Grimm fall down the cliffside.
Yang couldn't stop smiling. Just wait until dad hears about this, he'll totally freak out.
Heavy breathing drew Yang's attention to Weiss. Who was standing on shaky legs.
"Hey you alright, pop star?" Yang asked, walking over to shoulder the heiress.
"I'm fine," Weiss said, despite not refusing the aid. "My semblance overtaxed my aura."
"Yikes. I tried that once. Not fun." Yang knew the feeling. Her semblance almost literally burns through her aura like fuel. Keeping it going for too long was a great way to knock yourself out.
Weiss nodded; glad Yang accepted her half-truth. Weiss had absolutely no idea why that had happened. She had been training in secret for years to minimize the amount of aura she needed to use for her semblance. This sudden spike was not normal. But while it was concerning, it was not a primary problem right now. "I agree. Now let's head to the temple and get the relic so we can end this."
Yang made a tsk sound before speaking. "Mmm. Sorry to tell you this, but the temple's empty."
"What?" Weiss asked, staring at Yang in shock.
"Yeah. Just before you came along, two other pairs showed up and took the last ones."
Weiss fell silent, only staring at the ground in disbelief. Did she fail? She should have guessed there would be a stopgap to make sure not everyone got inside. Beacon was the best, of course, there would be a set amount of people allowed in. The worst part was that she couldn't blame her partner for this even if she tried. Weiss led the way for the entire first porting of this trip. She had no one to blame but herself.
"I failed."
"Cheer up Weiss," Yang said.
The heiress fixed her with a venomous stare. Was she trying to mock her?
"I got one extra just in case you needed it." Yang laughed, presenting two identical white knight chess pieces to Weiss.
What just occurred dawned within her mind instantly. Yang had just tricked her. Toyed with her feelings for a joke. "You... YOU!"
Ruby stared down the cliff. Watching the corpse of the Grimm fall. Getting to see a Grimm corpse for any lengthy period of time was rare. Almost all dissolved immediately after their life ended. The old ones took longer and according to her uncle, that was a sight that few huntsmen get to enjoy. A sense of payback for all the pain the Grimm inflict. Ruby reveled in seeing it fall limp on the destroyed remains of the temple.
{Signal Interference- Tobias Lilja Little Nightmares 2}
Then it was gone. Replaced a rocky cliffside and a vast ocean. Ruby stared around her. She wasn't in the Emerald forest right now. Turning around, she saw that she was at the bottom of a much bigger rock wall.
She felt uneasy. A sense of familiarity that she couldn't shake off. It felt like she had been here before. Dead trees. Jagged spikes. And an ever-present sense of dread.
A sudden splash drew her attention. Leaning over the side she saw the ripples in the water. At first, she thought it was just a large rock. But then she spied hints of yellow under the water.
Ruby felt her breath hitch, she didn't know why this sight was so nerve-wracking, but she found herself hoping desperately that whoever fell under the water was alright.
She blinked. Who? What made her think it might have been a person that fell? She did not know, but she felt a level of certainty that she could not go against.
A small, empty, yellow raincoat floated to the surface of the water. She almost stopped breathing as she stared at it. That raincoat. She recognized it. It was the same raincoat she wore when she was found nearly six years ago. It was still at home on Patch.
Yet, seeing it here, like this. It sent a cold shock through her chest. Like her heart was suddenly encased in ice. Watching it float away, a feeling of hopelessness fell over her.
Was she shaking? Why? Was she scared? Why? Why does this frighten her?
"Look familiar?"
Ruby spun around. There stood the black-cloaked girl. Mist rolled off her form as she stood still as a statue.
Ruby was in no mood to beat around the bush. This... This was becoming too much.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
The girl took small, slow steps toward Ruby. Her cloak pulled behind her shoulders, revealing something unsettling. Her outfit looked like a blackened version of Ruby's. Everything was the same. The only thing she could not see was the girl's face.
"You know Exactly who I am."
Ruby's vision, changed again. This time she felt different. Smaller, Weaker.
She stood in a messy living room. Everything was oversized and bent. It felt wrong. Very wrong. Looking down at herself, she saw that her stature was minuscule. And even more shocking, she was wearing the raincoat.
There was a bright light behind her. Stretching her shadow across the carpet. In that shadow, she appeared. Materializing out of thin air, her form was all static and glitchy. Again, she looked the same as Ruby did at that moment.
"Where is he?" She asked, sounding slightly distorted. There was concern in it. She was worried about someone.
Ruby did not answer. She did not know who she was talking about.
The girl stared at Ruby, and somehow the girls scrutinizing gaze made Ruby feel... guilty? Why did she feel guilty?
"What have you done?" She asked sounding angry. Very angry.
Ruby gasped as she returned to the cliff in the Emerald Forest, the girl stood in front of her. Both of them looked the same. Both had hoods over their heads.
Then it hit Ruby. The truth of this girl. She did know who she was, and why she was following her. "You..."
The girl pulled the hood down revealing a dark reflection of Ruby's own face.
Ozpin watched with a smile as the group of eight, approached him on the hill at the starting point of Initiation. Glynda stood beside him. Her stern demeanor was ever-present. Inside he was relieved. After the initial scans, he came to the conclusion that all the strange occurrences were not some scheme from her to try and abduct or harm Ruby or the rest of these students. At least two of them were valuable enough to warrant some attempts at sabotage from many other powers in the world. The primary one is the SDC. The rest could be former gladiator sponsors from Mistral.
What the technicians explained was the system suffered from an aberrant signal of some sort. It had no directive or proper code behind it, from what they explained. This caused a cascade failure across a large portion of the surveillance system. Whether or not the affected cameras were recoverable was yet to be determined. Still, despite this, he was in good spirits. The children were safe. The huntsmen of tomorrow were all that mattered right now.
"I see we all had an interesting time." He said as they lined up in front of him. They all looked tired. Even Yang and Pyrrha.
Glynda stepped forward. "Students. Step forward in your pairs and present the relics you've collected." She turned to Nora and Ren. "You two first please."
They stepped forward. Nora still had a smile but said nothing. Even she knew better than to act inappropriately in front of the two most important people in Beacon.
Ren held out the black rook. Glynda examined it and nodded. "You may leave. Go eat and rest up. Final orientation begins soon."
Ren nodded respectfully, while Nora just acted like a doll as she walked away. What a strange girl.
Next came Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. Arguably the most opposing duo in terms of their difference in skill. Jaune presented his own black rook and told them to move on.
Ozpin stepped forward for the next inspection. Yang and Blake stepped up next. Two very different individuals, yet they appeared to get along well enough.
Yang presented the white knight and Glynda nodded. Ozpin nodded as well before saying. "Your commitment to your sister is quite admirable Miss Xiao-Long. I trust we can count on your assistance with any future problems regarding her going forward?"
"You can bet on it, sir," Yang replied, making her partner slightly nervous due to her casual attitude.
Glynda also disapproved, but made no comment as she knew Yang would break almost any rule she had to in order to help her sibling. Knowing the staff would not have to keep looking over their shoulders was good.
The two girls stepped aside, Yang was not planning on leaving without her sister.
Next came the pair of the day. Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. Arguably the most combative pairing they've seen in years. Many students didn't get along at first. But they often begrudgingly accepted each other until Initiation was over. It was the first few weeks of school when all the drama started. He would have to warn the staff before hand.
"Good to see you two again," Ozpin said.
Ruby looked calm and curious as she always did. Weiss was similar, but Ozpin could tell, she was just putting on a poker face of her own. He knew that she was not as calm as she made herself out to be. The incident yesterday proved that. Someone who is in control can keep calm even in an undesirable situation.
"I trust you've left any grievances from yesterday behind you?"
"We've come to an understanding, sir," Weiss said stiffly.
"Have you now?" Ozpin asked turning to Ruby.
"Yup." Was all Ruby said, clearly feeling that saying anymore was pointless.
Ruby Rose was the one Ozpin had the most concern about going into this. He was worried that when the signal started affecting the system it was some sort of plot to abduct or kill the girl. He was happy to be proven wrong. As for her character. He did not know what to think. The girl was by far the most difficult to read. Even when they first met. Had he not known about her trauma, he would have been fooled. Thinking that she was only a naive and good-willed soul. She is no simple soul.
"That's good. Too much friction would negatively impact your score."
Weiss presented the white knight piece. Ozpin glanced at Yang. Who turned away when he looked at her. She figured out the pairing system. Taiyang must have tipped them off. A parent wanting to help his children or a bit of spite against Ozpin. The headmaster would not deny he deserved the man's ire.
Speaking of ire there was one thing he needed to address before dismissing them.
"Miss Schnee." He noted Weiss' posture straightening at his words.
"Yes, sir?"
"I'll have you know that those cameras are not cheap." He gave her a dull stare and watched as what little color drained from her face.
Glynda joined in on the scolding. "I understand that you were not satisfied with your partner, but that does not excuse you from destroying academy property."
He could see the young heiress become stiff as if moving would signal a predator to attack.
Ozpin decided to add one final touch. "We won't punish you this time. But the incident has been documented in your permanent record. I will only say this once. Schnee or not, you are not above the rules here at Beacon. Do not think you can ignore them at your convenience."
He glanced at Ruby. He was surprised to see no reaction from her. Yesterday caught her smirking at the heiress for a minor admonishment. Now, there was nothing. Maybe they had come to an understanding. That's good. It meant less trouble for both of them. He was still going to give the staff that warning though.
Glancing to the side he saw Yang being surprised by the news he heard. While Blake had a slight smirk on her lips. He knew the type. Vindictive.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." She said with a shaky tone.
"Good. Now all of you." He said addressing the four of them. "Go and have some good food. You've earned it."
In the auditorium, the crowd applauded as the newly dubbed Team CRDL walked off the stage. Ruby didn't applaud herself, neither did the rest of her team. Ruby knew Cadrin from Signal. A guy like him had to prove that he deserved the praise he would get from her. Which would likely be never.
The next ream walked up to the stage and Ozpin began his declaration of the next team.
"Jaune Arc. Lei Ren. Pyrrha Nikkos. Nora Valkyrie. You received the black rook pieces."
They stood in order in front of the headmaster. Jaune first. Then Pyrrha. Next was Ren, and Nora was last. Ruby completely blocked out the holographic screens above. Focusing solely on the people.
"From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR."
Nora laughed and caught Ren in a loving embrace, as the crowd clapped.
"Led by Jaune Arc."
Weiss scoffed at Ruby's side and whispered. "What?"
Ruby had to agree. Jaune was a nice guy, but he did not exactly give off leadership qualities. Then again, she's never seen him in action. Maybe she was underestimating him. Although, watching Pyrrha accidentally shove him to the floor was hilarious.
The newly dubbed Team JNPR stepped off stage, signaling Ruby and her team to step up. As they passed by, Jaune gave Ruby a shy thumbs up, while Nora gave them two energetic ones.
As they stepped up the headmaster spoke. They were the last team. "And finally. Blake. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao-Long."
The girls lined up in front of him. Ruby to the right. Then Weiss. Blake, then Yang.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."
The crowd cheered once again.
Weiss glanced at her partner, doing her best to stifle the feelings welling within her. She wanted to be the leader. She worked to be here. She should be. But then she gave it some thought. She had already proven her inadequacy in the field. That was a wake-up call. Ruby was more experienced when it came to real combat with the Grimm. She was practical and thoughtful when the moment called for it. Not to mention she was right. Weiss was too focused on proving that she should have been the leader that it backfired. Not to mention she nearly died twice today. Winter was an amazing trainer, but sad to say. It wasn't good enough. The mere thought felt like a betrayal of her sibling. But she had to accept this. It might not be so bad. Ruby was talented. Maybe her original plans for her ideal partner would work after all.
Blake was passive. Ruby was their leader. That was fine. Blake was used to following orders. What rankled her was now she was on the same team as the Schnee. She came here to get away from all the drama that family caused and now she was stuck with one for the next four years. Hopefully, her other teammates could keep her in check. Either way. She would not leave. This was her team. She would be the bigger person if the spoiled girl caused trouble.
Yang was beside herself. Her little sister was not only in Beacon with her. Not only were they on the same team thanks to dad. But her baby sis was now the leader. This could not be any better. On their hunts, Ruby was always the planner. The thinker. She took in situations quickly and worked out solutions. Yang had to agree with the headmaster on this one. Ruby was the best choice, and she deserved this recognition.
Walking over to her sister, Yang caught her in a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!"
Ruby did not react. She didn't even blink. Her focus wasn't on the headmaster. Or the crowd. Her attention was concentrated on the dark corner of the auditorium. Where the lights did not reach.
Ruby saw her. Standing there in the dark. Fully cloaked again. Almost camouflaged in the darkness around her. The two stared at each other. Ruby kept her expression neutral. While she couldn't the other's face, Ruby knew that she was smiling.
"We're going to have so much fun here." Said Ruby's Shadow.
There we go. I hope you all enjoy it. Just a heads up. Chapters are going to take longer now. I am working on multiple personal projects right now. Including my lousy attempts at writing a fantasy book, as well as legitimate work. So, it will be a while before the next chapter. not sure when, but it will come. Till next time.