The trees began to thin out, and soon Ruby and Weiss stepped into a clearing bathed in soft shafts of sunlight breaking through the canopy. In the center stood the ruins—ancient stone pillars and crumbled walls, overgrown with moss and vines. At the heart of it all sat a pedestal bearing several chess pieces, each about the size of a grapefruit and carved from polished stone.
Ruby raised an eyebrow as she walked up to them. "You really think these are the relics?"
Weiss crossed her arms, eyeing the display carefully. "They must be. I don't see anything else they could be."
Shrugging, Ruby reached forward and picked one at random—the White Knight. She turned it over in her hands before slipping it into one of the small pouches on her belt. "Well… okay. Knight it is."
Before they could move, a rustling sound exploded from the underbrush.
Thud-thud-thud… CRASH!
A massive Ursa—a towering, snarling black bear-like Grimm with bone plating—burst through the trees.
Ruby and Weiss immediately raised their weapons, only to freeze as they saw someone riding it.
Riding.
It.
Atop the Ursa's back stood a girl in a bright pink dress, laughing gleefully as the Grimm stumbled, collapsed, and finally stopped moving with a final groan. With a graceful flip, she jumped from its back, landing perfectly with a sparkle in her eye and a hammer in her hands.
"Woohoo!" she cheered. "Ten points for Nora!"
Ruby and Weiss just stood there, mouths slightly open in shock.
"Did… did she just ride a Grimm?" Ruby finally asked, still trying to process what she'd seen.
Before either of them could say anything more, a boy in a green gi came running through the brush from the same direction, panting heavily.
"Nora—!" he wheezed, leaning over with his hands on his knees, "never… do that again."
Nora simply laughed, waving him off. "Ren, you worry too much! It was totally fine!"
She suddenly spun toward the relic pedestal, eyes lighting up as she spotted the large white rook piece.
"Oooh!" she exclaimed. "I call this one! I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!" She held it above her head proudly, grinning from ear to ear.
Ren sighed, finally catching his breath. "Nora…"
He turned to Ruby and Weiss and gave a polite bow of his head. "Apologies if we startled you. I'm Lie Ren. And that," he gestured toward the pink whirlwind, "is Nora Valkyrie."
Nora gave a dramatic twirl and a finger-gun. "Pleasure to meet ya!"
Ruby blinked, a smile creeping onto her face despite the chaos. "I'm Ruby… and this is Weiss."
"Charmed," Weiss said with a stiff nod, still visibly recovering from the whole riding-an-Ursa incident.
"Queen of the Castle!" Nora chanted again, spinning with the rook piece in her arms.
Ruby leaned toward Ren, voice low but amused. "Is she… always like this?"
Ren simply nodded. "Always."
Ruby chuckled. "I think I like her."
A loud boom cracked through the ruins, followed by the crash of something heavy hitting a tree. A Grimm—its body twisted and broken—flew through the air past everyone, slamming into a trunk and disintegrating into black smoke on impact.
Everyone instinctively turned to face the direction it had come from.
A confident figure stepped through the shadows and into the clearing, golden hair flowing like fire behind her.
"Ruby!" Yang called out cheerfully, waving with a wide grin on her face. "Hey there! You wouldn't happen to know where the ruins are, would ya?"
Before Ruby could respond, another figure stepped out from behind her—quiet and composed, bow still neatly in place on her head.
"I think this is it," Blake said, scanning the stone ruins.
Ruby gestured toward the pedestal. "Yeah, over here. These are the relics, I think."
Yang walked over, examining the stone pieces. "Chess pieces?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Seems to be that way," Ruby replied.
Yang turned toward Blake, holding up the white knight. "Is the pony okay with you?"
Blake gave a small, silent nod as she took it in hand.
Before more conversation could follow, the ground trembled beneath their feet, and a deep, guttural roar ripped through the forest like a sonic boom.
Every student instinctively grabbed their weapons, eyes scanning the trees, watching every angle.
"Does anyone see anything?" Ruby asked, taking a step forward and narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing ye—" Ren began, but was cut off by another deafening BOOM.
Trees began to fall like dominoes. Birds scattered in a flurry of wings as something massive bulldozed its way through the forest.
Branches cracked. The earth shook.
And then it appeared.
A monstrous gorilla-like Grimm, towering over the treetops. Its body was thick with muscle, covered in bone-white armor that wrapped around its knuckles, shoulders, and chest. Red eyes burned with fury beneath a crown of jagged bone. Its very presence radiated danger.
Ruby froze. Where did that even come from?
Everyone stared, wide-eyed. Weiss gripped her Myrtenaster tightly. Blake took an unconscious step back. Even Nora, who had gleefully ridden an Ursa into battle earlier, was visibly rattled.
Ruby's eyes darted around. She saw fear. Uncertainty. Panic. She felt it too—but she knew someone had to step up.
"Everyone!" she called out, her voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the tension like a blade. "We've already completed our objective! There's no reason to fight that thing!"
They all looked at her. At each other. Even Yang, normally the one ready to punch through any problem, hesitated.
"We don't have to win this fight. We just have to get out of it. Back to the cliff. Now!"
There was a moment of silence—then heads nodded in agreement.
"She's right," Ren said, already turning. "Let's go!"
As one, the group took off in the opposite direction of the colossal Grimm, their footsteps pounding the forest floor in retreat. Behind them, the gorilla Grimm let out another furious roar, shaking the leaves from the trees.
Ruby ran near the front, keeping an eye on everyone. They weren't out of danger yet—but at least they were moving together.
As the group charged through the forest, the sound of crunching branches and stomping feet echoed behind them—growing closer with every second.
Suddenly—WHAM!
Yang collided with something solid and soft. That "something" let out a panicked yelp and was sent tumbling to the ground.
"Gah!" Jaune cried out, landing flat on his back with a thud. Yang, unfazed, blinked and looked down.
"Oops," she muttered, brushing herself off.
Pyrrha hurried over. "Jaune! Are you alright?"
He groaned, but quickly scrambled to his feet, brushing leaves and dirt off his armor. "Yeah, yeah, all good! I got this... totally fine. Aura's pretty great, huh?"
Ruby ran up, eyes wide. "Jaune? Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha gave a small smile. "Yup, that's me."
Jaune waved. "Hey there, Ruby! What's the rush? Big end-of-the-world test going on or something?"
Before Ruby could respond, the answer presented itself in the form of a furious ROAR—deep and shaking the very air around them.
From between the trees, the monstrous gorilla Grimm crashed into view, massive fists pounding the ground, glowing red eyes locked onto them.
Jaune turned, went pale, and quickly revised his question. "...Never mind. I see now. Run?"
"Yeah," Ruby nodded firmly.
Without hesitation, the group resumed their escape, now with two more running at their side. The forest blurred past them as the thunderous stomps of the beast followed, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
"Did you guys already grab your relics?" Ruby asked as they ran.
"We were lucky," Pyrrha replied, keeping pace with ease. "I found Jaune early, and we weren't far from the ruins. We grabbed one quickly and saw a few other students leaving around then."
"Guess we were late to the party," Jaune added between breaths.
The trees began to thin, and up ahead, more stone ruins came into view—jagged remnants of a structure that sat near the base of the cliff they'd started from.
Ruby pointed. "There! The bridge! We just need to cross and we're home free!"
Everyone's pace quickened as they charged toward the wide stone bridge stretching across the gap toward the cliffside.
They were halfway across when CRACK—the sound of something heavy slicing through the air.
A massive tree came hurtling from behind them.
Ruby's eyes widened. "Scatter! Giant tree incoming!!"
The group split as the trunk smashed into the bridge with a thunderous explosion of stone and dust. The impact knocked the bridge askew and shattered its center.
When the smoke cleared, the team realized the bridge was no longer whole.
Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and Nora had made it to the far end of the bridge. Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren stood on the side still connected to the forest.
And the giant gorilla Grimm was barreling through the tree line—charging straight toward the latter group.
Ruby's heart raced. "Oh no…"
On the forest side, Yang's eyes narrowed, fists clenching as she saw the massive Grimm approaching like a freight train.
Ruby's mind raced, her silver eyes darting between the massive Grimm gorilla and her teammates now split across the broken bridge. The beast had flung an entire tree at them, shattering the structure and scattering the group like leaves in the wind. Dust and stone still hung in the air.
Do we have time to get everyone across before it reaches us?
Can we fight it together?
Even if we do, can we beat it?
What about the students already up on the cliff? Would they get caught in the chaos if this thing kept charging?
Her thoughts spiraled—until a voice cut through the noise.
"RUBY!"
Ruby turned sharply, locking eyes with Yang. Her sister-figure stood firm on the opposite side of the bridge, the sun at her back, gauntlets ready and confidence radiating. She gave Ruby a smirk and a thumbs-up.
That single gesture grounded Ruby. Her heart steadied. Her mind cleared.
She took a breath and turned to the others on her side—Weiss, Juane, and Nora.
"Can you guys make the jump across?" she asked quickly.
"Yes!" Nora shouted without hesitation, her hammer already unfolding in her hands.
Weiss, eyeing the gap and the damaged remnants of the bridge, replied more measured, "Are you thinking of fighting that thing? As a team?"
Juane blinked. "Wait, what? How are we supposed to fight that thing?"
Ruby nodded, ignoring Juane's panic. "Yeah. I think it's our best chance. If we try to climb the cliff with that thing chasing us, we're sitting ducks. But here—we've got space to move, to work together. If we time it right, we might actually win."
Weiss paused, looking back toward the roaring Grimm. "Okay," she said simply. "Let's go."
Before Juane could protest again, Nora cheerfully shouted, "Catch you on the other side!" She grabbed Juane by the collar.
"Wait, what—" Juane's words turned into a helpless squeal as Nora tossed him across the gap with a mighty heave.
"Huh?!" was all he managed before he began falling—only for Nora to transform her weapon mid-leap, slamming the hammer down behind her. The explosive blast launched her forward like a cannonball. She caught Juane mid-air, and the two landed in a rolling heap on the other side.
Juane popped up, wild-eyed. "That was crazy!"
Nora laughed in response. "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Ruby turned to Weiss. "Let's go."
Ruby shifted Crescent Rose into position, still in scythe mode. A powerful blast from the rifle port at the end of the handle rocketed her forward across the gap. With a flourish of rose petals and a well-timed burst of her semblance, she spiraled mid-air, then landed in a low crouch beside Yang and Blake.
Weiss followed an instant later, glyphs forming under her boots. Elegant, shimmering white circles of light—etched with sharp runes and snowflake patterns—appeared in a quick dash across the broken bridge. She touched down gracefully behind Ruby.
Now the whole group stood reunited.
The ground trembled again. The Grimm was coming.
____________________________________________________________
From high above the Emerald Forest, Ozpin stood in quiet observation, his eyes fixed on the monitors displaying the unfolding events below. On the screen, the massive Grimm—a hulking, snarling ape—charged with thunderous steps through the trees, its size alone enough to justify halting the entire initiation.
But Ozpin remained still, unmoving.
If this were like previous years the test would be stopped. Beacon's professors would step in, neutralize the threat, and ensure the safety of the students. But those days were behind them.
A storm was coming.
A dark and terrible storm—real, and inevitable. He didn't know exactly when it would arrive, but he knew with unwavering certainty that it wasn't far now. And when it came, the world would change. His students needed more than controlled training. They needed to be forged under real pressure.
From behind him, the steady clicking of heels signaled the approach of Glynda Goodwitch. She stopped beside him, arms crossed as she surveyed the same screen.
"That Grimm is far above what they should be facing," she said flatly. "Are we not going to intervene?"
Ozpin didn't take his eyes off the monitor. "We'll watch… for now. But prepare the Bullhead. If things go poorly, we'll step in."
She nodded curtly and left Ozpin alone, already contacting the flight crew to ready the light airship.
Ozpin stood alone again, he knew this gamble could very well blow up all over him, but he had to have trust in two figures among the group.
Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos.
Exceptionally gifted, both of them. Ruby, with instincts and reflexes honed far beyond her years. Pyrrha, with discipline, power, and the poise of a champion. He had high expectations for these two—not just as fighters, but as the ones who might shape the future of Beacon itself.
His fingers tapped the side of his coffee mug, the steam curling upward and vanishing into the air.
When the storm arrives… I will need them ready.
________________________________________________________________
As the group regrouped near the shattered bridge, the ground shook again—the massive Grimm ape was getting closer.
Yang turned to Ruby, cracking her knuckles with anticipation. "Alright, Rubes. What's the plan?"
Ruby took a deep breath, eyes focused on the treeline where the beast would emerge any second. "Honestly… I'm not a hundred percent sure yet. But I've got an idea."
She pointed down the field, speaking quickly as time ticked away. "If we can use our small frames and speed to stay mobile—run around it, keep it from locking onto anyone—we might be able to tire it out. While we do that, we'll look for a weak point."
Everyone listened intently as Ruby continued laying out the plan. Her voice sharpened with confidence.
"Yang, Nora—you two hit the hardest. You'll be our vanguard. Try to land heavy blows, but don't get reckless. Avoid its hits at all costs."
Yang smirked. "Big hits and flashy dodges? Sounds like my kind of job."
"Blake, Ren—you two support the vanguard. Stay moving, hit from the sides, and try to draw its attention when needed. Keep it guessing."
Ren gave a quiet nod while Blake simply loaded her weapon, her eyes locked forward.
"Jaune, Pyrrha—you're our flex team. Fill in the gaps, protect anyone that needs covering, and help keep the formation steady."
"Got it," Pyrrha replied firmly. Jaune gulped but nodded. "Yep. Flex team. Totally flexible."
Ruby turned to Weiss. "You and I will support from behind. You've got your Glyphs—I can snipe. We'll give them backup from range and coordinate support."
Weiss gave a curt nod. "Understood. Try not to get in my line of fire."
Ruby ignored the jab. "Everyone clear on their roles?"
A chorus of determined "Yes!" echoed from the group.
And just as Ruby opened her mouth to speak again, the massive Grimm Ape burst through the treeline—towering and furious, its eyes glowing red with rage.
Ruby took the lead, issuing commands through the chaos.
"Yang, Nora—take point and hit it hard, but don't get hit!"
"Blake, Ren—support them, keep it distracted and mobile!"
"Weiss and I will cover from range. Pyrrha, Jaune—you're our middle ground, fill the gaps and protect the others!"
Everyone shouted their acknowledgment. They moved.
Yang and Nora flanked the beast with explosive force, hammer and fists pounding into its arms and legs. The Grimm swung back with crushing power, each blow strong enough to level stone. Blake and Ren darted through the underbrush, blades and bullets peppering the creature's flanks, never staying still long enough to be caught.
Weiss cast glyphs across the ground and trees, aiding movement and giving Ruby sniping angles. Ruby used the momentum from her weapon's rifle recoil—firing bursts through the hole near the blade end—to propel herself mid-combat, keeping just ahead of danger while taking shots at exposed flesh.
But the beast kept coming.
Every strike barely left a mark.
The Grimm Ape was tougher than anything they'd faced. Its hide deflected most of their hits, and it moved with surprising agility for its size. Every time they thought they had the upper hand, it roared, swung, and knocked them back. A swipe sent Yang tumbling. A shockwave from its fists knocked Blake off her footing. Even Pyrrha, the calmest among them, grunted under the weight of its fury.
Ruby slid behind a stone pillar, panting, hands shaking slightly. We're not hurting it... we're not doing enough...
Then she saw it—on the beast's front, just under its left shoulder. A damaged spot. A small fissure in its hide where her earlier round had struck true. The wound pulsed faintly, darker than the rest of its body.
"That's it..." she whispered. "That has to be the weak point."
"Everyone!" Ruby called out, still hiding behind a stone pillar "There's a weak point—under its left arm, right around its shoulder! We need to hit it hard"
Before she could form a plan, a voice cut through the chaos—Jaune's.
"I've got an idea!"
He was standing his ground, shield raised, face pale but focused. "Blake! Ren! Get its legs—trip it!"
Without hesitation, Blake sent her weapon flying, ribbons coiling around the Grimm's legs as Ren dashed in, distracting it with fire to the face. The ape swung wildly, blinded and confused, trying to stay upright.
"Weiss, Ruby—hit it in the face! Make it stumble!"
Ruby's eyes locked with Weiss's. They moved.
Weiss summoned a glyph under Ruby's feet and launched her into the air. Ruby fired mid-air, her weapon's recoil propelling her higher as she spun and sniped, blasting the Grimm with concentrated fire. Weiss followed with precision ice blasts and cutting winds.
The Grimm reeled, taking a step back.
Jaune didn't stop. "Pyrrha—go!"
She understood instantly. She sprinted toward Jaune, who braced his shield low. Pyrrha leapt, one foot landing on the shield. Jaune shoved upward with all his strength, launching her like a rocket.
She soared high, her spear gleaming in the sun.
With perfect form, she hurled it straight into the weak point Ruby had found.
The Grimm roared in pain—a deep, horrible sound that shook the trees.
"Yang! Nora! Nail it!" Jaune yelled.
Yang dashed forward and threw herself down, planting her gauntlets firmly beneath Nora's feet. With a shout, she launched her partner upward.
"HAMMER TIME!" Nora screamed, spinning with wild joy.
Mid-air, her hammer transformed, the head charged with explosive Dust. She crashed down on Pyrrha's embedded spear, driving it deeper into the wound with a thunderous explosion.
The Grimm howled—its body erupting with dark, wispy smoke—before collapsing to its knees and crumbling to black ash.
Silence fell. Heavy, awestruck silence.
The group stood there, catching their breath. Ruby lowered her weapon, panting and wide-eyed. Around her, the others slowly came together.
They'd done it.
They beat it—together.
__________________________________________________________________
While the students gathered in breathless celebration, laughter and relief finally overtaking their adrenaline and fear, high above on the cliffs overlooking the emerald forest, Ozpin stood before the ledge. His cane rested gently in one hand, the other holding his scroll as he watched the battle's end.
He wore a faint smile.
"They did it," he said quietly, eyes reflecting the scene below. "They did what even some seasoned Huntsmen would hesitate to attempt."
He tapped a few commands into his scroll, calling Glynda.
Her voice answered promptly. "Yes, Ozpin?"
"They've emerged victorious," he said, still watching as the exhausted but triumphant students gathered near the remains of the destroyed Grimm. "They took down the creature… together."
There was a pause, then the soft sound of a proud smile in Glynda's voice. "I see. I'll dispatch a Bullhead to bring them up. After that fight, I think they've earned the express ride."
"Agreed," Ozpin said.
As the call ended, Ozpin's gaze remained on his scroll. He zoomed in briefly, the screen showing a frozen frame of the group: Ruby at the center, weapon lowered, surrounded by Pyrrha, Jaune, Yang, and the rest—each of them sharing in the victory, bonded through fire.
His smile faded into something softer, more thoughtful.
His eyes lingered on Ruby and Pyrrha—but now, they also settled on Jaune. The boy had surprised him. There was something there… something yet unpolished, but undeniably present.
"This year…" he murmured to himself, his voice low and unreadable, "...this is turning out to be a very interesting year."
And outside, in the distance beyond the sunlit cliffs and the victorious rookies, a storm still loomed—its dark clouds creeping ever closer.
A/N: AAAAAAAAA finally finished this. It took so much longer than I wanted, but I did want to make sure this chapter ended the whole emerald forest part. I don't know how much I'll be updating moving forward, but I promise to update as consistently as possible. This whole fanfic is a small passion project so it won't be going away any time soon. I hope you're enjoying the story from author-kun <3!