(Your POV)
You dove down and entered the water, its surface broken as you entered the watery depths. The cool water rushed around you and it was refreshing from the hot summer day that it had been.
Swimming up you broke the surface looking around. Tim was at the edge of the lake looking at the rocks that descended into the water.
(Y/N): That rock nerd.
Looking down you couldn't see the bottom of the underground pool and so you sucked in a breath. Holding it, you descended into the water trying to find the bottom of the pool centering the cave. Swimming down further and further, you still couldn't find a bottom.
Ignoring your depleting oxygen you tried to keep swimming to no avail. Abandoning your quest to find the bottom you swam back up to the top.
Looking around you saw that Tim had gotten out of the water and had abandoned rocks to look at the crystals. The multi-colored crystals' beauty were apparent as the light bounced around the cave giving a mystical feel to the cave.
Magic seemed to be present in the air with the rocks and the crystals bordering the clear water. Ready to climb out of the water you grabbed onto one of the rocks bordering the outskirts of the water.
Suddenly something flashed before your eyes and you saw the cave trembling with a low noise coming around. Rocks tumbled from areas above into the water and broke the crystals that they fell on.
Grabbing your head with your hands you fell back into the water sinking down as you couldn't handle the pain. Lashing out violently you hit your head on the rocks and suddenly the pain was gone. Realizing you were underwater you swam back up quickly to the surface.
(Y/N): Tim what happened?
Tim turned back to you with a questioning look.
Tim: What are you talking about? Nothing happened?
You looked around the cave to see that nothing had changed. The water remained calm besides you keeping afloat. No rocks have tumbled down, no crystals were broken and certainly no loud noises were being made.
Suddenly though you felt the rumbling you knew happened earlier. You look to the origin and saw that one of the golden crystals had risen from its resting place, nested in the rocks. The cave shook from this, now unstable from the shifting rocks that had remained dormant for a long time. To you it almost felt like an earthquake that made everything tremble in its wake.
Now alert you climbed out of the water onto the rocks and grabbed your shirt and the torch running towards the entrance.
(Y/N): Come on Tim we've got no time!
Tim was struggling with the sight in front of him as a monster started to rise out of the rocks revealing itself to be some sort of giant scorpion. With huge white skin that seemed to cover a black part underneath it , it seemed to be a huge foe.
The giant barb at the end reminded you of the crystals that you had seen earlier and Tim had been touching earlier. Ten red eyes decorated the front meaning that you would have no place to hide. Scuttling towards Tim it reared back its head and then roared in his face sending Tim to the ground.
Running back towards Tim you jumped over a fallen rock trying to reach you friend.
(Y/N): Hey ugly!
Looking up the creature took a step towards you and away from Tim. At that point you threw the torch at the monster hoping to distract it. You didn't see where it hit, but the creature roared and reeled back in pain obviously hurt from the torch.
Running towards Tim you grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the beast and towards where the exit of the cave was from your memory. The only thing that provided any light now was the faintly glowing crystals among the rubble.
Getting out of the cave you and Tim left the deer that sat outside and sprinted to the village. Your years and years of running through the forest made it so that you knew the best ways to get anywhere in them from the little signs that were left over.
Looking behind you, the monster was chasing you guys through the forest not caring about the path of destruction it left behind. However, you and Tim jumped through a set of trees close to each other and the monster got stuck. Wriggling back in forth it tried to escape from its prison.
(Y/N): Come on hurry up!
Tim: Don't have to tell me twice.
Running towards village gates you see the guards that were stationed there. You must have not been gone a while because the same guards were stationed at the gate waiting for something exciting to happen. You and Tim were the excitement as when you got there they stood back on alert.
Guard 1: Oh young Tim and young (Y/N).
They peered behind you two perhaps looking for the hunting stuff.
Guard 2: Where are your hunti...
(Y/N): Giant monster in the forest! It's headed this way!
Guard 3: A giant monster you say?
Tim: It was a Grimm sir. A Death Stalker more specifically.
Guard 1: A Death Stalker. Have you learned nothing from your studies? Here in Solitas it is far too cold in most places for Grimm to be a true threat. Even here in our lush paradise where it is not too cold, Grimm are very minimal. A strong Grimm like that would not be here.
Guard 2: However, if what you say is true, where did you go that you would find a Grimm looking for you?
Tim: Ahhh, well... you see...
The village was very strict when it came to its warrior program. The village was quite large and so they enforced heavy rules that would rule out the strong from the weak. Those who broke the rules were immediately thrown out of the program and sent home.
(Y/N): We were hunting in the normal clearing where the deer gather, and suddenly to our right out of a cave, the monster, a Death Stalker you call it, came out and was rushing after us.
You lied for Tim hoping that he would not be in any trouble.
Guard 3: Why did you take so long then?
Tim: We tried to run the other way from it, to lead it away from the village, but once we thought we lost it, it found us again and we took off running here hoping to outpace it. It got stuck so we were able to escape.
Guard 2: It got stuck...
(Y/N): It doesn't matter! The village could be in trouble. We have to warn everybody!
Guard 1: The young man is quite right. This could be a very dangerous threat. Let's head back to the patriarch. Both of you stay here and make sure that nothing comes through. If there is something then...
Guard 2: Yeah we know.
Guard 3: Ring the bell, call out, we got it don't be so worried.
The first guard turned away obviously annoyed that the other two didn't seem to care. Walking through the camp the children were running around without a care in the world. Although still considered young you were far more mature for your age.
Seeming to be strange though as your family moved from Atlas to the small village of Pine, where you stayed now. Always seeming to be an outsider, you were for a while before Tim let you into his friend group.
Tim was the epitome of what the camp wanted its soldiers to be. In public he was serious, tall, strong and didn't bother people with unnecessary actions. Of course that was in public, as in private he was quite the opposite and seemed to act like a six year old most of the time.
Shaking that off you looked towards the house of the patriarch. Today he was supposed to have the high patriarch as his guest to discuss the terms of trade over again.
The camps that made up Pine were split into several villages that were all within a few miles of each other. Each village had their own patriarch and every five years an election was run that decided the high patriarch who would lead the others in times of desperate need.
In recent years the winter had been getting longer with the spring and summers shrinking in response. This led to less time for farming and hunting and your village felt the hit as supplies shrunk year by year.
Entering the house you saw that Patriarch Daniel sat in his chair at the table looking worn out. One of the oldest in the village he was getting into the range where his successor would take his place. Although his inability to find a suitable successor was tough.
He had no children as his son died of a sickness at a young age and his wife died giving birth. He had sunken into a period of depression until the village suffered long enough and the people demanded he come out of the shadow and lead them properly.
In order to have something left as a legacy, he did so and became the greatest ruler the village had ever seen. He refused to become high patriarch for some reason though, and the speculation ran wild.
The guard pushed you and Tim forward towards the patriarch.
Guard 1: Sir, these two claim to have seen a Death Stalker in the nearest forest. What should we do?
Patriarch Daniel: Thank you, I will take it from here. Return to your post.
Guard 1: Of course sir.
He saluted and then turned and exited the building.
The Patriarch sat up a little straighter and looked at the two of you. Although his strength seemed to be leaving him his calculating eyes jumped between the two of you seeming to notice every detail.
Patriarch Daniel: So, a Death Stalker you say. Tell me what it looks like.
Tim: It had a white outer shell with black skin underneath, a giant golden barb at the end of its tail, and giant pincers.
The Patriarch turned towards you.
Patriarch Daniel: Black skin he says. Did you observe the same thing?
You think back to the terrifying creature in the cave where you saw it the closest.
(Y/N): No, it seemed more like fur. Like there was stuff coming out of the skin and not just the skin itself.
Patriarch Daniel: That's what we've noticed. It seemed that because it was this far north, the Grimm grew fur in order to help with the cold that is with the rest of Solitas. We believe that this evolution is brought on by the cold as it exists nowhere else. This could prove very difficult for us as we have been used to very low threat Grimm. But now if they evolve this way there could be much trouble for us. This could be a threat to our people here.
Tim: So where does that...
Suddenly the bells rang. Voices started to raise outside of the house. Quickly turning around you ran out of the door to see people running in every which way.
???: Grimm Attack!
Shaking your head you came back to your senses. Looking around you were still in the forest with no people in sight. You saw branches knocked down around you. You looked up to see that you punched a hole through the canopy when you were knocked into the tree.
Checking first to make sure the Death Stalker wasn't about to ambush you, you looked around trying to find a sense of direction. Looking up to the sky you saw a Nevermore flash by with suspicious red and white spots hanging off of it.
(Y/N): Well guess I better follow them then.
Cracking your neck, you pulled out your weapons so as to not get ambushed again and took off to the direction of the Nevermore. Looking around as you ran the forest didn't seem to change much as evidence by the trees that seemed to go on forever.
(Y/N): Just like the forest back home then.
(3rd Person POV)
Glynda: The last pair has been formed, sir. The only one without a team is your untimely welcome of (Y/N) (L/N). Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren are the last pair. Poor boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos.
Ozpin: Mmmm...
Ozpin was looking at (Y/N) as he was thrown into the air by the Death Stalker. His semblance was amazing, basically giving him an advantage over any incoming damage in a fight. However, the times that he was hit, he was always distracted by something. If he could work on his focus he could turn out to be a formidable warrior against Salem.
Glynda: I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year? Professor Ozpin?
Ozpin didn't answer, instead focusing on the young man. Letting him early to Beacon and with his background might be dangerous.
Ozpin: I'll just have to be ready for when James finds out.
(Your POV)
Finally breaking through the tree line you found an old building. With vines snaking around the stone blocks, it showed a story of an old thing forgotten to time, only to be discovered later.
Walking to the center of the structure you noticed the pedestals that line the outside of it. On each one stood a chess piece though. Some were obviously taken by students long gone.
Spinning around in a circle you tapped into your semblance trying to see if one was different from the others. Sensing nothing you turned around, walking out of the ruin, and grabbed a black pawn.
Leisurely strolling away from the temple you heard a twig breaking behind you. Quickly diving into the shadows you looked at the direction the sound came from only to see Yang and the black-haired girl. Sighing in relief you strolled out of your hiding place walking towards the pair.
Yang: Think this is it?
The girl with black hair gave her a look and then walked down the hill. Keeping your facade of not being there you quietly followed behind them. Getting down to the temple Blake went up to one of the chess pieces and studied it.
Blake: Chess pieces?
(Y/N): Yeah I was wondering the same thing.
Yang shrieked and Blake placed a hand on her weapon.
Yang: (Y/N)!
(Y/N): Hey Yang, who's your friend?
???: Blake, Blake Belladonna.
(Y/N): Nice to meet you Blake. You're that book girl from yesterday, right?
Blake: Yes, I suppose you could say that.
Yang: Books are so boring. Anyways, some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here.
Blake: Well, I guess we should pick one.
(Y/N): Yeah I think these are the relics that Ozpin was talking about. I just grabbed any one. I don't know if it matters.
Yang looked around and walked towards the knight piece.
Yang: Hmmmm... How about a cute little pony?
Blake smirked at her childish behavior.
Blake: Sure.
Walking to the center of the temple the two girls looked towards each other.
Yang: That wasn't too hard!
Blake: Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find.
They both smiled before Yang looked around.
Yang: Hey (Y/N), where's your partner?
(Y/N): Don't know, you two were the first I ran into here.
Yang: You don't have a partner! You have to find one, or else you won't have a team!
(Y/N): I'm alright with not having a team.
Yang: C'mon, cutie. You can join up with us in a threesome!
Yang winked at you at this and you did a double-take looking back at her and then Blake. Blake was blushing madly before looking at you and then recovered her dignity.
(Y/N): Excuse me?
Yang: You heard me!
(Y/N): I heard you, I'm just not sure I understand.
Yang: Well a threesome is where...
Blake: I'm sure he already knows. Let's go off back to Ozpin.
You smiled at Blake shooting her a silent thank-you.
Yang: Ugh, fine I'll get with handsome here another time.
(Y/N): Fine Yang, just as long as it's not in the middle of a mission.
Yang: Yay! It's so much more fun when the boys answer back!
You rolled your eyes and turned to walk off before you heard a yell pierce the air. Yang turned towards the sound.
Yang: Some girl's in trouble! Guys, did you hear that?
(Y/N): I heard it all right.
When Blake didn't respond you turned back to her and saw her looking into the sky. Yang then turned back towards her partner.
Yang: Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?
Looking into the sky you suddenly saw something falling out of the air. Looking at it more closely you saw that it was...
(Y/N): Ruby?
Ruby: Heads uuuuuuuup!
Tell me how it was. Was it good? Bad? Do I need to lengthen the fight scenes, talking scenes, what? Should I shorten anything? And don't worry we will get some more backstory for (Y/N) in these upcoming chapters. I think we already have started to paint the background for what (Y/N) may become though. This is not the end of the flashbacks though!
Until next time!