Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...
"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," he joked to himself . He then looked up in the night sky to see a moon, but not his moon, because almost a third of this one was shattered. "Or even in my world anymore. Where have you taken us, Kingpin?"
He leaned back as she slashed at him again, then leapt away from her to avoid a third strike. "Woah woah! Easy! What's with the sword?"
"Why were you sneaking up on me? How did you even get up here?" The girl asked.
"I didn't mean to scare you or anything! I swear! I just need to find out where I am." He tried to talk her down.
"I never caught your name by the way."
The girl seemed to hesitate and think for a moment, as if considering if she should trust him or not. "It's Blake."
"Well this is just… wonderful," Jessica sarcastically remarked. "We're stuck in another universe. And with no familiar faces in sight."
"Not even Fisk. We must all be scattered around," Iron Fist said.
"That must be Junior," Danny said.
Suddenly, the window to the shop shattered as two different figures burst through, one of which leapt off the other as the first was laid out flat on the sidewalk. The first, which was now unconscious, was a man in a black suit and fedora, red glasses and red tie. The second was a young girl.
"Okay…" The bowler hat man said. He then looked to the other henchman. "Get her."
"Now?" Marc asked.
"Now." Daredevil nodded. Then both he and Moon Knight jumped down to the street.
"So," The man continued, "Where did you learn to do this?" He gestured to a tablet Goodwitch no wheld that showed a recording of Ruby fighting the thugs.
"S-Signal Academy," Ruby nervously replied.
"Do you know who I am?" The man asked Ruby.
"You're Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon."
"Now, let me make my proposition for you all more clear. I will provide you all with positions in my kingdom where you could fit right in: my school, Beacon Academy, where you all will be fully supported by the best in the Kingdom, all while having a reliable cover for your outings."
"Peter. Peter Parker."
The young huntress took his hand and shook it. "Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you."
Peter then turned to Ruby's sister and also put his hand forward, which she shook. "I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister."
Peter turned to see Blake approaching with the Dust vial in one hand and a book in the other. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the highest producers of energy propellant in the world."
"So, I guess I finally got an answer to my question, Peter." Blake remarked.
"What question would that be?" Peter asked.
"About who was behind the mask." Blake replied.
"If I promise to keep your identity a secret from the rest of Beacon, you have to answer all my questions."
"Who are you?" Torchwick asked.
"The welcoming party. There's someone who wants to meet you." Taskmaster answered.
"My name is Wilson Fisk. And you both have caught my eye."
"You speak as if we sit below you, Mr. Fisk." Cinder remarked.
"No, I don't believe you do. You see, my colleagues and I are new to this city of yours. We're looking to settle ourselves in. But it seems you two have already laid claim, and I am not one to rob a successful businessman of his own home. So I came instead to ask for a partnership." Fisk replied.
"Bullshit. You just want money and power. Well get in line, chump." Torchwick replied.
"Let's hear him out, Roman." Cinder said.
"You can't be serious." Torchwick replied in disbelief.
"So, tell me exactly, if your men are on loan to us, what exactly can they do?" Cinder asked, a smirk creeping up on her face.
Perhaps he can be useful, she thought to herself. For a time. I'm sure Lady Salem will be interested to hear of this other world.
The Defenders of Remnant
Chapter 5: The First Step
Matt sat in the teacher's lounge, sipping coffee from a mug one of the other teachers poured for him, his cane propped up against the table. Sat across from him were two of the other teachers. One was a tall, lanky man with messy green hair and opaque circular glasses. His messy hair matched his whole disheveled look; he wore a wrinkled white shirt with the collar raised and a slack yellow tie. The shirt was tucked into a pair of dark green pants, and his shoes were a mismatched brown. Matt had come to know this man as Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, the history teacher of the academy.
The second teacher was the complete opposite: shorter, and more robust in figure, like the shape of an apple. He has gray hair and a bushy mustache of the same color. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His dark-colored pants were tucked into his olive cavalry boots. This man was Professor Peter Port, the Grimm Studies teacher for Beacon. Matt found both to be… eccentric to say the least. Oobleck was highly attentive and energetic, whilst Port seemed very self-absorbed in the sense that he speaks highly of himself and his achievements. So much so, Port had just finished talking about a Grimm pelt he had supposedly collected a decade ago. Of course, due to the texts Ozpin had given him in brail, Matt knew that the creatures of Grimm fade away after death, leaving no corpse behind for long, but let the professor finish his extravagant story anyway, knowing just by his personality that Port would have none of it.
As soon as Port finished audibly expressing his pride, Oobleck took the subject another direction, turning his gaze upon Matt. "So, Professor Murdock, your name is one I do not recognize, and I am familiar with most, if not all of the Huntsmen in Vale and the surrounding area. If I may ask, where do you hail from?" Ooblecks voice was energetic and enthusiastic, as if enthusiasm and caffeine is all that ran in his veins. Matt knew the truth was not an option to answer Oobleck's question, but luckily the positions Ozpin gave the heroes also came with a forged background created by the headmaster, one Matt had already committed to memory.
"Officially, I'm not a Huntsman. I never trained at the academies. I am a former attorney. I worked in Atlas and Mantle below. Unfortunately, cases started to either run dry or become inconclusive, so I had to shut down my firm. Luckily, Ozpin found me before I had to resort to welfare. Offered me a place here before the start of term." Matt answered.
"It's interesting for Ozpin to offer a teaching position at Beacon to someone who isn't a Huntsman. There's no one here not trained at the academies. Hell, I was taught within these very walls." Port added. "And no offense to you, Mr. Murdock, but a teacher without sight is an oddity as well."
"Well, my semblance makes up for that." Matt replied. Ozpin had given them stories to explain their powers as well, should it ever become an issue. That fact that everyone in the academy would have powers all their own would make them stand out less, so simply pin their abilities as a semblance. "I may not see, Professor Port, but I assure you I am very aware of my surroundings."
"I meant no offense, Mr. Murdock." Port replied.
"None taken. And it's Professor. I am, after all, a teacher now. And it does have a nice ring to it." Matt gave a small smirk, then he turned his head to the empty doorway. "Right, Marc?"
"Damn your Vulcan hearing." Then Marc Spector stepped through the door, to Port and Oobleck's surprise. Marc was in an all white suit.
"How did you know he was there?" Port asked.
"Like I said, professor, very aware." Matt answered before turning in the general direction of Marc Spector. "I thought you said you didn't wanna be anywhere near the school. And here you are in the teacher's lounge. " Matt gave a teasing tone to his voice, earning a dirty look from Marc.
"And who, pray tell, are you?" Oobleck asked.
"New teacher, like him. Offered a place, said no. Changed my mind at the last minute. Murdock, I wanna talk for a minute." Marc answered, seeming impatient.
Matt nodded towards the other two teachers. "A pleasure, professors." He then grabbed his walking stick and stood up from his seat, following Marc into the hallway.
"Doctor…" Oobleck corrected as they left the lounge.
Matt and Marc walked further down the hallway before stopping far enough away from the teacher's lounge. "So, which one changed your mind?" Matt asked.
"Bit of Steven Grant, a bit of Konshu. Jake Lockley was hard-lined against coming here, but Steven wanted to help and Konshu wanted the quickest way back to our world. And there was something… strange with him." Marc answered.
"What do you mean?"
"I think Konshu has a weaker grip here. He's a god in our world, not here. So if he's weaker-"
"You're weaker." Matt finished. "So no enhanced strength?"
"Some, but not as much as I'd like. And I'd rather not have to go bare bones in this place. I did my reading, and those Grimm sound like nasty bastards. So, as much as I don't want to admit it, the fastest way to stop Fisk and get a way home seems to be with Ozpin. So where is he?"
"He invited you here and didn't tell you?" Matt questioned.
"All he said was show up in a good suit. Figured I'd get more answers from there."
"Well, both he and Goodwitch already left to prep the first years' initiation. You'll have to catch him when he gets back." Matt said.
"Well that's just great." Marc replied, annoyed.
"Any luck on finding Luke, Danny and Jessica?" Matt asked.
"Heard someone broke into a clothes shop the night we got here. Beyond that? No." Marc answered.
"Well, we'll keep looking. Those three can handle themselves just fine." Matt said.
Luke and Danny looked as Jessica was asleep, her face planted on the top of Junior's bar as she slightly snored with an empty bottle of scotch in her hand. Junior glanced at her too, but focused on cleaning the bar around her more.
"It's not even 8: 30 in the morning…" Danny remarked.
Luke shook his head and looked up at Junior. "I'm sorry for this, man. We'll figure out how to pay this tab she's racking up so we can cut her off before it gets worse."
"You guys really don't have any Lien?" Junior asked as he finished wiping down the countertop.
"No. We've had to pocket food and sneak into hotels for three days to get by. It's not right, but it's all we can do right now." Luke replied.
"We did stop that purse snatcher," Danny added. "The lady paid us for the trouble, but all that just went to an actual meal that night."
Junior thought for a moment, then looked back up to Luke. "You guys need a job?"
"With all due respect, you're not exactly the kind of guy we'd run with." Danny remarked.
"Hey, again, I'm not a crook, I'm an info broker. And you three seem like good enough people. You don't have money, and you don't have a place to stay. If you three would be willing to work security, I will pay you and I'll cover rent for a small flat my buddy has on Main Street. It's no mansion, but it'd sure be better than what you're doing now." Junior offered.
Luke considered for a moment, then looked at Danny.
"Luke…" Danny said.
"Look, Danny, we're stealing and breaking into places just to get by. If we have to work in a club for a few weeks till we find the others to change that, I'd consider it a fair deal." Luke suggested. Danny sighed, then nodded. Luke turned around back to Junior. "Alright, we'll take that deal. But I'm not wearing those stupid flashy suits and shades like the rest of your guys."
"Hey, fine by me. You dress how you want, so long as you take the job seriously. I'll call my buddy and make a payment or two on the flat. Let me give you the address." Junior then pulled a notepad and pen from under the bar and started writing before pulling out a phone-like device and making a call.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Luke." Danny said.
"I hope so too. It shouldn't be too bad. Once we find Matt, I'm sure he'll have a plan to get us back home."
All of the first-year students were on their way to the locker room to pick up weapons, of which Peter had none. He hoped no one would notice him retrieve nothing from a locker, not that they would care much anyway. Peter, Ruby and Yang walked alongside another pair of students on the way to the lockers. The girl seemed energetic and talkative, while the boy hadn't said one word the entire way there. The girl had red hair and light blue eyes, and wore a collared black vest over a sleeveless white shirt with a heart shape cut out just below her collarbone. She had detached white sleeves further up her arm and pink fingerless gloves. Below her waist she wore a short pink skirt with a single layer of white under it and white ankle boots with pink soles. A silver armor piece wrapped around her waist and reached up her back to her neck.
The boy had raven hair with a purple streak on his left side, all tied back in a short ponytail, with magenta eyes and a pale white complexion. He wore a dark green, diagonally buttoned, long sleeved tailcoat with the inside being red, and black and gold trim with pink cuffs. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and makes a black collar. Below the waist he had light tan pants and black shoes.
The girl continued to drone on as they kept walking. "I hope we end up on the same team together! Oooh! We should come up with some sort of plan, to make sure we end up on the same team together! What if we bribe the headmaster? No, that won't work, he has the school." The students made it to the lockers and the boy opened one to reveal twin green SMG pistols with curved blades below the barrels. "I know! We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal! A secret signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you imitate a sloth?"
"Nora?" The boy interrupted her.
"Yes Ren?" The girl, Nora, replied. The boy, Ren, picked up his weapons and they collapsed down and retracted into his tailcoat's sleeves.
"I don't think sloth's make a lot of noise." He simply explained to her. This only made Nora smile more.
"That's why it's perfect!" Nora insisted. "No one will suspect we're working together!"
"Come on, Nora." He told her as he began to walk away.
"Not together-together…" She giggled as she followed Ren. As he watched them go, Peter's Spider-Sense hit him again. Again…?
"Wonder what those two are so worked up about," Ruby commented as she stopped at her own locker to retrieve her weapon, which was collapsed and folded up into a rectangular shape as it hung in the locker.
"Who knows. Something about sloths is all I heard." Peter commented.
"You seem awfully chipper this morning, sis." Yang said to her sister.
Ruby slightly giggled. "Yep. No more awkward small talk or 'getting to know you' stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking," Ruby smiled as she pulled her collapsed weapon from the locker and gently stroked the side of it.
"Well, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation today." Peter said.
"He's right," Yang added. "If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn how to work together."
"Ugh, you sound like Dad!" Ruby groaned. "Okay, first of all: what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk."
"I don't think she means that kind of growing, Ruby." Peter said.
"Okay, what about when we form teams?" Yang asked.
Ruby slightly turned away. "I-I don't know. I'll just be on your team, or something."
"Well, maybe you should try to be on someone else's team," Yang nervously suggested while playing with her golden locks. Ruby then turned around and pointed her finger in her older sister's face.
"My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"
"Busted." Peter commented.
"Shut up." Yang told Peter before looking at Ruby. "Of course I'd like to be on the same team as you. I just thought… I don't know, maybe it would help you… break out of your shell!"
"What the-?! I don't need to break out of my shell! That's absolutely ridiculous!" Ruby exclaimed, almost offended by the suggestion her sister gave.
"She's got a point, Ruby." Peter added. "Working alone is all fine and dandy, but when you work in a team, you need to be able to work with and know everybody, not just your sister. These are four person teams, right? So what's your plan for the other two?"
"Well… um…" Ruby said, nothing coming to mind.
"That's what I thought. Your sister means well, so just think about it."
"Thanks, Pete." Yang thanked him.
"No problem, happy to help." Peter then looked past Yang and saw Weiss talking with another girl. The other girl had dark red hair put up in a ponytail and green eyes, and wore an outfit that made Peter think of the ancient greeks. She wore a brown corset with a strip of gold down the center, brown elbow-length gloves on both arms, a black A-line skirt, and a red ankle-length sash. She also had a bronze circlet at her hairline, a bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm. To top it off, she wore bronze greaves that went from her thighs to her boots and bronze bracers.
Ice Queen is kissing up, Peter thought to himself. "Hey, I'll catch you guys later." He then left the sisters and started to eavesdrop on Weiss and the other girl.
"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?" Weiss asked the other girl, Pyrrha. "I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself."
"Hmmm… I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may." Pyrrha answered in a positive, but slightly strained tone.
Seems even she is having a hard time standing Weiss, Peter noted.
"Well, I was thinking we could be on a team together." Weiss suggested.
"Well, that sounds grand." Pyrrha replied half-heartedly.
"Great!" Weiss replied with a small, devious smirk. Peter then saw Jaune come between the two.
Oh, great…
"Wanna know what else is great?" Jaune asked Weiss. "Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."
"You again?" Weiss groaned. Peter quickly stepped in as well.
"Okay, Jaune, that's our cue to leave, buddy."
"And you?!" Weiss's anger visibly increased by how low her brow furrowed. "Get lost, Parker!"
Pyrrha, however, seemed almost relieved Weiss's attention was drawn elsewhere, and put herself between Weiss and the two boys. "Nice to meet you, Jaune. And you, Parker."
"It's Peter, actually. Parker's the last name." Peter said as he shook Pyrrha's hand. As soon as he locked eyes with her, his skull pounded from his Spider-Sense. Okay, this can't be a coincidence. What is going on? "Nice to meet you too, um, Pyrrha was it?"
"Yes, it is." Pyrrha smiled genuinely. This made something click in his head. This girl reminded him of…
MJ… He tried to suppress the surge of negative emotion that suddenly sprang, and was luckily able to keep it from showing. Jaune however, ignored Pyrrha and went back to Weiss.
"Yeah yeah. So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness for me yesterday." He then slightly flexed his arm in front of her.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Weiss groaned as she looked down and placed a hand on her temple.
"Y'know, I'd stop him, but I'd say you're getting a taste of your own medicine." Peter chimed in. Weiss growled at him.
"Don't worry, no need to be embarrassed!" Jaune said. "So, been hearing rumors about teams, I was thinking you and I would make a good one! Waddya say?"
"Actually," Pyrrha intervened. "I think the teams are composed of four students each, so-"
"You don't say." Jaune interrupted her before approaching her. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you can join up with the winning team!"
"Dude, you're coming off a little strong there," Peter commented. Weiss got between Pyrrha and Jaune.
"Jaune, is it?" Weiss asked while separating the two. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
"Not in the slightest, Snow Angel." Jaune replied, causing Peter to stifle a laugh.
"And you, Parker?" Weiss asked.
"She does look familiar." Peter remarked, not elaborating further.
"This is Pyrrha." Weiss said.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved at Jaune and Peter kindly.
"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss boasted.
"Never heard of it." Both boys replied simultaneously.
Weiss scoffed at their response, but continued. "She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row, a new record!"
"That sounds very impressive." Peter remarked.
"The what?" Jaune asked obliviously. Weiss looked like she was about to explode.
"Okay, we get the point, Ice Queen, she's popular and skilled. What's your point?" Peter asked.
"My point is, after hearing all this, Jaune, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on a team?"
"I-I guess not…" Jaune said in defeat, all of the confidence drained from him.
"Actually, Jaune, I think you would make a great leader." Pyrrha comforted him and patted him on the shoulder.
"D'oh, stop it." Jaune muttered.
"Seriously, please stop it." Weiss said. "This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!"
"Neither should kissing up to the popular girl to stand a chance." Peter rallied back. "Seriously, you were trying to sweet talk your way onto her team as a tool for popularity." Weiss's snowy white face went beet red at that moment. Out of anger or embarrassment, Peter couldn't tell. She couldn't even argue because those were her exact intentions. So she just stormed off without another word. "Sorry about that, Pyrrha."
"It's fine. I could tell what she was doing, I just wanted to be polite." Pyrrha assured him.
Goodwitch's voice came over the PA system. "Would all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
"Well, it was nice meeting you." Pyrrha said with a smile.
"Likewise." Peter replied. "I'll see you out there." Then Pyrrha walked off and out of the locker room.
"Having some trouble there, lady killer?" Yang asked Jaune as she and Ruby approached.
"I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?" Jaune sighed.
"'Snow Angel' probably wasn't the best start," Yang remarked.
"Come on, Jaune. Let's go." Ruby said. The four of them then made their way to initiation.
All of the first year students, Peter included, now stood lined up near the edge of Beacon Cliff, a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest below. Each student stood upon their own metal pad.
Before leaving the school, Ozpin supplied Peter with a new outfit. Peter now wore a red and black leather jacket, with the red being the main color and the black being the highlights under his arms and along the sides of his torso. The jacket buttoned on the far right side of his torso with bright golden buttons. He also wore red and black leather gloves, with the black being the palms. He wore dark blue jeans and his normal black tennis shoes. Feels a little Hot Topic, Oz… Peter thought to himself, but at least it doesn't invoke the Spider-Suit.
In front of the students stood Ozpin holding his mug of coffee, and Goodwitch holding a large tablet. "For years, you have trained to become warriors." Ozpin said, addressing all the students. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Goodwitch then cut in. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates today." Peter could hear an audible whine from Ruby.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon." Ozpin continued. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What?!" Ruby cried.
Everyone ignored her, and Ozpin continued. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
"Yes, Professor." Weiss said. "There are an odd number of us. How will partnering work if we can't find someone?"
"Then I wish luck to the student who has to make this journey alone." Ozpin said, giving a glance to Peter. "Are there any more questions?"
"Yeah, uh, sir?" Jaune raised his hand.
"Good. Now, take your positions." Each young huntsman and huntress did just that.
"Uh, sir? I've got, um… a question." Jaune said, not noticing Weiss's pad launch her into the air. "So this landing strategy thing, uh wh-what is it? You're like, dropping us off or something?"
"No. You will be falling." Ozpin answered as more students were launched.
"Oh, uh, I see… So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?" Jaune was still unaware as Nora was sent flying next.
"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."
"Uh-huh, yeah… so what exactly is a landing strate-" Jaune was then launched by his pad, crying out as he flew through the air, leaving Peter as the last one.
"Don't you think that's a little excessive? Also, 'instructors won't intervene'?" Peter asked.
"Technically still true. You are no instructor, and again, you should not interfere unless you are certain they cannot handle things themselves. You are a watchful eye, not a protective shield." Ozpin said.
"Yes, Professor." Peter replied, earning a nod from Ozpin. He too was then launched towards the Emerald Forest. Once he got close to the ground, he started to web swing from the top of the trees until he landed on the ground. "That could've gone so much worse." He then started to look around. "Okay, now to find some students to shadow up to the ruins." He then jumped up and started swinging again, but making small swings so he didn't run into anyone too quickly. He swung for a few minutes before his Spider-Sense went off, and he quickly stopped swinging and landed high in a tree, looking down onto the forest floor. Nothing came for a moment, then Weiss walked past the tree he was hiding in, with a disgruntled look on her face.
Hey look, she's angry. Big shocker. She seemed as if she was trying to get away from something. Then Peter realized what.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ruby's voice called. "We're supposed to be teammates…" Peter felt a pang of sympathy, and wanted to go down to her, assuming her and Weiss had made eye contact. But Ruby could handle herself. He needed to make sure Weiss didn't do anything stupid, so he followed her. After a few moments, maybe only about fifty feet of walking, they both stopped to find Jaune hanging from a tree by a spear that was stabbed into the tree through his hood. Weiss looked up at him with a blank expression. Jaune looked back and waved with a nervous laugh, after which Weiss immediately turned around and walked back to Ruby, dragging her by her hood.
"By no means does this make us friends," Weiss grumbled.
"You came back!" Ruby cried.
"Hey wait!" Jaune yelled. "Come back! Who's gonna get me down from here?!"
"Jaune?" Pyrrha called from below. Both Jaune and Peter looked down to see her, arms crossed with a smile on her face as her emerald eyes looked up at the helpless blonde. "Do you… have any spots left on your team?"
"Very funny." Jaune crossed his arms and looked away, but then looked back down and returned Pyrrha's smile, which just made her smile wider. Pyrrha then noticed Peter in the nearby adjacent tree.
"Hey, don't look at me, you saw him first. He's all yours." Peter said.
"I know." Pyrrha replied. "To be honest, I'm surprised you're not with anyone yet."
"Yeah, well, by this point, I'm the odd man out. Which is entirely fine by me."
"Perhaps you could join Jaune and I on our way to the ruins then. We'd love to have you. " Pyrrha offered.
Peter dwelled on it for a moment. If he really was the odd man out, every other Huntsman would have backup now, and if they're anything like Ruby, would hold their own just fine. And he worried Jaune would be too much for just Pyrrha alone to handle. "Y'know what, sure." Peter front-flipped off the tree and landed on his feet.
"So is someone gonna help me get off this tree?" Jaune called from above. Peter and Pyrrha traded glances.
"Hey, it's your weapon he's stuck on." Peter remarked.
"The last pair has been formed, sir." Goodwitch told Ozpin while looking at the camera feeds on the tablet. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy… I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos. I don't care what his transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat."
"Mr. Arc will prove his worth." Ozpin assured her.
"And as for Mister Parker, I'm still not fond of the idea that we treat him as a student here. Him and those other vigilantes are vagabonds, nothing more. And we have two of them as teachers." Goodwitch snarled.
"They are heroes where they come from, Glynda, and are here to protect our kingdom from a threat of their own. They didn't ask for anything in return, but I offered. You cannot blame them for accepting my generosity." Ozpin replied.
"Of course not, Headmaster." Goodwitch reluctantly said.
"And as for Mister Parker, I see this as my evaluation for him as well. For example, his decision to directly accompany Mister Arc and Miss Nikos. His orders were to observe all students, and yet he made a judgment call; keep an eye on the Huntsman he knows will need the aid instead of jumping between Huntsman who might require aid. He cannot ignore what is right in front of him, a trait that I would say classifies as heroic, don't you agree?"
"Hmph." Goodwitch simply replied. She then looked back to the tablet. "At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?"
Ozpin remained silent.
"Professor Ozpin?"
"Hmmm…" Ozpin looked at his own tablet, watching the feed of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee.
Peter, Jaune and Pyrrha were pushing their way through shrubbery and other vegetation when the sound of distant gunfire could be heard, causing them to pause. "Did you hear that?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, gunfire." Peter said.
"It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy." Pyrrha suggested.
"We should keep going. The sooner we get to the ruins, the sooner we can leave this place." Peter said. The other two students agreed and kept on. As they walked, Pyrrha pushed a tree branch out of her way, and when she passed, it snapped back and hit Jaune in the face behind her, sending him flat to the ground.
"Jaune! I'm sorry.." Pyrrha apologized.
"Heh, it's okay, just a scratch." Jaune got up with a fresh cut across his right cheek.
"I dunno, that's a nasty cut, man." Peter said.
"Why didn't you activate your Aura?" Pyrrha asked.
"Huh?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Your Aura." Pyrrha said clearly.
"Gesundheit." Jaune replied.
"Jaune, do you know what Aura is?" Pyrrha asked, slightly concerned.
"Don't think he does." Peter answered for him. Jaune was about to correct him, then looked down.
Pyrrha slightly giggled. "Let me explain it then. Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?"
"Uh… yeah." Jaune answered.
"With practice, our aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals." Pyrrha started to walk around Jaune.
"What about monsters?" Jaune asked.
"No. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity." Pyrrha answered.
"So the Grimm are literally soulless creatures…" Peter noted.
Pyrrha nods. "They are the darkness and we are the light. "
"Right. That's why we fight them." Jaune proclaimed.
"It's not about why, it's about knowing." Pyrrha corrected. "Understanding both dark and light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both. By bearing your soul outwards as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura, you project yourself and your soul when fighting."
"It's like a force field!" Jaune simplified.
"Yes, if you want to look at it that way." Pyrrha smiled a bit wider at his somewhat childish simplification, then stopped in front of him. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate." Pyrrha placed her hand on Jaune's right cheek.
"U-Uh, o-okay.." Juane did as he was asked. Peter slightly raised his eyebrows at the action, but kept quiet. Soon, a dim white light surrounded both of them.
"For it is empassing that we achieve immortality," Pyrrha began to recite something and place her right hand on his chest. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." Pyrrha then pulled away and placed her hands on her knees, as if suddenly tired. The white light around her faded, while Jaune's was significantly brighter.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked in a worried tone.
"It's alright," She assured him as she stood all the way back up. "I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own." Pyrrha and Peter watched as the cut on Jaune's face healed in an instant. "And you have a lot of it."
"Wow…" Jaune looked at himself in awe as the light began to fade from around him.
Blake and Yang approach a run down circular ruin with eighteen pedestals along the edge of the curve, some holding chess pieces on top, others with nothing perched on the flat surfaces. "Think this is it?" Yang asked Blake. Blake simply gave an incredulous look before walking ahead to the ruin. Once they got close, Blake examined the game pieces.
"Chess pieces?" Blake questioned aloud.
"Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." Yang noted.
"Well, I guess we should pick one." Blake replied.
"Hmm…" Yang looked at the pieces in front of her, and decided on a yellow knight piece. Picking it up and raising it above her head, she looked to Blake. "How about a cute little pony?"
Blake rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smirk. "Sure." She then stood beside Yang.
"That wasn't too hard." Yang said with a smile.
"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find." Blake replied.
Peter, Jaune and Pyrrha now stood outside a cave with some ancient paintings outside the cave, depicting people fending off a scorpion. "Think this is it?" Jaune asked.
"Doubt it," Peter answered. "Ozpin said something about a temple, a ruin. Nothing about a cave. Besides, see those paintings? Something tells me whatever monster is in that painting might still be here."
"The temple could be inside the cave. Besides, look how old those paintings are! I doubt whatever was in there is still here." Jaune replied.
"Pyrrha, I don't like this." Peter said to the Huntress.
"Well, I'm not sure about this either. However, I believe we should give Jaune the benefit of the doubt. Let him show he really can be a good leader!" Pyrrha said cheerfully, causing Jaune to smile.
"See, Peter? Pyrrha believes in me." Jaune said with a grin.
"Y'know, this is going to go horribly wrong. And then I'm going to say 'I told you so.'" Peter said. So go into the cave they did, with Jaune lighting a torch to light the way. After a few moments, however, even Pyrrha started to relent.
"Jaune, I don't think this is it," She said.
Jaune then sighed. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, maybe, five more feet?" Jaune then immediately tripped and dropped the lit end of the torch into a puddle of water.
"Smooth." Peter commented as they were now surrounded by darkness.
"Do you… feel that?" Pyrrha asked the two boys.
"Soul crushing regret?" Jaune suggested.
"The smug feeling that comes with being right?" Peter remarked.
"No, it's… warm." Pyrrha said. Peter then started to feel it too.
"Yeah. Maybe we're coming up on an exit to the cave." He suggested. The trio then kept on, until a large glowing-yellow object hanging from the ceiling crossed their path.
"That's the relic!" Jaune exclaimed.
"Um, Jaune…" Peter started to say. However, Jaune reached for the object only for it to move out of his way.
"Bad relic!" Jaune said as he tried again to grab it, only for it to move again.
Peter's Spider-Sense tingled again. "Uh, guys?"
Jaune grabbed the object only for it to raise higher and lift him into the air. "Gotcha!"
"Jaune?" Pyrrha said, worry in her voice. Then eight red eyes broke through the darkness, staring right at Jaune.
Blake pocketed her and Yang's relic before the two heard a high pitched scream, causing Yang to turn in the direction the scream came from. "Some girl's in trouble!" Yang exclaimed, a sudden concern coming to her. "Blake, did you hear that?" But Blake's attention was upwards, to the sky.
Pyrrha and Peter sprinted out of the cave, just before a giant scorpion burst through the opening, with Jaune still clinging to the stinger. "Why?! Oh, Pyrrha!" Jaune cried over the creature's screeches. The scorpion was completely black under its bone-like armor, which it had on its pincers, its face, along its back and along the top of its tail up to the stinger. On each piece of bone armor were curved, red designs. This was a creature of Grimm, one of which was still swinging its tail to throw Jaune off. "Pyrrha! This is not the relic, it's not!"
"Is this a bad time for the 'I told you so'?" Peter commented.
"Shut up and do something!" Jaune cried.
"Jaune, whatever you do, don't let-!" Pyrrha started to say, then the Grimm finally got Jaune off; by sending him flying above the tree line. "-go…"
Peter then ran off after Jaune, at a speed Pyrrha was completely surprised by. Then she turned back to the large scorpion Grimm, which screeched and clicked its pincers. Pyrrha nervously rubbed her neck, then raced after Peter and Jaune and away from the monster.
"Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?" Yang asked. Blake pointed up, as Ruby came falling from the sky.
"HEADS UUUUUUUP!" Ruby cried as she fell.
Peter came to the edge of the treeline and leapt up high above the treetops just in time to catch Jaune, but Jaune's momentum sent him further back, where he saw Ruby about to hit the ground. In those few seconds, Peter was able to web Ruby to him, wrap his arm around her, and turn so only he took the impact as he smashed into a tree and fell to the ground with Ruby and Jaune on top of him. "Ow… my back…" Peter groaned in pain.
Blake and Yang ran up to them. "Ruby, you alright?" Yang checked on her sister.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to Peter." Ruby replied.
"Ow…" Peter groaned. "Both of you… get off…"
"Oh, sorry!" Ruby apologized as she got off and Peter pushed the dazed Jaune off. He sat himself up against the tree, then the three Huntresses kneeled in front of him.
"You okay?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, just winded." Peter replied.
"I'm sorry, Peter." Ruby said.
"For what? I couldn't just let you hit the ground. Besides, I took the hit, and three cute girls are looking after me," Peter joked. The huntresses had varying reactions: Yang gave a small smirk, Ruby slightly blushed and giggled, while Blake scowled and jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow! Okay, no more jokes." Peter started to get to his feet with the aid of Yang.
"Uh, I'm fine as well, just so you know," Jaune said as he started to recover.
Then the group saw another creature of Grimm, this one more bear-like with the same bone mask and spikes coming out of its shoulders and back. This was an Ursa. It entered the clearing and roared before a blast of pink energy shot its back and it crumpled over, revealing Nora atop it. "Yee-haw!" she cried as she rolled off of it, with a weapon seeming like a grenade launcher strapped to her back. When she got to her feet she looked at it in disappointment. "Aw… it's broken."
Ren leapt over its arm, then supported himself on its shoulder spike, seeming exhausted. "Nora! Please… don't ever do that again…" But Nora wasn't listening, and had already made her way to the ruin, where she ogled at a yellow rook chess piece.
"Oooo!" She then snatched it up and held it above her head, before singing aloud, "I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!"
"NORA!" Ren yelled at her. Nora came to her senses and giggled.
"Coming Ren!" She then rejoined her companion.
"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked.
"I-" Yang started, before they were once again interrupted when Pyrrha entered the area with the large scorpion Grimm still screeching as it followed her. The Grimm tried to grab her with its pincers, but she jumped right through them and kept running.
"Jaune! Peter!" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked.
"To be fair, I did kinda ditch her with it." Peter admitted.
"Um, guys?" Ruby said, pointing upwards. They all looked up to see Weiss hanging onto the talon of a massive Grimm bird.
"Huh. I was wondering where you fell from, Ruby." Peter said.
"How could you leave me?!" Weiss yelled down to them.
"I said 'jump'." Ruby replied.
"She's gonna fall." Blake said.
"She'll be fine," Ruby assured.
"She's falling." Ren simply said.
Peter then sighed. "This is why I hate being the good guy sometimes…" Peter then sprinted and jumped high again, catching Weiss and landing hard in the dirt. "Ow…"
"My hero…" Weiss sarcastically said as she got off of Peter.
"My back…" Peter groaned. "I should've let you drop…"
Pyrrha was then sent into the ground right next to them. "Great, the gang's all here." Yang remarked. "Now we can die together."
Peter got to his feet as the scorpion, or Deathstalker as Blake called it, raced towards them.
"Not if I can help it," Both Peter and Ruby said in unison. The two then sprinted towards the Grimm. Ruby unfolded her scythe and shot a round out of it to boost herself.
"Wait, that thing's also a gun?" Peter asked.
"Yep!" Ruby replied, right before the Deathstalker swatted her away. Peter leapt over the Grimm's pincers and delivered a strong blow to its back, cracking the bone armor, and leapt off right before the stinger came down on the same location. They all then heard screeching, and the large bird started to descend upon them.
"That's not good…" Peter remarked before leaping over the Deathstalker to reunite with the huntsmen. Then a storm of massive feathers came down upon them, one of which caught Ruby by her cloak, yanking her back.
"Ruby!" Yang called. Peter stopped at Ruby to try and help her out, but the Deathstalker caught up quickly, and raised its stinger. Peter quickly shielded Ruby, putting himself between her and the Grimm.
Then a white blur came between him and the Grimm, and a large wall of ice trapped the stinger in place, leaving the Grimm stuck. Peter and Ruby opened their eyes to see Weiss with her weapon in hand; a rapier with a rotating barrel in the cross-guard meant for firing Dust. "You are so childish…" Weiss said to Ruby.
"Weiss…?" Ruby muttered.
"And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style." Weiss then turned to Peter. "And you; you are arrogant, rude and mouthy."
"Thanks…" Peter remarked.
"And I suppose I can be a bit… difficult, but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you," Weiss returned to Ruby, "quit trying to show off, and you," Her gaze returns to Peter, "quit being so quick to attack me, I'll be… nicer."
"Y'know, that almost sounds like an apology." Peter joked.
"Don't push it." Weiss said.
"Normal knees…" Ruby whispered.
"Guys?" Jaune said, getting everyone's attention. "That thing is circling back. What do we do?"
"Look, there's no sense in dilly dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss said.
"She's right," Ruby added. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."
"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind." Jaune agreed. Then he and Ruby each picked up a chess piece for their respective pairs. As they did, the ice on the Deathstalker's stinger started to break.
"Time we left!" Ren said.
"Right. Let's go." Ruby agreed, then she started to lead the way back to the cliffs. Yang stood still with a smile, looking at her sister. Peter stopped by her.
"What is it?" He asked. The two of them saw Ruby stand on a rock atop the ridge, looking back at all of them, before continuing to lead the way.
"Nothing," Yang said, before she and Peter caught up with the rest of them. As they ran, they came across a long stone bridge that was put across a deep chasm. As they made it there, the large bird flew overhead. All of them took cover behind pieces of stone ruin; Blake with Weiss, Ruby with Yang, Ren with Nora, Jaune with Pyrrha, and Peter all on his own. The bird then perched itself right on the tower in the middle of the bridge. "Well that's great!"
The Deathstalker then crashed through the edge of the treeline, still chasing them. "Oh, man, run!"
"You run ahead, I'll slow it down!" Peter said as he sprinted from his cover towards the massive scorpion. The other students rushed forward, and the large bird Grimm sent another storm of feathers at them.
"Nora, distract it!" Ren ordered. Nora grabbed her grenade launcher and fired shot after shot at it, causing it to have to fly around to avoid the explosions.
Peter leapt through the scorpion's pincers and delivered a blow right to one of its eyes, then leapt back as it was stunned, and stung itself in its confusion. Once it recovered, it brought both clawed hands down on Peter, who used his own strength to hold back both. Then he realized his mistake, as it primed its stinger to strike him. He let go of one pincer so he could dodge it, but that gave the Deathstalker the chance to backhand him, sending him flying into one of the stone ruins, which collapsed on top of him, burying him and knocking him out.
When he came to, he lifted all of the rubble off of him and stumbled out of the ruin. He heard gunfire, and looked over to see Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora fighting the Deathstalker on this side of the bridge while Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss were firing attacks at the giant bird on the other. The middle section of the bridge itself was nowhere to be seen, and Ren was laid out on the grass not too far away from Peter. Peter made his way closer to the Deathstalker fight, but stopped and kept his distance as he watched the Huntsmen fight it. The stinger was hanging on by a thread from its tail.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune called. Pyrrha nodded and threw her shield in a way where it cut the stinger right off, making it fall into the creature's armored skull, and her shield came back to her.
Cap would be proud with that one, Peter thought to himself.
"Nora, nail it!" Jaune called.
"Heads up!" Nora replied, her weapon now in the form of a giant hammer. She leapt up and Pyrrha caught her on her shield, then launched her up into the air (aided by Nora's hammer firing off), sending her high into the sky. Once Nora reached the peak of her boost, she fired her hammer behind her to send her spinning back down. She readied herself, then brought the head of her weapon down on the stinger, sending it deep inside the Grimm's skull and breaking the bridge so it launched Jaune and Pyrrha back towards Peter. Jaune and Nora had rough landings whilst Pyrrha landed on one knee, and Ren stumbled his way back to them only to collapse onto the stone path. Their end of the bridge fell apart, causing the Deathstalker to fall into the endless chasm below.
"Well, that was one hell of a show." Peter commented as he walked towards them, holding one of his ribs.
"Peter!" Pyrrha exclaimed, putting her shield and rifle (which turned back into a spear) on her back. She ran up to him while the others recovered. "Are you all right? When the Deathstalker attacked us, we got worried."
"Yeah, I kinda dropped the ball on that one." Peter groaned. "I can't tell what hurts from that thing or what's from when I had to catch the other guys. Speaking of which, nice work Jaune. Maybe you are meant to be a leader."
"Thanks, Peter." Jaune thanked him as he got to his feet. Then they all turned to watch the other four Huntresses fight the bird. They saw Ruby be launched up towards the bird, catching it's neck on the curve of her scythe, and landing on the wall. Then a large line of white glyphs, not unlike Goodwitch's that Peter had seen on his first night here, appeared up the cliff. Ruby used these to speed up the wall, dragging the bird with her and firing her weapon behind her, using the recoil to keep her speed. As soon as she reached the top, Ruby curled up, fired one last time, and decapitated the monster in a shower of rose petals. While its head rested atop the cliff with Ruby, the creature's corpse slowly descended into the chasm below. The seven Huntsmen and Peter looked on in awe as Ruby looked back down at them.
"Wow…" Jaune muttered.
Yang, Blake and Weiss all stood together as they looked up at Ruby. "Well," Yang said. "That was a thing."
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark." Ozpin called to the audience as they applauded for the Huntsmen. It was now evening, and all students had returned to Beacon, and were gathered in the auditorium from the day before. Twin screens were set up on either side of the stage, showing pictures of the first-years Ozpin had just mentioned. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. "From this day forward, you will work together as… Team CRDL! Led by… Cardin Winchester." The crowd applauded as Team CRDL left the stage. The next students to take their place were Jaune, Pyrrha, Norra and Ren. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie. You retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team JNPR!" Nora laughed abnd wrapped her arms around Ren's neck, pulling him into a tight hug, much to his annoyance. "Led by… Jaune Arc!"
Pyrrha gave Jaune a bright smile, while Jaune himself was left confused. "H-Huh? L-Led by…?" He stammered.
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin said to him. Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful punch in the arm, then the newly formed Team JNPR cleared the stage for Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss. "And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose." Weiss looked at the younger huntress in surprise, while Peter made sure to clap extra loud from his corner near the entrance.
"I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed as she ran over and hugged her sister.
"It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year." Ozpin concluded.
Torchwick sighed as he yet again looked at the map of Vale. He lit a cigar and started to smoke it when a man in a Grimm Mask and a white uniform with a black hood pushed a cart in behind him. Torchwick took some Lien out of his pocket and laid it out on the table for the man, then ordered him, "Open it." The man nodded, took the money, then used a crowbar to pry open the crate on the cart, revealing several types of Dust crystals carefully placed inside.
"So," Prowler said as he stood next to Torchwick. "What do you think?"
"I think we're gonna need more men…" Torchwick answered.