(Earlier…)
"Ruby!" Weiss yelled as she held onto something to keep herself from being blown away. Strong winds made it hard to hear her, but that didn't stop her from yelling at Ruby. "I told you this was a bad idea!"
"We're fine! Stop worrying!" yelled Ruby in response, her situation similar to her partner's.
"I'm sooo far beyond worrying!"
Ruby made a confused if slightly hopeful expression. "In a good way?"
"In a bad way! In a very bad way!" she yelled angrily.
"Well, why don't we just jump!"
"What are you? Insane?!" Weiss yelled in utter disbelief, only to see Ruby is already gone. "Oh you insufferable little red–"
(Now)
"Ruby?!" exclaimed Issei as he quickly moved to catch her.
"HEADS UAAAAA—" Ruby yelled as she fell. Issei had positioned himself to catch her, only for Jaune to come flying from nowhere and crash into Ruby midair and send them both flying into a nearby tree.
"Wha?" was all Issei could say, not expecting Jaune to come flying in out of nowhere. He looked towards the tree, as did everyone else, as they saw both Ruby and Jaune hanging from the branches.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" asked Blake, bewildered.
Before Yang could answer, more noise came from the forest as an Ursa came bursting through the forest, knocking over some trees. A pink explosion goes off behind it as it falls over. "Yeeeeeeeeeehaw!" yelled a girl wielding a grenade launcher. She was apparently riding the back of the Ursa as she rolled off it once it fell over. "Awwwww. It's broken," she said while checking it over. Coming from behind it was the boy Issei and the others saw earlier, looking exhausted as he tried to catch his breath.
"Nora… Please… Don't ever do that again," he requested tiredly before noticing that she was gone.
Nora had sped to the temple and was staring at one of the chess pieces, which she immediately grabbed. "I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle," she sang.
"NORA!"
"Heheehee! Coming Ren!" Nora said as she went back to her partner.
Everyone just watched the events in stunned confusion. "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" asked Blake.
Yang tried to answer again but was again interrupted by the sound of more trees being knocked over and the screech of what was soon to be revealed as a Deathstalker. In front of it was Pyrrha, running for her life as she dodged the Deathstalkers attempts to grab her. "Jaune!" she called out.
Issei and the others immediately got ready to help her when Ruby jumped out of the tree. "Ruby!" called out Yang.
"Yang!" said Ruby excitedly as she tried to hug her sister.
"Nora!" said Nora, getting in between the two sisters.
"Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" asked Blake.
"Yes. To all your questions. Is there anything else you would like to point out captain obvious?" asked Kuroka in an amused tone, causing Blake to look away.
Yang seemed to have had enough as she erupted. "I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"
Everyone stood in silence for two seconds with Ren joining the group exhausted before Ruby eventually tapped Yang's shoulder. "Uhm, Yang?" she said hesitantly before pointing up, causing Yang to hold her head down.
Up in the air, Wiess found herself hanging off the talon of a Nevermore. "How could you leave me?"
"I said jump," answered Ruby.
"She's gonna fall," said Blake.
"She'll be fine."
"She's falling," said Ren.
Issei decided enough was enough. "Ok, not letting this happen a second time!" He spread his wings and flew up to the falling Weiss, surprising those who didn't know he had wings. He met Weiss halfway and caught her in a princess carry. "I got you."
Weiss had a surprised look on her face from the sudden rescue. "T-thank you," she said a bit flustered. Issei just flashed her his usual kind smile as he descended to the group and let her down. Jaune had also managed to climb down from the tree during that.
The screech of the Deathstalker was heard again as Pyrrha was flung towards the group, being caught by Ruruko. "Great! The gang's all here. Now we can die together," said Yang jokingly.
"Don't be so dramatic," said Roygun. "These creatures aren't even worth a warmup."
The students looked at her in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" asked Weiss. "Those are a Deathstalker and a Nevermore! They're not some simple Grimm like Beowolves!"
"Maybe not, but compared to that Golem thing we fought earlier these things look much squishier," said Xenovia as she readied her sword.
"Why don't we take care of this," said Issei, slightly surprising the other students. "Xenovia, you and me will handle the Nevermore. Ruruko, Bennia, and Roygun, take out the Deathstalker. Kuroka, Ingvild, Rossweisse, and Ravel, stand-by for support."
"Right!" they all agreed and immediately took off with Xenovia revealing her own wings to fly up with Issei towards the Nevermore.
"Wait!" Weiss tried to stop them, thinking that they were being reckless if not suicidal.
The others also prepared to fight with them when Rossweisse held out a hand to gesture them to stop. "Don't worry. We've been fighting these things all the way here, and we're no stranger to fighting powerful creatures. These things are low on the list of powerful creatures we've beaten." She folded her arms and returned her gaze to her allies. "Just watch and see for yourself."
They all looked unsure, but did as they were told and watched. Bennia used her superior speed as a knight to reach the Deathstalker first. Brandishing her scythe, she countered a strike from its claw, jumping over and dodging the stinger mid-air and ending up behind it. Ruruko and Roygun followed up both aiming for a claw. Roygun used Crack on one, channeling it into a punch, while Ruruko promoted to Rook and used a full force kick to the other. The Deathstalker lost both claws and flailed its body in pain and anger. It prepared to use its stinger when Bennia used her scythe to cut the stinger, causing it to fall and impale the top of the Deathstalker. Ruruko followed up by jumping above it and propelling herself to full force stomp the stinger deeper into the Deathstalker, killing it. "Hmph. All size, no substance," she said with a cheeky smile.
Meanwhile in the air, Issei and Xenovia had met with the Nevermore mid-air with the creature attempting to ram them with its huge body. Xenovia dodged out of the way while Issei flew just above its head and grabbed on, riding its back. Issei began to deliver a barrage of punches into its back which caused it to become unsteady in the air. It let out a loud caw as it spun in the air to throw him off, which Issei eventually did. Xenovia caught him, giving him a moment to reorient himself, but before they could go on the attack again the Nevermore let loose a storm of feathers, which surprised the two. Issei extended Ascalon and together with Xenovia dodged and cut down any feathers that came close, though one feather managed to graze Issei's cheek. The pair sped closer to the Nevermore and each took a side, slicing off a wing each. The Nevermore let out a cry of pain as it fell out of the sky, crashing near the group of shocked students. The Nevermore tried to pick itself up but before it could Xenovia and Issei came down with their blades and stabbed it in the head, killing it. "Well, I guess that's all she wrote," said Issei with a smile.
Xenovia smiled as she pulled her sword from the Nevermore's head. The pair walked off the dissipating Grimm and was soon joined by the other group that killed the Deathstalker. The students stared at the group in awe, never expecting to see people so strong defeat a Nevermore and Deathstalker like they were nothing. "They weren't kidding about being able to handle it. They totally crushed those Grimm," said Yang, amazed.
"They moved with such skill, and they completely overpowered them," said Pyrrha.
Ruby was staring at them with sparkles in her eyes, completely amazed at what she watched. She rushed up to Issei and the others and began fangirling. "Oh my gods! That was so awesome! You guys took down those Grimm like "Swoosh!" and "Smash!" and—"
"Ok Ruby! We get it. Thanks for the compliments," said Issei, trying to calm her down.
Ruby took a deep breath to calm down and when she did, she noticed the cut on Issei's face. "Issei, you're hurt!"
Issei showed a confused look but felt his face and saw he was bleeding a little. "Oh, right. I did get nicked earlier by that oversized chicken. It's not a big deal. I've had worse," he said nonchalantly.
"Why isn't your Aura healing you?" asked Pyrrha.
Issei made an uncomfortable expression. He had prepared an excuse with Ddraig beforehand but now he had to actually use it. "My Aura is different from most people's. Mine isn't always active. I usually have to force it out."
"Force it out? I've never heard of someone with that issue before," said Blake curiously.
As they were talking, Asia walked up to Issei and put her hands near his cut. She used Twilight Healing to heal his wound like it wasn't there. The others were amazed by what she did. "What was that?! Was that your semblance?!" asked Ruby, excitedly.
Asia looked unsure what to say so Issei spoke up for her. "No, it's her gear. It was made by the same person who made my gauntlet. It's called Twilight Healing and well, the name should be self-explanatory."
"A healing tool? How does that work? Who could even make something like that?" asked Weiss incredulously.
"Dunno. The guy who made it was long dead before any of us were born so it's not like we can ask," said Issei in an exasperated tone. The others of Issei's group seemed to show impressed looks at Issei's smooth lies.
"A shame," said Ren.
"If you don't mind, may I see what you meant by forcing your Aura? Maybe we can fix it," requested Pyrrha.
Issei looked at the others, unsure what to do, but figured maybe he could unlock his Aura this way. "Sure, I guess."
Issei closed his eyes and focused. Soon his body began to glow a bright red. At first it surrounded him, but soon it began to waft off him, like a flame burning bright. Most of the students looked at him in awe, never seeing something like this before. Blake was the only one whose reaction was different. She instinctively backed away from Issei, her instincts telling her that Issei was dangerous. She looked over at Kuroka to see if she was reacting the same, but to her surprise Kuroka looked like she was love stricken. Her face was blushing, and she was squirming in place. When Blake looked at the others, she saw some similar expressions on most of them. They are, attracted by this? It feels like an overwhelming pressure being directed at me, but they seem to be, enjoying it. Wait… isn't this like from one of my stories where the women enjoy being dominated?! Blake's face went from fear to blush as her mind raced with different imaginings.
Issei stopped focusing and his aura went away. "So? What did you think?"
"It's definitely, unique," said Weiss.
"I've never seen a phenomenon like this before. It's like your Aura refuses to cling to you and instead wafts off you like smoke. No… more like a flame," said Pyrrha.
"I mean, it makes you look "hot"," said Yang with a smirk. Ruby groaned while Blake and Weiss rolled their eyes. Issei on the other hand chuckled, as did Kuroka and Roygun. Yang gasped, finally getting someone to laugh at her pun. "You actually liked my pun?!"
Issei gave her a confused look. "I mean, I thought it was funny. Was I not supposed to?"
Yang smiled the biggest smile she could as she grabbed Issei for a hug, shoving his face into her boobs. "You're my new bestie! We are gonna have so much fun!"
"Yang! Stop! You're suffocating him!" yelled Ruby as she tried to pry Issei from Yang.
Once he was free Issei looked over to the others to see what their reactions were. Asia was pouting, while Xenovia and Kuroka looked like they wanted a turn. Ingvild, Rossweisse, and Ravel looked with a blush. Bennia gave a thumbs up while Bova nodded in approval. Roygun simply smiled while Ruruko had a jealous look. Yang, having realized what she unintentionally did in excitement, gave a wry smile. "Sorry about that. I got a bit excited. But I'm sure a ladies man like you enjoyed it," she said with a wink.
Issei also smiled wryly as he answered. "Eh, 6 out of 10." Yang's eyes widened in surprise while the others either looked embarrassed or snickered at the burn. "No offense to you, but the competition is steep."
"P-pervert!" said Weiss, embarrassed.
"What's wrong with that?" asked Kuroka, moving to press her body against Issei. "That just means he's more loving in bed~," she said teasingly, causing all the students to blush furiously.
"Kuroka, please don't tease them," requested Issei, though he didn't look bothered by her at all.
"No promises," she said with a wink.
"Anyways!" said Pyrrha, almost yelling. "If your Aura couldn't be awakened naturally then perhaps it will if someone helps you unlock it with theirs."
"You can do that?" asked Issei.
"Yes, I can."
"I can do it too," said Yang while pointing at herself. She immediately walked up to him and grabbed his hand. "All I gotta do is focus and it should be done. No problem."
She focused her Aura, her body glowing yellow, and soon Issei's body seemed to react as his body glowed red like earlier. Unlike before though, his Aura didn't flow off him and instead settled around his body. While that was happening, something unexpected was happening to Yang. She found herself in some fiery hellscape, the sky also looking like it was set ablaze. She looked around, confused and worried when she suddenly found herself before a massive creature, bigger than any Grimm she had ever seen. Its body was covered in red scales, and it stared down at her with piercing green eyes. Its presence was almost overwhelming. [Interesting. To think someone else could enter this place.] The giant creature lowered its head to her as if to stare directly into her soul. [For your own safety, you will not speak of what you saw here. Otherwise…] The creature's body began to release an aura similar to Issei's earlier.
Yang jolted from her focus, now brought back to reality. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself from what she had just seen. "Hey, are you ok?!" asked Issei with a concerned look. The others also had looks of concern on their faces, especially Ruby.
"Y-yeah, sorry. Your Aura was just, it felt overwhelming. I don't think it's supposed to work like that," said Yang, still trying to figure out what happened.
"It is strange. I would like to know how it happened if you don't mind," requested Pyrrha.
Before Issei could answer the group felt a rumbling as the ground began to shake, as if something was taking massive steps towards them. Soon the golem from before appeared from the forest, except the parts that were cut or smashed before seemed to have been replaced with new boulders and even some trees. Everyone readied for battle as Issei narrowed his eyes. "The golem from before? I thought we took care of it."
"It's not a golem. It's a Geist Grimm. It possesses inanimate objects and uses it as its body to cause destruction," explained Weiss.
"You have to destroy the mask if you want to kill it," said Pyrrha.
"That seems to be where we went wrong. We cut the body to pieces, but we never saw its actual form. We didn't hit the mask at all either," said Roygun.
As they prepared to fight the Geist the group heard howls and roars from the forest as packs Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and Ursai emerged, following behind the Geist. "That might be a problem," said Ruruko, looking at the number of Grimm approaching.
The group heard a loud cawing noise as they looked up and saw another Nevermore approaching them. "So is that," said Rossweisse grimly.
"What do we do?" asked Jaune, clearly panicking.
Issei looked at his team, then at the students, then to the approaching Grimm. He thought for a moment then came to a decision. "We're leaving," he said.
"We're not gonna fight?" asked Xenovia, who looked ready to fight.
"No. Our goal was to get the relic and get back to the cliffs."
"He's right, there's no reason to fight these things," said Ruby supportively.
"Run and live. That's a plan I can get behind," said Jaune.
Issei smirked as he, Jaune, and Ruby went to a relic each. Ruby picked up the knight chess piece, Jaune the rook, and Issei picked up a pawn. He smirked as the irony wasn't lost on him. "Alright, let's go. Me and my friends will cover our retreat. You guys just focus on getting to the cliffs," ordered Issei.
"We can't just leave you," said Ruby in a worried voice.
"You're not. We're sticking together, we'll just be in the back and slow them down." He was interrupted by the increasing sound of the Grimm getting closer. "No more time to argue. Let's get going!" Everyone nodded and began to run, with the Grimm chasing after them.
As the group ran, they entered the forest again, with Issei, Ravel, Rossweisse, and Kuroka launching attacks behind them to slow the Grimm down. Since the students were too busy running, it gave Issei's group enough leeway to use some magic. As they were running, Ruruko had a question. "Why are so many of these things chasing us?"
It was strange that there was suddenly a huge group of Grimm chasing them. The Geist made sense, it probably followed them to get revenge, but why were the Grimm packs suddenly converging on them. They didn't have the answers for that at the moment but it didn't matter. The group launched a combined attack that caused a big enough explosion to stall the coming hoard. The students momentarily looked behind them, surprise on their faces at the size of the explosion but continued to run. They all came out into an opening that looked like more ruins, with a tower that led up a cliff, only separated by a bridge over a chasm. The group was about to make a b-line for it when the shadow of a Nevermore flew over them causing everyone to look up. The Nevermore flew to the top of the tower as everyone found cover to be out of its sight. The Nevermore landed on top of the tower and let out a loud cry as if telling the group to challenge it to get past. "Well that's great," said Yang sarcastically.
The group didn't have time to come up with a plan as the Geist came bursting through the forest behind them. "Aw man! Run!" yelled Jaune, prompting everyone to do so.
"Nora, distract it," said Ren. Nora dashed out into the open and the Nevermore launched its feathers at her. Nora managed to dodge them, pulling out her grenade launcher, Magnhild, and launching a few shots at the Nevermore, causing it to fly away.
The Geist came up from behind, attempting to smash her when Issei and Rossweisse moved in between them, catching its attack. "I don't think so!" said Issei as both him and Rossweisse pushed the Geist back with enough force to throw it off balance. Weiss came and quickly grabbed Nora, using her glyphs to propel them forward towards the bridge.
The group were running as the other Grimm that were chasing them earlier were now coming out of the forest. Issei and Rossweisse ran after the group and Pyrrha noticed the group of Grimm and converted her weapon, Miló, to its rifle mode. "Go! Go!" she told the others as she tried to provide covering fire for Issei and Rossweisse, with Ren doing the same with his weapon, Stormflower.
The Geist managed to regain its balance and chase after the group. The students made it to the bridge and were halfway across it, but the Nevermore that was chasing them flew in and bashed through the bridge causing the group to split in half. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Kuroka, Ravel, Roygun, Bennia, and Ingvild were on one side while Blake, Pyrrha, Ren, Issei, Rossweisse, Ruruko, Xenovia, Asia, and Bova were on the other, now having to fend off a hoard of Grimm led by the Geist. Jaune and Nora saw the group fending off the hoard with Issei's group focused more on the Geist. "Man, we gotta get over there! They need help!" said Jaune.
"Let's do this!" said Nora with determination.
Jaune looked down the chasm. "Yeah, but uhh. I can't make that jump," Jaune said nervously. Nora gave a slightly sinister smile as she hit Jaune in the gut with her weapon, knocking him down, before transforming it to its hammer mode. She then ran to the edge of the broken bridge and hit the end full force to launch Jaune to the other side.
Jaune freaked out and screamed as he flew to the other side while Nora stood on the end of her hammer and pulled the trigger to fire a grenade blast at the ground and propel herself to the other side as well. A large Ursa was about to swipe at Blake as Nora came in from above with her hammer ready. "Smash!" she yelled while bringing the hammer down, completely obliterating the Ursa. A Beowolf came in not long after to swipe at her and she blocked with Magnhild, getting pushed back into Blake and knocking her off the bridge.
"Oh no!" yelled Asia as she watched the girl fall. Bova went after her, prepared to catch her, but Blake managed to save herself by using her Gamble Shroud's kusarigama mode to attach to a pillar and swing herself into the path of the Nevermore, using her Semblance to propel herself further to appear on top of its head and deliver several strikes. Bova followed behind her as she ran along its back, delivering several slashes and jumped off to land on the tower the others were on.
Bova landed on her shoulder, which startled her initially. For a moment she thought it was a Grimm but seeing that it not only wasn't attacking her but looking at the Nevermore with hostility she figured it wasn't and returned her focus to the enemy at hand. "It's tougher than it looks," said Blake.
"Then let's hit it with everything we got," said Yang, readying her weapons. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake followed suit with Bova leaping off Blake's shoulder and preparing to shoot some fireballs as well.
They all let loose as the Nevermore came barreling through the assault, eventually crashing through the tower they were standing on. The four used their skills to climb the crumbling tower with Bova, Kuroka, Ingvild, Bennia, Ravel, and Roygun flying and avoiding falling debris. The group eventually makes it to stable ground on with Yang running off to try and shoot down the Nevermore. Weiss and Ruby landed near each other with Weiss looking at the Grimm circling back. "None of this is working," she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
Ruby looked around and saw Blake land on a nearby platform and then looked to Yang and Bova shooting at the circling Nevermore. "I got a plan. Cover me!"
Meanwhile with the other group they were fending off the hoard of Grimm as best they could, but they had their backs against the wall with nowhere to go. Issei and Rossweisse were trying to hold off the Geist but the other Grimm were making it hard for them to focus as they would get attacked from either side. The Geist would capitalize on their distraction and tried to smash them, causing the broken bridge to become unstable. The group looked at each other then to Issei. Issei nodded and they all got the message. Now wasn't the time to hold back. Rossweisse flew above the group, holding her Mistilteinn Wand, and let loose a barrage of magic attacks and immediately thinned the herd, surprising the students but Issei got their attention. "We gotta move!" he called out.
They snapped out of it and charged forward. The Geist tried to attack but Jaune and Pyrrha managed to block the attack together. It went for another swing but this time Issei caught it and forced it back. While it stumbled, Ruruko, Xenovia, and Nora ran in to knock it down. Their attacks hit and the Geist fell over. "Now! While it's down! Move it!" yelled Jaune, getting everyone to run past it. The Geist tried to get back up while they were passing, but Ren ran and jumped over the front while firing Stormflower at the Geist's mask/face, causing it to cover its weak point while everyone passed safely. They all took a breath as they were glad they weren't at the edge of the chasm anymore but there were still some Grimm that survived the earlier barrage and were now ready to continue their attack.
Issei looked at the Grimm, then to the recovering Geist. He made a call. "Ruruko, you and I will handle the Geist. Everyone else, take out the rest of the Grimm," he ordered.
The group nodded and prepared to face their respective enemies. Ruruko looked to Xenovia. "Boss!" she called out.
Xenovia looked at her and the pair shared a look before she nodded. "You have permission. Let 'em have it!" she said.
Ruruko nodded with a smirk and exchanged a nod with Issei. The two charged the Geist while the others took on the oncoming Grimm. Jaune and Pyrrha fought a group of two Beowolves and an Ursa, with Jaune blocking the Ursa and Pyrrha throwing her shield at the Beowolves behind it, bouncing off each of them then hitting the Ursa in the back of the head causing it to stumble. Jaune took the opportunity to stab the Ursa through the mouth, killing it. Pyrrha quickly followed up with a lance thrust to one of the recovering Beowolves, killing it before swiftly switching to rifle mode to shoot down the other as it jumped at Jaune. "Thanks," Jaune managed to stammer out. Pyrrha simply smiled in acknowledgement.
A group of three Boarbatusks rolled towards Asia, attempting to run her over, but were intercepted by Xenovia, who turned her sword sideways to bat the three Grimm away, sending them flying. Ren followed up by jumping into the air and spin slashing with Stormflower into their underbellies, killing them. As he landed, an Ursa tried to jump him, but was met with the business end of Nora's hammer, getting sent flying. She readied herself when she saw a group of Beowolves charge her, but Xenovia rushed past her, separating Ex-Durandal into Excalibur and Durandal. With blades in hand, she sliced through them like they were paper, killing them instantly. "Woah… Those swords are awesome!" exclaimed Nora.
Xenovia smiled at her. "Thanks. You're not bad yourself," she complimented back.
Rossweisse held her Mistilteinn Wand out as more magic circles appeared. She let loose a barrage of spells that quickly finished off the last of the Grimm. As the group caught their breath, Asia went around and did her best to heal everyone, but Xenovia and Rossweisse weren't hurt, and the others were kept safe by their Aura. She saw they were tired though and tried to heal them anyways. They all felt her power and immediately started feeling better. "Woah," said Jaune in awe.
"This feels very pleasant," said Pyrrha.
"It feels like my Aura is regenerating faster. Is it because it doesn't need to heal our wounds anymore?" Ren theorized.
"I feel good as new! Bring on another hoard of monsters!" said Nora excitedly.
As the three were marveling at their recovery, their attention was drawn by the crashing sound behind them. Issei and Ruruko were running circles around the Geist as it tried to smash them. The pair would deliver blows to its legs and arms whenever they could, trying to keep it distracted. Issei eventually noticed that the others finished off the hoard and decided to wrap things up. "Ruruko, let's end this!"
"Right!"
Both stood side by side. "Promote to rook!" they both said. Their strength increased and they jumped toward the Geist. The Geist sensed danger and tried to use both arms to block, but it proved futile as Issei's punch and Ruruko's kick not only smashed through its arms, but its body as well. The golem body fell apart with the torso destroyed, falling into a pile of rubble. The students looked in shock at how effortlessly the pair shattered the Geist's body, but no one had time to be surprised as the Geist's real form emerged from the rubble. It looked like a phantom with a white mask and a single eye in the center.
"Quickly! Defeat it before it escapes!" warned Pyrrha.
Xenovia reacted first, using her speed as a knight to quickly move behind the Geist and using her recombined sword to bisect the Geist, finally finishing it. Xenovia landed and put her sword on her back. "Enemy eliminated," she said. Issei nodded and turned his attention to the other group as they fought the Nevermore.
Yang and Bova were firing shots at the Nevermore as it circled them. Eventually, Yang managed to land a shot directly into the Nevermore's face, angering it and causing it to charge her. Bova jumped out of the way, but Yang jumped straight up which surprised him. Yang caught herself in the Nevermore's mouth and held it open with one hand while she fired shots with the other. "I! Hope! You're! Hun! Gry!" she said, emphasizing each word as she shot down its throat.
Yang noticed the cliff face as the Nevermore careened towards it. She jumped out of its mouth and landed as it crashed into the wall. It managed to land upright as it screeched at Yang and the others. Yang noticed Weiss heading her way and saw Ruby and Blake standing on pillars. She sprinted towards them, passing Weiss as she went to confront the Grimm. The Nevermore tried to take off but Weiss was faster as she jumped up and used her Ice Dust to freeze its tail feathers to the ground, trapping it. Weiss quickly jumped back and ran to rejoin her partner, but the Nevermore was agitated and launched its feathers at her. Weiss didn't have time to counter it and braced herself for the attack, but it never came. Bennia used her own speed as a knight to quickly close the gap between them and with her scythe she cut down all the feathers. Bennia looked towards Weiss and nodded, which Weiss did in return and continued towards her group. Blake used Gamble Shroud's kusarigama mode and launched it to Yang who caught it and created a makeshift slingshot. Ruby used her Crescent Rose's rifle to launch herself into the ribbon and pull herself back. Weiss created a Glyph that held Ruby in place, aiming for the Nevermore. Said Nevermore was still agitated and launched more feathers at the group. Before they could reach, several magic circles appeared and blocked the feathers. The students were momentarily stunned as they saw Kuroka, Roygun, Ingvild, and Ravel create them. "We have you covered! Do it!" said Roygun.
Ruby and Weiss refocused. "Think you can make the shot?" asked Ruby.
"Hmph! Can I?" responded Weiss rhetorically.
Ruby, not understanding what Weiss meant, asked again. "Can you?"
"Of course I can!" Weiss answered, annoyed.
They refocused as Ruby reloaded and Weiss released the Glyph. Ruby was sent flying as she propelled herself further with more shots from Crescent Rose. She hooked the Nevermore's neck with the scythe and landed on the wall where Weiss created more Glyphs that went up the wall. Ruby used her speed, along with the Glyphs, plus firing shots from her weapon to drag the Nevermore up the cliff, eventually reaching the top where she decapitated it with one last shot. Ruby landed safely with the Nevermore's head landing next to her. The headless body of the Nevermore fell down as everyone caught their breath. From down below, Jaune and his group looked on in awe. "Woah…" he said.
Issei couldn't help but smile at Ruby's finisher. He knew she was good, but this was much more than he expected. "That has to be the coolest finisher I've ever seen," he said with a smile. The others nodded in agreement. Even if she wasn't as strong as them, they couldn't doubt her skill.
The two groups eventually regrouped at the top of the cliff and gathered around Ruby. "That was so cool Ruby," said Issei excitedly while holding his hand up.
Ruby gave a slightly embarrassed smile but gave him a high-five. "Oh, it was nothing, really," she said, trying to be modest.
"I wouldn't call that nothing. You put some veteran warriors I know to shame with your skills," said Roygun.
"I agree. As a fellow scythe user, I approve of your finisher," said Bennia, giving a thumbs up.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment from the praise. Roygun turned to the other students. "You all did great as well. Despite the suddenness of the situation, you were able to coordinate well and work together to take down your enemies. Some of you could use some work on your awareness of your surroundings since one of you nearly knocked the other to their death," she said while eyeing Nora, who at least had the decency to look apologetic. "That aside, you kids have great potential. I hope I get to see more in the future."
"Thank you, though we can't take all the credit. You all helped us a great deal, and your skills and abilities were extraordinary," said Pyrrha.
"On that note, what were those abilities?" asked Weiss, a suspicious look on her face. "I didn't see any weapons or Dust being used when you created those barriers or when you were covering us earlier. They can't be Glyphs, since I would have been aware of another user with them being so rare. Just who are you all really?"
The group made difficult expressions as they looked towards Issei. He was about to speak when he was interrupted. "That is something I would be interested in hearing myself," said Ozpin.
"Headmaster Ozpin," said Issei, addressing him so his friends knew who this was.
Ozpin knew what he was doing and nodded. He then looked to the students. "Congratulations on completing the trial. Please hand over your relics to Ms. Goodwitch and return to Beacon. We will assess your grades and assign your teams later this evening." He looked at Issei and his group. "Mr. Hyoudou, I would like to see you and your compatriots in my office if it's not too much trouble," he asked in a way that wasn't really asking.
Issei knew this was coming and just sighed. "Yes, Headmaster."
"Very good," he said while extending his hand. "Your relic, if you would." Issei smiled and handed him the pawn piece he picked up. Ozpin observed it with a thoughtful expression. He then nodded and handed it to Glynda. "You have done very well for being out of your element Mr. Hyoudou. I will make sure you are graded properly as well," he said with a reassuring smile.
Issei smiled and nodded. "Thank you." He felt relieved that it didn't seem like he was gonna get kicked out.
The group made their way back to Beacon and along the way the students were talking amongst themselves and Issei's group. Ruby was excited to see the results of the test while Weiss rolled her eyes, already feeling a bit annoyed, though she was also expecting to see the results. Yang was happy seeing her sister so excited but was also stealing glances at Issei. Despite all the craziness they just went through, what she saw earlier when she helped Issei unlock his Aura still stuck with her. Ruby noticed Yang was distracted. "Yang, is something wrong?"
"Huh? No, it's nothing," she said trying to blow it off.
Ruby noticed Yang was looking at Issei. "Do you wanna talk to Issei?"
"What? No. Well, I mean, I'm curious about all the crazy stuff he and his friends did, but we're probably gonna have to wait until he talks to Ozpin first."
"That's true," responded Ruby, but her sisterly instinct told her there was something else. "Are you sure there isn't something wrong? You did act a bit weird earlier too, when you helped him unlock his Aura."
Yang saw she was gonna be persistent and sighed. "I'm, not sure what it was, but I saw something strange when I was unlocking his Aura."
"Strange how?"
"I was suddenly somewhere else. It looked like a burning wasteland. I was completely confused about what was going on when suddenly a giant dragon looking creature appeared. It had red scales and green eyes."
A red scaled, green-eyed dragon?! Wait, isn't red and green the color of Issei's gauntlet? Then did she see Ddraig?! Ruby thought.
"It looked surprised to see me and spoke in a deep voice. He said I was somewhere that was hard to get to and that I shouldn't say anything to anyone. I think he was gonna threaten me but that was when I snapped out of it."
Ruby was concerned for a few reasons now. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I feel a bit stronger than usual, but maybe that's just the adrenalin from earlier still running through me," said Yang unsure.
"Maybe we should ask Issei? I'm sure he can tell us what happened," Ruby said and immediately slowed down to walk next to Issei. Yang tried to stop her, but Ruby was already out of reach. She felt unsure about asking Issei since they weren't that familiar with each other yet and decided to leave it to Ruby. Issei was chatting with Ravel and Roygun when Ruby joined them. "Hey Issei. Got a sec?"
"Sure Ruby. What's up?" asked Issei.
Ruby looked around to see if the others were paying attention. "I think Yang saw something related to your gauntlet," she said, surprising Issei.
Ravel hesitantly spoke. "Is it related to Ddraig-san?"
Ruby looked at her surprised then at Issei. "They know about him," said Issei, clarifying. The others were surprised he told Ruby, and he clarified to the others as well. "Ruby and Jaune know about Ddraig," he said while making a so-so gesture behind his back, letting them know he didn't tell them everything.
Ruby, now caught up with who knows, continued. "When Yang was unlocking your Aura, she said she was in some burning wasteland and saw a red dragon with green eyes."
"Yeah, that's Ddraig," said Issei, confirming Ruby's suspicions.
Ruby looked a mix of surprise and excitement. She seemed to want to ask a bunch of questions but was stopped by Roygun. "You probably have a lot you want to ask, but you should wait until after we talk with your Headmaster."
Ruby slightly deflated. "Oh… Ok," she said, slightly dejected.
Issei patted her head. "Don't worry. Once I clear things up with Ozpin, I promise we'll talk." Ruby smiled at Issei and nodded. She then ran to catch up with her sister.
Meanwhile, Blake was next to Kuroka. She was curious about her and how she fit into her group, seeming to be the only one who always looked like a Faunus. "Hello. I didn't get the chance to greet you properly. Your name was Kuroka, right?"
"Nya~ That's right. I'm Kuroka Toujou, one of Issei's fiancée's," she introduced.
"O-one of?!" Blake stuttered out, a prominent blush on her face.
"Yes, that's right. I don't know if he's told you, but he plans on having a harem. Well, he has one already, but that's beside the point."
Blake's blush intensified as she looked away in embarrassment. Kuroka thought her reaction was cute and decided to tease her more. "You know, there's always room for more~."
"Wha! But, I barely know him," she said in an unusually panicked tone.
Kuroka's smile widened. "That wasn't a no~," she said teasingly.
Blake couldn't keep up with Kuroka's pace. Her mind was racing with various scenarios that she read in her various books, which caused her to keep blushing. But when it came to her being in a relationship, there was a certain someone that came to mind that made her hesitant to take that kind of step. "I'm sorry. I'm not interested in being in a relationship right now."
Kuroka noticed the shift in her mood and decided to back off that topic. "Well, the offer's always open." She looked at Blake's bow. "So, is there a reason you're hiding your ears?" she asked nonchalantly.
Blake was surprised that she was seen through so quickly. "How did you know?"
"It wasn't that hard to figure out. Despite my laid-back attitude, I'm actually quite perceptive. Also, the bow is kinda obvious when it's that big. I'm also pretty sure I saw it move on its own a few times."
Blake blushed in embarrassment, this time from being caught, realizing she gave herself away because she wasn't paying attention to her ears. She looked at Kuroka's tails, then her ears. "I'm sure you're aware of how some humans can be around Faunus."
"I've heard a few things but never experienced it myself," she said passively.
Blake looked surprised. While not impossible, she found it hard to believe that any Faunus would never experience discrimination. "It's rare to meet someone who hasn't faced discrimination."
"Well, I wouldn't say I didn't face discrimination, it just wasn't about my race," Kuroka said carefreely.
Blake gave her a curious look, but seeing as she wasn't elaborating, she decided to drop it. She asked about something else that intrigued her. "How do you have both ears and tails? Faunus usually only have one animal feature."
Kuroka made a mental note of that as she answered. "I don't know what to tell you. It's just always been that way for me and my sister."
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah, a younger one. Her name is Shirone, although most people call her Koneko. She's a bit like you," she said with a nostalgic smile.
"Like me?"
"You both are the quiet type, although you're a bit more expressive than she is. Honestly, you're like the middle sister between us." After she said that a mischievous smile appeared on her face again. "Then, from this point forward, I'm officially adopting you as my second sister!" she declared while hugging Blake.
Blake looked stunned by the turn of events while everyone else looked amused at the declaration. Ruby looked particularly happy, thinking this was a sweet moment. Blake looked for someone to help her out of this situation, her eyes eventually landing on Issei. Issei chuckled before addressing Kuroka. "Kuroka, you can't take her home with you," he said playfully.
"But she's so cute. You wouldn't be bothered by her, right?"
"It's not about me. What do you think Koneko would do if she saw you fawning over someone else as your sister?" he asked with a wry smile. Kuroka froze for a moment before finally letting Blake go.
Blake let out a sigh of relief and gave a grateful nod to Issei, who just smiled back. Jaune looked at Issei as he was surrounded by his friends and had a mix of awe and jealousy. He figured it was no surprise considering how easily he took down the Geist and how he commanded not only his group but the others as well. He was clearly experienced in many things. Thinking back, it makes more sense why he was trying to give him advice about how to talk to Weiss. Pyrrha seemed to notice Jaune's gaze and spoke to him. "Is something wrong Jaune?"
"Oh, uh, nothing. Just, thinking is all…"
"Thinking… about what?" Pyrrha probed.
"Issei seems to have an easy time dealing with girls. I know they're all friends from back home, but they seem a bit more close than just normal friends."
Pyrrha looked at the group, and she could tell that most of the girls definitely held more than just friendship for Issei. Although none of them match the description of the girl Issei mentioned to her before their test. "I would agree with your assumption, but perhaps we should wait for them to explain themselves before jumping to conclusions."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, I wanna know how he can be so close with so many girls."
Pyrrha felt complicated about Jaune's plight. On the one hand, she felt it was only natural for a boy to be jealous of another boy having women fawn all over him. On the other, she felt uncomfortable at the thought of Jaune learning to do that too, though she wasn't sure why yet. "Well, you could always ask him yourself," she suggested.
"Do you think he would help me?"
"You said he was helping you before. Why would he stop now?"
"That's a good point. Thanks, Pyrrha," said Jaune, his spirits picking up.
"It's my pleasure," said Pyrrha, as the group continued towards the school.
(Ozpin's office)
Ozpin's office was currently crowded as he sat behind his desk with Glynda standing to the side of it. Issei and his group were standing on the other side as they had all gathered to explain the situation. "So, I'm sure you all have much to say, but let me share with you what I have been told to make sure we're on the same page. Mr. Hyoudou has told me he was taken here against his will and abandoned to fend for himself. He was assaulted while, I assume, he was with you all. While trying to get his bearings here, Mr. Hyoudou ended up stopping a robbery alongside Miss Rose, whom you all met earlier. After that, he was brought in for questioning related to the incident and we made a deal to house him here while we tried to figure out how to get him home. Part of that deal is that he would enroll into this academy. Now, are there any questions?"
Rossweisse stepped forward. "While we appreciate your willingness to help Issei, why did you enroll him into your school?"
"He seemed to lack much of the knowledge that was necessary to survive out in the world, and while I would love to provide him with information, it would be much simpler to enroll him into the school so he would have access to all the necessary information, since only students and staff members are allowed. It's for safety reasons, I'm sure you understand," he explained.
Rossweisse felt there was more to it than that, but she didn't know much about this world, so she let it be. Roygun spoke next. "Why were you willing to house a complete stranger? Even if he said he needed help, wouldn't it be a risk to take in a complete stranger? Especially since you talked about security a moment ago."
"I would like to believe I am a good judge of character. I've had many years of experience, both as an educator and as a warrior, and I believe that Mr. Hyoudou is truly a brave and kind-hearted individual. His willingness to help the store owner and fight alongside Miss Rose, as well as his consideration during the battle for possible civilian casualties was enough for me to consider giving him a chance. Also, it's not my first time dealing with people who came to this school with ulterior motives but ended up leaving with a better lease on life," he explained.
Roygun had an interested look. "Seems you've had quite the experiences," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Far more than any normal person would have in their lifetime."
While it didn't show, Ozpin internally flinched at her wording. It was too specific for it not to be a hint that she was aware of something about him. "Yes, well, in this line of work there is rarely a dull moment."
"Except when paperwork is involved," muttered Glynda in a slightly annoyed tone. Everyone heard her and Ravel, Rossweisse, and even Xenovia showed sympathetic expressions. Ozpin, despite his years of experience, never did enjoy paperwork, so when it wasn't important he would occasionally pawn off his work to Glynda. He took a sip from his nearby mug and acted like he didn't hear her.
Roygun had her suspicions but felt he was being genuine about his faith in Issei. "Very well, I'll accept that judgment at least."
Ozpin nodded and seeing that nobody else seemed to have any questions, asked the ones he was concerned with. "Now then, I wanted to hear about all of your situations currently, but I think there is something that needs to be addressed first." He hit a few buttons on his desk and a few screens appeared above the desk showing Issei and the group during the test, including when he summoned the others to this world. A few of them had surprised expressions while others narrowed their eyes at the screen and then Ozpin. Issei felt dumb for not thinking that the forest was monitored for the test. "You've all shown exceptional abilities that would put the most experienced Huntsman to shame. But as for how you are able to do these things, they don't seem to be abilities that are normally seen here." He leaned forward with his hands flooded in front of him. "Would you be so kind as to explain how you did all this?"
The group looked amongst themselves, eventually having their gazes fall on Issei. Issei looked at Ravel, then to Rossweisse, and finally to Roygun, as if to seek some counsel on what to do. They could only shake their heads and leave it to him, since they didn't have enough info to work with. Issei sighed but looked at Ozpin seriously. "I have a question for you, Headmaster." Ozpin raised an eyebrow in interest. "Do you believe in magic?"
Ozpin's expression didn't change but internally he was relieved that Issei seemed to be telling the truth to him. He recognized it as magic when he saw it on the monitors, but it was always a good thing to have confirmation. Ozpin gazed at Issei and decided to be a bit honest with him too. "Yes, I do. It's not common knowledge, but magic does exist in this world."
Issei had a mixed reaction. He was relieved that Ozpin believed him but was surprised that he knew magic existed. "You know about magic?" he asked, receiving a nod from the headmaster.
"It's because he can use it," said Kuroka, who was looking at him seriously, despite her usual smile on her face.
This surprised both Ozpin and Glynda, not expecting someone to have the ability to sense magic, although it could be helpful in their issue. "You can sense magic?" Glynda asked, surprised.
"Yes, most of us can, though some are better at it than others," she said while looking at Issei teasingly. Issei had an embarrassed expression and decided to concentrate on Ozpin. When he did, he could feel the magic power in him and felt ashamed for not noticing it sooner.
Ozpin now had to choose his next words carefully. Since these people not only knew about magic but seemed to be trained extensively in it, it would make explaining certain things easier for him. He just had to make certain things clear with them. "Magic is rare in this world. It is so rare in fact that it's considered a myth. My magic is… unique. It's granted me unique abilities and opportunities. But I'm sure you can imagine that when someone has something so rare and powerful, others would seek to obtain and/or exploit it. There will also be cases of those who seek to destroy what they don't understand. All these different problems would create a mass of negative emotions–"
"Which would in turn attract the Grimm," finished Roygun, understanding where he was going with this.
Ozpin nodded. "Yes. The Grimm are the greatest threat to Remnant and any form of negative emotions will draw them in. It is imperative that the public remain unaware of the existence of magic."
"Don't worry Headmaster. This is nothing new to us. Even where we're from, the existence of magic is only known by a select group of people. We're pretty good judges of who can keep a secret," said Roygun.
"Although, we're probably gonna have to explain it to Ruby and the others. After what they saw, it wouldn't be surprising if they were suspicious of us," said Issei.
"I wouldn't recommend that course of action," said Ozpin. "While I understand you've grown close with Miss Rose over the past couple days, informing them would involve too much risk of the information spreading."
Issei could tell Ozpin was serious, but he wasn't the only one who learned to judge people's character. "With all due respect, Headmaster, after what we're about to tell you I think it's only fair to leave sharing that information to us. Even if we didn't tell them, I can assure you that the others are at least smart enough to know somethings up."
"And in many cases, leaving those kinds of questions unanswered could lead to distrust and fear, which you are trying to avoid," said Rossweisse.
Roygun shook her head. "I understand your thought process, Headmaster. You're probably thinking along the lines that the less people know the safer things will be, but that is not a guarantee. There will always be risks either way, and while having a small group of people know a secret is in a way the most secure, if something happens to that small group of people and the secret is completely lost then it becomes a complete loss in every sense."
"This is something I have considered, but it's not as simple as not trusting others with a secret. There are, various safety concerns," said Ozpin evasively.
The group narrowed their eyes at him, noticing what kind of look he had. He has an enemy, they all thought. It was the only reasonable explanation, and made his seemingly paranoid phrasing and his lack of details make sense. "Ozpin, while we'll respect your right to secrecy when it comes to what's going on in this world, we have a right to share our own secrets as we see fit," said Roygun.
"This world?" parroted Glynda, unsure if she heard them right.
Issei nodded. "I know it's a bit hard to believe but we're not from this world." This had Ozpin's full attention, and he gestured for him to continue. "What I told you before about what happened to me was true, I just left out certain details. Granted, I wasn't sure about being in another world completely until I went to the library to study up about the world." Glynda narrowed her eyes at him while Ozpin nodded in understanding. "The part about being kidnapped where I couldn't explain how I got here; it was because the people who took me could use magic too. They opened a portal that took us by surprise. They used some other kind of ability to seal my powers so I couldn't fight back, then they dragged me through the portal and dumped me in a random alleyway in Vale. Then for some odd reason they restored my power that they sealed and left me here."
Glynda still had an expression that said she didn't buy it. "Why would they do that? What do they gain?"
"I don't know. I asked what they were trying to do and the last guy said, "That's what we're trying to find out,". By the way he was talking it sounded like there were more people involved than just the two of them."
Ozpin made a serious expression. "This is most disturbing news."
Glynda made a serious expression as well. "Someone who has the ability to teleport wherever they wish, along with someone who can nullify another's abilities. This is a dangerous discovery. And you say you've never seen them before?" she asked.
Everyone shook their heads. "No, we've never seen them before, although one of them was also covered so we couldn't see any distinguishing features."
Ozpin noticed something about how they were all acting. "You all seem remarkably calm about all this."
The group looked between each other before looking back to Ozpin. "While we were initially concerned when Issei was taken, now that we're together it's not as big of a deal," said Xenovia.
"We've had our fair share of unusual encounters and dangerous situations. It's really a matter of what kind of "unusual" that we're dealing with," said Rossweisse.
"I see," Ozpin responded with a nod. "Well in that case, why don't you tell me about it? Your past experiences I mean."
The group looked between each other again and nodded. "We'll give you the abridged version since the others are still waiting for teams to be assigned," said Issei. The group then gave them a breakdown of their world and what kind of experiences they went through. Understandably, Ozpin and Glynda became surprised when they mentioned being devils, even showing their wings. They reassured them that they are no different from humans, aside from having magic, wings, and a 10,000-year lifespan. After that they went into their personal backgrounds and explained some of their abilities.
When Asia finished her explanation Ozpin and Glynda were surprised and exchanged a look. This didn't go unnoticed by the group. "Is something wrong?" asked Asia, a bit nervously.
"No, Miss Asia. It's just that we've never heard of someone with such an ability before. You have to understand, Aura is a significant part of our world, and outside of extreme injuries, is usually used to heal wounds and bodily damage. So most people's Semblances tend to lean toward offense or utility rather than healing," explained Ozpin.
"Although if your description is accurate, it could be most helpful in those extreme situations," Glynda followed up.
Issei jumped in when Glynda began suggesting what Asia should do. "Before you get any ideas, I just gonna say that Asia is not a fighter. She doesn't have a violent bone in her body, and I'd keep it that way," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Glynda gave a nod of understanding and Asia gave a happy smile at him while moving closer. The others showed slightly jealous looks but held back as they were in the middle of an important meeting. Now that they had all finished explaining their stories, they moved on to the important topic. "So, what do you all plan to do now? Are you able to return home?" asked Ozpin.
"We tried in the forest earlier. We are able to bring people here, but we're unable to send people back. We're refraining from summoning any more comrades from our world because our world still needs protection as well. Our only hope at the moment is our friends from our world finding a way here," said Rossweisse.
"How so?"
"There is a space between dimensions called the Dimensional Gap. It is a place where time and space don't function as we know it. It is also a gateway of sorts between different planes of existence. We were originally searching for Issei through the Dimensional Gap before he summoned us, so it's most likely that our comrades are doing the same," explained Roygun.
"Fascinating," Ozpin said, interested in the possibility of interacting with other worlds in the future, although he also had to consider whether that was safe to do with "her" around. "In any case, is it safe to assume you will all be staying by Mr. Hyoudou's side?" They all nodded, and Ozpin thought for a moment. "Then it would make sense to have you all enroll here in the academy as well."
This surprised the group. "You want us to become students?" asked Rossweisse, perplexed.
"For the same reasons that we enrolled Mr. Hyoudou. Although some of you seem to be a bit out of the age range for our school," he said while looking at Roygun.
Issei thought for a moment and came up with an idea. "Why not hire her as a teacher? Back home, she was our school nurse, and she is also an experienced fighter, so she could also teach about combat."
"I would be fine with that," said Roygun with a smile.
"That can be arranged. As for the rest of you, we can enroll you as students and put you on teams together, although our teams usually consist of four people, and we have an odd number of people here."
"Keep Asia off a team," said Issei, surprising the group. "As I said before, I don't want her fighting, and having her on a team with someone other than us would unfortunately hinder them, since they wouldn't understand how to work with her at all."
Glynda nodded. "That should be fine. Although our school's primary purpose is to train warriors, there have been plenty of cases where students couldn't cut it but were helpful in other ways. It should be fine to have her as an independent student and have her take classes that are less focused on combat."
"That would be appreciated."
"I would also like to make a request," said Ravel. "We would like a place that would house all of us."
"That shouldn't be hard to arrange, although it will take some time since it's so sudden," said Ozpin. "Anything else?"
The group looked amongst each other before looking at Ozpin again. "I think that's all for now," said Issei.
"Very well. I'll work on the documentation for all of you, as well as your accommodations. For now, Mr. Hyoudou return to the auditorium with the other students. The rest of you will go with Ms. Goodwitch so that we can properly introduce you to the school." They all nodded in affirmation. "We can continue this conversation in detail another time, but for today we are done. I will make sure to at least give you temporary accommodations until we get your lodgings sorted out. Until then," he said while gesturing to the elevator. Glynda led the group out and Ozpin was left in his office to ponder this new information. He had seen and experienced many things in his many lifetimes, but this was something he had never expected. While he did have some hesitation about them being devils, they had yet to give him a reason to distrust them, although he wouldn't put his complete faith in them yet. But their description of their abilities and tales of their various battles did give him some ideas of what he could do going forward. He was particularly interested in Miss Argento and her ability to heal. He wondered if it was possible to fix Amber's condition, considering her Aura was too damaged to heal her. Asia's ability might be able to save her life, and in turn reveal the identity of her assailants. Many possibilities opened up for him, but it all depended on how he utilized it. For now, he had to focus on making sure they acclimated to life on Remnant and presenting himself as someone they can rely on. If they became disillusioned with him, they could end up falling into "her" hands. That he couldn't allow.
(Auditorium)
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," Ozpin introduced. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal). Lead by, Cardin Winchester." The audience clapped as the team moved off stage and Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora stepped forward. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team JNPR (Juniper). Lead by, Jaune Arc."
Jaune showed a look of surprise. "Huh?! L-lead by…?"
"Congratulations young man," said Ozpin while he nodded in confirmation. Pyrrha playfully punched Jaune in the arm, causing him to fall over. He picked himself up as the audience chuckled at him and he and his new team left the stage. Once they left, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stepped forward. "Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team RWBY (Ruby). Lead by, Ruby Rose."
Ruby was surprised, as was Weiss next to her. Yang was happy as she jumped towards her sister to give her a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!" she said.
Ozpin nodded as the group left, leaving the last student that needed to be addressed. "Finally, Issei Hyoudou. You retrieved the white pawn piece. Unfortunately, you did not gain a partner nor did anyone also acquire the white pawn piece." The students began to murmur amongst themselves, with Team RWBY and Team JNPR looking a bit worried about what would happen to him. "But, as luck would have it, we have some exchange students who will be joining us from Haven Academy. If you all would please come to the stage." As he said this, Issei's friends came on stage, drawing the attention of the students for various reasons. "They will be attending our academy as part of a special exchange student program between the two academies, and as it so happens one of these students is strictly a non-combatant which means one of the teams is short a member. As such I've decided to place you on their team so that you will not have to go through your time here alone." The group walked to Issei's side and showed friendly smiles. Ozpin nodded and continued. "Ravel Phenex, Bennia Orcus, Ingvild Leviathan, and Issei Hyoudou. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team POLI (Poly). Lead by, Issei Hyoudou." Issei nodded as the three girls moved to the side with him. "Finally, Xenovia Quarta, Rossweisse, Ruruko Nimura, and Kuroka Toujou. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team QRRT (Quartz). Lead by, Xenovia Quarta." Everyone clapped for the two new teams joining them. "Finally, I would like to introduce a professor who has also come here from Haven with the students. This is Professor Roygun Belphegor. She will be helping Ms. Goodwitch with combat class. Please show her the same respect that you will show all your other Professors." The students broke out into applause as Ozpin released a relieved sigh. He looked up towards the window. "Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."
This was a long one but it's finally done! The teams have been formed and some seeds for future events have been planted. Now that initiation is done, I can start getting into the characters adapting to their new environment and the people around them. I honestly can't wait to do some proper interactions, although we got a bit of it after the fight. Starting with Yang now having an intrest in Issei to figure out what she saw. Then we have Blake and Kuroka interacting with each other. Then we have the DxD cast a bit interested in Ruby since Issei seems to trust her. There will be more with more characters in the future, so look forward to that. I look forward to the comments as always. : )