Emerald Forest Pt. 3

"Let's have some fun, yes?"

Raising both of his hands, Matthew closes his eyes as the ground rumbles and hundreds of orange glass float from the ground before all of the glass relocated behind and around Matthew, spinning circularly.

Matthew opens his palms, spreading his arms wide as the glass flew down to some Ursas that are standing in the distance.

They were instantly killed as the crystal shards shreds their bodies before they went next to the other Ursa, and vice versa.

The other Grimms, however, charge themselves at Matthew. The young Strange notices this and he stomps his right foot.

Sharp earth spikes erupted from the ground and impales several Ursas. Some of them survive and smashes the spikes while they narrow-mindedly charged themselves at him.

A suicidal tactic, or so he thought.

Left with no choice, Matthew lets his right hand do the work with hand motions, thus unleashing the BOLTS OF BALTHAKK at the horde of Grimm, the crackling noises and the black lightning smote the enemies, destroying them in a clump of smoking burnt carcasses.

As the Ursas are no more, he deactivates his spell and glares at the last Grimm, the Deathstalker from earlier, now using its height to intimidate the Young Strange.

This did not work despite its menacing appearance...

"You are the last one and your members are all dead. So I'm going to offer you to run away or die alongside them." Matthew stated.

Foolishly, the creature stares at him and snips its claws in reply, rejecting Matthew's offer.

"I guess you're going to perish..." Matthew mumbles with a disappointed shake of his head.

The Grimm charges at him, and it uses its sharp stinger to try to inflict even just a minor damage on the sorcerer.

Matthew immediately saw the move and sidestepped, before jumping at the main head of the Deathstalker, and towards its rear, cutting the lower part of its tail with the Staff morphed into a scythe.

As a result, the Grimm growls in pain and stood in its position for a couple of seconds until Matthew lands the final blow by casting the HAND OF HOGGOTH, a giant purple withering hand, curls into a fist, and slamming the poor Grimm-like himself crushing an ant with ease.

The remains of the Deathstalker scattered into black specks of dust as Marthew huffed and wipes the sweat on his forehead before analyzing the damage he had accomplished.

The clearing was etched with medium-sized craters around the area and small holes in the middle, a result of the BOLTS OF BALTHAKK he cast from earlier.

And the scene next to him is the grass riddled with cracks due to the impact created by the HAND OF HOGGOTH, crushing the Deathstalker with a smash.

Satisfied with the outcome, Matthew snaps back and remembers the team as he saw the Nevermore hovering not far from him.

He could guess that Ruby and her acquaintances are not far from him, so to pick up the pace between him and the group, he uses the Cloak of Levitation to fly low instead of the Boots of Vaultorr skipping from tree to tree.

Matthew knew that flying high could draw Nevermore's attention, but he understood that Ruby and the others needed to work together to defeat the Nevermore Grimm.

Matthew left the damaged clearing in hopes to get there in time, unbeknownst to him, a jellyfish-like Grimm was spying on him from the distance since the beginning of the fight, watching him with interest.

The jellyfish Grimm watches Matthew fly away as the Grimm moves back from the trees before it disappears entirely.

•••

•••

•••

Minutes later after they left Matthew to hold the Deathstalker back, Ruby and the group reached the end of the forest and into the middle of an arranged set of ruins from their left and right.

The Nevermore was keeping an eye on them closely from the sky, hovering like a predator watching its prey.

Entering the ruins, the group splits into two and hides on some pillars and broken blocks, hoping to lose the Nevermore.

Sadly that did not work as the bird perches itself atop a tall column, stopping their advance.

Yang rolls her eyes in disappointment and sarcastically expresses "Well, that's great!"

Another addition to their problems is that a wild Deathstalker appeared! With a squadron of Ursa behind the scorpion Grimm.

Jaune and the group from the left flinch when they saw the new guests arriving from the forest.

"Oh and that's great, too! Run!" Jaune informs the group as they dispersed from the ruins, forcing them to run and reveal themselves from the giant Nevermore in front.

Ren pauses for a second to assess the problem.

He sees that the squad of Ursas is lagging while the Deathstalker is spearheading itself, chasing Jaune and Pyrrha. With the hammer wielder Nora beside him, he knew what to do.

"Nora, distract it!" Ren instructed his childhood friend as Nora quickly heed his order and runs to the opposite side of the ruins while dodging the sharp feathers from the Nevermore.

Nora reached the other side and changes her Magnhild into its gun form, which is an M32 grenade launcher by its design.

Giggling, Nora fires a couple of shots at the Nevermore before turning around to empty its dust-infused grenades at the charging Deathstalker.

The Nevermore was forced to evade Nora's bursts, swerving itself to the left to hide from the open area, thus giving the group a chance to move forward.

Coming to the rescue-- a backup, as Ren planned, strikes the Deathstalker first, stalling it with Blake and Ren hitting the claws of the Grimm before Weiss landed next to Nora and retreated.

Taking their chance of positioning, the Deathstalker chases Ren and Blake away from the rest of the group, but the Ursas manage to close in between the Ursas and the team.

Still running, Ruby quickly peeks behind to see the Ursas chasing them, she then glances at Yang, and with a simple look, Ruby's half-sister nods.

Yang detaches from the group, turning around before jumping high, her arm cocks back for a punch as the Ursas stopped chasing the latter.

They looked up to see Yang preparing herself to land a devastating punch to them.

"HYRAAAHHH!" Yang yells as her fist connected to one of the leading Ursas, creating an explosion of fire and dust around her.

The first Ursa disintegrated quickly as Yang follows up her attack with an uppercut on the second, and dodged a swipe from the fourth.

Turning her head in attention, Yang spins to the left, giving a roundhouse kick on the third before ending her combo with a mighty upward punch from the Ursa's belly.

The third Ursa flew upwards due to its force and the fourth one was wide open for Yang's final punch aiming directly at its face.

With a cry, Yang's punch sent the final Grimm to the damaged ruins, exterminating it instantly.

Before Yang could join the group near the bridge, she heard thunder slamming in the direction in which Matthew was earlier, with clouds darkening from the distance.

The rumbling stopped quickly, only to confuse Yang Xiao Long.

'Matthew... Who are you really?' She thought.

•••

"Go, go!" Pyrrha instructed the rest, with Yang joining them at the last minute.

The Spartan girl gave them covering fire from her Milo which is morphed into a rifle that resembles itself a Japanese Type 4 rifle.

Ren also joined the firefight, converting his weapon; Stormflower, into a pair of SMG that resembles the M1911 handguns.

*BANG!* *BANG!*

The Deathstalker slows its pace, using its claws to cover itself from the gunfire while the group retreated further through the bridge and closer to the central ruins.

"Hurry!" Ruby rallied the group.

Unfortunately, the Nevermore came back.

The giant Grimm sees them and with its claws, it slams its wings in the middle of the bridge causing its collapse and separating the team into two, consisting of Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and the group of Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora.

The two groups were forced to fight the Nevermore and the Deathstalker respectively.

Ruby and the others fire their guns at the Nevermore, going in for another run, while Pyrrha and her group faces the Deathstalker.

"We need to finish this Grimm off!" Jaune said out loud, dodging the incoming claw as he rolls to the side.

"Hehe! Don't worry!" Nora replied with a mischievous grin.

"Wait, what are you--?!" Jaune blurted in surprise as Nora proceeded to position behind him.

"Hold on!" Nora yelled.

She uses the weight of her hammer and blasts herself upwards, catching Jaune also as the two were flying above the Deathstalker.

"Pyrrha, with me!" Ren followed suit as the two fired their rounds at the Deathstalker's face, pinning it with gunfire before Jaune realizes what they are up to.

"Nora... Smash!" Nora yelled her catchphrase excitedly as the hammed slammed the Deathstalker's front while Jaune stabs the body.

The Grimm twitched in pain and it uses its stinger to swat the two, but fails as Pyrrha throws her Akouo, her shield at the Deathstalker's tail.

Ren follows suit with a slash from his Stormflower, slicing one of its claws, rendering it useless with the Grimm stumbles due to imbalance.

Shivering in pain and with a missing claw, the Deathstalker wriggles, shaking Nora and Jaune off its body.

Jaune's group rallied at the end of the bridge and stands up against the Grimm, side by side.

Meanwhile, Ruby's group was having a hard time getting some solid hits at the agile Nevermore.

Firing from her Crescent Rose didn't deal any significant damage either to the bird, making her frustrated for a second.

"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake informed after she tried her best to give some slashes at its face. She lands next to the sisters as the Nevermore flew to the other side of the cliff.

Reloading her Ember Celica, she observes the bird flying above and replied. "Then let's hit it with everything we've got!"

It turns around for another sweep, with Ruby's group now prepared to strike once more, as a team.

Ruby and her group switch their weapons in gun form and fires--

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Random colors of red, blue, and yellow streaks clash with the Nevermore, causing minor damage before the bird slams itself into the top part of the tower.

Luckily, the group evaded at the last moment before the crash, jumping from debris to debris. They moved to the central island with skill and maneuverability, positioning themselves to counter the Nevermore.

As the group lands, Matthew arrives behind them and they didn't notice him getting down with the help of the Cloak of Levitation.

"I saw you guys fighting that bird," Matthew said. "Need some help?"

They turned their heads quickly to see a smirking Matthew Strange with the Cloak reverting itself to its disguise.

"Matthew!" Ruby and Yang said in unison, approaching him with relieved faces. Blake is happy to see him and simply nods, while Weiss lifted an eyebrow.

"You were out for what-? 10 minutes?" Weiss spoke.

"Sorry, entitled Princess, but I'm occupied with the Deathstalker and a horde of Ursas earlier at the exact time after you girls left."

However, Matthew quickly glances at Ruby and interrupted her before she could ask a question.

"Before you could talk, let's deal with that bird first."

The group nods at him in affirmation as they switched their gaze to the flying Grimm.

"Any ideas?" Matthew started.

He looks at them one by one until he caught Ruby's glance.

"I have one." Ruby declared with seriousness as she clutched her Crescent Rose tightly. "Cover me!" She announced.

"Shall we, Fraulein?" Matthew said with a smirk.

"Only this time," Weiss answered back.

•

(Recommended Music: Red Like Roses Part II)

•

Ruby leaped off the ruins with the help of her weapon, Weiss and Matthew surprisingly stood back to back as they helped Ruby by protecting her thanks to Matthew and boosting her jumps from Weiss's glyphs.

She misses the jump as the Nevermore evades her slashes right on its lower part.

With Weiss and Matthew at the back to assist, Yang draws the attention of the Grimm by firing some slug rounds from her Ember Celica. One of them hit its face, causing the Nevermore to swoop down, in an attempt to attack Yang.

She jumps to meet the bird and hangs over to its beak, firing continuously at its mouth.

"I! HOPE! YOU'RE! HUNGRY!" Yang said, shot after shot before she was forced to move away from its beak. Matthew opens up an exit portal for her as she lands back in the central ruins.

"Thanks, Matty!"

"Nice work stunning the Grimm, Yang."

The dazed Nevermore crashes on the side of the cliff, due to Yang's attack earlier. Matthew sees the opportunity to immobilize it so he turns around and whispers his spell.

"By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, restrain this Nevermore!"

Large crimson bands emerged from his palms and it quickly wraps around the Nevermore in its neck, wings, and legs. Weiss is amazed to see Matthew's 'semblance' in action, though she was confused why Matthew has a flexible usage of it.

The Nevermore screeches due to the tightened bands restraining the creature.

To make sure the Nevermore won't get free, Weiss slides past the bridge and encases its tail and wings in ice, making it more like a statue, but only the head could move.

Meanwhile, Blake fires her Gambol Shroud on the other end of the pillar where Yang was.

Yang caught the other part of Blake's weapon and tightens it around the said columns, instantly creating a makeshift slingshot.

Weiss, Matthew, and Ruby retreat near the slingshot Ruby hops into it with her scythe acting as her sling, and Weiss uses her black glyph as a platform, to max out the power of the shot.

Weiss stood behind Ruby and so as Matthew.

"One restrained Nevermore right up front!" Matthew announced.

"Psh, of course, it is restrained! And you came up with this idea?"

"It was all her idea."

"Think you can make the shot?" Ruby asks Weiss.

"Hmph. Can I?" Weiss snorts as she glanced at her. "Of course, I can!"

"Go for the head, Ruby," Matthew informs Ruby, nodding in reply.

Reloading her Crescent Rose, the slingshot released Ruby, firing two shots to boost herself upwards. Matthew clenches his fist tighter as the Crimson Bands tighten its wrap over the Nevermore, exposing its head even further.

Ruby's scythe met the neck of the bird causing Matthew to change the positions of his spell by using some hand motions.

Weiss helps too by lifting her index and middle finger in a gesture, creating a line of glyphs upward for Ruby to run through.

Matthew then releases his spell and this starts Ruby to move up across the tall cliff, dragging the Nevermore all the way up.

"HYAAAHH!"

Ruby decapitates the head cleanly after she landed on the top part of the cliff with rose petals trailing behind her.

The two groups rejoined, seeing Ruby Rose at the top in awe and silence.

"Wow..." Jaune mouthed.

"I know right?" Matthew seconded.

"Well, that was a thing," Yang said.

"Good job, everyone." Matthew again applauded the group. "Now let's move and finish the initiation."

Matthew simply opens up a portal to the cliffs that they had been launched earlier, surprising the group. Then they start to groan and complain.

"Are you serious?!" Weiss started while she stomps her foot. "If you did that while we are at the ruins, we should've avoided those Grimms at the start!"

"H-How?" Jaune asks in confusion.

"I-I am still amazed at what you can do, Matthew," Yang commented while crossing her arms.

"One simple reason... I was bored. Also fighting those Grimms gave us experience in combat, correct?"

The group didn't respond and nodded.

The rest enters the portal and they were met by Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin.

"Ah, good job on completing your initiation, everyone," Ozpin said to the group. "All of you will withdraw to the auditorium for an announcement, so take a rest."

•••

×Ballroom×

The students who completed the initiation went back to the auditorium for the announcement. Matthew's eyes scan the crowd and toward the stage.

The professor can be seen in the middle with a giant screen behind him.

One by one, the professor begins to announce the teams before Matthew and the rest remains.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie," Ozpin calls the four towards the stage as they stood side by side.

"The four of you retrieved the golden rook pieces and from this day forward, you will work together as...

Team JNPR! (Juniper) Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Jaune froze when he heard his name before the applause from the crowd snaps him back.

"L-Led by... me?"

"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin nods.

"Next are Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Weiss Schnee."

Ozpin calls the four up to the stage as the new team JNPR went down.

"The four of you retrieved the golden knight pieces, and from this day forward you will work together as...

Team RWBY! (Ruby) Led by... Ruby Rose!" Ozpin announced.

It was now Ruby's turn to be surprised as the crowd lauds for them. Yang jumps to hug her sister while a stunned Weiss Schnee is secretly jealous of Ruby.

After that, Ozpin tells the new team RWBY to get down from the stage.

"And finally, can Matthew Strange come up to the stage?" Ozpin called out.

"Mr. Strange here got the very rare piece, the black King piece. As for the rules for this year's initiation, whoever who got the king piece will...

Be designated to the last two teams as their fifth co-member!" Ozpin revealed.

"WHAT?!" Matthew and Weiss both reacted negatively.

"YES!" Ruby and Nora reacted with positivity.

"W-Wait but that's-!" Matthew tries to protest but Ozpin shortly glances at him, shutting Matthew down.

"Now, before someone would protest, please have a look at the screen, everyone."

Ozpin gestures to the crowd and Matthew glances upwards at the screen to watch the clip.

He presses the play button from his tablet and a hidden camera shows up on the screen.

The clip shows Matthew landing on the eastern part of the forest in an acrobatic flip before he touches the ground.

Matthew covers his face in embarrassment because the crowd saw him, doing some kind of imaginary cheering to himself in which they had a good laugh.

The video goes on for a few seconds before the first part revealed a pack of Beowolves appearing from the trees.

The crowd had different reactions, some of them gasped at the clip like Ruby and Weiss, and their face went horrified at seeing those Grimms.

As they continue to observe the video, Matthew looks relaxed and focused on the situation brewing. They all became confused why the sorcerer laughed.

He transforms his staff into a heavy flail which led to the crowd saying 'woah' at the video, interested and surprised to see that his staff can do that type of transformation.

The fighting goes on in an edited manner, showing them some of Matthew's spells like the ICY TENDRILS OF IKTHALON, HAND OF HOGGOTH, BOLTS OF BALTHAKK, and more.

Ozpin ended the video as the stunned crowd claps in an uproar.

"Mr. Strange having the black king piece does not mean that he's going to be expelled because he failed to meet his teammates.

From the videos you have seen before, it is unmistakable that he has the traits of being a good leader, a cooperative member, and a charismatic nature. From now on, Mr. Matthew Strange is now a co-member of Team RWBY and Team JNPR!"

The crowd continues to applaud Matthew, having a pissed and annoyed look that he gave to Ozpin. The headmaster simply sips his coffee and ignores the glare from him.

'FREAKING WIZARD OF OZ!!' Matthew shouted mentally.

•

??? PoV

I stood above the rooftop of the town hall in the peaceful yet cold temperature of one of the big cities in Atlas.

Inspecting the Sling Ring and the Cloak of the Damned floating behind me in a sentry-like manner, a small and unique crow landed next to me.

The one and only Qrow Branwen, aka Uncle Drunkard to me.

"You took a lot of damn time, bird boy" I snorted as the crow morphs itself into a tall yet tired man, deadpanning me.

"That's because I have some 'business' to deal with, Shortie."

"Yeah, yeah. You're drinking again in one of those taverns near the town hall, did you forget that I can spy on you even if I'm short?" I snarked.

"Anyways, I got two pieces of information regarding the lost temple you're trying to find for the past two years after you got transported here." Qrow changed the subject, catching my attention.

"Just get straight to the point, Qrow."

"There is a shady cult outside of Atlas territory that is doing some weird stuff to people.

Witnesses that survived the raid a month ago told me that they had a sigil on their foreheads and the skin around their eyes are withered." Qrow explains in which I quickly realized who the hell they are.

Kaecilius? No... He was dead when Stephen and Matthew defeated him in Hong Kong... Perhaps one of the zealots survived?

"Something wrong?" Qrow asks me.

"No, it's nothing. And what's the other information you've got?"

"Your other older brother has arrived in Remnant."

Matthew?

Now that news does put a smile on my face.

•••

Salem's PoV

"-and you confirmed that they're here?" I inquired the hooded person that is in front of me.

"Yes. I can only assure you of an alliance between the two of us. More of us will come here from our world to bring them back to our world." The deep voice from the masked man replies.

I hummed and listened closely to the man's proposal.

"If you will agree to our partnership, you can easily conquer Remnant and all of its inhabitants. However, the topic regarding the four relics is not ours to deal with and we can only settle for the invasion of the four kingdoms."

Tyrian Callows and Arthur Watts took a nervous glance at me, waiting for me to say something. Arthur was about to open his mouth but I raised my hand for him to halt.

"Only that Matthew and her sister?" I repeated the terms of their agreement.

"Indeed." The hooded individual nods.

I smiled.

"Then... it is pleasure to work with you.

Dr. Doom."

The masked person nods and left the room with the other five members behind him.

•••