Avengers: Age of Remnant

by free man writer

There's always a story to be told. A story of heroism overcoming the most daunting of odds and challenges. A tale we've seen before and one that needs to be told to its end. The beginning of a new tale. A new age. An Age where Remnants paved the way for heroes. Reboot of Avenging Remnant, co-written/created with Jebest4781 and BulletStormX.

19. A Dynamic Duo

This was meant to be longer.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much longer but FUCK ME, WE'RE DRAGGING OUT FEET HERE.

SORRY!

RATE READ AND REVIEW AND AS ALWAYS HAVE NICE DAY.

Avengers Age Of Remnant Chapter 19: A Dynamic Duo

"Oh for Grimm's sake, did he have to go and do that?"

A seventeen-year-old Huntress-in-training grumbled and complained aloud, picking out leaves and twigs from her hair, all while criticizing the Principal of Beacon Academy for his method of initiation.

The man quite literally launched the students off the cliffs of Beacon with launching pads and she had the unfortunate luck of being the first person to be thrown in such a fashion. She managed to land… well… more like crash-land by utilizing her control of Aura to create a fortification around her body.

Rogue Marie had smashed into a tree, shattering the top that seemingly halted her momentum which in turn led her to falling face first into a patch of dirt beneath the tree. Thankfully, it was dry and not muddy so easier to brush off.

Still though, annoying as all Oum.

She was so busy grumbling and grouching to herself, that she failed to realize she walked past another student who was looking at her in confused amusement.

He had sharp blue eyes and long black hair tied back into a ponytail and sported a scar above his left eye. His outfit consists of a dark, short-sleeved outer jacket with tribal-like markings, worn over an orange inner jacket. He also wore dark pants with white markings on the side and also had two earrings on his left ear. In his hand was a spear that was resting on his shoulder. After seeing her make a few scathing remarks at her situation, the teen chuckled aloud, getting the attention of the brown and white-haired Huntress.

"Rough landing?" The black-haired teen asked politely, his accent giving Rogue pause as she hadn't heard it before.

She released an annoyed huff, blowing hair out of her face whilst pulling a twig out from some tangled hair.

"What does that bozo go off thinkin' that sling-shottin' students off a cliff counts as an initiation?" She growled out, sifting through her hair to try to find any more leaves, branches and such, wincing all the while as some of her hair now wound up tied together.

"Urgh," Rogue whined. "It's gonna take forever to smooth out my locks."

The teen boy chortled aloud, walking up to her and reaching up to pull a leaf off the top of her head.

"Tell you what," He cheekily said. "Help me get through this rumble in the jungle and I'll straighten out your hair and make it as poofy as ya want, eh?"

Rogue gave the man a look, seeing his smirk and glimmer in his eyes and she found herself laughing a moment later.

"And what, you think you know how to handle a lady's hair?" She challenged with a grin. "Especially a head as luscious as mine?"

"Oi, oi, I'll have you know that having a sister behooves you the skills ya need in helpin' out the fair maidens of Remnant." The boy jokingly grumped back, getting Rogue to laugh.

She gave him a pointed look. "Well, I'll hold ya to it."

The black-haired teen's expression morphed into a wide grin, holding his hand up.

"Matthew Vandham." He introduced himself. "Future hero of Remnant."

"Rogue Marie." The brown and white-haired teen greeted in return, clapping her hand into his, the pair grasping each other tightly in camaraderie. "Looks like your hero spot now has competition."

"Oh? Is it supposed to be you?"

Matthew's chest puffed out, the man putting on the smarmiest look he could muster.

"Unfortunately for you love, you were so busy crashin' that you missed quite possibly the most spectacular landing in all of Remnant."

Rogue simply shook her head at his behavior.

"What are ya, a child?"

"Oi, I get enough of that from my sister." Vandham grumpily said, getting another laugh out of her.

His expression changed again, this time having a more cheerful smile.

"Guess we're partners now." Matt remarked, his smile being infectious as Rogue reciprocated the gesture.

"Looks like it, shugah." Rogue said, grinning at her new partner.

"Oh~ Shugah? Careful now, you might make me weak in the knees." He quipped before he held up his fist, a confident grin. "Well, here's to the start of the best duo in all of Beacon."

Rogue liked that sound of that, her smile widening.

"We're gonna show the whole school." She slammed her fist into his emphatically.

"Damn right. Come on, let's get out of this place." The pair then chose a random direction and began walking towards it.

"You got any ideas where we are?" Rogue asked.

Matt only shrugged in response. "Hell if I know. I was busy makin' sure I didn't face plant."

Rogue couldn't fault him for that as she was no better.

"Guess that means we climb and improvise."

"Here, here."

The newly minted duo quickly scaled a nearby tree, popping up above the leaves.

"Alright then, where oh where is- Aha," Matthew pointed in the direction southwest of their position. "There we are, castle on the yonder."

"I see 'em." Rogue said, her hand over her eyes. "Doesn't look to-"

She was interrupted by the fluttering of wind, the gust being unusually strong followed by a large shadow that flew overhead.

The pair paused, slowly looking up and both sighed aloud.

"Figured." Matt deadpanned.

Above them, a Grimm Nevermore shrieked at them as it soon divebombed in their direction.

"This is an initiation after all." Marie remarked.

"True enough." Her new partner said, giving a twirl of his spear while Rogue slammed her fists together, green gauntlets forming around them.

"Guess it's time we start showing everyone why we're gonna be the best." Matthew stated, getting Rogue to grin widely.

"My thoughts exactly."

The duo launched themselves forward, the Nevermore continuing its trajectory at the two.

As they engaged in battle, their actions were observed by Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch from the cliffside where the students had been launched. The blonder of the two held a scrollpad in her hands, sifting through the various cameras.

"Interesting pairing." The latter commented, watching as Matthew called for an improvised move, shifting the sword he held into a spear that he held in the middle.

He reared his arm back in a posture ready to throw his spear and just as he was about to, Rogue came in with a Semblance-enhanced punch, adding to the power as he threw it with a dual combined force. The spear rocketed forward, a blur for those with untrained eyes that pierced the head of the Nevermore and went out the other end, the Grimm falling and fading away not long after.

"Quick on their feet, intelligent and friendly, to boot." Ozpin idly noted, sipping from his mug. "We may have something promising here."

-Scene Cut-

After the trials and tribulations of the Emerald Forest, Rogue and Matthew would eventually reach the crumbling castle in the forest's center. There, they would retrieve their piece, matching another pair that they would encounter on their trek back to Beacon.

These would be their teammates, the first being Neeko, a chameleon Faunus with a long tail, green hands and feet akin to a lizard and their other was Taric, a hulking teen with flowing brown hair and a unique three-sided ax-type weapon.

Together, they formed team MRNT and it didn't take long for the team to quickly be at the forefront of their class.

Touted as amongst the best that Beacon had ever produced, team MRNT made a name for themselves in a short amount of time, acing combat, garnering high praise from the faculty and was all around quite well-known and respected by the rest of the academy students.

Matt had a natural charisma and an easygoing if not cocky and bullheaded way to his personality that many people would at first find off-putting. But he never portrayed himself as arrogant nor narcissistic; instead, he showed himself to be a straightforward and caring individual who was always willing to help out those in need, even if he could get a tad forceful.

It was in this aspect that Rogue served as a way to reign in her partner, friend and team leader.

She was charming and had one of the friendliest smiles in all of Beacon, with her unique accent and natural beauty garnering quite a following in the school. Though many learned quickly that should one push her buttons or worse, wrong or insult one of her friends, they would be introduced to her fiery temper and the back, front and knuckle end of her hand. She's very creative with a punch.

A fine example of such use of creativity was witnessed during their second year.

And not against Grimm…

Rogue held the most flat, unamused and very much annoyed look she had ever mustered up to this point in her life. Currently, her fist was snugly dug into the cheek of a classmate, his entire body pressed into a nearby wall with many cracks around him.

She was busy checking her nails with her other hand while twisting her fist against her classmate's cheek.

"Now shugah," Rogue conversationally said, ignoring the grunts and moans of pain the man was giving off. "What made you think you can just push around this sweetheart here?"

Said sweetheart was a young freshman, a Faunus with two large rabbit ears.

"Alright there, Velvee?" Rogue kindly asked with a charming smile. Despite the situation, Velvet Scarlatina could not withhold her own smile, strained as it was due to the sight of such a friendly face being responsible for mashing one of her bullies into a nearby wall.

She looked around and saw Rogue's partner conducting his own form of punishment, stomping on two other teens who were partners with the one getting his face mashed into the wall.

"The hell are you two playing at?" Matt raged. "You wanna scrap…you scrap with me!"

It was quite the sight when he barreled in, grabbing one of them and flinging them down the hallway.

Turning back to Rogue, Velvet nodded, earning a bright smile from her elder classmate and senior. The brown and silver-haired teen then returned her gaze to the classmate she was currently humiliating and put on the most sickeningly sweet smile Velvet had ever seen on a person.

"Now shugah, let this be a lesson to treat others with respect and class, kay sweetheart?"

The only response she got was a groan of pain.

"Perfect!" Rogue stated, overly cheerful with a bright smile that radiated danger.

"We catch you blokes pullin' something like this again, it'll be three walls I'm throwing you through." Matt threatened.

"Matthew," Rogue chided. "Think of the collateral. The window will do just fine. Less payment for repairs."

Her pony-tailer friend and partner glanced over at a nearby window and shrugged non-committedly. Rogue shook her head, smirking at his antics, looking down at Velvet and giving her a genuine smile laced with slight regret.

"Sorry bout that, sweetheart." She kindly said, holding out her hand. "Just those boys needed to learn their lesson proper is all."

Despite what she just saw, Velvet couldn't help but release a bemused laugh.

"Thanks." She softly said, accepting the offered hand and being helped up to her feet.

"What were those bastards botherin' you about?" Matt asked, earning another flat look from Rogue.

"Matt, ya gotta stop rushin' in recklessly like that all the time." She admonished, poking his temple. "It's gonna get you in trouble."

The teen didn't seem all that bothered, giving off a cheeky laugh, and even though she was chastising him, his partner couldn't help but smile herself.

"But now that ya mention, why were these chumps all over you?" Vandham queried, looking back at Velvet.

At that, the rabbit-eared girl wilted slightly, head inclining down with her right hand rubbing her left hand.

She jittered slightly, much to the pair's confusion until she gestured to her ears.

"Faunus." Was all she said and it was instant with how their mood shifted.

Matt didn't withhold the dirty look he directed at the unconscious bullies they had just beaten down whilst Rogue put on a more sympathetic look.

"Ah shugah, I'm sorry." She earnestly said. "These bozos are nothing more than idiots who are just too stupid. Don't let 'em get to ya."

"And if they do, physically I mean, just sock them in the jaw."

Rogue would have reprimanded Matt for such a thing but then that would mean that she would have to admit to being a hypocrite.

"Just not too hard." She added on. "Yer gonna wanna at least get a proper apology out of them and if ya break their jaws, they won't be able to do it."

"You could just force it out of them." Vandham idly said. "If ya can break their jaw-"

"Don't go giving worse ideas than we already have." Rogue deadpanned.

-Scene Cut-

A number of months had passed, and their second year was drawing to its close.

And with the end of the second year came the time for the school dance. A means to celebrate a job well done for the one student body.

Rogue and Matt's team were in attendance, the duo watching Neeko dancing with their largest teammate Taric.

The Chameleon Faunus was laughing at the nervous larger teen who kept stumbling and tripping over himself whilst trying to keep up with his smaller friend, much to the amusement of his teammates.

"You'd think he would have gotten better as opposed to last year." Matt commented, laughing at Taric falling on his bum.

"Well, least it wasn't flat on his face this time." Rogue said, chuckling at the overdramatic actions Neeko was displaying in trying to get her partner back up to his feet.

Matthew chose to wear a black suit jacket that's open up showing his black waistcoat on top of his white wingtip dress shirt with a blue bow tie.

Rogue wears a formal emerald green long corset dress with a side slit and exposed shoulders, her hair more puffier than usual.

All around them, the students of Beacon Academy dance, chattered and mingled with each other all under the watchful eye of several of the Faculty, some of which were dancing themselves.

Seeing that there were more and more people now going to the dance floor, Matt stepped forward and took Rogue's hand, pulling on it.

"Come on."

"Wha-"

"Let's dance. You and me."

Rogue blushed slightly, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Aw come on, Matt, ya know I got two left feet. Can barely keep a rhythm goin'."

"Yeah and I got horrible taste in music, so what?"

"I don't think that applies here."

"Course it does, I'm choosing this song to dance with you."

"But everyone is going to dance." Rogue pointed out.

"All the better to give it a try." Matt encourages, pulling at her arm now like a child would their mother when wanting something.

"Matt~" She groused out, seeing him only laugh as he pulled her into the center of the dance floor.

She had her cheeks puffed out and lips in a pout while Matt kept his cheeky grin in place.

"Come on, just move with me." Matt pressed happily. "Think of it like how we do our combo attacks."

Rogue blew a strand of hair out of her face and despite her best efforts to maintain an annoyed face, her partner's infectious smile wormed its way onto her face. She hated(Loved really) how his annoying, easygoing and cheerful smile always managed to make her do the same.

It was an unfair advantage, honestly.

Matt started swaying about and Rogue hastily tried emulating his movements yet she saw there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. He started making over-the-top movements that made Rogue yelp, clutching onto him as she nearly tripped over her feet only for her partner to sharply tilt in the opposite direction, taking her with him.

"MATT!" Rogue complained aloud, eliciting a boisterous laugh from her friend who pulled her in close and spun around a few times.

Rogues pleas and cries of mercy and annoyance were mixed with laughter, try as she might not to find amusement in this.

"You're the worst." Rogue managed out between laughs.

"Come on, you're getting the hang of it." Matt said, going in for a spin with Rogue lifting her feet of the ground in time to sail around. "There ya go!"

Rogue continued laughing, smiling jovially as she and Matt "danced" in their own way, completely uncaring of coordination and instead just focused on having fun. Their teammates and friends, Neeko and Taric, jumped in with them and the team ended up sprawled on the floor off to the side of the dancefloor, all laughing boisterously.

"We'll get the hang of it next time." Matt said after calming down.

"Or not," Neeko chipperly said. "Why do it the normal way when we could do it our way?"

"Which pretty much applies to everything we do." Taric softly said in a small hum.

"Well, let's try it out." Matt encouraged. "At least once so we can say we gave it a go."

"Then we'll follow my lead, next time." Rogue chimed in.

Taric chortled, getting a look from the southern belle.

"And what're you laughing at, ya big oaf?" Rogue asked with a huff.

Completely unbothered by the jab, Taric settled a large hand on Neeko's shoulder.

"Come on, Rogue, we all know that out of all of us, Neeko here would likely be our best chance of at least having remotely some decency in this folly." The largest team member remarked knowingly.

"Least we won't step on each other's toes next time." Matt conceded, clapping his hands together. "Right then, next year's dance, we're gonna show Beacon all our moves we learned."

-Scene Cut-

-One Month after the start of Matt and Rogue's third year-

Matt and Rogue were garbed in black.

Their expressions were one of pure sorrow and anguish.

The pair held hands, the southern belle having silent tears streaking down her face whilst the usually cheeky pony-tailed Huntsman was forlorn and heartbroken.

Before them stood Neeko, their friend and partner looking the worst out of the three of them, looking devastated in ways that could never be described, only felt.

She slowly went down to her knees, and in her hands was a large bouquet that she placed on the ground. Neeko got back to her feet, stepping back with Rogue letting go of Matt and instantly pulling her into a hug, one the chameleon Faunus returned as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

Matt's expression fell, more than it already has, his eyes on his friends before facing the source of their sadness.

A gravestone and on it, the name of their fallen comrade and friend.

"Come on." Matt quietly said to the girls. "Let's go home."

The three teammates left the gravestone, going back to their dorm in Beacon.

Their fellow third-year classmates who saw them all gave them their condolences and well wishes until they arrived back to their room.

Matt, Rogue and Neeko sat in silence for a prolonged period of time, Matt on his bed, Rogue on Neeko's bed with the Faunus resting her head in her friend's lap. Rogue gently stroked Neeko's hair with one hand whilst holding her hand with her other.

They had stayed this way for a while until Neeko sat up from Rogue's lap and pulled out her scroll.

On it, her Huntress ID.

"Neeko… are ya sure about this?"

Their friend shakily nodded her head, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I just… I can't-" The Chameleon Faunus only shuddered, head bowing low and tears falling to the ground. "Not without him…"

Rogue immediately pulled her friend into a tight hug, Neeko reciprocating the gesture as she cried into her shoulder. "We know, shugah, we know."

Matt stood up from his bed only to move to kneel in front of Neeko, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"You need anything, anything at all, you just let us know." He emphatically stated. "Just cause you're leavin' doesn't mean you're off the team. You always have your spot here, no matter what."

"We ain't moving yer bed, that's for sure." Rogue remarked, getting a small laugh from Neeko.

"Appreciate it." She quietly said.

"Do you wanna do anything right now?" Marie inquired and Neeko simply shook her head.

"I just wanna stay here right now with you two." The Faunus murmured.

"We can do that."

-Scene Cut-

-Several weeks later-

"This is the place." Matthew said, looking up from his scroll.

His partner and best friend stood by his side, hands on her hips and exhaling dramatically. The two-man team stood atop a hill that gave them a good view of their destination.

"Jeez," Rogue frowned at the village they were overlooking. "They really are in a state, aren't they?"

"It's what we're here for." Matt determinedly stated. "Well, let's get to work."

Rogue's expression morphed into determination, nodding at him and lightly bumping his shoulder with her fist before the pair walked down the hill they stood upon.

It didn't take long for them to get to the village entrance, seeing that the gate wasn't in the best of shape, having multiple patched-up holes and fractures. On both sides of the gate were dilapidated watchtowers likely for sentries yet they seemed empty from their vantage point.

"Yeesh, it's even worse up close." Rogue remarked, wincing at the damage to the gate along with the walls alongside it.

"Seen better days, that's for sure." Matt grimaced, tilting his head up. "Oi, Oi, anybody up there? We're Huntsmen from Beacon, 'ere 'bout your Grimm problem."

There was a bout of silence that filled the air until the duo saw a head peak out from the right sentry tower.

"Huntsmen?" The voice was that of a man. "From Beacon, you say?"

"That's right." Rogue said aloud. "Rogue Marie and Matthew Vandham, at yer service."

The pair proceeded to pull out their scrolls and held them up, displaying their registered Huntsmen licenses. The guard above strained to see their IDs but gave up, releasing a scoff.

"Since ya went through the trouble of showing it," He grumbled more to himself than to them, looking back into the village. "Open the gates! The Huntsmen and Huntress from Beacon Academy are here."

There were small sounds of chatter and movement from the other side of the battered gate until it creaked open.

Slowly, the twin gates revealed the interior of the village and what the duo saw made their faces harden.

They spotted close to a dozen damaged structures with two or three houses outright demolished, razed to the ground. Sharing a look, Rogue and Matt walked inside getting the chance to get a better view of the tenants of the village.

Most of the adults present looked worse for wear, with slightly damaged clothing and bandages visible on a good chunk of them.

"Looks like we came at the right time." Matt murmured. "Or the worst. They barely look like they're standing."

"Must be some Grimm to be harassing these folks like this." Rogue quietly observed, spotting some kids who looked better off than the adults but no less frightened.

"Are the ones sent from Beacon?" Spoke an aged voice off to the side, making both turn to see an elderly man with olive skin and curved horns, walking stick in hand.

A Ram-Faunus if they were to hazard a guess.

"That'd be us, yeah." Matt confirmed, pulling out his Huntsmen ID, and Rogue mimicked his actions.

The elder Faunus took a moment to inspect their licenses and nodded, his shoulders sagging.

"Thank you for coming." The village leader earnestly stated. "I am Sol. Welcome."

"Glad to be here." Vandham said.

"So what's the situation here, sir?" Rogue asked.

Sol instead turned, waving for them to follow him.

"It's the Grimm, as you already are aware, yet…" The village leader's tone was worn and exhausted. "We believed in the beginning that we had a handle on them here but that all changed when they appeared."

"A'Right, that's ominous." Matt commented. "And who's this "they" you speak of?"

Sol grimaced, shaking his head, a disturbed look in his eyes appearing. "It was the Grimm but unlike any the entire town has ever seen."

"The briefing said something similar to that." Rogue commented. "Your words, I take it?"

"More or less." Sol stated.

"And what about that emergency distress beacon our scrolls picked up on?" Matt inquired, tone grim now.

Sol's shoulders sagged, a troubled and remorseful gaze in his eyes.

"A Huntress came earlier last week. She repelled a good chunk of the Grimm but when she went to scout out and locate the Grimm that we had described, she did not return."

Rogue and Matt felt a shiver down their spines at the tone the Ram-Faunus elder possessed.

"All we know is that her emergency distress signal remains." Sol stated, yet the uncertainty in his voice was clear.

The green and yellow-suited Huntress pulled out her scroll again and brought up a message that conveyed having picked up on a distress signal.

"So that's what it was." She quietly said to herself.

"Northeast." Matthew commented, craning his head to look at Rogue's scroll.

"Aye, towards the mountains." Sol stated, using his walking stick to point northeast at said mountain range.

Matthew and Rogue stared at the mountain for a few moments, exchanging quick looks and nodded.

"Alright chief, tell us the full details." The former said.

"Leave nothing out." The latter tacked on.

-Several hours later-

"Whaddya think, this how they look?" Matt casually asked, holding up a piece of paper with a crude drawing of a Grimm, one of the supposed two the elder had described in detail.

Rogue snorted at the picture, snatching it out of his hand and crumpling it in her hand.

"Ya still got that chicken scratch hand." She teased, making her friend huff, crossing his arms and turning away dramatically.

The Beacon Belle chuckled at his behavior, patting his shoulder as the pair continued their trek.

They had been going up the mountain near the village for several hours now, following a rough trail that would lead them higher and deeper into the region. Some instructions from the townspeople helped direct them to get around the place faster yet they also warned of the dangers this place likely held and it was proven to be true.

Only a half-hour into their journey, they encountered a pack of Beowulf and Beringel Grimm, an odd combo to be sure but one they didn't pay much mind to.

All that mattered was taking them out.

Being trained at Beacon for over three years now had honed their already considerable skills to a sharpened edge, one that cut the Grimm to pieces before pressing on.

There were other Grimm they ran into here and there but after the first hour, the duo had been relatively unbothered by much else other than the environment.

They had spent their walk up and through the mountain discussing their mission and just what exactly the Grimm type they were dealing with.

From what the people of the village told them, after repeated attacks from the Grimm, they had picked up on a pattern of sorts.

The way the Grimm attacked was far too coordinated for their liking, targeting weak points and areas of importance that were instrumental for the survival of their settlement. They struck hard and fast, the time in which they did so to be random, be it night or day.

It was unheard of for the villagers but for Rogue and Matt…

"Ya know, that makes it like what? The second time this year?"

"Third time." Rogue corrected her friend.

"Yeah, third." Matt remarked with a frown, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "Something in the air or water but I sure as hell don't recall Grimm being strategic. Pack-oriented, yeah, but strategic?"

"Let's just focus on finding these Grimm first." Rogue stated. "Maybe we can "interrogate" them and see what they're thinking."

Her partner and friend 'hmphed' with a small smirk, hand twitching for his weapon briefly until he froze.

"Rogue." Matt's voice was sharp, making his friend glance at him, seeing his gaze directed elsewhere.

Glancing over to what he was looking at, Rogue's expression mirrored her partners a second later and she jogged over to what had captured Matt's attention.

A cracked scroll.

Rogue crouched down, picking up the damaged scroll. The cracked screen had a few pieces missing yet the emergency signal was still displayed.

The Beacon student felt her insides clench up, seeing that all they managed to find was this Huntresses scroll and weapons and…

"Where's the body?" Rogue asked aloud.

The search was on for the missing person with dread welling up inside of them.

"Ah shit." Matt bit out, going over to a bush that has seen better days and in said bush was the weapon that could only be utilized by one with Aura.

More specifically, a Huntress.

Rogue's eyes narrowed, feeling a pit in her stomach appear and with a quick flex of her fingers, her gauntlets formed around her hands.

"So," Matt conversationally said, unclipping his weapon from his hip. "A trap?"

"Oh yeah."

Rogue rolled her shoulders, her Aura flaring up whilst Matt flicked his weapon, a spear forming in his hand.

"Alright." The Beacon Belle's voice echoed around them. "Either you come out or we find you and grind you into paste."

They were met with silence for a few moments until…

Both young adults had their heads twitch upwards at the sound of snarls coming from above.

More growls were heard from nearby and were growing louder. The sound of movement joined in, pattering sounds echoing around them.

With no words being exchanged between them, Matt casually tossed his spear up and Rogue cracked her knuckles before rearing her fist back and punched the tail end of her partner's weapon. It went hurtling through the air like a missile and went right through the head of a Grimm Beringel who appeared from the curve of the path ahead.

The Grimm twitched there, shuddering for a few moments before its body slumped, still being kept in the air until it disintegrated a moment later.

Matt wordlessly pressed on a button on one of his belts and his spear quickly dislodged itself from the rock it was embedded in and it flew back into the hands of its owner just as Grimm Beowolves and Beringel appeared around them.

"It's gonna be a long evening."

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Rogue rhetorically asked with a cheeky grin, jumping up into the air to crack her fist across the face of a Beowolf, knocking its head clean off.

Matt's spear shifted and swiftly transformed into a sword, the Beacon Huntsman spinning about to slice another Beowolf's head clean off. A moment later, his sword turned back into its spear form, thrusting it into the gut of a Beringel that screeched out in pain. It lurched forward in an attempt to get at the Huntsman only for Rogue to come in from above and shove her fist into the Grimm's head.

Vandham pulled his spear back just as the Grimm turned to ash, spinning it about as several Beowolves charged at him.

"Come 'ere boys." Matt goaded with a grin. "Let's see if I can make myself Remnants first ever Grimm pelt."

Rogue was blitzing the Grimm, utilizing her Aura to give her bursts of speed and power, her fists hammering into each dark creature, practically killing each one with one blow. A green glow emanated around her fists, sparking with power upon every punch she delivered.

Matt was a whirlwind of grace and skill, tearing apart any Grimm that was in close quarters or some distance away, his weapon constantly shifting between spear and sword mode.

Every now and then, the pair would combine their attacks, taking out multiple Grimm in one go and covering for their blind spots.

Of all the students in Beacon, all the partnerships, few would be able to match or come close to the synchronization this pair held. Years of building their friendship, trust and getting to know each other's habits and idiosyncrasies have forged Rogue Marie and Matthew Vandham as the premiere, Dynamic Duo of Beacon Academy.

Matthew was rapidly spinning his spear, marching forward at an even pace. His spinning spear casually swatted aside the claws, bites and attempted pouncing on the Grimm he was tackling, quickly cutting them apart.

He changed up his weapon into its sword mode as an Ursa Major pounced at him at full force. The Beacon student jumped back, throwing his sword at just the right angle and the blade embedded itself in the Ursa's eye. It shrieked in pain, pawing at its face when Matt bounced forward, grabbing the handle of his sword in a backhand grip and jerking it upwards, splitting the Grimm's head open and killing it.

Vandham didn't stop in his motion, spinning about to plunge his sword into a Beowulf that tried sneaking up on him, his blade going through its neck. With another swift motion, the Grimm was decapitated and killed, Matt quickly shifted his blade back into its spear mode and spun around for a horizontal arching swipe, channeling his aura into his weapon to give it the added power to cut through several more Grimm.

Over with Rogue, her fists were like sledgehammers, bashing into Grimm to the point of breaking limbs or sending them flying.

Her aura was shining all around her, empowering her every strike as she pulverized the swarm of Grimm around her. The emerald gauntlets around her fists were specifically designed to be denser and sturdier than the typical model considering the output and impact her punches delivered.

She lunged forward, grabbing a Beowulf around its neck and bashing both her feet into an Ursa minor behind the wolf-like Grimm, caving in the bear's head. She then fell down, angling the Beowulf's head toward the ground. The head got smashed into the ground and for added measure, Rogue punched a hole straight through it.

Just before the body could fully disintegrate, Rogue used it as a launch platform, jumping into the air with a graceful corkscrew that ended with a 360 dual heel kick to several Beringel she was about to fall into.

One lost a jaw, the other a head, and the rest got sent flying. Rogue landed smoothly upon the ground, jolting back into a backflip as Beringel tried smashing her into the ground. She jumped up, landing on a nearby wall of the mountainside, propelling herself at full force and punched the top half of the Beringel's head off.

A quick flick of her hands got rid of the Grimm substance still coating her arms.

Rolling her shoulders, Rogue was ready to turn around, ready to continue the fight when she felt something… off.

Rogue's instincts kicked into overdrive, rapidly looking around the area to locate the source of this sudden distress. Now, she didn't have a sixth sense or an ability to detect any sort of threat but she always had an uncanny intuition and instinct that popped up at times whenever she was on a mission.

No sooner did she pause than a large shadow cast itself over her from above.

She jumped forward just as the owner of the shadow came crashing down from on high, dust and debris exploding around it upon impact. Her head snapped back around to see the newcomer, eyes widening upon seeing just what came down.

It was a Grimm, obviously, yet unlike any she had seen in her entire life.

The Grimm was large, far larger than any within the area though not as large as a Goliath. That still didn't undermine the mass and presence this Grimm carried as many of the other dark creatures began inching away, somewhat alarming the Beacon Huntress.

Shaking her head, Rogue made sure to do a quick visual analysis of the new Grimm type.

As noted before, it was a large, hulking mass of muscle with the usual bone plating/armor on its chest, shoulders and forearms with bone "studs" decorating where its knuckles are. Other than its size, the most defining feature Rogue would say is its face, having a skeletal mask with four eyes, downward curved horns and a glowing orange-red mouth.

And it had its four eyes dead-set on Rogue, slightly unnerving her.

This wasn't your usual Grimm.

"So…" She conversationally said, despite knowing these creatures don't understand her. "You must be one of the Grimm harassing that poor village."

The Grimm simply growled, making the very air seemingly vibrate.

"Guess that answers that," Marie remarked, smacking her right fist into her left hand before quirking a brow. "Hang on a sec. They said there are two of… yo-MATT!"

As she cried out to her partner, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a black blur flying overhead, making a beeline for Matthew.

The Huntsman had just finished stabbing his spear through the gut of an Ursa, hearing his friends call out to him in time. He spun around, hastily throwing his spear up just as the Grimm gunning after him made a swipe at him with its bony claws.

Matt felt his arms rattle in pain, surprising the teen at the power this Grimm possessed, skidding back until he spun his spear around and jammed the tip into the ground to halt his momentum.

His head snapped up, eyes locking on to the Grimm that attacked him. It was a wolf-like Grimm but distinct enough that it couldn't be associated with the common Beowulf Grimm.

For starters, there was more emphasis on the upper half of its body, giving it a more brawlic and muscular build. It had a bone mask on its face with yellow glowing eyes. On its forearms was bone armor that rand down to its elbows, ending with bony spikes coming out from the joint with clawed fingers also plated with bones, studs on its shoulders and a rib cage on its back that ended halfway to the top.

Though it was not as armored as the rest of the Grimm nor the hulking Troll of a Grimm that Rogue was facing off against, this one seemed no less dangerous than those the Beacon duo had already faced off against.

Matt narrowed his eyes, trying to get a gauge at the Grimm when a story, of all things, popped into his head.

It came with a comforting, elderly voice in his mind with him sitting next to his younger sister, listening as the elderly voice told stories of-

"The Grimms of old?" Matt murmured, not really sure if he was seeing things, his eyes briefly flickering over to the Grimm Rogue was still fighting before turning back to his own that took a step forward.

"A Worgen?" Vandham warily said. "And a Troll? The hell? You guys haven't been seen in decades. Not since-WHOA!"

The Worgen rushed in, going for a swipe that was once more deflected by Matt, making his arms quake again.

"Alright, you got a nasty right hook." He grunted out, flicking his arm several times, his aura helping alleviate some of the pain.

Matt immediately went for a defensive, retaliatory swing of his spear, seeing the Grimm Worgen shift its legs, indicating it was going in for another attack. His attack worked as the Grimm stalled in its lunge, allowing Vandham the chance to launch his proper counterattack.

The tip of his spear was met with the bone vambraces of the Worgen, the Grimm snarling at the attack. He kicked the bottom of his spear that struck the side of the Grimm, lightly jolting it and he quickly transitioned his weapon into its sword mode, thrusting it forward.

The Worgen surprised the Huntsman with how he blocked the sword. The Grimm literally bit the sword's edge and jerked its head back. Matt was pulled in yet his instincts and reflexes kicked in, going forward with the motion, managing to avoid getting clawed at by the Grimm and yank his sword out of its mouth.

With a quick twirl, Matt swung his blade at full force, the metal clashing violently against the claws of the Grimm, the sound of the clash echoing around the pair.

He spun his blade into a horizontal grip, both hands holding the handle with the sword raised up to just below his eyes. Matt thrust his blade forward only for it to be swatted aside by the Worgen. Undeterred, Vandham took the attack in stride, using it as momentum to spin around in a full circle, now holding his blade outstretched for a diagonal slash.

The Worgen managed to throw its bone-plated arms up in time to block the blade yet the power behind it cut through a good chunk of the armor. The Grimm felt this, snarling viciously in response and caught Matt off guard by pouncing on him.

Hastily, his sword shifted back into its spear mode, its wielder holding it between Matt and the Grimm just as the Worgen tried taking a bite out of the teen.

"Whoa there!" Matt exclaimed, struggling to hold back the Worgen, the Lycan-esque Grimm savagely biting his weapon with him barely holding it back far enough to avoid its claws.

He was then saved by an unlikely projectile, one being a massive Grimm that collided against the Worgen, sending both flying back.

Matt relaxed and the sound of footsteps landing beside him made him sigh in relief.

"Nice timing, Rogue." He gratefully said, getting helped up by his friend.

"You alright, Matt?" She asked, getting an appreciative smile from him.

"Still standing." He assured, the pair now facing the Worgen and Troll, both of whom recovered and were now glaring at the Huntsman and Huntress.

"What kinda Grimm are they?" Marie couldn't help but ask, getting into her combat stance.

"A Worgen and Troll," Matt answered, sensing the look of surprise from his partner. "My granddad used to tell stories about old heroes and the Grimm they used to face to me and my sister. These Grimm used to be around back during the war, ninety years ago."

"Wait, they were?" Rogue said in surprise. "Used to be?"

"They started to decline after the war and they just… stopped appearing." Matt stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The Grimm Troll let out a bellowing roar, smashing both oversized fists into the earth and lunging forward.

"Talk later!" Matthew hurriedly said, he and Rogue jumping away from each other just as the Troll crashed down where they once stood.

Matt heard movement and looked up in time to see the Grimm Worgen above him, claws outstretched and mouth wide open, ready to take a bite out of him.

Vandham grits his teeth, clenching his spear tightly as his aura flares around him, converging around his hands and his weapon. With a burst of speed, Matt jabbed his spear forward, stabbing the edge into the right palm of the Worgen.

It shrieked in pain, managing a retaliatory strike with its other hand, Matt's aura flaring again.

He fell back, landing on his knee whilst feeling moisture on his face. Reaching up, the young Huntsman felt liquid on his fingertips and he pulled back to see blood on his hand.

"Damn." He murmured, feeling his aura working to heal his injuries.

Still. The fact that the Grimm managed to leave such a wound even with his aura was troubling. These were not the usual fodder he and Rogue would usually plow through.

Matthew Vandham soon sported a grin, rising back up as the Worgen let out a snarling challenge.

"Oh yeah?" He held a taunting tone and gaze. "You think you're scary, mate? You sound like a mewling pup."

Whether the growl meant the Grimm understood him or not didn't matter to the Beacon student as he dashed forward. Rearing his arm back, Matt threw his spear with all his might, the stick sailing through the air.

It embedded itself into the shoulder of the Worgen, a cry of rageful pain escaping the Grimm.

Matt then used the same device from before, recalling his weapon from the Worgen and got it back into his hand. He spun his spear around, the edge facing the Grimm as he came down.

The Worgen jumped back in time as Matt embedded his spear into the ground. His weapon shifted back to its sword mode and he pursued the Grimm at full speed.

Over with Rogue, the Huntress jumped into the air, avoiding the Troll that tried smashing her into a paste. She then flipped over, angling her heel at the head of the Grimm.

The impact of her heel meeting Grimm pone-plating released a sickening crunch, the material cracking considerably. Yet the Troll remained standing, roaring in pain and swinging its arm at Rogue.

The Huntress kicked off the beast into a spinning corkscrew that deftly avoided the oversized fist. She landed gracefully, instantly moving into a backflip as another fist came down.

Rogue jumped away, ducking, flipping, dodging and weaving around the Grimm's bulky arms. One might assume or observe that these were just lumbering strikes and swings from the Troll.

However, Rogue found herself on uneven ground around the troll, having her foot actually slip through several cracks that had been formed in the Grimm's attacks. She managed to escape each time but each one was too close for comfort, making her jump away entirely from the area.

The Grimm roared, chasing after her, grabbing several rocks and throwing them at her.

Rogue dodged most of them until she charged up her Semblance and punched the last one into smithereens. Her eyes widened as through the dust came the Troll, managing to swipe at her.

She ducked at the very last second but was still swiped. The power behind the troll's arm was considerable, all but launching the Beacon student.

Rogue flailed through the air, hitting the ground once before her reflexes kicked in, catching herself, pushing off the ground with her hands to land on her feet. She wobbled slightly, feeling slightly sore. The young woman grits her teeth at the Grimm when she notices something off about her outfit.

Her favorite jacket had considerable tears and…

"My hair," She bemoaned in shock, seeing several of her locks floating down to the ground.

There was a huff and her eyes looked back up at the Grimm troll, the beast stomping both his large arms on the ground, posing more like a gorilla now.

So it wanted a challenge.

"Oh, shugah," Rogue cracked her knuckles, her Aura sparking around them. "You have no idea just how much you just ticked me off."

The Grimm Troll bellowed out its booming roar, lunging forward with both its brutish arms outstretched.

Rogue simply widened her stance and reared her arm back as she readied her attack. Concentrating her power, Rogue blitzed the Grimm Troll, appearing right in front of its midsection and delivering a powerful punch to its stomach, cracks and crunches being heard. The punch caused a vibration across the Grimm's entire body, making many parts of its bone plating crack and chip off.

The Grimm tumbled back, falling to the ground in a loud thud.

Rogue jumped into the air, fist reared back with her aura surrounding her limb.

She was violently slapped aside in the air, the Troll surprising her in a burst of speed that sent her crashing into the ground again.

There was an audible groan of pain followed by a warning sound that came from her Scroll.

"Shit," Rogue cursed out, forcing herself to her feet. "Ok big boy, I've had enough of you."

She spat out a wad of blood, glaring fiercely at the Grimm Troll that stood back up. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Matt still engaged with his Grimm, the Worgen proving to be as much of a problem for him as the troll was for her.

With a huff and roll of her shoulders, Rogue loosened up slightly, jumping once to get herself locked in.

She raised both her fists again, getting into a boxing-type stance and waited for a brief second just as the Grimm Troll barreled after her again.

This time, Rogue wasted no movements.

In a burst of speed, Rogue ducked under its horizontal swipe and swung upwards with a resounding uppercut that stunned the Grimm. She didn't stop there as she moved like lightning, jumping into a spinning back-kickflip that made the jaw of the Grimm crack.

Rogue didn't relent, diving forward upon landing, fists outstretched. She slammed into the Grimm at full force, causing it to keel over and when it landed on its back, Rogue was right on top of it and with no hesitation, buried her fist in between the eyes of the Grimm.

There was a pause in the air, the only sound being heard was the continued battle between the Worgen and Matt. Rogue pulled her fist out of the Grimm's head and it slumped over, unmoving and dead.

No sooner did she claim her victory was it guaranteed at the sight of its body beginning to fade away.

Rogue stumbled back slightly but remained standing, disheveled yet triumphant.

"Oi! I know you're admiring how cool ya look but a little help here!"

Rogue jolted out of her stupor, cringing at her neglect of her friend.

"Sorry Matty, hang on!"

She jumped into the air, straight at the Worgen that was also airborne. It pivoted its body to meet the Huntress when a spear came out through its chest.

The Grimm could only howl for a second when Rogue punched its head so hard it snapped back, allowing Matt to spin it around, slamming it into the ground.

And for added measure, he sliced the Grimm in half from its chest up to its head, the body disintegrating seconds later.

"Whew." Was Matt's immediate response, leaning on his spear for support, thoroughly worn out from the battle. "That was-"

"Yeah," His partner knowingly said, taking a moment to relax when her head jerked up, eyes wide in alarm. "What a minute! There's still the other… Grimm…"

The duo looked around, seeing that the area they fought in was now completely abandoned.

Matt's face scrunched up in bewilderment, unsure if he was hallucinating.

"Now, I know I've got a hyperactive imagination sometimes but… last I checked, before those two big bastards went trompin' in here, weren't we fighting more Grimm?"

"You tell me, shugah." Rogue commented, looking around several times to be sure that they were alone. "I know we still had more Grimm around."

Vandham glanced at his partner, then turned to where he killed the Worgen and then the Troll's spot.

"It's like… maybe… do ya think us killin' these blokes scared them off?"

Rogue made a face at that. "Since when are Grimm scared?"

"Since when do Grimm that haven't been seen in 90 years appearing like that outta nowhere?" Matt rebuked.

"You knew what they were?" Rogue asked in surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, me gramps told stories to me and me sister and he sometimes brought up "Grimms of the olden days" or sumethin' like that." Matt rubbed the back of his head.

Rogue groaned, rolling her shoulders as she felt her the ache from her muscles and bones starting to creep in. Her aura must have been severely depleted after that fight.

"How's about we talk about this in a safer place?" She suggested. "Let's head back to the town, tell them folks what happened."

"Yeah." Matt agreed, bumping his shoulder against hers, taking one of her arms and throwing it around his shoulders. "Come on, I'm the one with the walking stick."

"Lead on, old man."

"Oi!"

-Scene Cut-

Eventually, after delivering the news to the townspeople of their victory in eradicating the Grimm and working on making sure the people were safe and secure, the two Beacon students departed for home.

They returned to the Academy a few days later, less worse for wear as they had managed to recover fully on their trip back and were now back at Beacon, walking right toward the entrance.

And as luck would have it, they spotted a familiar head of silver hair, mug in one hand and cane in the other.

The Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

And he wasn't alone. With him stood a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties garbed in a unique outfit neither of them had ever seen with a round shield on his back.

"Ah, Rogue, Matthew, wonderful timing." Ozpin happily said, gesturing for them to come closer. "I have someone I would like you both to meet."

The two students were directed to the stranger who greeted them with a polite and respectful smile.

"Ms. Marie, Ms. Vandham," Oz began. "I would like to give you the pleasure of meeting Captain Steve Rogers. He's one of the newest faculty members to Beacon along with the rest of his team."

"New faculty?" Matthew spoke up in intrigue. "Haven't had any of those since we've been here."

"Wait, team?" Rogue perked up. "You're part of a team?"

"One you probably haven't heard of." The Good Captain earnestly said, offering them his hand. "Steve Rogers. My team is the Avengers. Nice to meet you both. Professor Ozpin speaks very highly of you. He told me you're probably the best Huntsman and Huntress in Beacon today."

"Well, I wouldn't go and say that." Matt bashfully said, taking the Avengers' hand and shaking it. "What about you, Rogue? … Rogue?"

The boy saw his friend and partner have an unusually unreadable expression on her face, gazing intently at Steve for a few seconds of silence.

"The… Avengers?" Rogue parroted, an odd feeling coming over her. "Have we… ever met before?"

Rogers frowned upon hearing this, looking at Ozpin who could only shrug in response.

"No, I don't believe we have." Steve admitted and Rogue appeared unsure.

"Strange… must be my imagination." She shook her head a moment later, putting on an apologetic smile. "Scuse my musings, Professor Rogers. Guess my mind's all over the place today."

Steve gave her a good-natured smile in return, waving off her apology.

"Don't worry about that, Ms. Marie, we all have those days." He stated.

"Perhaps a proper rest in your beds is warranted." Ozpin chimed in. "You can give me a full report on your mission tomorrow."

"Won't say no to that." Matt freely remarked.

"Yeah, and I need to get my hair back under control." Rogue grumped out, sifting through her luscious locks.

"Your hair is never under control." Matt argued, the pair walking past the two adults.

"It's always under control. My control."

"Is that why it's always all over the place?"

Steve and Ozpin watched this exchange in amusement, though the former's expression changed into a deep, contemplative frown, one that the latter picked up on.

"Something on your mind, Steve?" The Headmaster spoke up, gazing at the Super-Soldier whose eyes were on Beacon's Southern Belle.

Steve's lip twitched and he didn't say it out loud but strangely, he felt a bizarre familiarity with meeting Rogue as well. He recalled only feeling that once in his lifetime, this hyper specific interaction.

And it was… still difficult to describe, even to this day.

He hadn't thought about it since but now, after meeting Rogue for the first time, he could distinctly remember this feeling.

And it dates back to his time in the war.

"Sorry, Oz." Steve said, shooting the man an apologetic smile. "Guess I got my own weird feelings of Deja vu… If I could even call it that."

AN

Fucking FINALLY.

Jesus fucking Christ, I hate it, HATE IT when this type of writer's slog happens. It's worse than a writer's block. It's just dragging your feet, barely putting in a sentence or two at a time and just NOT GETTING ANY CLOSER TO FINISHING THE FUCKING THING.

Dear god, it's the worst.

Doesn't help when the franchise you based this crossover on *Cough* RWBY *Cough* is just not the best right now. I mean… come on people, let's not kid ourselves. RWBY ain't doin' to hot right now and sometimes, when shit sucks, motivation is a hard thing to come by.

Plus there's the added issue of just not having everything set in stone.

Unlike Infinite Wars, like I've said in the past, a majority of this story is still in heavy discussion and outlining. We've only gotten up to Volume 4 and that's still up in the air with a lot of shit that we have yet to lockdown on.

We're gonna try to do what we can but hopefully, the next chapter, being a RWBY episode, will be helpful in us being able to write out the chapter sooner than later.

So annoying and sorry again. Thank you for your patience and your impatience is warranted.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.