Chapter 3: Meetings
Ruby Rose looked out at Beacon Academy from the window of the aircraft. Her heart was pounding loudly against her chest.
"Stressed about your first day, Rubes?" Yang asked.
"A little… a lot," the girl admitted. "I always wanted this, but now…"
"Well, you don't have to worry," assured his sister. "Don't let Dad ruin this with his orders and prohibitions! The entrance test will be a formality for us. Plus, you arrived here two years early. Everyone will think you are a prodigy."
The idea seemed to freak Ruby out.
"But, but, but I don't want people to think I'm a prodigy!" she exclaimed. "I just want to have a normal year."
Yang flicked her sister in the forehead.
"Yang !" cried the young girl.
"You're thinking too much, Byby. Whatever happens, you will be ready to face it."
She stopped for a moment. "And you know that if you need me, I will always be there to help you."
Ruby remained silent for a few moments.
"Thank you, Yang," she finally said with a small smile.
His sister gave him a big, beaming smile.
"No worries, Ruby," she assured.
One of the aircraft's screens lit up, revealing the face of Glynda Goodwitch. The vice-director informed them that they would be landing soon, and reminded them of the procedure, but Ruby and Yang only listened half-heartedly.
When the plane finally landed, the two sisters were caught in the human tide of passengers. They jostled, got jostled, struggled, and finally lost sight of each other. Ruby continued to be tossed around for a few seconds, then, exasperated, she used her Semblance. She transformed into a large red whirlwind that pushed away the people around her, then she sped towards one of the exit doors, flying above the crowd.
Once outside, she returned to her normal appearance. Frantically, she looked around for her sister. Nothing. She began to walk around the square, scared, without looking where she was going.
Suddenly, she hit something and found herself on the ground.
"Damn it ! Can't you be careful, you idiot ? !" a female voice shouted.
Without responding, Ruby got up and looked at the person she had hit.
She is super pretty Ruby thought. The young girl, dressed in white, had very fine features, light blue, faded eyes, and long silvery-white hair, which seemed to glow slightly in the sunlight. I saw her somewhere Ruby thought.
"Hey, are you listening to me?" asked the young girl.
But before Ruby could respond, a red powder floated into the air, tickled her nostrils, and she sneezed. She triggered a small explosion, more loud than powerful, which sent the two young girls to the ground and opened the stranger's suitcase wide, revealing jars of Dust.
"Goddammit ! Are you doing it on purpose or what?" the young girl exclaimed.
Ruby stood up suddenly, annoyed.
"Hey!" she cried. "Is it my fault you keep Dust in a damn flimsy suitcase ?"
The young girl froze, surprised. Then, she took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Yes. You…you're not wrong."
She picked up her reserves of Dust, put them in her suitcase, and got up, dusting off her skirt.
"So what's your name?"
"Ruby" said the young girl after an hesitation. "Ruby Rose".
"I'm Weiss Schnee" the girl introduced herself.
Ruby's face lit up.
"I knew you saw you somewhere!" she exclaimed. "You are the heiress to the Schnee company !"
Weiss seemed to get exasperated by the remark. "Thank you very much, Ruby, I didn't know about it."
Ruby looked guilty, and Weiss' face fell.
"Sorry," the heiress muttered. "That was inappropriate."
"It doesn't matter," Ruby assured. "I suppose this happens to you often."
"Okay," Weiss said. "Why were you running around like that?"
Goddammit, Yang ! Ruby suddenly remembered. "I'm looking for my sister!" she shouted. She cast frantic glances around her, in the vain hope of finding the blonde.
"Calm yourself". Weiss ordered. "All new arrivals must go to Hangar No. 13 to collect their luggage, you will definitely meet there."
Ruby stared at the heiress.
"Really ?" She asked, surprised.
Weiss' gaze hardened.
"You didn't listen to Miss Goodwitch's message."
Ruby realized that wasn't a question.
"No," she admitted, looking guilty.
Weiss huffed.
"Okay, we will go together. I have a feeling you wouldn't be able to find it on your own anyway."
Ruby blinked several times, surprised. Then, she smiled warmly at the girl in white.
"Thank you so much. It is very kind of you".
Weiss started to blush, and turned her head.
"Consider it an excuse for yelling at you," she said hurriedly. "Come on, let's go."
"Oh, wait!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed.
"What ?" Weiss said, annoyed.
"Yang surely didn't listen to Miss Goodwitch ! I need to send her a message to let her know."
She quickly took out her scroll from a pocket in her skirt.
"You have a scroll ?" Weiss observed in a venomous tone.
"Well…yes, what's so surprising about that?" The girl in black and red replied.
"Are you telling me you could have just called your sister to find out where she is ?" The heiress angrily asked.
Ruby stared at Weiss for a few seconds, looking stunned. Then she finally seemed to understand what the heiress meant.
"Ooooooohhhhh" she whispered.
Weiss facepalmed.
…..
Luckily for Ruby, Weiss agreed to help her anyway. The girl in red simply sent a message to Yang to warn her. The two girls walked the whole way in silence: Ruby didn't know what to say, and Weiss didn't seem to want to start a conversation.
Once they arrived at hangar number 13, which they found bustling with people and noisy, Ruby tried to run to find her sister, but Weiss grabbed her firmly by the collar.
"You've already gotten lost like that once," the heiress lectured her. "You need to be more patient."
So they went around the place looking for Yang. They eventually found the blonde in the back of the hangar, waiting patiently, leaning against a wall.
"Yang !" Ruby exclaimed when she saw her.
"Rubes" replied the blonde. "I see you got through it."
The girl in red looked embarrassed.
"It's thanks to Weiss" she said in an embarrassed tone.
"Your new friend?" asked his sister.
Ruby turned to Weiss, looking hesitant.
"We're going to stick with "acquaintances" for now." The heiress replied coldly.
Ruby looked disappointed, but Weiss didn't seem to mind.
"Okay, now that you've found your sister, I'm going to leave you behind. There is someone who….".
"SHE IS HERE!" A male voice suddenly shouted, which twisted the eardrums of the three young girls.
The candidates gathered in a compact and noisy crowd. Weiss desperately tried to force her way in, but was pushed back. She tried to go around the crowd, but they started moving in the same direction as her, and Weiss found herself stuck again.
Ruby and Yang couldn't hold back their snickers.
"It's not funny !" Weiss shouted indignantly, her face red with shame, pointing at them.
The two sisters actually burst into laughter. Weiss grumbled helplessly.
"So, what's all the fuss?" Yang asked.
Weiss eyed her, surprised.
"You are not aware ?" asked the heiress.
"Aware of what?" said the bung.
"Pyrrha Nikos will be a first year here."
Ruby and Yang looked at the girl in white with wide eyes.
"Indeed, that explains it," Yang said after a moment.
"Why did you want to see her, Weiss, are you a fan?" Ruby asked him.
"Not really. But becoming friends with Pyrrha Nikos, the "invincible girl," and ending up on the same team as her is a perfect opportunity to succeed here. And even to become the best in the year".
The two sisters looked at her for a moment, silent.
"Yeah, count me out." Yang finally said. "Pretending to be friends with someone to make them work for you ? Not great".
Weiss stared at her, eyes wide, but said nothing.
"And… why do you want to be the best of the year ?" Ruby asked.
Weiss lowered her head, looking grim.
"It's...it's...".
But before she could explain, the conveyor belts in the hangar loudly came to life, and the luggage began to arrive.
…..
After collecting their belongings, the candidates were guided to a huge gymnasium, which would be used to house them for the night. Weiss ended up following Ruby and Yang. The heiress thought that she could have had worse company than the two sisters. After they set up their sleeping bags, Yang left on her own, saying she wanted to meet other people. I still have a hard time believing they are sisters. Weiss thought. They didn't really look alike.
"Hey Weiss, would you like to take a walk outside with me?" Ruby asked.
"No thank you" replied the young girl in white, trying to contain her exasperation. What a lack of seriousness. Consider taking a walk the day before the exam. I'm going to do some final checks on my weapon before tomorrow's exam. And you should do the same, Ruby."
The girl in red grabbed her weapon, which she kept folded in her back.
"Crescent Rose is always operational !" Ruby exclaimed indignantly. " I take great care of her !"
Weiss looked at Crescent Rose, a bit curious.
"And what kind of weapon is that?"
"A High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe".
"Not bad." Judged the heiress. "It gives you both ranged and melee options."
Ruby smiled brightly.
"Thanks ! I worked a lot on her!" She seemed to be thinking about something. "And you, what is your weapon?" she asked.
Weiss grabbed a long case. She took out a rapier, elegant and silver. Near the handle, four ornate pins surrounded a revolver barrel assembled with the blade.
"This is Myrtenaster," Weiss announced proudly.
Ruby looked at the weapon, stars in her eyes.
"She is superb !" she exclaimed. "Can I touch her?"
Weiss didn't answer right away.
"Okay," she finally said. "But be careful, it is very precious."
"Don't worry !" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes still bright. "I would never damage a weapon !".
Despite her doubts, the heiress gave her the rapier. Ruby stretched out her arm and looked at the flat of the blade, closing one eye. She then looked at the handle, and tested the balance of the weapon. Finally, she examined the barrel.
"Do you use the barrel to store Dust?" asked the girl in red.
"Yes, indeed," Weiss confirmed. "The gutters of the blade have been modified so that they can be infused".
"There are small powder deposits in the bottom of the tanks. And the mechanism seems a little seized up, do you have some oil and a rag ?"
"Of course" said the heiress. "But I'll take care of it. It's my weapon after all, it's my responsibility."
Ruby couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, you're not wrong."
Weiss cleaned the barrel, and swirled it around to check that it was working properly. Perfect. She examined the rest of Myrtenaster, but had the feeling that everything was fine.
She put the weapon back in its holster.
Turning to Ruby, she found the girl crouched down, dismantling her scythe, looking very serious and focused.
"What are you doing ?" the heiress asked.
"Oh. You were right. I better check out Crescent Rose".
Ruby went back to her work without another word. She handled and scanned each piece carefully, cleaning supplies scattered around her. Weiss watched her, slightly surprised. The young girl proceeded with real expertise. Finally, she began to reassembled each piece, always with a thoroughness and precision that Weiss had rarely seen.
Ruby got up and performed a few cockings, looking satisfied.
"Perfect ! She's ready for tomorrow!" Announced the young girl in a cheerful tone.
"You seem very comfortable with weapons" Weiss remarked.
Ruby gave her a big smile, very bright, and the heiress found herself blushing.
"Yes a lot ! I love weapons !"
"There is a reason ?".
Ruby was silent for a long moment, her good mood vanishing.
"I don't know. I think I find them easier to understand than people."
They both fell into awkward silence. Neither saw Yang coming in their direction.
"I will never criticize you again for not being able to talk to people, Rubes!" announced the blonde, apparently without perceiving the tense silence that had fallen.
"Why do you say that, Yang ?" Ruby asked.
The blonde pointed to a girl with jet black hair and amber eyes, who was quietly reading a book.
"I tried to make small talk with her for fifteen minutes, and all I managed to get was a name. Blake Belladonna".
Ruby leered at her sister.
"Why did you choose this particular girl?"
"She's cute".
Weiss glared at the blonde, scandalized.
"What ?" Yang exclaimed. "I can't help it if she's cute!"
The heiress looked at Ruby, hoping to find support.
"She's quite cute," the young girl said in an unsure voice, looking slightly guilty.
Weiss, who looked like she was about to explode, turned on her heels and left the two sisters without a word.
…..
The next morning, after preparing for the entrance test, the candidates were guided by Glynda to a cliff, far from the school buildings. They took place on metal platforms, organized in tight rows. Below layed a forest, vast and impenetrable, like an emerald sea. Headmaster Ozpin waited patiently near the edge of the cliff, a cup of coffee in hand.
"Hello, young people," he said in a calm voice. "I remind you how the test works : you will be sent to the Emerald Forest. The first person you see after you land will be your partner throughout your training. I therefore advise you to choose them wisely. You will find ruins in the center of the forest, in which you will find relics to bring back here. The relics in question are gathered into groups of 4, which will determine the teams you form.".
He paused slightly theatrically.
"That is if you manage to come back in one piece. You have questions ?".
"Uuuuhhhh, actually, yes, sir….". A blond boy stammered.
Rather tall, he wore a black hooded jacket and jeans under an armor breastplate and shoulder pads. He had a simple two handed sword strapped to his waist, and a shield on his back.
"Good. In this case, get into position. Good luck to everyone". Said the director.
The platforms suddenly came to life, propelling candidates one after the other.
"Um, sir I have a question : when you say we are going to be sent, what does that mean? Are you going to drop us off?" Asked the blond, still hesitant.
"No, you will be propelled" announced Ozpin, still very calm.
"Oh. And…you're going to give us parachutes….?" asked the boy, frightened.
"No, it's up to you to find your own landing strategy."
"Um…and what's a…"
Before he could finish his question, his platform propelled him, and he disappeared into the distance with a cry of surprise and fear.
Ozpin watched the candidates fall into the forest, and took a sip of his coffee. He tried, without much success, to hide his amusement.
Glynda looked at him and rolled her eyes, looking slightly annoyed.
…
Ruby began her descent towards the forest, a small, satisfied smile on her face. Just as she was about to touch the tops of the trees, she turned into a red whirlwind, and destroyed the branches in her path. She touched the ground and returned to her normal form, quietly, as if nothing had happened.
Too easy ! After all, she could reach much higher speeds with her Semblance. Well, this exam started off well! NOW….aaaahhhh! She had to choose her partner! Damn it ! She needed someone good !
She started running through the forest, without looking where she was going. She saw a motionless figure in front of her, and suddenly stopped. Her heels dug deep into the earth, and she kicked up a cloud of dust in her path.
Ruby slowly, shyly, raised her head, and Weiss's eyes found hers.
The two girls stared at each other, and Ruby lost track of time. She found herself paralyzed, short of breath, unable to think.
Then, finally, Weiss broke the silence.
"It seems like you have a habit of running everywhere." she says.
Ruby didn't respond, troubled by the heiress' accusatory look.
"Come on, follow me" she ordered. "Let's win this."
She turned on her heel, and Ruby, smiling, ran up to her.
…..
Yang had been walking in circles in the forest for about fifteen minutes, and she felt her patience wearing thin.
"Rubes?" she shouted "Princess ?" "Someone there ?".
She heard a rustling of leaves to her right and turned quickly with a big smile.
"Rubes?" she shouted.
Two large monsters appeared. Their bodies were an impossible, supernatural black that seemed to block light. Their heads, similar to those of bears, were surrounded by thick skulls of pure, blinding white. Bony spikes protruded from their backs and joints. They stared at Yang with their blazing eyes, growling lowly.
"You're not Ruby" Yang noted with a smile.
Then, before the two Grimms could react, she shot the left one in the chest. The one on the right tried to attack her, but the blonde was faster, and hit it with a powerful kick to the head, which made it reel back.
The one on the left lunged at her, but she connected four straight shots, reinforced by shotgun fire, which stunned the monster. She jumped, knee forward, and hit the grimm head-on.
It collapsed, and its body began to disappear, without leaving the slightest trace behind it.
Yang fell back to the ground with a big smile, but the second Grimm hit her in the back, and a sharp pain erupted throughout her body. She turned around, just in time for the Ursa's paw to hit her in the head.
She staggered and took a step back, and the monster stood up on its hind legs, ready to strike. But with a cry of rage, Yang slammed her right fist into the monster's mouth, and it slammed into a tree, destroying it.
Yang, whose eyes had turned red and whose hair glowed with yellow energy, leapt at her opponent, spun around, and delivered a kick. She shattered the monster's head, which disappeared.
Yang stared at the spot where the grimm had been a moment before, scowling.
A low growl to her left brought her back to earth. A Beowulf, a wolf-like grimm, leapt from the bushes, ready to attack her.
But a black ribbon shooted out from the trees on the right, before wrapping around the monster's head. The ribbon flew to the side, decapitating the wolf, which disappeared like the two Ursas.
Yang looked up at the folding ribbon. She found Blake, perched on a tree.
The dark haired girl jumped and landed softly on the ground. Yang gave her her most confident smile.
"Well, well, serendipity, right ?"
"We'll see about that," Blake replied coldly.
….
Come on, damn it ! You've got to find something to say to her ! Jaune thought. He already hadn't made a good first impression in the locker room when he didn't recognize her. Nor a second, when she had to save him from his fall by stuxking him to that tree.
He could do it ! He could do it ! Okay, she was the four-time US champion ! So what ! He could…..
"Jaune, watch out, on your right!" Pyrrha shouted.
The blond turned around quickly. A snake Grimm, whose body seemed endless, had burst out from the bushes. The young man wanted to grab his sword, but his hand, hesitant and trembling in panic, slipped on the pommel.
A strange noise rose behind him, and Pyrrha's spear flashed before hitting the snake straight in the head. The grimm disappeared, and the young woman retrieved her weapon, changed it into a sword, and put it on her belt.
"How are you ?" Pyrrha asked her partner.
Jaune kept his head down, unable to meet her gaze.
"Good. Goode" the young man stammered, dejected with disappointment.
Pyrrha looked at him with empathy, but remained silent.
"Let's go," she whispered.
Jaune nodded.
….
"Are you sure it's around here?" Weiss questioned.
"I'm not sure about anything, Weiss," Ruby replied. "But we're not going to sit there and rack our brains all day, are we?"
The heiress grimaced, but refrained from making a comment. The two girls continued to wander for a moment, then glowing lights appeared between the trees and ferns in front of them, and Beowulfs appeared.
Immediately, Weiss pulled her rapier from her belt. She got into position, ready to strike. But a black and red lightning flashed in front of her and one of the wolves was cut in two. Ruby immediately moved on to another Beowulf, hitting him with the heel of her weapon, knocking him back.
Weiss recovered from her surprise and attacked in turn, destroying one of the wolves with a thrust. She moved on to another grimm, which disappeared in a few hits. She turned to a third, twirled the barrel of Myrtenaster, and the blade of the rapier turned red.
She cocked her shot. But Ruby cut her off at the last moment by rushing towards the Grimm. Weiss lost her balance, and in a half-conscious reflex, pushed her weapon aside. Flames bursted from the blade, and exploded the tree right next to Ruby, who cut down the last monster. Weiss fell to her knees, her heart pounding.
"That was incredible!" Ruby shouted, turning towards her partner. "Weiss, why are you on the ground ? What the matter ? Are you hurt ?"
The heiress stood up suddenly, her face red with anger.
"BUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, ARE YOU COMPLETELY CRAZY?"
"Whaattt…." the young girl in black and red stammered, confused.
"I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU YOU FUCKING IMBECILE!"
"Whaattt"
Ruby looked like she was about to cry. The image shocked Weiss.
"Listen," said the heiress after a long moment of silence. "Okay, I get it, you know how to fight, and you're not afraid of grimms. But you can't keep charging head on into things like that. You have to think about your actions and the people around you."
Ruby remained silent for a moment, her expression somber.
"Sorry Weiss. I…I just wanted to show you what I can do."
Weiss blinked, surprised.
"What do you mean ?".
"You…you wanted to be partners with Pyrrha. I… I wanted to show you that I can be a good partner."
Weiss looked at the girl, unable to think of what to say.
…
Yang and Blake had been walking for about thirty minutes, without having encountered any grimm. The blonde would almost have been bored. After her failure the day before, she had abandoned the idea of talking to her partner, so they had been in cold silence since their meeting.
"Yang, get ready. We will soon leave the forest." Blake abruptly said.
The blonde blinked, surprised.
"I'm always ready, don't underestimate me." She assured.
Her partner ignored her, and continued to calmly move forward with a muffled step. As Blake had announced, they left the forest to find themselves at the edge of a cliff. Below were vast ruins reminiscent of a Greek temple.
"Do you think this is it ?" Yang asked.
Blake nodded, almost imperceptibly, before jumping into the void. She landed on both legs smoothly, like nothing. Yang jumped in turn, and landed on one leg, one knee, and one hand.
They searched the ruins and found chess pieces placed on altars.
"Looks like these are the relics," Blake announced, looking at four white queens.
"There's a shortage of some," Yang slipped. "We are not the first to arrive here."
"Besides, we have to wait for two more….".
But a roar pierced through the sky, and cut Blake off. A large flying creature burst out of the forest and flew over the ruins. Before the eyes of the two young girls, a red whirlwind fell in their direction. The swirl disappeared to reveal Ruby, who was holding a grumpy and pale Weiss in her arms.
"Take a deep breath," the girl in red told her. "It'll be OK".
Weiss seemed to compose herself a little, and stared at her partner.
"You….you never do that again" she ordered in the sternest voice she could, before letting go of Ruby.
The latter looked away. She didn't even tried to pretend that the situation wasn't amusing her, and had a mischievous look in her eyes.
"Sorry," Ruby said in a tone that wasn't the least bit apologetic. "But I had to get us out of the clutches of this thing."
"A Snallygaster".
"Hu ?"
"It was a Snallygaster," Weiss repeated.
"Oooh, okay" Ruby said, nodding.
"You tell me if we are bothering you" Yang called out.
The two girls simultaneously turned towards the blond.
"Yang! What are you doing here ?". Ruby exclaimed.
"What do you think ? Did you forget that we're in the middle of an exam or something ?"
Before Ruby and Weiss could ask them questions, heavy footsteps approached the four girls. A large Ursa emerged from the trees to their left, a young girl with orange hair and turquoise blue eyes clinging to its back. By reflex, the four young girls grabbed their weapons, but the bear collapsed and remained on the ground, inert. The stranger watched the grimm disappear, looking disappointed.
"Ooooh, no! It's broken !". she exclaimed.
She looked at the ruins, and her face beamed. She tried to run towards the temple, but a boy in a green jacket and white pants came out of the forest and grabbed her by the collar.
"Nora!" he said in the tone of a parent lecturing a turbulent child.
The young girl stopped, before turning to the boy.
"Sorry Ren." She said, in a tone not sorry at all.
A high-pitched scream suddenly echoed through the forest above them, and a grimm, struggling against someone whose arms were wrapped tightly around its neck, began to run along the edge of the cliff. The grimm had the body of a spider, whose eight legs were articulated into three segments. It had a black, neighing, foaming horse's head, to which the student was still clinging. But, finally, he let go when the grimm suddenly turned, and fell towards the temple.
Before the other six could react, a young girl in bronze armor leapt from the forest, caught the boy in mid-flight, and fell gracefully to the ground.
"Are you okay, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"Great…" said the blond ironically as he separated from the champion.
The grimm began to descend the cliff, and the two young people ran towards the temple. In the sky appeared a large flying grimm. The Snallygaster had a reptilian body, and four raptor legs. He flapped his large feather-covered wings and turned towards the group. It had a single, glowing eye, with a black, horizontal pupil, and octopus tentacles, swarming like worms, protruded from its bone-white beak. He uttered a strange, disjointed cry.
"Great, now we're all going to die together like idiots" said Yang,
"No, we still have a chance to get out of this" Weiss affirmed.
"And what do you propose, princess ?"
"First, we stay grouped" said the heiress, ignoring the nickname. "Second, we don't have to fight. Our goal is to return to the academy. We take the pieces and we leave".
"Is this really your plan ? Flee ?".
"Do you have a better idea ?"
The blond didn't answer.
"I agree with Weiss" Ruby said.
Yang stared at her sister, taken aback.
"If we act, it's right now. The Luferlang is almost upon us" Pyrrha announced, looking in the direction of the spider grimm. "Everyone agrees to follow Weiss' plan?"
The other members of the group nodded one after another.
They passed between the altars, grabbed some relics, and ran in the opposite direction of the grimms. The Luferlang began to pursue them, but Ren, Nora and Pyrrha opened fire on it, cutting off its course.
The Snallygaster swooped down on the group. Blake and Ruby shot at him, but he kept moving. Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster's blade into the ground, and a large wall of ice appeared in front of the group, which blocked the grimm's charge. It flew to the side, screaming.
The eight began to run harder, still pursued by the Luferlang. After a few minutes of running, they arrived at a precipice. It was crossed by a deteriorated white stone bridge, and several needles of black rock protruded from the misty void below.
The group heard the Snallygaster howling behind them, while the Luferlang was getting dangerously close.
"So much for your plan, princess!" Yang said. "It's time to fight!"
"We're taking care of the Snallygaster !" Ruby said, arming herself with her scythe. "You, take care of the Luferlang !"
The others grabbed their weapons. Ruby jumped on one of the needles in the distance, followed by Yang, Blake and Weiss they began to shoot at the flying grimm. For their part, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren faced the Luferlang.
Ren, Pyrrha and Nora began shooting at the spider grimm, but it seemed to take their shots without flinching, screaming. Jaune, for his part, was thinking at top speed. There had to be a way to...the bridge !
"Nora, jump behind it !" he shouted.
The girl twirled her hammer, stood on its head, and pushed the trigger on the shaft. A pink explosion propelled her high into the air, and she passed behind the grimm.
"Destroy the bridge !" Jaune yelled.
Nora brought her weapon down on the stone, which collapsed completely, and the rubble fell into the void for several long seconds. At the front, the Luferlang uttered a long, monstrous neigh. Large drops of ink-black slime gushed from its mouth, but the three young people jumped back to avoid them, although Jaune's jump was less impressive than those of Ren and Pyrrha. The spider grimm's slime caused the stone to dissolve and smoke.
The Luferlang charged, and swung twice with its paws at Jaune. But the blond raised his shield to protect himself, and was simply pushed back. The grimm reared back, but Pyrrha threw her shield into the monster's two front legs, knocking them back.
"We must destroy the bridge on this side!" Jaune shouted.
Immediately, Ren raised one of his legs, and slammed his foot down in front of him. A shockwave spread around the point of impact, and the bridge collapsed. But Luferlang pounced on them, and was able to reach a stable part of the bridge. But at the same time, Nora fell on the monster from the sky, weapon first. She hit him in the head with a deafening bang, and the grimm fell into the void, screaming.
….
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were firing at the Snallygaster, but their attacks barely seemed to affect the grimm. It responded with shots of feathers, sharp as blades, or by trying to catch them with its tentacles, but the four girls avoided the monster's attacks by jumping from rock to rock. After a few minutes of these exchanges, the four girls gathered on a flattened rock.
"We won't get nowhere with this!" Weiss said. "We need a plan !"
"I might have an idea !" Ruby said. "But we have to immobilize it."
"Immobilize it ?" Weiss repeated. "And how do you want to do that?"
"Aiming for the wings," Blake said. "And blocking the tentacles. But for that, we have to give it a pretty severe blow to shock it and prevent him from moving."
"I'm on it ! Rubes ! Charge me up!" Yang shouted.
As Weiss wondered what she meant, Ruby aimed Crescent Rose's cannon at her sister, and fired three times, under the horrified looks of Weiss and Blake. Yang's hair began to glow, her eyes turned red, and she leapt at the Snallygaster with the sound of cannon fire. The grimm tries to run away, but Ruby, Weiss and Blake bombard it to prevent it from moving. Yang slammed into the Snallygaster head-on, legs forward, and the grimm was pushed back.
Immediately, Weiss pointed her rapier at the monster. Two large ice projectiles burst from the blade, hitting the grimm's wings. The Snallygaster tried in vain to fly away, weighed down by the heiress's attack.
Blake jumped towards the monster. She dodged the grimm's attempts to grab her with its tentacles, and threw her weapon aside, holding it by its ribbon. The weapon circled the monster's mouth several times, before returning towards its owner and planting itself in the rock. Blake squeezed with all her might, but the Snallygaster struggled, and seemed ready to break free. Then, suddenly, she felt the other end of her weapon being pulled, and the grimm found itself trapped for good.
She turned around. As she continued to shoot, Yang gave her a victorious smile. Blake, to her own surprise, began to smile too.
"Weiss, I need one of your glyphs!" Ruby explained.
"One or more?" Weiss asked.
Did she realize that I can do that in the middle of a fight ? wondered the heiress.
"As many as you can !" replied his partner. "Around the grimm".
No ? Thought Weiss That his plan ?
Despite her doubt, the heiress summoned a dozen black glyphs around the Snallygaster.
Ruby transformed into a whirlwind, and charged the grimm. She passed behind him, touched a glyph, and found herself propelled towards the Snallygaster again, at full speed. She slammed into it, passed to the grimm's right hand, touched another glyph, and sped towards her target again.
She seemed to gain more and more speed, to the point where the other three could only see a red and black line, which attacked the grimm from all sides. Finally, the whirlwind flew into the sky.
Weiss made the glyphs disappear, and, despite her forehead glistening with sweat and her short breath, she made a black glyph appear, twice as large as the previous ones, on her partner's back. Ruby was propelled towards the grimm with a supersonic boom. She spun around and drew her weapon.
Crescent Rose's blade came down on the Snallygaster's neck, cutting it completely. Ruby fell back onto a rock where Blake and Yang stood, while behind her, the grimm disappeared into nothingness.
….
Fortunately for the eight young people, their journey back was much quieter. They followed winding paths through the ruins and the forest. Pyrrha had assured them that they would lead them to the Academy, although the champion refused to say how she could be so sure of herself. Finally, they actually made it out of the Emerald Forest and found themselves at the launch point.
They found Ozpin and Glynda there.
"Congratulations, young people," said the headmaster. "We have witnessed your little feats. The Luferlang and the Snallygaster were the most powerful grimm in this forest. But you managed to triumph thanks to your teamwork and courage. It is therefore with pride that I announce that you are officially students at Beacon Academy."
There. It's done. I'm a student at Beacon. Ruby thought. Despite the news, she was so tired that she was less thrilled than she expected. She turned towards the others. Nora, Jaune and Yang were excited. On the contrary, Ren, Blake and Weiss showed neither joy nor relief.
Ruby looked at the white knight in her hand, and a thin smile appeared on her face.
I found some good people, Dad. You do not have to worry.
…..
After noting their relics, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang took the white riders, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren the white towers, Glynda led them to their dormitories.
"Your luggage will be brought here later" the vice-director explained. "The team formation ceremony will take place in an hour. Until then, try to rest, you deserve it." She concluded before leaving.
Both teams took her at her word. All exhausted from the day, they fell into their respective beds and dozed off.
…
The ceremony took place in a huge amphitheater, although it was filled up to the last place. The whole school gathered to welcome the newcomers.
"Jaune Arc. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. Lie Ren". Director Ozpin listed.
The four young people were waiting on a platform, straight and proud.
"The four of you have collected the white towers. You will now form the JNPR team. Led by…Jaune Arc!"
The young boy stared at the director, looking like he didn't believe it. Him ? Chief ? While Pyrrha was on his team? But the champion did not seem disappointed. On the contrary, she gave her partner a big pat on the back, looking proud.
Glynda gestured for Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang to come forward.
"Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long" Ozpin announced. "You have gathered the four white knights. You will now form team RWBY. Led by…Ruby Rose."
Ruby blinked, completely petrified. Blake looked at her curiously, Yang exploded with joy, took her sister in her arms, and ruffled her hair. Weiss, on the other hand, was moving her eyes from Ozpin to Ruby.
She ? She ? She ?How ? For what ? No ! It must have been a mistake! No ! She wouldn't be team leader. Not like Winter.
Weiss felt tears coming to her, but she held them back.