She had heard it. Nora Valkyrie actually heard it! With a whoop, she ran along treetops towards the most wonderful of sounds.
Despite the teacher's instructions, Nora's first objective was not the landing strategy. This did not even qualify as a subtask for her. She had been proficient at falling from great heights since she was ten.
No. The first order of business was to make Lie Ren her partner. Secondary was getting Jaune Arc in on their quartet. Everything else was a distant third.
To that end, she had spent the entire previous night pushing the perfect method to make it all happen. Ensuring the plan had stuck in her boys' thick skulls was difficult. She had taken to whispering in their ears while they slept to subliminally implant the strategy.
Many would have called her mad. And she was! But there was no arguing with the results. Ren and Jaune had done the thing!
They had used the Sloth Call!
Admittedly, it was off pitch and had an odd reverb, but there was no mistaking the sound. The call had been sent. Now the three of them would meet up to form the most bomb of teams! Nora could not wait.
Her sturdy figure belied its amazing agility as she hopped from branch to branch. She ducked under a low hanger while nearing where the sloth-y mimicry had ended. There were voices just beyond a curtain of green.
One of them was definitely Jaune. There was no mistaking that slightly feminine tenor. Ren had to be close by.
"Here!"
With a dynamic entrance, Nora leapt into the clearing. Looking left and right, she clocked the fully armored knight. Her heart jumped with joy. One-third of her preferred team was confirmed to be present.
Jaune demonstrated that his reflexes and lungs were in top shape. He screamed and brandished his sword. It lowered soon after recognizing her.
"Jeez Nora! You had me jumping out of my skin." He said while clutching his chest piece.
Beside him was a familiar redhead. Pyrrha was apparently his partner. A tinge of disappointment went through Nora. She was hoping for a different, red-tipped girl.
This was quickly tossed aside. Pyrrha was a great addition! Their team had hit the jackpot.
Still, it was a sad loss. Ruby would be on another squad now. After Initiation was over, Nora would need to track her down for a consolation cuddle session. That was the only way to mend both of their broken hearts.
But first thing was first. "Be scared on your own time, Jauney. Where's Renny?"
"Ren? He's not-" There was a rustle in a hedge.
Nora ignored the rest and skipped over to the disturbance. Low, pained grunts emanated from within. She recognized those groans well and so reached in. Tongue slightly sticking out, she blindly searched until her hands found purchase under his armpits.
"Found you!" She lifted him from the brush. "Wait! You're not Ren!"
Instead of the expected slender boy, there was a dainty girl. Her eyes swirled in a dizzy haze. Eventually, icy blues locked onto Nora's furious turquoise gaze.
"How astute." Weiss Schnee moaned.
Nora, not appreciating the snark, shook Weiss while still holding her aloft. "What have you done with him, Frost Witch!"
"Unhand me you brute!" Weiss yelled as her side-ponytail violently swished back and forth.
"Never!" She shook harder. "Cough 'em up!"
"Nora!" Jaune ran up from behind. "He's not here! It's just us."
"What!?"
The shock caused Nora to toss the crabby girl. Weiss let out a shriek as she sailed through the air. Jaune danced around in an effort to catch her. Unfortunately for his chivalrous intent, someone already occupied the ideal space to play the hero.
Weiss landed in Pyrrha's open arms, bridal style. The white-haired lady adoringly looked upon her savior. Her voice took on a pleading tone.
"Please tell me you don't have a partner."
"I do… Sorry!" Pyrrha did not look that regretful, but Weiss failed to detect the fib.
"This is a disaster!" She cried, burying her face in the Champion's neck. "We would have been the ideal pair! Your athletic gifts. My knowledge and resources. No one could have stood in our way. It's not fair!"
"Uh, there there?"
Far from consoling Weiss, this only saddened her further. Pyrrha was beginning to look uncomfortable. Nora would have helped if she were not facing her own despair. Jaune tried his own hand at cheering up the heiress.
He slid beside them with a cocksure grin. "Y'know… If you want to be with her that badly, there is still that open spot on Team Jaune."
Pyrrha tilted her head. "I thought it was Team Nora."
Jaune ignored her to continue working on Weiss. "What do you say?"
His words did get her to cut the waterworks. Perhaps not in the way he had hoped for, though. Her face morphed into a fierce scowl.
"I would sooner be forced to eat my own skirt than be on Team Jaune!"
"That can be arranged…"
"Excuse me!?"
Nora, having been caught speaking aloud, responded fittingly. "Oops?"
With an imperious harrumph, Weiss wiggled her way out of Pyrrha's arms to walk away from them. They all watched her exit out the brush. No one bothered to try and stop her. A few seconds passed before Jaune spoke again.
"Shouldn't you…" He gestured at the departure. "I mean, she is your partner."
A low whine escaped from Nora's clenched jaw. She knew he was right. That did not mean she had to like it.
"I guess." She jogged in the direction Weiss had gone before calling back. "See you all later?"
"Sure! You got this!" Jaune cheered.
"Good luck!" Pyrrha kindly called.
Luck would be needed with Weiss. Their futures as huntresses depended on each other now. Furthermore, Nora's future with Ren depended on them working together. Some stuck-up princess was not going to ruin that.
V. Disarmed
"Gotta find Ruby." Yang muttered as she sprinted on the grassy floor.
The blonde had made an executive decision. Ordinarily, she was all for pushing her baby bird of a sister out of the nest to spread her wings and fly. Not this time. Teaming with Ruby for the next four years was not the worst idea.
In fact, there were a lot of positives. For one, it allowed Yang to keep an eye on Ruby. She only belatedly realized how odd that bosom smothering story was. And for two, they already knew each other's abilities. Working together would be a sinch.
In this environment, Yang would take any leg up she could get.
This was an important test, after all, and she had already made a bad showing. Embarrassing herself twice in front of the professors was two times too many. She was determined to show that she could be relied on.
"Just watch me, Miss G. I'll prove I belong."
The chance to do so arrived sooner than she expected.
As Yang busted through a thicket, she heard the pops of discharging guns. There was a battle occurring to her left. She ran towards the sound.
Breaking through more brush, she came upon a fight between a Creature of Grimm and a boy in a green waistcoat. This Grimm was a massive black serpent. It used its form to wrap around the area and cut off the easy escape routes. Upon constricting, more land was taken up.
This did little to rattle the boy. He calmly unloaded his verde machine pistols into the snake's face. Bullets were little more than an annoyance to the large Grimm, pinging harmlessly off the hide. Yet, the small arms fire was keeping the monster at bay.
Or was it?
The ground cover behind him shifted. Silently, another snake, just as huge as the black one except primarily white, rose up. Baring pointed fangs, it reared back to strike at the unsuspecting prey.
Activating Ember Celica, Yang ran towards the albino creature. Hearing the approach, the Grimm changed direction. It lunged at her legs intent on gobbling her whole.
Ready for this, she vaulted over the head as it struck low. On the way over, she punched downward with her gauntlet. This peppered the dome of the monster with a shotgun blast. It shrieked in pain.
She landed her cartwheel in the center of the action. The white snake was still alive, although it moved gingerly with a partially caved in head. Meanwhile the black snake had disengaged to consider the newest target.
Sensing Yang's presence, the boy hopped in reverse. Even with a short reprieve, he refused to look away from the true threat. The two teenagers were now back-to-back, facing down two swaying serpent mouths.
"Hope you don't mind that I dropped in. Looked like you could use a hand." She tilted her head and smirked. "Or maybe an extra fist?"
A lavender eye behind tinted glass met an uncovered pink eye as he spoke. "I didn't but thank you for the concern."
"How rude! Here I am, a beautiful maiden, trying to-"
The white snake swooped in. She ducked before delivering a punishing uppercut and buckshot combo. The Grimm flailed upward, hissing in surprise if not pain. Another chunk was blown from what could be considered the chin.
"Perhaps all attempts at humor would best be saved for later." He said coolly before fending off a bite from his end with a crane kick.
"Attempts?" She questioned. "More like successes."
If he had anything else to say, he held back. Yang knew she had left him speechless with her well-reasoned argument. Or he was distracted by the snake heads coming around for another pass.
Both were equally likely.
The albino opened wide for a vertical swoop. Yang opted to engage her Aura to catch the upper and lower jaws. The devouring attempt was stopped in its tracks. A skinny forked tongue licked her arms. She grimaced at the slimy feel.
Twisting to the left, the mouth snapped shut. Her arms wrapped around the closed maw. The Grimm struggled as Yang held down. She grinned at the full control she now exhibited over the creature.
At the last moment, she leaned to the side. A streak of lime went sailing past her cheek. This distraction almost let her snake break away, but she held strong.
Looking over, the dark-haired boy was down a gun. He had been staggered by a swipe. As his Grimm went for another bite, he tried bludgeoning it with his remaining weapon. Somehow, the gun became stuck in the scales and was promptly ripped away.
"You good, dude?" Yang grunted while keeping her opponent pinned.
"Never better."
Yang was a bit weirded out by his discordant serenity. Yet there was not much time to consider the circumstances. The monster she was grappling bucked into her face. There was a snap.
Broken aviators fell from her face.
"Those were my favorite pair of shades!" It hissed loudly before bopping her nose again. "Screw this!"
A fuse was lit. Flames wreathed Yang's body as every hair stood at attention. There was a bubbling as the Grimm's paper skin boiled. Filled with even greater strength, she could now hold the mouth shut with one arm.
Her green ally was of a similar mind, even if his method was different. He took up a martial stance, holding back a magenta outlined hand as it charged. Yang was unsure of exactly what that would do, but she had an inkling. This was to be a finishing blow.
She used her free hand to punch the pale snake in the eye. Ember Cecilia barked. At the same time, the boy tagged the dusky snake right above the throat.
Both heads rippled before exploding in a flash of gore.
"Neat trick." Yang said to him, letting go of the evil reptile.
"You as well. Is that a Semblance?" He waved his hand before his face.
She touched her cheek in reflex. Although the Blonde Bombshell did not have a mirror, she knew what he referred to. Her irises coloration had shifted into a bright red. A minor side-effect of her Semblance's activation.
"Yeah. How about you, Mr. Glowy hands?"
He shook his head. "Pure Aura manipulation."
That tidbit of information raised her burning eyebrows. Giving shape and force to spiritual energy was a rare skill. It took loads of concentration. A trait she lacked.
"Sick! You'll need to show me how-"
The ground shook. Grass rolled in waves as a thick, elongated body writhed out of the dirt. It was checkered in black and white scales. Another snake had arrived.
Or rather, the same snake.
The two previously dead serpent heads wigged and wagged in a reanimated state. They were, in fact, connected. A single Grimm with two seemingly independent brains.
"King Taijitu." The boy said, as if relaying the state of the weather.
Yang was familiar with this breed because of her father. His Beacon peers, especially the ladies as he loved to point out, had given him a nickname based on these Grimm. She purposefully chose to remain ignorant on how he would have earned such a moniker.
More importantly, there was a trick to fighting them. "Forget the heads! Aim for the body!"
Its skulls would regenerate over time. The only way to truly kill a King Taijitu was to destroy the trunk they grew on. Pink-eyes was on board.
"Pincer?" He held up a glowing hand.
"Right on." Yang channeled the dying embers of her Semblance into her own.
From opposite ends, they rushed the middle section of the snake. Where light scales met dark, they punched. Yang could feel their knuckles practically bump together. The King Taijitu felt much more.
Aura rushed into the Grimm. She could smell the burn and the degradation. The monstrous body bloated before collapsing inward in a sickening crunch.
The snake heads wiggled uselessly in the air before falling in a heap. Both aspirants watched for any signs of life. When wisps of inky smoke began to pour out of the dead king, they finally allowed themselves to lower their guard. Yang even laughed.
The boy breathed out heavily. Then, he walked the short distance to retrieve one of his guns from the trees. She decided to help by searching for the other.
"Now that was a workout." Yang called out while sifting the dissolving corpse.
"It was quite strenuous." He rejoined her. "May I have that half of StormFlower back, please?"
Yang looked over the weapon. She only got glimpses of it during the fight. The name was fitting.
Although not as into armament as her sister, she could admire a fine piece of equipment as much as the next huntress. It was green and black with an extended magazine. A long bayonet blended seamlessly with the muzzle. Despite the proportions, his weapon was well balanced.
There was also a silver raised decal on the grip. A small one in the shape of a lotus flower. His personal emblem, no doubt.
"A bit girly, isn't it?" She teased.
"I'm comfortable with my masculinity." There was a distant howl. "We should get going. More Grimm could arrive at any moment."
"Yeah, we were a bit noisy." She handed the pistol over. "I'm Yang by the way. Yang Xiao Long."
"Lie Ren. Only my parents called me Lie, though. It is Ren to everyone else." Growls drew closer as the monsters zeroed in on them. "It is too late to run. We'll need to hold out here. Hope you are ready for this."
He ejected a magazine to reload. She did the same with her gauntlets before banging them together. Foreground treetops shook as if something or a pack of somethings trampled around at their base.
Despite the oncoming unknown, she was brimming with excitement. "Born ready, partner."
/ / /
The sound was back. It was sharp and long. Like a young girl yelling at the top of her lungs.
Blake strained her hearing. She even lifted the ribbon on her cat ears to make it out better, but the chattering of birds, insects, and other forest dwellers was making that difficult. Still, there was a syllable she could barely perceive.
"-aaaang!"
Off to the west. Again. The faunus moved in that direction.
Failure to obtain a partner would result in a failing grade. Blake needed to find someone, period. Being picky was fine, but there was no getting around it. Whoever was making these noises would have to do.
Adding to the sense of urgency was the Emerald Forest itself. Blake could not shake the feeling of being watched. Every now and then, she swore she saw something darting around from shadow to shadow.
It was a silly thought. Anything of ill intention would have struck by now. Most likely, this was the movement of animals that were more afraid of her than she was of them.
Despite this reasoning, unease clung to her person. Her blood pumped loudly in all four ears. Each step was in a similar rhythm. Leaves shook and shifted. Branches snapped as her breathing hitched. She felt as though she were losing her mind.
The tension broke as dark figures on four legs emerged from the brush. A Beowolf pack. Nine of their number blocked the way forward.
Oddly, Blake welcomed their appearance. An enemy seen was an enemy countered. That she now faced down a horde of slobbering, disgusting canines alone did not fill her with the fear it probably should have. She plucked Gambol Shroud from its magnetic clip.
The Beowolf at the lead saw this. It stood tall on its haunches and roared. The rest began to encircle her.
Blake stood her ground and allowed them to complete the maneuver. Tireless beings that they were, the pack would overtake her in a dead sprint. There was unlikely to be a better position nearby. The jagged clearing would have to serve her purposes.
As they tightened the noose, she identified a weak link. The smallest of her opponents was on her far right. She turned the tables by rushing them.
Before the creature could so much as yelp, Blake buried her weapon in its skull. The cleaver's edge cut into the cranium. Dark ooze and smoke leaked out. An immediate kill. The rest were quick on her heels.
Leaving the cleaver in place, she unsheathed her hidden wakizashi and decapitated the first Grimm to approach. As its head tumbled, she backflipped and retrieved the sheath from her first kill before landing in a crouch. Her fingers and thumb slid into the holding grip.
Three more tried to jump her. She performed her own leap while spinning, blades out. The Beowolves cut themselves to shreds trying to get at her.
While she was midair, a fourth joined the mix. There was no time for Blake to move or get her weapons up for protection. The Grimm would get its meal in this equation.
So, Blake changed the variables.
Activating her Semblance, Aura flared out. In the blink of an eye, a perfect copy of her appearance was generated. The creation now occupied the space she once inhabited. Her real self was pushed down and out of harm's way.
This happened so quickly that the Beowolf did not see the substitution. It bit into her midriff and received nothing but air. Her Shadow dispersed into nothingness.
Now below the monster, Blake mech-shifted her wakizashi into a kusarigama. Connecting the ribbon to her sheath, she threw the sickle shaped weapon at the monster. It hooked around the neck. She used her falling weight and boosted strength to launch the Grimm at its pack members.
The Beowolf landed on the remaining three, causing them all to tip over. As they attempted to untangle themselves, Blake shifted her kusarigama again by flicking back the blade to reveal the barrel of a machine pistol. She unloaded a full clip into the pile, scoring direct hits.
Snapping the curved blade back into place, she advanced on the smoking pile. She wanted to verify they were down. Her linked weapon was ready.
A survivor emerged from the heap. It attempted to tackle her to the ground. Blake cartwheeled onto the creature's back. In her wake, she weaved the ribbon around the neckline to garrote the Beowolf.
This turned out to be a terrible decision.
Rather than choking the Grimm out, it got on all fours and began running in circles to dislodge her. She pulled harder, but this did nothing. She instead was carried along as it bucked and bounced her up and down.
She may have overestimated her own abilities. In Blake's defense, she was more accustomed to fighting humans and Atlesian androids. Both could be subdued through a combination of Aura enhancements and skill.
No such tactics could be used on Grimm. Only straight-up aggression could overpower the mindless beast. Blake, as a primarily agile fighter, lacked the bulk to do so.
This did not mean she gave up without trying. Her back and leg muscles strained as she wrenched the creature's neck. The ribbon was taught but the internal bones refused to break.
Worse, the Beowolf was a few bucks away from succeeding in dislodging her. The tenuous hold she had on the ribbon was slipping. Soon she would have to let go. Her finger ghosted the release button for the linkage.
Before she could do so, a shot rang out.
The Grimm went stiff. It then fell backward, almost crushing Blake. Even in death, the monster tried to take her life. She substituted in another Shadow to disengage and appear beside it.
A visual scan of the corpse revealed a large hole punched clean through the forehead. The exit was right below the ear. Dark gore marked the grass.
It was a foregone conclusion that Blake had not done this. The trajectory was way off. Moreover, Gambol Shroud did not use a high enough caliber to cause this amount of damage. She surveyed the surrounding area for clues.
There was the glimmer of a scope in a far tree. A familiar caped girl hopped down to the forest floor. Cradled in her arms was a sizable and scarlet sniper rifle. A serious and pinched expression marked her face.
She made her way over to Blake. Silver and amber eyes met. Their partnership forged.
It was at that moment that the weighty and heavy atmosphere melted. Ruby eagerly pointed to the sickle in Blake's hand. Undisguised glee radiated forth with her words.
"Holy macaroni! Is that a Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe!?"
/ / /
"Think this is it?" Jaune asked of his companions.
They stood before a mysterious cave. The mouth was wide enough for two people to fit through shoulder to shoulder. On the vertical sedimentary rock surface beside the opening were petroglyphs. They depicted stick figures with spears fending off a scorpion-like creature.
"Yeah. Because this totally looks right." Roman responded with thick sarcasm.
Pyrrha echoed in substance if not form. "I'm not sure."
"Wonder if I could make a torch." The teen mumbled to himself.
He began looking around for the materials to build such an instrument. About the time Jaune found a tree limb, Roman had enough. He would need to take charge.
"Let's be smart about this." The spirit said to the boy before verbalizing. "Hey Pyrrha. Could you check our surroundings to make sure nothing is creeping on us? I'll peep out the entrance."
Her pretty face frowned in disapproval. "You won't go in alone, right?"
"Just popping my head in. Nothing deeper than that."
This was deemed acceptable. Or she was afraid of arguing back. Nikos was surprisingly meek for an unbeatable champion.
Roman had expected an arrogant or controlling personality out of her. So far, she had been content to follow Jaune's lead, only making minor suggestions. Perhaps that would change when they experienced a battle, but the thief was pleased so far.
She was proving easy to manipulate, much like Jaune. Except Pyrrha was much more capable. Roman would have given anything to be stuck in her head instead.
What he was less than thrilled with was the small talk between the malleable youths. The idle exchange of pleasantries. The awkward silences. It all reminded Roman of why he was glad he was no longer a teenager.
As Pyrrha left to perform her duty, Roman decided on his own. "Hang tight while I scout ahead."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jaune asked, nervously inching toward the cave.
"It's just a bit of scouting." The blond took on an expression similar to the red head. "We did this with the Flows, didn't we? Everything worked out there. Rather walk in clueless?"
"I'd rather not split up. Not sure why, but this whole forest gives me the creeps and-"
Roman looked to the sky. "Burning daylight, boyo."
"Fine. Fine. Be careful."
"I'm already dead. What is the worst that can happen?"
Before Jaune could answer, Roman exited the boy. He floated toward the crevice, happy to be on his own for a bit. He needed time to stew.
The longer the Initiation went, the more likely it was for Jaune to pass. Now that he was paired with a superstar huntress-in-training, the odds increased dramatically. Roman could not do anything to sabotage this. He actually had to help now.
Failing came with complications. Huge negatives, really. And they outweighed any positives.
If Jaune flunked, and took Pyrrha down with him, the news media would investigate. Attention like that was bad all around. The lies they had built would not last under scrutiny.
At a minimum, the forged transcripts would be discovered. Worse, the kid's name and picture would be plastered all over the local and interkingdom rags. This would make sneaking around impossible. Everyone would be able to identify him in an instant as 'that lying loser who failed Nikos.'
It was now in Roman's best interest to get Jaune into Beacon. They would be safe from outside scrutiny once they were sequestered within the academy's walls. Everyone, criminals and news anchors alike, knew to give the school a wide berth.
This would not last forever, though. How they were operating would need to adapt to keep the world from unraveling Roman's plans. This was quite the inconvenient knot they had found themselves in. One he was not looking forward to untangling.
"One step at a time." He said to himself.
If there was any advantage to dwelling on these problems, it was that he was partially distracted. If only for a little while. Fully in the grotto, he experienced the onset of acute claustrophobia and nyctophobia. The dark, tight, enclosed space was suffocating.
The gentleman thief did not recall ever being this spooked before. His best work was done under these conditions. He was a frequent visitor of sewers and crawl spaces. Many a fine suit had been ruined to get what he wanted. Yet there was a vague difference here.
External stimuli were nonexistent. The darkness hid everything. There was no way to orient himself. He was not even sure he was moving forward anymore.
Roman wondered if this was what death was like. True death. Just vast nothingness, forever.
Then there was a light. A pale-yellow luminescence, straight ahead. Happy to have the small reprieve, he approached it. The ethereal, oblong shape hung in the air like a moon. The contrast between it and the rest of the inky depths was beautiful.
He could not believe that Jaune was right. The administrators had not explained what a 'relic' was supposed to look like. But this had to be it.
What else could be so enticing? So alluring. So…
"Perfect." He mouthed.
His hands reached out. To touch was to own. It had to be his!
Then he shook his head. The absurd train of thought was derailed. This could not be a relic. Unless the definition of 'temple' had changed recently, there was no way they had meant a cave hidden away in the middle of nowhere.
Even if they did, there would be more than one relic present. Although funny, Beacon would not pit the prospects against each other and not tell them. The school needed a full roster for their freshman classes.
Further concerning Roman was how he had come to that conclusion. The urge to 'hold and never let go' was strong, even now. He was not one to be blinded by pretty trinkets. Plenty of such objects had come into his possession and he had fenced them all.
Whatever this was, it was dangerous. He began to float away. Better to tell Jaune nothing of this, lest the kid barge in and investigate for himself.
As he was leaving, lines of vivid red began to appear around the object. They spread outward, creating intricate patterns of swirls and crescents. Similarly colored large and small orbs joined them. The crimson light belied a hulking silhouette.
"Oh! It's a Grimm." Roman chuckled.
Suddenly everything made sense. This must have been a Grimm that lured victims into the cave to devour them. Like some kind of Anglerfish.
Admittedly, Roman was no expert. Upon further inspection, though, he saw that the original glowing object was some kind of stinger. But it was not like those hornets they had fought. This devil was land based.
Perhaps a scorpion? Like the outside glyphs? Were the artists warning of this creature?
"Ah, what do I care?" This was none of his concern.
At least, it was not his concern until the orbs moved.
Dark spots inside the cerise spheres shifted. These must have been the creature's pupils. All of the eyes were pointed at Roman.
"Can… you see me?"
As if answering, an angry hiss banded about the chamber. If Roman had real ears, they would be ringing. Thankfully, he did not.
An even darker shadow moved about. The outline of a pincer raced forward. It snipped at Roman. On instinct, the dead man swayed. If he had a body, he would have been too slow. The claw snipped at his left arm.
There was a clank, as if two knife edges clashed. Intangibility meant no damage was possible. What would have been debilitating for anyone else was nothing to Roman Torchwick.
"Nice try." He gloated. "But as you can see, that was a completely useless and futile gest-"
Roman had been in the process of mockingly waving at the Grimm. He fully expected his spectral hand to be exactly where he had left it. Except, there was one problem. In the bathing ruby light, he saw something disturbing.
His arm was missing.
Instead, there was a jagged tear at the elbow. Nothing was above. Roman acted appropriately and screamed bloody murder.