After Verdo had left him in the forest, Jaune couldn't stop taking notice of his new partner as she took the lead, confidently heading toward the temple, but then she had more experience with this huntsman thing than he, and after unlocking his aura for him in a moment that actually felt more intimate than he thought should be possible after all, they had touched souls. He decided to trust her judgment.
After all, she was a three-time tournament champion of...somehwere, and she was able to get into Beacon and track him down, not to mention that her shot with her spear was impressive. She pinned him to a tree with a single throw without killing him.
Not to mention she was pretty cute too, something he wouldn't usually think, but his badger friend's words kept echoing in his mind. "I think she likes you." Then he recalled what had happened in the locker room: Verdo had argued with his ex-girlfriend that if Pyrrha wanted Jaune to be her partner, then that was her choice.
'Did she save me to make me her partner?' The thought nagged at his brain as they walked through the forest sticks. So he kept looking at this girl, noticing her flowing blood red hair, her emerald green eyes, and her trimmed ahtletic figure.
"Something wrong, Jaune?"Pyrrha asked looking at him making him realize that he had likely been staring for far too long, and he just puffed out his chest and gave her a smile attempting his fathers advice of being confident.
"No, I was just admiring the way you track." He said he was flashing her a wink that made her giggle a little as she looked around.
"I'm not really tracking; I'm just keeping us heading north." Pyrrha said if he was flirting with her, she ignored it for the time being, as they were in enemy territory. And this wasn't the time for romance, though it did make her happy that he noticed her.
"Well, still, I find it amusing..." She looked back at him with a curious smile and pushed past a branch.
keeping it pulled tight for him.
"Oh really? And what is so amusing about how I lead us onward?" She asked, giving him a smile he knew too well; it was the same teasing smile his sisters gave him when he had been caught. And he couldn't really tell her it was because he was looking at her tight peach-shaped bad bad bad thoughts.
"Oh well, its so, uh, Pyrrha, tell me a little about yourself." Jaune asked, trying to catch the subject, putting the ball in her court as they resumed their journey northward, and she kept the branch pulled, allowing him to go by this time without getting hit. Though now, with his aura active, he would not really get hurt. Although she had to admit it, it was unlikely that he would have gotten into Beacon if his aura was not active before she had helped him out of it. Perhaps there was a personal reason. So she decided to give him a break and leave it be.
"Well, I come from Anima, and I spent time on the Mistralian tournament circuit in the junior leagues, like Wiess said in the locker rooms, though I was raised in Argus."She said telling him about herself.
"Really? My oldest sister, Saphron, lives there." Jaune said, finding it interesting, he already had something in common with her right off the bat.
"Oh, does she?"
"Yeah, her and her wife Terra, last time I heard from them, they were planning on having a baby together, which means I'm going to be an uncle," he said proudly before he caught her smiling at him, and he blushed. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to overtake the conversation when I asked about you. I could just go on forever about my sisters."
"It's quite alright, Jaune," Pyrrha waved dismissively. "I find it refreshing to learn about people; besides, keeping our spirits up will keep away the grimm."
He was glad that she didn't take his actions as him just talking about himself, but he decided to keep the conversation rolling. "So, uh, tell me about your family."
"Well, I'm afraid I dont have any siblings I live with my mother and father running his forge he actually forged my weapons and armor for me." She pats Milo and Ankuo lovingly and even lets her sash run through her fingers, a parting gift from her mother that reminds her of home.
"Really, your dad makes huntsman weapons?" Jaune asked as they kept getting closer to a mountain,"That's cool."
"Indeed," Pyrrha agreed, having fond memories of her father's work, "my father has been sought out by many for his exceptional work; his semblance allows him to see the smallest details in anything making is mechashift weapons function perfectly."
"Semblance?" Jaune asked curiously. He remembered Charlie mentioning that word yesterday before Verdo punched his giant friend in the stomach and then was launched into Weiss. And then he didn't bother asking why that happened. His confusion made Pyrrha take a good look at him again. That was another thing that he should have known had he been trained, or maybe he was just forgetful.
"When we have our aura unlocked, we also gain a special ability tailored to ourselves, connected directly to our abilities and personalities."
"Really, like a superpower?" Jaune looked at his hands, thinking that now that he had his aura unlocked, maybe he could get a cool power.
"Hehehe," Pyrrha was amused by his boundless enthusiasm. "In a way, I suppose that's one way to look at it."
"Whats yours?" Jaune asked, surprising her. Many had inquired about her semblance countless times before; her agent had advised that revealing one's semblance was necessary only if it posed a danger to others, such as an instant-kill ability. She had kept hers concealed, using it to her advantage in battles. However, Jaune was her partner, and for their teamwork, she figured it wouldn't hurt to share.
"Well, I suppose," she murmured, her tone tinged with a hint of amusement. She locked eyes with Jaune, his excitement palpable as he eagerly awaited a glimpse of her semblance. Glancing around discreetly, she retrieved Milo, channeling her aura into her palm effortlessly, a skill honed over countless years. As her sword began to levitate and twirl like a propeller, a sense of quiet confidence enveloped her, a silent display of her formidable power.
"Whoa, that is cool!" Jaune said like an overexcited child before Pyrrha let the blade drop in her hand with a radiant smile. This was the first time she had ever shown anyone her semblance— someone not in her family ,an agent ,or trainer.
"Jeez, you are so amazing, you know that?" Jaune's words caught her off guard, leaving her feeling both flustered and perplexed. Despite being accustomed to constant praise from her fans, his simple compliment seemed to resonate deeply within her. She attempted to dismiss the admiration, a routine response to such accolades. Yet, his words stirred an unexpected rush of emotions, causing her heart to quicken its pace.
"Oh, I'm nothing special."
"Pyrrha, from everything Ive seen, youre incredible. I'm the one whose a-" He caught himself before he mentioned the word fake, reminding himself that he was only here because he cheated his way into Beacon, and compared to Pyrrha, he was garbage. She was trained for years for this initiation. He was just a kid with a dream who got lucky.
"Jaune?"
"Oh, uh, it's... what's that?" he said, snapping out of his stupor, pointing past her and toward the forest, hoping to play it off as mere distraction. However, as he pushed through the bushes, he stumbled upon a cave entrance encircled by ancient drawings on the rock. The illustrations etched on the stone depicted men armed with spears and bows engaged in combat with a colossal scorpion-like creature.
"You think this is it?" Jaune asked Pyrrha as she trailed up behind him. Looking at the cave herself, she didn't know if it was their destination. After all, the headmaster said it would be in a temple, although the temple could be inside.
"It's possible the temple is inside," she said calmly, her voice tinged with a hint of curiosity, as Jaune swiftly drew his sword and hacked at a tree branch with determined precision. The branch snapped through on his second strike, and he picked up the stick.
"Gimme a sec, my dad taught me how to make a torch on a camping trip once."
--
Ilene pressed on through the seemingly endless bushes of the emerald forest, a heavy silence lingering between them. Unsure if the atmosphere was more awkward or tense, she pondered her relationship with the quiet cyborg girl trailing silently behind her. Despite hardly exchanging words since their meeting, they were now united in purpose, bound by circumstance. Ilene accepted the reality that this timid girl was now her partner, their shared goal looming ahead in the dense undergrowth at the end of this forest.
Ilene couldn't shake the unsettling feeling as the mysterious girl trailed behind her, tugging on her little black sundress. This girl was obviously the quiet type. Ilene had dealt with silent people before, but not usually out of shyness, more like silently seething with rage, waiting for a chance to end you in silence. There were a lot of types like that in Raven's camp.
Ilene looked back at her partner as she sheepishly followed behind her. This girl was like a frail twig ready to blow over despite having sturdy metal limbs, making her stronger than the average person. It wasn't that Ilene was freaked out by such enhancements; it was more like she was curious. While you'd occasionally see a person walking around with one, maybe two at the most, But they're expensive, and parts were a bit hard to find from what she heard from people who had them broken.
But to see such a person so heavily reconstructed, she couldn't help but imagine what Sasha's story was and just how tough she could be.
"Could you please not stare?" Sasha mumbled to her partner, feeling her gaze upon her, making Ilene turn back around awkwardly, feeling a little guilty. She fidgeted with her blue hair, searching for the right words.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she mumbled, going with a simple apology, her voice tinged with remorse.
"Are you curious about my limbs?" Sasha was able to pee together easily, making Ilene feel a little like shrinking on herself.
"It's okay," she reassured Ilene, gently looking away and hiding under her hat. tugging at her little black dress even more. "Everyone is always curious, and when they see me, it just gets a little too much sometimes."
Ilene could really empathize with that. Still, she should have kept her thoughts to herself. But that thought also made me think of another curious thing about this girl. her semblance, she said that she had shielded herself from her thoughts and made others forget her. Did she have deeper mental powers?
If she did, was she consistently reading her mind?
Sasha seemed even meeker than before. as she tried to disappear again from Ilene's sight. as she mubmled.
"Im sorry, sometimes I can't really control it if a person is exuding a great deal of thought. I just kind of latch onto it, and youre the only person here, and..."
Ilene's hand shot out and latched onto the girl's shoulder, and Sasha's rambling mumble ceased. Ilene really felt guilty now; she could only imagine what this was like for her, being bombarded by people's thoughts. No wonder this pretty little thing was trying so hard to hide all the time. Any feeling of having her mind intruded was forgiven. She couldn't blame this shy cyborg for her semblance acting up, and she didn't strike Ilene as a liar.
She just looked at her partner, hoping she picked up on her genuine feeling of empathy. and hoped she conveyed what she was about to say correctly.
"Hey, don't worry about it; it was an accident." She began and eased back a little from Sasha.
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't; it doesn't change that we are partners now, so we gotta work together."
She held out her hand for the girl to take, and Ilene gave her a warm smile that she couldn't see thanks to the girl's large hat, but she hoped she could tell by her voice and thoughts that she meant nothing but good intentions. "Why don't we kick this initiation in the ass so we can worry about getting to know each other later?"
The girl smiled and took Ilene's hand, and then she turned up her hat and showed her smile. Her lips were blood red; she even had a small scar that was etched on the bottom of her mouth, connecting to some bigger one that Ilene couldn't see, making this girl even more curious than before, but Ilene felt the girls happiness radiating from her as Ilene pulled her up from the ground and up upon the log.
'HOLY GODS, THIS GIRL IS HEAVY!' she thought, but she guessed that should be expected when her limbs were made of metal. but Sasha either didn't hear that or ignored them as she tore her hand back.
"We better get moving because I can sense quite a few others around getting closer to the ruins," she informed Ilen before she leapt down from the log. before she opened her palm, and a holographic compas displayed itself right above her hand.
"We aren't too far from the ruins."
"huh..handy." Ilene said as the cyborg girl began to take the lead, leading them deeper into the forest. Maybe Ilene really could do this whole team-building thing.
--
"Looks like we've made it," Veridian said with a triumphant tone as he and Charlie stood on top of the mountain's edge, looking down at the temple below. "Told you the shortcut would work."
There was a sense of triumph and satisfaction in his voice, as they had successfully reached their destination spending the last forty five minutes. The pair of them making use of Veridians enhanced ears and nose to avoid the grimm.
The breathtaking view from the mountain side made him take a deep breath of fresh air that was hard to find in the city.
"Yeah," Charlie agreed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, glaring at his friend. "Now I just need to find my breath... You know, I doubt that was really a shortcut. Why did we go UP the mountain?"
Verdo looked at his friend who was huffing he had to admit that maybe it was a larger than normal climb but they were huntsmen they should've been a cakewalk then again a cake walk is probably why charlie was wheezing so much.
Verdo looked at his portly partner and scoffed
"I'd hardly call this a mountain dude."
Charlie whined to his thin and svelte partner, "Yeah, but you don't have an excess of body fat weighing you down and making you retain extra body heat, going up a steeper incline!" Despite wearing a leather jacket, his partner looked fresh as a daisy, but Verdo just ignored his partner's whining as he cast his enhanced vision down below to the temple, scouting out the area. He could hear several people approaching the temple, some grimm scouting out the area for prey. He could also hear faint screaming in the air that he couldn't place it was carry too faintly upon the wind, and he could see two dots below: one familiar blonde girl and a secret faunus."
""Hey, looks like we've got some company down there," Charlie reached for his weapon trigger. Before he asked.
"Grimm?"
"No, but I do hear some approaching, so we may want to get down there, get the relic, and beat it," Verdo said. Charlie nodded, trusting Verdo's nose and ears as they had guided them to the temple and away from Grimm. The two of them leapt from the hill's edge; Verdo leapt from tree to tree heading down toward the temple, and Charlie landed on the ground with a giant thud. Then, when the energy surged through his body, he leapt again, flying through the air. With a carefully timed leap, he would land right in front of the temple.
--
(a few moments before)
"What about a cute little pony?" Yang called to Blake, holding a golden knight piece. Blake could only roll her eyes and shrug with a small smile.
"Sure," she walked over to the blonde, who pocketed the relic.
"Well, that wasn't too hard!" Yang said happily. Blake had to agree; this temple wasn't too hard to find, and having all these other relics out in the open.
(THUD)
Yang and Blake both readied their weapons as a giant mass landed in front of the temple, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You may have spoken a little too soon, Yang," Blake said as she aimed her weapon, Gambol Shroud. "Only a really massive Grimm could have made that kind of thud, and Blake knew she and her partner could take it. She had seen Yang handle several Ursa on her own." They both watched as the dust cleared and saw a figure crawl out of the large crater it had made; then two hands shot up, waving about.
"WHOA, I'M FRIENDLY!"Charlie screamed as he saw the two girls reaching for their weapons, ready to fire on him. Blake lowered her weapon when she realized it was the large boy she had seen with the badger Faunus who knew her secret. She had no opinion of the boy except he made her think of her dad if he packed on a few pounds.
"OH! Hey, Charlie," Yang called, waving at him, apparently more familiar with the boy than her. Blake sheathed her weapon and watched her greet the large, dark-haired boy.
"Hey, Yang," he called back as he climbed from the crater. How he made it, Blake knew he had to be tough to make a crater like that. She looked to him; he looked to her he seemed to regard her with a friendly warm smile. "Your partner?"
"Yup," the blonde said happily, looking her way, before she looked around seeing that he was alone. " did you find anyone big guy?"
"Yeah, he should," Charlie said as he looked toward the forest behind him. Just at that moment, Verdo leapt from the trees, having caught up landing right next to his partner. "... be right here."
"Hey, hot stuff," Verdo called to the blonde, who accepted the compliment with a smile. He cast a glance at Blake and gave her a small nod. She knew he hadn't given her up for anything, and that he was connected to Weiss Schnee in some way. It was obviously personal, but he hadn't revealed anything, as they were complete strangers. However, she had to admit she had become curious because what kind of history would a Schnee have with a faunus their own age who wasn't a servant or a worker.As long as he kept her secret, she supposed she could keep her curiosity in check. He looked past her and focused on the gold and black chess pieces on the pedestals.
"Are these the relics?" Veridian asked, seeing that several were already gone.
"Yup!" Yang held up the golden knight piece. Verdo took a look around before he took the black rook piece. As he walked back over to his partner, he perked up his ears as the loud screaming from earlier, which he had thought was someone running from a Grimm, was carried on the wind, sounding higher. He looked up into the sky.
While Charlie was nervously standing next to the girls asking them, "Hey, have you guys seen anyone else?"
"No, we haven't."
"AHHHHHHHHH"
All of them turned back toward the emerald forest from where the scream originated.
"Some girl is in trouble!" Yang said, ready to go hunting for whoever screamed.
"No, that's just a guy in over his head against a Death Stalker. That we don't have to worry about," Verdo corrected her knowingly, much to their confusion, before he pointed upwards. "But HER, you should worry about."
Yang looked at him as if he were mentally unstable for a moment before she dared to look up, and there was her baby sister falling toward the ground, flailing and screaming.
"HEADS UP!"
Yang quickly broke from her shock and ran to catch her sister and absorb the hit on her aura before another projectile flew over the forest and crashed into Ruby, sending them both flying into the trees. Yang chased after her to see that her sister was alright, a little shaken up, but her friend Jaune had apparently been that projectile that saved Ruby.
"Jaune?!" Charlie called to his friend, who waved as he hung upside down from some branches before Ruby tried to help her friend get to the same branch that she had landed on.
"What were you flying through the forest for?" Charlie asked, but Jaune began yelling. Charlie couldn't really understand him, so he thought about how he could get his friend down. He slammed his fist into the tree. The vibrations shook Jaune from the tree, but it also shook Ruby. Charlie only had enough hands for one, and he caught the one who fell faster, which was Ruby. She landed in his arms with a small "oof."
"Hey Charlie " she said happily while jaune landed with an indignant yelp on the ground after hitting nearly all of brnaches on the way down
"Sorry" charlie said to the boy who looked up at them with an miffed frown and leaves in his mouth.
"RUBY!"
The red reaper looked over to the one who screamed her name and saw her sister. She leapt from Charlie's arms and ran into Yang, happily hugging her.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked the sisters, but the blonde couldn't even get a word in before the woods to the west rumbled and cracked. An ursa leapt through the trees, roaring in fury, before there was a giant boom and an explosion of pink fire on its back. A bright and bubbly redheaded girl, yelling madly with a grenade launcher on her back, barrel-rolled off the dead ursa's head before she sighed sadly, "Awww, it's broken."
All those at the temple watched the display as the boy they assumed was her partner came up behind her, saying something. However, the girl was already at the relic's eyeing, the golden rook, with fascination before declaring herself "QUEEN OF THE CASTLE."
"Did she come in riding an Ursa?" Blake asked no one in particular, hoping to have some semblance of coherency. However, no one got a chance to say anything before the woods to the east burst open. Pyrrha Nikos and two unfamiliar girls were running from a gigantic Death Stalker, which was snapping at the girl wearing the sun hat, while the girl with blue hair was screaming at her partner.
"HOW ABOUT NEXT TIME YOU SENSE A PERSON WITH HIGH STRESS , YOU TRY AND MAKE SURE WE DON'T NEED TO FIGHT BEFORE WE CHECK ON THEM!"
"I'M SORRY!" the other two girls yelled at the same time as they ran to The temple with the giant insect on all three of their tails.
Charlie could see Yang was about to blow a gasket, so he took a step back toward his partner, who was still looking up high in the sky, staring as if trying to find something.
"Is none of this registering with you?" he asked, nodding back to the giant mess before them. A guy with a green shirt and a pink stripe in his hair, seemingly from Mistral descent, only pointed high up in the air. Charlie looked up to see a nevermore flying high with something white dangling from its claws. After a closer look, he knew only one person from initiation that had that much white for their outfit.
And suddenly Charlie understood why.
"Everything that was happening was interesting, but that is comedy gold I'll enjoy forever. Hehe," Verdo laughed when everyone else took notice of the girl, just as the other boy had joined them at the temple's base. Verdo had been watching that show ever since he'd heard Ruby falling.
"How did you guys get a ride from a Nevermore?" Charlie asked Ruby as she kicked the dirt meekly next to her sister.
"Uhhh, truth be told, we kinda just improvised to get up higher and then landed on it as it flew by... She'll be fine," Ruby said, though she didn't really know how much of that she believed, since everything this morning had gone completely awry ever since she had landed on the forest floor. It had gotten even worse since she stood up to Weiss, trying to prove herself to the crabby girl that she belonged in Beacon.
"Shes falling"Blake said, making them all watch as the heiress fell to the ground. With his enhanced eyes, Verdo could see her falling to her doom. Though he didn't know why she didn't use her glyphs; she probably just forgot in the shock of the moment. He began walking over to where he knew she was going to fall and then took notice of Jaune running out to catch Weiss as well. But Verdo grabbed his arm and pointed to where he could hear his own partner running from the Death Stalker still.
"Why don't you go help your own partner, Jaune," Verdo said and Jaune looked where he was pointing and saw Pyrrha had run here with that monster after it had flung him over the forest.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune drew his family blade and ran to help the champion, while Verdo stood right under Weiss's falling trajectory and pulled up his aura into his muscles before she landed right in his arms with a heavy jerk. Her arm wound around his head, and she looked around shocked at her savior who was smirking down at her.
She seemed shocked that he had lifted a single hand to save her.
"Does the hero get a kiss from the fair maiden?" he asked, and the shock wore off before she shoved herself free from his grasp and scowled at him. She looked half ready to draw her blade on him. But against her desire to do so she just stepped away from him.
"I would rather kiss a Beowulf," she said before she righted herself on her own two feet, hating the smirk he was sending her way, knowing the only reason he saved her was because he would hold it over her head for the whole school year. Before they heard a giant roar, and they looked to the Death Stalker fighting Pyrrha and those two girls before it backhanded the Mistral champion, who flew through the air just as Jaune was about to join the fight before he saw his partner flying toward him.
He opened his arms wide and she landed right against him making them both fall and crash before their friends with her face planted on his white chest plate and his arms around her waist.
"Oh, looks like things are going well for you, lady killer," Yang joked at their expense, watching them both blush furiously as the entire monthly group looked on.
This was honestly a new type of situation for both of them.
"Are you guys, like, together together?" the bubbly redhead asked, pointing at them before they tried to vehemently deny it.
"Ofcourse they arent!" Weiss said stepping up to Pyrrha who was still blushing as bright as her hair." Theres no way that she would sully her self with ...(she looked at jaune who was trying to find his sword) HIM."
Verdo rolled his eyesat Weiss trying to control people once again. He can only imagine what it had been like for Ruby being with her all morning alone in the forest.
"Uh Guys," Charlie grabbed everyone's attention, embarrassed by his friends' situation. "Maybe we should deal with the death stalker and the nevermore now, instead of standing around twiddling our thumbs?"
He suggested, and they all looked toward the girls who were still fighting the giant insect. Verdo looked toward them and took a closer look. There was a cyborg girl ducking and weaving under the claws, batting away its pinchers with surprising strength, while the blue-haired girl kept throwing her bladed discs at its carapace. The armor was too thick to do any damage, and they were running out of options and steam.
"Well, I'm open to suggestions," Yang told Charlie, who looked about as lost as she was before Verdo called to them.
"We gotta get those two girls out of there first! We can regroup and take care of them then," he ordered.
"I'll get them!" Ruby said before she rushed past them all using her semblance, disappearing in a flurry of roses too fast for them, even as Verdo yelled for her to stop. But the little reaper was determined to prove herself.
--
The Death Stalker was pissed as Ilene figured out, throwing Fenrir at it. She watched it bounce from its armored sides and back to her hands. Despite its size, it was fast, keeping up with her and Sasha.
She cast a look to her partner as it slammed a claw down on her, knocking away her sun hat with a giant gust of air before it tried to backhand the cyborg girl. However, with surprising strength of her own, she held out her hands and stopped the claw in mid-air, pushing it back, shocking Ilene.
Ilene knew that she would have to fight Grimm at this school. Raven had made her fight some pretty nasty things, but not before she was ready, and this had to be the biggest thing she had faced yet. She couldn't get a moment to switch out the dust cartridges on Fenrir. This thing was a beast, and her semblance was useless against it.
Sasha wasn't much help either. Grimm had no minds to read, as she told her while they were walking, before she had picked up on Red's stress. Sasha had guided them to her, thinking the girl was just worried and not running for her life from a bug that they got dragged into fighting. Now they were ducking its massive claws. Ilene threw her disc and watched it block its eyes before she called her weapon back, but it swiped hard, and she had to tank her aura being swatted away onto the ground. Her aura flickered in and out of flux as the Death Stalker rounded on her.
"SHIT!"
(Bang, bang, bang) Three high-impact rounds richocheted themselves against the beast's face, not doing much damage to that armor, but enough to be an annoyance.
"Ilene looked behind her to see where the shots came from. She saw a flurry of roses flying toward them and dispersing before the little girl she had seen yesterday, wielding a gigantic scythe. The girl slammed down onto the beast's claws and slashed it away from Ilene. She was surprised once again as someone took her by the hand and pulled her to her feet. She saw a skunk Faunus telling her to run.
She was going to argue she wasn't leaving without her partner, except a giant blur flew past her and the Faunus to grab the beast's left pincer with his bare hands. His strength matched the Death Stalker's, and both man and beast growled at each other before he slammed a giant fist into the claw. They heard a giant crunch as its mandible bent at an unnatural angle, and as it writhed in pain, staggering on its six legs.
She watched the giant boy who had saved her partner lift Sasha onto his shoulder and run toward them, with the Faunus pushing her along. She didn't have time to argue or reason, she just knew they were on her side and had just saved her and her partner, so she'd give them the benefit of the doubt.
"Ruby, get out of there!" the Faunus yelled at the girl who had stayed behind, still trying to kill the Death Stalker. Ilene had to admit the girl had guts. But it was obviously a losing battle she couldnt peirce its hide. Yet she still tried.
--
Verdo and Charlie had helped the two girls, and now he just needed to find a way to help his other friend. However, the beast was in a pained frenzy, as its left claw was broken at an odd angle. Ruby tried to exploit it by attacking its side, but her weapon wouldn't pierce, giving the Death Stalker a chance to swipe her away into a heap, knocking her weapon aside and exsposed her for an attack.
"RUBY!" Yang yelled and ran past all of them, just as Verdo saw the Nevermore fanning its wings above thier heads knowing what was coming from hearing the bristling of its feathers.
"DAMN!," he growled and rushed past the girl hed just saved, grabbing Yang to stop her just as the Nevermore launched a storm of its deadly armor-piercing feathers. However, it was not soon enough, as he looked up to see a flying hurricane of deadly black quills heading right for them, quickly shadowed behind a giant figure who looked up to the sky with a grimace.
Then, two shining black round shields displaying two large spiders on their faces upon his partners arms turned to the incoming feathers and clanked upon them. Bouncing off th metal the kinetic energy passing into his body thanks to his semblance. When the thuds upon the shields stopped, Verdo looked up to his partner and thanked him with a huff.
"Thanks, Charlie."
"Yeah, thanks, big guy," Yang said before she remembered her sister. Then she leapt from the safety of the shield and saw that her sister was alive but weaponless, pinned by her cloak from one of those projectile feathers. The Death Stalker was creeping upon Ruby, who was frantically trying to pull her cloak free.
"I'M COMING, RUBY!" Yang ran to help her sister, but she wasn't anywhere near fast enough. As the Death Stalker raised its deadly tail, Verde thought he could use his semblance to the max and get there and cut into the beasts eyes or maybe Charlie could leap into the air and use that piledriver to squash the bug. Both ideas were nixed when a blur of white rushed past them and froze the Death Stalker's tail just as it lunged for Ruby. This left him shocked to see who had saved her.
--
(a few moments ago)
Weiss had stoically watched Veridian chase after her childish partner, observing as he and his giant, ham-fisted friend leapt into action while the rest of them just sat on their hands.
While she wouldn't usually care about Veridian Agro, watching him save those two girls reminded her that he had just saved her himself, and while that may have been for nefarious purposes, saving those two was none other than the right thing to do, to which they all should have leapt into action to help.
But now her own partner was helping her former lover, and they actually managed to get the girls to safety. And when Ruby stayed behind to try and kill the Death Stalker, Weiss couldn't stop and critique her technique. Her weapon obviously wasn't suited for slaying a Death Stalker, but she had to admire her tenacity. She was trying so hard to show off. But when the Death Stalker had Ruby pinned, she watched as her sister rushed for her, and Verdo, even though he was closer, was pinned down by the Nevermore's dart-like feathers, and the Death Stalker was coming closer.
She may not have liked Veridian or Ruby Rose much right now, but was that worth her blood? Weiss didn't think so, and so she charged her aura, grabbed her rapier from her hip, and used her glyphs to lunge faster than anyone could see. She slammed Myrtenaster to the ground right before her partner and froze the Death Stalker's tail, as Ruby cowered in fear with the deadly stinger inches in front of her face.
"You're so childish," Weiss griped at the girl, who was shocked to see her standing above her before she pulled her sword from the ice wall she had made. "And dim-witted and hyperactive. And don't even get me started on your fighting style."
Ruby cringed with each harsh word from her partner, and Weiss saw that her words were a blow to the girl, so she took a breath and begrudgingly added, "And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult ("pffft understatment." Verdo huffed hearing that from behind the heiress)... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So, if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."
Ruby looked up at her and sheepishly admitted, "I'm not trying to show off; I'm just trying to show you I can do this."
Weiss knew what it was like to want to impress an older superior, so she just sighed as she cast a glance behind the girl, where her sister was coming up with Verdian on her heels, likely to check on the girl.
"You're fine, Ruby," she walked past the blonde girl, who rushed to embrace her sister, while she caught Verdian looking at her with a smile, not a smirk, but a genuine smile, nodding her way.
"Nice save," he commented, looking at the frozen Death Stalker. He said knowing Weiss well enough that her doing any of this was a big deal and he wouldn't spoil it.
"Well, someone had to pick up the slack, didn't they?" she said, flicking her hair his way, making him chuckle before his ears picked up cracking, and he looked past her to the Death Stalker and saw that the ice was already cracking. And Verdo knew they didn't want to be around when it cracked completely.
"Okay, we need to move; that won't hold it forever," he said, and the others looked to the Death Stalker just as the Nevermore shrieked above, and they picked up their weapons and a sun hat before running back to the temple.
--
Ilene and Sasha had used the distraction of the rich girl to join the others. When they were safe, Ilene looked over at her partner and nearly jumped in place. During the attack, she remembered the death stalker had knocked away her sun hat, and now her face was on display.
It wasn't like anything Ilene expected. She expected whatever happened to her to have left her horribly scarred. Sasha did have a couple of sharp-looking scars around her face, but she was utterly adorable despite them.
Her short hair was black like night and had two contrasting white bangs framing her cute face. Her pale skin made her look like a cute porcelain doll, and said doll lit up like a flaming inferno on her cheeks, making Ilene think for a moment.
'Oh crap, was she reading my mind?'
"Just a little," Sasha admitted, looking away while she cast looks toward the others. Some were looking at them, others weren't doing anything except trying to figure out what to do now. But that big guy who had helped them came up to Sasha and asked, "You guys alright?"
Mistral's spider hand asked them, and Ilene had to admit he wasn't at all what she expected from the stories she had heard.
"We're fine... thanks for the help. We kinda got roped into fighting that thing," she said, pointing back to the frozen monster as the others were running back to them.
Charlie looked at them, casting a glance at Sasha staring at her for a moment before he cast his eyes anywhere else , yet she looked up at him and blushed heavily before she said, "Thank you."
The big guy just shrugged it off and said, "It was no big deal; you needed help, it's our job."
"No, thank you for what you said," Sasha clarified, making Ilene suddenly curious. The big guy was confused because he didn't really say anything... outside of his head.
But the thought of asking Sasha what he thought was broken when the others finally got back to the temple with them, and the skunk boy gave Sasha back her hat, which she accepted gratefully before she was assaulted by their thoughts from seeing her face. Ilene could tell they were probably nothing but pity as she shrunk on herself, making Ilene want to smack some sense into them. But she was stopped by a gigantic screech, and they turned to the Nevermore as it circled in the sky.
"That oversized chicken is circling back," Ilene said as she pushed her retrieval button, and Fenrir connected to the magnetic dust on her gloves and began flying back toward her hand, which she caught easily with practice.
"Then there's no sense in dillydallying," Weiss said before pointing to the relics, "our objective is right in front of us."
"She's right," Ruby agreed with her partner. "We don't need to fight these things; our objective is to get an artifact and make it back to the cliffs."
"You mean these things?" Ilene said, pointing to the chess pieces. After a round of agreements, she grabbed the first one she could, which was some sort of black castle-looking thing, while Ruby and the scraggly blonde grabbed their own as well. But before they could ask, Verdo's ears perked up, and he looked to the deathstalker, noticing that the ice was cracking harder. He wasn't the only one who could tell they were running low on time. The boy who had come with the crazy ursa-riding girl spoke up,
"Time we left," he said, and everyone agreed in their own way
"Yeah, we can meet and greet later," Ilene said. "Right now, we should focus on not becoming monster food."
Verdo perked up his nose and ears, sniffing the air. He could smell old masonry mold in the air and the billowing of air to the cliffs. Not Beacon's cliffs, but cliffs of some sort of ruins. "Everyone, there are ruins to the southeast and some cliffs. We can get better cover there than in the open forest."
"We should follow him," Weiss said with a nod surprising Veridian for the second time today. "He has an impeccable sense of direction."
"Then why didn't we follow his advice earlier?" Ruby asked, the heiress who stuck her tongue out at the little girl, making Verdo smirk at her, knowing he'd gotten her, but he'd get her for it later. Right now, they needed to move, and move they did. The entire group of twelve started running as fast as they could, following Verdo's directions, not knowing that their actions were being watched by another person other than their teachers.
--
Nestled deep in the misty haze of the emerald forest was a large canyon and with in the canyon looking high above the greenery was a ruin of a secret kingdom long since lost to the ravages of time. the ancient structure stood tall upon pillars of stone that had their roots deep down with in the mists of the canyon. and upon the tallest towers of these ruins sat a mysterious figure draped in shadow by a cloak of pure blackness deeper than the darkest night his deep amber eyes gazing down to the group of twelve teenangers who emerged from the trees below not to far from the nearby tample watching unbeknownst to them like a protective gaurdian of ages long past as they rushed right to the catle he sat upon.
Those deep reflective eyes fell upon to a mysterious the group of four as they lagged behind the others. The cyborg telepath, the ruthless bandit, the secret enforcer, and their cunning rogue leader all seemed to be on guard, keeping a watchful eye on the rear while their comrades pushed forward towards the castle's base. That and they were waiting for Charlie to catch up to them. This mysterious figure could sense their hunters closing in on them- the deadly deathstalker and the menacing nevermore. His gaze intensified as he studied how this group would handle themselves against both their enemies and their own allies.
The nevermore landed on the tower next to the figure, its wings beating loudly. He regarded the beast with contempt, his amber eyes narrowing in disdain. The nevermore made a move to strike him, but with a flash of his eyes, it froze, its blood red gaze meeting his. For a moment, the two stared at each other much how two predators would assert their dominance before the nevermore lowered its head in obedience, as he had expected. He glanced down at the students below and let out a low, humming sound, a hint of amusement in his throat. As he stood on that tower, he exuded an air of superiority and dominance as he pet the nevermores beak.
"Go play and give them an initiation to remember my pet."
The dark man's voice was as cold as shadows as he commanded, the beast of grimm. His word laced with an eerie power that cowed this gigantic, evil and menacing creature into obeying. And so looking down below at the same humans that had escaped it before the giant nevermore turned it head up to the heavens beating its massive wings before shreiking to high heavens ready for the hunt.
--
With Veridian as their guide, they arrived at the old ruins perched on the cliff's edge. As they approached, they couldn't help but marvel at the ancient road that lay before them. The crumbling columns and masonry on either side provided ample cover, which they quickly took advantage of in order to hide from the ever-watchful nevermore as it perched itself on top of the ruins cutting off their escape. And so he took cover on the far left with those two girls they rescued.
As he stood in the ruins, he cast his eyes around at the others, making sure they still had everyone. Jaune and Pyrrha stood together, his ears picking up the little heartbeat skip as she stood close to the blonde.
'Knew she liked him.' he thought before counting the others.
Blake and Weiss were also paired up, hiding behind a pillar of their own. They were both completely focused on the nevermore, though he could sense some tension from Blake as she stood next to the Schnee.
Nearby, Nora and Ren were completely in sync with each other, giving off the feeling of old childhood friends who complimented each other perfectly as they hid.
Ruby stuck closely to her sister, showing their years of training together, displaying a strong sibling bond of care and trust in each other's abilities.
But his eyes also fell on Charlie, standing alone at the back of the ruins. He was standing by himself, trying to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Verdo was with the tomboy with blue hair and the cyborg girl. He hadn't heard their names yet, but now they had to think of a plan to deal with the bird.
(tap tap tap) He felt hard metal fingers poking his shoulder and he looked behind him to see the girl had lifted her sun hat to speak to him.
"I'm Sasha, and this is Ilene. Since you didn't get a chance to hear our names earlier," she said, pointing to herself and the girl with the blue hair behind her. It was as though she had been reading his mind, but given the current moment, he should just be grateful he didn't have to ask their names or call them "you" if it came to combat against these monsters.
"Uh nice to meet you." he said oddly to the girl as she lowered her hat again.
"So what are we supposed to do now, genius?" Ilene asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she looked at the boy who had lead them to this kill box.
He ran a hand through his hair scratching his animal ears, his mind racing as he assessed their situation. They were stuck in the middle of this forest, surrounded by dangerous creatures and with no way out. The only hope they had was to reach the castle's connecting bridge and make for the cliffs, but even that seemed like a risky plan.
"We could try to run to the bridge, but that would leave us exposed to the nevermore," the boy finally replied, his voice laced with frustration.
Ilene nodded, understanding the gravity of their situation. The nevermore was huge, But evenit's size could be their benefit to dodge it more easily. But that was a big if.
But before they could come up with a solid plan, a loud crash echoed through the woods. The two of them froze, their eyes widening in fear. They knew what was coming.
The death stalker, emerged from the trees. Its ten beady little eyes locked onto them all, its long tail whipping back and forth as it let out a menacing hiss intent on finsihing them off..
"OH MAN RUN!" Jaune screamed and Verdo had to agree between the death sqwuak and the armored insect he knew what the better option was .
They all broke cover and the group of brave warriors charged towards the temple.As they approached the temple bridge, the nevermore let out a deafening screech, its giant wings spread wide, ready for attack. It was a terrifying sight, with its body covered in sharp, dagger-like feathers and its eyes filled with malice.
Before it launched another storm of feathers upon them which they all dodged.Before Nora, the group's explosives expert, quickly pulled out her grenade launcher and aimed them at the nevermore's face. As she fired them, the rest of the group took cover and prepared for the next move.
Verdo, looked behind and saw their comrade Charlie running towards them, being chased by the death stalker. Verdo knew that Charlie wouldn't be able to outrun the beast for long, and so he readied himself to fight. But just as he was about to charge towards fray to help his friend, he tripped over an old stone that had fallen from the temple's crumbling walls.
Verdo's heart raced as he saw the death stalker lunging towards his friend, its giant pincers ready to crush him. He desperately reached for his weapon, Dante, determined to save his partner.
Just as Verdo thought it was the end for Charlie, he heard a loud thud and the sound of metal clashing against the ground. With a sigh of relief, he saw that Charlie had raised his shield just in time to block the death stalker's attack.
But before he could go to help his friend, Ilene and Sasha, had leapt out from behind Verdo and took on the death stalker with impressive agility and strength.
Ilene threw her chakram with precision, cutting off two of the death stalker's left legs. As the beast stumbled, Sasha clap her proesthtic hands together to produce a javelin made of liquid metal from her arm. With a fierce determination, she threw it straight towards the death stalker's eye, causing it to let out a spine-chilling shriek..
Charlie's heart raced as he peered past his raised shields to see a lance of metal protruding from the Death Stalker's largest left eye. The beast let out a gut-wrenching scream of pain, causing Charlie to shudder. Just then, he heard a girlish voice in his head, urging him to take action.
'KICK IT CHARLIE KICK IT!'
Getting the idea with determination and courage, Charlie raised his leg using the power he had saved up and delivered a powerful kick with his steel toed shoe to the lance and it shot itself through the beasts skull. And the release of that energy shot him back wards to his comrades skidding across the ground before he landed right between two pairs of ladies shoes. And looking up he saw their hands reaching down for his own and he accepted and they lifted him up.
The tension in the air was palpable as the group stood facing the death stalker, its screeches piercing through the forest.
"Thanks, guess we're even," Charlie managed to say before the death stalker let out another ear-splitting screech. Its anger seemed to have intensified, with a silver javelin now sticking through its eye and up into its head.
"We'll discuss later, run now!" Ilene's urgent voice broke through the chaos, as she took off towards the castle ruins. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, as they fled from the ferocious creature.
--
The mysterious figure observed his little quartet running and laughing together, the man couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. It seemed that things were finally falling into place for his team. Ever since they had found each other and made friends, their bond had only grown stronger. He was especially pleased that Ozpin had followed his advice and allowed them into the prestigious Beacon Academy.
Watching Verdo lead the group, with Sasha and Ilene getting along effortlessly, and even Charlie showing signs of inner strength, he was convinced that this team would be one of the best that Beacon had ever produced. There was a tinge of excitement in his black little heart as he thought about the future of his students, and he couldn't wait to see them grow into powerful, skilled warriors...or for them to destroy the world.
"But let's see how well their teamwork goes," He said with a dark chuckle
As he raised his hand, and with a wave of his cloak, a dark miasma surrounded him bathing. Suddenly, he appeared on the forest floor, camouflaged by the trees. He looked out toward the group of four smiling as they were able to re-group. together but he wanted to test them on their own not with the others.And with a pulse of power his body began to morph and change, two large tusks appeared from his mouth.
"Time to test what you're made of kids." he declared with a mischievous grin and a pig like snort.
--
The four of them were running as fast as they could, their hearts pounding in their chests as they tried to catch up to the others who had already crossed the bridge. Verdo watched in horror as the nevermore dive bombed the stone pathway, sending chunks of destroyed stone into the mists below. With a quick check, all heads were accounted for, but this also meant that they were now effectively split apart. Some of them had managed to make it to the safety of the castle, while the rest were stranded on the remains of the bridge on the opposite side. As they looked back, Verdo saw the irate death stalker limping towards them, its broken mandibles and pierced eye revealing its intent for revenge. They were now stuck between the angry Grimm and a cliff, the depth of which was anyone's guess.
Ilene's voice was filled with excitement and a hint of sarcasm as she spun Fenrir in her hand. She couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline at the thought of facing such a massive boarbatusk. As the earth shook beneath their feet, she couldn't contain her enthusiasm and blurted out,
"Well great, can this get any more fun?"
Ilene blurted out her voice was filled with excitement and a hint of sarcasm as she spun Fenrir in her hand ready to take on this insect. But the forest trembled as the ground shook. leaving the four of them shocked as they came face to face with the largest boarbatusk they had ever seen. It was at least half the mass of a goliath . And it was charging forward rght for them before it took a spot right next to the death stalkers left blocking any hope of escape.
And they all looked to Ilene who looked like she had just screwed them over. Verdo looked between The flying nevermore as it circled around the castle and the encroaching boarbatusk and limping death stalker. Theyed have a better chance against the bug but only because it was running on four out of six legs and porky was fresh and looked eager to kill.
"Any body have any ideas?" Charlie said as he activated his sheilds and Sashas arms opened small little compartments and then that liquid metal began flowing out and formed another metal spear.
"Im a telepath and i have metal limbs " she said looking to the grimm. " but that isnt gonna do much against both of them grimm dont have minds."
"Then we split them up!" Verdo said pulling out virgil catching their focus, "get bacon bits to charge us and we can sneak around the death stalkers left."
They all got the idea and gave nods waiting for the moment.
"Then we better piss it off!"
Ilene said as she split up fenrir into two chakrams before she threw them at the boar and they connected with its face and it gave a hellish snarl before it charged forward.
"GO!"
It was a close call, but they managed to jump to the sides just in time to avoid being crushed by the charging beast. However, the pig was not deterred and slammed into a section of the ruins, causing debris to fly everywhere. Seizing the opportunity, the group sprinted away as fast as their legs could carry them. They all knew that the left side of the death stalker was the most damaged and therefore the most likely for an escape. However, the boarbatusk was determined and snarled and snorted as it gave chase.
The death stalker knew that it had lost its chance at a meal. However, as it made its way towards the cliffs edge, the cunning creature could sense that there was still more waiting for it. Driven by hunger and determination, the death stalker used whatever remained of its strength to chase after the little morsels that were surely awaiting it at the bridge.
--
The four of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Determination and fear fueled their movements, as they left the looming presence of the death stalker behind. With each step, they could feel the adrenaline coursing through their veins, urging them to push harder and faster.
Finally, they reached a more wide-open area, and the boar, still in pursuit, and nowhere to hide. They knew they could not slow down, for even the slightest pause could mean the end of their lives. But for now, they were safe in the open, their survival instincts kicking into high gear to keep them one step ahead of danger.
They needed to expose the underside of the grimm, he thought, as he recalled their physiology. They couldn't defeat these beasts without a proper plan. He looked at his partner and the two impromptu team members, remembering their skills and abilities in battle. They had been fighting these creatures for a while now, and Verdo had seen what they were capable of. With a quick plan forming in his head.
"SASHA ILENE " he called gaining their attention "FLANK IT LEFT AND RIGHT "
As the two of them split apart, he quickly turned around and drew his weapons, ready to confront the giant porkchop in front of them. He began peppering the creature's face with his powerful fifty calibur dust rounds, specifically aiming for its eyes. The giant porkchop shook its head in an attempt to avoid being hit, by the relentless force of the bullets. And it kept it charging forward right to him.
"CHARLIE HIT THE BRAKES!"Verdo commanded Charlie to hit the brakes and his partner wasted no time leaping into action. Armed with dual shields, he charged straight at the boarbatusk, ready for anything. The collision between the two powerhouses was intense, but with the extra boost of power from the charge, Charlie was able to bring the massive pig to a halt. Digging his feet into the ground, he held his ground against the enemy even as it tried to buck him of its head.
"NOW!"
At the badgers command, Sasha and Ilene immediately sprang into action, attacking the grimm from its exposed sides. Ilene, armed with her chakrams, aimed her strikes at the pig-like creature's legs, hoping to sever any tendons and weaken it. Meanwhile, Sasha's cybernetic arms had transformed into large, silvery blades, which she used to carve deep gashes into the grimm's flesh. The pig let out a loud, pained squeal as it struggled to defend itself against the fierce onslaught from the two girls.
"CHARLIE !"
At Verdo's Yell, Charlie tapped into all of the power that the boar had charged him up with. With a fierce battle cry of "Who wants bacon!", Charlie summoned all of that power into one mighty fist. With a mighty strength, Charlie unleashed an uppercut that sent the Grimm flying through the air and crashing down on its side with a resounding thud.
Seizing the oppurtunity in that moment, Verdo leapt into the air and expertly flipped Dante and Virgil together, in their blade forms. Sasha, not to be outdone, joined in the aerial attack with her own set of blades. Together, they struck the beast's stomach, causing it to howl in excruciating pain. With its final breaths, the Grimm slowly dissipated into smoke and dust from whence it came.
As the two teenagers exchanged a glance, a small smile formed on their lips. With practiced ease, they both pulled out their weapons out of the smoking creature. As the boy observed, he couldn't help but admire the intricate metal blades merging back into her arms, disappearing into hidden compartments as she hid behind her hat once more.
"Thats cool," he said complimenting her skill and weapons as she walked back to Ilene who gave her similar praise. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of technology they possessed, as it was clearly advanced and Atlesian.
As they regrouped and looked over the aftermath of the battle, their other eight allies stood in awe, watching the impressive display of skills and bravery. He watched Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren gracefully defeat the death stalker and then watched in shock Ruby take down the nevermore with her scythe as she ran along a cliff in a plan that was utterly crazy.
Charlie let out a low whistle as he watched the impressive display of skill and power from Ruby.
"Whoa," he breathed out in awe.
Ilene, on the other hand, couldn't contain her amusement and burst out laughing, slamming her hand on Sasha's back in a friendly manner. "Well, that was quite a show!" she exclaimed, running a hand through her vibrant blue hair. "You're on fire, skunk boy."
Verdo let out a tired sigh, correcting her by saying he was actually a badger making Ilene winced at her mistake.
"My bad."
--
After finally reuniting, the group made the decision to follow Verdian's directions and return to school. As they arrived, they were instructed to turn in their relics in pairs and then wait in the cafeteria. They were also given a couple of hours to rest, grab some lunch, and even visit the infirmary if needed. During this time, they took the opportunity to get to know each other and their new friends. They also got acquainted with those who would be their new team members. And so all twelve of them grabbed lunch.
"Pyrrha let out a tired sigh as she and Jaune collapsed onto a nearby bench, their bodies still buzzing with the adrenaline from their latest mission.
"Well, today was quite an adventure," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. Looking over at Jaune, she couldn't help but notice his exhausted state, as if he might topple over at any moment. But they were all used to this by now, constantly pushing themselves to the limit as they trained to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. But Pyrrha couldn't help but feel grateful that it was all worth it even fighting the death stalker she had made some real friends for once.
"Heck yeah!"Nora's voice was filled with pride as she recounted the thrilling experience. "That had to be the biggest grimm I've taken out ...THIS MONTH."
Ren, remained quiet as he savored his meal, content to let Nora's imagination run wild. However, he couldn't resist giving his own input on the matter. With a contemplative tone, he chimed in.
"I find it surprising that grimm of such size could be near Beacon. They were quite difficult to defeat."
"But we did it!" Ruby was beaming with joy, pride, excitement feeling like she was finally a true huntress. Her sister stood by her side, sharing in her happiness. Blake and Weiss were also there, sitting next to each other. Blake seemed a bit uneasy, as she wasn't used to being so close to a schnee. But she couldn't deny that Weiss had proven herself to be a valuable ally and skilled fighter. It was ironic how they had never met before, yet now they were on the same team facing life's challenges together..
Yang exclaimed with a playful tone, " Ozpin himself said that it was impressive for a first year team like us to take down such a large Grimm. That has to be pretty cool, right guys?" She grinned mischievously, wrapping an arm around her younger sister in a playful headlock. Ruby squirmed and laughed, trying to break free from her sister's hold. It was clear that Yang was proud of their accomplishment and was even prouder of her sister.
"Hey, I just wanted to say sorry again for the whole skunk incident," Ilene said to her new friends as they walked together. She was joined by her team, which included the ghost of Beacon, a shy giant, and Weiss' exe, whom she was apologizing to for the hundredth time.
Despite her efforts, Verdo reassured her that it was no big deal. They all sat down to eat, with Charlie holding a large salad, a second plate of food, and Sasha with the smallest portion. Ilene had a basic plate like her Faunus friend as they all sat together watching as Yang let her sister go.
"Hey, I saw the boar-batusk you guys took out." Yang said as she popped a cherry into her mouth. "That was a pretty good plan to take out its legs."
"Yeah, we may have been fighting the Deathstalker, but when I was up in the air, I was able to see you guys taking out its legs together and I saw you hitting it from above. Then I saw you two stabbing it to death. That was a really well-thought-out plan! It was like WHHHAAA." Nora said in an excited tone, pointing between all four of the new members who had just joined their table.
"It was an efficient use of your abilities." Ren agreed, "Whose idea was it?"
"Verdos." Charlie said, pointing at the fuanus who was munching on his chicken. "When we were caught between the two grimm, we waited for the boar to charge and got around it, leaving the death stalker behind."
"It was a just obvious strategy." He said though it was something his father nailed into his head thinking and planning ahead.
"For a moment I thought you were running away... again." Weiss commented coldly from her end of the table, making them all go a little quiet while Verdo regarded her coldly as well before countering.
"Well, Weiss, I just used you as inspiration and thought of the quickest, cleanest, coldest way to take it out."
He loved how Weiss's body tensed, and she scowled at him, but then a voice sounded in his head.
'Verdo stopped antagonising her.' That voice called to him, and it seemed familiar, so he turned to Sasha, who looked at him from under her sun hat and didn't look pleased with him. In fact, none of the others did; Jaune was peeking up from his place next to Pyrrha, who looked tense. Ren and blake just seemed as stoic about it as they had since he met them except their insides were curious what his repsonse would be. He decided to just go back to eating.
"Hey! Come on, guys. We're all just a little high on adrenaline still." Yang said, trying to get the easy-going mood back. "Let's chill out; we'll be going to classes and stuff tomorrow. Save the energy for then."
"Oh, I know! I can't wait!" Ruby agreed with her sister. "Well, let's go to combat class, and I can't wait to see Beacon's workshop room."
"I could stand to go there myself. Aegis took a pretty nasty hit from those grimm." Chartlie said, looking at his arms. His shields had closed a little wonky when they had finished the boar.
"I saw those gauntlets in action." Yand said, leaning on her arm and looking at him with that cool smile of hers. Those lilac eyes made the giant melt like butter. "Those are pretty cool. I like the spiders on the front; they give off a pretty heavy metal vibe."
Charlie suddenly found his face heating up, and he was looking down at his food with a goofy smile that made Yang give a small smirk.
Ilene shook her head. "Typical boy, falling for a party-crazy blonde." She thought, looking between Raven's estranged daughter and her new team mate - or the guy who would become her team mate after the ceremony. Before she turned to Sasha, who was sitting a little far away from everyone.
'Hey Sasha,' she thought to herself and the girl looked at her, still hiding meekly under her sun hat as she sensed her thoughts. 'Wow, didn't know it would work, huh? That's pretty neat.'
'Well I know how to tune you in and out now, so I can sense when you want to talk in my head.' The cyborg girl replied, and Ilene thought about it; they had spent a little while together before, so she assumed that was probably how Sasha knew her frequency.
'Did you want something?'
'What are you doing over there?' Ilene asked why she sat the farthest away from everyone '...still shy?'
Sasha pushed around her food on the plate, not needing much energy because half of her body is metal.
'A little bit.' she admitted, before Ilene held up her hand
'Whenever you're ready I won't push you to join everyone,' she assured Sasha a smile, and Sasha saw it when she returned with one of her own, lifting up her sun hat letting her take a better look at her porcelin face.
"Thank you." Sasha said in her own voice glad to have made an understanding friend.
"OH MY GOSH!" Nora screamed startling the both of them as she got a good look at Sasha, who suddenly felt afraid that she was going to point out her scars. "You're the ghost of Beacon!! I knew I had seen you before (GASP) and you're so cute!"
Sasha couldn't process all of this, with so many looks around her, and there was no way she could erase so many memories all at once. With her cheeks red, she grabbed her hat and covered her face as she planted her head on the table, trying to hide from all the attention. Ilene smiled as she looked at her growing group of friends.
"So this is it huh?" Ilene said, looking around the table of tired teens who were talking about the initiation or some other typical teenage topics. "We're all in Becaon."
She looked at her growing group of socially awkward friends,loud red heads bothering Sasha with questions if she really was ghost, loud boisterous blondes, snobby heiresses as they all looked ready to take on the world.
"This is going to be an interesting year."