Chapter 14: The Emerald Green Forest Pt. 2

(An: Here guys, have an upload. I'll try to do more later. Also, for your Wattpad readers, spam Argen_Saiyan_UI for me, tell him politely to update more. And I'll try to rejoin the discord.)

(Linebreak)

(3rd Person POV:)

Ozpin watched the students on his [Scroll] at [Beacon Cliff] overlooking the Emerald Forest when Glynda walks up behind him, holding her own tablet.

Glynda: The last pair has been formed, sir. 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. (a video of Pyrrha and Jaune trekking through the woods appears)

Ozpin: Mmmm...

Glynda: I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. (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. (turning back to Ozpin) Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year? (silence) Professor Ozpin?

Ozpin doesn't answer, watching his tablet with a contemplating interest as it shows footage of Kirito and Alice sleeping in the forest.

Glynda: Professor Ozpin, what are you looking... Oh, those two. Do you think their story is true? For all we know this [Aincrad] doesn't exist.

Ozpin: Hmm, I believe Mr. and Mrs. Kirigaya were telling the truth. They simply don't seem to be the type to lie and they told their village tales so casually. Though, a single wish...

Glynda: I refuse to believe it, however. Reach the top of the 100 floors and gain a single wish? How preposterous.

Ozpin: And the search for it? How is it doing?

Glynda: No luck.

Ozpin: I see, though if we can find this tower, and receive that wish...

Ozpin looks in a random direction, his grip on his mug growing tighter.

Ozpin: We can stop HER.

(linebreak)

Weiss: (walking right) It's definitely this way. (stops and starts walking left) I mean... this way! It's definitely this way. (stops 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: Because I know exactly where we're going! We're going... to... the forest temple!

Ruby: (sighs, frustrated)

Weiss: Oh, stop it! You don't know where we are, either!

Ruby: Well, at least I'm not pretending like I know everything.

Weiss: What is that supposed to mean?

Ruby: It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!

Weiss: (sighs to herself, spinning around and walking in another direction) Just keep moving!

Ruby: (in a faux imitation of Weiss' voice) Oh, just keep moving! Hurry up! Waaaah! Watch where you're going! (in her normal voice) Why are you so bossy?

Weiss: (turning back around to face Ruby) I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!

Ruby: Stop treating me like a kid!

Weiss: Stop acting like a kid!

Ruby: Well, stop acting like you're perfect!

Weiss: I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet... But I'm still leagues better than you. (continues to walk away)

Ruby: (to herself, dejectedly) You don't even know me...

(linebreak)

From the forest, Yang and Blake 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.

Yang: Think this is it?

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, confused) Chess pieces?

Yang: Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here.

Blake: Well, I guess we should pick one.

(linebreak)

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.

Jaune: Think this is it?

The scene cuts to their walk inside the cave, Jaune holding a short, burning torch to light their way.

Pyrrha: I'm not sure this is it.

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.

Pyrrha: (as Jaune gets up and grumbles) Do you... feel that?

Jaune: Soul-crushing regret?

Pyrrha: No, it's... warm.

(linebreak)

Back at the temple, Yang approaches one of the relics.

Yang: Hmmmm... (studies the golden knight, then picks it up and shows it to Blake) How about a cute little pony?

Blake: (smirking) Sure. (they walk towards each other to the center of the temple floor)

Yang: That wasn't too hard!

Blake: Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find. (they share a smile, then turns) Wait, isn't that...

Yang: Kirito!

Alice: (sighs) I suppose we should get up...

(linebreak)

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.

Jaune: That's the relic! (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: (worried) 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.

Yang: Some girl's in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?

Blake doesn't answer, staring at something in the sky.

Kirito: Wait for it...

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: (sobbing) Help! Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah! Why?! Pyrrha! He-e-e-elp! Pyrrha, this is not the relic! It's not! (continues to cry and get shaken around) Do something!

Pyrrha: (wielding [Miló] in front of the creature) Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let- (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 embarrassedly 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.

Yang: Blake, did you hear that? Kirito? Alice? (turns to her partner) What should we do?

Ruby: Heads uuuuuuuup!

Ruby was falling from the sky at a very fast pace.

(flashback)

Weiss and Ruby are hanging on to something very feathery and very fast, as evidenced by the loud wind and the two being blown sideways.

Weiss: (shouting to be heard) Ruby! I told you this was a terrible idea!

Ruby: (also raising her voice) We're fine! Stop worrying!

Weiss: I am so far beyond worrying!

Ruby: In a good way?

Weiss: In a bad way! In a very bad way!

Ruby: Well, why don't we just jump?

Weiss: What are you? Insane?!

She is met with silence; Ruby has already disappeared.

Weiss: Oh, you insufferable little red-!

(flashback end)

Jaune: Ahhhhhhhhhh- Wait, Ruby?!

Ruby: Jaune?!

Ruby, Jaune: Get out of the way!

Kirito: I got them!

Just as both of them are about to hit each other, Kirito jumped up and grabbed Ruby bridal style while grabbing the back of Jaune's shirt as they begin falling.

Alice: Got them! [System Call! Generate Aerial Element! Discharge!]

Alice sent a bunch of wind towards the trio, which slows the fall of all three before they hit the ground.

Jaune: Agh! My back!

Ruby: Ouch! Wait! This didn't hurt?

Kirito: Hey Ruby, while I do enjoy our hugs and holding each other, you should probably get off of me.

Ruby looks down to see herself straddling Kirito, with Jaune nearby, still clutching his back.

Ruby: Huh? Wait! OhmygoshI'msosorry-

Kirito: It's fine.

Meanwhile, back with Yang and Blake:

Blake: (back on the ground, looking at the tree) Did your sister just fall from the sky? And Jaune? And now she's straddling him. (muttering) Like that one scene from my book...

Yang: I...

Before she can continue, several crashing noises are heard in the forest ahead of them, and an [Ursa] comes out, claws swiping, just as a pink blast of energy hits it in the back and it crashes to the ground, depositing its rider.

Nora: YEEEE-HAAAAW! (Nora rolls off of the creature's back, then gets up and groans, saddened) Awwww... It's broken. (she dashes onto its neck and observes the carcass as Ren comes up behind her)

Ren: (panting and leaning on the monster) Nora! Please... Don't ever do that again. (he looks up again and notices by the pink dotted outline of where his partner should be that Nora has run off again, and looks around frantically)

Nora: (now in the Temple, staring at a golden rook relic) Oooohh... (suddenly grabs it) I'm the queen of the castle! I'm the queen of the castle!

Ren (voice-over): Nora!

Nora: (stops dancing with the rook on her head, then salutes, dropping the relic into her hand) Coming, Ren! (skips off to her friend)

Blake: Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?

Yang: I...

She is interrupted once more as a screech is heard from their right, and Pyrrha comes onto the scene as the scorpion creature uproots entire trees in its chase after her. Pyrrha narrowly dodges its giant claws and keeps on running.

Pyrrha: Jaune!

Jaune: Pyrrha!

Ruby: Yang!

Yang: (as Ruby stands up, back on the ground) Ruby!

Ruby: (excited and raises her arms as if to give her sister a hug)

Nora: Nora! (comes between the two and knocking them off-balance in surprise)

The scorpion Grimm continues to follow Pyrrha as she runs.

Blake: Did she just run all the way here with a [Death Stalker] on her tail?

Yang: (getting angrier until she growls and erupts in a small burst of fire, eyes flashing red) I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!

The tick-tock of a clock counts down the two seconds of Yang cooling down, Ren running over to a ditzy Nora, and Blake and Ruby looking up.

Ruby: Umm... Yang? (tugs on her sister's sleeve and points)

Up above, Weiss is revealed to be hanging on a talon the size of her entire body that belongs to a gigantic [Nevermore].

Weiss: (calling down to Ruby) How could you leave me?!

Ruby: (shouting up at Weiss) I said: "jump"!

Blake: She's gonna fall.

Ruby: She'll be fine.

Ren: She's falling.

Kirito: I got her! Again!

Kirito this time create a ramp made of ice before jumping up and catching her, before landing on his feet, Jaune looking on with envy.

The [Death Stalker] is still hunting Pyrrha, but she manages to land on her side at the feet of the heroes.

Yang: Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!

Ruby: Not if I can help it! (sounds a battle cry and rushes towards the Grimm)

Yang: Ruby, wait!

Ruby, still screaming, fires Crescent Rose and charges at the oncoming Death Stalker. When the two meet, the [Grimm] swipes Ruby away and she is knocked back.

Ruby: (getting up slowly) D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!

Ruby turns back to the monster and shoots it in the skull, running away from it and sheathing her scythe as the Death Stalker now goes after her.

Yang: (running forward) Ruby!

Ruby rushes towards Yang, but the [Nevermore] caws above them, flapping its wings and releasing lines of sharpened feathers with points that catch on Ruby's cape and prevent Yang from reaching her.

Yang: Ruby, get out of there!

Ruby: (struggling with the cloak) I'm trying!

The Death Stalker approaches, raising its golden stinger above a scared Ruby and heading down on the helpless girl.

Yang: (reaching out in vain) Ruby!

A white blur races past Yang and reaches the stinger just as it's about to pierce her, cutting the scene to black.

Weiss (voice-over): You are so childish!

Ruby opens her eyes to the sight of the stinger encased in ice and lowers her arms from their futile position over her head as she stares at her savior.

Ruby: Weiss...?

Weiss: (continues to berate Ruby as she removes [Myrtenaster] from the ice) And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer.

Ruby: I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this.

Weiss: You're fine. (walks away)

Ruby: (breathes a sigh of relief, then closes her eyes and clasps her hands as she gratefully whispers:) Normal knees... (she gets up and stares at the Death Stalker as it struggles to escape with its tail trapped in the ice) Whoa!

Yang rushes up to Ruby and gives her a hug (which Ruby grunts at upon receiving).

Yang: So happy you're okay! (the two stare at each other for a moment, then look up at the [Nevermore] still flying overhead and roaring)

Jaune: (back with the group) Guys? That thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?

Weiss: Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us. (the heroes stare at the relics)

Ruby: She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the Cliffs. (nods to Weiss) There's no point in fighting these things.

Jaune: Run and live - that's an idea I can get behind!

Ruby goes over and grabs a gold knight (identical to the one Yang picked out) and Jaune takes hold of a gold rook (similar to Nora and Ren's piece), smiling at each other. The Death Stalker continues to fight its bonds, cracking the ice a little in the process.

Ren: Time we left!

Ruby: Right. (waves to the others) Let's go-

A roar is heard as a huge swarm of [Grimm] appeared, nearly hitting the thousands. It was as if something, or someONE, told all the [Grimm] in the forest to attack the group. Or a person.

Pyrrha: (scared) T-that..!

Jaune: There are thousands of them!

(linebreak)

Ozpin and Glynda were looking at everything that was happening when a huge roar echoed through the forest.

Glynda: T-that's!

Ozpin: I've never seen anything like that!

Glynda: There is a hoard, and we could get professionals, but that big monster will be an issue, but...

Glynda frantically swipes through her tablet before zooming in.

Glynda: What do we do about the kids!

(linebreak)

Kirito: (thinking) N-no...why?

???: (roars) GRAHHHHHHHHH!

Alice: (thinking) Y-you shouldn't be here...

??? pulls out a long sword, breathing out air from its nose.

Kirito: We need to beat that? Heh, oh boy.

[The Gleam Eyes: Level 90]

(linebreak)

Kirito's Stats:

[Name: Kazuto Kirigaya]

[Title:]

[Health: 1170/1170]

[Aura/Sacred Power: 1185/1185]

[Semblance: LOCKED]

[Level: 49]

[Strength: 58]

[Agility: 30]

[Intelligence: 41]

[Endurance: 38]

[Dexterity: 35]

[Luck: 39]

[Free Points: 137]

Alice's Stats:

[Name: Alice Kirigaya]

[Title:]

[Health: 1070/1070]

[Aura/Sacred Power: 1040/1040]

[Semblance: LOCKED]

[Level: 45]

[Strength: 42]

[Agility: 23]

[Intelligence: 28]

[Endurance: 34]

[Dexterity: 26]

[Luck: 35]

[Free Points: 120]