Heya! It's been a while hasn't it? Again…
Yeah, sorry, lots of stuff happened since last chapter. Most of my time went into Tears of the Kingdom, which is on me. I lacked discipline on that one and neglected writing.
One of my cats also almost died, and I spent a good week caring for her. I'm relieved that she made a full and smooth recovery. She's already back to normal, and I found a dead bird in front of my door today. What an adorable little murder machine.
It's amazing how tough cats are, she survived having both of her lungs collapsed and crushed by air leaked in her chest. 1 life lost, 8 left.
What else? Oh, I saw the trailer of the DC x RWBY crossover part 2. I like the superhero outfits the girls gets. Ruby has the best one, as usual, but for once the other are pretty decent too… except for one thing; earless Blake. Blake without her eyes is one of the most cursed thing I've ever seen. For goodness sake, she almost looks like Cinder!
Is this how DC fans felt about the DC characters' younger redesign in part 1? No, this is incomparable. Blake without her cat ears is way worse than being turned younger, and getting a fox tail can only be called an upgrade. What they did to Blake is just terrible. The horror!
Weiss with her hair down is pretty great, though. But what did it cost? What did it cost!?
Anyway, on to the reviews. Ilia!
… Ilia?
Ilia: "Wut do 'a want? Je'k."
Are you… are you drunk?
Ilia: "Am not. Hic."
*I give a look at the empty bottles in front of her… and on the floor.* Yeah, you're drunk. What gives?
Ilia, crying with her face on the table: "Blake… Why?"
Ah, of course it's about Blake.
Ilia: "Why 'id she inore ma feelo- fa… fee-fees, but then went- got with… what's her face… Ying?"
You mean Yang?
Ilia: "Who? No, meant Ying. Wha' do she got tha' I don't?"
… Boobas? And an ass? Maybe she's just into fit blonds?
*Looks at Sun.*
Uh, might be unto something here, actually.
Ilia, turning her skin bright yellow: "'uck you! Me can be blond too!"
… That's not your ha- Ah, whatever. You don't seem fit to help with the reviews, so I guess I'm on my own. That's fine.
To Yog-sothsoth: I was partially joking when I said that Sunnybees would be S-Tier. I do stand by that watching Sun and Blake get progressively closer only for the ship to never happen after all that time and screen time was disappointing, and fairly frustrating, and that I'd like for Sunnybees to become a thing. I don't think that'll happen though, lol.
As for me having leaned too hard into the Yu-Gi-Oh elements of the fic… Yeah, that's a fair criticism. I don't entirely disagree either, although I am happy to know it's not a deal breaker to you and that you still enjoyed these parts, even if not as much as the actual RWBY stuff. And yes, Slifer cultist Whitley was quite funny. I got the idea and couldn't resist, eh eh.
Singular Ash: I've answered you in PM, but for the sake of informing other present and future reader: Not toxic at all, and I actually fully agree with your point of contention. When I started to publish the fic, I wasn't split by two options. Either post this in the RWBY section and feel a bit bad when I started introducing more Yu-Gi-Oh elements in the story, or post this in the RWBY/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover section and feel guilty as it would take so many chapters to build up the Yu-Gi-Oh elements. Both options felt like a lose-lose and I went with the first one over the latter because there was only one difference that advantaged it over the other: visibility. I do apologize that a selfish motivation is what ended up being the tiebreaker.
Thankfully, after reading your comment, the idea came to me to change the fic's summary to include a mention of the fic having some Yu-Gi-Oh stuff in it. A happy middle-ground that more accurately presents the story than the options of posting it as either a RWBY or RWBY/Yu-Gi-Oh fic… and a solution so simple and obvious that I feel pretty dumb not having thought of it sooner…
vastoisshin: Meh. Not the ship I wanted, but I guess it's on me to come to term with it. At least the ship is decent. While not perfect, Bumblebee is still leagues ahead in terms of writing quality than a lot of other lesbian ships. I'm looking at you, Korra.
Cultist Whitley is one of the comedic highlights of the chapter, isn't it?
I'm glad to hear I manage to make Ilia fun in the Author's notes. You hear that Ilia? You might have died early, but you're still getting popular with the fans. They love your suffering, so it's not for nothing. :D
Ilia, vomiting on the floor: "Bleurgh…"
Oh… that hangover is going to suck tomorrow morning. Poor you.
To Reader451: I've watched Stargate, but it's been a long while so I don't recognize the reference, I'm afraid. Nevertheless, thank you for the condolences. Being Canadian is indeed a terrible tragedy.
(Disclaimer: This is a joke. Despite having my issues with my home country, it's still much better to live here than in a war or famine ravaged country, and I am blessed to have this country as the one I was born in. I probably didn't need that disclaimer, but better safe than sorry.)
About theelderman5: Yes. 'About', not 'to'. For context, this theelderman5 posted a review on chapter 1, without reading anything, that was mostly an all caps hate rant against RWBY concluding with him saying he'd punch me for liking RWBY if he ever found me irl. I can't find his 'review' anymore, so I think reporting it worked and it was taken down by the site. I don't usually like taking down someone else's opinion expressed with civility, even one I completely disagree with, due to being generally against any censorship, but I don't think that qualifies as 'civil' when the guy is literally just yelling and saying he'd love to punch me.
So, 1) Guys, don't be theelderman5. 2) Come find me, theelderman5. It will be my pleasure to punch back.
Now, on to the fic.
Disclaimer: RWBY is the legal property of Rooster Teeth, and Yu-Gi-Oh is the legal property of Shueisha. I'm just some monkey typing randomly on a keyboard and it just happens to churn out something that can be called a story. ;p
Jaune woke up that morning with a wide smile.
Today was initiation, in which Jaune would be tested to prove he was fit for Beacon Academy. He wondered what kind of teammates he would end up with, and hoped his team leader wouldn't be a jerk.
In the background, Nora blabbered loudly to Ren. Something about bribing the Headmaster to make sure Ren and her would end up partner… He hoped she wouldn't actually try that and land herself in trouble.
Then, as he made his way to his locker… Or what he thought he remembered to be his locker. - Crap, what number was it again? - Jaune heard a name which gave him pause.
''I keep telling you, I have no idea where Gemini is!'' A short girl with white hair said, glaring at a taller blonde.
''He's your fiance, for crying out loud, how the fuck do you not know where he is.'' The taller girl growled.
''Because I don't obsess over him like you apparently are! What's your problem? You have a crush on him or something!?'' Weiss shouted, and Yang barely held herself back from punching her.
Yang glared at Weiss, her red eyes meeting the rich girl's blue ones. She opened her mouth, but before she said anything, someone else spoke up.
''Not that I don't enjoy watching a Schnee being put in her place, but you two are going to end up being late to initiation if you keep this up.'' A red-haired guy with a pair of small black horns on his head said. Jaune noticed the upper right part of his face was covered by a thick eyepatch.
''Excuse me!? Who do you think-'' Weiss started, before being cut off by Adam raising his hand in front of her face, cutting her off.
''I don't care to hear you out.'' Adam said, before turning around and walking away. This was already too much interaction with Weiss than he cared to have, but he didn't come to Beacon to spy on her only for her to not even make it past initiation.
Weiss stared at his back, her jaw hanging open at the rudeness.
''Tch! This isn't the end of this discussion.'' Yang told Weiss, before leaving for the cliff where initiation will take place.
''What is wrong with people here? Mannerless lowlifes, the lot of them. Why, I never-'' Weiss grumbled as she made her way there as well.
Jaune released a breath he didn't realise he was holding. These girls, they mentioned Gemini, right? Was it the same Gemini who had hired Onyx to train him? He almost jumped to that conclusion, but while Gemini wasn't a common name, it was a bit of a leap to just assume so.
Well, he could always asks them more after initiation. He had four years after all… Or would if he passed initiation. Speaking of which…
"My locker! Where is my locker!? Oh gods I'm gonna be late!" Jaune scrambled in panic.
/-/
"So, uh, sir? We're… We're just thrown in the woods like that?" Jaune asked nervously, as the other students were being catapulted one by one.
"Correct." Ozpin said calmly, as if throwing kids by catapult was a normal thing for him… Which it might be. "I hope you've practiced your landing strategy.''
"Ah… Eh eh, of course I did." Jaune said hesitantly.
He did not, in fact, practice his landing strategy. Oh, Onyx sure warned him to not neglect that part of his training, but he just didn't see in what situation he would need to deal with high altitude falls, so he focused on his sword and shield instead.
Now he knew what circumstances required a well polished landing strategy. When you were put into danger by a madman of a headmaster.
Jaune was thrown by the platform, feeling his stomach sink as he rose into the sky.
… Maybe this was the real reason his father didn't want him to go to Beacon?
As he fell back down, his heart beating fast in panic, Jaune tried his best to angle his body, and when he was close to a tree, he kicked the tree to change his direction and redirect his momentum away from the ground. He landed his feet on another near trunk, and attempting to jump off that one too, he slipped and fell to the ground with a surprised cry.
"Oww…" Jaune groaned, before getting up. "I definitely lost some aura on that one. At least it wasn't as much as if I had just crashed from full height?"
Jaune looked around, seeing nothing but the trees and shrubbery surrounding him. "There's no Grimm… yet. Now, gotta find a partner and the relics… What do the relics looks like?" For that matter, where was north? Uh oh.
He started walking around, hoping he wasn't going to the opposite direction he should be going.
/-/
Adam's only eye stared in horror at the girl in front of her.
"Humpf, so you are my partner then. I'm Weiss Schnee.'' Adam's living nightmare said. "I suppose you'll do. You seem competent at least.''
No. God, no. He may be here to spy on her, but he was not sharing a dorm room with her. He'd never manage to stop himself from throttling the Schnee girl, and he couldn't spy on a corpse!
"No." Adam said simply, before turning around and walking away.
"W- wait! Where are you going?" Weiss said in a panic, a hand reaching out toward the man's form disappearing between the trees. "We're supposed to be teammates…" She whispered, disappointed.
But it didn't last long before she stomped her foot on the ground. "Fine! You could have been partner with someone great, but your loss. I hope you regret your decision." Weiss yelled toward the direction he went, before walking off in another direction.
And quickly got lost in the woods.
/-/
"So, uh, hi there." Jaune said nervously, as the girl's intense red eyes stared into his. "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."
Yang rolled her eyes in a huff. "Well, Jaune, I hope your sword is sharper than your tongue, 'cuz otherwise you won't last long against the Grimm." She said, resting a hand on her hip.
"It is." Jaune nodded happily, before his eyes grew. "Wait, was that line that bad?"
"Eh, it's cute in a corny way that'll never get you a girl." Yang shrugs, before walking away. "Come on, let's get to that relic thing and end this. You got any idea where these are?"
"Oh, sure. I mean, they're north of the cliff, right? We can see the cliff from there, so we just gotta walk the opposite direction." Jaune guessed.
"Hmm, alright, as good a reasoning as any." Yang said. This guy didn't seem too bad for a partner, she could work with that.
/-/
Adam's sword cut down the Ursa trying to attack him in one clean move. A Grimm like this was far below what he'd consider a threat.
"Whelp, well, that was quick." Emerald quipped. "You think I'll have an occasion to do something, or you'll do all the work today?" She asked her new 'partner'. "I'm fine with just sitting back and watching, so I'm not going to complained if that's what you want."
"Hn." Adam grunted, and kept walking toward the ruins.
Great. She couldn't believe she was thinking that, but she missed Mercury. As shitty and annoying as his banter was, at least he had banter, so she could annoy him back.
Talking to this guy was like talking to a brick wall.
It was almost making her regret that Mercury was probably dead by Blake's hand… Almost. Should she kill the girl for that, or buy her a drink?
Wait, she backstabbed Cinder. Kill it was.
"I can't wait to become a huntress and save people. I've always wanted to be a hero." Emerald lied. "What about you?"
Adam turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Do you, now?" He asked back to her, not believing her. For some reason, she just didn't strike him as the type to risk her life for others.
"Well… Okay, I admit, I'm mostly here for the money." Emerald said. "I grew up starving in the streets, so I came to Beacon in the hopes that a huntress' pay would let me never sta-"
"I don't care." Adam said, before resuming his march toward the initiation's objective.
Emerald glared at the back of his head. She didn't give a shit about what he cared about or not, but… rude.
She'd be hoping Augur guts him during his attack, if it wasn't for the fact she needed the asshole alive to get into Beacon.
/-/
Pyrrha sighed, taking one of the tower pieces from the ruins. So, she reached the ruins without even meeting anyone…
What now? Should she wait here for someone to arrive without a partner, or go search for one in the woods?
Decisions, decisions…
/-/
Jaune's shield moved fast, knocking the Ursa's paw away before using the opening to cut with his blade. Then he turned around, and in a fluid motion, killed another of the beasts.
"Is it me, or does it feels like we're barely making progress?" Jaune complained, as Yang crushed the skull of the last Ursa. "First a whole pack of Beowolves, and now these…"
"Doesn't matter." Yang said, her eyes scanning around to make sure there were no other Grimm, uncaring that she was probably the one attracting them. "Grimm like these are just small fries anyway."
Above them, a Giant Nevermore screeched.
"… Is that one 'small fry' too?" Jaune asked, getting a little worried.
"Tch!"
/-/
Pyrrha drew her weapon in javelin form and braced herself as she heard the sound of a Grimm running toward her, only to see the Ursa crumble on the ground as soon as it breached through the treeline, and a short, orange-haired girl jump off its back as it started to disintegrate, dead.
"Woohoo! That. Was. Awesome!" The girl shouted with her arms in the air. "Oh, I have got to do this again. Best transportation method. Ever!"
"Hello." Pyrrha said with a smile, relaxing as it became clear there was no threat. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos, it's a pleasure to meet you. I asssume we are… partners?"
"Aww, nice to meetcha, Pyrrha, but I already got my partner." Nora grinned, before a Mistrali boy came running in her trail, short of breath.
"Nora… Please… Never do this again." Was all Ren managed to say. Then he fell to his knees.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said quickly, embarrassed at having assumed Nora was without a partner. "Err, are you alright?" She asked Ren.
He raised a thumb. "Just… need a breather…"
Nora suddenly looked at the relics, and Pyrrha could swear she almost saw sparkles in her eyes, before the ginger girl ran to them and picked up one of the towers.
"I'm Queen of the castle! I'm Queen of the castle!" Nora sing sang, with the chess piece placed on her head.
… Okay?
Ren got himself up, his huffing calming down. "So, you reached the ruins alone?"
"Yes…" Pyrrha nods, trying not to let shown that it saddened her. "I'm not quite sure what to do now. Should I wait for someone to make their way here, or search the woods for a partner? But what if someone arrives here alone and I miss them?"
Ren shrugged, and said nothing. He didn't know what the best option was either.
Then Nora came in behind Pyrrha and passed an arm around the taller girl's shoulders. "Hey now, no use stressing about it. There's gotta be someone who'll get there at some point." She said with a wide grin.
"I suppose…" Pyrrha said, frowning slightly.
"Or maybe, left alone to make their way here, they'll die on the way, and then the cops will investigate the death of the student, and take you in for questioning since you're the only one without a partner, and you'll rat out that I'm the one who told you to stay here and wait sothey'llarrestmeandputmeinjail!" Nora said, her ramblings getting quicker and more out of breath toward the end.
"Nora, I don't think that's-" Ren started, before being cut off by Nora grabbing Pyrrha by her shoulders and shaking the Mistrali Champion.
"I'm too ginger to go to prison! So you go out there and find that partner of yours, ya hear me?" Nora said in a commanding tone, pointing toward the woods they came from.
"Y- yes, of course." Pyrrha blurted out, not knowing how to react to Nora's extreme attitude. She turned to Ren with a quizzical look. "Is she always…"
Ren nodded.
"Oh. I see." Pyrrha said. She took a look around, and sighed. "Well, I guess I should get going. It was nice to meet you two."
"Good luck." Ren said, before his eyes darted to the side. "Ah, we may have an issue to deal with before walking our own way."
The two girls looked over the woods, and saw a Giant Nevermore throwing its feathers down into the trees, tracking a target that was coming toward the ruins. Obviously fellow students.
"They probably need help." Pyrrha said, bracing herself for the incoming enemy.
"On it!" Nora said before throwing one of the knight pieces in the direction of the approaching students.
Yang's eyes widened when she ran out of the wood, seeing the chess piece, and she barely managed to duck and narrowly avoid the relic, and there was a cry of pain behind her as Jaune didn't and received the object in the face.
"Nora, I think Pyrrha meant helping them with the Grimm." Ren said.
"Oops. Sorry, Joey!" Nora shouted toward the downed blonde with a wave of her hand.
"It's fine…" Jaune said, before realizing he had a relic now. "Hey, Yang, I've got the relic, let's go! Thanks, Nora!" He got up, and started running away from the incoming giant feathers.
His eyes widened when he noticed one was about to hit him. His aura would save him, but this was going to hurt a lot.
Yang jumped in and punched the feather aside, firing her gauntlets, just in time.
"Thanks… That bird just isn't letting up…" Jaune said, frustrated. He couldn't reach an opponent that high, not with a sword.
"Yeah, it's pissing me off." Yang glared at the Giant Nevermore, which was preparing another volley of feathers for them. That thing was too big to be brought down by fists, even if she could somehow reach it up there.
Then a red and gold javelin lodged itself in its left eye, and it screeched in pain.
Jaune turned to the thrower, a tall, athletic girl with red hair, and look between her, the injured Grimm, and then between Yang, and the pointed end of the feathers lodged in the ground. A light bulb went off in his head.
"Nora! You said on our way to Beacon that you're strong?" Jaune asked suddenly.
"You bet I am! Want me to smash some dumb bird?" Nora grinned.
"No, I want you to smash Yang."
"Wait, what?" Yang raised an eyebrow, as Nora braced herself with her hammer, giving Yang a maniacal grin.
"No, not like that, Nora. I mean using your hammer to propel Yang toward the Nevermore." Jaune corrected the short ginger girl. "Think you can do it?"
Nora let out a disappointed whine. "Sure, I've thrown heavier than people before. That's nothing for Magnhild."
"Hey, what's the plan here exactly? Because even if I reach-" Yang started, before being cut off by Jaune.
"Grab one of the feathers, aim at the eyes."
At his words, Yang took a look at a close by feather, and grinned. "One Giant Nevermore skewer, got it."
/-/
"Stupid would-be partner. Stupid forest. Stupid North who dares not being right ahead of me like it should be." Weiss ruminated below her breath, as she strolled through the woods.
Her foot dug into mud, and she yelped as she almost tripped, before angrily yanking her foot out of it.
"Stupid ground. Why is it so unsuitable for a lady's proper footwear?" Weiss grumbled.
She decided that she hated nature.
Then she took a look around, and her face fell when she recognized a tree she was pretty sure this was the fourth time she passed.
Oh no…
"Don't tell me I've been walking in circles for the past half hour!?" Weiss shouted.
Wait. Her eye! She should have thought of it sooner, but she was still so unused to it that it didn't occur to her. She could use her heat vision to see where others were and find both where everyone was going, which would be where the ruins would be, and spot someone without a partner!
Weiss turned her alternative vision, and quickly smiled as she saw someone's heat not too far, hiding in the bushes, instead of pursuing the test's objective. That was odd, but maybe they just lacked confidence without a partner?
It didn't take long for Weiss to reach the person, and she startled her by coughing in her fist.
"Gah!" The stranger exclaimed, wearing a bright yellow suit that covered her entire body, with their face obscured by a matching yellow helmet with a black visor, showing nothing to identify them.
"You… you aren't a student, are you?" Weiss said, narrowing her eyes, and keeping her hand on Myrtenaster's hilt. She was pretty sure she'd have remembered such an odd outfit from amongst the students at the cliff. Or at least she thought she would have.
"… I guess not?" The girl in yellow said slowly, before the hesitation left her and she struck a ridiculous pose holding a leg at an angle, with the foot resting on the other leg, and with each arm parallel to each other, with one above her head and one level with her chest. "I- I am a hero of justice, Yellow Huntress, from the Hunter Special Squad!"
Weiss gave her a creeped out look. "And what are you doing in Beacon's initiation?" She said, suspicious of the strange woman sneaking around where students were and wearing tight spandex.
"The Emerald Forest isn't a private location, I have the right to be there." 'Yellow Huntress' said.
"That is not the issue." Weiss scoffed, pointing her rapier at the shady girl. Between the Grimm making it so that normal people wouldn't come her, and that this was the precise day that the students were isolated in the woods with little supervision, this self-proclaimed 'hero' was much too suspicious. "I suggest you follow me without causing trouble. I'm bringing you to Headmaster Ozpin."
Yellow Huntress straighten at that. "I don't think that's the preferable option…" She said, somewhat tense as she tried to think of a way to diffuse the situation.
"You can think what you will. I don't care." Weiss insisted with a glare.
"Hey now, shouldn't you focus on passing your initiation instead of me?" Yellow Huntress said, taking a step back. "You're not a huntress yet, not even a student, so it's not even like you have the right to arrest me in the first place. Beside, I am an actual licensed huntress, so do you really think you could win a fight here?"
Weiss faltered, doubt showing on her face. "I… Err… Fine! But don't expect to get away with whatever you are planning, or I will deal with you." She said, before stomping away in frustration as she realized that even if it wouldn't have the test to pass or had the authority for this, apprehending someone alone was a risky affair. She went in the correct direction this time.
Yellow Huntress let out a relieved sigh. She never expected one of the students to find her. How did the Schnee girl even get that far out of the path in the first place?
"Yellow? Has there been a problem?" A voice came out from Yellow Huntress' micro, and she pressed her hand on the side of her helmet to answer.
"Almost had a bit of a complication, but I'm in the clear." She told her teammate. "What about you, Blue?"
"We're in position, mostly." Blue Huntress answered. "Pink went to 'talk to a bird', whatever that means, but he should be back soon. Any sign of unusual Grimm activity?"
"Not yet on my end. The target hasn't struck yet."
"Tch. Fine, stay on your guard. Green and Red haven't found anything yet either." Blue Huntress said. She didn't like this one bit.
/-/
After I followed the raven in the woods, and just as I guessed, it was the Raven, which I could confirm the second I had a red blade holding me at my neck.
Could be worse, could have been Qrow. I was still dreading facing him and having to try explaining what happened while he'll try to kill me.
"Hello, Raven. I take it you wanted to talk. What is it?" I said, keeping my cool.
"You could perfectly well what this is about, you forked tongued little bastard." Raven hissed under her mask.
"Err…" I wracked my mind to try and think of what her problem was. Was she on her period? Had she not hit her menopause yet? "Refresh my memory?"
The irate bandit woman dug her blade against my neck, just enough to nick a bit of blood, if I didn't have my aura.
"You said you would be taking the Lamp to let Salem and her circle know it was out of its vault and lead them to think the vault is empty. It has been a few months, and you still haven't hold to that part of our agreement." Raven said, her grip on her sword tightening. "I do not take kindly to people who go back on their deals with me."
Oh, so that was what this was about.
"I haven't gone back. I was merely waiting for the optimal moment to reveal it." I said. "There's little point to hide a relic from Salem if it's to hand over another in the process. Today, I will have the opportunity to reveal the Lamp, without handing it over, and by tying it to a fake identity of someone who doesn't exist." I said.
"… Sending everyone on a wild goose chase." Raven muttered, catching on. "Fine."
She took her blade off my neck, and sheathed her sword. "If you haven't revealed it by sunset, you will not see it rise in the morning." The overly edgy woman threatened. Seriously, Raven, you're too old for the 'edgy teenager schtick'. Just drop it, you dollar store pretense of an adult.
"I'd be worried if I was lying about planning to do it today. If." I said, nonplussed.
"Hmpf." Raven started walking away, before looking back over her shoulder. "By the way, what the fuck are you even wearing?" She asked, about the bright pink spandex bodysuit.
I groaned.
/-/
Flashback.
"Welcome, to my evil lair!" I said theatrically, my arms raised up as I showed off my new estate to the Happy Huntresses.
"Not evil! We're supposed to be heroes here, Gem!" Ruby said, heard by me only.
"Did you seriously buy an entire island to have a manor built on it?" Robyn deadpans. "How much did his even cost you?"
"More than you could afford, not enough for my bank account to care." I said with a shit-eating grin.
Yep. Whole ass island. I bought it off the coast of Vale. It wasn't far from Patch, though not as big as the island Ruby and Yang grew up on. Bought it, hired people to build the manor… It was still under construction, and the builders were still working on the half-finished building.
"Disgusting." Marigold muttered under her breath, shooting me a glare.
What was her problem? Did I do something to her? I don't remember… Oh, maybe it was because of my accusation concerning her family, the other day. Ah well.
Ignoring the hater, I guided the girls to the underground floor.
"And this is my evil cave." I said in a happy voice contrasting my words.
"Again, not evil!" Ruby kept shouting in my head.
"And my evil giant robot." I waved a hand toward the giant robot being made under my new home, the underground lights reflecting on the metallic sheen of the unfinished project. It wouldn't be ready for months, so it was probably just going to be for a later arc or something.
Still, this was so cool and I will have so much fun with this thing. Err, I mean that this is purely for the sake of the world and saving people from… Uh… The Dragon Grimm! The one from the Fall of Beacon. Yeah, that's totally what I had in mind when I paid for this, this giant robot will be my answer to the Dragon Grimm. Trust the plan.
"Not evil!"
"No, seriously, how much did all this cost?" Robyn asked again, her eyes wide like saucers.
"Enough to feed millions, I'd bet." Marigold renewed her glare.
Yeah, because a lack of food on Remnant was the primary issue the world faced. None of the kingdom were dealing with a famine, so buzz off. I'll spend my money on cool ass giant robots and fight Grimm if I wanted to. Ratio + didn't ask + cringe + get gud + cope and seethe. "Nice point, but here's a counterargument: giant robots are cool." I said without a care, and May's eyes ticked in annoyance, while her friends gave me exasperated looks.
They were just jealous of my giant robot.
I led them to a section of the underground that wasn't too far, and presented a set of skin tight spandex suits, each with their own color. "And these, are what we will be wearing to disguise our identities when fighting Augur: the evil suits."
"Not evil!" Ruby insisted. "These are heroic suits. You literally had them designed after these Super Sentai hero guys from Earth."
"I'm taking the green one." Joanna said, having no hesitation to picking her favorite color.
"I'm not sure I want to wear any of these things..."Robyn stared at the suits, horrified at the prospect of wearing one. "My political career would never recover from me being seen in these… things.''
"That's why we're hiding our identities, duh." I rolled my eyes. What a silly woman Robyn was. "Traditionally, the red suit is for the leader, so that will be mi-"
"No idea what 'tradition' you're referring to, but red suit for me, got it." Robyn said, cutting me off.
I gave her a look. "What? But I'm the one who paid for all this. This is my stuff." I said, levying a legitimate complaint and not whining.
"And the rest of us all follows Robyn, so though luck." Joanna snorts. "You're outvoted on that one."
"Outvoted!? I don't run a democracy!" I said very maturely.
"But you live in one, so deal with it." Marigold said, flicking me on the nose. Oww. Hey! We're not anywhere near close enough for you to touch me! "So, I'd like the blue one. What is it about, according to 'tradition'." She scoffed.
"Second-in-command and the… tactician of the group or something like that, I think? Memory's fuzzy." I said. Memory was mostly fuzzy due to never having cared much about power rangers. I just wanna pose like the Ginyu squad. "Don't remember the rest, though."
The pink one was for the girl of the team, but let's be honest, that meant nothing when I was the only guy here. And the yellow… Was the yellow the martial artist of the group, or was it the green one? The heck was the other one for again? Uh…
"I'll take the yellow one." Fiona said.
"Eh? Wait, but that leaves me with the… No, I'm not wearing that color. I'll look ridiculous." I said, staring in disgust at the pink suit.
"Why? What's wrong with pink?" Robyn asked, sporting a wide, amused grin on her face.
"It looks tacky!" I said.
"All these suits looks tacky, that didn't stop you from making them." Marigold said, joining Robyn in grinning. "Beside, if the pink suit is going to be worn by one of us, why should it be us instead of you? Any particular reason?"
… How did I answer that without sounding sexist?
I felt a tug on my sleeve, and turned back to see the sheep girl giving me puppy eyes.
"… Agh, fine! You can have the yellow suit. Just don't look at me like that!"
/-/
"Miss Schnee has returned within view of the forest's camera." Glynda noted, looking at her pad. It was surprising she got lost far enough to be out of the initiation's area in the first place.
"Hmm." Ozpin looked at his own pad, staring at Yang picking up one of the Giant Nevermore's feather, before the girl jumped on Miss Valkyrie's hammer, who threw her into the sky using both her natural strength and recoil of her grenades' blast.
He raised his sight, and looked at the distance, where a yellow dot held the giant feather as it flew toward the ancient Grimm, before stabbing into the beast's remaining eye and through its skull.
"That's one way to take care of a Giant Nevermore." Ozpin smiles in approval, as he watched the Ancient Grimm disintegrate during its fall toward the ground. Such promise in this upcoming generation.
"We have quite a few talented students this year." Glynda notes, pushing her glasses up. "Given Jaune Arc has been the one who came up with this plan, I imagine you'll want him to be a team leader?"
"I'm already trying to think of colors starting with a J." Ozpin nodded.
Then his eyes narrowed at his screen, and Glynda followed his sight before frowning.
"Some of the cameras are broken?" She said, noting the three feeds that were down.
"It appears so."
/-/
Adam and Emerald stared as the dead Giant Nevermore crashed onto the trees ahead of them.
"… What does Vale even feed its huntsmen trainees?" Adam said, befuddled. He wasn't even sure he could take that thing down and make it look that easy.
At least, not without someone distracting the Grimm while he built up his semblance.
"Don't ask me. I grew up in Mistral." Emerald said. "Shit country, by the way."
"I'm aware." He said simply, before a blonde girl with red eyes landed in front of them.
"Sup, I'm Yang." She said, pointing a thumb behind her. "The ruins are right ahead. Your path should be pretty clear."
"Thanks, I guess you already got your relic then?" Emerald said with a smile she didn't mean. "I'm Emerald. I'd love to stop and talk, but…"
"Initiation's still going on, yeah I know." Yang shrugged, as a few other students came running.
Emerald suppressed a sigh of disappointment as she saw Pyrrha Nikos. If only she hadn't crossed path with Adam, she could have gotten the rich redhead to mooch off of. Despite her reputation, the 'invincible girl' felt like a total doormat, someone she could have easily taken advantage of.
"So the relics are chess pieces." Adam notes, giving a look at the rooks in Jaune's hands and the two knights in Nora's and Pyrrha's. "Come Emerald. There must still be some left."
He walked away, toward the direction Yang indicated, and Emerald followed, although not without waving a hand to the other huntsmen-in-training.
It didn't take long for them to reach the ruins, and Adam picked up the remaining rook.
"Time to go back."
"Agreed. We've been at this long enough." Emerald said, but as they walked back toward the woods, they heard explosions further ahead, in the distance. "Uh, noisy. Can we just walk around and avoid taking part in that fight? We already have what we need."
Adam nodded. The group of students that they had encountered on the way seemed competent enough, even if one didn't count the Mistrali champion. He doubted they would have problems dispatching mere Beowolves or Ursai.
/-/
A little before Adam and Emerald heard explosions, Jaune, Pyrrha, Yang, Nora and Ren were making their own way back toward the cliff.
Then Jaune stopped, as something caught his eyes. "Uh, guys? I don't think that's something normal to find in a forest." He said, staring at a broken piece of a surveillance camera near a damaged tree, who trunk was cracked where the camera was presumably installed, and pieces of splintered bark laying around.
"Hmm. That must one of the cameras the Headmaster is observing us with, to grade us." Pyrrha said with a frown.
"Yeah, but what did this? The Grimm?" Jaune asked.
"Doubt it." Ren said, his eyes scouting the area. "The Grimm around here shouldn't be smart enough to figure out what a camera is."
"Plus, it's not like Beowolves can use explosives." Nora snickered, happily jumping up and down on her toes.
"Explosives?" Jaune blinked.
"Yeah, the damage on that tree? That's an explosion. A small one." The ginger girl grinned, giving Magnhild a pat. "I know what I'm talking about when it comes to explosions, trust me. Eh eh."
"Wouldn't it have set fire to the tree, though?" The swordsman asked.
"No, not unless you use incendiary charges like my fire Dust shells." Yang answered. "Which begs the question: what did this? Another student?"
Why, though? She doubted a student would be destroying the cameras, that would just anger the professors against them. Not exactly the ideal for someone trying to get into the school.
Suddenly, the other teenagers around her tensed, and reached for their weapons.
"Yang?" Jaune said, staring at the small spider Grimm slowly descending above Yang and keeping his voice low as Ren took aim toward the girl. "Stay calm, and, uh, don't move?"
She raised an eyebrow, and then froze as she felt eight legs touch her shoulder. That was too many legs. Too many legs!
Yang turned her head and spotted the arachnid Grimm crawling on her, before releasing a shriek. "IEEE! Take it off! Take it off! Eww!" She trashed around in panic, making it impossible to shoot the Grimm without hitting her.
"Yang, calm down, we can't take it off if you keep moving like that."
"Screw you Jaune! You're not the one with a giant spider on him!" Yang yelled, before the spider Grimm blew itself up. She recoiled in pain as the small explosion shaved off a small part of her aura. "Fuck! I hate spiders well enough without them exploding."
"More incoming." Ren warned, sensing more Grimm approaching. "There… are a lot of them."
The group turned toward the direction the spiders came in, and saw dozens of them crawling on the ground and into the trees.
The teenagers didn't waste time shooting at the spiders, except for Jaune who didn't have any firearms. Ren's automatic fire, and Nora and Yang's explosions did a lot to trim the number of spider Grimm, but they kept coming. Jaune hoped his allies wouldn't run out of munitions before they were done with these things.
The blond swordsman spotted a spider trying to sneak up on them from the trees, and jumped in between it and Pyrrha as it leaped at her while she was shooting the other ones. It landed on his shield, and he felt the strength of the small boom through his shield arm.
"I'm sorry, I should have noticed it." Pyrrha said, pulling the trigger at one more Grimm.
"No problem." Jaune said. "Guys, I have a lot of aura and a shield, so since I don't have a ranged option, I'll focus on protecting you from those who slip past you. You guys focus on shooting. They only blew up if they do it themselves, not if they're killed."
"You want me to focus on fire? Fine!" Yang growled, and loaded up her incendiary shells.
Then she shot, and she set the woods in flames between them and the Grimm, killing many by fire.
/-/
"Keep running." Cardin shouted, as Russel, Sky, Dove and him were being pursued by the spider Grimm.
Where the fuck did these things even came from? They weren't native of Vale, that much Cardin was certain of.
One of the spiders jumped from a tree near them grabbed Dove's leg. As it blew itself up, the pain caused him to fall with a cry, and a split second later, the small Grimm were crawling all over his body.
"Dove!" Sky shouted, his face palling in horror.
"Forget him, it's too late for him." Cardin said, keeping on running as the spiders on Dove exploded. The unfortunate young man's aura broke, blood and chunks of flesh splashed around him, and the others left his mangled body behind.
But Sky's hesitation cost him, and soon he too was caught by the Grimm.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Cardin and Russel heard his screams from behind them, alongside the spiders' blasts.
As they put distance between themselves and the bodies of half of what would have been their team, their run was cut off by spiders Grimm waiting ahead for an ambush, jumping down from the trees. Russel rolled out of the way before they could latch on him, but Cardin, with his armor, couldn't avoid one of them landing on his chest, and the small blast from the kamikaze spider, if not taking much out of his aura, was still enough to knock him down.
Russel threw a look behind, saw more Grimm crawling on Cardin, and kept running.
"Russel! Where the fuck are you going!?" Cardin yelled in fear, extending a helpless hand toward Russel. "Come back here and get these things off me, coward!" His voice cracked, before his aura was assaulted by the spider's blasts.
Before his aura broke, Cardin caught sight of an unknown assailant catching Russel by his head. He was wearing a dark, hooded cloak that hid his features, and his inhumanly pale arm held Russel above the ground. He saw the stranger's insane grip crush Russel's head into paste, before the spider's legs dug deep in his muscle tissues and bones, inserting themselves into his body before detonating.
Their explosions cut off Cardin's screams of agony, and tore his flesh asunder.
/-/
Ozpin frowned at his screen. Half of the forest's cameras had been destroyed already, and what he saw on the remaining ones were highly distressing.
"Ozpin, these are Kerachnes." Glynda said, to which Ozpin nodded.
Kerachnes were a Solitas Grimm, not found anywhere near Vale. They were usually found deep in the cold caves of the northern continent, and only in groups of a couple of dozens. They killed themselves to deliver a relatively small explosion, and were rated to be a low level threat to both huntsmen and militia groups alike.
But to have so many gathered here, hundreds instead of dozens, and employing ambush tactics that they had never been observed to use before… It was obvious something was afoot.
Before, Ozpin would have taken all this as a sign that Salem had taken to the field, but after she showcased her new pieces on Atlas, she didn't need to be here in person for this.
''One of Salem's human Grimm is present.'' Ozpin said, as his remaining cameras relayed sight of students fighting, and dying, against the Grimm. ''This has gone beyond the scope of an initiation, and we cannot remain idle observers. Glynda, prepare the launching platforms, we must go with haste.''
/-/
Weiss almost let out a shriek as she ran across a body, mangled to the point of being almost unrecognizable, and covered her mouth with her hand.
Behind her, the spider Grimm scurried, and Weiss didn't wait for her pursuers to catch up to her before resuming her run, glyphs forming in from of her as she ran across them, going faster than running normally and without risking tripping up.
Weiss knew that Ozpin said that they would be risking their lives in this test, but there was no way this was normal… right? Someone dying in an Academy's initiation wasn't completely unheard off, but most years didn't actually have any death, much less the many that were occurring right now.
Yes, many. She might only have stumbled upon the one corpse, but there were sounds of fighting coming from every direction, along with screams of panic. The most terrifying part of these screams were when they stopped abruptly. She knew what that meant.
Not that she needed the sounds to be aware of what was going on, with her heat vision seeing the warm bodies of other students drop, but she was fairly certain that it was the screams, over the blobs of red and orange her artificial eye saw, that would haunt her nightmares.
A Kerachne leapt toward Weiss from a tree on her right, and she cut it in half before it could touch her and explode. Then several more crawled out of the shadows, and Weiss, surrounded, planted Myrtenaster in the ground. Using her ice Dust to create a tall column of ice under her, she elevated herself out of the Grimm's reach, the spiders being unable to crawl vertically on an ice surface.
Weiss used the respite to catch her breath, and looked around with her heat vision. Grimm didn't produce heat, unless they were using a special power like shooting fire or lighting, but there was still a distorted shape of blue where a Grimm was, standing out from the background due to distance affecting how much heat her artificial eye caught.
Weiss frowned. At a distance, walking amongst the Grimm, was the shape of a person, but with the lack of heat of a Grimm. What… what was she looking at!?
Was this the cause of the Kerachnes' presence in the Emerald Forest? If so, then better she gather other people before confronting it.
Looking down, Weiss' eyes widened as she caught sight of the Kerachnes climbing the ice column, their legs, similar to ice picks, allowing them to climb unimpeded by the wet surface of the ice. Before they could reach her, she switched Myrtenaster's chamber to its fire Dust, and sent down a wave of flames to lick the sides of the ice, burning the climbing spiders.
Unfortunately, she was only delaying, as more Kerachnes came in and started making their own way up. Weiss knew she couldn't stay there.
She gazed upon the surrounding woods, and spotted a group of students, the largest around, and used her glyphs as platforms to jump on, rather than deal with the Grimm below on the ground. There was no time to waste, and she hoped she wouldn't be too late.
/-/
A bullet pierced the closest Kerachne, saving the student with a broken aura and blown off leg, before a group of five people in brightly colored bodysuits came in and started to beat back the other Grimm trying to get to their prey.
The student had no idea who these people were, but he wasn't about to look at a gift horse in the mouth.
The shortest of the five hung back close to him, and typed a quick text on his scroll, before turning to him.
"Don't worry, a transport is coming to pick you up." The boy in pink told the injured huntsman-in-training. Well, more like ex-trainee. "I know this is a bit unreasonable to ask, but try to reign your emotions in and focus on hope." Gemini said. They could deal with the Grimm, but it was losing time that could cost them or others.
The only response from the rescued young man was a shaking nod, his heart beating too fast for him to believe he could speak.
A bullhead came in while the Happy Huntresses Hunter Special Squad were making short work of the Grimm, equipped with cutting edge weapons that differed from their usual ones to avoid their identity being recognized. Gemini himself fought with knives, since Yang was too familiar with his sword style for him to use one in front of her, and knives less so. The Happy Huntresses, on the other hand, had their crossbows replaced with rifles and their staffs with different weapons that still suited them. While they fought, Gemini loaded up the young man into the airship, careful to not aggravate his amputated leg while he placed him on the last seat. "And that's ten." Gemini said, noting the bullhead was full, before going up to the pilot.
"Bakeneko, you're full, so bring these guys to Beacon's infirmary and come back to act as support and evacuate us."
"Understood." Yama said, as Gemini turned back and made his way outside.
As he passed by the passengers, each in various states of distress, though not all with their aura broken and injured, thankfully, the latest rescue muttered a weak "Thank you."
Gemini gave him a curt nod, and turned to his allies on the ground as he stepped out.
"Alright, we saved those we could on the way, but we don't have anymore transports for isolated students. I suggest we find a large group to support and guide toward others." Gemini said as the aircraft left the area, counting on numbers to protect what was left by herding the remaining students in the woods together.
"Sounds good to me. I'd like to deal with Augur as soon as possible, but since we didn't find him before he started the attack, then keeping as many people safe as possible while we pacify the place from Grimm is the best we can do." Robyn said. "The bastard will have to either show himself or retreat eventually."
Then an ice pillar rose in the distance, and the group could see a white shape moving above the trees.
"Weiss…" Gemini muttered, before running toward her. This was perfect! If she was alone and hurrying in a chosen direction like this, then she must have spotted other people. So by following her, they'd find more students.
"Hey, hang on, don't just run off without warning." May complained as she and her friends followed after him.
"Did you expect any less?" Robyn said, with an amused grin and not realizing she was misunderstanding Gemini's motivations. "It's his fiancee. Of course he'd be worried for her and want to run to her rescue."
Gemini almost tripped, barely managing to catch himself without breaking his run.
Whether he almost tripped because of Robyn's words, or Ruby complaining in his head about them, was anyone's guess.
/-/
Ozpin moved fast as lighting, his cane piercing through an Ursa's skull. For a young Grimm like this, he didn't need an edge.
"Initiation has been interrupted. Return to Beacon immediately." The headmaster said to the student he just rescued.
"Eh? But what about-"
"Now!" He shouted, and the student jumped, startled, and ran away back toward the school.
"We are still some distance from the students who managed to reach the ruins." Glynda noted.
"I know. They should still be somewhat around that area." Ozpin frowned. If he could just run there directly, it would only take a handful of minutes, but with the other trainees to help on the way, it could take… 10? 15 minutes, to get there? It was forever in the context of a fight, but he couldn't ignore them, for he was just as responsible for them as he was for the other deeper in the forest. "Let's press on."
Glynda and him ran, knowing that while they alerted the rest of Beacon's staff, Peter and Barth wouldn't make it in time.
He caught sight of a bullhead leaving the forest for Beacon, and his eyes narrowed. An unknown party? Ally or enemy? Either way, he couldn't verify now without giving up on several teenage lives. But if there was hell to be paid, it will be paid.
"Oz!" Glynda alerted him, and he turned his eyes ahead of them, above the treeline in the distance, where an ice pillar stood and a white figure sprung from it to go… deeper in the woods.
He could tell it was the young Weiss Schnee. Her reason for going toward there instead of retreating toward Beacon better be that she noticed other students and was moving to lend support, rather than still be focusing on the test. If the latter, then he would need to give her a lecture after this.
To both the teacher's right and left, the sounds of explosions, growls, and screams erupted. Some of agony, some of panic, as they heard the next generation being slaughtered.
"Glynda, take our right. I'll go to the left." Ozpin said, and Glynda nodded before they temporarily split up.
They really needed to do this quickly.
/-/
"Anyone noticed the Grimm's numbers are thinning, or is it wistful thinking on my part?" Jaune said, before knocking a Beowolf's arm aside and stabbing it in the chest.
"Definitely thinning." Pyrrha said, putting down another Grimm.
After the fire started, their little group had retreated to a more open space, to avoid being caught in the blaze. The spiders' numbers were a threat, but they were individually weak, so Ren's automatic fire had made short work of those who didn't get caught in the fire. Unfortunately, they attracted the attention of other Grimm as well.
To Jaune's left, Nora smashed another Beowolf's skull in, and Yang, who had drifted a bit away from the rest, was turning an Ursa into a punching bag.
A Beowolf charged the swordsman, and he narrowly ducked under its clawed limb before cutting it in half at the waist. Another Beowolf charged at him from behind, and he swirled around, first striking the vulpine monster in the face with his shield, then, continuing in the same motion, decapitating it with his sword.
Ren weaved between Grimm, cutting them down at the same time, before firing his weapon at a few more spiders coming out of the woods. Thankfully, there were almost none of those left, so the only remaining threat were the normal local Grimm.
Pyrrha sliced through any Grimm coming close to her, each of her movement surgically precise, switching between sword and javelin as she saw fit.
Yang leapt from Grimm to Grimm, crushing the skull of one before shooting herself at another, aiming for the bulkier Ursai while the rest of their group handled the weaker Beowolves. Jaune's partner was like a bulldozer, smashing anything in her path with brute force.
Jaune felt the soil beneath him shift, and immediately stabbed his blade in the ground, killing the Creep that was about to burst out from under him.
Their group of five continued to mow down the remaining Grimm, and quickly cleared them out.
Jaune sighed in relief, glad that it was finally finished. "The Grimm all over are going to be in a frenzy on our way back, aren't they? Let's stick together, I guess.''
"The Grimm around here are pretty weak, but these spiders things aren't supposed to be here. I don't know what else to expect." Yang said, warning Jaune.
"This does seem a bit too much opposition for a test." Pyrrha said, giving their surroundings a wary look. "I hope other students aren't in too much trouble."
"I hope so too…" Jaune said. "But let's focus on-"
He was cut off by a girl in white landing next to their group, who quickly swirled around and planted her rapier in the ground, creating a large wall of ice spikes toward the treeline as Grimm were running out, only to get impaled on the spikes.
Weiss faced the other students, glad that she found a group of actually competent ones as, even outside of Pyrrha, they managed to get rid of the Grimm attacking them before she even reached them.
"There's something walking in the woods, amongst the Grimm." Weiss said quickly, after a few huffs to regain her breath. "I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's the cause for the Grimm's behavior, and maybe the Kerachnes' presence as well."
"Kerachnes?" Jaune gave her a confused look.
"The spider Grimm. They're a Solitas type rarely found outside of caves and other underground areas." Weiss said. "I think, if we kill the Grimm I spotted, the rest are going to be easier to fight."
"Kill Grimm, win the day. Got it, let's break its legs." Nora said, gripping her hammer with a grin of joyful violence.
Yang cracked her knuckles, and held barely restrained fury in her red eyes as she thought of the spider Grimm. "Fine by me, where's this Grimm and what does it look like?" She asked Weiss, sooner preferring to burn the whole forest to the ground than having another swarm of spiders coming at her. Just the thought of their legs crawling on her… Urgh.
"Oh, if you want to know what I look like, there's no need to ask the ice queen brat." A male voice came in from behind the ice wall, before it shattered, sending splintered pieces flying everywhere. Weiss quickly made a few glyph to shield their group, and when the ice cleared, a humanoid figure stood before them, draped in a black hooded cloak… and a pack of Grimm at his back. "You merely need to feast your eyes upon me." It said, his hands raised at his side.
The teenagers took a step back, bracing their weapons as they stared at the hostile individual.
"Wh- who are you?" Weiss asked. Somehow, the stranger's voice seemed familiar. She felt like she had heard it before, but there was something about it, a foreign malice, that made it difficult to recognize.
A dark chuckle came from under the hood, and the being lifted it to reveal his face, giving them a baleful gaze as Weiss and Yang gasped.
"You? But, how? And your appearance…" Weiss said, her body tensing.
The boy before them had the same face as Gemini. His skin was paler than a corpse, with dark veins running on his neck and face, and hair as white as her own, and his eyes, shining red, with unnatural black sclerae, but these were Gemini's trait that she saw under the monstrous features.
"Block the path of anyone coming in. These ones are mine." Augur ordered his Grimm, who went back into the woods to attack any who would want to interfere with the fight.
"Gemini…" Yang growled in a hatred only matched by the one in the human Grimm's eyes, and Jaune did a double take.
This was Gemini, the boy who paid for his training? What was happening?
Augur hid his surprise by smirking instead. So Yang had met Gemini? Interesting. Potentially troublesome, but interesting...
"Why, hello Yang… How's the sister?" Augur said, his glee at twisting that particular knife obvious.
You know what's the best part here? For once, I actually know what next chapter will be called. I know, I know, it's been a while.
On the bright side, it's going to be mostly fighting, so I won't have to juggle with the many interrelated parts of the moving plot. It should go faster to write it… Hopefully I won't struggle too much with making the fight actually interesting to read. Fighting scenes are so hard to write. T_T
See you all next time, for Chapter 27: "Raid Boss: The Hound"
Are you doing better, Ilia?
Ilia: *Barfs some more*
Doesn't look like it...