As the ocean of green came closer and closer, Ruby quickly brought her weapon out and pressed the transformation button. Loud snaps and scraps of metal and cogs filled her ears as it extended from its rifle form, a large silver blade folding out. Crescent Rose was in its weapon form, to which Ruby used to snatch onto a tree branch to stop her descent. Giving a determined smirk, she held it behind her, moving her body to not hit a branch and allow her weapon to grab onto it.

Well...that would have happened if the branch hadn't been chopped off the second the weapon made contact. She forgot how sharp this thing was. "Oh fu-" Ruby was cut off as she broke through more branches, yelping as sharp pain covered her body. She lost her grip on her weapon as she fell down the large tree, falling down onto the dirt in a pain filled groan. Crescent Rose landed next to her, making her glare at the weapon. "Ugh, Uncle Qrow made that looks so easy...." Ruby sighed to herself as she pulled out a broken twig from her hair. Dusting herself and her cape off, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and folded it back up. The sounds of people screaming as they landed and breaking branches was faint. "Hope you make it out of here Jaune." She thought as she began her walk through the forest.

The words of Ozpin rang through her mind again. A marker that looked like a chess piece....where was she supposed to find that? Thinking about it wouldn't help, she would look through this entire forest if that's what it took. She looked through trees, rocks, a small cave, everywhere but yet nothing of use came from it. Ruby let out a loud groan, kicking a branch as she looked up at the sky. The sun was still high, meaning she had plenty of time left. Her family always told her that the night was never to be explored, for Grimm may be sneaking around. Considering she was in a forest filled with them, she didn't want to be running for her life the whole night.

Ruby's stomach gave off a grumble, making her sigh a bit. "Maybe Yang was right, I am a bottomless void for sweets...." she said as she reached into her ammo bag, pulling out a small bag of cookies she saved from the night before. Resting on a tree, she raised one to her mouth, eager to taste the chocolate goodness.

"HELLO! HELP PLEASE!" A familiar voice filled her ears, making Ruby turn to the noise. Quickly putting her cookies up, she ran towards the noise and was met with a familiar sight. Being hanged from a branch, holding him by the hoodie, was Jaune Arc. "J-Jaune?" Ruby spoke out, making the blonde look down and widen his eyes. "RUBY! Oh, I am so glad to see you!" Jaune let out a sigh of relief. "I'm uh....a little stuck...." He said in embarrassment. "I can see that. How long have you been up there?" Ruby questioned him, making him look up at the sky. "Um about an hour maybe?" Jaune shrugged.

"Don't worry Jaune! I am an expert tree climber....not much a tree lander...." she muttered that last part before jumping up, climbing from branch to branch and even flipping up. In no time she was up to his level. "Hi!" Ruby giggled before looking up to his hoodie. "Alright please be careful, I don't really think I have something to laaaAAAH-" Jaune screamed as Ruby pulled his hoodie and made him fall. The silver eyed girl looked in shock before wincing as she saw him break through branches and land on the ground. "S-sorry!" She gulped. "Its.....fine...." Jaune painfully groaned out as he got up slowly. Ruby landed beside him and quickly dusted him off, trying to help if she can.

Both teens looked to each other before a realization hit them. "So, I guess we're a team now?" Ruby asked. "I think so!" Jaune replied. "Have you found any of those markers yet?" He asked her, getting a head shake from Ruby. "But since we're a team now we can make it go faster!" Ruby smiled at him, making the blonde boy smile and nod. "Alright, let's get moving!" Thus, the journey began once more.

                                    ....................

More trees, more rocks, more caves and nothing. "Okay what is this logic?" Jaune groaned as the two walked through the forest, the sun barely shining through the leaves. "He throws us into here with the vague task to find some stupid chest pieces in a forest!" He whined out. Ruby nodded as she held a pouty look. "Couldn't it have been an exam or something? Heck, why not have us fight those robot things that mean girl was fighting!" Ruby whined as well. "Guess "robots" don't equal fighting against "Grimm." Jaune sighed. A moment of silence fell through as they just wallowed in their annoyance and anger.

Ruby broke the silence, trying to strike up a conversation. "Hey Jaune, random question." Jaune looked at her in slight confusion. "So....what battle school did you go to?" She asked, making him freeze for a moment. "O-oh um.... Ventus Battle School!" He replied, making Ruby raise an eyebrow. "Ventus? Never heard of that one." Jaune gave an awkward smile as he looked at her. "I-it's a private school." He nearly let out a sigh of relief when Ruby nodded. "Private school huh? You got a fancy family?" She asked. "Yeah, you could say that. My family is a long line of warriors ranging back from the Great War. Dad said my ancestor was one of the best." Ruby looked a bit in awe. "Holy crap! Thats really cool! So, you're gonna try to live up and keep the family line of cool guys going?" She asked, making Jaune nod. "It's gonna be tough, but I won't let my family do-"

A loud snap filled the pair's ears, making them stop. The forestry in front of them shook as huffs became louder. Both of them took a step back slowly as a hulking mass began to emerge from the bushes. While it was on four legs, it was still taller than Ruby. Black fur covered its body, with only small white bones jutting from the back of its legs. Massive claws walked on the ground, easily big enough to wrap around a human head. Its face was adorned in a white mask with red lines going from its head, through the eyes, and down its snout. Its canine face turned to their direction, the yellow glowing eyes staring before growling loudly.

"R-Ruby...." Jaune gulped as he shakily grabbed his sword, pulling it out and unfolding his shield. "Y-yeah?" Ruby asked as she grabbed her weapon, transforming it into its rifle form. "Beowolf right?" Jaune asked as the two continued to walk back. The Grimm growled louder and louder, slowly moving closer to them. Its eyes staring at the two humans with immense hunger and hatred. "Y-yeah." Ruby replied to her friend as she slowly raised her rifle, unfolding the iron sights. She slowly pulled the bolt back, loading a bullet in. The second she moved the bolt back into place, the Grimm raised up to its hind legs.

Now twice as tall as Ruby, it let out a loud howl into the air before slamming its hands into the ground. Moving its body back, it pushed forward, sprinting on all fours towards the two. In a panic, Ruby fired a bullet, missing and hitting a tree. "RUBY!" Jaune yelled in panic. "SORRY!" She quickly loaded another round as the Grimm came closer. Saliva leaking from its jaws, the Beowolf huffed and growled louder. Trying to ease herself, Ruby took a deep breath, but fired before she could get a good sight. Luckily the bullet hit its leg, making the Grimm limp a bit but still continue its advance. Jaune slowly moved up, standing beside Ruby as he held his shield in front of him. Ruby knew this had to be the final shot. Pulling the bolt back, she took a deep breath as she aimed her rifle up. "Breath....and fire!" Ruby muttered, the second her sights falling on its head, she pulled the trigger. In an instant, the mask of the Beowolf cracked as it fell limp right in front of them, its jaw hanging open as black blood leaked from the bullets entry and exit point.

Both teens let out a breath, looking down at the dead Grimm. "M-my first Grimm." Ruby said in shock. "That...." Jaune breathed a bit as he sheathed his weapon. "G-good job Ruby." The girl looked up at Jaune and smiled softly. "Thanks, Jaune." Lowering her rifle, she let out a sigh of relief. "Man, it's a good thing we only saw one of them." "Why?" Jaune asked in confusion. "Well, Beowolf usually travel....in....packs...." she slowed her speech down when they heard more growling coming from behind.

Both turned to look with wide eyes as now an entire pack of Beowolf was sneaking out of the forest. The biggest one stood in front, adorned in white, bone plate armor covering its arms, legs, and chest. More white spikes jutted out of its back and arms. Its yellow eyes staring at the two before howling out. One thought ran through Jaune and Ruby's minds.

RUN!

The teens began to sprint away as the pack gave chase, their ears filled with the growls and huffs of the monsters. Jaune ran as fast as he could, but Ruby proved to be faster even without her semblance. Strange considering the massive weapon she was carrying. "Any ideas!?" Jaune yelled out as the pack was slowly catching up on them. Ruby wanted to run as fast as she could, use her Semblance to bolt out of there, but she couldn't leave Jaune to this fate. Reaching back, she began to rummage through her ammo bag, losing a few bullets before pulling out a bullet with a red line along the side. Loading the weapon, she aimed blindly behind her and fired. The second that bullet made contact with the ground; a wall of fire ignited and blocked the pack of Beowolves. They tried to move around, but the fire wall had spread too much and was slowly etching towards them. Ruby and Jaune continued to run, soon losing the sight of the pack of Grimm. The alpha of the pack growled loudly before howling into the air in rage.

                                  ....................

Having ran so far that they were sure they had lost the pack, Jaune and Ruby were resting their backs on a tree. Jaune was panting heavily, while Ruby was only slightly out of breath. "G-good thinking...." Jaune complimented her, making Ruby smile as she gently pats his back. Once Jaune managed to control his breathing again, he looked to her. "Hey...if you have super speed then why didn't you do that?" He asked her, making Ruby look up at him in confusion. "I wasn't going to leave you behind! What kind of person would do that?" She exclaimed. Jaune froze for a bit before wrapping his arms around the girl, making Ruby look up at him. "Thank you." The blonde simply said as he let go. Ruby smiled brightly and nodded, the two soon resuming their search for the markers.

After half an hour of searching, their small journey led them to a grand sight. In a small valley, the corpse of a castle stood. Its structure in the process of its slow decay, rocks scattering the ground. It seemed this castle was the last thing standing of the small kingdom it once ruled under. Down below the two teens, the near fractured bridge still stood strong, but even it was struggling to battle against time, barely holding its frame over the valley.

Jaune whistled as he looked over the castle. "Welp, this looks important. Think we can find some markers in there?" He asked Ruby, who was leaning over the edge with her hand over her eyes. Her silver eyes squinting as she looked it over. "Maybe....it wouldn't be too bad if we just went down to check it!" She said as she stood up. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" Before Ruby could zoom off, Jaune grabbed her by her hoodie and stopped her, slightly choking her and making her fall down. "No, one you are faster than me with that super speed and two, I don't want you by yourself." Jaune told her as he pulled her up, dusting her dress off and dragging the now pouting Ruby along with him.

With some nervousness crossing the bridge, the two made their way across the old plaza of the castle front. "Must have been a pretty cool place." Jaune muttered as he looked around. Pillars were just about to collapse, standing above what looked to be husks of what used to be small shops. "Kind of makes it sad honestly." Ruby said as she picked up a rusted coin, throwing it to the side as she looked up at the door leading inside. Both teens walked in, the light of the sun being their only source of light. Tattered paintings, carpets, and banners covered the interior, leading up to a grand table where once great feasts took place.

As the two searched around, Jaune was distracted as he came up to a rusting set of armor, the ceiling above it broken. He looked at it worriedly before turning back to Ruby, who was rubbing her chin at the predicament before her. Before them was a fork in their path, two long and dark hallways that led to separate directions. Jaune slowly looked at them with wide eyes. "Um...you aren't thinking about splitting up are you?" He asked Ruby, who stopped rubbing her chin and looked up at him. "Yep! I'll take the right and you take the left." She went down the hall, using her Scroll as a flashlight to help guide her. "Ru-" "Last one to get their marker is a rotten egg!" Ruby giggled as she walked in. "What the hell...." Jaune sighed before pulling out his own Scroll and starting his own journey down the dark hallway.

Ruby opened every door and searched every room she could find, usually finding servant quarters completely empty. Reaching the end of the hallway, she opened it to reveal a large bedroom, holding a massive bed with a torn portrait of a royal family. Her curious face turned to one of happiness as she saw her marker, looking like a chess piece of a queen. She snatched it up and spun it in the air, smirking proudly as she walked out. "Looks like you're the rotten egg Jaune~." She giggled as she made her way back to the main area of the kingdom.

Jaune, however, wasn't having much luck. The hallway was a lot longer than he expected, only finding two rooms that looked to be the kitchen and storage area. The storage did have a barrel of whine, but he's not one to drink. Finally, he made it to the end of the hallway, finding a large chunk of the wall having fallen apart due to age. The room at first glance seemed to be the armory, given the swords and spears on the ground. Before he could see further, his Scroll suddenly died, leaving him with no light. "Oh.....shit...." Jaune gulped. He shook his head, taking a deep breath before walking in as slow as he could as to not trip on any sharp item.

Reaching out slowly, he tried to grab anything that felt like a massive chess piece. All he got was the air, the wall, or a very close encounter with a spear. A shiver went up his spine as he began to think of what could be in here but tried to steady himself. The more he walked, the deeper into the room he got, making him worry. Suddenly, he was filled with relief as his eyes fell on a shining object. A large, golden ball with a pointed end. "Well...not a chess piece...but then again, I don't play chess..." Jaune said as he walked up, grabbing the ball and pulled. And pulled. And pulled again. "Cmon...." Jaune grumbled as he pulled harder. It was moving slightly, but he needed to get it out of here somehow.

As he pulled down, he opened his eyes at an odd sight. Right under the ball, illuminated by the glow of the golden pointed ball, was a large chess piece looking to be a knight. "Huh." Jaune grabbed it and held it up. "Wait...if this is the marker then...." A loud chatter made the blonde freeze up. Turning his head slowly, his eyes widened as he saw ten eyes staring back at him. "Mother?"

Ruby jumped as she heard a shrill shriek belonging to a woman. "Ghosts?!" She yelled as she ran out into the main room. Only to bash into Jaune. "Ow Jaune what-" She stopped when she saw him get up, his eyes wide in fear as sweat poured down his face. He picked her up and began to sprint down the main hall of the castle, making Ruby look back behind him and widen her eyes.

Currently chasing them was an enormous scorpion like creature, covered in a white, bone like exoskeleton adorned in red markings and holding ten yellow eyes. Its lower body was a pitch-black exoskeleton, with some bits of its upper body adorned in moss. It chattered its mandibles and gave a horrific screech, using its massive pincers to snap at them. An extremely dangerous Grimm, the Deathstalker.

"HOLY SHIT KEEP RUNNING!" Ruby yelled out as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Good thing she was light, as well as her weapon for some reason. Jaune ran out of the castle, the massive Deathstalker chasing after them but was starting to lose the distance. The quickly moved across the bridge and back up the small hill leading to the forest. Their short, minded goal was to lose the massive Grimm in the forest, but fate was really not on their side.

"Hey Ren, do you hear something?"

Without warning both Jaune and Ruby were hit by two other people, tangling the four together as they began to roll down the hill and back to the bottom. The Deathstalker saw this event and gave a satisfied chatter of its mandibles. Finally, it will have something to eat....