One Man Team. [RWBY Fanfiction - Yang Xiao Long LS]

Chapter Eight.

A view of Professor Ozpin watching the students on his Scroll at the Beacon Cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest shows as Glynda Goodwitch walks up behind him, holding her own tablet. "The last pair has been formed, sir." She says as she taps the screen to show what happened with the last pair. 

"Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy... I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos." the video changes to Pyrrha and Jaune Arc's trek through the woods. Ozpin hums, "Mmmm..." Glynda frowns, "I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." 

Then she deactivates the tablet, walking back a little, "I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes." She says turning back to Ozpin, "Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?" he stays silent. "Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin doesn't answer, watching his tablet with a contemplating interest as it shows the footage of Ruby Rose sitting in the grass and picking stray leaves while her "partner" Weiss Schnee walks in random directions.

-

Weiss while walking right says. "It's definitely this way." but stops and starts walking left, "I mean... this way! It's definitely this way." but then she stops again in front of Ruby. "Alright, it's official: We passed it." Ruby stands up, slightly annoyed, "Weiss, why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

Weiss glares at Ruby as she says, "Because I know exactly where we're going! We're going... to... the forest temple!" she's obviously lying but doesn't want to let her unwanted partner to know. Ruby sighs, frustratingly. "Oh, stop it! You don't know where we are, either!" "Well, at least I'm not pretending like I know everything." Ruby shoots back. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Weiss snaps, "It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!" Ruby shouts almost reaching her breaking point, Weiss sighs to herself, spinning around and walking in another direction, "Just keep moving!" she hisses. Ruby in a faux imitation of Weiss' voice, "Oh, just keep moving! Hurry up! Waaaah! Watch where you're going!"

Returning to her normal voice she asks angrily. "Why are you so bossy?" Weiss turning back around to face Ruby snaps back, "I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!" "Stop treating me like a kid!" Ruby shouts back. Weiss getting in Ruby's face counters. "Stop acting like a kid!" Ruby balling her fists shoots back, "Well, stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet... But I'm still leagues better than you." she says continues to walk away. Ruby mumbles to herself, dejectedly, "You don't even know me..."

-

From the forest, Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna step out into a clearing that reveals the circular stone temple, broken and decrepit but for the platforms around its inside, holding several black and gold objects. "Think this is it?" Yang asks. In response, Blake gives Yang an incredulous look and heads down the hill, her partner following. 

They walk across the floor and observe the items on each pedestal, now shown to be familiar shapes. Blake looking at a black king is confused, "Chess pieces?" "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." Yang says taking notice to the missing pieces. "Well, I guess we should pick one." Blake says monotonously. 

-

Jaune and Pyrrha are standing at the mouth of a dark cave, where drawings are seen to the side involving armed men against giant beasts. "Think this is it?" Jaune asks before they walk in anyway. Jaune holding a short, burning torch to light their way. "I'm not sure this is it." Pyrrha said worriedly. 

Jaune sighs, "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, like, five more feet?" Suddenly and completely unexpectedly, Jaune trips on the ground, and the torch flies into a small puddle, extinguishing the flame so the two are cast in darkness with only their eyes visible. As Jaune gets up and grumbles, Pyrrha asks, "Do you... feel that?"

"Soul-crushing regret?" Jaune guesses, "No, it's... warm." Pyrrha says while looking around.

-

Back at the temple, Yang approaches one of the relics. "Hmmmm..." Yang hums as she studies the golden knight, then picks it up and shows it to Blake, "How about a cute little pony?" Blake while smirking nods, "Sure." they walk towards each other to the center of the temple floor. "That wasn't too hard!" Yang says with a smile, "Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find." Blake says as they share a smile. 

-

Jaune and Pyrrha continue onward through the cave until they see a large glowing point of gold right in front of them, illuminating Jaune's excited features. "That's the relic!" Jaune cheers as he slowly reaches out to grab it, but it moves away from his swipe, "Hey! Bad... relic!" he tries to get it again, then jumps forward and hangs onto it as the object raises him above the ground, 

"Gotcha!" Pyrrha worriedly calls to Jaune, "Jaune...?" Jaune's catch lowers itself so he is dangling right in front of the now-glowing red lines and eyes of a Death Stalker. Jaune's scream is heard all the way from the temple, where Yang turns towards the direction of its source.

-

"Some girl is in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?" Yang gasps looking ti her partner, Blake doesn't answer, staring at something in the sky.

-

At the cave entrance, Pyrrha rushes out right before the monster crashes through the hole, roaring and waving its grass-encrusted claws as Jaune hangs from the stinger, calling for help and continuing to scream. Jaune while sobbing shouts to Pyrrha, "Help! Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah! Why?! Pyrrha! He-e-e-elp! Pyrrha, this is not the relic! It's not!" 

He continues to cry as he gets shaken around, "Do something!" Pyrrha wielding Miló in front of the creature shouts to Jaune. "Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let-" But before she can finish, the Grimm hurls its tail back and launches a still-screaming Jaune across the forest as she watches in dismay, 

"... go." she turns back to the scorpion as it continues to snap its claws at her, and she smiles embarrassingly before turning and rushing away in a burst of green leaves.

-

Blake is still staring at something above them, but Yang is focused on the forest. "Blake, did you hear that?" Yang asks while she turns to her partner, "What should we do?" Finally, the faint-but-growing-louder scream of "Heads uuuuuuuup!" is heard when Ruby falls from the sky and presumably crash lands to the ground.

-

Shuiro was a few miles out from the temple when he felt something watching him. It wasn't Ursai, Boarbatusks or Beowolves because they were louder than they thought, he knew it wasn't a Death Stalker, King Taijitu or a Nevermore he would have seen the large shadows following him. But he could still sense something big following him, 

Kneeling he touched the ground and he felt the ground to feel what was following him. Feeling heavy but quick footsteps, he turned and quickly rolled out of the way of a Creep Grimm. A Dinosaur looking Grimm with two feet and no arms. In books he had read, these Grimms were faster than Beowolves and Boarbatusk. 

Which worried him a bit, no one has seen one of these Grimms in a long while and Shuiro was surprised to see it here. Jumping to his feet he took off running as fast as he could, jumping into trees to avoid the Creep's jaws. He even went as far as to use his Semblance to create clones of himself to keep the Grimm from going after him.