CHAPTER 4

Narrator's POV

"Thanks for the note, Q, but not helping!"

Obsidian whispered roughly as he quickly turned back, his back facing against the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses who were running from the two larger than usual Grimm species that were chasing them.

Those with long-range firepower peppered the Grimm in hopes of delaying or slowing their movement, but it proved to be useless as the Dust pellets simply bounced off their hides, showing no damage dealt at the least.

Deciding to at least try to stop them for some breathing room; they've been running for quite a while at full speed, he sparked the Cursed Energy within him before thrusting out both arms. Threads shoot out from his fingers, each strand rolling and strengthening itself into wires as they disappear into the forest.

Skidding on the ground in a halt, he ignored the looks and yelling of the group behind him as he quickly got to work, his wires maneuvering through the forest with speeds before they appeared out of nowhere from the trees, wrapping themselves onto the essential limbs of the two Grimm monsters.

The Deathstalker gets restrained through its tail and hindlegs reeling in place, while the Nevermore slams onto the ground with its wings tied up, unable to support its flight.

This prompted the group to stop as they looked at each other.

"Why are we just standing here? Let's go; they've been restrained!"

Weiss exclaimed, ready to run again at a moment's notice if it weren't for Yang's raised arm towards her.

"Hold on, Ice Princess. Sid's threads will disappear when he's out of range, and it'll turn into another cat and mouse chase. I'd say we should pummel them now."

"I'm Obsidian X.L. Rose, by the way. "Sid" for short."

Obsidian took the time now to introduce himself since he was mentioned for less confusion, with mummers of greetings and their own introductions. It's almost comical how they were exchanging greetings under this weird, intense situation.

"We should deal with them now before someone else could get hurt from them. It is our jobs as Huntsmen and Huntresses, after all."

Ruby gave her piece as the group glanced at the two Grimm trapped with wires. From the determined faces that everyone had, it looked like everyone was in consensus to deal with the Grimm.

"The problem is their durability. With the hard shell and tough hide, our bullets don't even leave a scratch on them."

Blake stated as Nora grins, brandishing her large golden hammer, and gets into a baseball batter stance, using her free hand to aim at the Deathstalker's legs.

"What if we just keep hitting them? I say, BREAK THEIR LEGS AND BEAT THE GRIMM OUT OF THEIR SOULS!"

Lie, who was about to stop Nora, gave her idea some thought before humming in agreement and a hint of surprise.

"We could take it slow, wear their defenses out."

"Like Blake said, its skin is tough enough to block bullets. But I did chip the Deathstalker's shell earlier with consecutive attacks at the exact position."

Pyrrha said her point with her eyes glancing on the weapons that everyone owned, her mind strategically analyzing the proper skillset and equipment of the group for a backup plan just in case things go south. Jaune simply chuckled nervously as he stated, showing his arsenal. 

"I got a shield that can fold itself and a sword. I don't think I can do much in this situation other than distract and block."

Obsidian got their attention when he suddenly grunted, reeling his arm back more. The Grimm reinvested their efforts in breaking out of their restraints, causing Obsidian to tighten his grip with the threads digging into his fingers.

"Guys, I can't hold them much longer."

"I GOT IT!"

Ruby, who was deep in thought, suddenly voiced her sudden exclaim, causing the group to focus their attention on her. Seeing that so many eyes were on her, Ruby shrunk slightly as a response before she picked herself up and gave a plan. 

As she started explaining her plan, Jaune, who quickly understood what she was talking about, briefly stepped in to give his own thoughts, the two starting to bounce ideas around with the group simply listening and nodding in understanding. Even Weiss stayed silent, never once saying anything to retract. 

Blake, however, briefly glanced at the gray-colored boy who was still whispering to himself with slight confusion, catching some of the conversation before snuffing the thought for later. They had Grimm to kill.

Once the plan was finalized, the group split up into two and headed to their own proposed destinations. A few moments later, Obsidian, who was standing in the same spot, took a breath of fresh air before releasing the Grimm from their restraints.

Instantly, the Nevermore soared back into the sky while the Deathstalker roared at the only person left in its sight. Obsidian, unfazed, simply wiggled his index finger in a "come over here" gesture before walking with his back facing towards the Grimm.

A second later, Obsidian's Cursed Energy sparks as his body is covered by the negative energy, baiting the two large Grimm, who quickly zero-ed onto his body as the boy dashes away, the chase restarting once more.

=

=

=

Obsidian X.L. Rose's POV

He would admit that out of the group, in terms of firepower, he was ranked near bottom due to his unique circumstances (not having a force field along with the inability of activating Dust on his own) and underpowered Cursed Technique compared to the likes of Yang's incredible Semblance that boosts her prowess to a frightening degree.

It might be biased, but he does know how to efficiently use said Cursed Technique and circumstances to his own benefit. If Ruby was a partially technical fighter with the usage of Crescent Rose's recoil and momentum, he was the most technical fighter in the family with his usage of CQC in tandrum to his Cursed Energy Manipulation.

Obsidian quickly turned a sharp corner as he dodged another flurry of feather projectiles, itching to blow the Nevermore Grimm with his arsenal of explosives in his utility belt, but he is already catching the attention of other Grimm species with his constant flickering of his Cursed Energy to distract said Grimm. Attracting more would be detrimental.

Skillfully ducking and weaving through the attacks of both Grimm, he felt his Scroll in his pocket ring and smiled. He had been playing with the Grimm, dodging every attack that they threw at him and running in circles to delay the group's efforts, and that was the signal that they were done prepping.

But just as he moved to the first point of interest, something black shot out from the trees and almost cleaved his head off if it weren't for Q's sudden yelling in his head to duck. Rolling out of the way, his fingers moved quickly as a bunch of threads weaved and wrapped around the black appendage.

"A Beringel?! Those aren't even native to Vale!"

Obsidian cursed as he did his best to ignore the other large Grimm that joined the opposing team, running through the forest and using the trees as cover to protect himself from the attacks that were slowly gaining on him.

"Less than 50% left!"

"A little more...!"

He mutters as he increases his speed once more, finally seeing the large abandoned bridge that he briefly saw when flying in the air from the springboard back at Beacon Cliff. Pushing through into the clearing that separated the forest and the abandoned bridge, he instantly rolled to the side upon exiting the clearing.

"Now, Nora!"

He could hear Jaune yell as Nora gave out a battle cry, appearing from out of nowhere with Lie alongside her as she slammed on the hindlegs of the Deathstalker the instant it came out of the clearing with her hammer. A click sounds in the middle of the chaos, and his vision turns pink with the roaring of explosions deafening his ears.

He didn't stop moving though, using all his threads to wrap around the two remaining Grimm. The Beringel was something that was not in the plan, so he'll deal with it himself. As for the Nevermore, he could still stick to the plan...

"[Thread Marionette]!"

He used his dexterity to manipulate the movement of the crow-like Grimm, using his Cursed Technique to puppet the Nevermore as if it were his own. Using its wings, he maneuvered the Nevermore towards the abandoned large tower near the bridge where Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were stationed.

Now that that's out of the way, it's time to face the music. The Beringel growled as it struggled to break the threads around its four limbs, its superior strength managing to snap a few strands.

Channeling Cursed Energy into his fists, he took a quick intake of air before gesturing his hands into knife stances. There were slight openings in his encasement of the Grimm—openings that he purposely opened to use against the Grimm. Tapping and holding the buttons on his glove's palms with his thumbs, he waited for a second before long claws revealed themselves.

That was the mecha-shift function of his gloves. The first form were brass knuckles with armor pieces around each finger that protected them from his threads digging into them when he uses his Cursed Technique. Usually against normal Grimm, his Cursed Technique and close-quarter combat skills with brass knuckles are enough to kill the Grimm.

But sometimes when the Grimm's durability exceeds his expectations, that's where the other form of his gloves come in. Its second form were about 5-inch-long claws that mecha-shift from the brass knuckle and armor around his fingers. They were sharper than his strongest wires but offered less defense.

It's name and designs were still incomplete, though, to the shock and disappointment of his twin sister. He already had an earful from Ruby, so maybe he'd finish it soon enough.

Cutting the flow of Cursed Energy to his Cursed Technique, he instantly released the Beringel from his control, the lack of any restraints causing it to stumble slightly from the excessive force it used over an "imaginary" obstacle.

That opening was enough for him to act, his body moving rapidly, using its large size to his own advantage as Obsidian did what he does best, dodging and weaving through the Beringel's punches and swings, this time with his own attacks, slashing and piercing his arms into the Grimm.

Ignoring the black blood staining his hands, he took a few steps back and waited for the opportunity that would expose itself. The attacks of a Beringel mainly consisted of using its arms to punch and slam its foes, so eventually...

Roaring in rage, the gorilla Grimm raises both arms skyward before slamming them onto the ground, sending tremors onto the ground. Obsidian moved out of the way and immediately pounced on the opportunity, hopping on its arms and running along its forearm as he activated his Cursed Technique, threads twisting into wire.

Trailing behind him, he slashed and jabbed at every chance he could while maneuvering around the Grimm's large body, stitching strands of his Cursed Technique deep into the wounds that he was creating in preparation to encase it like a spider to its prey. 

Using more than half of his Cursed Technique's length of 100 meters later, he decided that it was enough, disengaging from the Beringel's body and backing off a few feet away. With a few tugs on the strands, the Beringel suddenly locks up into place, unable to move due to the plethora of wires wrapped around its limbs.

"[Thread Imprisonment]. Phew, that was exhausting."

"That was really good; you moved exactly like Spiderman against the Lizard back in TASM."

"Seriously, what are you referencing?"

"Just ignore me and kill it already."

"What a weirdo."

"Hey! I can hear that, you know?"

"That was the intention!"

Enhancing his body to the maximum with Cursed Energy, he took a quick intake of air before he thrust his arms and pulled as hard as he could. The wires stitched into the Beringel's body suddenly were ripped out from the insides of the Beringel, causing it to splurt out black blood like a fountain. It struggled as more and more wounds intensified in severity, but due to his [Thread Imprisonment], it couldn't move a single inch.

"[Thread Laceration]... Seriously, Q, this technique sure is brutal."

Eventually the Grimm slumped from the loss of its black blood, its body starting its decay process with motes of black separating from its body. Confirming that it's dead with another few stabs to its body, he stopped channeling his Cursed Energy, letting the body flop to the ground as he caught his breath.

"Looks like they're about done, too."

Feeling Quartz' gaze in a certain direction, Obsidian caught the final moments of the Nevermore Grimm; it's head locked in place against the apex of a cliff before Crescent Rose fired its last bullet of the fight with its blade against the Grimm's head, its recoil from the shot swiftly slicing the Nevermore's head off with one clean swoop.

In a flutter of rose petals, Ruby reappeared on the cliffside standing tall, slicing the air next to her with Crescent Rose to rid its blade of the black blood that stained it and stabbing her scythe into the ground before she turned around to the audience under the cliff, giving all of them a thumbs up and smiling widely, signaling the completion of the Initiation.

He breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing his body as he reverted his clawed glove into its brass knuckle form and placed both hands on his hips, watching his twin struggle to get down from the cliff with the help of the whole group.

=

=

=

Narrator's POV

Back on Beacon's Cliff, the two staff members standing at the edge supervising the whole Initiation watched Ruby Rose decapitating the Nevermore from their Scroll without a word before Glynda Goodwitch frowned, tapping away on her Scroll.

"There shouldn't have been so much Grimm activity since we had Peter cull their numbers just a week ago. Headmaster, this isn't normal."

Ozpin turned to look at the Emerald Forest with his cane supporting his body and hummed.

"At least we got to see their teamwork and ability to slay the Grimm for ourselves, and I'd say that their performances are rather exemplary. Especially the twin Roses."

He emphasized the last sentence and glanced briefly at Glynda, who huffed in annoyance, turning her gaze back at the Scroll on hand.

"I still do not agree with that decision, Headmaster. Even if they are prodigies in combating the Grimm, there is more to being a Huntsman than the ability to repel and kill the Grimm. They are, after all, still children compared to the normal attendees."

Pushing his glasses up, the Headmaster nodded at her point.

"And I agree. They will be lacking in other areas due to their two-year absence from their Huntsmen Training Schools, but their talents are more than just combating the Grimm."

He replayed the footage of what transpired at the abandoned tower.

"Ruby Rose is an incredible strategist at her age. Her insight to add Ms. Xiao Long, Ms. Schnee, and Ms. Belladonna to the team for defeating the Nevermore is rather enlightening to witness. Mobility, agility, and fluidity—Ms. Rose created the group in mind to counter the Nevermore's flight and speed, and I'd say that it worked splendidly."

He then replayed the footage of Obsidian and the Beringel.

"As for Mr. X.L. Rose... Defeating an Alpha Beringel as a one-man team is a feat that veteran Huntsmen rarely have the privilege to boast about. Though it was unfortunate that he didn't get a pairing with those that I'd expected to be with, his ability and mind are more than enough to merge well with any group. Not to mention his unique circumstances. I would be a fool to not take him in."

Taking a sip of his cocoa to quench his thirst, he noted that most of the students who had passed the Initiation were walking back up to the Cliffs. The students who had failed have already been escorted by Peter and Bart back to the Bullhead hangars, so the only thing left in his schedule was the team coronation ceremony.

"I believe in them to mature and bloom into amazing Huntsmen at their age for the future."

He trailed off his sentence, his grip on Long Memory tightening at the thought of the sudden amount of Grimm lingering in the Emerald Forest. It is troubling... The movement of the Grimm is starting to be more aggressive than they've predicted. This was more of a foreboding omen than mere chance at play, especially when the Vytal Festival was scheduled to be celebrated late this year... 

"For that another tomorrow is the greatest hope for mankind."

=

=

=

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark."

The screen of the auditorium shows each of their profiles as the people mentioned are lined up on the stage as Ozpin continues, his cane supporting his body.

"The four of you retrieved the gold bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!"

As the four walked down the stage, Ozpin took a look at his Scroll before calling the members of the next team.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the silver rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)."

The four people called walked up and stood in attention, especially Jaune with his back straightened up unnaturally as the Headmaster pronounces the team leader.

"Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Jaune stared at the Headmaster with a gobsmacked look, questioning his hearing.

"Huh? L-Led by...?!"

"Congratulations, young man."

Pyrrha, who stood next to Jaune, smiled happily as she playfully swatted Jaune's shoulder pad to snap the poor boy who was trembling on his feet at being the leader out of it, almost knocking him to the floor due to her strength if it weren't for Nora suddenly grabbing him by the collar, shaking him to his core with excitement in her tone. Lie simply smiled and watched as Jaune, his face bearing an uneasy look, struggled to call for Nora to stop this.

"Moving on... Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long"

The four stood before Ozpin as he coronated the team.

"The four of you retrieved the silver knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby), led by... Ruby Rose!"

And their reactions were amazing, to say the least. Weiss had a face of horror, Blake's eyebrows perked upwards, Yang had a brief moment of uneasiness before beaming in pride, hugging her sister, and said person who everyone was staring at gaped in disbelief.

Obsidian, who was watching, simply hummed. It was a good choice in his mind, as Ruby was the first person who came up with a good plan while discussing how to handle the Grimm. She had the brains for tactics and strategies, was quick to her feet, and was an overall charismatic person, in her own unique way compared to the three standing beside her.

"And finally, Obsidian X.L. Rose."

Hearing his name, Obsidian walked up to the stage, briefly congratulating the newly formed Team RWBY, and stood by Ozpin.

"You have retrieved the silver pawn piece, but no partner is in sight. Due to this, you shall be a one-man team. Have no doubts, however, as you will also function as a reserve team member should any of the selected teams need an extra member while out during missions."

Obsidian nodded his head, understanding the concept. It was rare that a Huntsman operated alone, but one-man teams weren't a special one-time thing. In fact, they do pop up every year, like Qrow, who transitioned from a four-man to now going solo.

"Henceforth, you will be working with Team RWBY and JNPR as Team ORQX (Oryx). Congratulations are in order, young man."

The crowd cheers as Obsidian gives a nod before walking back down to the audience, making sure to stop Yang from squeezing him to death with his Cursed Technique.

Amidst the last round of cheers as Glynda took over the microphone to instruct the newly fledged students, Ozpin took a last glance at the number of future Huntsmen and Huntresses before taking a sip from his mug, his eyes fixated on the last few teams that he coronated.

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year."

But only time will tell...

============================================