A Rose's Thorns
We do not own RWBY and OCs, only our OCs. All content goes to proper owners
As everyone congregated around the cliffs, Ruby gulped at how high up they were. Taking a deep breath, she looked to her left and right as people made it to their places. She got a peek at Azura and quickly looked away with a blush. They all then hear a tapping on the ground, and look to see Ozpin walking up, Glynda close behind as always.
"Thank you all for being so punctual. Today for all of you is a day of significant risk, but also wonderful opportunity. A day where destiny can be claimed by those who want it the most. Or to be snatched from them by the jaws of defeat. The rules are simple. Whoever you make eye contact with first as soon as you hit the forest floor is your partner for the rest of your stay at Beacon. Once that is established, you both must reach the ruins at the center of the Emerald Forest and grab a matching pair of artifacts. Like anything as a huntsman, this will not be easy, and likely life threatening. Any questions?" Ozpin explained in surprisingly few breaths, likely from practice.
Soon only the sound of the morning breeze sweeping across the cliffs could be heard. Glynda scanned at this new crop of hunters, seemingly not the most impressed.
"None whatsoever? Well, that's a nice treat for once. Professor Goodwitch, begin with the festivities." Ozpin said, tapping his cane against the ground.
"With pleasure." she answered dryly and waved her riding crop in a fluid downward motion.
At that moment, the platforms dropped, sending everyone rocketing down towards the ground. Ruby's heart began beating so hard she'd swear it would come out of her chest at light speed. Soon the thick, verdant canopy of the forest was in view, and Ruby made face first contact with it. What followed is what can only be described as a red pin ball making a violent journey through a pinball machine. Thankfully, it was short lived as she made a very loud thud onto the ground.
"Nothing broken. Except my spine… few ribs… everything else… ow." Ruby said, slowly getting up and untangling her cape from the mass of leaves and branches she collected on the way down.
"What is going on over there!? It sounds like an airship crash over… you have got to be kidding me…" a remarkably familiar voice said in a less than enthusiastic tone.
"Wait… Rich girl?" Ruby asked, confused.
"I have a name you know!" a very annoyed Weiss said coming out into the opening Ruby made.
"I do too, but you never bothered to say it." Ruby answered her as she got up, brushing leaves off her combat skirt.
"Great. Just great. Now I'm stuck with a clumsy moron for the rest of four years. If that." Weiss growled in annoyance.
"What did I do to you that makes you hate me so much?" Ruby asked, confused.
"I hate the fact that as soon as I'm in Beacon, I'm continually hampered by someone who is clumsy, uncouth, and can't keep her head on straight." Weiss growled.
"Keep it quiet over there! You'll wake the dead!" an unknown voice yelled out.
"Yeah! If you think we won't get attacked like that, you'd be 'dead' wrong!" another voice, much more familiar to Ruby, quipped.
"Yang!" Ruby yelled happily, tackle hugging her sister using her Semblance.
"Whoa! Easy there, sis! Don't wanna knock me over, do ya'?" Yang replied with a smile, hugging her little sister back.
"I am surrounded by insanity…" Weiss muttered.
"You get used to it. I kind of find it interesting." a voice from the shadows answered.
"And who are you?" Weiss asked.
Out from the shadows came a black haired, monochrome clothing clad girl with two swords at her belt. What stuck out to the heiress the most was the striking yellow eyes and the bow on the top of her head. While the bow was cute, not that she would admit it, the heiress certainly felt it clashed with her aesthetic.
"Blake Belladonna. I'd say it's nice to meet you Weiss Schnee, but I don't need my head bitten off. I quite like it in fact." Blake answered dryly, but shockingly politely.
"How did you…" Weiss asked, confused at how she knew her name.
"I have good hearing. Come on Yang, stop snuggling with your sister in a Grimm infested hell hole already." Blake said, not even looking at her partner and the red reaper.
"Aw, come on Blake. Let Ruby enjoy this a little longer. She missed me." Yang replied playfully.
"She'll miss you more if you're ripped apart by Grimm. This place isn't used to test new recruits for no reason." Blake said, folding her arms impatiently.
"For once, a sentiment I can agree with." Weiss said with a sigh.
"Says the girl yelling because she got bumped into by someone yesterday." Blake snapped back.
At that Yang and Ruby slowly rose up, and Yang walked over to go back her new partner up against the white-haired rich girl. Looking things over, Ruby smiled. Sure, Weiss was not the friendliest, but Blake, at least, seemed to be alright. If she could get along with her sister, then surely, she wasn't that bad. Maybe… just maybe things could work out, and at Beacon she could finally have a friend group. This change in Ruby didn't go unnoticed by Yang.
Yang had a big smile on her face when she saw the smile on Ruby's. She could tell that her sister was happy with things at the moment. Even if they all didn't end up being a team, they could probably at least be good friends. Yang would make sure of it.
"Alright! This means all four of us can work together to go get the artifacts at the ruins and become huntresses together!" Ruby said chipperly.
"Have to survive first…" Weiss muttered.
In that moment, however, Blake froze, as if she noticed something the others did not. Off in the distance, she could faintly hear rustling of undergrowth. It took Yang a moment before she pieced things together. Ruby was excited. Every time on Patch that happened, Grimm showed up.
This made Yang worried. The Emerald Forest was notorious for the shocking amount of Grimm inside it. And not every wide-eyed newbie made it out. If Ruby could attract every Grimm on Patch… then a world of hurt was on their way.
"Grimm are coming…" Blake muttered.
"Form up!" Yang said, getting into a stance, scanning the shadows for forms.
"How? They're attracted to negative emotions!" Weiss replied.
"Congrats Princess, you lured them to us." Blake shot at her.
"Normally, I wouldn't take such a remark, but I think the Grimm will do well as training dummies in your stead." Weiss shot back, readying her rapier.
"Let's kick some butt!" Ruby said with a wolfish grin, more than eager to get into a fight.
Soon, the orange red orbs began to light up the shadows around them, blackened forms lurching through the thick undergrowth. A massive amount of Grimm were making their way out of the shadows towards them. Beowolves of varied sizes and even Ursa making their way out, snarling viciously with black drool dripping from their maws. Bringing out their weapons, Ruby and Yang got ready to fight.
Ruby spun Crescent Rose and added a clip into it as Yang loaded her Ember Celica and cocked them. With that, the Grimm all charged in as Ruby disappeared in a burst of speed and rose petals. Charging in at the beasts, Ruby let out a battle cry as she swung her scythe through the first Grimm, cutting it clean in half from shoulder to hip. She sliced through another's neck, cutting off its head as her sister and their partners all charged in to assist her.
Yang punched right through an Ursa's skull as Weiss stabbed repeatedly into a Beowolf. Blake cut through a couple of Beowolves. Meanwhile, Ruby used her speed to run circles around the Grimm, cutting through them with blinding speed. One by one, Grimm fell to the wolfish reaper's blade. Beowolves got bisected at the waist or from shoulder to hip, even losing their heads. Ursa lost limbs and got decapitated as the red hooded reaper practically danced around them in a hail of slashes and bullets.
But no matter how many Grimm Ruby cut down trying to keep the beasts away from her sister and new friends, they kept on coming. Every time she cut one down, two more took their place. There seemed to be no end to them.
"It's no good! We're not getting anywhere!" Yang called out, shooting a bowling ball sized hole in a Beowolf's gut.
"The only thing we can do is keep fighting! We just need something to turn the tide!" Blake yelled as she held off a Beowolf's bite.
"Turn the tide…" Ruby muttered, before getting a very risky idea, but one that might just do it.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Ruby began to focus on changing her form. Not enough to go full wolf girl, but enough to make her physically strong and fast enough to turn the tide. She had never tried to shift this little before, but, if she didn't try, they'd eventually be overrun. Ruby then began to feel a change undergo her.
She felt herself become stronger. Lighter. Her scythe felt less heavy in her hands. But, at the same time, she felt no claws growing or extra appendages. Satisfied with the minor change, Ruby opened her eyes and gave a wolfish grin.
"Alright… let's do this…!" Ruby muttered, getting ready to fight again.
Ruby then took off with even greater speed, cutting her way through the Grimm with even greater speed than before. Beowolf and Ursa limbs and heads went flying through the air as she continued cutting a path through them. Weiss and Blake were briefly shocked by this, but quickly recovered and continued fighting. Yang, who had a suspicion at what her little sister was doing, was worried. But she did not have time to think about it as she had to cave in a Beowolf's skull.
As Ruby kept cutting through Grimm like a bladed whirlwind, she looked and saw an Ursa coming at Weiss from behind. Out of pure instinct, Ruby zipped in and pushed Weiss out of the way, taking a claw swipe from the Ursa. Weiss looked in shock at the fact that Ruby had just saved her like that. After how she had been treating her, she still saved her.
"Did you just…" Weiss tried to ask but cut off.
"You're welcome!" a distant echo answered her as Ruby rushed off.
Shaking it off, Weiss jumped back into the fray. Yang smiled a bit in pride of her sister as she punched a hole in an Ursa. Blake was also surprised at the action but was slow to recover. As a Beowolf tried to lunge at her, a red and black blur sliced through the beast, killing it. Blake looked in surprise at this.
"What the?" Blake muttered in shock.
"Focus, Blake! You're gonna get yourself hurt!" Yang called out.
Even as Yang said this, an Ursa tried to sneak up behind her. But, before it could even roar, the monster found its head sliced off by a red and black whirlwind. Yang looked in surprise but smiled at this.
"Take your own advice, sis!" Ruby called out, continuing to cut through Grimm.
"I can handle it, but thanks Rubes!" Yang replied as she unleashed a barrage of blows on another Ursa before sending it flying.
After what felt like hours, but could not have been longer than one, the Grimm had all been cut down. The four girls were tired, but more or less unharmed. Taking a moment to rest, they attempted to catch their breath. Ruby looked at the others in concern.
"Is everyone okay?" Ruby asked nervously.
"Thanks to you. How did you do that?" Blake asked.
"That was an upgraded form of her Semblance! Yeah, that's it…!" Yang replied, a bit nervously.
"I can't believe I have to say it, but good job. We are somehow alive after that." Weiss said with a tired sigh.
"Hopefully, this now means there should be less Grimm in our way on the way there." Blake said as she got up.
"Alright, everyone. Let's go!" Ruby said, trying not to cause a repeat incident.
With that, the four girls began to make their way to the center of the forest. Each of them, however, did not know just what this forest had left in store for them. Or others.