Hey, here's another one. Might take a short break to get my head on straight.
Heart hammering? Check. Blood pumping? Check. Limbs intact? Three out of four, and a hell of a replacement. Jaune slowly got up and brushed off the random parts of trees he barreled through on crashing. The Headmaster was right when he said that Aura would protect him, but that landing was rough at best. He faintly remembered a spear heading towards his skull as he fell, narrowly missing his head. People are already trying to kill me. Great. Just great.
Growling came from his side, causing an influx of adrenaline. Still slumped on the side of the tree, Jaune slowly turned to see beady red eyes look back at him. The white visage of the Beowulf brought back memories of when he lost his arm, and a feeling with it. Rage. Rage and spite. Rage for making him feel so weak, and spite just to prove that he can be a hero. If he could kill a Grimm with no Aura, killing one with it should be easy. Getting up and drawing his sword, Jaune faced the beast head on. If I did it once, I can do it again.
With a roar, the Beowulf rushed him. Three thousand years of evolution in the Grimm infested world of Remnant clicked inside Jaune's brain, forcing him to act. A claw swiped down onto him, only to be met with the hardened titanium alloy of his left arm. The strength was enormous, but Jaune was ready for it. Confused that its prey wasn't dead yet, the Beowulf momentarily paused. The brief pause cost the beast it's life as Jaune rammed the family heirloom through the monster's chest. He ripped the sword out of it's side, spewing black blood and viscera over the forest floor.
Gurgling, the Grimm fell on the ground, slowly dissipating into ash. Jaune looked down at the beast, momentarily shocked at what he did. Ancient instinct made his mind clear and focused but was now slowly fading away. "Well, that was easy." He said, sheathing his sword and looking down at the damage of his coat. Looks like that short period of training with Qrow and Dad helped after all. Howls and baying erupted from around him, showing more of Remnants monsters. Cursing himself for tempting fate, Jaune drew his sword again. "Maybe I spoke too soon."
The Ursa crashed through the trees, killed with the final blow. Teach you to touch my hair. Yang thought as she readied herself for the remaining Grimm. Before she could open up another can of whoopass on it, the creature paused on its hind legs. An audible squelch was heard and the Ursa fell to the forest floor, revealing a long red spear impaled into it. The owner walked on top of the beast, pulling the weapon out. Pyrrha Nikos looked at Yang with a practiced smile.
"I had that, you know." Yang said anyway.
Calmer and more focused after reliving some stress by killing Grimm, Weiss walked towards whatever direction she thought the relics lay. Nikos would be an excellent partner if I can find her. Partner combinations began forming in her mind. That Arc bastard needs to be kept as far away as possible, hopefully failing the trial. That one thought brought a smile to her face as she continued her journey. Ruby Rose and her obnoxious sister need to be distanced as well. Both will probably succeed though….
Trekking the forest in high heels and a combat skirt were not smart options, but a girl had an image to protect, damnit. Huntresses should be seen as elegant, graceful, and capable in all situations. Being lost in the middle of the Emerald Forest was not one of them. Thankfully, no one was around to see the heiress curse up a storm about her predicament.
"I did not know Schnee's could talk like that." A voice came from above her. Startled, she let out one last foul word before looking up. Yellow eyes, black bow, and a woman with feline grace sat on a branch. Her new partner, assigned by the Headmaster's rules, looked somehow smug about the situation. Embarrassment aside, Weiss could only say one thing.
"I guess there are worse options."
Gotta find Yang. Gotta find Yang. The mantra echoed in Ruby's head. She was one of the only choices she had, bar from Jaune. Making friends and getting to know people weren't easy in just a day. Sure, she met people, but Ruby wouldn't call them friends. Something tipped her senses and skidded to a stop, scythe at the ready. The faint sounds of combat echoed in the forest and growing louder. A body came rocketing out of the brush, splintering the nearby tree as it crashed into it. The reaper thought it was a Grimm but was soon dissuaded of that notion.
Jaune hauled himself out of the tree, an angry snarl on his face as an Ursa charged at him. He raised his shield and bashed the Grimm's head to the side, deflecting the momentum. With an opening to the neck, Crocea Mors stabbed down into the vulnerable area. In a final act of vengeance, the monster backhanded him. Aura flared around him, protecting the brunt of the impact. That didn't stop it from sending him into a nearby tree with a loud Crack, where he collapsed. Heavy breaths could be heard from him, but that wasn't what Ruby was focused on.
The metal that peaked through his torn jacket couldn't be missed. Behind the shield, she could see the ashen hand. For a second, Ruby thought it was a gauntlet, but remembered he only wore leather gloves. Approaching the fallen figure with careful steps, the huntress leaned over to get a closer look. As she touched the shield, Jaune's hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist, crushing it with the intensity. Aura flared from her stopping any permanent damage. Never has Ruby been so glad that a Hunter didn't have a weapon.
Jaune's eyes snapped open, looking right at her. The intense sapphire orbs seemed to bore into her own eyes, searching for something. "Stop Jaune! It's just me, Ruby." She said trying to soothe the wound-up huntsman. The grip slackened but didn't let go.
"Ruby?" He said, his eyes losing their intensity and becoming far more welcoming.
"Yeah, it's me. Who else do you know has a red cloak?" Jaune chuckled at that. Only for his face to become serious again.
"Where's my sword?"
"It's in a dead Ursa's neck." She motioned, looking over to where the beast was disintegrating. The sword was still driven into the vital area. A sigh of relief came from Jaune.
"That's good." He began to try and wiggle out of the decimated tree with no avail of getting out. "Help me up?" An embarrassing smile creeping his face. Ruby extended her hand to help him up.
"Sure thing, Partner." Their hands clasped as the huntress pulled him up out of the collapsing wood. Pulling him out, Jaune stumbled a bit to regain his balance. Luckily Ruby was there to hold him up. Metal could be felt on his left arm as she helped stabilize him. "So, uh… How'd you get this?" She asked, holding his left arm and being as blunt as ever. Sue her for not being elegant and beating around the bush like Yang, but she had to know how he got such a cool prosthetic. Jaune could only scratch his head.
"I made a few mistakes." Walking over, he grabbed the sword from the decaying Ursa and yanked it out. "But that's a story for later. I guess we are partners now." Sheathing his sword, Jaune went over the condition of his clothing, noting the ruined jacket and exposed arm.
"Sorry, it's just I've never seen one before. Well, not in real life. I've read plenty about them because how awesome they could be and all the modifications you can do, and I'll just shut up now." Ruby just now realized that he had to lose an arm to get that prosthetic. Maybe calling it cool and fangirling over thing may not be the best idea. All she received was a pat on the head from Jaune who didn't seem to mind.
"Don't worry about it. We can talk more later though. I still have no idea where the relics are." The newly minted partners started looking around at their surroundings. "I think we're lost again." Looking up, Ruby noticed something that might help the current situation.
"I have an idea…"
"This is it." Weiss informed as she and Blake crested the hill. Below, there was a ruin with podiums arranged within a stone circle.
"Told you." Blake said, having come up with the current course to travel.
"And I agreed with you, so we're both right." Maybe Blake wasn't the best outcome, but she was far from the worst in Weiss's mind. Making their way down, the podiums seemed to have chess pieces arranged on said podiums. A few were already taken, so she chose one at random. It happened to be the knight, strong and dependable. "Got it." She said, walking back to Blake. Her head was tilted as if listening to something. Did her bow just twitch?
An Ursa burst through the tree line, derailing Weiss's train of thought, roaring with all its fury. The thing collapsed right after, revealing a short, sad, redhead in a pink skirt. "Awww. It broke. Ren, it's broken." She whined as if losing her favorite toy. A boy appeared behind it, out of breath and hunched over. Weiss could only guess this was Ren.
"Never do that again Nora. Please." He said, gathering his wits. The man wore a green robe of some kind, sporting long black hair and pink eyes. Nora was already out of earshot though, looking at the relics. A rook was taken by the girl. Better them than me. Weiss thought, glad she wasn't on their team.
"Did they just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, confused.
"Yes, they did. And I don't want to know how." Weiss summarized. A nudge came from her partner, motioning her to look up. Above their heads, Ruby could be seen falling at terminal velocity.
"Do we catch her?" Blake asked again. Weiss was about to grace that question with an answer until her sister, Yang (If memory recalls correctly) smashed into her midair. Both flew into a nearby tree in a tangle of limbs.
"I don't think we have to anymore." The heiress said, waiting for something else to happen. Just to prove her right, Pyrrha burst through the tree, a Deathstalker hot on her tail. Well, that's more complicated. The champion Huntress bobbed and weaved as best as she could but wasn't able to dodge the huge claw that slammed into her side. Skidding across the ground, Pyrrha stopped at the group's feet, the Grimm's victory screech echoing.
"Did sh-" Blake began.
"Don't say it." Weiss interrupted. "Please. Just don't say it." Two pairs of feet were running towards them. The heiress couldn't be bothered to turn around, knowing who it was.
"Oh, hey Pyr." Yang greeted walking to her partner. The blonde helped her up with an apologetic smile. "I guess you were right, huh?"
"There were literal pictures of the Grimm on the cave walls. How could you not have seen them?" Pyrrha asked, irritated. A hand waved dismissively from Yang like it wasn't a huge deal they almost died.
"Eh, we're fine. I even found my sister! Say hi, Rubes."
"Hi." Ruby said, looking around the group looking for something. "Uh, guys?"
"Yeah?" Yang asked, eyeing the beast.
"Where's Jaune?" The batch of trainees looked around themselves. Weiss couldn't really bring herself to care about the idiot blonde, nevertheless, she started examining the surrounding area. An elbow bumped her arm, trying to draw her attention.
"Where is he?" Weiss sighed, knowing Blake had found him. Her partner was looking up to the sky pointing at something. Looking up, a gigantic Nevermore could be seen circling and, if she dare say it, in distress. If you listen closely, the sound of yelling could be heard with the shrieks from above. "Oh gods…"
"Found him." Blake stated, still pointing at the giant Grimm. The collective huntresses and single hunter followed the direction and starred.
"I told him to let go!" The panic yelled came from Ruby. As much that she would love to point out that the annoying girl probably just killed her partner, there were other concerns to deal with now.
"We still have a Deathstalker to worry about. If he's a true Hunter, he'll be fine." Weiss declared, turning to the approaching monster. She knew damn well he would probably die.
"Reennn!" Nora whined, "Why does he get to ride a bird?" A heavy sigh could be heard from the only male of the group.
'Trust me' she said. 'It'll be fun' she said. 'We're just gonna spook it' she said. Another mistake added to the rapidly growing tally in Jaune's life. Note to self, shoot down any idea Ruby has regarding Grimm. Granted, this note would be implemented if he survived the flight of Grimm Airline. Gripping a handful of feathers in one metal hand and stabbing Crocea Mors into the side of the beast with the other, he crawled his way towards the head.
It was slow going. The grab, stab motion has been going on for a solid five minutes, and the thing was huge. Wind was buffeting his face, making his eyes tear up, and the screeching from the damned thing nearly made his ears bleed. It shook violently any time his sword jammed into its back making it even hard to hold on. Not to mention how sharp and dangerous the feathers were, constantly flaring his Aura and draining it. Maybe I'm just and idiot, but these situations have become a lot more common since I tried to become a Hunter. Shelving that depressing thought for later, he continued the climb to its neck.
Having put up enough with the painful pest attached to it, the Nevermore started doing a barrel roll. Gravity fluctuated with Jaune, almost making him lose his grip. Survival instincts and the fear of dying such a stupid way made him stab the sword as deep as it could go into the beast. Black blood oozed out slickening the grip and sword itself. Thankfully the prosthetic helped him hold own by its feathers. Turbulence aside, Jaune was able to make it to the neck by sheer force of desperate will. He wrapped his legs around the Grimm's neck hoping to stabilize himself on the wild beast.
With a desperate cry and a fistful of feathers, Jaune plunged the sword into the Nevermore's neck. Instantly, the Grimm started jerking wildly in the air, losing almost all semblance of control. Jaune kept stabbing. "Why! Won't! You! Die!?" He yelled with each stab. Granted, the thing probably thought the same with him. Right now, there was a battle of attrition between Jaune's Aura, and how much punishment this Grimm could take. Both we're reaching their limit fast, and it was only a matter of time before one died a gruesome death.
As it would turn out, it might be both. The Nevermore set out on a crash landing into some ruins right next to the cliff Jaune was catapulted from. If the Nevermore was going to die, it would take the Huntsman with it. Jaune, seeing that Grimm chose mutual destruction, was eerily calm about it. Huh. This is going to hurt. Bearhugging and pulling himself as close as he can to the beast, Jaune sent a prayer to whoever was out there to at least make the death painless.
The destruction of the beast smashing through the ruin and into the cliff echoed throughout the forest.
Panic was at the forefront of Ruby's mind. The Deathstalker was easy to manage with the seven of them ganging up on it. All it really took was jamming the thing's stinger into itself with generous use of force. Really anticlimactic honestly. Nora even said so. Though the Nevermore freaking out and ramming itself into the ruins, and subsequent cliff, was more concerning to her. What if I killed my partner already? It hasn't even been a day yet!
In her rush to save Jaune, Ruby swiped the nearest relic and just zipped past everything else towards him. Her semblance was useful like that sometimes. The rest of the group was lagging behind her, but that didn't matter. Clearing the tree line, Ruby saw that the bridge was intact but only barely. Rubble from the destroyed ruin littered the bridge. Ruby could see the Nevermore on the other side, still alive. It shuffled on the cliffside; wings bent at unnatural angles.
Not caring for personal safety, Ruby darted along the bridge closing the gap as fast as she could. The debris hindered little of her progress thanks to the nature of her semblance. At the end of the bridge, she could see Jaune's prone body underneath the Nevermore. "Over here you overgrown bird!" Ruby yelled firing off rounds at the Grimm. It quickly got the beast's attention, letting out a massive screech. Ruby flinched at the sound as the monster charged her. Doing what she does best, Ruby flexed her scythe back and counter charged the Nevermore.
.50 Cal high velocity rounds propelled her to the Grimm's neck, where she swung with all the force she could muster. The resistance of the beast's neck was curiously light, as Crescent Rose tore through the weak point. With no more coordination, the rest of the body toppled off the bridge into the abyss below. Well, that was easy… Shocking as it was to find out such a huge Grimm died just like that, Ruby had other concerns.
The rest of the way was clear, thanks to the Nevermore barreling through anything in its way. As she approached the prone figure, she could make out his injuries. His coat was shredded, leaving only pieces of his black T-shirt clinging to him. His pants were ripped, showing his calves and upper thigh. The sneakers he wore in the beginning were now beaten, and barely usable. Bruises, scratches, and cuts littered his exposed body, but he still had his sword in a death grip.
Strangely enough, the fake arm only looked slightly battered from the ordeal. Whatever it was constructed from, it was made to last. She rushed to his side, hoping that maybe he was still breathing. "Come on, Come on." She said anxiously looking for a pulse. "You're my first friend here. Please don't die." It was hope, and hope would be rewarded. As she touched his neck, her hand was grasped in his human hand.
The sword clattered onto the ground as Ruby felt her Aura being drained from her. Jaune sat up and gasped, looking like he was brought from the dead. She ripped her hand away, and the sensation stopped, clutching her wrist. His eyes were hazy, and a groan escaped him as his metal arm rubbed the back of his head. "Am I dead?" was the first thing out of his mouth. Ruby could only stare before launching herself at him in a semblance powered embrace.
"I told you to let you go, you dummy!" She yelled into his chest.
"You're dead too? Damn, Crater Face, you really do have the worst ideas." Jaune earned a half-hearted smack on his chest from that. Ruby didn't know how fragile he was right now.
"We're not dead you idiot. You almost died though!" That earned a pat on the head from the robotic arm in response. The metal was strangely warm and gentle against her hair.
"Happens more often than I like. Still good news. Really thought I was about to bite it there. Are all giant Grimm that tough? I kept stabbing it and it wouldn't die." Taking a moment to chew on the thought of Jaune stabbing the Grimm while airborne, screaming at the top of his lungs created an amusing image. A snort escaped her when she thought about it.
"Don't laugh, this thing was your idea. 'It'll be okay Jaune, just let go when I do.' What a bunch of bull." Ruby tried to smother her giggles with Jaune's chest but was failing miserably. In hindsight, he was probably right. She'd have to make it up to him later.
"Well, now sis. Are you taking advantage of Vomit boy?" Yang's voice interrupted the moment, causing Ruby's face to be beet red. Looking down, she could see that her body was indeed meshed into his. A burst of petals sent her away from Jaune, knocking him back as well.
"Ow! Why Ruby? Why?" Jaune cradled his head. The rest of the group caught up with them, silently judging the display. Ruby pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to hide her embarrassment. A fake tear was wept from Yang's eye.
"They grow up so fast." She said, strolling up to her sister. "So, little sister of mine," The blonde brawler began, looking at the collection of initiates. "How do we get back to Beacon?"
Bullhead engines in the distance answered that question.
The auditorium was noticeably less filled than before. To Jaune, it looked like more than half of the initiates didn't make it. That would be concerning for him if he didn't have to ride back to Beacon in shredded clothes. He was getting odd looks from everyone in the bullhead, but no one had the energy to broach the subject of the metal arm. With a new pair of jeans and clothes, Jaune was on stage with Ruby.
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, will now be part of team CRDL or Team Cardinal. Led by Cardin Winchester." Scattered applause came from the crowed as the newly made team left the stage. "Now for the individuals who picked up the Golden Rook pieces. Yan Xiao-Long, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. They will be Team YPLN or Team Upsilon from now on. Led by, Yang Xiao-Long." The Headmaster declared. Applause came from the crowd, as well as an excited 'whoop' from Yang and Nora. They left the stage soon after, making way for the final group.
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune walked up onto the stage. "And finally, for the individuals who picked up the Golden Knight pieces. Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna will now be team JBRW or team Jabberwocky." Ozpin gave Jaune a faint smile. "Led by Jaune Arc." Everyone's reactions were different. Weiss was mortified, Blake was examining her nails, Ruby was jumping up and down in joy, and Jaune was stunned for a hot second before he opened his mouth.
"You wanna run that by me again?"
Sorry for a lot of breaks in this chapter, a lot was going on. Also finding team names for them were an absolute bitch. Until next time.