Sorry for my bad English.
Well, my last AN had some critical response, I was expecting something like that to happen.
First of all, I don't know why some readers are saying they have the wrong thought about the story by what is written on the description. There a few who assumed that I would just replace only Jaune, leaving Pyrrha alone with a different partner. I don't know how this mistake happened and why only now they saw that.
I didn't change nothing on the description, only the title for be written wrong. Both Jaune and Pyrrha got new partners, and I think some readers did not thought about that. I still a bit discontent for the fact that Pyrrha's partner be a girl not be a issue but would be a problem if was a male OC some guy PM me about this.
The speech marks never were an issue before. "Sons of the Darkness" is written in that way and nobody never said a word about it. I don't see any reason to write in a different way then. Besides, like that I can find more Brazilians around this site.
Enough talk. To the fic!
CNVL Dormroom
Looking to the broken moon through the window of the room, Pyrrha could not close her eyes for sleep on that night. The fact of the blonde she meet on the morning still be on the Emerald Forest, on the part where the most dangerous grimms were located, keep her awake while her teammates sleep.
She planned to be partnered with Jaune after help him with his land strategy but the fate seemed to have different plans for her. When she was about to help Jaune, from nothing he was stroke by a lightning. A Lightning! She still couldn't believe it.
She tried to see if he was alright only to find that he was not around. Then to ruin her plans she turn around and ended looking straight to a pair of chocolate colored eyes from a old opponent she faced in the past.
Shortening the story, Pyrrha and Chocolat once faced each other in the Mistral Regional Tournament. The girls meet each other on the semi finals where Pyrrha defeated her. Imagine her surprise when she and Chocolat ended being partners while she still heard nothing from Jaune.
She didn't dislike Chocolat, it just she planned have Jaune as her partner, just that.
Then she felt the smell of chocolate.
-Pyrrha? –Speaking of the devil, like they said. The brunette was standing in front of Pyrrha wearing a white nightgow. –Why are you still awake?
-It just… I can't help but be worried about Jaune.
-You meet him only today. –Chocolat said in low voice to not awake her other teammates as she sit by Pyrrha's side. –I'm also worried about him and his partner but he already mean so much for you?
-Yes actually. –Pyrrha smiled while looking back at the moon. –I wanted to meet him even before I came to Vale.
-And why is that?
-Is something personal.
Something on the smile in Pyrrha's lips told to Chocolat that was more than something personal. She could see admiration on those green eyes of her.
-Personal or not, you need to sleep to once he and his partner come to back to Beacon tomorrow.
-You said like you know that they will appear tomorrow.
-Perhaps I do. –The statement confused Pyrrha a little while Chocolat and to walk to her bed. Thebrunette laid down on the mattress, resting her head on the pillow and close her eyes. –You have no idea Pyrrha.
Back on the Morning
Emerald Forest
Danger Zone
The moment the duo discovered the true reason for the wall, they quickly start to walk back to where they came from. But the problem is that they don't remember the direction they came. The hit and run with the Rockshell made them run to every side they could, soon losing the sight of the wall.
None of the two understood how this was possible.
While walking through the forest, they took the time they have to start bond their friendship. Since they will be partners after the initiation is done, they should start to try get along.
-Horseman. –Ryan said.
-Hookman. –Jaune said back.
-Horseman.
-Hookman.
-Horseman.
-C'mon! How come a Horseless Headless Horseman can be worst than a Hookman!? Half man, half hook!
-While the Horseless Headless Horseman is a specter, this Hookman can barely see what is going on since he have a hook on the place of his head.
It seems that they were get along pretty well.
They keep walking for half hour with no end, founding trees and more trees as more they walked.
-Damn! How long we run away from that stupid turtle? –Jaune asked getting impatient.
-It seems that was enough to make us got very far from that wall.
-But we should at least be able to take a peek of the wall from the size.
Ryan could agree more. While it was easy for him to open a hole on that wall, the size was enough to make the grimm think that was just something big on their way and was not worthy of their time to see the other side, or whatever. Ryan didn't know what happen inside of a grimm's head, expect of course, kill.
-We should give a look from a more high perspective.
-But those trees are too much tall. –Jaune said looking to above. –It just green and more green as far as my eyes can see! And who knows what is hiding inside of all this green.
-I know but we don't have much choice.
With a defeated sigh, Jaune started to climb one of the trees and be able to see where is the wall. Jaune climbed, climbed and climbed as far he could. Didn't take too long for him started panting.
-Man. I climbed a lot already. I'm high enough?
-No but you're one meter off the ground. –Ryan answered.
Jaune whined as slowly start to slide down.
Seeing that Jaune would need some help to climb the tree, Ryan tied a vine around his waist and Jaune's. Then he start to climb the tree holding Jaune with the vine wrapped around him. While the blonde knight followed his partner on the tree, he quickly notice that one of Ryan's most notable aspect is his strength.
First he punched through that wall like was just glass, then he is climbing the tree shoving his fingers on the wooden bark and pushing not just himself but Jaune as well. In the middle of their climbing, Jaune start to hear some strange noises around stopping his thoughts.
-Uhh, do you heard that? –Ryan asked.
-Soul crushing regret?
-That too but no. –Ryan said a little scared.
The noises start to get loud and then, something land on Jaune's head. He let out a girlish scream as he let go of the bark and start to swing around, and frantically tried to get off from his head whatever landed in his hair.
Ryan was about to tell him to calm down when the same thing landed on his arm.
It was a beetle. Yet was enough to scare Ryan as well and make him let go of the tree, when he noticed it was too late.
They both start to scream again as they feel down and not landed roughly on the grass thanks to the vine, what hold them both in a nearby branch, but made them collide with each other. Once they calmed down, they start to think.
-What was that? –Jaune asked.
-A beetle. But this one was different from a normal one.
-How so?
-He was all white with some red marks.
-Wait. It was a grimm?
-Maybe. If so we must leave quickly. My brother once told me that grimm bugs normally walk in really large groups. –Once Ryan finished his explanation, he notices that Jaune was with his eyes wide open and a scared expression. –I dare to ask?
Jaune pointed to behind him and what the boy with bandages saw was a tree covered with the same white beetles that landed on his arm. They immediately start to move to the tree they were hanging, quickly covering the bark almost completely.
-We need to get out the here! –Jaune shout.
Ryan pull a black revolver and shot the branch the vine was hanging them. Again on the floor, Ryan grabbed Jaune by his hood and start to run from the bugs, who were going after them. It was not just a little group, it was a army. They almost covered the grass with themselves while running together after the duo.
After a couple of seconds, Ryan put Jaune on his feets and he also start to run. Using again the hit and run tactic, Ryan was shooting against the bugs with both revolvers while running away. He got a good number of them with his shots, with were strong enough to make a hole on the floor, but didn't decreased their numbers fast enough as even more were coming.
-We cannot keep like that! –Ryan shout.
-But what we do? You cannot shot all of them and I cannot use my sword! They would devour me before I could give more than one swing!
-Perhaps I should just explode them away with electricity. No, Jaune is too much closer and I don't hink his aura will be enough to protect him. And is too much risk to we split apart, they may go after him. I could send electricity to the floor around but Jaune would be caught too… unless…
-Ryan, we must do something! They are getting closer!
Ryan's response was grab his partner again by the hood and throw him high on the sky, making Jaune let another girlish scream while Ryan stopped running and start to charge some energy he have stored on his body.
Once the army of bugs were closer to him, he jumped and quickly below him the bugs covered the grass, not giving him a place to land. Once back on the grass, he would become their lunch in mere seconds.
That if Ryan did not have used his semblance and shot the floor with electricity. He carefully aimed to the ground and the electricity start to spread around, electrocuting every single bug around him.
More of them start to come and he put both his hands on the floor, repeating the process electrocuting another huge amount of grimm bugs. He let out a sigh but notice even more coming. Ryan then stretch his arm and close his hand to grab Jaune by the belt before he could crash on the floor. He was still screaming.
-Jaune. –Ryan called but he keep screaming. –Jaune. –Still screaming. –Jaune! –Ryan shout and Jaune stopped, and notice the death bugs around him.
-You did this? –He could not have a answer as notice more bugs coming. –Oh c'mon! How much to those thing have around here!?
-Do you have any idea? –Ryan asked still holding Jaune by his belt.
-Can you just keep doing what you just did?
-It have a limit. I cannot use like that.
Jaune put his head to think as the bugs keep getting closer. They compensated Ryan's destructible capabilities with their numbers. And they were many. But Ryan still have some destructive capabilities in those guns.
Jaune look at the grimms. Then to the trees. Then to Ryan's guns. Then an idea struck on his mind.
-Ryan, let's block their path and run. –Jaune said he pointed to the direction the bugs were coming from. –You think you can shot the trees to make it fall on their way?
Ryan answered him by aiming both his revolvers and pulled the triggers of both guns. The bullets literally opened a hole on the sides of the trees. He shot at the trees from far to close to they were and each one fall on the grass, smashing some bugs and blocking their way. It ended with a bunch of trees piled as if was just cut down by a bunch of woodsmen.
It was enough to block their path. The bugs climbed the trees and come back to where they come, not knowing exactly to where to go or from where they come. It was like a maze made for them.
With that, the duo start to run away from the scene.
After a couple of minutes running and making sure that they were not followed, Jaune and Ryan decide to rest a little. Happy that they survive another encounter with the monsters.
-Uff. –Jaune began. –I can't believe we made it.
-I'm here too and I'm not believing either. –Ryan said while panting. –I never see grimms like that in Vacuo.
Jaune was about to speak again when he notices something attached to Ryan's chest.
-Uh, Ryan, what is that? –Jaune pointed to the strange apparatus covering the left side of his chest.
It was triangular with circular curves on the three sides. In the middle a little dark blue glass sphere.
-It is a limiter. –Ryan answered. –This is to limit the use of my aura.
-Oh yeah. Of course. I mean… we need to limit our aura, right? –Jaune asked and Ryan could see something wrong not only in what he said, but also in the tone of his voice.
-No, we don't need. I have that thing because I have more aura than someone normally has, and can get out of control sometimes.
-Y-yeah. Of course. I was just saying to see If you knew that.
-Why I wouldn't?
-L-look. It is being a long day. We can talk about those things later. Our first priority is find that wall, okay?
-I… okay. –Ryan sighed.
Something about Jaune seemed off and more time Ryan spend by his side, more he could see that. He wanted to ask but decide to wait until they left the wall and return to the normal part of the forest.
End of the chapter.
Just to make clear, Ryan cannot control electricity, he can only absorb energy, just like Nora, but different from her, he not become stronger after absorb electricity. He also can shot electricity like happened in this chapter and absorb dust to give him different abilities and/or power ups.
The Horseless Headless Horseman is something I heard from Team Fortress 2 and the Hookman is from Johnny Bravo cartoon.
I still not decide what name give to the grimm bug, I thought at first just call the scarab since it is based on scarabs, but then I decide that need a name more fitting for the world of Remnant. I will think about that another time.
See you next time.