Time to take a look into Pyrrha's life at beacon after Jaune and Ruby left, along with Jaune's group finally hitting the trail. I'm sure everything is working out perfectly with no problems at all. Tyrian won't cause any problems in town either. He's such a nice guy. As I read the comments, a couple things stood out. One, I'm glad to receive support in my description of training. It was some common sense, along with some light novels and mange that gave inspiration for that. Two, people are beginning to point out Jaune was the one who did wrong. Yes, this is true. I'm not denying it. It's just we expect Remnant to follow the same rules as Earth. Ozpin isn't going to sacrifice a promising student to fight Grimm. Also, we can't expect hormonal teenagers to make good decisions.
Boring author note is done, let's move to the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Clang!
Echoes of metal against metal reverberated around the training room. Pyrrha was dancing around the battle droid, striking with her sword while effortlessly avoiding returning blows. Her dexterity let her twist her body to dodge or block with her shield. It wasn't large and didn't provide any mobility issues like the large shield Jaune wielded.
With one final blow, the training droid fell and an alarm rang out, indicating the end of the bout.
"Phew," Pyrrha rubbed her sweaty brow. "That setting was quite a challenge, but I managed to beat it without my Semblance. That's a new record."
Pyrrha's Semblance was something she didn't wish to share with others. Name Polarity, Pyrrha was able to control the polarity of metallic objects and bend them to her will. Simply put, she was pretty much a human magnet. Most metal could be controlled which made it incredibly easy to defeat robotic training droids. Even in spars versus other students, all she had to do was control their weapons or armor and they would be helpless. It didn't work against Grimm or Huntsman with unusual weapons, so she still had to train her basic skills. Also, if people knew she had such a powerful Semblance, the title of Unbeatable Girl would only expand.
"Would people even face me if they knew?" Pyrrha muttered.
The difficulty level she was fighting these training drones at was higher than a single person should normally face. Since she had started training at a young age, her skills were extraordinary for someone her age and she could defeat most people without relying on her Semblance. Something others were keen to remind her. The downside was that others believed she was out of their reach and wouldn't try to befriend her. At least until she met her team. They were the best thing that happened to her.
Then one mistake on her part ruined it all.
Grabbing her towel off the bench, she wiped her face. Her body was aching and she pushed herself too hard. The girl knew that. It was just there weren't a lot of options available to her to kill time right now. Going out to Vale would just cause her to get mobbed by fans, while there was only so much homework she could do at one time without going insane. Her mind would always go back to the team dynamics and emotions would overflow. With training, she had something to focus on.
And so the champion did that.
Even if it was more than she should.
The locker room wasn't empty and Pyrrha wasn't surprised to see Weiss there. That girl was always working on improving herself. Whether it be studying to keep her mind sharp, or always working on improving her form. Her drive might even be a little too high if you asked the rest of Team RWBY. Pyrrha didn't think Weiss was bad, but their first meeting could have gone better. It was obvious she was interested in Pyrrha because of her fame, which put the champion on guard. She doubted they could ever be close friends because of that, but she honestly was willing to try.
Weiss could just be so… tiring with her attitude.
"Pyrrha!"
The redhead almost flinched when Weiss suddenly spoke, but turned and gave her a public smile. One she practiced so much for her agent due to sponsorship deals. It wasn't nearly the same as the one she used to give Jaune or her team.
"Hello, Weiss!" Pyrrha greeted. "How are you?"
"I'm doing great," Weiss smiled at her back. "Just finished trying out a couple of new glyph combinations with Dust. It worked above expectations so I'm probably going to try it out in our next combat class."
"That's wonderful news," Pyrrha continued to act interested. She wasn't used to putting people down and pretending to feign interest always pleased people. "I look forward to seeing it in action."
"Did you just finish training too?" Weiss questioned, looking her up and down. "You seem a little worn out."
"I pushed myself a little further than I probably should have to beat my previous record against the training droids," Pyrrha answered truthfully. "I just really wanted to keep my mind off of some things."
"Oh, I see." Weiss was smart so she instantly knew what Pyrrha was talking about. "You know, you did the right thing."
Pyrrha's lips were pursed together. She really didn't want to talk about this. Yet, she couldn't just tell Weiss to stop. Weiss was one of the few people close to her that was on her side, but something about that just didn't sit right with her.
"Arc wasn't ready for Beacon," Weiss continued, not noticing the champion's dismay. "He was going to get himself hurt or killed. If you hadn't saved him during initiation, he wouldn't have survived. I don't think he should have been rewarded for falsifying his way in with an apprenticeship program though. I would have immediately turned him in, even though he's Ruby's friend."
"Can we talk about something else?" Pyrrha muttered, but Weiss didn't hear her.
"Then Ruby decided to gallivant off with him," Weiss sighed. "It's causing a huge mess of problems. Then Yang's been in a mood since she left. At least she's not telling jokes. I don't see why everyone made a big deal of Arc leaving. He broke the law and was lucky he wasn't arrested. Falsifying official documents could have been extremely messy."
"Weiss!" Pyrrha finally said firmly.
"Yes?"
"Please… change the subject," Pyrrha tried not to sound pleading. "To anything else."
Pyrrha already knew Yang was moody right now. When she tried to talk to the blonde in combat class, all she got was the cold shoulder. Yang had always been protective of her younger sister, so now that Ruby was no longer at Beacon and doing some dangerous training, her mind was probably preoccupied with worry. Pyrrha knew that feeling all too well. She was constantly worried about what Jaune was doing.
"Er… are you okay?" Weiss asked uncertainly. "I know you've been having some… team troubles. You can sit with us if you want at meals."
"No, I'm fine." Pyrrha lied, trying to keep her work smile up. "Things will… work themselves out. I appreciate the concern."
"Well, okay. If you say so." Weiss looked a little better at the lie, which made Pyrrha breathe a silent sigh of relief. "Want to work on Professor Oobleck's essay tonight?"
"I think I just want to rest tonight," Pyrrha answered, too tired to really do anything. "I pushed myself a little too much and I'm beginning to feel it. How about tomorrow?"
"Sure, I'll see you then." Weiss waved goodbye and headed out. When she was finally out of sight, Pyrrha relaxed at last.
Again, it wasn't like she hated Weiss. The girl just said what was on her mind without holding back. Part of Pyrrha actually admired that. Saying what you truly felt was a blessing that she didn't have. A single misplaced rant could jeopardize her career and sponsors, along with people who looked up to her. Growing up knowing this, Pyrrha just got into the habit of agreeing with people and keeping her true opinions hidden. It caused people to like her, but at the same time made it hard to make true friends.
Looking at the time, she debated heading to the cafeteria.
"Ren and Nora would probably be there," The girl muttered to herself. "Ren would be okay… but Nora…"
When Pyrrha had gone to breakfast earlier that day, she did sit down with Ren and Nora. Ren greeted her normally, but Nora just ignored her. Pretended she didn't even exist. The reason for it was known to all of them, but it still hurt. Pyrrha remembered the way the ginger girl could make any story more exciting and always welcomed her and Jaune like siblings. Because of those feelings, Pyrrha began to purposely avoid them for lunch, waiting until she was sure they were gone.
"Perhaps I should just wait…"
"Wait for what?"
Pyrrha nearly jumped and spun around to see the familiar boy in green greet her in the hallway.
"Oh, Ren! I didn't hear you approach."
"I've been told I'm quiet," Ren tried to smile, but she could tell it was forced. "You've been avoiding us today and I wanted to check if you were all right."
"I'm fine, thank you, but I wasn't avoiding you." Pyrrha protested, even if the last part was a lie. "I was just… focused on training. I beat my old record."
"Impressive," Ren's voice was calm and collected, making it almost impossible to tell what he was truly thinking. "You already had the record for our year, so that's quite an accomplishment. Pushing yourself too hard isn't good for you though."
"I make sure to consider my limitations," Pyrrha lied. Lately, she hadn't cared. She wanted to wear herself to the point of exhaustion so she didn't have the energy to think. "It's just I'm trying to improve, so I have to push the boundaries."
"Uh-huh." Ren didn't nod in affirmation and seemed to doubt her. No words came to call her out though. "Since you've been avoiding us, I-…"
"I haven't been avoiding you!" Pyrrha interjected quickly again, looking ashamed. "I mean… it's just…"
"Nora."
"Nora." Pyrrha agreed sadly, her eyes falling on the floor.
"As I told you and Jaune, I won't try to force her to forgive until she decides she's ready," The boy's voice was firm and the champion understood he was completely serious. "We all know what everyone thinks of the situation and doing our best to avoid making things worst. Still, I would like us to try to stay as a team for when Jaune eventually returns."
"You don't understand…" The redhead's words were almost choking her as the last meeting between her and Jaune swam to her mind. "Even if… when he returns, I don't think we can go back to being a close-knit team. Before he left, we said some things… I don't think we can take back…"
"I see." Ren had considered this when Pyrrha had avoided seeing Jaune off. "You both talked and said things when you weren't ready. Emotions were high, and words came out wrong."
"That's just it!" Pyrrha shook her head. "The words didn't come out wrong. They were his true feelings. Mine too! And… I ruined any chance at reconciliation." Jaune knew her feelings and she knew his, yet they still fought.
As much as Ren wanted to help, there was little, if anything, he could do. He didn't know what was said, or what Pyrrha was going through. The girl really only opened up to Jaune, but now, Ren was taking that place. Nora didn't want to associate with her if she could avoid it. Even if Jaune decided to forgive Pyrrha, Nora would say she did to make Jaune happy, but any interactions would still be forced. Once Nora trusted someone, if they broke that trust, the girl would find it difficult to truly get close to that person again.
Saying that out loud to Jaune and Pyrrha would only cause more problems.
This situation was complicated because everyone had made some kind of mistake in varying degrees while handling the aftermath poorly. Ren really wished Pyrrha had told him and Nora first. At the same time, he wasn't blinded to the fact Jaune did initiate this mess by his selflessness, no matter if his heart was in the right place.
Ren also continued to wonder what he could have done differently to help diffuse this situation.
"I'm afraid this isn't something I can help you with," His tone was somber as he spoke, no matter how hard he tried to remain passive. "You and Jaune… will have to reach the conclusion on your own. When you're both ready. You have to decide what you want to do."
Pyrrha gulped at those words as she knew that Ren was merely stating the truth. If she forgave Jaune for what he said to keep the peace, it would still create an invisible wall between them. Something that would most likely never disappear. On the other hand, if she didn't, then nothing would go back to normal.
All of that was detrimental to her thoughts.
"For some good news, Jaune called last night when you were training late," Ren changed the topic when he saw Pyrrha's expression. "He finished his first mission with Qrow and Ruby, which ended up with him killing a couple of Beowolves all on his own."
"All by himself, already?" Pyrrha blinked. "That's… wonderful news."
Her true feelings were covered up by her forced happy tone. A part of her had wanted to be the one to help Jaune if he had just asked her. It was selfishness on her part.
"I don't know the full extent of Qrow's teaching method," Ren continued. "Whatever it is, it appears to be working. Jaune is progressing and seems to be in high spirits. The odds of him returning are high."
"I… yes, I hope he returns to us safely." Pyrrha agreed, nodding stiffly.
"Nora is in detention with Goodwitch about a missing essay this evening too," Ren eyed her closely. "Would you like to join me for some dinner? I'm just bringing Nora her share when she gets out."
"I… have other plans this afternoon," Pyrrha replied, trying to hide her lie. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"Okay…" If Ren knew she was lying, he didn't say. "Very well, just remember, don't train too hard."
Pyrrha gave him a smile and waved as he left. The smile never reached her eyes though. It was a fake press smile. Even with Ren trying to help, all it did was stir up the feelings inside of her. Just thinking about Jaune caused so many feelings to explode within her. The champion was glad he was doing alright, but at the same time, she was still scared and worried. Most prominent of them all, guilt. Then, deep down, there was a small part of her that was angry at him for putting her in this position.
Whenever she noticed that feeling, Pyrrha tried to push it down, getting rid of it before it swelled into something worse. Thinking about it didn't help, if anything, it only strengthened her feelings.
Turning around, Pyrrha decided to head back to the training rooms.
Her body wasn't that sore yet and there was no doubt she could work on a few things.
Ruby and Jaune were about ready to regret every choice they ever made.
Rain came down in waves as thunder boomed and lightning crackled across the sky. The storm came in fast and hard. Neither Jaune nor Ruby noticed until it was too late. Jaune was the first one to notice the clouds and that started the conversation about finding cover. Then Qrow told them something. Something neither of the two students wanted to hear.
"You just noticed now? Well, guess we don't have much time to find shelter."
"I can't believe he didn't mention the storm sooner," Jaune groaned. "It's just like with the Grimm tracks. He waits until we suffer a bit before correcting us."
"It's sort of his way of teaching," Ruby explained, pulling her legs close to her body for warmth. "He makes sure we know the consequences of messing up so the lessons sink in. I still remember all the times I hit myself in the face when practicing using my scythe."
A chuckle escaped Jaune's mouth at the image before he could stop himself and a small fist hit him in the arm.
"Ow… sorry."
When the rain started, they had sought shelter under a huge tree since they couldn't find anywhere else large enough for the three of them. Then of course, as luck would have it, lightning struck the tree, splitting it in half, nearly hitting them. The tree then caught on fire. Jaune and Ruby had to instantly retreat in disbelief, but Qrow was oddly calm like he was used to this. After all hope seemed lost and they would have to huddle under a small tree, their mentor finally led them through the torrential downpour to a small rock shelter. Not a cave, as it wasn't deep enough, but a small cliff face that provided a dry resting location. Qrow then left them there, saying he was going to 'scout around' for Grimm.
He hadn't returned yet.
"Now we're soaked," Jaune continued. "And he said we can't use our dry clothes until tonight when we are ready to sleep."
"And no tents." Ruby added with a weak smile.
"And no tents," Jaune repeated. "You doing okay?"
"I'm fine!" Ruby tried to put up a brave front. Her feet and legs were hurting though. This was their third day since leaving town and it was beginning to wear on her. Jaune had crazy amounts of stamina so he seemed fine. Which wasn't fair at all to the young girl. The thought would never leave her mouth though, as she knew how childish it was. "Just tired… cold… wet… hungry…"
"Thank goodness for Aura," Jaune mumbled softly. "Protects us from the cold."
"Still doesn't help that much when our wet clothes are literally sapping our heat." Ruby pulled out her emergency blanket and wrapped herself up. "I hope the rain lets up."
"What are the odds Qrow's going to make us march soon regardless?" Jaune tried to joke, but his words came out more serious than he would have liked.
"Er… pretty high," Ruby answered glumly. "Once he decides it's safe to keep going." Her eyes scanned the woods in front of them, everything blurry due to the rain. "Wonder how many Grimm are nearby."
"Scared?" The blonde teased, elbowing her lightly.
"As if!" Ruby sniffed. "We just need to push you into another Grimm nest."
"It wasn't a Grimm nest!" Jaune protested. "It was only an Ursa sleeping in a ditch. Qrow just pushed me on top of it."
"And it ran around with you clutched to its back." The young girl chuckled.
"Don't remind me, I almost lost my lunch." The boy muttered. "Nora makes her Ursa Rodeo look so easy."
Ruby stifled a giggle as the two reminisced.
The Ursa, a Grimm in the shape of a bear with large white bone spikes protruding from its spine and limbs, had not been happy with Jaune's sudden appearance. In all fairness, Jaune wouldn't be happy either if someone jumped on him while sleeping. Nora did that once and it was not fun. He felt like his lungs had collapsed. But the Grimm's first response was to run, with the boy holding onto the spines for dear life. The beast collided with a tree and Jaune was thrown off. Dazed, the Ursa still stumbled toward him, but Jaune quickly decapitated it with a simple swing from his training.
"You can take down Beowolves and Ursai now," Ruby pointed out. "Now we can move onto big Grimm like Death Stalkers, Nevermores, and King Taijitu."
"Yeah… let me get used to fighting first."
Facing a Grimm one on one was still terrifying. Even when he knew he defeated them before, the fear of death was still lingering in the air. The last two and a half days hadn't been too extreme. There were several Grimm encounters, but the three of them quickly eliminated the threat. Of course, Qrow made sure Jaune was forced to face several at once, without Ruby coming to help.
He even held her back forcefully once when a Beowolf had snuck up on Jaune. Thank goodness for Aura, but his hoodie tore slightly. His sewing kit he packed fixed that right up that night, surprising their mentor. Qrow usually only patched up serious rips, which is why his cloak was so battered and torn.
"Fighting Grimm is like anything else," Ruby commented mildly. "It takes time to get used to it. Soon, you'll cut through swaths of them and get bored."
"That will be the day." Jaune chuckled, amused at the thought. "Maybe they'll get so scared, they will all leave the four kingdoms in fear of meeting me."
"Pssh, we both know I'm the one they fear." Ruby puffed out her chest and then they both burst out laughing. "Heh… I'm glad we can still talk normally, Jaune. Even with all this happening. I was worried you might have changed."
"Part of me was worried about that too," Jaune couldn't help but agree as his eyes scanned the blurry trees through the downpour. "Though, this situation wasn't your fault in the slightest. In fact, you made it a better situation than it should have been. Being out here with your uncle… Alone?" A shiver ran down his spine. "I would be begging to go home by now."
"And this rain isn't making you wanting to bail?" Ruby nudged an elbow into his side.
"Eh, we're drying off and it's not freezing," Jaune shrugged and looked slightly amused. "If it was 10-20 degrees colder, with us soaked through? We could get hypothermia pretty quick. Qrow said Aura's protecting us, but if we get tired out from fighting, can we still rely on it?"
"Well, it does protect us from extreme conditions, but he's right." The girl slowly nodded her head next to the boy. "We still use it to protect ourselves. So running out means we lose that protection." She started ringing out her combat skirt again. "It doesn't change the fact having wet clothes is AWFUL!"
A laugh burst out of Jaune's mouth before he could stop himself, earning another elbowing from his best friend.
"It will stop eventually," The aspiring knight put his arm over her shoulder. "Heavy rain like this? It tends to pass by quickly. Lighter rain lasts longer. I'm sure in an hour or two, it will let up and your slave-driving uncle will have us start marching again."
Ruby snorted then quickly hid her face under her damp hood. Leaning against Jaune's shoulder, the young girl let out an involuntary yawn.
"I'm just going… to shut my eyes for a few minutes." The words were losing any excitement from earlier as exhaustion began to hit her. "Wake me… if anything happens…"
As much as Ruby wanted to deny it, the burden of her outdoor activities were catching up. Not only were they spending the majority of their time hiking, but she also had a full backpack with gear, along with her weapon. Crescent Rose was made using the strongest lightweight metal she could get her hands on, but it was still a complicated piece of machinery. There was weight to it. While Jaune and Qrow were carrying weapons too, they were bigger and more muscular. Even Jaune, which Ruby wasn't ashamed to admit. She was a small girl so the weight was getting to her.
Not that she would complain. Jaune went through way more than her and he still kept going. Ruby refused to admit she was exhausted and even if Jaune suspected it, she was sure her friend wouldn't mention it.
"Sure thing." Promised Jaune, as he heard the light breathing coming from his shoulder. His right hand gripped his sword as he watched the tree line.
Qrow had drilled that into his head before leaving to scout.
"Never, I repeat, never leave a camp unguarded, especially one not in an easily defendable location. If you and Ruby are alone, one of you HAS to keep watch. Neither of you have trained yourselves to be light sleepers. A Grimm could sneak up on you two and end everything in a moment. So remember, one of you must be awake at all times if I'm not there."
The imagination of his best friend getting mauled in her sleep was enough to keep Jaune alert.
Even with the rain, it was the middle of the day, so he could see relatively fine. The tree line obscured his vision more than the rain. The rain just made everything hazy. Honestly, now that he was in a dry location, it was actually pretty peaceful. Like how you could sit inside a house and listen to the storm. This was their first real rest that wasn't simply setting up camp and passing out. Qrow had pushed them and Jaune still remembered the man's words.
"You got to slack off for a couple of days in town. Manny even made you food. It's time to make up for last time, brats."
That caused a smile to tug on the boy's lips.
In a way, Qrow was right. It seemed like he usually was. That's why Jaune decided to put his faith into the man's unorthodox training. No matter how bad or weird it seemed, there had to be a method to the madness. In a few short days, Jaune was already fighting Grimm. Not easily and took some effort to kill even small ones, but he was killing them. There was plenty more to come too, with Qrow and Ruby's words clear as day. Endurance training from hiking everywhere with full backpacks, training slipped in any moment of free time, and constant battles to put the skills he learned to use.
"Wish I could play some video games now and then."
The words were barely above a whisper, but the girl laying against his shoulder fidgeted slightly.
She was already asleep, but Jaune quickly went quiet. Ruby was keeping up with him and Qrow pretty effortlessly. Never once did she complain about the weight. Jaune was sure the young girl would have some trouble carrying a full backpack. From her appearance now, turns out the young man was correct in his assumption. He friend was exhausted but in a way, he admired that. Being a Huntress and protecting people meant everything to Ruby. Seeing the young and sometimes childish girl holding back her pain and fatigue told a lot how mature Ruby could be.
A lesson Jaune needed to take to heart.
Half an hour or so passed as Jaune sat there, leaning against the wall of the shelter, watching the rain that didn't seem to want to let up. Ruby was snoring lightly on him, refusing to move. The situation wasn't perfect, but it was relaxing. His eyelids felt heavy and it took an effort to keep them open. Falling asleep now would be a huge mistake since Qrow hadn't returned yet.
"Sssssssss…."
Jaune's eyes snapped open. He was sure he heard something. Fingers gripped the hilt of the sword next to the boy as his gaze scanned the surroundings.
Things were quiet and no movement caught his eyes.
'Maybe I'm just being paranoid?'
Looking to his left at the snoozing girl, the inspiring Huntsman shook his head. No, he was not going to risk their lives. Qrow wasn't here and Ruby was asleep. He was the final line of defense to protect his friend. It was time to trust his instincts. Something was telling him they weren't alone. It was better to be safe than sorry, right? Qrow had explained to them plenty of times what would happen if they did something stupid. Jaune wasn't going to risk this.
Not when others were counting on him.
"Ruby?" Jaune whispered, nudging her. "…Ruby? I think something's out there."
"Five… more minutes…" Came the soft response.
"Ruby!" Jaune said a little more firmly, but still trying to keep his voice down in case something was out there. "Wake up! We may have a problem."
"Huh… Jaune… what?" Ruby sat up and began to rub the drowsiness from her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I think we might have company?" Jaune muttered, slowly getting to his feet and lifting up his sword and shield. "It's hard to hear over the rain, but I was sure there was something."
Lightning cracking across the sky, followed by the deafening sound of thunder, as if nature was trying to emphasize his fears.
Ruby blinked the last bit of sleep from her eyes as Jaune's words clicked at last. Her expression hardened and she picked up Crescent Rose. Looking around, her gaze took in every nook and cranny of her surroundings. The rain may have started to let up a tiny bit, but was still coming down hard. The dark tree line didn't seem to be moving weirdly and things looked quiet.
The girl's weapon never lowered for a moment.
"What did you hear?" Ruby's words came out just above a whisper.
"I'm not sure," Jaune admitted. "But it didn't sound like rain. I might have imagined it."
Ruby shook her head.
"You should never dismiss noises out in the wilderness. Dad taught me that early on. Even Yang mentioned it a couple of times. Some Grimm are stealthy and like to sneak up on people."
"So what do we do?" The boy asked, keeping his sword clutched tightly in his grip.
"Separate slightly," Ruby answered. "I'll go left, you go right. If the Grimm attacks, we're close enough to assist each other yet far enough to avoid both being caught in an ambush."
"Good idea, I see why Ozpin made you a leader." Jaune tried to joke, without relaxing even a fraction.
The two young students began to step out from their shelter and into the rain. Things were definitely improving. The rain wasn't nearly as strong. It was just the howling wind blowing it around, making it look dangerous. As they stepped out, the woods remained quiet, with only the sounds of nature. It looked like Jaune did in fact imagine the sound. He felt kind of bad that Ruby was woken up from her first real break.
"Sssssssss."
Instantly, Jaune's entire body froze. That sound appeared again and yet nothing around him changed. Was he going insane? Glancing over at Ruby, his stomach suddenly felt like it was in knots. Those silver eyes had widened and the girl's face showed that she heard it too.
Something was there.
Crack.
At last, Jaune was able to pinpoint where the noise came from.
"Above us!"
On pure instinct, the two kids jumped back under the shelter as something came crashing down right where they had been just a moment earlier. Two large snake heads had tried to devour the two Huntsmen-in-training, missing them by only a few feet. One of the heads was white, while the other black. The one thing they had in common were their beady red eyes. The black headed one had a white bony covering with red markings on the top of its head while the white head's marking was gray and white. Unlike normal snakes, the heads had rows of razor-sharp teeth.
They were also connected with one body that turned checker-colored design as the bodies met.
It was a King Taijitu, a large two-headed snake Grimm.
Jaune and Ruby hadn't made much noise, so it hadn't noticed them earlier. It must have arrived and rested on the hillside above them in the rain. Because the downpour drowned out their voice, it hadn't moved once it arrived. Grimm didn't seem to care about the rain. When Jaune heard it at last, the rain had begun to lessen in intensity. Then, he woke Ruby up, which only added additional noise. The King Taijitu heard this and watched them exit their shelter. It figured they were easy prey and it was sheer luck they managed to dodge.
Crash!
The rest of the large snake body slammed into the muddy ground in front of their shelter as the Grimm hissed, rallying both heads to attack them. Jaune raised his shield and took his stance. He hadn't encountered a Grimm this size since back at the initiation. The techniques Qrow taught him might not be usable against something this big. Nor was the boy used to a snake's movements compared to a Beowolf or Ursa. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ruby, only to get a shock.
The girl's silver eyes were sparkling as if she was excited.
'She probably is.'
"We got this!" Ruby encouraged, holding her scythe at the ready. "Keep calm and get ready, Jaune. Time to take down the big guy."
Right, he almost forgot. This girl was somewhat crazy. In a good way of course. Ruby was the one who made a plan to cause the rest of her team to shoot her in a giant makeshift slingshot to fly through the air and behead an enormous Nevermore during initiation. Being daring was in her blood and she had the skills to pull it off. It wasn't just reckless abandon. She was a Huntress through and through.
"Right beside you, Ruby!" Jaune called out, raising his shield and getting into position.
The white snake head was in front of him, while the black head was eyeing Ruby. The silver lining to this situation was the Grimm couldn't flank one of them easily. The bad news was they were getting soaked and Jaune could feel his grip slipping on his sword. If he relaxed for even a moment, he could drop it. Qrow's training about what happens when he drops his sword flashed through his mind.
And the old bruises began to hurt.
Without warning, the white head of the King Taijitu opened its mouth and attacked. The fangs collided with Jaune's shield and the force of the collision pushed him back. Thank goodness for his stance. If he had been off even a little bit, he would have been knocked over. Crouching and pushing up against the monster, he prevented himself from being lifted and tossed into the rock shelf.
Vibrations still ran through his arm. Almost like Qrow was hitting the shield with his blade. With how large the teeth were, it was pretty much the equivalent of multiple daggers. The mouth was large enough to swallow Jaune's shield, so he couldn't stay on the defensive forever. King Taijitus were much stronger and had greater endurance than him. He couldn't hesitate.
Yet, his arm was already swinging before his mind even told him to do it.
An angry hiss followed the feeling of blade meeting flesh. Black blood dripped out of the shallow cut on the side of the snake's head. Shallow being the keyword here. Maybe the rain was slowing him down or caused his sword to slip against the wet skin of the King Taijitu, or maybe he just aimed poorly. Whatever the reason was, Jaune's sword did not cause a fatal wound. The Grimm seemed to jerk back more out of reflex than actual pain.
Ruby was having the same problem it seemed.
The black head lunged at Ruby who vanished in a flurry of rose petals. Appearing next to the Grimm, she slashed with her weapon, causing a couple shallow cuts in the side of the head and neck. It did nothing more than generate some black blood to splatter the ground and making the Grimm angry. It hissed, venom filling that sound, and lunged once more, mouth wide.
The young girl zipped above the snake and prepared the strike downwards, beheading the creature. However, as her scythe spun and horizontally fell, the King Taijitu jerked to the side and she missed. Her boots splashed into the mud as she landed, spinning around to avoid showing her back to her enemy.
The monster's jaws were already feet from her and wide opened.
Preparing to use her Semblance one more, Ruby started to move, but was delayed for a fraction of a second as her foot slipped on the wet ground. If she activated her Semblance, the most that would happen is she could end up crashing because of being unable to turn. Or worse, just collide into the ground. This had happened before when she first learned how to control her speed.
Her eyes widened as the snake bit down.
"Noooooo!"
CLANG!
Jaune collided into the side of the King Taijitu's black head. The moment he saw Ruby's predicament he was already moving. The white head had tried to stop him, but missed by a fraction of an inch, colliding into the muddy ground on its own. With the force applied to the side of the beast, even the larger Grimm found itself moved, missing Ruby as it lunged. Mud and dirt exploded into the air from the impact. The King Taijitu raised both of its head, shaking the mud out of its eyes and looking for its prey.
That moment was plenty of time for Ruby.
In a flurry of petals, Ruby appeared once more above the Grimm and swung her blade down, firing off a single shot to give it momentum. With a single slice, Crescent Rose went through the neck of the black head, severing it from the rest of the body. The King Taijitu's white head shrieked in a sound that wasn't anything resembling a snake. The severed stump flopping around as the snake retreated backward in pain, smashing into trees.
Ruby collided to the ground and stumbled, barely staying on her feet in the rain and mud. Jaune noticed her legs were trembling. Not out of fear though.
'Ruby's exhausted.'
The girl was acting like herself but now that she actually had to do physical work, her body was aching and crying out for relief. Her normal fighting style was probably putting a lot of stress on her sore muscles. Not only that, walking in mud and rain drained her remaining stamina at least three times as fast. Using her Semblance as much as she does, Jaune was shocked she was even standing.
An endurance battle wasn't in the cards at this time.
"Ruby?" Jaune asked worriedly, stepping forward. "Can you continue?"
He wanted to ask if she was okay, but he knew that answer.
"I'm fine, but let's finish this quickly and get out of the rain."
Ruby knew her limitations. Her body was screaming at her to rest, yet there was no time to do so. Her uncle warned her of situations like this. They would never be able to fully rest, so they had to conserve as much energy as possible. It was hard to swing her beloved Crescent Rose and she only had one or two good swings left in her. She still had to step it up though. Jaune was learning so much and improving at an amazing rate, but a King Taijitu was tricky and it was better for agile fighters to face them. Jaune's style was more for straight forward for physically stronger Grimm.
"I'll take it down quickly," The young girl assured her friend. "I just have to hit its neck so stay back and cover me."
As they talked, the white head was rising up and glaring at them, baring its fangs. The blood kept pouring out the other end, but it didn't seem to be affecting the hatred oozing from that beast.
"No."
Ruby froze as she head that single word.
"J-Jaune, what?" She spun toward him. "We can't argue here. You haven't experienced one of these before. I have. I can take care of it."
"You're partially right," Jaune replied, through gritted teeth, as he stepped forward. "We can't argue and you're the one who's going to take it down, but I'm not covering you. I'm going to go first and give you an opening." Raising his shield and sword, he took another step. "Get ready."
"Jaune…" Ruby tried to argue, but something in the situation caused her words to get caught in her throat as she stared at her friend.
"You're strong and smart," Jaune told her, without turning around. "So I know you can do this. I wouldn't be able to."
Gritting her teeth, Ruby felt like it would indeed be pointless to argue. Her legs cried out in pain as she stood, clutching her weapon tightly in her grasp, waiting for the moment she could strike. Part of her, deep down, was thankful Jaune was there. Fighting the King Taijitu by herself in her condition would be difficult.
Jaune meanwhile, was hiding his true feelings.
'OH, GOD! What am I doing!? This thing could swallow me whole!'
The fear and panic blasting through the boy's mind didn't show on his face. Well, at least his back since he was facing away from Ruby. He couldn't let the girl see his expression. The King Taijitu finally overcame the pain and seemed determined to kill at least one of them for revenge of its twin head. Darting forward at blinding speeds, the beast opened the maw of razor sharp teeth and prepared to devour Jaune whole.
"Ahhhhh!"
The battle cry escaped the blonde's mouth as he charged, right when he was about to collide with the beast, he raised his shield and braced for impact.
It was like a truck was hitting him.
A deafening clang rang out and he was pushed back through the mud. Unstable footing prevented him from fully stabilizing, but there was no way he would give up. A small amount of white light ran through his arms and legs as he held his own. While unable to move the beast, his shield was caught in the Grimm's mouth, preventing it from closing. After skidding back ten feet, he finally came to a stop and, as a result, the King Taijitu was also depleted of its momentum.
"NOW!" Jaune screamed as his arms went numb.
The flutter of a red cloak appeared above the King Taijitu and the sound of a blade slicing the air followed.
Then a scream erupted from the mouth of the King Taijitu and Jaune thought they had won. It was then he heard two words. Two words that made the blood drain from his face.
"It's shallow!"
Ruby's fatigue had finally built up over the last few days and her attack lacked power and accuracy. Just a moment of hesitation from her weary arms was all it took. The lone King Taijitu head was still attached and flicked its mouth to the side, retching the shield from Jaune's numb hands, sending it flying into a tree. The side of the head knocked him back as the Grimm thrashed. Ruby was hit by the random jerking of the body and sent crashing into the mud. The snake head turned and prepared to devour the girl.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Jaune pushed himself up and charged, all hesitation was gone. Panic was overwhelming all normal emotions. He willed his body to move faster than he ever had before. Without a shield, Crocea Mors was his only hope. A single one handed sword to kill a giant Grimm. There was no time to worry about useless things like that though. Not when Ruby was in trouble. His best friend was about to be eaten right in front of him.
There was no way in hell he would ever let that happen.
Primal instinct drove the boy as he gripped the hilt with boy hands.
Any conscious thought was gone from Jaune's mind as he pulled the sword back while he charged. Then, as he drew near the open mouth, he jabbed forward with all his strength. Again, flickers of white light ran through his arm and reached his blade. Moving past the teeth, the blade pierced the roof of the mouth and kept going into the beast's cranium between the eyes.
Ruby barely saw anything that happened since there was water and mud in her eyes. Blinking wildly, she at least saw the end result. The King Taijitu had stopped moving and its body went limp. Before her, all she could see of Jaune was his back again, both hands gripping his sword which was currently in the mouth of the Grimm. The tip of the blade poked out of the Grimm's head. He had managed to run its brain through and delivered the fatal blow. Jaune was just standing there, breathing heavily, as he regained his senses. Ruby saw something else as she stared. She saw a person who risked his life to save her.
A hero.
'Jaune's so cool…'
The two teens found themselves collapsed back in the shelter as the remains of the King Taijitu vanished into smoke. Both of them didn't want to move if they could help it and their bodies refused to let them even try. They were trying to get as much rest as possible. The rain had stopped and the sun was just peeking through the clouds, but both of the kids were muddy, wet, and sore. How that Grimm found them, they would never know.
Little did the teens know, it would never have attacked if that bird sitting in a tree watching them didn't claw at the King Taijitu's eyes before leading it to them.
"Jaune?" Ruby asked at last, after nearly half an hour of silence.
"Yeah, Rubes?" The boy's words were tired, but he still found the strength to answer.
"Thanks. You saved me."
"Nah, you totally had it." Jaune chuckled. "It was pretty much dead when I stabbed it. If I had been on my own, I could never have beheaded a single side."
"Then why did you take point?" Ruby pushed, even if she knew the answer. "Why not leave it to me?"
"Because what kind of friend, let alone hero, would sit back and let someone close to him take all the danger upon themselves," Jaune answered. "Especially one who's tired and yet hasn't complained once. Someone who followed me because they believe in me…" His words trailed off. "I would never forgive myself if I let someone I care about get hurt in front of me without doing everything I could to help."
Ruby smiled and then realized something.
"You knew I was tired?" She thought she did a good job at hiding it.
"Well, your legs were shaking and your movements were slow enough I could follow them sometimes." Jaune grinned.
"Arg, if you knew, Uncle Qrow definitely knows." Ruby's face turned red at the thought. She wanted to prove she was strong enough to do this. Her body was sore and everything hurt, but she refused to complain. "He probably left us here to rest while he went and did all sorts of cool stuff."
"Well, we are students, so it's natural we aren't as good as he is," Jaune admitted, rubbing his sore arm. "Actually, since he isn't here. I can grab it." Groaning, he reached toward his bag as Ruby tilted her head in confusion.
"What did you bring?" The girl couldn't contain her curiosity.
"You'll see."
Jaune pulled out the balled-up hammock. A quick glance would cause most to just think it was balled up, but since Jaune was pulling it out carefully, Ruby knew it contained something. Eagerness to see what spread through her body as Jaune slowly unwrapped a plastic bag. When the girl finally could see what it was, her mouth fell open.
"You brought some?" The words only came out as a whisper.
"Here." Jaune passed the bag over. "For being the best friend a guy could ask for. I was saving it for a moment like this."
The girl could only look down at the small bag of chocolate chip cookies in her hand. Instinct wanted her to just eat them all as fast as she could, as it had been days, but another part stopped her. There was something she should do first. Opening the bag, she took one out.
"Here." Ruby placed the cookie in Jaune's hand. "Eat with me."
"Huh, I got them for you. There's only a couple so you go ahead-…"
"Nope!" The young girl interrupted. "We eat together. As you pointed out, we're friends. It would be selfish of me not to share."
"Well, if you insist." Jaune couldn't argue with Ruby when her eyes held such determination they seemed to glow. "Fine, let's eat fast before we're caught."
The two sat there enjoying the treat, making sure to get rid of all the evidence before Qrow returned.
Manny grunted as he carried a large bag of groceries back to his house.
Things had not been going well in town since Qrow and his wards left. While there were no longer any Grimm threats nearby, three people ended up dead. Two seemed to have been poisoned, while a third person died when a pole fell on them. However, it looked like the pole had been cut, but there were no witnesses. Two others were missing. These incidents caused a heavy shadow of mistrust over the town and people were a lot less talkative, even in the market. With the unease, Manny was worried they would attract more Grimm.
There didn't seem to be any connection between the three victims, so it didn't make any sense. None of them knew each other, worked together or had close family or friends that hung out. It was why people were thinking they weren't related. Maybe a new insect was poisonous and the other guy died by accident. Manny was too experienced to believe that. If it was what he thought, this was a major sign of trouble.
It was hardest to track a serial killer who randomly targeted people.
"I hope I'm wrong," The man muttered to himself as he walked up the front steps. "I really do, but it has all the signs." He slipped the key into the lock and paused.
The door was unlocked.
Now, Manny was many things, a lot of which weren't flattering, but being forgetful to lock the door was not one of them. Frowning, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. His eyes were darting around the dark entry hall, instantly fixating on a small orange flicker coming from the living room. Silently setting down the groceries, he reached into the hall closet and pulled out an axe. The intruder wouldn't be Qrow or the kids, so he was going to be prepared.
Stepping forward, he prepared for an ambush from around the corner. When none came, he lowered his axe. The fireplace had just been lit and the flame was slowly growing in the pile of wood. Just enough so the flickers were beginning to light up the entire room. Manny froze as he saw a man, standing against the wall, looking straight at him and grinning. The grin did nothing to steel Manny's nerves. If anything, it put him on edge.
Especially the eyes.
The depth of insanity in them was not to be underestimated.
"Who are you?" Manny asked, keeping calm, but his grip was firmly wrapped around the axe behind his back.
"Oh!" The man jumped forward and then surprised Manny by giving him an unexpected bow. "The name's Tyrian my friend. I came looking for you. So sorry for barging in unexpectedly."
"What for?" Manny's tone was gruff and confrontational.
"You work for Ozpin, right?"
Okay, that surprised the man for a moment. Whoever this Tyrian was, he knew Ozpin? Though, living as long as he had, he wasn't going to give away to someone who broke into his house. Just because somebody says someone's name, doesn't mean they are an ally. Ozpin wasn't exactly an unknown figure.
"You didn't answer my question." Manny shot back annoyed.
"I've been looking for you," Tyrian smiled and put his hands behind his head. "Good, good, good. You see, the goddess wanted me to check to make sure a little spoiled bitch didn't mess up. I was assigned this glorious task you know." He rubbed his hands together. "The town's pretty big. And people didn't like to talk. But when you start peeling someone's skin away, they squeal like a pig. Hehehehehe!"
Manny was already moving, his axe arcing through the air downwards at the insane murderer.
Clang!
Duel blades popped out from Tyrian's wrists bracers and the axe met the right one with a clang. The blades and armbrace resemble the pincers and carapace of a scorpion respectively, with the ends curved like pincers. Now, Manny was old and was far past his prime, but physically? He was still pretty strong and had Aura to amplify his strength. Plus with an arc from the swing, the force should have been enough to cleave Tyrian in two.
The axe had stopped the moment it hit the arc blade and apart from minor shaking, the resistance held firm.
"You can do better than that!" Tyrian shouted, kicking Manny in the stomach, sending him flying into the couch, knocking it over with a bang. "And here I was hoping… oopsie!"
He ducked as an axe spun through the air and would have severed his head if he hadn't ducked.
"Woah, looks like you got some spunk left in those old bones." Tyrian cackled and cracked his knuckles. "Hey, if you tell me everyone involved with you, I'll make your death painful."
"Don't you mean painless?" Manny growled, standing up, picking up a second axe.
"I know what I said."
"Eat shit then."
Manny leaped across the overturned couch and swung the axe using both hands with all his might, forcing Tyrian to block the blow with both arms, countering him. Then as the two held their positions, both trying to push the other back, the belt around Tyrian began to move and Manny just barely managed to notice the stinger going for his stomach. He kicked at Tyrian, causing the man to spin around as he avoided the blow, but it gave Manny the opening to move out of the way of the tail.
"So… it seems you're the one responsible for the deaths recently." Manny panted.
"I had to," Tyrian moaned, holding a hand up to his forehead like he was in pain. "It was all in the name of the great goddess and her mercy."
"Mercy?" The old man spat on the ground. "You have some warped definition of that word."
"She gives me permission to free them from their fleshy chains." Tyrian grinned and then kicked a piece of firewood at Manny's head. Dodging cost him, as Tyrian charged forward. With a quick thrust, the pincer blades on Tyrian's left hand jabbed with inhuman strength into Manny's shoulder. His Aura did little to slow it down as the metal sunk into flesh.
"Ahhh!" Manny let out an involuntary yell as the axe fell out of his hand when the pressure cut off his nerves.
The two men crashed onto the floor with Tyrian on top of Manny.
"What's with all the firewood anyways?" Tyrian asked curiously. "With so much, it's like you wanted me to hit you with it."
"Fuck off!"
"Now, now." Tyrian grinned, his eyes turning purple.
His right hand and arm also glowed as he touched Manny's other shoulder. The man suddenly felt his Aura just fade away from that location. Without Aura, Tyrian was able to shove his bracer blades into Manny's other shoulder, effectively negating the use of his arms. Manny tried to look into Tyrian's eyes to use his Semblance, but the pain was too much to concentrate.
Manny let out a yell again and Tyrian covered his mouth with his left hand.
"Hey, do you want to let everyone know we're together like this?" Tyrian laughed. "I'll have to kill them all. I mean, I can if you want. So how about you quiet down and answer my questions?" He removed his hand to hear Manny's response.
A wad of spit hit him in the eye.
"How mature," Tyrian mumbled, shoving an old cloth into Manny's mouth. Then the man shoved both of his blades into the injured man's legs. "Now, you're going to tell me who all is working with you, okay? I know how to make you sing like a screaming eagle." He stabbed Manny in the leg again, but this time, no sound came from him, even being muffled with the cloth. "Great, you're learning. Before we start, anything you want to say to me?"
"Mmmph, mmmm."
"Oh, right. Silly me." The Faunus laughed as he pulled out the cloth. "Try again."
"Your ponytail is stupid."
"Whaaaaa…?!"
Tyrian actually appeared hurt for a moment as he leaned back and put a hand on his chest, looking incredulous.
"Now that was just plain rude! Here we were, having a civil conversation about me butchering you into little pieces to make you talk in the name of her glory, and you decide to insult like a mean schoolyard bully. It seems I need to teach you manners." Looking around, Tyrian smiled. "After we're done talking, you see all that firewood? Maybe you shouldn't have cut so much. It's such a fire hazard, hehehe."
"I'm not telling you anything," Manny growled. "Might as well cut me up."
Manny let out a small smirk, knowing full well it would be his last. All he hoped was that this Tyrian would never forget that he didn't go out like a coward.
"Oh, they all say that and I take particular pleasure in calling out their lies."
In the middle of the night, the alarm in the city went out. Manny's house was set ablaze and would soon risk the other nearby buildings. The firefighters were already arriving, but it was too late. The entire house was collapsing, everything inside incinerated.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
When I first made Manny, I was debating if he would be a recurring OC. However, with Tyrian there, things turned out like this.
Wishez: Why am I still here? Why am I the only editor left? Please, anyone with beta skills, join the Kamachiland server. I need your help.