Chapter 5:Tandem Combat

XxX

World of Remnant: Aura-touched

As you all begin fighting the great evils of the world of Remnant, you will constantly rely on your Auras. They will become familiar to you, every spiritual nook and cranny an old friend. However, your Aura has hidden depths. Not all is as friendly as it seems.

As you fight, you may begin to notice something in your Aura. A point of depth and power. You will likely be unable to stop yourself from falling into that point at the beginning. After all, few can resist the allure of power, especially in combat. And, of course, it seems so innocuous. At first, you will feel more powerful, your Aura becoming more and more responsive to your wishes, your strikes landing true and your limbs moving skilfully. After a time, the power will fade, and you will sense the point yet again. If you stop here and do not allow yourself to fall into your Aura again, that is all it will be - one brief power high, and the wistful memories of a time when it felt like you could do no wrong in fighting. An itch for power in your soul that never wavers.

Of course, if you scratch that itch, the results are rather more...risky. Yes, you will always have power-those who give into their Auras have control and strength rarely seen among mortal men. But that power comes with a price. The Aura you bear is your soul, it is you on a fundamental level no self-examination can match. Falling into your Aura means facing what you are. No mental blocks. No convenient lies. Just you, standing before yourself, the power at your fingertips to make every dream manifest. If you face it and win? You will become a hero or villain the likes of which arise a few times a generation, if that. If you fail? If you break before your Aura? Then your Aura will take you. You will become Aura-touched - stripped down to your most fundamental parts, empowered beyond belief, and unleashed upon the world. And, just as the normal Semblance changes its user, the Aura of the Aura-touched breaks their bodies, forming them anew to better satisfy their goals. Those broken by Aura's power and allure are often twisted mockeries of humanity-bodies 'perfected' just as their minds were.

So, as you find yourselves backed against a wall, needing one last iota of power to pull yourselves from the fire, remember this question. Are you confident you know yourself? Or will you break before your soul's truth like so many others?

XxX

Ruby

Ruby and Weiss accelerated through the woods, Grimm hot on their tails. Sure, they could have held them off amid the trees, but clearings and open spaces would make both of their semblances more effective. Or, as Weiss had put it, 'getting the attention of all these Grimm by shooting one in a hostile environment was an idiotic move that I thought you were better than, Ruby'. Ruby winced slightly. She...probably should have noticed that the pack of Ursai was near enough to hear the sound of gunfire. Too late to cry over spilled milk now.

The two girls finally sped into a clearing, slowing and turning back to back. Moments later, Beowolves and Ursai spilled out from the forest around them, arraying themselves into an irregular line. Ruby's hands tightened on her Crescent Rose, fingers curling around the trigger.

As Weiss changed her stance, she jerked her head back towards Ruby. "I have battlefield control. You mop up the survivors. Do not get in my way. Understood?"

Ruby inhaled sharply, looking a little downcast. "Got it."

Weiss nodded and raised her rapier, glyphs shimmering into existence around her.

"Move."

Ruby raised Crescent Rose and fired once, bullet piercing a Beowulf's skull and sending her into controlled flight backwards. Her scythe unfolded midflight almost without her intervention, tendrils of her Aura wrapping around it like an old friend as she fell into her Semblance yet again. She blurred back into existence behind another Grimm, scythe whirling into and through its core. Another three were on her before she could rechamber the weapon, claws slicing at her cloak. As she twisted into her Rose State once more, she could have sworn the Grimm almost looked confused. Well, for the few seconds before her scythe's blade went through their backs, anyway. Ruby grinned before launching herself into the fray again, Crescent Rose spinning down and firing to launch her above her foes before firing again to throw her into them. She could feel herself speeding up, her Aura pushing her to her battle-place, the one Qrow called being Touched.

This was who she was meant to be. Not a child, but a heroine, a graceful huntress, swift as the wind and strong as the lightning. She was meant to bear humanity's light. She could be so much more, if she just let go, if she let herself go deeper - Ruby shook her head, she needed to focus on fighting - clothesline that Beowulf then fire forwards, decapitate the Beowulf and lame the Ursa in front of you - She needed to focus - pause for a breath, scythe to the throat of the lamed Ursa in front of you then fire - If she was goal oriented she'd avoid losing herself - hop backwards, fire downwards, spin, fire upwards, carve through another Ursa on the way down - She had a job to do - leap again, fire once, then spin the scythe into the back of the neck of that Beowulf - Weiss needed her to mop up survivors.

Her hands spun once, point of her scythe digging into the ground, scope trained on the Grimm surrounding Weiss. Weiss seemed to be holding her own, glyphs and elemental constructs flashing into existence around the girl as she danced gracefully from lunge to parry to riposte. Her rapier danced between dissipating Grimm like it was moving through air. Incomplete defense, not quick enough - Ruby refocused on the skirmish before suddenly seeing it. Weiss couldn't hold them all off forever. Well, that was what she was for, right? Wait and aim, wait and aim, there fire there she pulled the trigger twice, bullets whizzing past Weiss and thudding into two Beowulves that had slowly worked their way closer. Weiss turned for just an instant. In that instant, an Ursa's claw caught Weiss across the shoulder, launching her forward and down. She thudded hard against the ground in front of Ruby, eyes flashing coldly. As she rolled to her feet, clearly winded, she turned back.

"Well. This is certainly inconvenient. Mind warning me before you fire live ammunition over my shoulder, next time? Might prevent your partner getting hit by an Ursa."

Ruby's eyes widened, arms subconsciously moving to impale a Beowulf sneaking up on her.

"It's a combat zone, Weiss! Was I not supposed to shoot the Grimm?"

Weiss sighed, leaping onto a glyph before dropping down onto an Ursa, blade piercing its skull.

"You were supposed to warn me first. You know, so I wouldn't get distracted by gunfire and lose my balance!"

Ruby grimaced, biting back her first retort about situational awareness. That was probably just Qrow's training being different from other huntsmen. She probably had done the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I won't do it again."

Weiss nodded sharply.

"Good. See that you don't. Now, do you have any idea how we're going to get away from these Grimm? Their numbers don't seem to be decreasing."

Ruby tilted her head before a massive black feather hummed into the ground next to them. "Well, normally I'd want to fight my way out, but I do have another idea..." She grinned, motioning to the feather.

"Weiss? How good's your grip?"

XxX

Jaune

Jaune struggled awake, eyes gradually sliding open. It felt like he was being supported by two...posts? No, bent and too supple to be wood, this wasn't a stretcher. It felt safe, in a way he couldn't describe. That didn't seem right. Jaune couldn't remember ever having felt like anything was safe in that way. Maybe that was just his inability to think right at the moment, though. His head was killing him, a pulsing pain emanating from what felt like the center of his forehead. If that wasn't enough, he could feel a crust on his face that was probably blood - he flicked his tongue out to test - yeah, definitely blood. That probably wasn't a good sign. Neither was the way the world looked like it was bobbing up and down and moving in front of him, and -

"Oh, thank the Gods, Jaune, you're awake!" Pyrrha's voice seemed to be coming from somewhere above his head.

Oh. Well, being in Pyrrha's arms would explain his current experiences. On the other hand, it explained nothing else.

"Pyrrha? Was what just happened a normal part of having Aura awakened?"

Pyrrha stopped, voice caught in what sounded like a mix of crying and laughter.

"N-no, Jaune, I wouldn't say it was. There's normally less blood."

Jaune laughed sharply, the sound harshly reverberating against his head.

"Oh, good. I'm glad I was unique, then."

Pyrrha sighed. "At least you can laugh about it. Seeing you collapse like that, blood coming from your face like you had been shot..."

He exhaled softly.

"It kind of felt like I had been, honestly. My head still feels like I had something nailed into it. Actually..."

Jaune's eyes widened, concentrating. He could feel something in the center of his forehead, in the pulsing pain. Like a button, waiting to be pushed. As he pushed, the pain melted away, inviting him in, pulling him forward into the feeling. It almost felt like - safe, you are safe, safety, no danger nearby - his muscles all tensed. Pyrrha inhaled sharply.

"Jaune, are you alright? It looked like you saw something."

Jaune paused. "Pyrrha, is there anything near us?

The world spun sickeningly as Pyrrha turned, checking her surroundings. Jaune gulped, barely holding back his nausea.

"I don't see anything, Jaune. No Grimm nearby, at least."

Jaune inhaled sharply. That might just have been a fluke, but...he pushed again. The feeling yielded more easily. Safe, no threats nearby.

"First, mind putting me down? Second...I think I know what my Semblance is."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she lowered him gently to the ground by the wall of a cave they'd reached, smiling. He immediately set to peeling the dried blood off his face. Gods, that had felt weird.

"That's excellent, Jaune! What is it? If you're alright with telling me..."

Jaune grinned back, pulling himself to his feet with a small wince. As he pushed against the feeling more it yielded, seeming to slide to the back of his mind and provide a constant sense of safety.

"Seems to be some sort of danger sense, I think? Or it just makes me feel very safe."

Pyrrha motioned towards the cave.

"Well, only one way to find out. The quickest way to the dais is through there. What is your Semblance telling you?"

Jaune concentrated, focusing on the cave system. Safe.

"It's saying that we're good to go."

He turned back to see Pyrrha holding two lit torches.

"After you."

Jaune took one and started walking into the cave, Pyrrha walking closely behind him. As they walked, he caught sight of her opening her mouth and beginning to speak twice before cutting herself off. He stopped, turning back to her.

"Pyrrha, do you have something to tell me?"

She hesitated before steeling herself. "Yes. Jaune, you've trusted me thus far, and you told me your Semblance immediately. It would not be right for me to hide mine from you. My semblance is Polarity. I have power over magnetic fields."

Jaune's eyes widened. "That's an incredible ability - how fine is your control? How much force can you exert? How much focus does it take?"

Pyrrha laughed gently. "Of course those are the first questions you'd think to ask. I'll answer them, but can they wait til we're, as you put it, 'not surrounded by Grimm'?"

"That's fair," Jaune replied, chuckling. He opened his mouth to continue before freezing. Threat approaching. 100 feet. Threat approaching fast. 80 feet. 70 feet. 6-

"Pyrrha, we should run. Now."

XxX

Blake

Blake and Yang slowly approached the dais, watching for Grimm as they reached their objective. Well, Blake did. She'd only known Yang for a day and she already knew slow wasn't quite her speed- she exhaled sharply. That wasn't a pun. It was a coincidence.

Blake steadied herself before walking into the open, hands dropping to Gambol Shroud. It was all she could do to keep herself from whirling at every twitch. She wasn't herself anymore, after leaving Adam and returning to "polite society", as Weiss would undoubtedly have put it. It was fine while she was reading or fighting, sure. But when she was alone with her thoughts? That was another story. Sometimes, she wondered whether she'd ever really be free of the memories-

"Blake!" She shook her head, glancing up to see Yang pointing at what looked like chess pieces on the dais. "I think these are our relics. What'd'you think of the horsey one?" Yang tossed one of the white knights over.

Blake caught it out of the air, softly smiling at her partner. "The horsey one. Really?"

Yang shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that's what it's called. Of course, I knight be wrong."

Blake sighed, walking towards Yang before freezing at a faint hissing. They both turned towards the forest as the hissing grew louder, joined every so often my what sounded like...childlike shouts of glee? Blake leaned forward, carefully adjusting her bow to bring her Faunus ears into position.

"I told you riding this Taijitu was a great idea, Ren! We're almost at the dais! And you wanted to kill it. Party pooper!"

Blake reared back. There was no way she'd just heard that-

"Oh, look!" Yang pointed into the woods. A massive Taijitu lunged out of the woods before collapsing, two students rolling off its back. Was that...of course it involved Nora Valkyrie. Blake had only known her for a day and she already wasn't surprised. "Ren and Nora made it!"

Nora waved, pulling Ren behind her to the dais before grabbing two rooks. "Hey, look, Ren! I'm queen of the castle!"

Ren shrugged, smiling softly. "So you are, Nora." He nodded at Blake and Yang. "Shall we fight together?"

Yang grinned, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Sure, if you think you need the backup."

Nora started to respond before holding up a hand. "Ya-Wait, do I hear something? Can we kill it if it's a Grimm, Ren? It sounds like fun!"

Blake tilted her head. Now that Nora mentioned it, she did hear something. It sounded almost like... two voices in tandem.

"Wheeeeeeeee - Ruby I cannot believe you convinced me to do this - eeeeeeeeeeeeeee - Ruby we are approaching the ground too fast - eeeeeeeeeee - Ruby please pull up - air Ruby, preparing for landing! - Ruby this isn't a joke we are moving too fast-"

A red and white blur slammed into the ground in a flurry of glyphs and rose petals before resolving into Ruby and Weiss. Blake's eyes slightly widened despite herself. That had looked painful. She looked towards Yang, raising an eyebrow. Yang grinned back at her.

"Awww, Blake, are you worrying about my sister? Don't, this is nowhere near the least safe thing she's done this week. And Weiss is probably ok too."

"If you say so," Blake responded.

"I do." Yang jogged over to the pillars surrounding the dais, picking up two pieces and tossing them to the collapsed students. Ruby's hand shot out to catch them.

"Thanks, sis!"

"No problem, Rubes! Cmon, get up, it's not time to sleep yet."

Ruby groaned before standing and yanking Weiss to her feet. "Fiiiiiine. By the way, there's a pretty angry Nevermore in the skies above us. That might be a problem."

Yang shrugged. "We'll stay under tree cover when we make our way back. Not a problem. Your thoughts, Blake?"

Blake looked up. "I don't see a Nevermore, but that seems like it should work. Ren, Nora, you good to retreat?"

Ren inhaled softly before shaking his head. "We're waiting for two others. Jaune and Pyrrha landed soon after we did. They should be here by now. Were any pieces taken from the dais when you arrived, Blake?"

Blake shook her head. "None. And nobody was in the area."

Ruby stiffened at her words. "You're right. We can't leave Jaune and Pyrrha behind. Weiss and I are staying too."

Weiss's eyes flashed. "Ruby, we can't risk our lives for someone who might not even reach here-"

Ruby cut her off. "Weiss, I'm sorry, but we can, and we will. I'm not leaving them behind."

Weiss froze for a few moments before her shoulders dropped. Her voice was like ice when it came. "Of course. I will stay with you."

"Great!" Ruby chirped. "Sis? Blake?"

Yang shrugged, grinning. "Sure. How bad can it b-"

Jaune and Pyrrha burst into the clearing from the opposite side, running at full tilt. Yang waved, tossing them two more pieces from the dais. Jaune's arm snapped out to catch them. He hadn't even turned his head. That was...unusual.

"Hey guys! We were just waiting for you!"

"Glad to know you cared!" Jaune replied, smiling through the worry clearly visible on his face. "So, who brought the adult Nevermore to the party? Because we brought a nearly-Metamorphosed Deathstalker and we're feeling kind of outshone right now. Also, we have like ten seconds before both of them get here."

Blake turned to Yang.

"Please never tempt fate again."

A/N: This chapter's going out unbetaed, I'll probably post an edited version in a day or two.

Sorry about missing the past two weeks-just getting back from a gap year+ work stuff, it's been a bit of a mess. Weekly schedule should now continue without breaks(unless RTX and roadtripping down there interrupts. Which it shouldn't.)

Regarding RTX: If any of y'all are there, look for a shortish guy in a...well, let's call it a 'dapper male!blake' costume-i.e. Blake Aesthetic/color themed business apparel. I'll likely be walking with people wearing equivalents for the other members of team RWBY. (There's also a chance I'll be in a black morph suit for an s1 Yang's Friends group cosplay). I'm always glad to meet readers.

The recent guest review about abandoning: Look, I get why you're frustrated, I've dropped a story or two in the past. I'll do my best to stick to schedule. But I have way too much plotted for this to abandon it now.

Storywise: First major piece of new lore in the Aura-touched, and it plays into my larger 'theory of STRQ' which is probably gonna come out over time. It also goes into my image of what Aura is in the remnant-verse, and that's going to be it's own kettle of worms.

Ruby's aura telling her how to fight, when Jaune's only told him about danger: Weird, how that happens. (In other words: yes, it's intentional)

Jaune's semblance: Yeah, it's a danger sense. For now. Y'all will get to see some of it's potential next chapter.

Next chapter: The fight, team formations, potentially some intro to school stuff. Expect a large timeskip after it. There prooooobably won't be another world of remnant unless I decide to write my Huntsman Combat one now.

Would y'all prefer I respond to reviews publically? Or continue the PM model?

Please review!