The Nazgûl Of Remnant Vol. 1 [Redux]

Chapter 7: Stomping Grounds (1)

You soar through the skies, watching as the other students fly through and disappear into the emerald expanse of trees. All the while, Jaune's screams of terrors are still audible even with the wind whipping past your ears. A blur of gold and red zooms past and you turn your head to see the end of a spear as it disappears into the trees.

"Thank you!" You hear the blonde boy's echo.

"I'm sorry!"

Focusing back on your landing, you enter the wraith world and time slows down around you as you Focus. Seeing a thick tree branch, you Shadow Jump onto it and land. From there, you slide down the trunk of the tree to the base and step off. Dusting off, you look around with your hand on your sword's hilt ready to fight off any Grimm.

Once it's clear that no Grimm are nearby, you relax your stance and make time to start moving. Another calm stroll through the forest reminds you of the beauty of Middle-Earth and Gondor, making you ponder on the state of affairs back home. Your thoughts snap back to reality though once you hear Ruby's voice yelling in the distance, calling for her sister. With Wraith Agility you move through the forest at a dashing speed, the green and brown scenery zipping by as you follow the young girl's voice.

Stopping into a clearing, you come upon Ruby and Weiss staring each other down. Both of them notice you, before Weiss huffs and walks off. Ruby reaches out to her and pleads, "Wait! We're supposed to be...partners."

Walking up to Ruby, you pat her on the shoulder to console her but in response she squeaks and leaps backward a few feet. Upon seeing it is you, she relaxes and smiles while smoothing her skirt. "Sorry...I startle easy. Have you found a partner, Talion?"

You return the smile warmly, crossing your arms while looking in the direction Weiss went off to. "No, I haven't. Judging by a lack of a certain ice queen, you haven't either. So...teammates?"

You offer a hand to her, watching as she visibly stiffens. She looks down at your hand, then you, then back to your hand. With a small squeak of joy she takes your hand in both of hers and hops in place. "Sweet! But, don't you think we should still stick with her? The forest is full of Grimm after all."

"Normally I'm inclined to disagree but, I have a feeling that would be the more headache-inducing option so yeah. Let's follow the trail of frost." You make to move, but realize your hand is still held by Ruby's. The young Huntress-in-training realizes this too and quickly lets go, a light tinge of pink coming to her cheeks. While you're glad the awkwardness of the situation will lift...you can't help but already miss the warm softness of Ruby's touch.

Wait, what are you thinking about?! Walking along with her after Weiss, you shake away these forbidden thoughts. When was the last time you even thought of a woman in such a manner...? Your mind tries to recollect but all you can remember is a young woman in armor, standing in front of a burning city. At least that confirms you do have a liking to warrior women...you think.

While walking along, you nearly bump into a scowling Weiss as she brushes right past you and drags Ruby by her hood. "By no means does this make us friends...better you than him."

Looking from where she came from, you just make out Jaune's bright blonde hair and the spear currently impaling his hoodie to a tree. He calls out to you to help him down but you only chuckle at the sight and turn back from him. Surely the owner of that spear would come along soon to reclaim their weapon. Joining the girls, you trail behind as Weiss is a good distance in front of Ruby, walking at a brisk pace.

"Hey! Weiss, slow down. What's the big hurry?" Ruby calls out to her, likely still grasping at the prospect of befriending the ice queen.

"I have a mission. A mission that needs to be completed quickly so that I can get a good score. A score that I won't have you affect for being too slow-." The moment the word 'slow' leaves her lips, Ruby zips in front of her in a blur. "What the-? How did you-?"