Chapter 5: The Emerald Forest, Part 2
Weiss rushed into a clearing, skidding to a stop in front of a large tree. The pack of wolves chasing her fanned out, surrounding her.
Facing her assailants, Weiss lifted her sword, spinning the revolver-like mechanism within its guard. With a click from a trigger on the handle, she stopped the spin, landing on a red-colored chamber. The dust within spread across her blade, igniting it with fire.
She held her weapon out wardingly, forcing the approaching beasts back. Weiss poised herself, making small adjustments to her stance before whipping her rapier back and leaping forward, charging at an approaching wolf in an elegant glide.
Before she could reach it, Ruby appeared in a blast of rose petals, swiping at the wolf with her scythe. She sent it flying away, but Weiss had to twist out of her attack to avoid hitting Ruby. As she did, her rough motions caused her weapon to fire a blast of flame, igniting some nearby shrubbery.
Ruby glanced at the fire just as another wolf leapt at her. She deflected its claws, but stumbled into Weiss and fell on her hands.
"Hey, watch it!" Ruby said, standing up.
"Excuse me!" Weiss snapped. "You attacked out of turn! I could've killed you!"
"You'll have to try harder than that," Ruby said, shrugging at Weiss' sword.
Both girls readied their weapons, facing the incoming wolves. Ruby released the magazine of Crescent Rose and quickly reloaded, cocking a new round into the chamber and readying herself for a charge.
Before she could fire, a blazing tree fell into the clearing, cutting the girls off from most of the wolf pack. Weiss' dust attack had started a forest fire around them.
"We have to go!" Weiss said, grabbing Ruby's hand and dragging her away from the burning woods. The two heard the cries and howls of the wolves as they sped deeper into the Emerald Forest.
As the noise died out, the two stopped, looking back at the growing smoke tower in the distance. Weiss leaned against a tree, clearly winded, as Ruby turned on her.
"What was that?!" Ruby asked. "That should have been easy!"
"Well, perhaps if you had exercised the slightest amount of caution with the placement of your strikes, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!" Weiss said, her voice strained with anger.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"That you're thoughtless!" Weiss said, snapping her arm out. "I'm surprised that someone who talks so much would communicate so little during an encounter."
"Well, I'm sorry that you need my help to win a fight," Ruby retorted. "I'm just fine on my own!"
Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Well, congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak her way into Beacon." She turned and began wandering into the forest, leaving Ruby behind with a dismissive, "Bravo!"
Ruby growled, unfolding Crescent Rose. She whipped her scythe around, the blade extending so it was straight with the shaft instead of hooked before slicing through a tree with a cry.
The tree crashed behind Ruby, who followed after the heiress with a pout.
Ren froze as he saw the creature ahead of him: a massive black and white snake with a head at each end of its body. Crouching in the tall grass, he slinked around the monster, careful to not make a sound. The grimm's heads wandered, and their eyes passed over Ren as he moved, though somehow, they failed to perceive him.
He was halfway past the creature when a distant crash echoed from somewhere far behind Ren. The grimm started, the solid red eyes of its black head flicking in Ren's direction, suspicious of the young man's intrusion.
Remaining calm, Ren stopped, watching the grimm. Eventually, he placed another careful foot ahead of himself, which crunched a wayward stick beneath the grass with a loud snap.
The creature's head struck out for him, bearing pearly white fangs.
Instinctively, Ren snapped his hands out, hovering them before the teeth. As the snake collided with him, his palms pulsed with a magenta glow as he stopped its charge, holding its maw at bay with his aura. The creature pressed for a moment before reeling back, slithering in a circle to try again.
Ren gave it no opportunity for a second strike. Drawing his pistols and leaping onto the snake's body, he unloaded on its scales as he ran. The bullets seemed only to agitate the creature further; it thrust its blackened head at him again, trying to scoop him off its length. Ren flipped over its gaping maw, planting the blades of his machine pistols into its head.
The snake writhed, throwing him off and into a tree. His aura pulsed around him, taking the brunt of the impact, but he still ended up dazed, dropping his pistols as he hit the ground.
As Ren looked up, all he could see was the mouth and fangs of the grimm, bearing down to swallow him whole.
A strange, animal-like call echoed from somewhere in the woods, followed by a guttural growl. Something large was moving in the underbrush, but what-
Nora burst from the trees standing on a large brown bear, a steel maul raised high. She leapt for the grimm, flung forward as the bear skidded to a stop.
She brought her weapon down on the snake's crest, firing a grenade from the cache within her maul's head. The creature's face exploded, its fangs and crest pieces scattering across the glade. The body of the snake retreated, writhing in pain as its other head finally noticed the fight.
Nora hopped over to where Ren was standing up. He retrieved his weapons and brushed off his sleeves as she made another animal call at him.
"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like," he said.
"Boop!" Nora playfully tapped a finger to his nose, smiling.
Ren smiled back, before following her lead and jumping on the grizzly bear's back. As the grimm hissed at their group, the bear took off in a panic, taking the pair of huntsmen deeper into the forest.
"Our last pair has been formed, sir," Glenda said, strolling over to Ozpin. "Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. They did well enough against the king taijitu, but I'm concerned about the aptitude of the other students."
"Particularly," she turned her scroll to Ozpin, "Jaune Arc. I know what his transcripts say, but there's no way that boy is ready for this level of combat." She had brought up a camera showing Jaune and Pyrrha trudging through the forest.
The only response from Professor Ozpin was a thoughtful hum as he watched a different pair of students on his own scroll.
Yang punched a bulbous frog-like creature out of her way, sending it flying into a nearby marsh. Several others turned toward her and Blake, hissing through their alligator snouts.
"Did you really need to do that?" Blake said, narrowing her eyes at Yang.
Yang shrugged. "It was in our way!"
"Lashgators are ambush predators," Blake said, following behind her partner. "We could have just gone around it."
"The fastest path to the ruins I saw is straight through here," Yang said, breaking another sapling to clear their path.
"But we're not in a hurry," Blake argued. "Avoiding fights like that would save time and energy."
Yang shook her head. "I've got a half-sister to look out for. I want to get to where she's going to be; to keep an eye on her, ya know?" She lifted a low hanging branch, helping Blake over a tree root with a steady hand.
"She'll be fine," Blake said. "After all, she's already made it into Beacon. Besides, we're all the same age, right?" She crept along with Yang, her footfalls decidedly softer than the blonde's.
"We're not," Yang said, breaking the next tree branch to get in her way. "Ruby's two years younger than us, and she's not ready for…" She trailed off, muttering "Never mind," as she tossed the broken branch away.
Blake sighed, following Yang through the forest. "I just don't see the point of causing trouble when we could get there just as fast by sneaking around; sticking to the edges of the danger."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Come on, we're huntsmen!" she said as she parted another bush. "Where's the fun in that?"
She came face to face with a swarm of chimp-sized squirrels. The creatures turned their heads, their bushy tails rising in alarm. The girls paused, staring at the swarm before Yang hopped on her heels, shouting, "Wuh oh!"
The creatures let off a cacophony of angry shrieks as the girls turned to flee. Yang snatched Blake's wrist, dragging her through more thickets as the swarm chased after them. They weaved through the dense woods, taking sharp turns and pushing through bushes to throw the creatures off their trail.
The pair came out next to an old tree, out of breath as the swarm's shrieks faded into the distance. Blake gasped in a ragged breath before pulling out of Yang's grip. "You need to watch where you're going!"
"I was," Yang huffed, pointing down at a large stone temple. The structure was circular, and while it lacked a roof, the walls had several pillars within them. Short pedestals of a matching color formed a ring within the building, some with a small trinket on them.
Blake sighed, walking forward toward their destination.
"What?" Yang asked after her. "Nothing? Come on, I got us here in one piece, that's worth a little praise!"
The two girls entered the broken building, examining the relics. On each of the twenty pedestals rested a hand-sized chess piece: two pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, and kings of either black or gold.
"Some of them are missing," Yang said, pointing to a pedestal beside a black bishop piece. "Guess we're not the first ones here." She turned to Blake, who was looking down at a black knight.
"I think we should pick one," Blake said, turning to Yang, who nodded.
"How 'bout a cute little pony?" Yang said, lifting a gold knight. She waved it at Blake with a smile.
"Sure," Blake said, returning a small smile of her own.
The girls made their way to the front of the temple, turning back to face a large clearing between them and the Emerald Forest.
"That wasn't too hard," Yang said.
"It's not like this place was very difficult to find," Blake said.
Yang looked at her, jaw drooping in mock offense as Blake smiled at her.
"It's definitely this way," Weiss said, pushing past a bush and into a clearing. She paused, then turned right, almost facing the direction they came from and pointed. "No, this way."
"Why can't you admit you have no idea where we're going?" Ruby asked, brushing leaves out of her hair.
"Because I know exactly where we're going!" Weiss said, changing directions again.
"Then where are we going?"
"We're going… to…" Weiss paused, looking up at a tall withered tree.
Resting at its peak was a massive black bird with a bone white crest covering its face. Upon seeing it, both girls froze.
"A nevermore!" Ruby whispered, fingering her weapon.
"An old one too," Weiss said, her voice hushed, "given its size."
"But what's it doing here?" Ruby continued, "Professor Goodwitch said there weren't any grimm in the forest!"
"Does that matter now?" Weiss hissed, pointing up at the creature. "It looks to be resting, so we'll just find a different path."
Ruby nodded, turning to backtrack the way they came when the woods came alive.
From beyond the clearing, the forest rustled, filling with squeaks and chirps. A swarm of squirrel-chimp creatures spilled into the clearing, stirring the nevermore.
"Scampers!" Weiss backed away, drawing her sword. "We can't handle them if we wake up that grimm!" The small creatures spotted the pair, turning beady little eyes toward them in a wave.
Ruby looked at the scampers, then at the bird, an idea suddenly clicking in her mind. "Not if we don't fight the nevermore," she muttered.
"What?" Weiss said, sparing her a glance. "What are you doing? Get your-"
"Come on!" Ruby said, taking Weiss' hand just as the scampers charged them, "I've got an idea!"
Weiss let out a cry as Ruby activated her semblance, carrying herself and her teammate up the withered tree with a burst of speed. They climbed high, spiraling toward the nevermore as the bird spread its wings and let off a loud shriek.
"What do you think?" Cardin asked, putting a hand to his chin.
He and Russel stood before a suspicious cave with strange markings dotting its entrance, a small clearing between it and the forest.
Russel shrugged. "We could take a look inside, but that would leave us exposed if something came in after."
A rustling from the forest caught their attention, causing them to hush. A blonde boy in white armor and a red-headed warrior in bronze stumbled into their clearing, looking at the boys in surprise.
"Well, well!" Cardin burst out, stepping over to greet the newcomers. "If it isn't Lady Killer and Hot Stuff!"
Pyrrha cringed as Jaune snorted a laugh, stepping up to clasp Cardin's hand.
"Uh, Jaune?" the girl asked as the boys pulled away. "Who is this?"
"I'm Cardin Winchester," the boy said, reaching a hand over to her. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos."
She gave him a flat stare, refusing his gesture.
"So, what's going on here?" Jaune asked, looking at the scene.
Cardin smirked, dropping his hand and said, "My partner, Russel, and I were discussing exploring that cave." He pointed to the mountainous hole. "We were worried that something would attack us from behind, but if you two wanted, we could stand guard while you find the relics."
"Would the temple even be-"
"That sounds awesome!" Jaune interrupted Pyrrha excitedly. "Hold on, I'll make a torch!" The boy turned to the forest floor, gathering up kindling to start a fire.
"Jaune," Pyrrha objected, "I don't think the temple is in that cave."
"Why not?" Cardin asked. "Did the headmaster give you a special clue?"
Pyrrha scowled at his comment. "We were all told to go north."
"We're north enough," Jaune said, striking a dark stone on his sword. A spark caught on to a collection of dried twigs he had fastened to a small stick. He carefully lifted his torch, turning toward the cave entrance. "We'll go in, and if there's nothing there, we'll turn around."
"And we'll stand guard," Cardin said, throwing an arm around Russel. "A perfect plan, yeah?"
"Yeah!" Jaune agreed. "Let's go Pyrrha!" He led his teammate up to and into the cave confidently. Pyrrha spared a distrustful glance back at the other team before shuffling after her partner.
Once they left, Russel broke from Cardin's hold and asked, "What happens if they're attacked?"
Cardin shrugged. "That's their problem. We'll wait half an hour, and if they don't come back, we'll move on."
Russel took a step away from Cardin, his brow furrowing.
Before he could say anything, the foliage behind them emitted a ruckus. They turned to see another pair of students riding a bear, being chased by a massive snake monster. Cardin's hand itched for his mace, but the bear let off a terrified roar.
Russel bolted into the forest, away from the beasts.
Cursing, Cardin followed. He outpaced his partner, the bear close on their heels. The lead rider, a ginger haired girl in pink, laughed maniacally while a green-clad boy clung to her. The four students, and bear, weaved through the forest, slowly losing ground to the monster.
Just before it could nip at the bear's hind legs, a swarm of scampers jumped at the grimm, causing it to rear away and give up the chase.
While the students noticed, the bear did not; it kept running full sprint, forcing Cardin and Russel to continue or be trampled.
"This was a terrible idea!" Weiss shouted next to Ruby, clinging to the black feathers of the giant nevermore. The creature was soaring through the air, high above the Emerald Forest, with the two girls holding onto its side.
"We're fine!" Ruby said over the wind, "Stop worrying!"
"I am far beyond worry!" Weiss yelled back.
"...In a good way?!"
"In a bad way! A very bad way!" The heiress rested her head against a feather, covering her eyes from the wind.
"Look on the bright side!" Ruby responded, "We're still alive!"
"Not for much longer!"
"Well!" Ruby said, fed up with Weiss' attitude. "Why don't we just jump!?"
"What?!" Weiss turned from where she held her face against the feathers, shouting over the wind. "Are you insane!?"
No response came as Ruby had already let go of the creature.
Weiss' eyes went as wide as they could before she shrieked, "Oh, you insufferable, little, red-"
"I don't think this is the place, Jaune," Pyrrha said as the two trudged deeper into the cave.
Jaune sighed. "Pyrrha, I already made the torch. Please humor me for, like, ten more feet?"
They turned a corner in the tunnel, spotting a golden reflection in the dirt ahead. Jaune beamed. "It's a relic!"
"How are you sure?" Pyrrha questioned as he handed her the torch.
Jaune knelt over the thing, digging in the dirt to reveal a large, gold-yellow stinger.
As he started to handle it, it jerked up, carrying the boy toward the ceiling as the cave began to shake. Pyrrha noticed the rest of the creature: beady red eyes in a bony carapace, two massive claws, and a black tail connected to that golden object.
She immediately ran, dropping the torch as she rounded the corner. The creature wasn't far behind, dragging a screaming Jaune out to the cave entrance, who clung to the tail for his life.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried as they left the cave. "This is not a relic!"
Now out in the sunlight, the creature seemed to take notice of him, shaking its tail to dislodge Jaune.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha began to shout, "Whatever you do, don't let-"
The scorpion managed to get him off, hurling the boy over the forest.
"-go," Pyrrha finished. As the creature turned on its spindly legs, she winced with embarrassment before running into the forest after her partner.