//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Emerald Forest: Part 3 Team Y.E.L.O // Story: R.O.S.E // by Madforce Entertainment //------------------------------// Flying through the air, Yang, the thrill seeker that she was, was using her Gauntlets to increase speed. “Woohoo!” She screamed in joy. Up ahead, she then saw the top of a tall tree. With a smirk, she then thrust her gauntlets forward to slow herself down, before she crashed into the branches of the tree and then jumped down. Once she was on the ground, she brushed the leaves out of her hair and then gave a celebratory whoop. “Nailed it!” She then looked all around her, not seeing anyone else. “Well, I better go find Ruby. No telling what trouble my little sis has got herself into without me.”  Ember was soaring through the air her wings unfurled, before she saw a clearing to land in. She easily glides down to the ground. She was dressed in deep blue leather boots, jeans, a white tank top which showed her stomach, and a deep blue leather scale-mail jacket, with shoulder pad armour and knee pad armour on her arms and legs. After she touched down, she looked all around, seeing no one. She sighed. “Well, looks like I’m alone at least, that’s just great,” She said, before heading off north.  Lyra glides through the sky before she finds an ideal area to land. She then used her semblance to form two Aura Arms, which she wrapped around herself and absorbed the impact as she hit the ground, helping her to land safely. She was dressed in black shoes with bandages wrapped tightly around her legs, lime green fighting pants with an emblem of a Lyre on each of the legs, a tight black sports bra that showed off most of her stomach and six-pack, and there also bandages around her arms.    Taking a quick look around, she saw no Grimm or the other Students around. “Okay now to North.” She walked heading North Octavia, soaring gracefully through the air, saw a place to land. She was dressed in red shoulder pads with gold lining, a white shirt with a pink bow around her neck, a silver corset with gold clasps, a black belt with a gold ornate belt, a short grey skirt, pitch black leggings with armoured knee pads and shin-guards, and black high heeled boots. Moments from the ground she pulled out an Anti-Grav Pad, and threw it to the ground. It creates a dome of anti-gravity to catch her. After she landed on the ground, gave the area a quick look around, before then setting off, heading north. “Hello?” Yang called out as she headed through the forest. “Is anybody out there? Hello? Getting bored here.” She turned as she heard a rustle in the bushes behind her. “Someone there?” She turned and pulled back the bushes. “Ruby, is that you?” She looked up and she heard a low growl. “Nope.” She leapt to one side as Ursa lunged at her before she rolled back to her feet and readied her gauntlets. A second Ursa jumped out alongside the first. The first Ursa lunged at Yang again, only to be flung back as Yang threw a punch at her, firing an explosive round, giving her punch more impact. The second Ursa came forward, Yang lamed it with an explosive uppecut, before sending it rolling away with a strong kick. “You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?” The Ursas just roared at her. “You could just say no,” Yang said cheekily, “before somersaulting away as one of the Ursas tried to swiper her with its claws. “Ha ha!” Yang chuckled. “Geez, you two couldn’t hit the broadside of a…” She trailed off as she saw a single strand of her blond hair float slowly past her face, and down to the ground. “You…” She said with an angry tone, as her eyes suddenly turned bright red. “YOU MONSTER!!” She yelled in rage, as her body lit up like it was on fire, before charging at the first Ursa and unleashing a melee of rapid punches, and sending it flying. She then turns to face the second Ursa as it lumbers toward her. “What?! You want some too?!”       Just as Ursa came charging at her, a girl dropped down in front of Yang, who then folded away a pair of dragon wings. She had blue spiky hair with white highlights. She then raised a Tommy Gun and unleashed a volley of gunfire on the Ursa. This went on until the entire magazine was used up. For a moment, everything was still, before the Ursa dropped dead. “That was fun,” She said with a wide smirk. “Well, that was kinda overkill, don’t you think?” Yang asked. “Says the girl who went berserk and burned down the whole forest over losing a single strand of her hair,” The dragon girl shot back. Yang folded her arms and scowled. “You win this round,” She said in a low voice, just as a burning tree fell to the ground behind her. “So, I guess this means we’re partners now.” She then held out a hand to shake. “Im Yang Xiao Long. And you are?” “I don’t do handshakes,” the other girl said with narrowed eyes, “I do clasps.” She then held up her hand. “Oh, I like this reptile,” Yang thought with a smirk, before clasping the dragon girl's hand with hers.  “And by the way,” The other girl said as they pulled their hands apart, “the name’s Ember. Ember Bloodstone.”  “Well, I think this is the start of a beautiful partnership,” Yang thought with intrigue, as the two of them headed off north together. Meanwhile, Octavia was working through the forest, a peaceful look on her face. “Ah, now this is proper tranquillity,” She said in a relaxed tone. “And the only way to make this day perfect is if Vinyl shows up out of nowhere and ruins it with her music.” She then paused as she heard the distinct sound of gunshots in the distance. “That’s not the same calibre as Vinyl,” she said thoughtfully. She headed off toward the sound of the gunshots. She then saw a girl with lime green hair fighting with a huge insect-like Grimm. The girl was using a pair of Tonfas. She recognised the Grimm as a Lancer Queen, the larger and more deadly leader of a Lancer swarm. The girl was doing her best but was struggling against the dangerous Grimm. Getting down on one knee, Octavia then transformed her weapon into an anti-tank mode, set it down on the ground, looked into the sniper scope, and then activated her semblance, as in her eye, two red lines criscrossed, like the crosshairs on a gun. Using her newly enhanced sight, she was able to pinpoint the Lancer’s weak point, and taking precise aim, she pulled the trigger. The shot echoed everywhere, before the Grimm fell to the ground, and then disintegrated. The other girl then looked toward Octavia as she stood up and transformed her weapon again. “Thanks for the help,” she said gratefully, “that Lancer Queen just came at me out of nowhere.”  “Did you kill any other Lancers?” Octavia asked. “Yeah, I actually fought against a small group of them,” The girl replied. “Then that’s where that Queen came from,” Stated Octavia. “Well again, thanks,” said the girl before introducing herself, “My name’s Lyra, by the way. Lyra Heartstrings.”     Octavia gave Lyra a small bow in return. “Pleasure to meet you,” she said with a smile, “I’m Octavia Melody.”  “Well, I guess this means we’re partners from now on,” said Lyra. “Indeed,” replied Octavia, “We should continue making our way north now.” “OK, let’s go,” Lyra agreed, as they both headed off together. Yang and Ember continued walking north.   “So, your name is Ember and you're from Vacuo?” Yang asked.  “Yeah I came here to become a huntress,” Explained Ember. “That's cool. Hey, what’s your semblance?” Asked Yang with interest. “Mine’s called Fabricator. I can use it to create just about anything as long as I have the right materials. One time, I was able to turn a piece of silver into pure gold,” Explained Ember proudly. “Okay, yeah, that is awesome,” said a very impressed Yang. “Yeah, back at home, I was the most popular girl in town,” Said Ember with a smile. “Yeah, I bet, I mean, turning silver into gold? Are you a super rich girl or something?” Asked Yang. “Yeah, we used to be,” Replied Ember with a huff. “Used to be? What happened?” Yang asked curiously. “The IRS happened!” Ember said in annoyance. “Ohhh,” Yang said with a wince, “that sucks.” “Hey, look, I think we’re getting close to the ruins,” said Ember quickly. “Yeah, yeah, sure we are,” Yang said with a nod, glad of the change of subject.  Meanwhile, Lyra and Octavia were walking through the Forest. “Are you sure we’re heading north?” Asked Lyra. “I assure you we are headed in the right direction,” Replied Octavia. “I am following our fellow student's footprints.” “Footprints?” Lyra asked as she looked at the ground in front of them. “What footprints? I don't see anything.” “My eyes are capable of seeing the unseeable,” Octavia explained, “It’s part of my semblance.”  Lyra whistled. “Well, I bet that comes in handy,” She said, impressed with Octavia. “Yes, it’s very useful for fighting against the Grimm, as well as for finding hidden objects,” Octavia said proudly. Not long after, Lyra and Octavia arrived at a huge clearing and saw some ancient ruins. “Those must be the ruins we’re looking for,” said Lyra. “I can see someone coming, two females,” Said Octavia, pointing in the right direction. Lyra looked where Octavia was pointing, and saw Yang and Ember enter the clearing. “Looks like we’re not the only ones who found this place,” said Ember. “Well, this place wasn't exactly hard to find,” said Yang. After brief introductions, the four of them headed into the ruins. When they reached it, they saw a row of pedestals, some had objects on them, some didn’t. “Looks like we’re not the first ones here,” Stated Octavia. “Well, regardless, let’s grab our relics and head back,” said Yang. They stepped toward the pedestals, and looked between the remaining Relics. “ how a about this?” Asked Ember. “The Shield?” Asked Yang. “Yeah, my Dad used a Shield before he retired,” Ember said “Okay, I won’t argue,” Yang said, understanding Ember’s choice. Ember smiled and grabbed the Shield. Lyra then picked up the same Relic. “Alright, we have what we came for. Let’s head back,” She said. They were about to start heading back to Beacon when suddenly, the ground began to shake. Before they could ready themselves, the ground beneath their feet split open, and a giant worm-like Grimm shot up out of the ground. “THAT’S AN ARMOURED TUNNELLING TERRA!” Yelled Ember. “WE GOT TO MOVE!” Yelled Yang. The girls quickly turned and ran from the huge Grimm. It reared up, and then dived into the ground, burying through the ground like it was water as it chased them, the girls trying to outrun it. “We can’t outrun it! Climb the tree!” Shouted Octavia. Ember opened her wings and lifted off the ground before she picked up Yang by the arms. “Thanks for the ride,” Yang said with a smile.  Following her lead, the other two girls quickly climbed the nearest tree. When they got to the top, the Grimm resurfaced, trying to find them, as it jerked its armed head in all directions. “What’s it doing?” Asked Yang. “Tunneling Terra’s are blind. It can’t find us up here because we’re not on the ground so it can’t sense our vibrations,” Explained Octavia. “So now what, we stay up here until it loses interest?” Asked Ember. “No, they're smart. It will figure out we’re up here, sooner or later,” Replied Octavia. “I thought these Grimm were only found in Vacuo,” Stated Lyra. “Who cares! We got a deadline and this guy to deal with. We need a plan here,” Said Yang with determination. “My semblance is named Target, I can find a weak spot, and kill it,” Explained Octavia. “But, unfortunately, I do not have any armour-piercing rounds.”  “Quick, give me one of your Magazines,” Ember said reaching her hand out. “Why?” Asked Octavia. “My semblance is called fabricator. I can use it to turn your bullets into armour-piercing rounds,” Replied Ember. Octavia grabbed one of her magazines and tossed it to Ember. “Give me a minute and I’ll give you a full magazine.” Said Ember, transforming Octavia’s bullets into armour-piercing rounds “What about you?” Yang asked Lyra. “My semblance is called Astral Projection. I can use my aura to create ghost arms. I can use them to pull the Terra from the ground, and hold him down long enough for you to kill it,” she explained. “Alright, that’s good. My semblance is called Burn. I take damage and I can give it right back,” said Yang. “Ok, done, you have five rounds,” Ember said as she tossed the newly altered bullets back to Octavia. At that moment, the huge Grimm crashed into the base of a tree, knocking it over with a crash.  “I think it knows we’re in a tree,” Said Lyra. “Alright, here’s the plan. Octavia, get to a vantage point. The rest of us will keep it busy,” Yang explained. Octavia nodded, as she then loaded the armour-piercing rounds into her rifle, before popping out the bullet that was in the chamber. In alarm, she tried to catch it, but it slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground. They all saw the bullet fall, and they held their breaths as they waited for the impact. When the bullet hit the ground, the Terra instantly noticed the vibration, as it turned towards it, and charged it from beneath the ground. “Now or never!” Yang called. She and Ember then jumped down from the tree and ran to give Terra something to chase.  As Yang and Ember were being chased, Octavia looked through her scop to find a weak spot. “Come on where are you!” She said, trying desperately to find a weak point. “Oh no! I can’t find one!” She said with a panicked tone. “Then I’ll make one!” Lyra called out as she jumped down from the tree, and she pointed her weapons at the Grimm and opened fire at it. “Come on big boy! Come and get some!” She called out to it. Hearing this, Yang and Ember ran over to back up Lyra. The Terra was getting angry, as it opened its mouth wide and shot its razor-sharp fangs at the three girls. “It can do that?!” Yang yelled in annoyance as she and the others dodged the projectiles. “Yes, I forgot to mention that part! My apologies!” Octavia Replied. The Terra kept shooting its fangs at the girls until Octavia shot at it with her high-calibre rifle. She quickly shoots again at the same spot, causing a large crack to form in the under armour of the Grimm. “There! Concentrate on that spot!” Shouted Yang to the others. Everyone opened fire on the spot where Octavia was shootin, while Lyra used her semblance to create four aura arms. She ran toward the Grimm and climbed towards the crack. She pulled out her Tonfas, combined them onto a bladed bow staff, thrust her blade into the crack, and pried it open, then with her new arms, she tore off the armoured plate. The Terra screamed in pain and rage, as Octavia transformed the rifle into a huge arm blade. Ember then flew down and picked up Octavia, and flew towards the Grimm. Once they got close enough, Ember dropped Octavia towards Terra, as She thrust her blade into the now-exposed flesh. However, as she tried to pull it out, she found that the blade had become stuck fast. “I’m stuck!” She yelled.  Yang saw she was in trouble. “Quick!” She shouted. “Lyra, throw me!” She ran towards Lyra, and Lyra then made two big arms, which she used to grab Yang. Lyra then uses the arms to throw Yang towards the Terra, as Octavia jumped back from her weapon, and Yang punched it with full force. The blade was punched straight through the Grimm. The Terra then fell and disintegrated into dust. “Is everyone okay?” Asked Yang as she and the others regained their breaths. “Still breathing,” huffed Ember in relief. “Still in one piece,” Replied Lyra with a smile. Octavia retrieved her weapon and checked it for any damage. “My weapon is a little damaged,  but both it and will live,” She also said with relief. “Well, in that case, let’s get out of here before we attract any more unwanted attention,” Suggested Yang. The other girls all agreed, and with that, they made their way back to Beacon. Meanwhile, Salem had been watching the entire event on her scroll. “Hmm, Miss Xiao Long, the older sister to Miss Rose. She has the potential to become a great leader,” She said with a proud smile. To Be Continued...