Omniscient POV
-----
For the initiates, the simple task of finding a relic and returning to the cliffs was, by far, one of the hardest things they've ever done.
Blake and Yang popped from the foliage at the top of a hill overlooking a green expanse.
Below them were the ruins of a small temple at the other end of a field long enough to be used as a runway. The temple wasn't much of anything, though. It consisted of a circular platform surrounded by crumbled, moss covered stone walls and pillars with pedestals lining the edges of the platform. Each one had either a black or white item on top.
Yang hummed. "Do you think this is it?"
Blake gave her a look that said 'really?' and went down on her own. Yang stood there, lips pursed before following. They entered the temple and examined what could only assumed to be the relics they were told to retrieve.
"Chess pieces?" Blake said.
Several empty pedestals caught Yang's eye. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here."
"Well," she crossed her arms, "I guess we should pick one."
Yang flashed a grin and brandished a white knight as if it were a trophy. "How about a cute little pony?"
Blake smirked and rolled her eyes. "Sure."
She stuffed it in her pocket. "That wasn't very difficult."
"It's not like this place is very difficult to find."
A high-pitch scream pierced the distance.
Yang spun in search. "Some girl's in trouble! Blake did you hear that? What should we do?"
The bow on Blake's head twitched at the sound of a different scream. She examined the sky and her mouth fell open. Yang waved a hand in front of her face, and her partner, without looking away, pointed up.
From above, Ruby hurdled to the earth, flailing her arms around with the silly belief she could fly.
"HEADS UUPPPP!"
Seconds before she could go splat, a girlish screaming Jaune zipped through the air, colliding with Ruby. They sailed into the trees next to the temple and disappeared behind a thick nest of branches and leaves.
"Did your sister just fall out of the sky?" Blake said.
Yang blinked. "I. . ."
Dozens of yards away, halfway down the field, an Ursa stumbled through the trees on the left of the temple, roaring in misery as pink explosions poked it from behind.
"YEEEEHHHAAAWWWW!" Nora tumbled over it, and her wide smile fell flat the second it collapsed. "Awww, it's broken."
Ren jumped over the Grimm's arm and doubled over to catch his breath. "Nora. . . please. . . don't ever do that again."
The lack of a response made him look up and find out she was gone.
Somehow without anyone noticing, Nora instantly appeared at the temple, staring at the white rook piece like it was the greatest thing in the world. She grabbed the relic and did several poses while balancing it on different parts of her body and repeatedly singing: I'm queen of the castle.
"NORA!"
Nora slid the relic off her head and saluted. "Coming, Ren!"
Yang and Blake stood there, watching the ball of energy skip away.
"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake said.
"I—"
A chorus of snapping wood interrupted Yang.
At the farthest end of the field, Pyrrha barrelled through the treeline and straight for the temple. Hot on her heels, a Death Stalker, a giant scorpion-like Grimm, blew past the trees. She jumped and rolled away from its massive pincers without missing a beat.
In the tree where Ruby and Jaune were, the young girl sat on the branch as stars danced around her head, and the blonde knight hung upside down, failing to untangle his feet.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha said.
Jaune gasped and pried at the wooden fetters. "Pyrrha!"
Ruby shook out of her stupor and hopped down next to her sister.
"Ruby!" Yang threw her arms wide.
"Yang!" Ruby leaned in for a hug.
The bubbly girl jumped in and wedged them apart. "Nora!"
Blake sighed at the three and distracted herself by silently cheering on Pyrrha.
Nora bounced from foot to foot, smiling without a care in the world, Ren caught up to them, much to his lungs' expense, and Ruby crept away from her shaking sister who was about to blow a fuse.
Literally, she exploded.
"I can't take this anymore!" A burst of fire ignited from her hair, and her lilac eyes melted into a dangerously furious shade of red. "Could everyone chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"
As if time decided to mock her, two seconds passed and all eyes went up.
Ruby tapped her arm. "Um. . . Yang?"
Yang groaned and hung her head.
Known as a Nevermore, the giant bird-like Grimm flew across the sky. However, what gained everyone's attention was the tiny white fleck fluttering on the bird's enormous talon.
It was Weiss, and she clung on for dear life.
"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!"
Ruby shrugged at the heiress' problem. " 'I said 'jump.' "
"She's gonna fall," Blake said.
The little red girl batted away the comment. "She'll be fine."
Ren sighed as the wind plucked Weiss off the Grimm. "She's falling."
Back over by the tree, Jaune untangled himself and stood on a thick branch while the heiress plummeted back to Remnant above him, screaming her lungs out. An opportunity of love filled his head with a courageous moment of stupidity and made a timed leap to catch her bridal style.
He flashed a suave grin. "Just dropping in?"
She stared at him, down, and back, her eyes and mouth growing wider each passing second.
Jaune frowned at her not so lovey-dovey reaction, and then he looked at the ground greeting them with open arms. "Oh, god!"
The blonde knight ate dirt first, but despite that, he was more or less okay until Weiss crashed on top of him.
His bones cried out in a crunchy oomph!
Without sparing him a glance, she used him as a makeshift stool and examined her perfectly trimmed nails. "My hero."
Back with the group at the temple, someone new joined the group.
"What's going on over here?" Cooper said.
Everyone flinched and stared at the person standing next to Blake.
He raised an eyebrow at the funny looks he was getting. "Oh, why, hiya. Didn't see ya there."
"How long were you there?" Blake said and wondered how anyone could sneak past her heightened hearing.
The internal question was answered by the black and grey ringed tail wagging behind him.
'A raccoon Faunus,' she thought. 'That makes sense.'
Cooper checked his watch. "About a minute ago before the Snowflake and silly bloke fell from the sky."
A deep voice called from behind them, and those who were easily intimidated paled at the sight of Alexander coming over.
He handed off a white chess piece to his partner.
"Good job there, Xander," Cooper said, too engrossed by the relic to notice the glare he received for the nickname.
Nora tried to fiddle with Alexander's backpack, and Ren tugged her away to not get themselves killed.
Cooper held the piece between his finger and thumb. "Chess? A king, nevertheless. Decent looking but rather large, I guess. This may fetch a minor charge at best. I'll need the whole set, but that'll be a mess. Should I collect the rest?" He met several odd stares and flashed them an innocent smile. "Don't worry. I only jest."
When his sights befell onto a certain silver eyed girl, a devilish tweak changed his tune.
Ruby's head tilted. "Huh?"
"Hiya, love." He bowed and removed his cap. "The name is Tannum Oakwood, though you may call me Cooper. Care to tell me yours?"
She squeaked. "R-ruby."
"What a lovely name like the precious gemstone, I claim." He took her hand into his and planted a soft kiss on the back. "A pleasure meeting you, my dear dame."
Steam puffed from her ears, and her face made weird noises without a lick of sense.
"Hey!" Yang stabbed a finger into Cooper's chest. "That's my sister you're getting chummy with, Ringtail!"
Cooper stepped back with a cheeky grin and winked at the younger girl.
Ruby flushed further, face buried in her hands.
At the halfway mark of the field, the Death Stalker caught up to Pyrrha and gave her a good smack, sending her sailing and landing at the foot of the group in a breathless heap.
"Great." Yang said in faux joy. "Now we can die together."
The sarcasm hit everyone except one.
Maybe because Cooper made her brain go into reboot or the idea of looking good in front of everyone blinded her common sense, Ruby readied her weapon.
"Not if I can help it," she said.
Yang's eyes widened. "Ruby—"
She dashed off in a red blur.
"—wait!"
Ruby approached the Death Stalker at high speed, firing a few bullets behind her for an added boost, and as she was about to strike, it ironically swatted her away like some pesky bug.
"D-don't worry!" She wobbled to her feet. "I'm totally fine!"
Several thumps came to a stop at her rear.
A lump caught in her throat, and she whirled, shooting point blank at its bone plated armour. The bullet ricocheted; the gun's recoil launched her to safety. She bolted to the temple, and the weight of her mistake slowly sank on her face.
A caw shrieked above.
A familiar knot of dread tightened in the pit of Yang's stomach, and she sprinted after her sister.
-----
Weiss perked at the rustle in the nearby bushes, dusted her combat skirt, and awaited for whatever it was to emerge. To her surprise, Roderick stumbled through, hands on his knees and completely out of breath.
"Well, you've certainly been busy." Weiss grimaced at the thick beads of sweat raining off his face. "What happened to you, exactly?"
Roderick spoke between breaths. "Trouble. Behind. Us."
Jaune mumbled something into the dirt.
"Is your partner okay?" he said.
"He's not my partner!" Weiss scoffed and slapped the false comment. "As much as I hate to admit it, Ruby is."
Roderick bit back a laugh.
"What's so funny?" she said and stomped the grass.
Before he could reply, the bushes rustled again, and Weiss flinched at the sight of Stiofan breaking through.
"Roderick," Stiofan said and glanced at Weiss. "I believe we—Lady Weiss!"
Roderick stared. "Lady?"
"Quiet you." She shot a glare at him and then directed it at Stiofan. "And you, don't call me that!"
Stiofan lowered his head. "That would be disrespectful of me to utter your name so casually, Milady."
"From now on it is just 'Weiss.' And why are you even here, anyways?" She jerked a sharpened finger at him. "Aren't you supposed to be back in Atlas joining their academy?"
"Forgive me," he swallowed the title, "Weiss, I—"
Gunshots rang from the field where Ruby battled a Death Stalker head on and alone.
Roderick cried her name and ran after her. Weiss called to him, but the words didn't reach. Teeth gritted, she drew her rapier, and prepared her Semblance.
Stiofan stood by her side. "I shall aid you."
She grabbed his wrist. "Don't."
"But—"
"Go to the temple and bring Jaune with you." Eyes closed, she released a heavy sigh. "Ruby's my partner. Even if she is a complete dolt, it's my job to help her."
"But, I can—"
"No buts."
Stiofan stared, incredulous, but after a nod of good luck, he hefted Jaune over his shoulder.
Weiss smiled as he left and materialized her Semblance in the form of a glyph beneath her feet. It zipped forward, gliding her across the field in a matter of seconds.
In the sky, the Nevermore rained its giant feathers at Ruby. One pinned her cloak to the grass while many others planted around Yang, trapping her behind a makeshift prison. Only Roderick made it out unscathed, and he slid next to the young girl.
Ruby battled with the fabric. "It won't move!"
"Move your hands," he said and drew his sword.
She threw her hands in front of him. "No, wait!"
"Ruby, move!"
"I can't!" Ruby bundled the cloak in her arms. "It's the last thing my mom ever gave me!"
Roderick broke at the heat of emotions radiating from her, and it made him lower his sword. "I'll think of some—"
A shadow washed over them. Their eyes went wide. From behind, The Death Stalker raised its monstrous stinger at full height, and Roderick jerked over Ruby the moment it sprang down. Weiss lunged at the last moment, stabbing the ground in front of them with her rapier.
In a flash of white and blue, a wall of ice encased the tail while the golden stinger was buried in the dirt next to Ruby.
Ruby lowered her trembling hands from above her head. "W-Weiss?"
"You are so, childish. And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't get me started on your fighting style," Weiss said and ticked off each insult with a finger.
Her partner flinched at every word.
"And I suppose I can be a bit difficult," she continued, "but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together." A stiff yet genuine smile cracked her lips. "So, if you could quit trying to show off, I'll be. . . nicer."
"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby said. "I want you to know I can do this."
Weiss snorted and strutted to the side. "You're fine."
Ruby recomposed and recalled the conversation she had with Yang back on the airship about being the bees knees.
"Normal girl," she said to herself. "Normal knees."
A groan from Roderick sprawled beside the stinger earned Ruby's attention. She rolled him over, and the colour drained from her face as a flash of yellow tackled her to the ground.
Yang nuzzled into her sister's shoulder and mouthed a 'thank you' to Weiss.
Weiss looked away, cheeks pink.
However, when the blonde got a better look at the horror tearing at her sister's face, her gut ached.
"Ruby, what's wrong?"
She pointed a shaky finger. "Roderick's arm. . ."
Yang gasped and scrambled to him. "Roddy!"
Weiss moved over for a better view, and from what she could see, nothing was wrong.
"Yang?" Roderick rubbed his skull. "When'd you get here?"
She grabbed his left hand. "Is your arm okay?"
"Oh, didn't even notice." He fiddled with the torn compression sleeve. "The stinger must of grazed me."
'He didn't notice?' Weiss thought. 'What kind of dolt is he?'
Ruby scooted closer. "Roderick, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good." He frowned and picked at the torn fabric. "Good thing I have a spare."
Weiss glared at his stupidity. 'All he cares about is that stupid sleeve?'
"Are you sure?" Yang tested his hand. "I mean it's your arm."
He sighed. "Once again, yes. It's fine even if it's my arm."
Weiss lost it.
"Enough with his arm, already!" She marched over and flaunted her arms. "Left arm, right arm, his Aura protected him, so he should be fine either way!"
The strength evaporated from Yang's body.
"Weiss," Ruby's silver eyes lost their sheen, "you don't understand. Roderick's arm is. . . Well, it isn't normal."
The heiress lifted an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
The answer came at the sound of material tearing apart.
Roderick tossed the sleeve and stuffed his glove in a pocket. "It means they can overreact whenever anything happens to it."
Weiss gaped at the black metal limb from his elbow down.
"What's wrong, Weiss?" He raised his arm. The thin channels running along the surface and branching to each fingertip came into full view. "Never seen a prosthetic before?"
She touched her precious multi-action dust rapier, Myrtenaster, and choked on a lump.
After years of honing her abilities with the weapon and studying it inside and out, she understood exactly how that prosthetic functioned, and it sickened her to know it was a bodily replica similar to that of Myrtenaster itself.
-----
Once Stiofan returned Jaune into Pyrrha's nursing hands, he introduced himself to everyone, giving Blake a mini heart attack.
On the day of the train heist, she kicked him off an elevated train and wished him a safe landing. Since that came true, she pushed her luck and wished hard for him to disappear in a puff of smoke.
Stiofan's teal gaze glossed over her, lingering longer compared to everyone else, and his eyes widened.
The hairs on the back of Blake's neck stood on ends, a similar effect that happened whenever a dog decided to chase after her. She stepped back. Her outer facade cracked. He was going to expose her, ending any hope for a new future before it could get started. Her instincts told her to run and find someplace where no one could find her.
However, he turned away, guilty like he was caught for staring too long, and her fears morphed into bewilderment.
A moment later, the four others came back with everyone's attention locked on the prosthetic arm.
Pyrrha gasped. "Roderick, did something happen to your arm?!"
"Don't worry about it." He pointed at the Nevermore circling the sky. "Let's worry about that first."
Nobody asked any questions, but Pyrrha sent him a stern look saying they would be talking about it later.
"Ooh!
In a flash, Nora appeared next to Roderick, ogling his arm as if it were the hottest toy on the market.
"Nora!"
She giggled and backed away. "Sorry, Ren."
"I'm sorry about that," Ren said. "She can be. . . enthusiastic most of the time."
Roderick chuckled at the bubbly girl bouncing on her toes. "No worries, man."
"Enough dilly-dallying." Weiss gestured at the chess pieces. "The objective is right in front of us."
"She's right." Ruby shared a smile with her partner. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting those things."
"Run and live," Jaune said. "I can deal with that."
Cooper smirked. "I agree with the smart one here."
The last three pairs wasted no more time and grabbed their pieces; Ruby took the white knight, Jaune got the white rook, and Roderick picked up the white king.
A screech came from above and the ice holding the Death Stalker crumbled. Then much to Roderick and Stiofan's grief, the Karkadann they thought they lost barrelled through the forest, trampling trees as if they were twigs.
Ren prepared to run. "About time we left."
As everyone dashed to the cliffs, Ruby hopped on a rock and waved at them to hurry before heading down the summit herself.
Yang paused for a moment and watched her with a proud smile.
Blake stopped next to her partner. "What is it?"
"It's nothing," she said and kept running.
Roderick matched her stride. "That little girl's growing up, isn't she?"
Yang exhaled. "Yeah."
"And to think she did it without milk."
She stumbled and threw her head back into laughter.
Everyone hightailed it into a field of ruins shy off the cliffs, and the only way through was to cross a large bridge passing over a chasm between them and the end of the exam.
Overhead, the Nevermore swooped in and perched itself on a tower beside said bridge.
Everyone broke into two person teams, each of them taking cover behind several pillars. The bird unleashed a deafening screech, daring any of them to try and get by.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Roderick said to his partner.
Stiofan shook his head. "Apologies, I do not."
The Karkadann bulldozed through the woods with the Death Stalker trailing in its wake.
They all bolted out of cover.
"Nora," Ren said, "distract it!"
The bird rained a volley of feathers at Cooper and Nora. The raccoon lurched behind a stone block, but the bubbly girl hurdled over the feathers and fired her grenade launcher, bombarding it with pink explosive Dust.
It squawked and circled away.
The happy-go-lucky girl didn't see the rhino-like Grimm aiming to run her over. Alexander slid into its path and blasted a sharp shockwave at its leg, face planting it into the dirt.
Weiss pulled Nora away with her glyphs as the Death Stalker marched past the Karkadann to chase those who made it to the bridge, but the Nevermore smashed it apart in one fell swoop, separating the students on different sides.
"Roderick," Stiofan took a stance with his spears, "let's handle this."
Alexander and Cooper pulled up next to them.
"You guys down to kill that thing, too?" Roderick said and drew Rex.
Cooper shrugged. "I'd rather run for the hills, but Xander over here, has other plans."
Alexander transformed his backpack into a bronze shield with messy red paint sprayed across its surface. He smacked the center of his forehead. The metal plates of the beanie unfurled around his head with wide slits exposing his mouth and eyes. He grasped a handle on the under side of the shield and unsheathed a single edged sword, swelling thicker towards the tip like an axe while a gun barrel was fixed to the backside.
They stared, jaws agape.
"I don't know what to tell you, mate," the Faunus said. "Either that was very impressive or rather excessive."
The Karkadann scurried to its feet, shifting its many eyes between them before charging.
"Scramble!" Roderick bolted and pelted it with bullets, but they were rubber against its thick hide. "Not working, guys!"
After a quick succession of leaps, Stiofan reached the top of a ruin and jumped, landing on the rhino's back. The blade of the yellow spear veered off the bone plated armour, so he changed plans and fired a bolt of lighting at its head.
It squealed and tossed Stiofan.
Cooper caught him and set him on his feet. "Got'cha, mate!"
Stiofan steadied himself. "Gratitude."
The Faunus shot a red arrow that exploded beneath the Grimm. It's unprotected belly was set ablaze, and it scampered like a bull at a rodeo. Alexander rushed past Roderick, gouged a line straight to its charred belly, and squeezed the trigger, shooting a buckshot into the wound.
The rhino shrieked and flung him next to Roderick.
Alexander got up as if nothing happened and pointed his sword at the heavy gash. "Go for the underbelly."
A light bulb flickered to life in Roderick's head where the pieces to the puzzle shuffled themselves in place. "Stiofan, does that red spear use Dust, too?"
"Indeed." He showed the fire crystal at the center of the diamond shaped base below the blade. "Did you have something in mind?"
He smirked and huddled everyone together, and judging by their conflicted expressions, the plan wasn't the best.
Once the Karkadann recovered, it charged them with its car-sized horn. They dove to safety while the rhino collided and topped a stone structure on top of itself in a mountain of rubble.
A glimmer of hope spread across Cooper's face. "Did it die?"
The rubble exploded, and his hopes kicked the can.
"Oh, bollocks."
"Cooper, buy us time," Roderick said. "Slow it down if you can."
"Aye." The Faunus saluted and ran to high ground on the top of another ruin. "Oi!"
The rhino glared at him.
"Yeah you, you ugly, good for nothing, absolutely disgusting, poor excuse for meat!"
Whether it understood it or not, he definitely set the thing off.
Cooper hit the white switch on the arrow magazine and sprinkled regular broadheads at its armoured face. The Karkadann charged. He leaped at the last second and dashed for cover, but it skidded before impact, spun, and snorted mockingly at him. The raccoon groaned, adjusted the draw weight of his bow from medium to high, and stood his ground. His arm groaned as he nocked the arrow, gave the bowstring a laboured yank, and released.
The broadhead punched deep into Karkadann's thick leg and stuck out the otherside, dropping the rhino on its chin.
"Anytime now, fellas!"
Roderick dug his feet and whipped his blade around the Karkadann's horn while Stiofan grabbed on to hold his partner in place.
"Big guy," Roderick wrapped the cord around his arm and tugged with all his might, "do your thing and blast it!"
The Karkadann bobbed for freedom, but Alexander darted beneath its jaw, banging it with a shockwave that stunned it.
The mechanisms in Roderick's arm whirred, and he pulled the rhino down, belly exposed. "Finish it, Stiofan!"
Stiofan brandished only the red spear and rocketed, driving it into the Karkadann's charred underside. A wave of fire released from the tip and scorched its insides. In a single spot, steam emitted from its black fur, heating to a molten orange. It slowly glowed brighter with each passing second, swelling until it was the size of a tumour.
The Karkadann convulsed and did everything to escape. Stiofan did not yield. He tightened his grip and spewed more flame. The pressure hit its peak and erupted from its belly in a pillar of fire, engulfing the sky and bathing the vicinity in a blaze of red hot rain.
Roderick scurried behind Alexander and his shield while Cooper hid beneath the ruins.
The downpour was short-lived after Stiofan ended the inferno. He freed his weapon, flicking off whatever ash and muck clung to it.
Roderick and Alexander joined him, the former staring awestruck.
"That's crazy, man." He eyed the crystal on the spear. "Just how good is your Dust?"
Stiofan smiled and wiped the blood from his shoulder. "I have a very good supplier."
"We bloody did it, you buggers!" Cooper jumped between Roderick and Stiofan, arms draped around their shoulders. "That plan worked marvelously, eh?"
Alexander's helmet changed back to reveal his bored yet approving expression.
Cooper paused, took a sniff, and looked at the Karkadann. "I must be famished to be thinking this, but does that smell pretty good to you or is it just me?"
That earned him a couple of chuckles and a snort.
"Ren!"
The four whirled to see a flash of green fly into a wall. They rushed over, spotting three of the other examinees trapped between a bottomless chasm and the Death Stalker on the last legs of the demolished bridge.
Jaune pointed at the Death Stalker's tail. "Pyrrha!"
"Done!"
She hurled her shield clean through the space between the stinger and the tail, bounced it off a pillar, and boomeranged it back to her.
The weight of the stinger alone plunged into the scorpion's own bone armour.
Jaune turned to the bubbly girl with them. "Nora, nail it!"
Nora, wielding the warhammer form of her grenade launcher, nodded at Pyrrha and jumped high. "Heads up!"
Pyrrha caught on and positioned the shield above her, giving Nora a platform to land on. She sprung with all her might, and the bubbly girl, hammer pressed flush against the shield, sat on the shaft and fired an explosive round, launching her to the sky.
Her laughter faded and grew louder as she came hurtling back to smash the stinger straight in like a nail.
The power behind the swing folded what remained of the bridge.
Jaune and Pyrrha were catapulted back to land over the Death Stalker's freefalling corpse while Nora threw herself after them.
Roderick ran over with the others trailing behind. "Hey, you guys okay?"
Pyrrha glanced at her comrades and shrugged. "I believe we are."
"Uh, everyone." Jaune pointed across the chasm. "You gotta see this."
A squawk drew everyone's attention to the Nevermore sailing through the sky.
Deeper in the ruins, on the other side of the bridge, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang fought the bird.
The blonde stood at the top of a pillar, firing at it with her shot gauntlets. The Nevermore dove in, beak wide. She leaped into its mouth, muscled it to stay open, and unloaded rounds down its throat.
The bird lost control, veering straight for the cliff face, but she jumped ship before it headbutted the rock.
Weiss glided to the dazed Nevermore in no time, pinned its tail with an ice block, and returned to the other girls positioned far away in the ruins.
The bird screeched and flailed its bus sized wings, failing to escape.
Blake threw her weapon, stretching the ribbon across two pillars. Yang caught it, and they cocked it taut. Ruby loaded herself onto the ribbon with her scythe, riding it as far back as it could go. Weiss held her steady with a glyph, adjusted the trajectory, and fired the giant slingshot.
Ruby soared through the air, blasting bullets behind her for extra speed. She landed on the cliff wall, scythe hooked around the bird's thick throat. Weiss adhered her partner's feet in place with a line of glyphs that traveled up the wall. Combined with her Semblance, the young girl bullet boosted herself and sprinted at a blinding speed. She screamed and dragged the bird all the way to the top, feeding the chasm below a shower of rocks.
The Nevermore got stuck on the cliff's edge. Ruby didn't stop. Her momentum carried her further, and after one final shot, she surged skyward, slicing clean through and severing the head from its lifeless body.
While everyone gazed in awe, Cooper cleared his throat.
"Um, that was marvellous and all," he pointed at the bright red cloak and rose petals fluttering at the top of the cliff, "but does anyone have a clue on how we're supposed to get up there ourselves?"
An awkward silence fell over them, and every pair of eyes exchanged glances, praying someone had an idea.
-----
Roderick Hill
-----
Roderick stood beside the other first years in the amphitheater, watching the minutes go by as four students at a time were listed off as a new team by Ozpin. He powered through it, but the heat and cramped spaces did little to help.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark," Ozpin said. Their pictures and initials appeared on the monitors like everyone else before them and shuffled to spell a team name. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you'll work together as Team CRDL (cardinal), led by Cardin Winchester."
After a round of applause, the next group came on stage.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you'll be working together as Team JNPR (juniper)."
Nora giggled and embraced Ren. He was surprised at first but returned the joy nonetheless.
"Lead by. . . Jaune Arc!"
Jaune gawked like he was slapped by a fish.
Ozpin wore the faintest of smiles. "Congratulations, young man."
Pyrrha jabbed her partner's arm, and whether it was from being in shock or if she used a bit too much power, Jaune dropped flat on his bottom. A brief wave of laughter erupted from the crowd, much to their embarrassment.
"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long."
"Welp," Yang winked at Roderick, "wish us luck."
She followed the three other girls on stage and stood before Ozpin.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you'll work together as Team RWBY (ruby). Led by. . . Ruby Rose."
Yang trapped her sister in that anti-breathing bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!"
Roderick clapped his hands for the hundredth time this evening, also proud for the little girl. He couldn't say the same for Weiss, though. She stared baffled at her new leader, clearly not favouring the Headmaster's decision.
"It's our turn." Cooper nudged him with an elbow. "Dibs on team leader."
Roderick snorted. "As if."
"And finally. . . Roderick Hill, Tannum Oakwood, Stiofan Ua Binn, and Leon Alexander Gates."
They stared at Alexander with raised eyebrows. He didn't spare them a glance and climbed the steps leading to the stage.
"The four of you retrieved the white king pieces. From this day forward, you'll be working together as Team RTLS (rutilus)."
What the heck did 'rutilus' mean?
Cooper chuckled to himself. "How fitting."
"Led by. . . Roderick Hill."
Roderick's jaw hit the floor.
Him. Team leader? It's not like he didn't want it, as a matter of fact, this was actually a goal he aimed for since he started the path of becoming a Huntsman. But why him? He was just Roderick.
Stiofan smiled and nodded. "I look forward to being under your command, Roderick."
Cooper patted him on the shoulder. "Way to go, mate!"
Down in the sea of people, Ruby and Yang stuck out like weirdos cheering in unrestrained glee. Pyrrha was beside them with a hand over her chest, mouthing the words 'you earned it.'
Roderick touched his necklace and grinned from ear to ear, stopping the tears short and possibly embarrassing himself in front of the whole student body.
"Looks like things are shaping up to definitely be an. . . interesting year," Ozpin said.
Yeah, it sure is.