CACE: A RWBY Story

Volume 0: Chapter 4

Charley methodically marches through the forest, checking to ensure each bush and shadow isn't hiding a grim. He keeps his weapon in its sword configuration, knowing how close he might be to an awaiting grim. The aura that will protect him is only a small comfort. There have been rumors in Vale that this forest houses some deadly creatures that outskirts of Vale never had. Having grown up with the comfort of only seen a few grim from home and encountered a few smaller grim on his hunting trips with Alex, he is unsure of his skills against the significantly more deadly grim.

As he comes to another bend in the path he has been following since he landed, a massive Beowolf blocks his path. Far beyond twice the size he has seen before, it towers at nearly twenty feet above the ground.

"Oh man." He whispers, ducking behind a tree. "Come on, it's what you trained for."

The confidence booster seems to work, as his breathing slows. He peers out from behind the tree to study his foe. Time seems to stop as he locks eyes with the monster. Surprisingly, as he moves, the Beowolf stands still. It watches his every move, but fails to react like all other grim. Charley grips his sword and holds it in front to await to attack he knows is coming. As nothing happens, he carefully steps forward, unsure of what else to do. The beast is clearly waiting for the opportunity to attack.

As this unfolds, Ze who has been watching from the sidelines, gasps as he watches the rich boy stride confidently toward the Beowolf. The boy had turned the corner on the path and headed straight for the grim, as if it wasn't even there.

"What are you doing?" He breaths.

In a flash, the Beowolf and Charley attack each other. The stronger of the two emerges the victor. Ze's mouth drops at the sight of the boy before him. Even now as a great fighter, he would take a moment to work up his semblance to face such a foe. This confident boy, innocently staring at his downed foe, showed true courage. How could this be? He needs to know this boy's answer.

"Hey Charley." Ze calls out to the unaware boy.

"Yeah!" Charley answers, surprised that wasn't alone.

"Wow, that was amazing." Ze opens the conversation.

"What?" Charley asks. "I thought it was strange."

Ze studies Charley, trying to make out his reaction.

"I've never seen a Grim hesitate like that." Charley tells Ze. "Have you?"

"No." Ze plays along, confused by his comment.

"Like he knew I was there, but acted as if it could wrap its head around it." Ze nods.

"I wouldn't want to mess with you either."

"You don't have a teammate yet?" Charley asks, to which Ze shakes his head. "I guess what I said earlier will be put to the test."

"Right." Ze nods. "Come on Champ, let's go find our relic."

Striding forward, Charley quickly falls in step beside his new partner. As they make they make their way toward the Temple, both think on the events before. Ze finally decides to make some small talk, to break their silence.

"Where did you go to school?"

"Signal." Charley states simply. "And you?"

"I didn't, got my training from a few friends and in the wild with Grim."

"Cool." Charley comments.

As they near the temple and break free of the dense woods, Charley studies his new friend. As someone who likes studying weapons, he can't help but notice Ze's lack of a real one.

"Ze?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever considered another weapon?"

"I don't want to trade these out for something more..." He glances at Charley's sword. "Complicated."

"All I'm wondering is if you'd like to try a shield sometime?" Ze's face burns red.

"I'm a fighter, not a pus-"

"Ze!" A shout comes from the woods behind us. An excited Cat barrels from the woods to greet her friend. "It's great to see you!"

"You made it, see I told you that you'd be fine." Ze encourages. He looks back and notices the other three girls. "Have you found the temple yet?"

"I was just about to ask you guys that." Alex comments.

"I could be wrong, but isn't that it?" Charley points at a large stone structure only a couple thousand feet away.

All heads swivel toward the directions Charley is pointing. The two girls sprint off toward the temple and Charley chases after them. Ze stands in shock for a few seconds.

"You're really different than I thought you'd be." He dashes after the group.

As both pairs approach the temple, they notice the sixteen pedestals placed at even intervals in the ruined temple. Some are empty, while others have a single, shiny object on them. Upon closer inspection, they are coins with a crest stamped on them. The four hunter and huntress academies are represented on separate coins in the temple. Some coins are silver, while others are gold. Each pair grabs a coin before leaving to return to the cliff.

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