Chapter 17: A forest full of enemies.

Waking up in the middle of a classroom floor surrounded by strangers was not something Weiss would expect by the standards of a Hunstmen Academy, well, maybe in Shade, but definitely not with Beacon. She didn't let that stop her though, she was there and had no plans to return to Atlas anytime soon. She got up and headed to the showers to start the morning early and without any more distractions.

As she began her routine, she thought about the encounters she had the day before with that Faunus girl, her sister, the blonde idiot, and all the other misfits who followed them. She questioned why the Director allowed someone so young to enter the Academy, perhaps the girl had connections? She put those thoughts out of her head, she would be a hypocrite if she criticized someone for it when her own father had pulled the strings for her to move to Vale.

That girl, Ruby, was incompetent, immature and without any kind of ability to manage people. She figured the initiation would be too much for the hooded girl, so if things went wrong, Weiss wouldn't see her after today. She sighed as she dried her hair with a towel, she was being petty.

Coming out of the bathroom already fully dressed in her combat attire, she prepared to eat breakfast in private, refusing to eat anything cooked, touched, or even seen by a Troll. She preferred to do the initiation hungry before contaminating her body. It was lucky that Klein sent him a homemade apple pie as a good luck gift.

After tasting that exquisite apple delicacy, Weiss was ready to look for her weapon. Since the lockers weren't too far from the showers, a long walk wasn't necessary. However, it was a pleasant surprise to meet the red-haired warrior in the same row of lockers. Pyrrah Nikos was there with another blue-haired young man, chatting while they reloaded and polished their weapons. This was a unique opportunity to make a powerful ally.

"Pyrrah Nikos, it's a nice coincidence to meet both of us here." Greeting in the most charming way possible, hoping to start a conversation that would soon lead to the formation of the Teams.

"Well, I appreciate the compliment, you must be…" But before the red-haired warrior could complete her sentence the blue-haired boy did it for her.

"Weiss Schnee, heir to the SDC. It looks like Beacon will have no shortage of exemplary students this year." Looking at him closer, the white-haired girl realized that he was handsome. He had good posture, which showed confidence as well as good manners. Plus, his smile was almost brilliant.

"Neptune Vasilias, nice to meet you Snow Angel." Well, teams were made up of four students, she was going to need one more. The conversation after that flowed naturally. Both Pyrrha and Neptune had already talked about the possibility of forming a team together; according to the blue-haired man, it would be more comfortable to have another person from Mistral in the same room. It was easy for Weiss to include herself there, she only needed to mention some of her own academic achievements and highlight the champion's victories in tournaments, something that seemed to excite the boy.

Everything was going perfectly until a huge shadow stood between her and her future comrades. Weiss was no stranger to people towering over her, of her entire family she was the shortest even than her younger brother, there was also no shortage of people of prominent height in Atlas, such as the famous General Ironwood or the Ace Ops Elm Ederne. But this one was different, she had to crane her head and look up to just see the prominent copper hair peeking out from those broad shoulders.

"Excuse me! We were in a conversation." That giant had slipped between she and her future team, she was not going to allow that.

"You're excused, I just need to get some things back, I don't plan on interrupting." At least he was polite, but the fact that he didn't turn to see her hurt her pride a little. Weiss watched out of the corner of her eye as the stranger took some high-quality Dust crystals from his locker and began to insert them into a compartment in his prosthesis.

"Daegred? How are you?" "I haven't seen you since the speech." Neptune seemed to know him, looking at him closer, Weiss was able to put together the loose ends in her memory and place him as one of those present during her other encounter with that girl in the red hood. The giant turned his back on her again.

"I was visiting a friend, she will have surgery soon, but I won't be able to see her again until after the initiation." Well, the heiress could forgive his lack of awareness for today, anyone would be distracted with such situations happening simultaneously. Pyrrha recognized that too.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I hope everything turns out well for you two."

"I appreciate your words, but my friend is strong, when we meet again she will be walking again and I will officially be a student." There was no doubt in that statement, only security and conviction.

"That's the spirit! You know? Here we were planning to form a team, there are already three of us with the girls but we are missing one, what do you say?" The heiress appreciated Neptune's initiative, but she preferred that the fourth member depend on her judgment.

"Thank you, but I can't make any promises, after all I still have to see what you girls are capable of."

"Oh really?" Pyrrha sounded strangely excited by that statement.

"I've already witnessed a bit of Neptune's weapon, but I don't even know your name." That couldn't be possible. Weiss, without thinking, jumped in the middle of both redheads and although the feeling of being between two huge mountains of strongly toned muscles was something pleasant, she shook off those thoughts and pointed an accusing finger at the giant.

"Excuse me? This is Pyrrha Nikos!".

"That's a curious name, nice to meet you, Daegred Swinsere." And he bowed slightly to introduce himself. Such an act allowed Weiss to finally see her face, leaving her in a temporary shock that none of the other three noticed. By the time she could process such almost immaculate beauty, the giant and Neptune had already gathered their things from the locker and were ready to leave.

"I think I've seen you before…" the pointy-eared boy muttered thoughtfully as he leaned in to get a closer look at the other redhead's face.

"Really?…" Putting aside her nervousness, she seemed disappointed.

"Did you finally realize?" Neptune was more amused by the situation than anything else.

"Yes! You're the girl on the cereal box!" The revelation lit up Daegred's already bright eyes while the champion sighed in relief and the boy with the glasses laughed.

"My friend is a fan of these cereals, she will be happy to know you are here."

"Oh, well, I'm glad she likes them, although personally the cereal isn't very good." The champion scratched the back of her neck as she looked away.

"We agree on that Miss Nikos." Then both redheads shared a light laugh that brought Weiss out of her paralysis.

"That's all!? That's the only way you recognize her!?" The heiress exclaimed exasperated.

"Is his face supposed to be in other foods?"

"NO! This is Pyrrah Nikos! one of the greatest!–".

"You know what else is cool, me! im Jaune" The last thing Weiss needed at that moment was to see that blonde idiot, and even less so violating her personal space. And even less getting between her and the beautiful redheads.

"Hey, be careful dude, it's better to respect a lady's space." At least Neptune was there so the situation wouldn't escalate. The blonde didn't hear any of that and continued trying to talk to the heiress, she had to make an effort to calm down. While the jester babbled clearly feigned self-praise, she took the time to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"I think that's been enough for now, she's clearly uncomfortable with your advances." Weiss would never admit it but she appreciated how the redhead lifted the blonde onto his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Daegred then decided to say goodbye to the group, but not before wishing each one good luck. With a nod, he walked away, taking Jaune with him, who was still struggling against the hold.

While Weiss finally finished adjusting Myrtenaster she couldn't help but see out of the corner of her eyes how the red giant was talking to the hooded girl and another blonde. From that angle, she noticed the similarities between the two as well as the clear contrasts. Sigh, she missed Winter, she also would have liked her older sister to be with her.

The blue mountains, former home of the dwarves of Nogrod before being abandoned in the migrations to Moria, rose above the horizon like an imposing and unbreakable natural wall. Daegred knew that crossing such a formation of earth and stone would be the sea, that on the shores the ruins of Rerir and Amon Ereb surely still rested. The prince briefly wondered if anything of Himring had been left.

Standing on the cliff, lining up next to the rest of the candidates, he listened to the director's words lazily, the introduction was unnecessary for him so he only appreciated the view of the extensive green forest that spread like an ocean of flora. The elf felt it, this was an old, tired forest, perfect for the children to practice.

"Now, we are sure that many of you have heard rumors about the team assignments." Glynda's words brought the Noldor out of his thoughts to focus on the real interesting part. Truth be told, Ozpin had kept to himself on that matter, and many others if the presence of a certain feline girl at his side was any indication.

"Well, let me end your confusion, each of you will be given a team today." At the vice principal's words, he could see from the corner of his eyes how Ruby's shoulders sagged, but she didn't have time to get discouraged when the Wizard continued.

"These teams will remain with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so best to pair yourself with someone you can work well with." Ruby was a viable option as a companion, as were her sister and Neptune. The elf dismissed Jaune as being involved, it was clear that he was incompetent and a burden. He assumed that Blake would be a wild card, a good fighter and having her around will allow him to keep an eye on her, but ultimately it would compromise the synergy in the team...

"With that said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your companion for the next four years." That was a surprise, but he supposed it made sense in a way, not that he could complain, he'd had to improvise in the past. The chances weren't the worst for someone like him.

crack!

Had someone broken a glass?

"After finding a companion, head to the North of the forest, you will encounter opposition along the way, fauna, flora and even grimms, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die." Was Ozpin also a comedian in addition to being a Wizard? If what he wanted was to scare him, he had failed, and if he wanted to intimidate those children as well, in fact they seemed more excited now at the possibility of fighting without limits. Except Jaune, he reeked of fear.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find some abandoned ruins at the end of the forest that contain a number of relics, each pair must choose one and go to the top of the mountains." This statement planted some doubt in the redhead's mind, could they be ruins of the dwarves?, a Sindar fortification?, or perhaps a last vestige of his house? While he was still thinking about that, a dark bird landed on Ozpin's shoulder.

"You will keep that item, as well as your position, and we will qualify you appropriately." Would there still be the great mines built by the Firebeards? He remembered visiting those halls during his meetings with Azaghal, where they exchanged gifts, when the friendship between their people was still strong and the hope of defeating the dark lord still resonated in the minds of the children of Eru.

"Any questions?" Not on his part, leaving aside those melancholic memories, The prince snapped his neck, tied his hair and took a position, bending one of his knees and leaning his body forward waiting to be catapulted. After Blake was launched into the air by the tile system, it was his turn.

It was gratifying to feel the fresh wind hitting his face at full speed. He had not experienced such a sensation since his rescue on the back of an eagle, but on that sweet and bitter occasion his conscience was not completely tied to his head and the pain of torture still burned on his skin. He closed his eyes and let the impulse carry him away for a while, but as the distance from the top of the trees decreased he saw that it was time to act. He turned until he was in a suitable position, he brought his hands behind his back, holding his cloak tightly to finally open it, unfolding the fabric like a pair of wings that began to slow down his descent.

Once he entered the thick forest that rose above his head, Daegred released the cloth and, using his prosthesis, fired a charge of Ice Dust, forming multiple crystalline constructions on the trunks of the trees through which he slid until his feet kissed the green ground. On land, he heard how the rest of the candidates performed their own landing maneuvers, along with a girl screaming at the top of her lungs. Daegred ignored that last bit and focused his senses on nature.

This was an old, ancient forest that still retained its voice even if it was a whisper. The trees warned him of the danger, of the beasts that hid on their branches, in caves where their roots did not reach, and above all, they implored him to be careful on his journey to the mountain. When Daegred questioned them, they only murmured about the danger, without being very specific, and after a minute the voices stopped asleep.

Grateful for the help, the elf went into the darkness under the leaves. There he guided himself using his senses, listening to the roar of the fighting that spread through other sections of the forest. He recognized the sound of weapons, swords and hammers, and even the mating call of a sloth. His nose caught the smoke of the shots, burned wood and leaves, the collateral damage of the childish recklessness of his future comrades and he sighed in disappointment.

He placed his left hand on the trunk of an old tree, apologizing for intruding on his dreams. He didn't blame them if they wanted to retaliate against the next students, or against him. In a flash of blue, he unsheathed Foe hammer and with a downward slash, divided in two one of the aberrant daughters of Ungoliant that had approached him from behind. The swollen torso hung from its rope, but the head and four of its legs fell to the ground with a sickening sound.

The other Spiders definitely didn't like that. The light-eating things then emerged, from the shadows of the trees in all directions. Daegred counted at least fifty, each one as big as a wolf, and saw how the largest rivaled a Beowulf in size. Foe Hammer shone with excitement, but more anxious was Sting who almost seemed to tremble in his holster. When he took it out, its mere image made the arachnids stop and they let out high-pitched screams, frightened, recognizing the shiny blade as the one that all spiders fear.

With both hands holding each blade, the prince stretched his shoulders, prepared for a light warm-up. This was going to be quick.

The abominations rushed at him from all angles like a mindless raging swarm. They had no more complex plan outside of launching themselves at him in the hopes of injecting him with their poisons, but that turned out to be an impossible task. Daegred jumped towards a tree branch, taking by surprise those who had descended to the ground and also those who kept their distance at the end of the tide. It was like a blue whirlwind of death, no one able to keep up with it or correctly perceive its movements, by the time they could barely notice what happened, the remains rested crushed on the ground.

The elf used the entire terrain to his advantage, moving with an agility of his people that the daughters of Ungoliant had not seen since ancient days. Red-eyed spiders continued to die by the dozen, until the largest, perhaps the mother, advanced on him. The creature was more intelligent than its small counterparts, communicating with screeches, the swarm of spiders began to organize, advancing towards it, weaving webs over the trees, between the branches and trunks, preventing the Prince from moving so freely. In the end, they both lay on a single thick branch, almost as if they were engaged in a duel in front of a hungry crowd.

Daegred considered using fire dust to eliminate them all at once, but he didn't like the thought of burning part of the forest. However, dueling under these conditions was impractical. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of fire, the wall formed by the web that surrounded the swarm and the prince broke. The smell of burning indicated that someone had beaten him to his plan, and that was only confirmed when two golden shapes leaped forward.

They were not people, but they were not Specters either, although their shapes were reminiscent of them, almost like Belladonna's ability. These manifestations jumped between the branches with an agility never seen before, crushing, kicking and knocking down any spider that crossed their path until they reached the largest. It did not allow itself to be intimidated, and with one of its paws it impaled one of them against the trunk, however, that seemed to be the plan because it dissolved in an explosion of fire that burned all six of the creature's eyes, making it disoriented.

The other imitation grabbed one of the legs, holding the creature in place, a moment that Daegred took advantage of to jump several feets and descend on the arachnid with Sting inserting under all his weight on the head of the dying beast. It was sickening to watch the spawn of Ungoliant writhe, convulse, and then retract its limbs to fall to the ground with an almost liquid crash.

The redhead preferred not to look at the corpse, instead he simply hit the trunk of the tree with his prosthesis, causing it to shake from the roots to the leaves and free the branches from their chains of organic fabric. On one of these aforementioned branches, a certain blonde hung upside down by his tail.

"I guess we're a team now! Good moves!" Sun extended his fist, expecting a friendly response. The redhead just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not knowing how to respond to such a gesture.

"Do I have to shake your fist? I don't know what such a gesture means."

"What? No! Just hit! bump fists!" And he shook his knuckles as he continued to wait. Daegred didn't understand how hitting someone was considered a friendly gesture, but he figured it wasn't diphtheria from a dwarf's headbutts, so he balled his metal fist and hit Sun's. Perhaps he should have moderated his strength more, Sun didn't seem very happy about going through a dozen trees. And the forest didn't sound very happy either.

Anyone who saw Neptune right now could guess that he was not happy. He was drenched in red, not that it was a bad color to begin with, his coat was that color after all. Only when he entered the Emerald Forest, he thought he fought his way through hordes of grimm, where any stain on his clothes disappears in a few minutes.

However, it seemed that Vale hated his hair, and instead of being greeted by a pack of Beowulf like a normal huntsmen, which he still wasn't, he was surrounded by a pack of Wargs.

He had read about them, a very common fauna in Mistral and parts of Vale, quite aggressive and much larger than a normal wolf. These could well be confused with bears, with large heads and jaws that split steel. Dangerous for a civilian and even defense personnel like the police, but it wasn't very difficult for him to deal with them. All it took was getting rid of the matriarch and the rest ended up fleeing.

The bad thing is that by doing so, his Guandao-shaped weapon ended up spreading jets of blood from the huge wolf's belly over Neptune's clothes and hair. Fortunately, he always carried sanitizer and hand soap with him, which put him in the current situation.

"Come on, damn you, get off! Disappear!" Against a tree, the blue-haired boy was trying to remove the blood stains from his clothes, scrubbing with all his might and using both hands. That turned out to be a mistake, because when he set about prioritizing his hygiene he left his weapon aside, which wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that he was in a monster-infested forest. Where even the trees could, and want, kill him.

When one of the Wargs returned and saw the teenager distracted, unarmed and vulnerable, he did not think twice about howling and marching towards him to cut his throat. Neptune turned around and at that vision tried to reach for his weapon, but it was impossible, because one of his feet had somehow gotten stuck in the roots of the tree.

The dire wolf was getting closer, he just needed to extend his arm a few more centimeters. But there was not enough time for him, the beast was already only a dozen feet away, and it charged at him with open jaws.

A loud crash was heard, the sound of an explosion and the screeching of a dog fleeing with its tail between its paws. The bluenette sighed in relief, as he released his foot once and for all.

"Thanks man, I owe you one." His savior didn't bother to turn around, but instead seemed to sigh in a way that showed disappointment, although it also sounded strangely amused. Neptune didn't blame him, this had been an embarrassing situation for him. As the stranger lowered his foot, he prepared to introduce himself properly by extending a hand.

"It seems we are bound for the next few years, Neptune Vasilias, at your service." The silver-eyed teenager only let out a light, amused laugh. He did not return the greeting and simply began walking north.

"Hey! Wait for me!" After arranging his clothes a little and taking his weapon he was able to reach him, much to the annoyance of the gray-haired young man.

"Can you at least tell me your name? You know it's polite to do it after someone introduces themselves, right?" The guy just looked at him for a moment before shaking his head in amusement, he didn't lack confidence.

"Mercury Black, try to keep up."

Mae Govannen Eruhini~✨
Salutations!~✨

Well, we are here. Lately I felt that the chapters were too short, so from now on I will try to make them longer. Sure, this means the updates will take longer but considering I'm an addict, it means they'll probably be weekly. At least while my vacation lasts.

As you already know, I don't have many plans to adhere to the canon 100%. What I hate most about RWBY crossover fanfics is how 99% of them tend to be the same until volume 3, only changing a few dialogues with exactly the same scenes. I mean, how many of you have read about character X helping Velvet when Cardin bullies her?. I'm not going to bother writing about scenes that remain the same, I think that here, for example, we can realize that the situations of the other characters continue to happen at the same time as what the chapter shows.

All reviews and criticisms are welcome.

Namárië!~✨