Omniscient POV
-----
Roderick and Stiofan couldn't leave so much as a scratch on the Axeman's flesh.
Rex's blade was basically foam while it bullets might as well be rubber, Tyrannus' explosive punch only managed to irritate it, and Red Fury and Yellow Fury had a slight effect, considering they could conjure enough fire and lightning to cause a natural disaster, although, landing a good hit was another matter entirely.
The Axeman bounced and hopped around, never staying still long enough for Stiofan to get a clean shot, and whenever he tried to close in, it would swipe either its claws or long tail to keep him at bay.
In short, that thing was a living, breathing tank and nothing they did worked against it, forcing them both to scramble without a clue of what to do next.
Except for one.
"Move, boys!"
Glynda marched into battle and flicked her riding crop, releasing streams of purple Aura like a salvo of rockets that bombarded a portion of the trees in attendance.
Wooden chunks of debris splattered the glade which piled and meshed together at the tune of her crop to form a massive stake.
Winding her arm as if she were wielding a racket, Glynda served it..
The Axeman reared onto its hind legs, grabbed the horn behind its neck, tore the fin off, and smacked the stake aside.
Stiofan grimaced, and Roderick turned a bad shade of blue.
Scowling, the Huntress peeled apart the stake into several tendrils slithering along the air and snapping at the Axeman. Each one was easily chopped down to size, yet no matter how many times they were knocked down, the tendrils would just reform and reattempt to coil its limbs.
The Axeman bellowed, crouched low and sprung up.
Everyone marvelled at the heights it managed to clear until common sense slapped their asses to make a run for it.
Upon the Grimm's return from orbit, a quake rippled through the forest, and a geyser of rock and soil spewed, blanking the area in a faint brown fog.
Stiofan fumbled near the treeline and recomposed himself.
A throaty rumble chilled his blood.
Turning around, Stiofan's breath caught beneath the looming shadow of the axe, cranked and ready to guillotine him on a whim.
A purple sheen enveloped the axe.
Over by the cave, Glynda pried for the axe. The Axeman strong-armed her efforts into futility. Bullets swarmed its face. It covered up behind a hand, peeking between the gaps of its fingers at Roderick unloading every clip he had from beside the professor.
The Axeman snarled and prepared to charge; Stiofan jabbed its leg twice.
Dropping a peg and completely unable to stand, it glared and reached for him, but Glynda dragged Stiofan to safety behind her.
The Axeman snatched up a broken tree instead and hurled it. A shell of Aura condensed in front of Glynda. The tree shattered. She motioned her crop at the chunks of wood scattered all around to reassemble the tendrils.
They lurched and chained the Axeman's wrists tight, binding it to the treeline.
"Roderick, take your team and escape!" Teeth clenched, Glynda resisted the Axeman's sheer strength. "I'll stay here and hold it for as long as I can. The rest of you must hurry!"
Roderick's eyes widened. "But Professor—"
"We are not debating!" Her arms ached as she flexed the binds tighter. "You four are leaving, and as leader, I expect you to listen and do what's best for your team!"
A whiff of footsteps behind her only furthered her exhaustion.
"So, what'd we miss?" said the archer.
Glynda groaned at the sight of Cooper helping Alexander walk over.
"Tannum, Alexander," she said. "What are you two doing here? I thought I told you to rest. Stay back."
Alexander snorted.
"And skip out on the fun? As if." Cooper slapped on a devilish grin. "I'm sure if we put our minds together, we can think of something crazy like way back at the initiation."
The remark struck a chord in Roderick, sculpting his features with the chisel of an outlandish idea.
The team collectively sighed.
"What?" Roderick said.
"You got the look again, mate," Cooper said.
Stiofan shook his head. "What do you have planned this time?"
The leader blushed and begrudgingly explained.
Grey clouds drifted overhead as everyone spiraled between disbelief and skepticism at the plan, yet without a sliver of hesitation, the team still went along with it.
"You guys get what I'm saying?" Roderick said.
They nodded.
"By the way, this is all on you." He pretended to pull something and point it at the archer. "So, get ready."
Cooper blinked. "Huh?"
"Wait!" said Glynda. Sweat ran from her brow to her chin. "I admire your bravery, but I cannot condone this. Please, just leave this to me and go already."
Alexander squeezed Glynda's shoulder, and for the first time since he came to Beacon Academy, she received a nugget of his respect.
"Just hold on," Alexander said, "and admire us more from here."
Goodwitch was speechless.
Not long later after Team RTLS finished preparing their plan, thunder rumbled and droplets sprinkled the glade, drenching it in an instant downpour.
However, it wasn't enough to stop Team RTLS from taking position in front of the cave.
Cooper lobbed all of his ice arrows around the Axeman, sealing everything from the waist down inside a frosty prison.
Roderick and Stiofan stood beside each other an arm's length away with both ends of Rex in their grasp. Behind them, Alexander loaded Red Fury onto Rex's elastic cord, drew it back, and held a squat. The pressure dragged Roderick and Stiofan along, forcing them to dig in their soles and stab their other weapons deep into the mud.
Once the cord was drawn as far as possible, Cooper popped up behind Alexander and aimed the giant slingshot.
"Don't mess up, Oakwood," said Alexander. He growled at the burn in his thighs. "We can't afford to miss."
"I know, I know." Cooper eyed the wobbling red spear. "Steady that thing, will ya? How am I supposed to aim if that keeps moving?"
A purple sheen gripped the spear firm.
"I got it, you two." Glynda focused one hand on the spear while keeping the other on the Axeman. "As your Professor, it would be remiss of me to stand by and allow my students to do all the work."
Cooper tipped his hat and narrowed his sights.
A waterfall ran off the brim of his cap, so he twisted it around, ignoring the rain pecking his face, and ran his finger down the checklist of factors needed to make this shot.
Trajectory, draw weight, the weight of the spear, flight stability, wind speeds and direction, distance, and most importantly, the sanity of the entire plan.
Cooper poked and prodded his brain for the solutions to these glaring problems.
The way Roderick and Stiofan's hair and clothes flapped in the gale caught his attention and so did the way Glynda held the spear.
The solutions hit him.
"Prof," Cooper said and ejected a wind arrow from his magazine, "spin the spear!"
Glynda's eyes widened, and she twirled her finger, rotating the spear like a drill.
"Here, mate." He handed the arrow to his partner. "Use this when I say so."
As Cooper held up his hat and instructed Alexander how to aim depending on which way his hat moved, the memory of Glynda's discussion with Ozpin after the initiation returned to her.
It wasn't clear what he meant then, but at this very moment, clarity washed over his words.
-----
On the Beacon Cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest, Glynda and Ozpin reviewed the performances of their newly formed teams.
"I'm not quite sure how I feel about this team," said Glynda. She examined their photographs on her scroll. "From what I can tell, Mister Gates and Mister Oakwood's personalities are complete opposites. I expect them to not get along very well."
Ozpin sipped his mug. "I beg to differ."
"And then there's the matter with Mister Ua Binn and Mister Hill." Glynda frowned. "I believe Mister Ua Binn's natural talents will clash and cause friction with Mister Hill's efforts to better himself. Jealousy or pride might tear these two apart."
"Is that so?" Ozpin chuckled. "I see differently."
She hummed and placed a hand on her hip. "Care to explain yourself?"
"Keep an eye on them." He strolled away. "And maybe one day, you might find a pleasant surprise."
-----
Glynda did exactly that and learned quickly that these four boys before her were different compared to the rest of their peers.
Team RWBY, despite having a rough start and causing the occasional ruckus, was a very promising talent. A little awkward and clumsy at first, Team JNPR found a balance between all their strengths. Team CRDL. . . disappointing.
Team RTLS, however, went perfectly hand-in-hand like pieces to a puzzle meant to fit together, creating beautiful images that compelled Glynda to check on from time to time, yet despite how wonderful this year was spent watching them grow and come into their own, not only as a team but individuals as well, a lingering notion shivered her to the core.
Because she knew for certain, they were just getting started, and the best was yet to come.
When everything was finally set and ready to go, Cooper smiled ear to ear at the luminous bullseyes glowing beyond the veil of rain.
"Alright." He dramatically jerked his staff forward. "Loose!"
Alexander smashed the tip of the arrow against the spear.
The violent gust paired with Rex's elastic cords flung Red Fury like a shooting star streaking high and away in a completely different direction from where the target was.
Midway through its launch, the spear curved.
There wasn't anything anyone could do other than follow in awe as its trajectory changed course, sailing straight and true towards where it was supposed to go.
Red Fury plunged into the Axeman's chest.
Cracks split the ice, it dislodged slightly, and went silent and limp, axe slipping from its fingers.
Everyone collapsed and shared a mutual sigh of relief.
A bear tackled Alexander and licked the side of his cheek clean.
"Steady does it, professor." Stiofan assisted Glynda. "No need to exert yourself any further."
"Yes, thank you." She wiped a sleeve across her face and steadied herself. "Now that we're done here, all that's left is to complete the—"
A guttural moan cut through the rain.
Glynda clenched her jaw. "No. . ."
The Axeman's eyes snapped back open, and it slowly pulled out the spear.
Cooper gaped. "You must be joking."
Roderick didn't miss a beat and pointed ahead. "Professor, the axe!"
That was all Glynda needed to hear to telepathically heft and swing it full force.
The Axeman clapped the blade between its hands.
Glynda battled for control once again, and just like before, the Axeman easily muscled her away.
Roderick sprinted across the glade.
The cries of his team were drowned out by his own racing heartbeat and the pounding rain. He ran faster than he's ever done in his life. Loose mud kicked off his heels. He slipped, but his balance remained intact. His thoughts were absent, still as if time froze in his wake, and his body moved on autopilot, dedicated entirely to doing one thing and one thing only.
With wind Dust inserted into his prosthetic, Roderick boosted himself towards the spear, hammering it deeper inside and clinging onto it for dear life.
The Axeman's shriek rattled the forest. Glynda wrenched the axe free. Roderick pumped in every drop of Aura he had into the spear. Its shrieks escalated as its flesh burned red hot like a stove top. Glynda reared the axe. Claws closed in around Roderick. His breath hitched. The Axeman froze and looked up in time to see the axe chop off its head.
Flames whipped through the cracks in the thawing ice until it exploded like dynamite. A raging inferno burst to the cloudy sky, replacing the rain with a hail of ice, charred bone and hide, and mush across the glade.
Shock rippled through Team RTLS and Glynda.
The inferno spat both Roderick and Red Fury out like a cannon, burying them in the mud, and the last thing the leader heard before the darkness swept him away were the fading voices of his teammates and the rapid splats of their footsteps.
------
The next morning, outside of the dining hall of Beacon Academy, Team JNPR made their way to the air docks after indulging in a hearty breakfast, prepped and ready for the start of their own mission.
However, along the way, they ran into the recently returned Team RTLS heading towards the infirmary.
"Will you look at that!" Nora threw her hands in the air. "They're back!"
A sudden sickness churned Pyrrha's breakfast.
The atmosphere surrounding them was off, but the most disturbing thing she noticed was where they were going and how only half of them were present.
Jaune caught a whiff of Pyrrha's odd reaction.
"Hey, why'd you stop?" The lack of a response caused a chill to crawl up his spine. "Uh, Pyrrha, are you okay?"
The question hooked everyone's ears.
"Where's Roderick?" Acid bubbled between Pyrrha's lips. "Why isn't he with you?!"
Stiofan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Room 13."
Quicker than a race car, Pyrrha zoomed past the halls and barged inside the room to find Alexander and Roderick, resting side by side.
Goosebumps shriveled her skin, her throat went dry, and the strength in her legs faded the closer she got to Roderick's bedside.
"Oh, no." She clasped his hand and collapsed to her knees. "Roderick. . ."
When everyone else arrived, Stiofan and Cooper were met with a glare that held them at gunpoint.
"I demand to know what happened this instant!"
"E-easy, darling." Cooper hid behind Alexander's bed. "We'll tell the lot of you in a second."
"Roderick is fine, Pyrrha," Stiofan said as carefully as he could. "He's simply unconscious. There is no need to worry. If you would kindly allow us, we will explain the events of yesterday."
After hearing their story, Team JNPR was left awestruck.
"That's insane," Jaune said. "Whatever that Axeman thing was could've easily killed you all!"
"It would have." Stiofan rubbed his brow. "Fortunately, we had the professor to aid us."
Ren crossed his arms. "And what about the mission?"
"After the prof called in an emergency evac," said Cooper, "she marked the coordinates of the wagon and sent it to the village we were supposed to deliver it to. Said they could pick it up themselves or something like that."
Nora pumped her fists. "That's so awesome!"
Throughout the conversation, Pyrrha combed Roderick's hair, musing over the fact she nearly lost her best friend last night.
Roderick groaned.
Pyrrha gasped and cupped his cheek. "Are you awake?"
The disorientation in his golden irises lingered for a moment as he dumbly took in his surroundings.
"What the heck?" said Roderick. "Is this the infirmary?"
A collective wave of laughter rinsed the room, and Pyrrha locked him in her embrace.
Roderick returned the hug without a second thought.
"You had me worried." She held him tighter and nuzzled her chin into the crook of his neck. "If I lost you, I wouldn't know what I'd do."
"You kidding?" He pulled back and tapped a metal knuckle on her circlet. "I'm not going anywhere, well, at least not until I get one over you."
Pyrrha giggled and placed her palm over his pendant. "Why don't you just rest for now."
The tender moment was cut short by a cough.
Both the former Sanctum students went rigid and snapped towards the audience trying to preoccupy themselves in the most obvious ways.
Only Nora and Cooper blatantly soaked it in as if they were at a cinema.
Deafening sirens suddenly scorched the academy grounds, and everyone clamped their ears.
Alexander snapped wide awake, automatically entering fight mode.
"What's that sound?!" Nora said as loudly as she could.
"It's a warning siren!" said Ren.
Cooper leaned closer to him. "A warning for what?!"
Wanting to make sure he was wrong, Ren motioned everyone to follow him and bolted out the door, making a straight line for the air docks.
What he saw made his worst fears come true.
In the distance, a pillar of smoke billowed from the city of Vale, making them all sick to the stomach at the realization.
A Grimm Invasion.