Somewhere foreign to Remnant, there was a castle that stood tall and imposing against the foreign landscape. With its fields infested with grim creatures, the castle seemed to be part of a villain.
Cinder, who was injured in the previous battle, sought refuge within the castle's walls, having one less eye and a deep scar across her face.
In this castle, there were many people: Watts, a brilliant scientist with a sinister agenda; Tyrian, a deranged and unpredictable killer; Hazel, a formidable and enigmatic figure with a hidden past; and their newest addition, Razor, the leader of the Tyger claws.
"To think you, Cinder were to bring a foreign gang to this sacred place," Watts sneered, referring to Razor and his men.
"Watch your tone, Watts," Razor retorted, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "We may be outsiders, but we have our own reasons for being here. And trust me, we're not here to disrupt your plans." Cinder observed the tension between the two groups, realizing that the castle was now a battleground for power and control.
"You hear that? Silence," Watts said. "I've got half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you."
"If I were you, I'd hunt her down," Tyrain said before snickering. "Find her, and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?"
Cinder stared at Tyrain, who cackled maniacally, his amusement at her expense evident. Cinder tried to speak, but in her state she wasn't able to, so she spoke to Emerald to relay them.
"Pathetic. Why did you even-?" Watts could say till the sound of the door to the room unlatched.
Everyone in the room stood up before Salem entered the room with a menacing aura as she glided to the other side of the room.
"Watts," Salem said.
Everyone expects Watts sat down.
"Do you find such malignance necessary?" Salem asked.
"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure," Watts said.
Salem looked at Razor, knowing that he and his gang were new to her organization.
"So, Razor, you and your men are ruthless and efficient, correct?" Salem asked, her eyes piercing into Razor's.
Razor straightened his posture and replied confidently yet nervously, "Absolutely, ma'am. We have cyberware implanted in each and every one of our members, enhancing their abilities and making them the perfect tools for any task."
Salem nodded approvingly, her gaze shifting to the rest of Razor's gang. "Good," she said, her voice dripping with authority. "I expect nothing less from your men, cyberware or not. They will need to prove their worth and loyalty to me and this organization." Razor's gang members exchanged glances, a mix of determination and nervousness evident on their faces.
"Do not worry, ma'am; I'll teach them everything they need to know," Razor assured, his voice filled with confidence.
Salem then turned to Cinder and spoke, "So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?
"Well, the girl with the silver eyes and the man in cyberware," Watts said, referring to Ruby and V.
"Yes. We've dealt with their kind before. How is it that a novice was able to best one of us?" Hazel said.
"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless, but the one with cyberware must have had some unexpected tricks up his sleeve.
"It is because of the maiden's power. Make no mistake, Cinder; you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. That is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment," Salem remarked.
Cinder was unhappy about this and lowered her head.
Emerald looks at her in sympathy.
"Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral," Salem ordered.
"Very good," Watts said.
"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden," Salem said.
"Gladly," Tyrian said as he giggled.
"And Hazel, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same," Salem said.
"As you wish," Hazel said.
"Razor, I want you and your men to accompany Hazel and ensure the success of the meeting with Sienna Khan," Salem commanded.
"Will do it," Razor said.
He then turned to his men and spoke, 「みんな、ヘイゼルに従え!」
Razor's men nodded in agreement and prepared to follow Hazel's lead. They understood the importance of the mission and were determined to fulfill their orders.
Cinder then raised her finger, which Emerald failed to notice for a moment.
"Oh!" she said before leaning on Cinder to listen.
After hearing the words, Emerald straightened.
"Speak, child," Salem asked.
"She wants to know... What about the girl and the cybernetic man?" Emerald asked.
Watts scoffed at the demand. "What about them? It seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours."
Razor then impaled one of his mantis blades into the table and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "But they could be a threat to our plans," he growled. "We can't afford to ignore them."
Salem's gaze shifted from Emerald to Cinder, her expression unreadable. "Razor has a point," she finally said, her voice laced with authority. "Tyrian?" Salem said to him.
"Yes, my lady?" Tyraine said with open ears.
"Spring can wait. Find the two who did this to Cinder," Salem commanded.
Tyrian began to giggle excitedly and started to clap.
"And bring them to me alive," Salem clarified.
Tyrian groaned in disappointment, pouted for a second, then looked back up at Salem with an acquiescent shrug.
"Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And Haven will be next," Salem said.
Meanwhile, in a forest in remnant, V, Johnny, Jaune, and Pyrrha were crouched behind a log, waiting for the signal to move forward.
As they waited, they heard Nora and Ren arguing with one another.
"I'm just sayin'...there's more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY. It just makes sense to go with that one," Nora explained.
"I don't think we can create a team name with just the initials," Ren countered. "Besides, RWBY is a more recognizable and marketable name. It's better for our image."
Just then, Johnny grabbed a rock and threw it at them, which hit Ren on the shoulder.
"Wo!" Ren turned towards Johnny, rubbing his shoulder in annoyance. "What was that for?" he asked, clearly irritated.
Johnny threw his arms up and spoke, "I'm sorry, your conversation was getting on my nerves, and I couldn't help myself. But seriously, why are you arguing about team names? Can't you just pick one and move on?"
"Yeah, it's kind of pointless to argue about team names," Pyrrha added, joining the conversation.
"Yeah, we need to keep focused." Jaune nodded in agreement.
"Why not just name us... the scavs?" V suggested, trying to diffuse the tension.
Ren and Nora stared at V in surprise.
Ren shook his head and said, "I don't think that name suits us at all."
"Well, it's better than arguing about it all day," Johnny replied with a shrug.
"We could always brainstorm some other options if 'the scavs' don't work for everyone," Pyrrha suggested, trying to find a compromise.
Just then, the ground began to shake, causing everyone to stumble.
"It's here," Jaune said.
Soon, Ruby flew backwards from trees, firing Crescent Rose in the direction she came from.
Just then, the geist that they were tracking was using a collection of boulders as its body and charging towards them. The team quickly regrouped, readying their weapons to face the formidable foe.
During the battle, Ruby was struggling to catch her breath as the geist was swinging its rock arm around, destroying trees and sending debris flying in all directions.
"Let's get that thing off her," Jaune said.
"V! Come on," Johnny said.
"Right behind you," V said as they ran to a spot and pointed their pistols at it, getting its attention.
As the geist turned towards them, Ruby took the opportunity to catch her breath and regain her composure.
The geist then threw its rock arm with incredible force, aiming directly at Johnny and V, which they both ran out of the way just in time for before the strike knocked them off their feet.
Just then, Nora fired a shot from her grenade launcher, hitting the geist in the back.
Meanwhile, Ren was jumping from tree to tree, shooting at the geist, trying to distract it from attacking his teammates.
As it swung and broke a tree, Pyrrha turned her spear into gun mode and shot at the geist from a safe distance.
Despite their best efforts, the geist remained relentless in its pursuit.
Ren then managed to run on its thrown arm and spin, but his blades did nothing to it.
"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren said as he landed.
"Our bullets don't seem to do much either," V replied, frustration evident in his voice.
"How about this?!" Ruby shouted as she loaded an electric dust into her weapon and fired it at the geist's arm, which, instead of hurting the geist, seemed to only absorb the electric energy, making it stronger.
"You dumbass!" Johnny exclaimed.
The geist then slammed its rock arm into the ground, causing a shockwave that sent the team flying backward.
Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha Ruby managed to land on their feet; both V and Johnny tumbled ungracefully, hitting the ground hard, while Jaune tumbled longer till he hit his nuts on a rock.
"Damn it," V said as he adjusted his hat and got back up.
"That's it!" Nora shouted as she ran in, set her weapon to hammer mode, and swung it with all her might at the geist's arm, which threw the rock at the group.
"Oh fuck!" V exclaimed as he and Johnny took cover behind trees.
As the rocks stopped, Jaune ran up to V before the tree V was hiding behind was picked up, which the geist used as a new arm.
Without hesitating, both V and Jaune ran for it.
"His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!" Jaune yelled, trying to warn the others.
"Big mistake!" Ruby shouted as she then fired fire dust from her weapon and hit the tree, this time causing the geist's arm to catch fire, allowing the geist to use it as a weapon. The flaming arm swung wildly, forcing V and Jaune to dodge its attacks.
"What are you thinking?" Johnny said as he grabbed Ruby's shoulder, pulling her back. "We need a plan, not just blindly attacking," he added, his voice filled with urgency.
Ruby looked at him, realizing the truth in his words. She took a deep breath and nodded, ready to come up with a strategy to defeat the geist and its flaming arm.
Both V and Jaune were running, dodging two strikes before Jaune fell, making V come back to help him up.
Soon Pyrrha fired at the geist's head, which made it fall but not destroy it.
"Okay, how do we do this?" Jaune said.
"First, any element that affects it is a bad idea," Johnny said.
"His body is too thick to break through," Ren remarked.
"Plus, it can keep grabbing new limbs!" Nora added.
"We can't break it!" Ruby said.
"That bastard has to have a weakness," V said.
Soon, Jaune got an idea. "Guys, I got it! We hit it harder!"
The group looked at him in confusion.
"We tried that!" V said.
Jaune continued, "No, seriously. It's trying to keep us away from its face. If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!"
The group considered Jaune's idea, realizing that they had been focusing their attacks on the creature's limbs rather than its main body.
"Not a bad idea, kid," Johnny said. "Me, V, and Jaune will get its attention, while the rest of you focus on taking out its limbs. Once we weaken it enough, we can all go for the kill shot."
"Alright! Come on, team, let's do this," Ruby said with determination.
"Yeah!" Nora said
"Right!" Ren said.
"Ren, left. Ruby, right, Pyrrha center," Jaune ordered.
The team quickly positioned themselves as Jaune directed, ready to execute their plan and take down the creature.
"Nora, ready to try out the new upgrade?" Jaune asked
Nora nodded and ran to her designated position, gripping her newly enhanced weapon tightly.
"Come on, Jaune," V said as he and Johnny ran in to distract the geist.
As V and Johnny charged towards the geist, distracting it with their quick movements, Jaune took a deep breath and signaled for the team to attack. With a surge of adrenaline, they all lunged forward, each aiming for a different limb of the creature. The geist fought back fiercely, but their coordinated efforts slowly weakened it, bringing them closer to their ultimate goal, Nora's kill shot.
"Ready!" she shouted.
"Use everything you've got!" Jaune shouted.
Soon, Ruby used her semblance to dash, pick up Nora, and launch her towards the geist with incredible speed. Nora, charged with electricity, soared through the air, her hammer crackling with power. With a mighty swing, she struck the geist's core, causing a massive explosion that sent shards of the rocks the geist used as armor flying in all directions.
"Hell yeah!" Johnny cheered, his voice filled with exhilaration and triumph.
The geist then got out of the rock it was in and made a break for it before Ruby set her weapon to gun mode and fired at it, killing the geist instantly.
"Suck on that!" V shouted, a mix of relief and satisfaction evident in her voice.
"Yay! We won!" Pyrrha said.
Later, they returned to the town, where they got the task from the town mayor.
"We truly can't thank you enough," the mayor said, shaking Ruby's hand.
"Just doing our job, sir," Ruby replied.
"That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate," the mayor said.
"Well, you don't have to worry about it anymore," V said with a smirk.
"Yeah, we are on our way to Mistral. You could always come along with us if you don't feel safe," Ruby suggested.
The mayor was amused by the request but refused it.
"Ha. I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more," the mayor said.
"Ah, don't worry, I know what it's like to live on a tight budget," Johnny chimed in, trying to reassure the mayor. "Besides, we're not here for the money. We're here to help and make a difference. Your gratitude is more than enough for us."
The group then bowed to the mayor, expressing their respect and appreciation for his hospitality.
Later, they entered the blacksmith shop to get Jaune's improved sword and armor.
"There you go, son. It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws," the blacksmith said as he placed Jaune's set of armor on the counter.
"Wow. That-eh. I don't know what to say," Jaune said, lost for words as he admired his new armor.
"Don't have to say anything! Just put it on! I'll go get the rest," the blacksmith said as he turned to fetch the rest.
Johnny then placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder and said, "Look at you; the scrawny kid of your old self is gone; no more of the paintball armor on you; now you're ready for battle with real protection."
Jaune smiled, feeling a surge of confidence as he imagined himself standing strong in his new armor.
"So, what are you waiting for?" Nora exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, uh, right!" Jaune said as he took off his old chestplate.
"Guess I was going to grow out of it eventually," Jaune said softly.
"A sign of progress," Ren nodded in agreement. "
"Progress," Jaune repeated.
As Jaune turned around, they saw that Jaune's hoodie had a bunny on it.
Ruby started to giggle at the sight.
"The fuck?" V said confusedly.
"What is it?" Jaune asked
"What is that?" Ruby exclaimed, pointing at it.
"What, my hoodie? I've always had this," Jaune replied, slightly confused by their reactions.
"You had it on you all this time?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!" Ruby said, laughing.
"It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?" Jaune explained, realizing that his friends were unfamiliar with the character.
"pumpkin pete?" Johnny asked, scratching his head. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"I think it's because I was on it before," Pyrrha chimed in, a small smile forming on her face.
"Oh yeah, now I remember!" Johnny said.
Ruby, however, was still laughing at Jaune.
"What did you do?! Send in a box top for a prize," she asked.
"Yeah! Fifty!" Jaune answered.
Ruby soon began to laugh even harder, clutching her stomach and falling on the floor.
"Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything," Ren said.
"I can't have a huntsman without his weapon," the blacksmith said as he impaled in the counter.
"Made all the modifications you asked for," the blacksmith continued, before the sheath expanded into the shield.
"That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?" the blacksmith asked.
V looked at the sword, and indeed it had a gold hilt with intricate designs.
"Hey V," Johnny said through V's thoughts. "Look at Pyrrha."
V turned to look at Pyrrha, and he noticed her circlet wasn't on her head.
"You say Pyrrha gave her circlet to Jaune?" V asked Johnny.
"It seems like it," Johnny replied. "Maybe she's got the hots for Jaune after her kiss."
V chuckled at Johnny's comment. "Well, I can't blame her," V replied. "Jaune is quite the charmer. But giving up her circlet? That's a bold move."
"Love makes people do crazy things V, one moment you're kissing someone, the next you're in bed making out with them," Johnny said.
"Fucking christ, Johnny, you have no filter," V exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you're right, love can make people lose their inhibitions and do unexpected things."
After a while, the group left the town, making their way to Haven Academy.
"Food?" Jaune asked, checking their supplies.
"We've got enough to last us a few more days," V replied.
"Water?" Jaune asked.
"Check!" Nora confirmed,
"How about ammo?" Jaune asked.
"From the Schnee Corps, we got enough to supply a camp of nomads," Johnny said.
"Got the map?" Jaune asked.
"Ren's got it," Nora said.
"No, I don't. Pyrrha has it," Ren corrected.
"No, I don't have it either," Pyrrha admitted sheepishly.
"Wait, what?" Nora exclaimed.
"Guys, please tell me you're joking," Jaune asked in a panic.
"Don't worry, thanks to my cyberware implants, I have a digital copy of the map stored in my memory," V reassured.
"Phew, that's a relief," Jaune sighed.