Chapter 6: Playing chess… Because that's not symbolic at all.

Chess: a game where moving a king is just as easy as moving a pawn. If only it was like that in real life.

The entire history of humanity's existence can be described as a perpetual battle between the humans and elements, the first ones going to great lengths to tame the latter ones in an attempt to carve out more living space for themselves. Eventually, humans have learned enough about this world and its inner workings to turn the raw power of these elements to their advantage, lighting their homes and feeding their families. At some point, the more foolish of them have forgotten about the times when every day was a battle for survival. In today's world, where hunger has become a non-issue for the majority of the population and where the house is kept warm with a flick of a switch, it is easy to ignore the dual nature of this world. The elements bring order and chaos in equal measure and scale.

Take the water for instance. It provides people with a source of food, as well as taking anything they wouldn't want, keeping them and their settlements clean. At the same time it is capable of washing away entire cities, dooming hundreds of people to a slow and agonizing death. Or earth, feeding us either directly with crops or indirectly through grass for game and cattle. Or, alternatively, bearing no fruit for years at times, making entire kingdoms crumble from hunger and resulting civil unrest. Even now when producing food has never been easier, earthquakes still plague cities of Mistral and Vacuo, sometimes trapping the unlucky survivors under the rubble for weeks. Wind that filled the sails of the discoverers of old, may just as well unleash a devastating tornado, nullifying the results of thousands and thousands of man-hours and racking up millions in property damages. Even Grimm, the manifestation of destruction and chaos, as ironically as it sounds, have kept this world from falling apart from inner squabbles, giving the people of Remnant a common enemy to stand against, as well as creating demand for the industry which feeds millions of people to this day, whether those people like it or not.

However, neither of these, aside from maybe monsters of Grimm, have given to humanity and taken away from it as much as fire. The fire that kept us warm at night is the same one that razed our cities. It let us craft weapons of war against the Grimm, which we later turned against each other multiple times. Fire allowed us to transcend from mere animals to something more, yet something we still fear most, even if we don't realize it. It has brought us more destruction than any other element, yet it is fire that has helped us most throughout our history. Unsurprisingly, it causes more harm than good when left unchecked, capable of burning settlements and forests to the ground, leaving naught but ashes behind.

Like now, for instance. Standing on the Beacon cliff, it might have looked like only a small patch of the Emerald Forest was affected, but it would not be long until the fire consumed it in its entirety. The firefighters were on their way, but Ozpin was still carefully looking at the scroll, watching surveillance feed sent from drones hovering above the trees, some of which were obscured by smoke. He might have said that the instructors would not intervene, but it was not in his plans to end the initiation with half of the candidates dead. Every opened window displayed video feed of a pair of future Hunters. Or, in one case, a trio. Taking a look at one of the videos, a small smile crossed the lips of the Beacon headmaster, a sight unseen by common folk and rarely witnessed by his inner circle. Before his eyes, three young people were charging through the forest, oftentimes using terrain to gain some height and speed. The last in the formation, a young man in a cape drenched in blood and ash looked back for a split second and shouts something to his teammates, although no sound was heard from the video. Ozpin raised his brow in surprise and turned towards the woman standing behind him, also observing the footage.

"Glynda, remind me of something."

"What could it be?"

"Haven't I ordered to update the hardware of our surveillance drones to include microphones so we don't have to just watch the pantomime?"

Ozpin took a sip from the mug in his hand, something he was never seen without. A terrible mistake, as her reply almost made him spit the contents back out.

"You have. However, if I recall correctly, you have also ordered me to procure you a set of chess made of gold and ebony beforehand. I can only assume you intended to use the pieces as relics."

Staring at the principal with incredulity, the headmaster took a deep breath and slowly said:

"Glynda. I recall this conversation; I am confident I meant it sarcastically, a simple set of chess would suffice. Please tell me they are not actually made of gold and ebony."

"Of course they aren't. Our mechanic is simply on a sick leave and hasn't started working on them yet."

"Glynda. This was not very nice of you. I am long since past the age that playing such jokes on me would go without consequences for my health," Ozpin's voice was dripping with liquid poison, yet his companion remained unconcerned, still looking at her tablet.

"I'm sure a little joke won't kill you, sir. Besides, this serious face you are constantly wearing will kill you much faster than small pranks by your colleagues."

"You are ruining my reputation, you know."

"I see no one but the two of us, sir," her retort simply caused the man in the green scarf quietly groan in desperation and take another sip from the mug. Noticing that the coffee had already gotten cold, a grimace emerged on Ozpin's face. Maybe I should borrow Bartholomew's thermos.

"Since we are speaking of relics, what's the status on them?"

He took a look at his own tablet, examining the area where the temple was. Of the whole set, two black bishops were missing while the rest of the pieces was still in place. "We have one team formed…" he stared at the tablet again, swapping some windows. "…But it won't remain long until the rest gets there."

"Everyone alright? Burns, broken bones?"

It would seem the trio managed to outrun the forest fire, having found themselves in a valley of sorts with no trees in the immediate vicinity for it to consume. All three of the group were coughing profusely, trying to get rid of cinder in their lungs. Desperately trying to clean her attire by furiously smacking it, Yang was making inquiries regarding the condition of the group while Blake was trying to avoid breathing with her nose as the smell of smoke was becoming unbearable to her, drowning out any other scents for kilometers around and driving her insane. I wonder if it's as bad for them as it is for me. Doesn't look like it. Although Darius does look quite beat up from all the smoke.

"I have a severe case of wounded pride. Does that count?" Immediately after that phrase Darius grabbed his throat and tried to clear it, not recognizing his own voice. Normally calm and resonant, right now he was sounding like he'd been drinking for weeks without stopping. "Holy sh… I might have breathed in too much smoke."

"I don't think wounded pride is something to be treated with whatever we have here in the field," Blake decided to chime in, a little winded from the forest sprint. "But we seem to be in relative safety now. Maybe we can take a moment and get ourselves back in shape?"

"Won't hurt," Yang decided.

"Good." With that said, Darius began rummaging in his armor, soon producing a flask from the depths of the cape. Taking a couple of hasty gulps, he sighed in relief as the burning in his throat subsided and offered the rest to his companions: "Much better. Anyone needs some?"

"Gimme that," the flask immediately vanished from the man's hand, intercepted by Yang as she pours some of the flask's contents down her throat and handed it back. Lightly shaking it, Darius noticed there's about a third of the water left.

"There's still some left, Blake. We don't know how long this ordeal is going to last, better prepare now."

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to accept the offer, emptying the flask and handing it back over. Blake then cautiously checked her head, particularly checking the ribbon's integrity. Seemingly satisfied with the result, she turned back to the group and saw Darius taking off his cape. "If you don't mind, I just need a couple minutes to get this thing at least slightly cleaned up because this is outrageous."

Looking at the cloth, Blake couldn't help but agree with her companion. As of right now, the man's cape was a disaster: drenched in thick monster blood, pieces of meat stuck to the material, the entire surface covered in a layer of cinder. Furthermore, its middle was adorned with a hole from a loose branch that had pinned him to the ground for several seconds back in the forest. Although Darius managed to get himself unstuck almost immediately, the damage was already done. When we started running from the fire… It's understandable to be afraid for your life in situations like that, but having a panic fit like he did?

"Darius?"

"Yes, Blake?"

"What was it back in the forest?"

"Yeah, how come you froze like that?" Blake scoffed, annoyed with Yang's lack of tact, but Darius didn't seem to care, only covering his forehead with his palm and then slowly sliding it down his face, scratching his chin a little. He closed his eyes and shooks his head a little, almost as if trying to forget something.

"This… Let's just say this amount of smoke brings back unpleasant memories. Probably a story for another day. I would appreciate it if we could drop it for now."

For a few moments, silence loomed over the group, interrupted only by the sounds of Darius carefully swiping the scythe's blade along the surface of his cape and Yang frantically trying to shake as much ash as possible off her outfit. Melancholically examining her own attire, Blake came to a conclusion that she managed to get out almost unscathed. A couple scratches here and there and a little bit of ash on her vest. Nothing serious. Wearing a cape seems… inefficient, considering the majority of Grimm prefer forests as their habitat. Maybe I should tell him that.

In an attempt to break the silence, Yang decided to salt the wound and nag on Darius a little as a way to cheer up him and the rest of the company:

"So Darius. I don't want to nag, but it looks like your gear definitely has limited… capeabilities when operating in forests. And even then, I'm not sure I understand the idea of wearing a cape in combat as a hole, eh?"

Or maybe Yang could do that.

The one in question slowly stood up and turned to Yang, eyes wide with shock, a spark of anticipation lighting up deep within. A tenacious smile crept its way onto Darius' face as he readied himself for yet another battle. Thankfully, this time wounded pride was going to be the worst of injuries received.

"I despise you. Besides, am I hearing that from a person who wears shorts into combat? I'm not a fashion expert, so I'm not commenting on that, but otherwise I'm getting an impression that you're trying to get the opponents to pay attention to your legs rather than your fists. Which, given..." Yang's eyes widened as she got caught off guard by the comment. "…Is a perfectly valid strategy… had we been fighting humans. Problem is, we're Hunters. We fight Grimm, so I'm not sure how effective that would be. And don't even get me started about your hair…" A red spark flashed in Yang's gaze. "…I have no idea how it doesn't get in your eyes every time you turn your head, you know."

Seems like Yang isn't the only one without any tact. At least when it comes to jokes. Seeing Yang's reaction, Blake hurried to intervene before blood is spilled.

"Commenting on a lady's outfit andher hair… Darius, you don't look like a man with a death wish. Maybe the last line was unnecessary?"

Taking a more careful look at the girl currently steaming with anger, he made the correct assumptions, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture:

"I admit, I may not know where to stop. I'll just go ahead and take the last sentence back. Even if the question still stands…" the last part was whispered as to avoid Yang's ire. "Would a sincere apology suffice?"

"You are not talking smack about my hair. Got it?" The red slowly vanished from Yang's eyes as she closed the distance within a heartbeat and slapped Darius across the face. As the deafening sound echoed through the air, she extended her hand for a truce. "And that's for the other part, you pervert."

"Ouch. Guess I hit a nerve." With a laugh, the man shook Yang's hand while the right side of his face slowly went red. "Although I don't understand how having eyes and being able to see what you're wearing suddenly makes me a pervert. Wasn't that the intention?"

"DAMMIT DARIUS!"

"Maybe we should continue going, since everyone seems to have rested?" Blake, continuing to be the voice of reason, stood up and shook off whatever dust she might have gathered watching the spectacle. Her two companions finally stopped settling scores and looked at her, expecting directions.

"I take it you know where we're supposed to go?"

Gracing the two with a slight smile, she waved in the direction of a nearby hill.

"Maybe."

"Think this is it?"

Before them lie a cave, the interior completely obscured by darkness. Jaune had long since stopped glowing, eliminating the option of blindly charging in and using him as a source of light. Not that he'd allow this to happen at all. I'm not sure I could stop her if she got the idea, though. Guess it's a good thing I'm not glowing anymore.

His attention was captured by unusual markings on the wall. The markings portrayed a crowd of stylized humans surrounding a creature resembling a scorpion, one that could be found in the smoldering deserts of Vacuo. Only this one was twice as large as any of the huntsmen.

Those are really old markings. Since they don't look like they've been engraved on a wall and the little tribesmen have bows and spears, they're probably from the Bronze Age or sometime in between. Only… what's up with this scorpion?

"Pyrrha, any idea why this scorpion looks so huge in relation to the tribesmen?"

"Probably because it's a Death Stalker and we're standing right before its lair. So… no, I don't think this is it. Maybe we should leave it alone?" Seeing as even Pyrrha was not looking forward to venturing inside, a part of Jaune's mind desperately tried to convince him to see reason and abandon this suicidal quest. A futile effort, as his eyes already began to wander in search of materials for a torch. With fake confidence in his voice, he attempted to reassure his teammate and himself:

"Well, the markings like that were usually made as a ritual before the hunt to bring luck. Maybe they succeeded and the cave is empty? Besides, what if they put the relics there? We could wander off and search for who knows how long while the answer had been right under our noses! Have you considered that?"

"And if it's not?"

"And if it is?"

Unable to dispute the logic of Jaune's reasoning, Pyrrha shook her head as a symbol of defeat, making his initial triumphant smile fade in an instant. Well great, now she's upset with me. I don't know why, but she is. That's a pyrrhic victory if I ever saw one.

"Alright… I'll go make the torch, ok? Just… watch the entrance," he said, scurrying away into the depths of the forest. Anywhere to avoid the awkwardness of the exchange that just ensued. I really need to talk to Darius and get him to teach me how to talk to people. It's almost like everything I say is the exact wrong thing to say.

Gathering materials for the torch in a forest did not constitute for a difficult task. Take a branch, wrap it with some grass and light it up. Within three minutes Jaune returned to the cave, carrying the spoils with him. Eliciting a few sparks from rocks lying around, the duo ventured forth into the abyss, their torch only managing to ward off the darkness around them for a couple meters.

"Jaune… I really am not sure this is it. Do we have to do it?" It would seem that the darkness of the cave was not something Pyrrha was fond of, even with a torch lighting their way. Jaune let out a weary sigh:

"Pyrrha, I made the torch. Just humor me for five more feet?"

As said before, Remnant is fond of playing cruel jokes. As soon as the torch-bearer finished the sentence, his leg found a root in its way, sending Jaune stumbling down on the ground, dropping the torch, which immediately landed in a small puddle of water, going out and leaving the explorers in the dark. Silently cursing himself and his bravado, he stood up, still muttering swears of every caliber. That's where overconfidence gets you, Jaune. Now you're in a cave, completely blind, and there may be a Death Stalker lurking around. Where's Pyrrha?!

"Pyrrha?!"

He narrowed his eyes in a desperate attempt to at least make out her silhouette in the dark, but all it leads to is them getting watery. Lost in the abyss, unable to find his way out on his own, having lost his companion and trapped with a beast hungering for his blood. The realization sent small shivers down Jaune's spine, almost like little scorpions scuttling along his back. Why is it so dark in here? How deep does this cave have to be that I can't see anything?! His breath quickened, but all he felt is air escaping his lungs as the darkness closed in on him, suffocating him faster than any noose.

"I'm here, Jaune," Pyrrha's voice reached the man's ears from behind as a hand grabbed his shoulder, locking him in place. "Wait… Do you feel that?"

"S-s-soul crushing regret?" Jaune felt a little droplet of ice cold water roll down his forehead as his teeth clattered rumba-style. Even this small joke, its purpose to relieve some of the terror he was experiencing, went unappreciated by both parties.

"No. It's… warm. Jaune, why are you shaking? Are you… afraid of the dark?" He couldn't see where she was looking, but his guts were certain that her eyes stared right in his.

"Actually… no. But I can't see anything, and that's a little unnerving." Going blind was one of Jaune's perpetual fears. In this cave, it was almost like the nightmare had come alive.

"Don't worry, I can't see anything either. We should start getting out of here, though. I have a bad feeling about this place." Pyrrha's iron grip on his shoulder allayed some of Jaune's worries, clearing his mind and jumpstarting his thinking process as to how to get them out of this horrid place.

"Well, I have a plan, but it's not guaranteed to work out."

"What is it?"

"We pick a wall, we follow it wherever it takes us. Could take us to the exit, could take us… somewhere else. Either way we'll get somewhere. Unless you have a spare torch?"

"I do not. Lead the way, then."

For some reason, Jaune didn't hear resignation in Pyrrha's voice as he expected. Why does she sound excited about this?

"Is that… a Nevermore?"

Weiss' voice contained incredulity and silent awe in equal measure, along with a barely noticeable hint of panic. Ruby, on the other hand, could not avert her gaze from the figure gliding in the air, buzzing from excitement:

"Actually, that's a giant Nevermore. Most of them aren't that big…" Her eyes lost focus for a fraction of a second, the memories of the beginning of the initiation beckoning from the back of her head. "They're generally the size of a large dog."

"I can see that it's giant!" The girl turned her head towards her smaller companion, "But what's it doing there and why does it look so angry with us?!" And why do you look so excited?! This is not a toy!

Ruby looked behind her, her red cape trembling almost as much as her voice:

"I-i-i-i might have chopped off one of its feathers when I sliced that tree in half."

"You what?!" The consequences of her compulsiveness continue to haunt me. This is really starting to get dangerous.

"It was an accident!"

"It was you being unable to get a grip on yourself! Look at what it got us into! How long will I have to suffer the backfire of the actions you undertook?"

"You really don't have to make everything about yourself, you know. We could still make the best of the situation if we work together, for once." It would seem that Ruby got tired of having to work against Weiss, at long last. Maybe the prospect of imminent death at the claws of a Nevermore was just the thing to make the girls forget about their gripes with each other.

The girl in the white dress looked up again, observing the bird the size of an airship roam freely in the morning sky, its claws almost as white as her attire. If we don't make a move soon, those claws will suddenly become red.

"Alright, what are you suggesting?"

"We hitch a ride."

"What?! Are you completely out of your mind?" Weiss looked at Ruby for the second time, trying to find any evidence that Ruby had gone mad, but fails to do so. Instead, her gaze gleamed with cold determination, something oddly familiar to the girl in white. Why does she look so much like my sister when she's got her eyes set on something? "Why would we want to do that?!"

"We still have no idea where to find this stupid temple, Weiss! On this thing we could at least get a good look at the area, maybe even get closer to wherever it is! Or do you have a better plan?" Ruby turns to Weiss with a defiant look, her silver eyes challenging her.

With a deep breath, she shrugged in defeat. "And how do you propose we do that?.."

"We could use those…glyph…thingies I saw you make back in the forest as jump pads to get to it. Teamwork, Weiss."

Since when did "teamwork" amount to one of the team members doing all the work?

Taking a more careful look at the Nevermore's location, it took mere seconds for Weiss to visualize the path. All that was left is the execution. At the sleight of a hand two sets of small, round pads emerged scattered throughout the area, each leading higher in the air, eventually ending in the vicinity of the giant monster. One path is blindingly white, the other is crimson red.

"Yours are red, mine are white. Now let's go because I can't keep them up forever!"

"Gotcha."

As the girls began their ascent, one by one the glyphs disappeared into thin air after serving their purpose. Their rapid movement irritated the Nevermore enough to let out a screech that would more suit some Lovecraftian horror rather than a bird, even if the bird is a spawn of Grimm. Come to think of it though, those things really are nightmare fuel. Why did I decide to enroll again?

The noise, while reverberating in Weiss' eardrums as a sickening wail, did not deter her from following the way to her destination. Taking a look to her left, she saw Ruby in the middle of a jump to another pad, shaking her head to get rid of the sound. With another shriek, the frightening creature began rapidly flapping its wings, stirring up a terrible feeling in Weiss. It's not rising up. What's it doing?

The answer came in the form of a hail of feathers raining down upon the two girls, almost obscuring the massive figure of the Nevermore behind. As the wall of pure black neared them, she hears Ruby's frantic cry: "We gotta switch it up!" Within milliseconds Weiss conjures up two more pads, both straying away from their respective group. Ruby, jumping on the left one, took to the skies while firing a round from her rifle, propelling her even further. Weiss, meanwhile, took a second to charge up her own pad, taking off just before a feather the size of a grown man impaled the disc, shattering it into dust.

Thanks to the momentum she gained from Weiss' jump pad and her own scythe, Ruby managed a smooth landing, grabbing the bone protruding from the back of the creature's head. Her companion was not as lucky, missing that small bit of inertia provided by the Crescent Rose and almost not making the jump, had her hand not been grabbed by Ruby.

"Grab the feathers!" she shouted, swinging Weiss towards the back of the creature.

"This was a horrible idea!"

"I agree! But it was the only one we had!" Ruby's voice was almost inaudible because of the deafening sound of wind in Weiss' ears as the beast tried to shake the two girls off in a frenzied fit.

"So what now?"

"We hope that this thing takes us in the right direction!"

Is this how I die? It is, isn't it?

"You know, I would ask you how in the world you figured this was the right hill, but I can't say I care. Mission accomplished, then?"

"I didn't. This was the only direction left for us to go."

"You could say solving this mystery was…a walk in the park?"

"Dammit Yang. One day I will put an end to that pun monopoly you've got going."

"Knock yourself out. I'm not punticularly worried."

I would much rather knock someone else out…

Scaling the hill would not be the hardest of exercises in other circumstances. However, a sprint through a burning forest preceded by fending off a pack of Grimm did make the climb noticeably harder for the trio. Yang resorted to infuriating her teammates with horrific puns while Darius took great care to escalate the situation to comical heights, thus lightening up the mood for the entire party. In the end, though, the three Hunters had reached its top and were now looking upon what once was a shrine to the gods of old, whatever those might have been. A rotunda laid of brick-shaped rocks formed the wall of the temple, now destroyed to the point where only a small patch of it remained. The floor, meanwhile, was laid in an intricate mosaic, constructed with perfect symmetry and preserved almost untouched through the course of time, definitely by a miracle of some sort.

However, upon closing the distance, the thought of divine intervention immediately left Darius' mind. Miracle? More like a brigade of renovators. Look at this place, it's almost like it's been polished before our visit: not a grain of dust on the walls, vines so fresh you could probably eat them if the push comes to shove. Although I really shouldn't be surprised if this place is used for yearly initiations.

"Chess pieces?" Blake broke the silence, stepping towards the small columns arranged in a semicircle, each serving as a stand for a chess piece; the left half of the set glittered with gold, while the right one was black as coal.

"Ozpin did strike me as somebody to be into symbolism. Or he may just have a spare set of chess lying around," Darius took off the hood, curiously observing their surroundings. He could not understand why, but something about this place felt familiar. The atmosphere of this old ruin was strangely comforting for him, almost making him feel…home.

"I guess we should pick one?" Yang said.

"Yeah, do that…"

The boy in the cape shook his head, ridding himself of the numbing feeling. What's up with this place? He took yet another look at the shrine, trying to find anything that would give any explanation as to what this place once was and what it was doing to him. As his eyes grazed over one of the few remaining pillars, his attention was captured by an image etched into the stone. Taking a step closer, he noticed the finer details of the carving, letting out a small smile in recognition. Engraved in the column was an image of a hooded female silhouette holding her hands outwards, similar to how one would hold their hands over a bonfire. However, instead of a bonfire there was a small orb floating in front of her, emanating light in form of a couple of outward strokes: a star. Pulling away where the cape touched his neck, Darius looked at the backside of one of the clasps attaching it to the armor, seeing the very same image, albeit much more detailed. The same sigil would be engraved in his armor, in other circumstances. He closed his eyes for a second as an excerpt from one of the countless books and manuscripts he read when he was finally allowed into the Order's library flashed before his eyes

'As it would be impossible to gauge the brightness of the stars without the darkness of the Cosmos, so too is Light impossible without Dark. May our Lady guide us unto understanding of this world, so we might save it from the chaos that would undo both.' Whatever people think of religious texts, they're interesting to read, if anything else.

His eyes still closed, he reached out and touched the lines of the picture, channeling a fraction of his aura into it. Even if this tribute is purely nominal, it does not lose its sacramental value, letting even those outside of the inner circle partake in the communion with the divine. A thin veil of black mist covered Darius' palm, reinvigorating his body and lifting his spirits as the etching seems to have incised itself anew, becoming more detailed by the second. Turning his head back, the Hunter gazed at the steeple lying beyond the temple, a chasm separating the candidates from finishing the initiation, leading all the way into oblivion covered by white fog. The only thing that connected the plateaus was a series of bridges, constructed in a labyrinth above each other. I wonder what was of that fortress over there? Could it be where Ozpin lifted some of his knowledge about us?

"How about…a cute little pony?"

Yang's excited voice interrupted the solemnity of the moment, eliciting a sigh from Darius. I guess it's back to normal. At least they haven't noticed me doing this, it looks like.

"Sure." Blake appeared phlegmatic about the situation, seemingly more interested with examining the black queen in the middle of the half-circle. Taking a look at the piece, Darius couldn't contain a slight chuckle, remembering one of his latest exchanges with the Lady. Eventually, however, Blake turned around and addresses Darius: "You still haven't found a partner. What are you going to do?"

Still feeling lightheaded after the ritual, Darius replied with an honest smile on his face: "I'm certain things will work out. For now, though…" with a newfound bounce to his step, he strode towards Blake and lifted the queen off the pedestal, "…I'll be taking this." I might as well play the part, right?

"Well, someone's not lacking for confidence." Yang answered, tossing the knight in her hand.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Ehm… Maybe we should focus our attention elsewhere." Turning to Blake, the bickering duo saw that the girl was staring at the sky. Following suit, Darius witnessed a gigantic bird-like creature soar above them in the air, its feathers black as charcoal yet its claws white as snow, with its tail doubling its length.

'One of the most notable facts about the Nevermore is that it is one of the few avian species of Grimm discovered by mankind, as well as the diversity in their sizes. They range from a mere meter in length (tail feathers included) and a wing span of 1,4 meters to 25 meters in length (tail feathers included) and a colossal wing span of 50 meters, which is staggering when compared to the species closest to them-Griffons, which are far more consistent in their growth. So far it has been impossible to determine how the larger specimens of this species of Grimm are capable of flight for reasons cited earlier. Upon encounter with one, it is advised to aim for the back of its head plating, as it seems to have a weak spot where its dorsal fin (see img.6) connects to the rest of the plate. Puncturing this weak spot with a blade or a high caliber bullet seems to impact its vision, rendering it blind and making it much less of a threat to a coordinated team. However, for reasons cited before, the evidence is purely anecdotal as there had been no opportunity to conduct a detailed study of the creature's skull and brains and is therefore to take with a grain of salt.' Wait, what's that?

He noticed something small detach from the monster and begin falling to the ground. Something that was red and screaming "HUZZA-A-A-A-H!.."

"That's Ruby!" her sister's voice was laced with concern, something rarely heard otherwise. Yang began scrambling around the place trying to catch the little girl accelerating further and further towards the earth, but Darius just took a deep breath and cracks a couple of knuckles on his right hand.

"Calm down, Yang, I got her." Stretching his arm outwards, a cloud of black smoke formed in front of Darius and started ascending, heading in Ruby's direction. The feeling of the girl impacting the cloud at terminal velocity was akin to a gut punch to Darius, emptying his lungs of air but not breaking his concentration. Slowly he lowered the cloud with the important load on it to ground level, dispelling it as soon as Ruby's legs hit the stone, absorbing the smoke back into him.

"Did you… just fall from the sky, Ruby?" Blake sounded nonplussed, while the girl's older sister let out a relieved sigh.

"Yep."

"I…" Yang was about to say something, but got interrupted by the sound of wood cracking and an eardrum-busting noise of an oak hitting the floor. Following it was a blast and a loud and excited "Ye-e-e-haw!" shouted in a high-pitched voice, similar to Ruby's, only even higher. Turning in the direction of the sound, Darius grabbed the side of his head in awe as a massive Ursa stumbled to the ground, adorned with what seems like a thousand wounds of all types and missing some of the boney protrusions in its body. Moments before the creature finally fell, another small girl rolled forth from behind its head, dressed in a rose skirt and a white top, along with a black vest that just didn't quite reach her waist. People just wear all kinds of things today, don't they? What is the point of killing monsters when they don't get a good look at your fabulous clothes? Is that a heart just cut out on her shirt or whatever the Grimm it is?!

"Aw-w-w-w, it's broken!" The disappointment in the girl's voice was palpable as she shook her head in disdain, her short fiery hair bobbling a little. As she jumped upon the head of the slain monster, a familiar face emerged from behind the corpse. Oh, I remember him. He was pestered by this girl the entire morning and, apparently, all the way to here. I'd feel sorry for him, but what if he's into this?

"Nora?" The man's breath was heavy, indicating that he was either the one jogging along or the one actually killing the beast.

"Yes, Ren?"

"Please… Don't ever do this again?" Ren looked up, trying to find his teammate with his eyes, but finds nothing as the girl seemingly vanished. Darius only managed to quietly mutter: "What the…" before the girl reappeared in front of the chess set, curiously looking at one of the two white rooks. Grabbing it, she began a ritual dance that would better pass in some tribe than on a Hunter initiation, singing "I'm queen of the castle!" over and over, all while striking ridiculous poses.

"NORA!"

"Coming, Ren!" She discontinued her singing and bolted towards her partner, leaving Darius with a thousand yard stare, clearly traumatized by the event. Looking even more nonplussed than before, Blake said:

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?.."

"Yep."

"I…"

A pair of trees were ripped out of the ground with their roots and thrown away as a shape of a massive scorpion-like creature erupted from the depths of the forest, chasing two figures running away from it. One of them was immediately recognized by Darius as Jaune, accompanied by the girl he noticed the day before, ogling his recently acquired friend. That's two times in a row Yang got interrupted. This is not going to be pleasant for anyone involved.

"Looks like we've got another thing coming?" Ruby's observational skills are on point, as always.

As the duo continued running for their lives, the Death Stalker raised one of its pincers, preparing a blow that would kill or severely injure if connected with any of the two. It swung its right pincer in a sweeping fashion, barely missing Jaune who was the one running in front, while the girl jumped between the claws and rolled upon landing, continuing to run without losing any momentum. The move impressed Ruby to no end, eliciting an admiring "whoa" out of her. The redhead then screamed "Jaune, stinger!", keeping track of the monster.

As the terrifying tail lowered, about to breach through Jaune's armor like paper and turn him inside out, he stopped in his tracks and spun on his heels, simultaneously raising his shield before him, reinforcing the block with his sword-bearing arm. Upon impact, a blinding white light emerged from where the stinger struck the metal of the shield, accompanied by a thunderous ring, similar to a concussion grenade going off. The flash made Darius shut his eyes as searing pain pierced his eyes and followed into the brain like two steel rods drilling into his skull while heated to the point when they glow white. The pain was momentary and vanished the second it had appeared, but still left him dumbfounded for several seconds. ALRIGHT THEN. So he's unlocked his aura, or someone unlocked it for him. Why does looking at him hurt like this?!

He opened his eyes and looked at his friend again; while the burning light has disappeared, the white glow of his aura still made him turn away as the pain returned, albeit as a shadow of its former self. With a quiet growl, a wave of anger rose in him as dark mist covered his eyes, shielding them from harm, finally allowing him to get a good look at the situation again. Jaune's block appeared to have made the beast lose its footing, making it stagger back and giving him much needed seconds to pick up the pace, aligning him with his partner.

"Darius, are you alright?" A quiet voice reached Darius' ears, causing him to rapidly turn his head, still trying to get his emotions under control. As Blake made eye contact with him, the confusion from the absurdity of the entire situation got mixed with a slight shock from seeing his eyes like that, even if it happened before. Congratulations, now you're scaring people. Get a grip!

"Sorry. A little surprised, is all." Blake did not look convinced, still looking at him with rising suspicion. You are not making a good second impression.

"So… did those two just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on their tail?"

It would seem Darius was not going to be the only one succumbing to the madness of the situation. With an inhuman roar Yang's hair went ablaze as a wave of flame surged from her, causing everyone around to either duck or jump away to avoid getting immolated into a crisp. With her eyes assuming the color of fresh blood and her hands shaking in bestial fury, she screamed at the top of her lungs, unable to retain sanity because of how absurd the entire setup looked:

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

And suddenly, there was silence. Blissful and merciful, disturbed only by quiet crackling. Why does it smell like smoke again?

"Darius… Your cape…"

With resignation setting in, he turned back, glancing at his cape, currently being devoured by the flame. Without breaking the ensuing silence, he took off the cape, putting the clasp with the sigil in his pocket and threw it on the stone floor of the temple, leaving it to its fate.

"…I'm sorry?"