[Then]
"Musashi, I seriously hate you right now!" Jaune screamed at the top of his lungs as he, his mentor slash travelling companion, and Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee ran as fast as they could through the snow-covered lands of Solitas.
"Ehh? Why?! What did I do this time?!" Musashi asked.
"What didn't you do?!" Jaune fired back as the pack of Sabyrs and Beringels behind the trio seemed to be getting closer every second.
"Winter, come on, back me up here!" Musashi argued as the woman gracefully leapt over a snow-covered boulder, "I've been a model Huntress all mission long, right?"
"I'm afraid I must concur with Mr Arc's opinion, Musashi." said the Specialist as the trio suddenly found themselves face to face with a steep wall of rock and ice.
"Now what do we do?" Jaune asked as he turned around to face the horde of Grimm behind them.
"Silly Jaune. Do you really have to ask?" Musashi said as the woman proceeded to draw her twin swords.
"Yeah, I figured as much." Jaune said as he let the backpack he was carrying fall to the ground before he drew Crocea Mors from its sheathe. Winter followed suit, the Specialist drawing her own weapon as a white Schnee glyph appeared in front of her.
"I count at least thirty of them. I take half while you two take the rest. Deal? Deal." Musashi said, the woman not even waiting for any response from either of them as she went in to engage the Grimm horde.
"If you truly wish to become a Hunter, Mr Arc, then let this be a lesson for you: Do not engage a pack of Grimm alone when the choice to face them as a group is available to you." Winter said, the woman stabbing her sword to the ground as the glyph in front of her came to life, "For we humans are susceptible to fatigue and exhaustion while the creatures of Grimm are not."
As those words left Winter's mouth, the glyph in front of her rose from the ground as it floated in mid-air. Not a moment later, a flock of miniature pure white Nevermores emerged from it as they rushed towards the oncoming Grimm horde, blinding them. With her summons having served their purpose, Winter pulled her blade from the ground as she and Jaune charged towards the horde.
Crocea Mors gripped in both of his hands, Jaune delivered a killing blow to a nearby Sabyr before following up with another attack that immediately saw the death of another. The boy, however, made the mistake of letting his guard down for a quick moment as a nearby Sabyr seized the opportunity to pounce on the young Hunter-in-Training.
With Crocea Mors knocked out of his hand from the sudden tackle, Jaune suddenly found himself down on the ground. Pumping his arms full with aura, the boy tried his best to push the Sabyr's jaws as far away from his neck.
Jaune's eyes widened with terror as he stares into the Sabyr's mouth before the Grimm goes limp a moment later, a sword having been used to slice it in half. Jaune looks up at Winter, his savior, as the woman hands Jaune his weapon back.
"Let that be another lesson for you, Mr Arc." Winter said, before Jaune's eyes widened once more at two Sabyrs who were rapidly approaching the both of them.
"Specialist Schnee, look out!" Jaune shouted, Crocea Mors in hand and ready to strike. Winter, meanwhile, effortlessly dodges the attacks of both Sabyrs before swiftly ending their lives with a quick and clean decapitation.
"Do not let your guard down, for even a second. To do so would be to court death." Winter said as Jaune breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of the Specialist's safety, "And please, just Winter is fine. We've worked together enough times that calling me Specialist Schnee is too formal."
"Yes, Spec- Winter." Jaune said, taking the woman's words to heart. Before their little discussion could get any further, the ground behind them exploded as a Beringel dropped down from above. With a mighty roar, the Grimm charged at the both of them. Dodging its attacks, Jaune went left while Winter went right.
Jaune swung Crocea Mors as hard as he could, the blonde aiming at the Grimm's arms only for his sword to barely deal any damage as the blade was deflected by the Beringel's bone plating.
Winter's own efforts was met with similar levels of success, the woman's weapons not nearly enough to deal any amout of significant damage to the Grimm. As she pondered her options, the Atlas Specialist was able to barely dodge a heavy blow from the Beringel.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, the woman made use of her Glyphs to propel herself towards the Grimm's head. Acting quickly, Winter slashed at its eyes in an effort to blind him only for the Beringel to block her strikes with one of its arms. Her attack having failed, Winter conjured another Glyph mid-air as it pushed her away from an incoming strike from the Beringel.
"Winter, I have a plan." Jaune said as he and Winter regrouped and considered their options once more, "You distract it while I take out its legs and bring it down low. Once that happens, it'll be easier for us to kill it. What do you think?"
"It's definitely worth trying." With a nod, Winter got back on her feet as she summoned two Glyphs in front of her. Not a moment later, a flock of miniature Nevermores came out of one Glyph while a single Beowolf came out of the other. The summons then rushed forward as they did their best trying to gain the Beringel's attention.
Jaune, meanwhile, seized the chance to get behind the Grimm as the blonde delivered a powerful blow to one of the Beringel's legs as the attack caused the Grimm to fall to one knee. With heavy breaths, Jaune proceeded to the next leg as the blonde pumped his arms full of aura before delivering the same strike as before.
"Winter, now!" Jaune shouted as Winter recalled her summons. Without wasting another moment, the Atlas Specialist made her way behind the Grimm. With their weapons gripped in their hands, the two of them delivered one devastating attack after another at the Grimm's exposed and unarmored back.
Their collective onslaught went on for what felt like hours when in reality it was just a few seconds before the Grimm collapsed in a heap, its' body disintegrating into dust, signifying its death.
With a relieved sigh, Jaune sheathed his sword before Winter immediately slapped the boy on the back of his head.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Jaune asked as he flinched in surprise.
"Fool! What did I just tell you?" Winter asked as she stared right at Jaune's soul.
"Uh…" With a confused expression, Jaune looked all over himself before his eyes finally landed on his sheathed weapon, "Don't… let your guard down?"
"Exactly. Now take out your sword." Winter said as Jaune immediately followed the Specialist's orders, "Let's go see if Musashi needs our help."
As the both of them rounded a corner, it wasn't to the sight of Musashi struggling against a pack of more than a dozen Grimm. Instead, what greeted them was the sight of said woman sitting on a boulder, a pack of beef jerky in hand as a dozen or so dead Grimm lay around her, each one of them currently disintegrating into dust.
"Oh, hey! There you guys are!" Musashi said, "What took you guys so long?"
"Musashi, what… happened here?" Jaune asked as he and Winter strolled up to his mentor.
"What do you mean? I killed them, of course." Musashi said.
"By yourself?" Jaune asked as Musashi responded with an enthusiastic nod.
"I hate to admit it but, as annoying as she may be to deal with, she is a capable Huntress." Winter said as she finally sheathed her weapons.
"Hey! I'm not annoying! Jaune, back me up here!" Musashi shouted as Jaune simply walked past her as the blonde placed Crocea Mors back in its sheathe.
"So, I guess it's back to Atlas now?" Jaune asked.
"Correct. Shouldn't be too far from here. A day's walk, half a day if we face no obstacles along the way." Winter said.
"Ah, are you two ignoring me?! You are, aren't you?!" Musashi asked, a distressed look on her face as she trailed after the two of them.
[Now]
"Well then, Mr Arc, with such an exhausting start to your life here in Beacon, I do hope you'll get all the rest you need. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for you, after all." Ozpin said as he led Jaune towards Beacon's ballroom.
"Exhausting is… one way to put it…" Jaune said, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he rubbed the back of his head, "Thank you again for everything. You really didn't have to lead me all the here. I'm sure I would have found my own way… eventually…"
"Oh, it's quite alright. I have a bit of free time at the moment, with Glynda currently being preoccupied." Ozpin said.
"By the way, do you know where Musashi went?" Jaune asked, "I haven't seen her since this afternoon."
"I wouldn't worry about her, she's preoccupied with a different task at the moment." Ozpin said as the both of them reached Beacon's ballroom, "Well then, Mr Arc, this will be your bedroom for the night. Get some rest. I'm sure you'll need it after the day you've had."
"Yes. Thank you, Professor." Jaune said before he entered the building. The noise from the ballroom's door opening made the blonde gain the attention of everyone who wasn't already asleep. With an apologetic grin, Jaune immediately started looking for a vacant spot to plant his sleeping bag.
Tiptoeing around the bodies around him - both awake and snoring soundly - Jaune was finally able to find an empty spot against the wall. Approaching it, he saw a girl with black hair wearing a simple gray nightgown reading a book illuminated by candlelight.
"Excuse me but, would you mind if I took this spot for myself?" Jaune asked.
"Not at all." the girl said, her eyes focused on the book in her hands. Sending a word of thanks, Jaune immediately laid down his sleeping bag on the vacant spot before taking out his sleeping clothes, which was a simple pair of black shorts and a grey t-shirt.
"Good thing it's pretty dark right now." Jaune thought to himself as he quickly changed his clothes. Turning around, Jaune saw that the girl was still engrossed in the book in her hands. Deciding to start up a conversation with her, Jaune said, "So, what's that book you're reading?"
"Huh?" the girl said as she finally looked up from the book for the first time that night.
"That book. What's it about?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, well… It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." the girl said, her focus returning to the book.
"Oh, is it any good?" Jaune asked.
"It's alright." the girl said. When no other response came from her, Jaune took the hint for what it was.
"Right, well… good night." Jaune said as he laid down on his sleeping bag.
[~]
When Jaune awoke the next day, it was to see that most of the students had already left the ballroom behind with the ones who were still there busy packing up their things for the day ahead. Slowly sitting up, the boy stretched his arms before letting out a tired yawn.
As the blonde left the ballroom behind, he passed by a rather excited girl with orange hair and a boy with black hair. The boy seemed to be acting as if the girl wasn't even there to begin with.
"What an odd pair." Jaune thought to himself as he reached the showers. Taking some time to freshen himself up, Jaune then made his way to the cafeteria where he was immediately greeted by a sea of people. Quickly grabbing his breakfast - a plate of bacon, hash browns, and scrambled eggs - Jaune started to look for a place to sit before a familiar voice caught his attention.
"Jaune! Jaune!" the voice said. Looking around, the blonde saw that it was coming from a girl with black hair and silver eyes who looked very familiar, "Jaune, over here!"
Racking his brain to remember who the girl was, the answer finally came to him just as he reached the girl's table.
"Ruby!" Jaune said, an excited smile on his face as he finally saw a familiar face.
"I was looking all over for you yesterday! Where were you?" Ruby asked as Jaune took a seat across from her and a girl with blonde hair.
"Oh, well… I was uh… busy yesterday… with some stuff…" Jaune said, not bothering to tell the girl about his trip to Beacon's infirmary on his first day.
"So, you're Jaune, huh?" the blonde girl said as she pushed Ruby aside, "I hope you don't have any bad intentions with my baby sister."
"I… uh… what…?" Jaune stuttered, the blonde lost for words as the girl's sudden accusation.
"Ugh, Yang! Stop being an idiot!" Ruby said from the side, "We're not like that. We're just friends."
"I guess you weren't lying after all, huh Rubes?" Yang said, the girl laughing as Ruby tried to push her back to her original spot. Before any further discussion could be had, the PA system in the cafeteria came to life.
"Attention all Initiates, please prepare your equipment and gather at the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest. Initiation will begin in one hour." came the voice of the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon as prospective students started to file out of the cafeteria one after another.
"Well, that's our cue." Yang said as she got up from her seat, "Come on, Rubes. Wouldn't want to be late on our first day, right?"
"I'll see you later, Jaune." Ruby said with a wave before trailing after her sister, "See, Yang?! I told you I wasn't making him up!"
"Huh… I wonder what all that was about…" Jaune muttered to himself before quickly finishing up his breakfast.
[~]
As Jaune soared across the skies of the Emerald Forest, his eyes widened in panic as his brain worked overtime trying to think of a safe landing strategy that didn't involve him going splat on the forest floor below.
"Crap, crap, crap… What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…?" Jaune managed to ask himself without biting his tongue as the other Initiates around him either soared past him or had landed successfully. With a sigh and shrug, Jaune chose to abandon any sense of style as the boy unfurled his shield and placed it in front of him.
As he quickly descended towards the sea of trees below, Jaune's grip around his shield tightened just as the blonde crashed through the first set of branches. After what felt like an eternity of crashing through branches, Jaune finally hit the trunk of a tree with a thud, the boy bouncing off the trunk and landing on the ground below him with a thud.
"Ow…" Jaune said as he continued lying down on the cool forest floor for a few seconds. After regaining his composure, the boy then got to his feet as he put away his shield before unsheathing his Crocea Mors, "Right, uh… what did The Headmaster say again? Something about relics in a ruin to the north? Yeah, sounds about right."
Before Jaune could make it far, however, a rustling from a bush to his right caught his attention.
"Uh, hello? Is someone there?" Jaune asked as he raised his weapon to guard against any sudden attacks, "Future partner? Is that you?"
Jaune was about to check who was behind the bush before two Beowolf heads popped up, startling the blonde slightly. The two creatures of Grimm took a look at Jaune for a moment before bearing their teeth at boy with a growl.
"Okay. Calm down, Jaune, you've done this before. Just remember your train-" Jaune started to say before the boy had to hastily duck under the swipe of the first Beowolf. Working on instinct alone, Jaune quickly brought his sword up to block a swipe from the second Beowolf. Thinking quickly, Jaune pumped aura into his right leg to kick the Beowolf away, staggering it. Not willing to give it any time to recover, Jaune quickly went inside its guard before decapitating it with a quick slice of Crocea Mors.
The other Beowolf, seeing what just happened to its comrade, let out a loud roar as it charged towards Jaune. Unfazed, the boy waited until the last second before dodging its attacks as the Grimm crashed headfirst into a tree. Jaune then seized his opportunity as he sliced the head of the Bowolf before it could gather itself.
"Phew. To think, I was struggling against one of these guys nine months ago." Jaune said to himself as he continued making his way towards what he thought was north, "I suppose I have Musashi to thank for all this… Even if her training methods almost drove me insane when we first started out…"
As Jaune trekked through the Emerald Forest, it didn't take him long for him to hear the sound of another human being.
"I said leave me alone!" the familiar voice of Ruby's sister shouted out. Confused, Jaune appeared behind a tree to the sight of the blonde girl screaming at a bird hovering mere inches from her face as the body of an Ursa was slowly disintegrating beside her, "I'm not a baby anymore, you dumb hag! I can do this on my own just fine without you!"
"Uh… hello…?" Jaune said, startling the girl.
"Oh, hey! Jaune, right?" the girl said with a wave that seemed just a little bit too friendly, "I'm Yang. Ruby's sister. Remember?"
"Of course. How could I forget?" Jaune said as he sheathed his sword, "Also, were you just-?"
"Nope."
"But I haven't even-"
"It doesn't matter what your question was, the answer is 'Whatever you thought you saw, you didn't'." Yang said, a menacing look in her red eyes that forced Jaune to take a step back. A moment later, it disappeared just as her eyes turned from red to lilac, "So, partners?"
"Uh, yeah… I guess we are partners." Jaune said as the two blondes shook hands. Looking around at the forest around them, Jaune asked, "So, you know where north is?"
"Eh, only one way to find out, right?" Yang said as the two of them went on their way after picking a random direction.
[~]
"Ah, Glynda. Thank you for finally joining me." Ozpin said as his Deputy strolled up to the cliff before standing beside his boss, "And Miss Musashi, a pleasure to see you, as well."
"Man, Glynda... Couldn't you have shown a little bit of mercy?" Musashi asked as she rubbed her sore shoulders, "I've heard of overworking people to death but this is ridiculous."
"What's ridiculous is the stunt you pulled yesterday." Glynda fired back as she leveled a glare at the woman, "You're lucky I have Initiation to attend to or else your punishment would have been much more severe."
"Now, now… I'm sure Miss Musashi here has learned her lesson." Ozpin said in an effort to rein in the strict Deputy, "Isn't that right, Miss Musashi?"
"Yup! Totally! One-hundred percent learned my lesson and will never repeat it again!" Musashi said as she hid behind Ozpin.
"There, see? All's well that ends well." Ozpin said much to Glynda's displeasure.
"So, any news on how Jaune is doing? What's his team like?" Musashi said as she peered over Ozpin's shoulder to look at the tablet in his hands.
"Well, it seems as if he's partnered up with Yang Xiao-Long. Certainly an interesting pairing, if I do say so myself." Ozpin said.
"Yang Xiao-Long… Yang Xiao-Long…" Musashi muttered to herself as she tried to recall where she heard the name before, "You mean Qrow's niece?"
"The very same."
"They're partnered together, huh? That's disappointing." Musashi said.
"Oh? And why do you say that?" Ozpin asked, his eyebrow raised as he stared at the woman.
"Me and Qrow, we had a wager, you see. It was to see which of our students would be the better Hunter by the end of the year." Musashi said, "Hard to compete when you're on the same team."
"Not necessarily. They could still compete in things like academics like test scores." Ozpin said, "Besides that, their performances in Glynda's combat class is graded individually and as part of a team."
"Oh, sweet!" Musashi exclaimed, an excited glint in her eyes before she cupped her mouth, "Jaune! You better not disappoint me, got it?!"
"There's also the young Miss Rose." Ozpin said, "Truly, this year's group of students is bound to be an exciting one."
[~]
"Are you serious?!" Yang asked, the girl finding it hard to contain her laughter as Jaune told her about his journey with Musashi.
"I swear to God, Yang, it's the whole truth and nothing but." Jaune said, "On top of throwing me into a bottomless ravine and leaving me alone in the forests of Mistral for a week, she literally tied me to a stack of balloons and watched me float into the air. All in the name of training and making me stronger!"
"Are you sure this Musashi lady isn't some escaped mental patient?" Yang said, the girl holding her sides in laughter.
"You know, she just might be. I swear, the next time I see her, I'm going to-" whatever Jaune was about to say was cut off as the blonde duo reached finally reached a clearing after what felt like hours of trekking through the jungle. In the middle of the clearing was what looked to be some ruins.
"You think this is the place?" Yang asked as the two partners inspected the nearby ruins.
"Eh, maybe?" Jaune said as he eyed the oversized chess pieces that had been placed on numerous pedestals, "I mean, who else could have set all this up, right?"
"True. Some of them are missing, too. Guess we weren't the first ones here." Yang said.
"Guess not. So, what do you think about grabbing the black castle piece?" Jaune asked.
"Aww, I wanted a cute little pony piece." Yang said.
"Eh, sure. I don't think it makes much difference." Jaune said just as the sound of a bush rustling nearby caught both of the blondes' attention. In response, Jaune quickly pulled out Crocea Mors as Yang pocketed the white rook piece before readying her own weapons. What appeared from the trees, however, weren't Grimm but a pair of black-haired humans, a boy and a girl.
"Hey, man with two souls!" Jaune said, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he put away his weapon.
"...What?" Yang asked as she let her own guard down.
"It's this book she was reading last night." Jaune said before turning to face the newcomers, "I'm Jaune, by the way, and this is my partner, Yang."
"Blake." the girl - dressed in a black, buttoned vest with a white sleeveless shirt, a pair of white shorts, and a pair of black low-heeled boots - said before gesturing to the boy beside her, "And this is my partner."
"Lie Ren." the boy - dressed in a green long-sleeved tailcoat, a black long-sleeved shirt beneath it, and a pair of tan pants with black shoes - said with a nod, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too, Lie." Jaune said as the two boys shook hands.
"Please, call me Ren." Ren said.
"So, does this make us teammates?" Jaune asked, "You know, since we all made eye contact all that…"
"I'm not sure. The Headmaster said making eye contact was only for forming partners, not a team." Ren said as Blake picked up a white knight piece before pocketing it.
"So, shall we?" Blake asked. Before the group could move out, however, Yang spoke up, halting them in their tracks.
"Actually, do you mind if I just hung back a bit?" Yang asked, a worried look in her eyes as she stared back at where she and Jaune came from.
"Yang? Something wrong?" Jaune asked.
"It's Ruby. I'm… worried about her. I think I'll wait here for her, just to make sure everything's alright." Yang said as she took a seat on the nearby ruin.
"Sure, why not?" Jaune said as he took a seat for himself.
"You don't have to wait for me, you know?" Yang said, a small laugh escaping her lips, "She's my sister."
"And you're my partner. This is what partners do." Jaune said, "I'm assuming…"
As the blonde duo shared a laugh, they were soon joined by Ren and Blake.
"Aww, you guys… You, too?" Yang asked as she wiped away an imaginary tear.
"Of course. We're training to be Huntsmen, after all." Ren said as he and Blake took a seat, "What kind of Huntsmen would we be if we couldn't even spare a moment to help out a fellow student."
"Aww, you guys!" Yang said as she pulled in Blake and Ren for a hug, "Did we just become best friends?!"
[~]
"Pyrrha! Something's telling me that cave wasn't the place we were supposed to go to!" Ruby shouted as she and her red-haired partner dashed through Emerald Forest with a pissed off Deathstalker and Beringel chasing them.
"I think you might be right, Ruby!" Pyrrha shouted back as the Beringel let out a loud roar.
"Look! Up ahead! A clearing!" Ruby shouted just as the two girls broke through the sea of trees.
"Ruby!" came the familiar voice of her sister. Looking up, Ruby was surprised to see Yang running towards her.
"Yang?" Ruby said just before she was engulfed in her sister's bear hug.
"Grimm!" a voice she didn't recognize shouted out as the Deathstalker and Beringel that were chasing them earlier managed to break through the treeline.
"Pyrrha Nikos?" asked another voice Ruby didn't recognize.
"Hello there!" Pyrrha said with a cheerful wave and smile as if they weren't currently facing down two very angry Grimm.
"Ruby! Hey!" came the familiar voice of Jaune Arc as the boy strolled towards her, his sword drawn while his eyes never left the Grimm before them, "You might want to grab a relic soon. Preferably before the Grimm destroy it."
"Relic? Oh, right!" Ruby said to herself as she appeared in front of said relics with a quick use of her Semblance, "Chess pieces? Pyrrha! Do you mind if I take the black castle piece?"
"Not at all." her partner said as she drew her own weapons. Not a moment later, Ruby joined them, Crescent Rose drawn and gripped tightly in her hands.
"So, what's the plan?" Yang asked as the Beringel and Deathstalker both charged towards them.
"We split them up. Ruby, you, Blake, and your partner-" Jaune said before looking at the red-haired girl, "Sorry, what was her name?"
"Her name's Pyrrha."
"Hello again."
"-Pyrrha, right. Sorry. You three take on the Beringel while Yang, Ren, and I take on the giant scorpion. Agreed?" Jaune asked, the six teens scaterring just as the two Grimm reached them.
"Pyrrha, I'll go left and Blake, was it?" Ruby asked as the girl nodded in response, "You go right. We'll try to bring it down low while Pyrrha's distracting it."
Nodding, the three girls then went to work on handling the Beringel. With her weapon in its rifle form, Pyrrha was able to successfully draw the Grimm's attention with a few accurate shots to its face. Letting out an agry roar, the Berringle made to charge towards the red-haired girl.
Ruby, however, was able to stop it in its tracks as she and Blake managed to deliver quick but effective strikes to the back of the Grimm's legs, toppling it. Not waiting to let this opportunity go, Ruby then quickly made her way in front of the Grimm's head. Stabbing Crescent Rose into the ground, Ruby then proceeded to fire off the rest of her weapon's ammunition into its head.
The Grimm, however, only appeared annoyed at Ruby's attempts to end its life as it let out a defiant roar.
"Ruby! Get away from there!" her partner shouted. Heeding the girl's warning, Ruby jumped back just as a spear shot past her and right into one of the Beringel's eyes.
Pyrrha appeared not long after, the girl pulling her weapon out of the Beringel's eye before shifting it into a sword as she and Blake delivered a simultaneous strike to decapitate the Grimm, killing it.
"Phew… Good job, team… Good job…" Ruby said as the Beringel slowly disintegrated into dust.
"We should probably go check on your sister and the others, right?" Blake asked.
"Oh, right! Yang! I forgot about her!" Ruby said before running off towards the direction her sister went a few minutes ago. When she reached there, it was to the sight of Yang, Jaune, and Blake's partner all lounging around the dead body of a Deathstalker.
"Hey, there you are, Rubes!" Yang said, "What took you so long? I was worried I was going to turn into an old woman before you guys finished up."
"Ugh… Nobody likes a show-off, Yang." Ruby grumbled, feeling stupid for even worrying about her.
[~]
"So, I was thinking that we should totally come up with some super secret animal cry to alert us if we see any Grimm. Oh, oh… I can do a very convincing cow! Or if you're not into cows, how about a goat? If you don't know how to make a goat sound, here! Let me show you!" said Weiss's partner as she proceeded to try her best and immitate the sound of a goat, the orange-haired girl bouncing around on her heels the whole time, "See, what do you think? I totally sounded like a goat back then, right?"
"Nora…" Weiss started to say only for her partner to cut her off.
"I mean, I was going to go with a sloth sound but that sound is what me and Ren agreed on so I don't think I can share it with you, Weiss." Nora said, "Ren's been my best friend since forever, you see, and we've been together since we were kids… Well, not together-together but-"
"Nora, can we just play… the quiet game for a bit? At least until we find the ruins Professor Ozpin spoke of?" Weiss suggested as she ducked under a branch.
"Oh, sure. Of course. I'm the best at that game. Here, watch!" Nora said before going completely silent.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Weiss immediately started trying to figure out where they were before her train of thought was interrupted once more by her partner.
"Okay, I lost! I lied, I suck at the quiet game!" Nora exclaimed as Weiss attempted to grind her teeth to dust, "So, what was I saying? Right, me and Ren! We're not together-together but-"
"Father was right… I should never have left Atlas…" Weiss muttered under her breath.
"Hmm? Did you say something, partner?" Nora asked. Before Weiss could answer, however, Nora suddenly pointed to something ahead of them, "Look! I think I see something important!"
Running ahead, Weiss let out a sigh of frustration.
"All I wanted was to partner with Pyrrha Nikos. That's all. Is that really too much to ask?" Weiss asked aloud as she trailed after her partner. Entering the clearing, Weiss saw that Nora had grabbed what looked to be an oversized black rook chess piece.
"Hey, Weiss! What do you think about me being queen of the castle?" Nora asked, the girl prancing about with the chess piece balanced on top of her head, "You can be my consort!"
"Yeah, that'll be the day…" Weiss muttered under her breath before the Heiress noticed the quickly setting sun, "Nora! We should go! The sun will be setting soon and we still need to get over that cliff!"
"Okay!" Nora said, pocketing the black rook piece before appearing before Weiss, "So, how good are you at climbing?"
"I should be fine but at this rate, we'll barely make it." Weiss said, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips at the thought of failing Beacon's Initiation.
"Don't you worry about a thing, partner. Ol' Nora Valkyrie's got the answer to all your troubles!" Nora exclaimed, an excited glint in her eyes.
"What are you proposing?" Weiss asked.
"Do you have any lightning Dust on you?" Nora asked as Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I do… but why do you need it?" Weiss asked, the young Heiress already regretting her partner's plan.
"Hit me with it." Nora said.
"I'm sorry… What?" Weiss asked, unsure of what she just heard.
"I said, hit me with a lightning blast."
"Why?!"
"It's my Semblance, silly." Nora said, "I can absorb electricity and it makes me super strong and fast."
"How would that help us?"
"Well, I can carry you over that cliff in no time." Nora said.
"...I think I'd rather just walk, Nora." Weiss said.
"Oh, come on, Weiss! What do you have to lose?!" Nora asked as she stepped in front of the Heiress, a pleading look on her eyes. Sighing for what felt like the hundreth time that day, Weiss relented. Pulling out Mystenaster, Weiss pointed it at her partner as a glyph came to life in front of her. A moment later, a burst of electricty shot forth as it hit Nora square in her chest.
A worried look appeared on Weiss's face as Nora convulsed at the sudden intake of electricity before it was wiped away as her partner looked at her with a confident grin.
"Now, try not to talk or you'll bite your tongue." Nora said as she carried Weiss in a bridal carry.
"Nora, what are you-" were the last words to leave Weiss's mouth before Nora sped off towards the cliff.
[~]
"Jaune Arc, Yang Xiao-Long, Blake Belladonna, Lie Ren. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces." said Professor Ozpin as their faces appeared on the screen above them, "From this day forward, the four of you will be known as Team Jazzberry led by… Jaune Arc."
"Uh… what…?" Jaune said, eyes wide in surprise at the Headmaster's words.
"Hey, hey! Way to go, team leader!" Yang said as she slapped Jaune's back, "We're counting on you."
Blake and Ren, meanwhile, offered a reassuring nod and a smile in response. As the four of them got off the stage, Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora, and a very disheveled looking Weiss appeared.
"Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Weiss Schnee. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces." Ozpin said as Weiss hurriedly tried to compose herself, "From this day forward, the four of you will be known as Team Rainbow led by… Ruby Rose."
"M-me…? Team leader…?" Ruby asked aloud only for her partner to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Congratulations, Ruby. I'm confident you'll do great." Pyrrha said, a confident smile on her face.
"Yay! Weiss, we're on a team together!" Nora said, the orange-haired girl engulfing her partner in a bear hug that seemed to be squeezing every drop of air out of the young SDC Heiress, "Well, not together-together but, you know… together as partners!"
"Nora, I… can't… breathe…" Weiss said as she tried her best to pry herself away from her partner.
"Well, this certainly seems to be the making on an interesting year." Ozpin said with a smile on his face.
[Chapter END]
A/N: Well, that's Chapter 11 & Initiation done with. I really hope you guys like this chapter. I had fun writing most of it (some parts of the first half of this chapter I found a bit challenging to write).
So, what do you think of the teams I've chosen? I really didn't want to go with cannon teams because I have some ideas of what I want to do. Hope you like it. Also, twenty points to anyone who can tell me the reference I used when Jaune was telling Yang about Musashi's training methods.
I also really wanted to get this out before New Years so, here you go. Enjoy! Also, I do apologize for not able to do any Knightfall Christmas special this year. Ah, well. Maybe next year.
Before I end this Author's Note, here's a small little Omake that I wanted to put in the actual chapter but I felt it would feel a bit out of place.
Omake: Musashi's Punishment
"Glynda, please… Have mercy…" Musashi said through pained sobs as she scrubbed away the grime on the airship before her, "Haven't I apologized enough already?"
"Miss Musashi, not only did you interrupt the Headmaster's speech but because of your reckless actions, a young boy has been sent to the infirmary on his very first day here!" Glynda said with a glare.
"But that was done in the name of training…" Musashi protested before clamming up at the sound of Glynda's whip hitting the airship.
"There is such a thing as going too far, Miss Musashi, and your teaching methods are simply unacceptable." Glynda said, "Now, hurry up. You still have five more airships to clean after this one. You may rest once you're finished with all that."
"And here I thought the scariest thing I've ever faced were those Six Swordmasters. Who knew Remnant had a demon living among them?" Musashi mumbled to herself.
"What was that?!" Glynda asked.
"Nothing, Glynda!" Musashi said as she resumed her scrubbing.
"That's what I thought."
[Omake End]
As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always welcome. With that being said, I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas 2022 and here's wishing everyone a prosperous and amazing year ahead.
Happy New Year!