Author's Note: All right! New chapter done, and not a moment too soon - my new semester just started. Hope y'all enjoy!
Consider joining the TopHat Discord Server, run by TopHatGuy, author of Captain Arc. I'm not on as much as I used to be due to personal time management issues, but it's still a great place full of military nerds, 40k nerds, retards, memes, and general degeneracy.
Invite Link: discord gg/2cdxgqPcRF
Sins of the Forefathers
Act the Second: The First Step
Chapter Nineteen: Forest Frenzy
Ren hiked through the Emerald Forest, with Nora trailing behind him. She wasn't as chatty as she tended to be - though she did still chime in once in a while with a random thought - and he appreciated that. After all, this was the last hurdle before they were officially Beacon students. He needed to focus to ensure that they were both going to pass.
He looked down at Nora's map again. She'd never been good at land navigation - back when they'd been orphans roaming from village to village, he'd been the one responsible for finding the way, and that hadn't changed now.
"So, what do you think my thingamajig will be?"
"Hmm. If it's anything like mine was, it shouldn't be too difficult to find. At least once we get to the location on the map."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his 'Item'. A playing card, a Jack of Spades. It had been pinned to a tree when they'd arrived at the location marked on Ren's map. He flipped it over. The back was marked with a pattern typical of playing cards - in other words, it was a completely normal playing card.
I suppose the items are simply normal items, but they are out of place in the forest.
"Sooooo, who do you want to be on a team with?"
"Hm? I don't know, no one's really stuck out to me much."
"Really? We spent a whole week in those communal barracks. I saw a bunch of strong girls! I bet they'd make good teammates."
"Well… There was one guy who stood out. The guy who puked on that girl on the airship? I saw him around the barracks, but rather than strong…"
"Dangerous?"
"Yeah. He carried himself like… like the Spiders. But he's not as… refined."
"So what's the verdict?"
"He's undoubtedly capable, but I don't know if he'd be a good-" Ren stopped talking and held up a finger. Nora fell in step behind him, pulling out her weapon, Magnhild.
Ren crouched a bit and pointed ahead. Through the forest, a few bushes rustled with movement- but there was no sound, no birds chirping or squirrels skittering.
Ren reached out and placed his hand on Nora's shoulder.
A Creep pushed its way through the underbrush. It's masked, reptilian-like face opened as it growled slowly, sniffing it's way around the trees. It gazed around the clearing where Ren and Nora had been, and saw nothing.
But it still smelled… something. Something Human. It smelled prey.
It sniffed along the ground, roaming left and right through the clearing-
"SMASH!" Nora cried.
The Creep was flattened, crushed under a force that cracked the ground beneath it. Fur and black viscera scattered, before dissolving into smoke.
The air shimmered with light and Ren and Nora became visible again as Ren deactivated his Semblance. Nora stepped away from Ren's outstretched hand and leaned Magnhild on her shoulder. The giant warhammer seemed oversized for Nora, being taller than she was, and yet she easily hefted it with a single hand.
Ren sighed and checked the perimeter as Nora investigated her handiwork. As she leaned over the small crater, she whistled. "Phew-wee, I think that's my best one yet! This crater is, what, five, six feet?"
Ren glanced back, then continued his perimeter check. "Six, easily. But your best was ten feet- remember, when you were sparring Bolin?"
"Oh yeaaaaaah. Well, this is definitely my best crater on a Grimm!"
"Nora, that's the only Grimm you've ever killed."
"Which makes it my best!"
Ren laughed despite his focus. "When you're right, you're right, Nora."
"And even when I'm wrong, I'm right!'
Ren shook his head. "Come on. The area's clear- let's move."
Ren pushed through the foliage, Nora right behind him.
Blake wasn't sure what to make of her new partner.
On the one hand, it was a little jarring how talkative she was- Yang hadn't let a single minute go by in silence since they'd met.
On the other hand, it was refreshing, in a way. Almost everyone she knew - Adam, Illia, Trifa, Yuma, Sienna, Baburon, Tukson, even Jaune - tended to be the silent type.
Well, so am I, to be fair. I suppose it's a consequence of our lifestyle… being tight-lipped is easier when you don't talk much to begin with.
She tuned back in as Yang asked her something. "...so what's your fighting style anyway? I mean, I know you use a sword, but - and don't take this as an insult - but you don't seem like the kind of person to go rushing into a fight headfirst, kicking ass and taking names."
No, that was always more Adam's thing. "My fighting style is very… evasive, I would say. I use speed and agility to outmaneuver my enemies and take them down from their blindspots."
"Oh, that's good! See, I'm the opposite. I like to get up front and personal with my opponents, and give 'em the old one-two!" She jabbed the air quickly to punctuate her point. "Anyway, my point is that when we fight, I can act as the frontliner while you flank enemies."
Blake nodded. "That makes sense. It's what I'm used to."
"What you're- Oh yeah, you're friends with that Jaune guy, right?"
Blake glanced over at Yang before focusing back on the path. "I suppose you could call us friends, but personally, I don't think that's quite accurate."
"What do you mean? Didn't you two come from Atlas together? I know you guys didn't come from Signal like I did, and Jaune mentioned being from Atlas, so I just figured… you know."
"No, I came from Mistral. We just know each other because we were roommates over the summer."
"You lived together, but you don't think you're friends? Just how much do you know about the guy, anyway?"
"Enough to trust him, I suppose. He's reliable when it counts."
"I'm sure."
Blake shrugged. "He helped me out in a pinch - besides that, his business is his own. Why do you care so much about him, anyway? I know he puked on you, but he apologized already."
"That's not what I'm-! Ugh." She shook her head and turned to face Blake fully. "Fine, I'll just come out and ask - do you know he's a criminal?"
"I don't know what you're talking ab-"
"THERE'S NO WAY YOU DON'T!" Yang yelled, and her hair blazed with fire as her lilac eyes turned red.
She rocked her hands back and forth, activating her weapons and assuming a stance.
Blake jumped back, eyes wide and drawing Gambol Shroud from it's sheathe. She assumed a crouched stance, ready to use her Semblance to dodge away-
They both stopped in their tracks as a ringing noise interrupted them. The tone continued, both of them blinking in surprise as they realized what was happening.
"...why is my Scroll ringing?" Yang asked, flabbergasted. Despite her rage, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Scroll, answering it.
"Hello Miss Xiao Long."
"Headmaster Ozpin?"
"Yes. Consider this call your only warning. I am going to forgive your inquisitiveness as Miss Belladonna is already aware of the situation, but any further pursuits will be considered a breach of your contract. Continue with your Initiation as normal. We will discuss this in detail later."
The call ended as suddenly as it came, and Yang slowly put the phone away. She glanced at Blake, then turned away, her shoulders hunched as she slowly walked away on the path.
After a moment, Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and followed after, heading towards the final rally point.
"Alyssa, move your Bullhead to sector D8. One Beowolf has appeared, it might be too much for the Initiates."
"Understood. I'm on my way."
"Tsune, you head to sector C3. One student was injured by a Creep. They haven't set off their flare yet, but be on standby in case they need medical attention."
"On my way."
"Port, have your Bullhead move to sector B5. Three Creeps have appeared there."
"Are you sure the students there can't handle it themselves? Why, when I was their age-"
"Yes, we all know your skill, Port, but this isn't about you, it's about keeping them safe. Why do we have to have this conversation every year?"
Port chuckled. "Why, it's part of the routine! You send me out, I boast about my skills, the kids stay safe - business as usual. There's no need to change it. And before you ask, I'm already on my way there. You worry too much, Glynda."
Sometimes I feel like I don't worry enough, Glynda thought as Port signed off. Shaking her head, she turned towards Headmaster Ozpin, who had finished his call to Yang Xiao Long and had resumed his usual "patrol", checking the different cameras and observational systems set up in the Emerald Forest through his Scroll.
"Hmm," Ozpin muttered to himself, "Jaune and Miss Nikos seem to be getting along surprisingly well… Mister Lie and Miss Valkyrie are moving swiftly, but that's to be expected, given their upbringing. Miss Rose and Miss Schnee-"
"Ozpin," Glynda said.
"Hm? What is it?" he looked up from his scroll.
"Are you sure about this?"
"About what?"
"Ozpin."
The old man chuckled. "Of course, of course, I know. I understand your concerns, Glynda, but I truly think that young Jaune has it in him to become a better man than his father. Besides, it isn't like this is the first time I've made a gamble like this, and the last one turned out okay."
"Raven Branwen defected from the IGO and is now an active thorn in the Empress' side."
"And Qrow Branwen is one of the best Huntsmen in Vale, and one of our best agents," Ozpin sighed, "and truth be told, Raven's defection is ultimately my fault. I mismanaged her- I thought I could help her the same way I helped Qrow, but she needed something else."
"What do you mean?"
Ozpin and Glynda turned around as a new voice joined the conversation.
"Amber!" Ozpin greeted. "How are you? Have your wounds healed up?"
"I wasn't hurt much to begin with." She walked up and crossed her arms, her green cloak fluttering softly as the cliffside wind passed over them. "But back to my question. You think you could have 'redeemed' Raven the way you did Qrow?"
Ozpin turned away, and looked out over the cliffside. He was silent for a moment, then spoke again. "I do. Why does it interest you?"
"Raven was the one who set up Cinder's attack. She said that Cinder 'failed', meaning it was some sort of test for her. I want to know-"
"It's because you're the Maiden."
Amber blinked. "She knows about that?"
"Raven was one of my agents before her defection," Ozpin sighed. "She was privy to much the same information you are. Not to mention the IGO access she had as a Rank 1. She probably knew you had the Maiden powers the moment they were passed to you."
"Shit," Amber said. "So if she's so powerful, and if you trusted her so much, why did she defect? And what makes you think you could have changed that?"
"I'd like to know as well, Ozpin," Glynda spoke up. "Looking back, I think she only ever respected you because you were stronger than her. And when she found someone that even you couldn't deal with, well… it's the nature of her people. The Branwens worship strength."
"She's more complex than a bandit stereotype, Glynda… Do either of you know just how large the Branwen Clan is?"
As if reciting from a memorized passage, Glynda began talking. "The Branwen Clan is the largest bandit tribe in Mistral. They occupy Yatagarasu Mountain in Southern Mistral, and have some degree of control over the villages surrounding the mountain-"
"I don't mean their threat assessment, Glynda," Ozpin interrupted. "I meant how hard it would be to lead them."
Amber shrugged. "Even if Raven's not a stereotype, the Branwens as a whole are bandits. They follow her because she's strong."
"Strength undoubtedly has something to do with it," Ozpin conceded. "But it's more than that. I'll give you the full report on the Branwens later, but in short, they're larger than the Long clan in the Mistral Capital, and stronger to boot."
"That's ridiculous. If they were that strong they could actually invade Mistral."
"They could, but Raven forbids it. I'm not sure to what end, but she keeps a very tight leash over her clan - something that would not be possible if she only ruled them with strength. The average adult in her clan is generally rated as an A7, for what it's worth. That girl who attacked you - Cinder - has officially been deemed an A4, and the other girl with her as well."
"Okay, so what does all that have to do with redeeming her?"
Ozpin was silent for another moment. "I keep tabs on Raven, not just because she's a threat, but because she was my student and I loved her as I love all my students. Even now, after her defection, I worry about her from time to time. Do you know what I've come to realize over the years as she assumed control of the Branwen Clan?"
"What?"
"In the time that's passed since she became the Clan Chief, Raven has become a true 'Leader'. Her responsibilities have forced her to become someone who is able to lead the Branwen Clan properly, and adopt those traits all great leaders have: the strength of authority to command them, yes, but also the compassion and care to ensure their continued loyalty."
"You mean she gained redemptive qualities out of necessity, and you intend to try and have Jaune Arc undergo the same growth," Glynda summarised.
"Indeed."
"You think that'll work?" Amber asked. "As far as I can tell, that Jaune kid has gone too far down the wrong path. If what little he's opened up about is true, then I doubt even Raven had a kill count as high as his at seventeen."
"I cannot know for sure," Ozpin admitted. "But I do know one thing - when I spoke to him before, he told me that his wish was to make the world a better place. And that was not a lie."
Here we go again.
Shotoku no Nobuko, Crown Princess of Mistral, sighed inwardly as she took her place in her mother's courtroom. She was knelt on a soft down pillow four spaces down from her mother, her legs tucked beneath her in seiza.
Her mother, Empress Shotoku no Miko, was sat on the throne - which wasn't nearly as ostentatious as one might have thought. It was a simple wooden chair on a raised platform, allowing her mother to sit, while everyone else in the court was forced to kneel. Her platinum-blonde hair was styled with two horn-like upraises, and her gray eyes appeared tired- another night of debauchery with the Consort and her Mistress, no doubt. Despite her tiredness, Miko's posture was ramrod straight and there was no sign of weakness in her presence. Her mother was once again adorned in her traditional regalia, a silk series of robes of white and gold trim, with a purple cape running down her back.
In the first seat to her right was Miko's Legal Wife, Tojiko no Iratsume. She had short, wavy green hair and green eyes. She wore a dark-green robe for this meeting. Though she'll probably change into something more Western once the meeting's over.
To Miko's left was her Seneschal, Mononobe no Moriya. She had gray hair (despite being in her twenties) and gray eyes, and wore a white hunting dress with a purple skirt. She normally wore an eboshi headdress, but had foregone it; likely due to the informal nature of this particular meeting.
Speaking of which…
Leaning up against the wall was a tall woman- Keiki Kurokoma, a Chimaera Faunus with black hair, dark-red eyes, a black horse-tail and black wings. Her outfit was completely unfit for court, being a rancher's hat, some zig-zag plaid patterned shirt, a turquoise bandanna, and rider's boots.
I see mother's Concubine has invited herself in once again. If not for her strength, she'd simply be another whore for mother to use and throw away at her convenience.
Nobuko looked across, noting multiple empty seats - for the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Domestic Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Religious Affairs. Five are absent today, as usual. The only man who did show up… Nobuko glanced towards one of the only other filled seats.
Guan Tian Long, the Minister of Military Affairs. Husband to Huang Shen Long, the Matriarch of the Long Clan. He was old, a retired Bushi, with his once blonde hair now faded to steel-gray. His brown eyes were wrinkled and tired, his once stout muscles now loose from unuse. Despite that, his back was equally as straight as Miko's, his posture no less perfect in spite of his age. He wore the bright yellow robes of one of the Long, with a small insignia of a red flame over his heart.
...only those loyal to mother are here. She's lost the support of most of the Ministers… But as long as Guan supports her, she doesn't have to worry about an uprising.
…
Maybe she should, though. If she did, she might actually start paying attention to what's going on in Mistral.
"Let's get this over with," Empress Miko called them all to attention. "Begin."
As one, all but Keiki began speaking up simultaneously.
"Your Majesty, the other Ministers-"
"-issues with the servants. Just the other day-"
"-Headmaster Lionheart is an incompetent buffoon-"
"-the Spiders are acting up again-"
"-loyalties waning. Sendai and Lord Myouren are-"
"-not to mention, the budget for the fiscal year is-"
"-fled and let the other teachers save the students-"
"-causing problems in lower Mistral, fighting with the Martial Schools-"
-on and on they went, speaking over each other all at once. In any other circumstance, it would be chaos, and nothing would be accomplished.
In the court of Empress Miko, this was routine.
After a few minutes, they all finished their appeals for the moment, and fell silent. After a moment of further contemplation, the Empress laid down her responses.
"Guan, I know this is outside of your official duties, but please work with Moriya to appease the other Ministers, at least until the campaign season. Send them some gifts from the Royal Treasury; that will shut them up for a while.
"Moriya, have one of Yachie's girls come by to instruct the servants as to proper etiquette. We can't have any mistakes occur during the Founding Ceremony.
"Nobuko, Lionheart wasn't made Headmaster for his strength, but for his administrative capability. He's a figurehead who does paperwork, and that's all I need him to be.
"Darling, Little Miss Malachite is beneath us. Have the Gokudo deal with her.
"Is there anything else?"
…
After another hour, the meeting finally concluded. Nobuko bowed to her mother, and left the hall. Miko went off with her wife and concubine, and Guan and Moriya left to attend to their duties.
As Nobuko trailed along the paths of the Imperial Palace gardens, towards her estate in the Northwest corner, she had a thought.
An hour of discussion, and not a single word spoken for the sake of the people… I understand Mother's design for Mistral as a Meritocracy, and truth be told her reign has seen many great men and women rise to prominence… but the cost is too high. So many people, abandoned to squalor in destitution, left behind simply because they aren't 'useful'.
She paused in her walk, and took a side path that led to the top of the Palace walls. At the top, she gazed out across Mistral.
The Academy is bustling with activity as usual… I can even see movement from here, across the Valley.
She looked down at the city which she would one day rule over.
Even from here, I can see the beggar's district… It probably takes up a good third of the whole city. The 'proving grounds', so to speak, where many of Mistral's most powerful Bushi begin their lives. Those that make it out are often far stronger in will than even the disciples of the Martial Schools, albeit less skilled… discipline can be taught, but the will to survive against all odds is something that only experience can develop.
She looked down at her hand, and flexed it, remembering her own experience with survival.
...those men deserved to die, there is no question. Traffickers of children, selling to the highest bidders… even Mother isn't so indifferent as to ignore that sort of crime. And yet… Why can I still feel the sensation of cutting them down? Why do I still dream of those moments, of that battle?
She looked up, towards the horizon, where the sun began to peek over the opposite peaks of the Mistral Valley.
I must change this country. Even if I must force Mother to stand aside to do so. I must make this country better than it is, even if I must use force.
...I wonder if anyone else feels the same way I do.
Pyrrha and I were the first to arrive at the rally point - or at least, if anyone else had arrived, they'd moved off somewhere else.
The rally point was a circular clearing in the forest, with a ruined structure in the center - some ancient marble structure, it's pillars and ceiling collapsed from time.
I wonder why they use this for Initiation, of all things. You'd think it would be some sort of protected archeological site. Then again, considering Doctor Oobleck's prolific worth ethic, he's probably already gleaned all he can from this place.
...Or at least, one would hope so and they aren't just having us desecrate a ruin for fun.
As we approached the structure, we stepped up the stone steps onto the central platform. Within the structure, a series of circular pillars that went up to about my waist were lined up in a circle going around the wall. On top of each of the small pillars were-
"Chess pieces?" I muttered. Each pillar had one type of chess piece, everything from Pawn to King and Queen. One side of the room had the white pieces, while the other half had the black pieces.
"That's strange," Pyrrha noted. "There's only two pawns on each side."
"There's two of each kind of piece, except the King and Queen."
"Maybe we're supposed to pick one, and whoever picks the other part of the pair will be our teammates?"
"I wonder," I muttered. "Pyrrha, check the inside. See if there's some writing on the walls or floor or something. I'll do a quick run around the outside."
She nodded her assent and we got to it - ultimately to no avail, as there was no writing to be found anywhere. We met back up inside the structure and debated on what to do.
"Should we just take one?" Pyrrha asked.
"I think that's the intent, but which one?"
"Does it matter?"
"I mean… probably? Ozpin's love of chess is well known, so it wouldn't surprise me if he ascribed some weird importance to which piece people take."
"Or it could be simpler than that and we just pick one."
I blinked. "Alright then, you decide."
"Me?"
"I'm too caught up in considering all the if's and why's - force of habit. Maybe it'll be fine if you just pick whichever comes naturally to you."
"Hmm…" Pyrrha walked around the room, looking over each of the chess pieces. Eventually, she settled on one and took hold of it.
"The white rook?"
She shrugged. "It just… felt right."
"Alright. I trust your judgement."
"Just like that? You haven't seemed the type to offer up trust so easily."
"For more important things, no, but for something this small? Like I said, I was overthinking. You mentioned before that you wanted to 'let the chips fall where they may'. In other words, you're more instinctual than I am. And I figured that that's what this… test, if it is a test, needs."
"In the absence of information, go with your gut?"
"Basically."
She cracked a small smile. "Well, hopefully you'll come to trust me with more things in time."
"Maybe."
A soft rustling drew our attention outside of the ruins. At the edge of the clearing, two girls came out - Blake and Yang Xiao Long.
Well, that's an odd pair. If nothing else, Blake can keep an eye on Yang for Ozpin.
As they approached, I noted something - Yang seemed visibly shaken by something, but they didn't have any signs of going through a fight.
Does it have to do with Ozpin's sanctions against Yang?
I nodded to Blake as they entered.
"Blake."
"Jaune. Were you the first ones here?"
"Yeah. Pyrrha and I-" I motioned to my partner and she politely waved, "figured that we're supposed to take one of these chess pieces. We took the white rook."
"If they come in pairs, do you think that people who take the same piece will end up on the same team?"
"We considered it, but who knows?"
"Hmm. Well, if you chose the white rook, then I might as well-"
"Oh, look Blake! A white knight piece!" Yang interrupted hurriedly, barging into the conversation and thrusting her hand between us, carrying the piece in question.
Pyrrha was a bit shocked by the interruption, but I just walked forwards.
Yang tensed as I approached, but I went around Blake and she relaxed a bit.
As I passed, I said, "Well, since Pyrrha and I are done here, we'll move on." I then turned my head toward Yang and said, "I understand your reservations, but you could stand to be less blunt."
She bristled in response to my comment as Pyrrha and I stepped outside.
"What did you mean by that?" Pyrrha asked.
"I didn't exactly make the best first impression on her."
"Well, you weren't exactly cordial with Weiss and I but I didn't think you were rude, either."
"Not that. She approached me earlier this week on the airship ride to Beacon and I puked on her. Food sickness."
"Oh…" she fell quiet.
"Hey! We made it!" A girl shouted out.
We turned towards the direction of the shout and saw two people emerge from the forest. Aside from the girl, it was a boy- Ren and Nora, I remembered. They had been there when I puked on Yang.
As they approached, Pyrrha and I stepped out to meet them.
"Oh hey!" Nora said. "You're that guy who puked on the airship!"
I sighed. "Yes, I suppose that is how you'd remember me."
"I apologize for her," Ren said. "My name is-"
"Ren and Nora, I know. You introduced yourselves on the airship."
Ren blinked. "You have a good memory. I don't think we've spoken once in the past week since then."
"We haven't. Anyway," I pointed my thumb over my shoulder at Pyrrha, "this is-"
"Pyrrha Nikos, I'm aware," Ren said.
"We're big fans!" Nora exclaimed in explanation.
"Oh," Pyrrha said. "Thank you."
"So what's the deal with this place anyway? And hey! Where'd you get that totem thingy?" Nora asked, pointing to the white rook in Pyrrha's hand.
"The white rook? It's from the ruined pavilion over there," Pyrrha nodded towards the ruins. "There were chess pieces on pillars. We think that we need to take one-"
"Ooh!" Nora ran off without a second thought.
"...is she always that excitable?"
Ren sighed. "Unfortunately. Hopefully-"
"Ren! Look, look! I'm Queen of the Castle!" With no time wasted at all, Nora ran right back out with the other white rook piece.
"Huh," I said. "Well, if Pyrrha and my guesses are correct as to the point of these things, then we might end up on the same team together."
"If that's the case, then I look forward to working together with you."
"Ooh! So exciting, we get to team up with Pyrrha Nikos!"
I nodded as even more voices entered the clearing. I looked out towards the source and saw Ruby and the Schnee arrive on the other end of the clearing.
"See! I told you this was the way!" Ruby exclaimed, hands proudly on her hips in satisfaction.
"Like hell! You said we needed to go further East, I was the one who said we needed to go West!"
Their bickering continued all the way to the ruin, where it was promptly interrupted by a loud cry of "Yang!"
"...well, that happened," Pyrrha muttered.
"More and more people are going to start showing up now, I suppose," I said. "Those that are capable enough to pass, anyway."
"Yeah, like us! Outta the way chumps, future Rank 1's coming through!"
A group of four men, three of them armored, barged through us towards the ruins. They purposefully bumped their shoulders and shoved us aside as they passed.
"Wow, what an asshole," I said.
"You can say that again," Nora replied.
"Wow, what an asshole," I repeated.
Ren and Nora chuckled, even as Pyrrha looked almost scandalized by my language.
"Jaune!" She exclaimed.
"What?"
Blush present on her cheeks, she whispered, "You shouldn't swear!"
I blinked. "Really?"
"Yes! It's improper!"
"Is this some sort of celebrity thing where you've been raised not to swear because it affects your image?"
"Well… yes, but that doesn't change the fact it's improper."
"Brothers above that's adorable." I laughed and clapped my hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry about a thing Pyrrha, we'll have you swearing like a sailor soon enough."
"I'm sorry but I must refuse. I have a brand to maintain."
"You know," Nora said, "I always wanted to ask, how much of the merchandise money actually goes back to you?"
"Well the thing with that is-"
"HELP!" A familiar man's voice erupted from the forest.
"HELP US!" a young woman's voice accompanied it.
I raised my rifle as Pyrrha and the others readied their weapons. Blake, Ruby, and their partners as well as the four men emerged from the ruins with their weapons out as well.
"Let's group up!" I commanded and began running towards the ruins where everyone else was. Pyrrha and the others followed me close behind.
As we approached the ruins, everyone took note of us and then wordlessly moved to accommodate our presence. We formed a half-circle facing the area where the screaming came from - the armored guys were in the middle, separating Blake's group from mine.
The screaming continued as two people came running out of the forest - Wilhelm and a woman with dog ears, his partner.
Once they were in the clearing, Wilhelm spun on his heels and turned around, drawing his twin revolvers and firing off several rounds into the forest, allowing his partner to get ahead.
Trees shattered and the bullets bounced off black flesh and fur as an adult Beowulf tore into the clearing. With a single swipe and an anguished cry, Wilhelm was knocked off his feet and across to the other edge of the clearing, where he bounced off a root and back into the forest.
"Wilhelm!" His partner cried out. She turned and pulled out her weapon - a spear with a Fire Dust crystal embedded in the other end - and blasted a bolt of fire at the Grimm.
"Ranged units open fire!" I roared and pulled my rifle up to my face, firing small bursts at the creature.
The fire washed over its fur as multiple other impacts gave it pause, but it roared and swiped at the woman. She dodged the first swipe but the follow up ripped through her Aura and tore her left arm off, sending her careening off to the side.
A/N: Well hey, hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review, let me know what you think! Things are heating up at Beacon, and hopefully it's clear for certain now that the Grimm are a serious problem in this world, as opposed to canon RWBY where like, one person can just obliterate 20-30 Grimm no problem.
Review Replies:
Guest who said that Weiss was whiny: Well, Weiss is whiny, but it's just V1 Weiss being V1 Weiss. As for Yang being a hypocrite… it's never touched on in the show, but when you think about it, Yang did assault a business over nothing. Like yeah, Junior's a criminal, but it was still stupid to start shit over nothing.
gogo bananas: Wish granted!
CircusControl: I always deliver quality. Glad you enjoyed!
Strife1234: Bruh.
Guest who said shit: Yeah, this review was pretty shit.
Xero619: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
Malfe: Hey, glad you enjoyed! The Kiritsugu comparison I made in earlier chapters was more a factor of how early on, Jaune had to get by on his wits and tricks against vastly stronger opponents. As Jaune's time at Beacon continues, his strength will begin to even out alongside everyone else.