Mythical (RWBY Pyrrha Quest)

Πρωταθλητής 7

Shame burns in your gut. It galls you to quit the field of battle. Never before have you relinquished victory. The trophy of your labor is almost in your grasp and to throw it away, in that moment when you seize it?

You cannot do it.

It is this foolish stubbornness that keeps you lingering on the field for a few moments longer, trying to calculate the best approach to kill the Sifjar, even without allies and without dust. Plots and plans come to mind, the myriad ways to approach the Sifjar's defeat. To crush it, on your lonesome, and slay it to vindicate yourself. No interruptions, no assistance from meddlers. Just you and your prey.

It would require all of your skill and would leave you exhausted. But you could do it.. You wouldn't have to withdraw. This fight would still prove something. Prove that you were strong. .

"I'm not going to withdraw," someone says, and you are surprised to find it's not you. "I'll see that wolf dead."

It's Nora. Injured Nora. Nora, bloody and wounded, standing on her last legs.

And it's there, in that moment, that you realize that it's about more than you.

It's a bitter pill to swallow. You stubbornly want to refuse the call, that you must give in, but… There is more at stake that just you. More than just your own glory. The mission is at stake. While you are stubborn and prideful and wrathful and flawed in ways you will refuse to admit to anyone, not even yourself…

You have not only the pride of a champion - but also that of a hunter. And you refuse to fail your mission.

"You're not," you tell Nora through grit teeth. You force the words out. It's like tearing out your own heart. "None of us. We're withdrawing. Ren, protect our rear."

"Understood." The boy steps forward and with a yank and a twist, pulls his spear out of the ground and returns it to his shoulder. The Sifjar stirs from where it watches you, but it keeps its distance.

You sling Miló and Akoúo̱ onto your back and step forward to scoop Nora into your arms in a classic princess carry. She doesn't resist, but as you lean your head down she leans up and whispers in your ear. Her hoarse breath is warm against your ear.

"Do you not seek the Sifjar's death as well?"

You do. You can't say you don't. Your heart burns with the desire to return to the fight, and claim the victory you earned.

You don't tell her that. You don't tell her about the shame you feel at this loss. You don't tell that you, almost blame her for it. Instead you counter with another question. "If it were Ren who was wounded, and not you, would you flee?"

Nora's face twists. You recognize it. That look on her face. She's willing to throw herself into danger, but when it comes to those truly dear to her heart she's much more reluctant.

It's a familiar look. A familiar feeling.

Her arms wrap around her warhammer, transformed back into a grenade launcher, and she does not say another word. Now, as you retreat, you much prefer the silence. You don't want to reflect on this anymore.

You pad smoothly across the ground, making sure your hold on Nora is tight and secure before bursting into a sprint. Nora, cradled within your arms, is barely jostled by the quick and jolting movements over open ground. You hear feet shifting across ground behind you, Ren carefully making sure that the Sifjar does not advance towards you with your injured cargo, before he follows you as well.

To your relief- accompanied by disappointment in equal measure, the Sifjar does not follow. If he followed, you would have been hard pressed to defend Ren and Nora, but you would have had an excuse to continue the fight. Now there is only the retreat.

The three of you escape quietly, feet whispering across the ground despite your haste. Not a word is spoken between any of you three. You still burn with the unspoken humiliation of having been forced to quit the field. The experience burns white hot in your craw. You run along silently for several minutes before you realize that you have absolutely no idea where you're going.

It's somewhat obvious in hindsight, you burst into the forest with only the vaguest idea of what direction in which to head, and after several fights, you have completely lost even that initial bearing you started with. Thus, loathe as you are to acknowledge it, you are completely and utterly lost.

Well, not entirely lost. You just need some bearings, and then you can find your way without further assistance.

You chew on your words as you consider a way to broach the topic. "Where were the two of you headed before?"

Nora sulks in your arms.

"The Ruins." Ren says. He speeds up his pace a bit to overtake you. "If you don't know the way, I can lead."

"Of course I know the way." You bluff. Even you'd have to admit, it is a somewhat unconvincing bluff. Something clasped to your bosom titters a bit but you give it a rough shake and it punches you in the arm and the two of you glare at each other before turning away.

"Okay, you know the way." Ren replies in a flat tone. "Do you want to lead, then?"

Stubborn pride wars with practicality once more. You wrestle with your answer for a few moments before you remember that if you try to lead and don't know the way you'll just end up looking stupid, anyways.

"I'll let you lead." You magnanimously grant him the privilege. "You seem inclined to it anyway."

By the time you have reached your destination the sun has passed its apogee and is on a downward descent, soon after which its light will fade and dusk will be upon you. Ren pushes aside a few branches ahead of him then freezes. You stop behind him.

"What?" You and Nora ask of him simultaneously. "Why have you stopped" and "Are we there?" duel with each other for space in dialogue.

Ren does not reply. He only stares out at what he sees, apparently dumbstruck, or so far as you can make out from his expressions. Nora sighs in your arms, and pushes you away as she slides out of your grasp. She lands on her feet with an easy daintiness and hops lightly in the air a few times as she shakes out her legs.

...if she could walk, why were you carrying her?

"I thought your side hurt," you point out with just a trace of annoyance.

"It did." She turns to look back at you with a smug smirk. "Like a hour ago. But you seemed to be having such a fun time of it I didn't want to run your fun."

...you'll let her off for that one. But only because you're too tired from hauling someone's extremely heavy behind across half of the Emerald Forest.

"You're fat," you tell her without any fanfare as you step up to take a look at what has surprised Ren, so. A wild forest animal makes an angry noise behind you as you pass Nora by but you ignore it.

The sight in front of you is too strange to bother with that.

A literal tent city is set up in front of you. You can spot trainees having set up lean-tos, tarp tents, and other various forms of shelter. It's normal to construct such shelters when you're expecting a long stay, of course, but this is just the initiation exam. It's a simple search a retrieval. They should have the relics in hand and be out before the next dawn.

You can spot trainees hustling and bustling among themselves, trading dust and supplies. You can even smell the faint aroma of meat being roasted over open fires. Is this a base camp?

What is going on?

[ ] March forward and towards the relics. The sight may be bizarre but it does not change the fact that the relics are your primary concern. If everyone else has held back for whatever strange reason, it merely means that you will have the first opportunity to take your pick.

[ ] Take advantage of the tent city to refuel your supplies of dust through trading, and potentially pick up on the local scuttlebutt as well. If the challenge ahead of you is so difficult that the other initiates have felt the need to step up a cap to prepare you want to be fully equipped and supplied.

[ ] Is that a flash of gold and red you see? The sisters you met earlier from before have arrived before you as well- wait, is that the banner boy?! Oh, if he knows what's good for him he'll stay right there. You're going over to interrogate him for all he's worth. How did he meet the Rose sisters? How did he know where to go? And most importantly how in the goddess's name did he get there before you?

[ ] Stick and Ren and Nora for now. At this point it might just be social inertia but you feel like they're… acceptable to stay in your presence.

[ ] Find a tent and go brood about having been beaten to the punch

[ ] Write in

QN: THANKS LOGIC

NOW PLEASE WRITE YOUR OWN QUEST AT REASONABLE TIMES INSTEAD OF LIKE AT 3 IN THE MORNING

Anyway, going to start making OC teams now to fill in like the xteen other teams that we never ever see in RWBY because there are only 16 students in the entire school. If you have any ideas feel free to throw them into the pot.