Chapter 3 Rewrite (02/24/24)
"Judging from the expression on your face, I take it your first day at Beacon didn't go as planned?"
Winter's neutral expression was slightly marred by the tiniest bit of amusement hidden behind her eyes. One that Weiss was quick to shoot down.
"I'll have you know that my first day here did not go smoothly." Weiss let out a huff, which soon morphed into a groan as she heard Winter quietly chuckling over her Scroll. "It's not funny! I met this… child, clearly too young to even be here I'll add, who nearly blew me up the moment I landed!"
"Oh?"
"I'm telling the truth! She toppled over my cases of Dust, and when I checked to see if any of them were leaking, she sneezed and blew us up! Can you believe that?! And now she's trying to make a nuisance of herself, causing a racket in the middle of the night!"
Winter's laughter only grew louder.
"I'm being serious here!"
"And it looks like attending Beacon was indeed the right choice. I've never seen you so animated like this before, Weiss." Winter's eyes softened. "I'm sure you'll come to love it there."
Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "Hmph! I doubt it, especially if I have to deal with students as immature as her!"
"Really? You haven't found a single person here you couldn't befriend?"
"Well, I guess there is one person. And Pyrrha Nikos is also here, so perhaps it won't be too bad…"
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Weiss. You worked hard to get to where you are, and now that you're finally free from Father's clutches you now have the chance to discover more about the world, and more about yourself. Believe me when I say that you wouldn't have had the same opportunity here had you decided to go to Atlas Academy. I doubt you would have fit in well with the military."
"All the same, none of my hard work will matter if I don't prove to Father that I deserve to be here." Weiss lamented, sagging onto her warm sleeping bag. "He'll be watching me closely, checking if I really can meet his expectations. One wrong move, and he'll remove me from here faster than he can say 'Dust'."
"It's definitely something to be wary of." Winter warned. "And remember, you're a Schnee, and the heiress to the SDC. No matter where you go, people will look at you and see not Weiss Schnee the Huntress, but Weiss Schnee the Heiress. Others will look to you for guidance, and for… other nefarious reasons."
"I know." Weiss replied. "I've seen the news. More Dust stores are being robbed day by day, no doubt due to the White Fang."
"You should be safe in Beacon, but all the same choose your friends wisely." Winter cautioned. "While I doubt there are White Fang members hiding amongst your classmates…"
Somewhere in the main hall, a certain black-haired bookworm sneezed.
"There are also going to be people trying to take advantage of your position as Heiress. Don't give them that chance. Show Father that you know how to lead. How to be a proper Huntress. And most importantly, show him that you have what it takes."
"I know. I promise, I'll prove to him, to everyone, that I'm more than just someone with the Schnee name." Weiss swore, a fire burning behind her eyes.
"I know you will." Winter smiled. "It's getting late now. Your Initiation starts tomorrow, yes?"
"That's correct. First thing in the morning."
"Then try to get as much rest as you can tonight. Sadly, I'll be away for some time for classified reasons, but if you wish to talk to me you can always send me a letter, like old times."
"I'll be sure to let you know how I became Team Leader, with a strong and capable team behind me." Weiss added smugly. "Goodnight Winter."
"Goodnight Weiss, and good luck."
With the call disconnected, Weiss let out a heavy sigh, wrapping her comforter around herself.
What Winter said was absolutely correct. Tomorrow was her chance to finally prove to Father and herself that she was ready to chart her own path. Tomorrow, her journey to becoming a Huntress would begin in earnest, and she had to make sure that all her efforts weren't for nothing.
She had plenty of experience leading people as Heiress, so surely Professor Ozpin would choose her to be Team Leader.
Now the only obstacle was to find herself a proper team…
Weiss thought of that Ruby Rose girl, and instantly recoiled. Nope, that girl was a disaster in the making, and her sister wasn't much better. And the less said about that black-haired bookworm the better.
Her thoughts turned towards Pyrrha Nikos, the famed Huntress-in-training known all across Remnant for her combat prowess. Yes, someone like her would make for an ideal partner. After all, she was strong, smart, and clearly goal-oriented just like herself.
And maybe… she would also know what it's like to be placed on a pedestal all her life.
Weiss wasn't sure how Beacon chose partners and teammates, but given how renowned this Academy was, surely they would at least allow people to choose their own team members? It makes the most obvious sense, right?
After all, they expected all students to stay in their teams for 4 years. It's not like they would choose teams through random chance, right?
Weiss was starting to regret choosing to attend Beacon.
Her carefully concocted plan (which she spent a good 30 minutes planning out before falling asleep) had immediately been thrown out the window the moment that Jaune guy, the one wearing that absurd-looking armor, barged into the middle of her conversation with Pyrrha.
And the nerve of him! To not recognize Pyrrha in the slightest, and then try to call her out as some kind of… princess!
How dare he assume she was some spoiled brat! If he knew even an inkling of what she had to deal with for most of her life back home…
And to top it all off, Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon himself, respected by even General Ironwood, dropped the bombshell that their partners would be the first person they make eye-contact with in Emerald Forest!
Was this really the Academy that everyone across Remnant held in such high regard?
Argh, forget it! It wasn't worth dwelling on. Jaune Arc may have interrupted her conversation with Pyrrha, but it doesn't mean that her goal was over.
After all, Pyrrha herself said she was fine with being on a team with Weiss. And considering this stupid rule the Headmaster set up…
Well, she'll just have to find her before anyone else does.
With a mighty push, Weiss was shot into the air alongside the rest of the new students. Raising her hand in the air, she created multiple Glyphs to cushion her fall, acting as a spring for her to land one step at a time. When her heels finally touched down on solid ground, she took off in a sprint, her eyes honing in on the exact spot she saw Pyrrha land on a few moments earlier.
'I just need to quickly find her before anyone else does. Now, if I remember correctly, she was supposed to be somewhere around–'
POW!
Weiss collapsed to the ground, nursing the painful bump on her forehead as stars dotted her vision.
Well, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she finally found her, but at least she found her partner!
"Apologies, Pyrrha. I didn't mean to run straight into you like that."
"Pyrrha?"
Ice pooled in her veins the moment she recognized that familiar, annoying voice entering her eardrums. Swallowing heavily, she opened her eyes, and found silver ones staring right back at her, attached to a head of black-red locks.
"YOU?!"
"YOU?!"
Both girls pointed at each other in accusation, dread and annoyance apparent on each of their faces.
"What on Remnant are you doing here?! Where's Pyrrha?"
"How should I know?! I don't even know who you're talking about! I was just running through the forest and then you headbutted me!" Ruby retorted, rubbing the small bruise on her forehead. "Wait… if you and I made eye-contact… then that means–"
"Out of the question." Weiss already stood up and dusted herself off, walking in the opposite direction.
"What, why?!"
"Because I was looking for Pyrrha, not some little girl. Consider yourself lucky, I'll pretend I didn't see you at all, and you can partner up with someone else."
"Oh come on! Can't you just give me a chance?" Ruby begged. "I know I blew us up yesterday, but it really was an accident! And stop calling me a child! Professor Ozpin himself invited me here!"
"Well, clearly he made a mistake. There's no way someone as immature as you should have ever set foot here in the first place. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a partner I can actually trust." With a flick of her hair, Weiss pushed past the bushes in her way, leaving Ruby alone in the clearing.
"You jerk!" Ruby yelled after her, grumbling to herself.
What is up with that Weiss girl? Why is everything all of a sudden her fault? And out of all the people she wanted to be partners with, she ends up with her?!
Well, fine! If Weiss wasn't interested in burying the hatchet, then she can just go look for someone else then! There are way better people than that princess out here! She'd take Jaune and Yang any day of the week!
"Now if only I knew where they were…" Ruby muttered.
She didn't pay too much attention to where the others fell, having been caught in the thrill of flying through the air at such high speed, much like Yang had been. And it looks like it worked against her, throwing her right into Weiss's path. But maybe this meant that Jaune or Yang were close by? They weren't that far from each other before they were all launched in the air.
Maybe if she picked up the pace, she could find them before anyone else partnered with them!
A rustling in the nearby bushes put her on high alert, and her hand briefly hovered over Sundered Rose strapped to her waist. Though Crescent Rose was also strapped to her back, Ruby was itching to try out her mother's weapon once more, the few Grimm lingering around in the forest near her home nowhere near enough to satiate her love for the beloved axe.
And besides, she could use the chance to vent her frustrations with a certain snotty girl on a couple Grimm.
The rustling grew louder, and just as Ruby pulled out Sundered Rose, another girl broke through the bushes. With red hair, emerald eyes, and only sporting a shield on her person, the newcomer looked around in confusion at her, disappointment briefly present before her face morphed into a friendly one.
"Hello!"
Jaune bit back a curse as he dangled atop a nearby tree, all thanks to the golden spear pinning him by his collar.
'How could anyone be able to hit me right there from so far away? That's insane!'
Though he was certainly impressed by the marksmanship of whoever this spear belonged to, it didn't do much to dim the annoyance bubbling inside him.
He had been dead-set on tracking where Ruby had landed to make sure he would partner up with her, but just as he was about to cast a Gravity Sorcery to move him to where he needed to land, a golden spear had hurtled through the air, knocking him off course as it tore through his collar, the only part of him besides his face that wasn't armored. The spear had pierced right through it and nailed him right into a sturdy tree, several feet off of the ground.
Jaune managed to keep his sword strapped to his back, but his scepter had been knocked out of his hands mid-flight.
'Dammit! I need to get down before someone else finds her!'
With a mighty tug, he tore off the spear from the tree bark, before ungracefully falling straight to the ground.
Right on top of a familiar head of white hair.
""OW!""
It had been a bad day for him to wear a full set of Carian armor…
With a groan, Jaune rolled off of Weiss, who let out a pained groan, her pristine white clothes now covered in dirt.
"Uh, hey. Listen, I–"
"CAN THIS DAY GET EVEN WORSE?!"
Jaune recoiled, not expecting that kind of reaction. "Look, I'm sorry I fell on you! I got nailed to a tree, and–"
"I can't believe this! I try to find Pyrrha twice, and instead I run into Ruby, and then you! Where is she?!"
"Wait, you ran into Ruby?! Where is she?!" Jaune immediately stood up, grabbing the discarded golden spear in his hand.
Weiss huffed. "If you really want to partner up with that dolt, then she's back there. Now, unless someone else is about to run into me, I'm going to look for–"
The snap of a twig grabbed their attention, and both Weiss and Jaune raised their weapons in response. Though the lack of his scepter was concerning, he was certain that the Darkmoon Greatsword was enough to take out any Grimm in their way.
"Hang on, Rubes. I'm coming." He muttered to himself, already poised to bathe the Greatsword in the power of the Dark Moon.
But much to his relief, it was Ruby herself that barged through the bushes, followed by another familiar girl holding his discarded scepter in her hands.
Weiss nearly dropped her rapier in shock. "You have got to be joking…"
"Hello, again!" Pyrrha waved happily at him.
Jaune let out a groan, one accompanied by Pyrrha's nervous laughter as they slowly kept pace behind their new partners, who had broken out into another argument as they made their way deeper into the forest. An argument that still hadn't resolved even after they had spent a good half hour walking further inside.
"Uh, is it too late to ask if you'd like to trade partners?" Jaune replied half-heartedly, one that earned him a small giggle from the redhead.
"I'm afraid both Ruby and Weiss would be upset, albeit for different reasons." She cast a nervous glance at the two, still stuck in their argument with one another. "I didn't realize I would cause quite a scene like that."
"Heh, looks like you really are quite popular. Is being a fighting champion really enough to make you that famous?" Jaune pondered. "When Weiss was grilling me earlier, I thought you were some kind of movie star or something. I really need to head outside more…"
"I'm actually glad I met someone who didn't recognize me at all." Pyrrha admitted. "It's nice to not have to worry about people asking for autographs, tips on how to fight better, or if I'm still single or not."
Jaune winced. "Wow, didn't think you had it that hard."
Pyrrha sighed. "It's something I can never really get used to. And to be honest, I find it really tiring. I like fighting, not the fame associated with it."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me." Jaune replied with a small smile. "Though, if you really wanted to partner up with me, next time just ask. The view from that tree was nice, but falling on top of Weiss wasn't."
Pyrrha blushed. "I'm sorry! I guess I didn't really think it through, did I?"
"Ah, well. At least you have Ruby as a partner now, and she's much nicer than you realize. I'm sure she'll treat you well too."
Pyrrha leveled a guilty face at him, her eyes turning towards Ruby in front of them. "If you want, I don't mind if you wish to trade partners. It seemed like you really wanted to partner up with her."
In truth, Jaune was indeed a bit saddened that he didn't partner up with the young girl, but he waved her concerns away. "It's fine, I'll manage. Besides, I wouldn't want to subject you to the torture that is Weiss Schnee."
"I heard that!" Weiss roared from the front.
"You snooze, you lose!" Ruby retorted, sticking her tongue out at Weiss. "You left me all alone back there, so I get to take Pyrrha instead! At least she's actually nice to me, for once!"
"Oh, don't you start!"
"Here we go again…" Jaune muttered, as Pyrrha let out another quiet 'I'm sorry!'. "Look, there's no need to get at each other's throats here. We're stuck with the partners we have now, and there's nothing much we can really do about it. Besides, I'm sure the teachers are watching us, and if they see you swapping partners back and forth like trading cards, what do you expect will happen?"
Weiss blanched, completely forgetting that the other professors were watching them.
"And besides, Pyrrha isn't some kind of collector's item to be shuffled around. Professor Ozpin said that whoever you make eye-contact with is your partner. Pyrrha saw Ruby, and you saw me. At best, we can probably be on a team of 4 together. So let's just drop it, and get Initiation done and over with?"
'Sheesh, it's just like back at home.' Jaune thought with a frown. He could barely keep count of all the countless times he acted as a peacekeeper between his sisters over even the dumbest of things.
And now it seems like he'll be doing the same here…
"Hmph. Fine, I'll drop this. At least I can tolerate being on the same team as Pyrrha. And with having a partner who appears to have his head on straight."
Ignoring Ruby's angry face, she puffed out her chest in a display of confidence. "Since we're going to be on a team together, then it's up to me to lead us. Professor Ozpin told us to head north to the center of the forest, so that's where we'll go."
Marching confidently, Weiss strode off, leaving the three behind.
Ruby quietly muffled her laughter. "When is she gonna realize she's heading south?"
Jaune shrugged. "You know, we can make a run for it..."
"Jaune!" Pyrrha playfully slapped his arm. "Don't be mean! I'm sure she'll figure it out, eventually."
And that moment came not a few seconds later as Weiss returned to their spot, face redder than Ruby's cloak. Casting an annoyed glance at the three while muttering to herself about unhelpful partners, she stomped forward in the correct direction this time. Jaune, Ruby, and Pyrrha shared a smile as they followed their self-proclaimed leader.
…
…
…
…
"Are you sure this is where the relics are?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Doesn't this cave seem like the kind of place Professor Ozpin would keep them, away from prying eyes? I bet that all the relics we need are here… I think?"
"Why do you suddenly sound not-so-confident now?"
"Well, we might as well look inside just in case?"
The 4 of them found themselves just outside a makeshift cave deeper in the forest after several more minutes of walking.
Surprisingly, they hardly encountered any Grimm during their trip, only the occasional stray that Ruby was quick to shoot dead with Sundered Rose. Privately, Jaune was glad to see that Ruby was taking to her mother's weapon quite well, for someone who normally used a longer range weapon like her scythe Crescent Rose.
He scratched his head as he stared into the pitch-black cave. "I dunno, this seems like one of those stereotypical caves filled with bad guys or creepy monsters. I mean, why would the Headmaster keep the relics in a cave compared to out in the open?"
"Fine then, we'll look inside and if not we'll continue." Weiss relented. "And I volunteer Mr. Arc to go inside first."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you fell on me and nearly broke my back." Weiss nonchalantly replied back, checking her nails like this was a boring Friday afternoon.
"Oh come on, I said I was sorry!"
"I said the same thing too!" Ruby piped up.
"Oh, I can feel my poor muscles practically tearing themselves apart after you fell on me with all that heavy armor." Weiss bemoaned sarcastically, rubbing her back. "Did you even realize how much you weighed? All that muscle and armor adding up, it felt like a boulder fell on me!"
"You said yesterday that I was scraggly!"
"How rude you are, not even giving a single bit of courtesy towards helping your hurt teammate and Leader!"
"Okay! Okay, I get it!" Jaune raised his hands up helplessly. "Fine, I'll look inside the stupid cave…"
"I'll check inside too!" Ruby quickly followed him outside, leaving Weiss and Pyrrha to stand guard outside.
The cave was just as he predicted: damp, without a single source of light inside. Raising his scepter in the air, he conjured a small floating turquoise ball that helped illuminate the inside. Ruby's eyes shot open with excitement at the sorcery.
"Ooh! That's a really handy Semblance you have, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed. "And here I thought yours was shooting all those explosive cannonballs."
"Oh, my Semblance is actually pretty versatile." Jaune replied. "By the way, I forgot to ask, but where did you get that weapon? With how you were using that scythe of yours a few days ago against those crooks, I didn't expect you to use another weapon so quickly."
"Oh, this? This is… well, it's my mother's weapon, Sundered Rose." Ruby held up the axe to the light, gently caressing each part of the weapon. "I actually had it delivered to me a few days ago, out of nowhere. It was a huge surprise for Yang and I, to be honest."
"How so?"
"Um…"
"If it's a bit personal, you don't have to tell me." Jaune replied, part of him actually agreeing with his own words.
"No, it's fine, it's just some personal stuff. See, remember back at the police station when Professor Ozpin talked to us, and I said how my Mom disappeared a while ago?" Jaune nodded patiently. "Well, the next day I got a package in the mail, and it had my Mom's cloak and weapon inside. Neither Yang nor I know how it showed up on our doorstep, or why it arrived so many years after she was gone. All we know is that it was given to us by someone saying they were her apprentice."
Jaune's hand curled into a tight fist, one thankfully hidden in the darkness of the cave. "I see. So you decided to keep using it to honor your mother?"
"Yep, and I mean, why wouldn't I?" Ruby replied with a smile. "I mean, Mom was, well, Super-Mom! One of the best Huntresses in the world, and baker of THE best cookies in all of Patch!"
'A shame that that was the ONLY food she could cook', Jaune thought with a fond smile, recalling all the disasters Summer had with making even the simplest of meat dishes in the Lands Between, before he eventually banned her from cooking altogether.
"And it turns out Mom's weapon is SUPER COOL! I mean, the note said it could cut through anything, and I thought they were joking, but it really can! Wood, stone, metal, even Grimm, it can cut through them all like it's nothing! Ever since then, I just couldn't leave it behind. It's like having a bit of Mom by my side, keeping an eye on me in her own way." Ruby gushed with joy, hugging the axe to her chest.
It took all of Jaune's mental strength not to wrap his arm around the girl and give her a bone-breaking hug. "That's really cool, Rubes! I'm sure your mother would be happy seeing her use her weapon. I guess this means that you won't be using Crescent Rose that much anymore?"
"Nope! Don't get me wrong, Mom's weapon is awesome and all, but Crescent Rose is still my precious baby, and I'm not planning on neglecting her anytime soon!" She noted, patting the compact sniper holstered to her back.
The two continued to venture deeper inside the cave for some time, before they finally made it to the very end, finding…
"Nothing. Not even a single Grimm. Well, this was a waste of time." Jaune shrugged. "Guess that solves that, let's head back."
"It's a bit weird, don't you think?" Ruby pondered.
"How so?"
"Well, as far as Initiations go, this was a lot easier than I thought. I mean, we saw what, maybe 2 or 3 Grimm at most? Professor Ozpin did say that this would be dangerous, so why aren't we seeing any more Grimm?"
"Maybe the Grimm decided to hibernate today? Or maybe Ozpin's warning was all talk to keep us on our toes?" Jaune quipped back, though as he spoke he felt an unpleasant sensation settle in his stomach.
"I dunno. Let's just head back to where Weiss and Pyrrha are. I don't really want to stick around here…"
ROAR!
"That sounds like a Grimm! A huge one, too!" Ruby frowned, readying her axe.
"Let's move!" Jaune pulled out the Darkmoon Greatsword from his back and followed behind the red reaper, quickly running out the cave.
Just outside was a massive Deathstalker, easily 15-20 feet in length and giving both Weiss and Pyrrha a hard time.
Creating several steel-blue Glyphs under the Grimm's many legs, Weiss froze it in place, as Pyrrha aimed her gun at the it's head, shooting each of its eyes and blinding it.
"Hang on!"
Ruby activated her Semblance, turning into a cloud of rose petals that raced across the Grimm's body before she manifested back into her normal form a few feet above it. With a twirl, she effortlessly sliced off the massive scorpion tail with Crescent Rose, just as Jaune ran forward, channeling cosmic energy into his scepter and forming a massive turquoise hammer in his hand. WIth a heavy swing, he brought the hammer down on the blinded Grimm's head, flattening it into paste and causing it to buckle and collapse to the ground.
"You two alright?" Jaune asked, looking back as the Deathstalker began fizzling away into specks of black ash. "Where the hell did it come from?"
"We're fine, it actually broke through the woods while you and Ruby were inside. Maybe the cave was where it was living inside?" Pyrrha remarked, looking none worse for the wear.
"I guess the relics weren't inside like I thought." Weiss hummed dejectedly. "We should probably head deeper into the forest. Maybe we're closer to the center than I–"
All around them, the forest suddenly erupted into a cacophony of roars and feral sounds, sending shivers up their spines. Several large flocks of birds took to the skies and scattered away as the growls of many Grimm broke free all at once.
"Was all of that from the Grimm?!" Ruby's face paled. "That sounded like there were hundreds of them!"
"But that can't be right!" Weiss retorted, eyes furrowed in worry. "Why would there be so many Grimm all at once here in Emerald Forest, so close to Beacon?!"
"Either way, we need to keep moving." Jaune ordered, tightening his grip on his scepter. "We grab the relics, find the others, and get out of here before things get worse. Can anyone call Beacon to let them know what's going on?"
BANG!
Further away from their spot, the 4 of them picked up the sounds of several screams, followed by an angry shout and the sounds of shotgun shells being fired.
A sound that Ruby was intimately familiar with as her face paled. "Wait, that's from Ember Celica! Yang is close by!"
"Ruby, wait!" Jaune shouted, but his outstretched hand clutched nothing but air and scattered rose petals as Ruby took off in the direction of Yang's weapon.
"Dammit! We need to go after her!" Jaune roared, following the trail of rose petals as Pyrrha and Weiss followed behind him.
Talk about turning the dial up to eleven…
For an assignment that the Headmaster said would be quite dangerous, not a single Grimm made themselves known to her, even after she had spent nearly an hour traversing the forest and eventually nabbing her Relic alongside her partner, the cute girl she and Ruby met the previous night. Left with nothing else to do but wait for either the Professors to pick them up or for her sister to arrive, the two of them simply waited at the Temple, only looking up with mild interest as a peculiar pair of students, a ninja and his energetic hammer-wielding sidekick, picked up a matching pair of Relics for their own.
That all changed the moment the trees shook, and an entire stampede of Grimm barreled their way into the clearing.
Sweaty, exhausted, worried, and also thoroughly pissed off, Yang panted as she launched another volley of shotgun shells at an incoming Ursa, not even watching as it sank to the ground and disintegrated and instead throwing a devastating punch to a Beowolf that tried to get the jump on her.
To her side, her partner wasn't faring much better, clothes torn and sweat dripping down her forehead. The click of an empty magazine caused her to tightly grip the pommel of her blade in worry, and a little further away their new teammates, Ren and Nora, were starting to feel the weight of their exhaustion take their toll as Nora launched yet another Ursa into the air with a swing of her hammer.
But more Grimm kept on pouring through the trees, seemingly adamant on getting past them and killing anyone in their path.
'As if I'll let any of these damn things get near an inch towards Ruby!' Yang swore, her hair and eyes burning as her emotions fueled her Semblance. Channeling more energy into her punches, she fired and smashed her way through an ever-increasing onslaught of Grimm charging in her direction.
Finally, it seemed as if the black tide of Grimm was beginning to slow down, the torrent of Beowolves and Ursae steadily decreasing into a trickle.
And at last, with a few well-placed palm-strikes to an Ursa's stomach by Ren, the last Grimm finally died, leaving a group of thoroughly drained teenagers standing in the temple.
"Finally! Thought that would never end…" Yang slumped to the ground, resting against a slab of rock and concrete near the temple. "Jeez, where the hell did they all come from?"
Blake collapsed next to her, her hair and face a mess. "This… is not what I expected Initiation to be…"
"I'll say, I haven't had to fight that hard since the time Renny and I escaped that Mistrali bank with all that money and Ursa hides on our back!" Nora exclaimed happily, practically flinging herself onto her partner's prone form.
""Huh?"" Yang and Blake stared at the girl as if she were crazy.
"Ignore her, she was daydreaming." Ren muttered, his arms throbbing. "I just hope that's the last of them. I really could use a nap right now…"
"So… I guess we're a team, then?" Yang offered, and when no one voiced their objections, she gave a small smile. "Well, that settles that, then. I just need a breather, and then I'll head out to go find my sister. Hopefully she got away from all this…"
The sound of trees being uprooted from the ground and crashing to the floor drew the new team's attention, just as a massive Deathstalker hulked into the clearing.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Yang swore, haggardly hoisting herself up from the ground. Reloading one last clip into Ember Celica, she slammed her fists together. "Damn it, I'm so gonna kick this thing's ass!"
As if it understood her challenge, the Deathstalker let out a bone-chilling shriek as it lumbered forward, claws pinching the air menacingly.
But just as Yang and the others stood up and marched forward, a blur of rose petals broke through the canopy, and a familiar girl with a red hood burst forth into existence. With the Deathstalker unaware of her arrival, Ruby pulled out Sundered Rose as she fell, landing on the Grimm's stinger and slicing it off with a single swing of the axe.
"Nice one!" Nora exclaimed, as she ran forward. "Time to pin the nail on the Grimm!"
With a mighty leap, she jumped above the Deathstalker's body as the stinger fell, and with a swing downward, she slammed the stinger right through the Grimm's head, pinning it to the floor and killing it instantly.
"Ruby!" Yang ran straight for her sister just as she landed on the ground, pulling her into a bone-breaking hug.
"Yang! Wait, argh, you stink! You're covered in sweat, gross!"
"Who cares?! You okay?! Did you get hurt?!"
"Yang, I'm fine! Cut it out, I was just checking to see if you were in trouble!" Swatting away her older sister as she took on her 'Mother hen' persona, the reaper distanced herself away. "What happened here?"
"We got jumped by a lot of Grimm. And I mean a lot. Just where did these guys all come from?"
"I was wondering that too! My team and I didn't see a single one except for a few minutes ago, and that's when–"
"Wait, hold up. Your team? Where are they?"
"Oh, you wouldn't believe who I ended up with! Especially that crabby girl from yest—"
"Guys!" Blake shouted, pointing towards the sky. "Nevermore!"
Sure enough, a towering avian Grimm flew in from beyond the treeline, each flap of its wings sending a mighty gust of wind blowing in their direction.
And barreling through the trees not far behind, several more Deathstalkers lumbered forward to avenge their fallen brethren.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me!" Yang shouted, pulling Ruby with her.
The Nevermore flew in a circle around the temple before aiming its eyes on Ruby and flapping its wings, sending a torrent of sharp black feathers hurtling towards the ground.
"Look out!" Yang swore, hugging her sister to her chest, but just in time a white Glyph formed a makeshift shield behind them, blocking the feathers from impaling them.
"Ruby!"
Pyrrha, Weiss, and Jaune burst forth a few feet away, Weiss having raised her weapon to summon a Glyph to shield her teammate.
"Guys!" Ruby exclaimed happily, though her joy was short-lived as Weiss quickly raced towards her and pointed a single finger straight at her nose.
"What on Remnant were you thinking, running off all by yourself like that?! What if you got caught in that stampede just now?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"
"Wait, don't tell me the Ice Queen is your partner…" Yang noted, stuck between frowning at the heiress, or laughing at her sister's atrocious luck.
"We can talk about it later! We're gonna be surrounded!" Pyrrha warned, as the Nevermore circled around to pelt them with its feathers once more, just as the group of Deathstalkers formed a semicircle in front of them, blocking their escape.
"Uh, any ideas guys? I'm open to suggestions?" Ren commented, his face pale.
"See the temple over there? We'll take shelter in it, buy us some time before the Professors arrive. I'll take care of that Nevermore." Jaune replied with a stern face, eyes pointed at the avian Grimm.
"And how exactly are you going to do that without some ranged weapon? Even my Glyphs won't be able to reach up there." Weiss started, but Ruby grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
"Don't worry, he's got this." She replied, knowing what will likely come.
Though even she and the rest of their group would feel their jaws nearly fall off their face as Jaune raised his scepter in the air. A sparkling blue hue grew across the staff, and the faint outline of a massive bow took shape around it, growing even brighter and longer until it surpassed even Jaune's height. 4 arrowheads brimming with cosmic energy formed on the middle of the bow, and despite its massive size, Jaune moved the scepter with little effort, aiming at the Nevermore in the sky like a seasoned archer before releasing the arrows.
With a mighty blast, the 4 shining arrows raced through the air straight towards the Nevermore, which attempted to outmaneuver the sorcery with little effect. The cosmic arrows tracked the Grimm's movements through the air before colliding right into its body, causing a massive explosion as the creature died instantly, its burning carcass disintegrating as it fell from the sky.
Before anyone else could even muster up a single sentence, Jaune raced towards them, pointing towards the ruins. "This way, come on!"
Jolted from their reverie, the two teams followed him as they advanced towards the destroyed buildings. Jumping onto the ramparts, the students watched as the Deathstalkers advanced to their positions, and even further back, the trees parted and collapsed, as another stampede of Grimm followed not close behind.
"Something's definitely off here. There's no way there should be this many Grimm so close to Beacon." Blake replied with a frown.
"Shouldn't the Professors have realized something was wrong by now? Where are they?!" Weiss shouted.
"Doesn't matter! Until they show up, we take shelter here and deal with them, or they'll go after any other students still in the forest!" Jaune shouted.
Pulling Ruby and the others further up onto the rooftops, he quickly scanned their forms, noting how Yang and her allies were still exhausted and out of ammo, while the rest of his team were still full of energy.
"You four can rest here for a while. Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha can watch over you and cover for you guys in case there are any Nevermore still lurking around." Jaune replied. "I'll buy some time for the rest of you guys to take shelter or get out of here."
"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Weiss shouted. "Do you not see how many Grimm were there?! There's no way anyone, let alone a squad of fully trained Huntsmen could take them all at once!"
"Trust me, I've dealt with far worse things." Jaune replied smoothly, unsheathing his greatsword. "And besides, aside from the 4 of us, Yang and the others are too exhausted to fight back. I can deal with these guys and you can help them escape back to Beacon and let the Professors know what's going on."
"Jaune, this doesn't change the fact that this will be an impossible task, even for you." Pyrrha warned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Never let overconfidence take over your common sense!"
"This isn't overconfidence. This is just me stating a simple fact. I wasn't lying when I said that I've dealt with far worse things. Just stay here and let me buy you guys time to escape."
"Jaune, don't!" Ruby shouted, pulling at his arm, but he only gave her a warm smile.
"Trust me, Crater Face. I got this, and I promise I'll come out of this okay. An Arc never goes back on his word."
And just as he made that vow, in his eyes Ruby's face soon morphed into that of another woman's, older but sharing the same red-black locks and mesmerizing silver eyes, now tinged with a small sliver of gold as they teared up in sheer gratitude.
"You really mean that Jaune?" Summer said tearfully, clasping his outstretched hand in both of hers.
"Absolutely." Jaune replied, for once not showing a single bit of hesitation in his eyes. "I know I'm not the best fighter all around, and sure I can be a bit of an idiot at times–"
"Of which I can personally attest, despite my best efforts to increase his Intelligence." Melina replied with a roll of her uncovered eye, making him flinch.
"Oh come on! You're ruining my awesome moment here!" Jaune bemoaned, even as Summer let out a sad laugh at their usual antics.
"Seriously, you and Meli-Meli just can't get along, can't you?" She lightly laughed, wiping some of her tears.
"Please stop calling me that."
"Ahaha… back on topic. I really do mean it, Summer." Jaune replied, staring into her silver eyes. "I may not be the strongest, or smartest, Tarnished around–"
"A severe understatement." Melina interrupted.
"AHEM!" Jaune coughed loudly. "And I may not remember much how I ended up here, but I do remember one thing first and foremost. I'm an Arc, and an Arc never goes back on his word. If you really want to return home, then I'll always be there to help. Who cares what kind of Demigod we have to face? Who cares what else is there in the Lands Between? If you want to return, then I'll be right there by your side. I promise to help you go back home to Remnant."
Summer smiled. "Promise?"
Jaune smiled back. "You have an Arc's promise. If that doesn't count for something, then I don't know what will."
Jaune flinched, wrenching his arm free from Ruby's grasp.
"Jaune?"
He shook his head, blinking away the tears building up in his eyes. "It's nothing. Just… get to safety. Make no mistake, I will come back!"
And with a solemn nod, he jumped down, landing with a hard crash on his feet as he faced the growing horde of Grimm approaching.
Glaring at the horde, he raised his Greatsword into the air, letting the power of the Darkmoon channel through the blade as it glowed a brilliant, cosmic blue. Ignoring the awestruck shouts of his cohorts above, he pulled out his scepter and let the Glintstone inside glow in power.
"I'm not gonna break this promise, or any other, ever again." He muttered quietly, before charging forward, the Grimm all swarming at him at once.
…
…
…
…
"Professor Ozpin! You need to take a look at this!" Glynda shouted from the Bullhead, sending the Headmaster a video link to her Scroll.
"I see it." Ozpin replied with a frown, watching the young man unleash pure destructive Magic on the wrecked temple grounds.
And he knew for a fact that it was Magic.
As a man who had lived through hundreds of lifetimes and seen the Brother Gods before his very own eyes, there was no way he could ever mistake the magical feats one of his students performed with any kind of Semblance.
The only question was, what kind of Magic did Jaune Arc wield, and how did he acquire it?
Magic had all but vanished off the surface of Remnant when the Brother Gods wiped out the first generation of Humanity who were able to wield it in their fingertips. The only ones who were able to retain their powers were himself, Salem, and their children. All of whom had died long before his bitter war with Salem began.
And then there were the Maidens, young women who had been given much of his power long ago, but Jaune was not female, and the Magic he wielded was nothing like anything he had seen in his many, many lifetimes.
Could it be that…
Ozpin shook his head. No, the idea of Salem giving her gift of Magic to anyone else was laughable. Salem was a selfish being, her morals long since corroded due to her upbringing and the immortality forced upon her by the Brother Gods. Any goodwill she would have had in that rotten soul of hers died with their young daughters, all killed in the middle of their conflict…
No, Jaune didn't seem like some kind of agent sent by Salem. He wouldn't have helped save Ruby Rose if he had any nefarious intentions.
But the idea of a boy wielding Magic did give the Headmaster pause. With the news of the attack on Amber and the partial loss of her Maiden powers, it was clear that Salem was now aware of the Maidens, as well as what their purpose is.
Ozpin's enemy was on the move, making schemes behind the scenes, and if he wanted to stay on top and make sure Salem didn't get her hands on the Fall Maiden's powers, he'd have to gather more allies to his side.
Glynda's panicked voice quickly pulled him from his musings.
"Glynda, what's wrong?!"
"Ozpin, look at the ground!"
As the ever-increasing tide of Grimm slowly made their way to the temple grounds, Jaune tightened his grip on the Darkmoon Greatsword.
Raising it in the air, he concentrated, letting the blade channel the power of the Darkmoon as a chilling frost covered the blade.
As the horde of Grimm snarled at him, finally reaching close to the Temple, he raised his scepter in the air to channel a Sorcery…
Just as a familiar cloud of rose petals fluttered to his side.
"What are you doing here?!" Jaune shouted at Ruby as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
"Well, I can't just sit on the sidelines and watch my teammate fight all those Grimm by himself, can I?" Ruby smiled, unsheathing Sundered Rose.
"And besides, I came here to be a Huntress, not some damsel in distress." Weiss replied, much to Jaune's shock as she and Pyrrha landed beside him with weapons drawn.
"But–"
"No buts!" Weiss retorted. "I don't know if you ate something off before Initiation, but there's no way that a single student can take them all out by yourself! As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal."
It took all of Jaune's self restraint to not roll his eyes at that last sentence.
Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, the others will be fine. Trust us to help you protect them. We can take care of ourselves, too. Unless you forgot that I am a 4-time world champion fighter?"
Jaune finally let out a small chuckle. "Alright, fine. Just be careful and stay close."
Weiss flicked her hair to the side as she raised her rapier. "Now, shall we show them what we can do"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ruby felt a bubble of excitement threaten to burst open inside her stomach. Watching as Jaune, Pyrrha, and even grumpy Weiss stood shoulder to shoulder like a mighty bastion against a wave of Grimm sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.
This… this was what she came to Beacon for.
'Just you watch, Mom. I'm gonna be a Huntress!'
And as one, they readied their weapons as the Grimm raced towards them.
It was a beautiful, chaotic fight.
Everyone in their team was doing their part, weaving around the Grimm and facing them head-on with every single item in their arsenal to protect her sister and her new team behind them.
Pyrrha and Weiss dodged and weaved through flailing limbs, clawed hands, and heavy stingers, slicing apart the Grimm and partaking in a deadly dance, circling each other and watching each others backs as Weiss conjured several Glyphs in the air that Pyrrha used to jump back and forth across the battlefield. As Weiss froze the Grimm in place Pyrrha lunged down, impaling her spear into their bodies and jumping into the air, shooting at any stragglers trying to reach for her.
Weiss broke into a dance, twirling around Pyrrha and blocking any attacks with her rapier as she spun in place, channeling a Glyph that increased her speed as she slid forward, impaling several Beowolves in their vulnerable bellies. As a Deathstalker approached her, Weiss remembered their previous encounter and formed a wall of flame around the Grimm, blocking it from any reinforcements and then freezing its legs in place. Jumping onto a Glyph, she bounced off at incredible speed, slicing off the stinger and using her Semblance to send it tunneling right through the creature's head.
As for Ruby herself, she stood back-to-back against her first friend at Beacon, firing off high-caliber sniper rounds from Crescent Rose at any approaching Beowolved, and quickly switching back to Sundered Rose as she used her Semblance to form a rose-petal tornado, gathering the Grimm in her tempest until she twirled in the air, reforming back into her human form, and somersaulting down with a mighty chop from the axe, bisecting the Grimm.
Jaune was no slouch either, cutting apart the Grimm as easily as Sundered Rose using his enchanted greatsword. Swinging the blade in wide arcs, he hurled several waves of cosmic, snowy waves of energy at the Grimm, freezing them and shattering them into pieces in a matter of seconds. As several Ursae stampeded towards him, he raised his scepter and a massive white sword formed along its length. Swinging it back and forth, Jaune sliced them apart or froze them solid as another wave of enchanted ice flowed from the blade.
Bit by bit, the horde of Grimm found itself growing smaller and smaller as their numbers were slowly and steadily being cut down. Many times, the newly-formed team had switched partners, with Ruby complementing Weiss's swiftness and versatility with her own superspeed and powerful axe, while Jaune and Pyrrha fought the heavy-hitting Grimm with a fierce strength and brutality of their own to match.
Weiss formed another Glyph as she jumped atop a wandering Ursa and impaled it through its head. Ruby transformed with her Semblance, forming a tempestuous whirlwind that grew in strength as she flew through Weiss's Glyph. The sheer force and speed of the wind she generated gathered the surrounding Grimm near the two, and when she took off, the poor creatures of destruction were flung into the air, flying all across the forest and turning into splattered paste on the ground.
Jumping atop Jaune's shield, Pyrrha was flung into the air, throwing her spear at a Beowolf, impaling it into the ground just as Jaune hurled a fiery blue cannonball into the air that collided with a Nevermore, blowing it into bits. As she fell, she recalled her spear to her hand with her Semblance and made several slices into an Ursa as she transformed it back into a spear. With a resounding blast from her rifle, the Grimm's head was shot clean from its head just as Jaune launched multiple comets of energy from his scepter, tearing through multiple Grimm charging at them.
Finally, as the horde finally thinned out to a much more manageable level, enough for the 4 of them to huddle around each other shoulder-to-shoulder, a shout of joy broke out from behind them.
Turning around, Jaune saw as Nora leaped into the action, swinging her hammer and sending a Beowolf flying across the horizon, just as her partner arrived in tow, firing what little ammo remained in his submachine-guns at an Ursa before slicing its arms off.
"Now you guys got me all PUMPED. UP!" Yang roared triumphantly, her eyes a blood red and hair blazing fiercely. "There's no way I can sit back after seeing you guys kick some ass out there!"
Even Yang's reclusive partner found herself energized by the fight, adrenaline pulsing through her body as she twirled and weaved around the Grimm, using her clones to confuse them or draw in a feint before lunging in for the kill. At one point, Blake unfurled the long rope at the end of her gun and hurled it at her partner, who grabbed it and spun her in the direction of an approaching group of Ursae, trapping them in the whip's hold just as Yang delivered a devastating punch, killing them in a Semblance-fueled strike.
Eventually, the last of the Grimm were taken out, and the 8 students and newfound friends finally slumped to the ground, thoroughly spent.
"Man, I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning…" Yang moaned with a smile. "You guys think they'll let us take the next few days off from school?"
"I sincerely hope so…" Weiss muttered tiredly, her dress torn and drenched with sweat. "I don't think I can even lift my arms anymore…"
"I could really use a break, too." Pyrrha muttered slumping next to the heiress.
"Need a hand?"
Jaune, the only one still standing, knelt down next to a prone Ruby and offered his hand with a smile.
"Don't mind if I do." Ruby replied warmly, grabbing his hand as he hoisted her up and let her arm rest on his shoulder.
"Did I mention yet how this was totally awesome?" Ruby muttered in a tired, but jubilant voice. "We were kicking so much Grimm butt back there! We were all fighting as one, and Weiss wasn't being grumpy for once!"
"Oh, quiet you!" Weiss retorted.
"It was really something." Jaune admitted. "I haven't been in something that crazy for a while now."
The two of them arrived near the slumped forms of Weiss and Pyrrha, and Jaune gently let Ruby down, placing her next to her partner.
"H-how are you not exhausted?" Weiss moaned, staring at the knight.
Jaune gave a bitter smile in return. "I wasn't lying when I said I've been through worse. I still think you guys should have stayed put back there instead of joining the fray, but, I'm glad you guys are safe."
"Honestly, I have no idea where this confidence of yours comes from." Weiss let out a sigh. "I swear, we'll have to work on that when we get back…"
"Speaking of, looks like the Professors finally arrived." Blake pointed out, as a group of Bullheads flew over the horizon towards their direction.
"About time…" Yang yawned, slumping her body over her partner's, much to her protest. "I need a good, long nap."
Just as the Bullheads approached their positions, the ground suddenly shook violently, starting them all.
"Oh come on! What now?!" Weiss angrily shouted, as she struggled to stand in the growing earthquake.
"Hold on!"
Quick as a flash, Jaune rushed to Ruby and pulled her close to him as he dug his greatsword in the ground to keep himself rooted.
A sudden flash of purple lightning from further inside the forest drew his attention, just as the earthquake increased in intensity.
Soon, everyone's jaws once again dropped to the floor as more purple lightning gathered in the sky from further away, and much to their horror, large clumps of earth and forest rose in the sky, defying gravity altogether as what appeared to be a large section of Emerald Forest broke apart and levitated in the air.
Jaune's eyes widened, taking a closer look at the forks of purple lightning around the floating clumps of earth.
'No way… was that a–'
One of the Bullheads quickly landed near them. A hatch opened up at the rear of the ship, revealing the Deputy Headmistress herself as she raised her riding crop in the air, using her Semblance to levitate the tired students inside the Bullhead before it took off once more.
As the rest of his team slumped over their seats as the ship flew back to Beacon, Jaune remained near the window, watching the chunks of Emerald Forest remain levitating in the air.
'Was that… Gravity Magic?'
Updated 02/24/24: WHO HERE IS READY FOR SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE THIS JUNE?! LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!
I'm terribly sorry for the really long wait times between rewrite updates! I know so many of you were looking forward to this story, and for the rewrites, and thankfully, with the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer and release date, I'm now super hyped again to continue this fic!
Just as a heads-up, I'll be deleting the next unedited chapters after this rewrite, as the story will have quite a few deviations moving forward. And so you guys can get proper updates now.
Please, once again let me know what you think of these rewrites so far, and if there's any glaring issues you guys find. I want this story to turn out good rather than the sloppy mess that it was before.
Thank you all so much for sticking with this story for so long! Here's hoping the next chapter will come out much sooner!