Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or RWBY. Both are properties of Murayama-sensei and RoosterTeeth respectively.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Volume 2:
The Lone Huntress

EPILOGUE

Ozpin stared at the report displayed on his Scroll, brows furrowing into disappointment and trepidation. After re-reading it for the third time so as to not miss a single detail, he set it down and sighed deeply.

"How many kids?" Qrow asked immediately, recognizing the look on the Headmaster's face.

The man looked up at his trusted confidant somberly. "Three. On the one hand, it is less than I expected, but it hardly changes the fact that children died. I've told Peter to take a few days off. Thumbelina will be taking over Grimm studies in the meantime."

"It's a miracle Miss Obsidian even made it out of there alive," Glynda remarked. She looked horrified by what the report Peter wrote gave, not that anyone could blame her. "A Wild Hunt! Of all the Grimm they could have encountered!"

Ozpin expected Raven to give out some sort of remark along the lines of her philosophy, how the students who died by its hand were weak. She offered no such comments. "What did you expect? Even if Peter is a veteran, he plus a couple of brats couldn't do much against one of those monsters."

What she said was not wrong.

Back when the Brother Gods ruled over Remnant, humanity had long since learned how to combat the Grimm. A combination of military tactics, skills and magic had gone a long way in turning what had been an oppressive threat into a common occurrence. Grimm invasions were common, but unlike now, they were easily dealt with. Alphas were a common site, and the Elder Grimm were a very rare occurrence.

However, in the absence of mankind, the Grimm had flourished. In a world without anyone to keep them under control or thin their numbers, they began to establish territories and destroy any settlements standing between them and their goals. They grew older and stronger. When humanity returned, with their animalistic companions in tow, the balance shifted slightly. Humanity struggled to fight against the Grimm, and it hadn't been until Ozpin's reunion with Salem that mankind and the Faunus learned to fight against the Creatures of Grimm effectively. Elder Grimm were more common in those olden days and often required him or Salem to step in to deal with them.

It soon became clear to the two that they couldn't afford to allow Elder Grimm to run amok. The first order of business was to thin their numbers again, but even with their magical prowess and a growing army at their beck and call, they could only do so much. He imagined they had miss quite a few Grimm—the most intelligent of the Elders that fled from their sight and hid to bide their time.

The years passed, and they grew stronger still until they had reached a level of strength Ozpin never could have imagined. He remembered his first encounter with such creatures after the fall of the Circle. The experience was as vivid as it was horrifying. A monster that thought like a human being, capable of learning and adapting, studying its enemies and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. It had amassed its own army; Grimm of all shapes and sizes that fell under its banner, raiding and destroying entire villages and settlements all across Anima, long before the Kingdom of Mistral became a major figure when war loomed over the horizon.

A harrowing gallop of shrieks, howls and roars.
The screams of the damned and the shrieks of ghosts.
The anger and despair of those found wanting.
Embodiments of fury, made manifest and rallying beneath the banner of a great shadow.

A passage from a book locked away in Ozpin's desks; a small collection of fairy tales and legends that held some sliver of truth. It was one of the more chilling myths; a tale of a traveling band of vicious demons that hunted for sport and destroyed whatever they came across.

"The Wild Hunt." Grimm who lived since the ancient times, of when Gods once lived alongside their creations.

Ozpin had no idea how many Wild Hunt existed, only that they were extremely dangerous and were better left alone. While their deaths would have been a great boon—one less pawn for Salem to utilize—the Wild Hunt possessed great power. If one was set about killing them, they must take great pains and time to prepare for the unexpected.

"Have you broken the news to Mister Rouge?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin nodded. "I have. As you might expect, he was…not pleased to hear about the deaths of his teammates. I've already informed their families. Their bodies will be returned to them by tomorrow morning."

"Save for Roy Lint's, you mean. What happened to his body?"

"Neither Miss Obsidian nor Peter seemed to know what became of him. They only discovered the corpses of Lester Citron and Yee East."

Qrow grimaced as he unscrewed the cap from his flask. Glynda shot him a dirty look, which he promptly ignored in favor of gulping down the contents of the flask. "Lemme guess, Councilman Lint isn't happy?"

"Hardly. He's threatening to pursue damages and sue Beacon Academy for our failure in protecting his son."

"You don't sound very concerned about that," Raven noted. "From what my brother told me, he somehow figured out you're keeping the Fall Maiden stashed away under your school and has been milking you for all you're worth. Who's to say he won't leak that info?"

Ozpin scoffed. "He can try." It would not be the first time he encountered opposition from human opponents, especially those with political ties. If the Councilman thought he would simply bow to his whims, he was going to get a very rude awakening. "Glynda, please see to it that Miss Obsidian sees Thumbelina. After an experience like that, I can't begin to imagine what must be going on in her head."

"I'll see what I can do." Glynda paused for a moment, then sighed. "I hope Peter is alright. He's always been so concerned about the health and safety of his students. Having three of them die under his watch, with him nearby no less… I can't even imagine what he's going through right now."

"What do we do about the Wild Hunt?" Qrow asked. "I would say we kill it, but I figure that's the last thing we should do right now."

"You would be correct, Qrow. When it comes to matters such as this, we must step carefully." Ozpin looked at Glynda, eyes cold and features stern. "If anyone asks about what transpired in the Emerald Forest depths, tell them that they were more Grimm than expected. The very last thing we need are for hot-headed Huntsman to go after the Wild Hunt and get themselves killed."

The Vice-Headmistress nodded and proceeded to carry out his orders. With that, the matter involving the Wild Hunt Grimm was settled for now. Ozpin knew it was only a matter of time before that thing reared its ugly head again, and leaving it alone was not an option. They needed to deal with it sooner or later. The problem was gathering the resources and manpower necessary to deal with it. Which, of course, required him to make an appeal to the Council to launch an Extermination mission to eliminate the Grimm from the Emerald Forest depths, which Councilman Lint would no doubt try to stonewall. He doubted he would, considering that the Wild Hunt murdered his son, but if there was anything he learned during his long years walking this earth, it was that human beings were fickle creatures, ruled by their emotions.

Pushing the matter aside for the moment, Ozpin focused on the matter that he was well on his way to resolving.

Shizu Obsidian, a diamond in the rough, would not remain a Solo for much longer. He was making some headway in eliminating the Solo system, something he really should have done away with a long time ago, but at the time he hadn't been involved in Huntsman Academies and was more focused on consolidating a power base. He needed allies and political connections before doing his best to train the next generation.

It wouldn't be right away, the removal of the Solo system wouldn't be for maybe another year or so, but Shizu would be on a team. Before Peter sent him the report about what happened in the Emerald Forest (there was a sense of surprise and nostalgia when he learned they somehow found Queen Safra's former home, protected by her magical wards even after the Brothers took away the gifts he bestowed), Leonardo had contacted him regarding two of his students. A newly formed team was suffering from infighting, which apparently grew in intensity before things got out of hand. The situation escalated to the point where he needed to intervene personally. The problematic students responsible for the situation getting so out of hand were expelled, but afterwards his fellow Headmaster faced a new problem. The remaining two students, Arslan Altan and Reese Chloris, were without teammates and there was none willing to host them.

Both Headmasters agreed it would be a waste for them to be without a team, and following Leonardo's suggestion that they were perhaps better suited at Beacon, Ozpin arranged for them to be transferred to Beacon. Granted, the girls would no doubt face some difficulties in suddenly being thrown into a new environment, and odds were they would take issue with being placed on a new team after having gotten into a huge fight with their old one, but Huntsman needed to be able to adapt. And more importantly, they needed to be united.

And they were far from the only new arrivals. There was one more newcomer arriving to Beacon: A failed applicant from Shade Academy's Initiation. According to her test evaluations, both on the written exam and her scores from Initiation itself, she was quite competent and had a good head on her shoulders. It was only a stroke of bad luck that the exam was ill suited for her abilities. Ordinarily that would be end of it, and she would be sent home. Theodore must have saw something in her and recommended her to Ozpin, asking his old friend to give her a chance. Never one to turn away a willing future warrior, Ozpin accepted, though he made it clear to May Zedong that the Practical Exam was going to be difficult.

The exam was a few days ago, and around the same time he received Leonardo's message about Arslan and Reese, Glynda finished grading her test results. May had passed with a high enough score to place her at Beacon Academy.

Three new students would be attending Beacon Academy as early as tomorrow, and as it just so happened, he had a Solo.

By this time tomorrow, Shizu Obsidian would be part of a team; she would no longer fight alone, but with allies to trust her life with. People she could share her struggles with, bond with and create a united front that would stand against any Grimm before them.

At least, that was his hope. First things first, those girls needed to undergo Initiation like all new students.

"Oz, you got that look again."

Ozpin raised a brow at Qrow's disturbed expression. "Define 'look'."

"The look of a man who takes great pride in tossing poor naïve brats into the Emerald Forest," Raven deadpanned. "The same fucking look you had when you did that to us in our Initiation."

He innocently took a drink from his coffee mug, relishing the wondrous taste of hot cocoa. And they thought coffee was better. Heretics, the lot of them.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

A crowd of first-year students had amassed by the air docks before the Bullhead made its landing. Professor Port and the rest of the second years, including Shizu, stepped out when the doors opened. The teacher seemed tired and haggard, much older than he appeared while gently telling the curious first-years to return to their dorm rooms. Everyone was tired after what had transpired, and they needed their rest. Any questions they had could be answered tomorrow.

So far, it seemed that [Control Amnesia] had worked without any sort of complications. Since she had rendered him unconscious when she went about capturing the Wild Hunt Grimm, she needed to provide a reasonable excuse as to why he fell unconscious. The memories she implanted were that he had been knocked out when he attempted to defend Team RYAL during their battle against the Grimm, and had to be dragged away by a wounded Shizu. To sell the illusion, Aura had inflicted some serious damage to Shizu; nothing life-threatening or serious, but enough to make it seem like she struggled in getting Professor Port out of the castle.

She still had some reservations about the memory alterations, so for the time being she would put Professor Port under observation.

A few first-years attempted to question her in spite of what the teacher had told them, but she ignored them and left them behind in favor of returning to her dorm room. From there the walk to the dorms was uneventful until she stepped into the lobby.

To her surprise, she was assaulted by a familiar rabbit-eared demi-human. "Oh, thank the Brothers, you're alright!" Velvet released her from her hold and looked her over. "You're a mess! What on Remnant happened out there?!"

"Jeez, Vel, take a chill pill!" Coco chided her teammate. "Give her some breathing room. She's probably gone through hell and last thing she needs is you smothering her."

The other members of Team CFVY, Yatsuhashi Daichi and Fox Alistair, approached with similar concerns. Shizu was surprised they would be so worried about her. It was sweet, but unneeded. Their worries about her safety brought to mind their concern from when she left on the day of the excursion only a few days ago. She did not understand why they would be so worried about her, seeing as how they only knew each other for only a month or so.

"Have you all been waiting here?"

Yatsuhashi nodded in affirmation. "We were all concerned. Velvet most of all."

"Word is that three-fourths of Team RYAL bit the dust out there," Coco said. "No one's shedding a tear about that asshole Roy, but his teammates are another story. I don't think Avian's heard the news yet, but he probably will soon."

News of their deaths had already reached the student body? The gossip rumor mill was faster than she initially thought. Although Roy Al Lint was still alive last she heard, having been deposited at Nazarick along with the Wild Hunt Grimm that they discovered at the castle. How long that would be before his usefulness reached its end, she did not know. At this point, he was irrelevant.

"We were worried when we heard about what happened," Velvet added. "So were the rest of the first-years."

Shizu tilted her head in confusion. "Why would they be concerned about my safety?"

"You are kind of the ace around here," Coco pointed out to her. "You've got a winning streak in the arena that would make Pyrrha Nikos jealous. And all of that without a Semblance or Aura."

"Were you worried about me as well?"

Velvet almost looked offended by her question. "Of course we were! You're our friend, Shizu!"

Shizu's eye widened.

They…consider me a friend?

That was…illogical, not to mention nonsensical. People do not become friends within the span of a month. Relationships such as that take time to develop, understanding one's dislikes and what they liked. Or had she just been overcomplicating it? Was it as simple as that? Her first instinct was that this was a trap of some sort, a way for them to get closer to her and use her for personal gain, but going over the information she compiled on Team CFVY, that didn't fit. They were a colorful bunch to be sure, and schemers they were not. Preliminary investigations even showed that they were extremely moral and would be against such methods.

She stared at Team CFVY, unsure what to think or feel. "You…think of me as a friend?"

"Would that be presumptuous of us?" Yatsuhashi asked.

She shook her head. "No, I am…merely surprised."

"You are pretty weird, I'll give you that," Coco shrugged before smiling. "But, you're also pretty chill in my opinion. Remember this?"

She adjusted the beret atop her head. Shizu recognized it immediately as the hat she had offered her thoughts on at Coco's prompting when they had taken her out to explore Vale last weekend, only a few days before Professor Port's decision to take his second-year class to the depths of the Emerald Forest. The trip itself wasn't anything worth remembering aside from perhaps the quick visit to the weapon smith. The wide array of weaponry and bullets of types and variety not found in Yggdrasil were fascinating and worth logging in her report. The only reason Shizu remembered that hat was because Coco asked for her input specifically, and when she gave her answer, Coco reciprocated by purchasing her clothes she thought would look wonderful on her.

Thinking back on it now, were those clothes a gift? As thanks for choosing a beret for her?

"I recall, yes."

"I wouldn't ask for your input if I didn't think your opinions matter, Shizu. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I do want to be friends with you." Coco paused for a moment before a smile akin to the one Shalltear wore whenever she was thinking of Ainz appeared on her face. "That, and you are freaking cute."

Velvet groaned. "Coco, do you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Flirt with every girl you think is cute!"

"That isn't flirting, Vel. Flirting is when I really lay it down. Though if you want to see real flirting…~"

"No thanks. I think I've seen enough of the Tucker-style flirting to last a lifetime."

"Hey hey hey, leave my uncle out of this!"

Shizu wasn't sure why, but she felt the corners of her lips slowly curling upwards. There must have been something on her face as Yatsuhashi seem to notice it. "You're smiling."

Coco and Velvet stopped bickering and stared at her. Shizu blinked and touched her mouth. Her lips had indeed take on a downward curve shape, akin to that of a smile. It was smaller than what a smile should be, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Vel, quick!" Coco suddenly shouted. "Take a picture! We gotta immortalize this moment!"

"I-I don't have it with me!" The demi-human rounded on her heel and took off towards the dorm rooms. "I'll be right back!"

Is this what having friends is like? Shizu idly wondered before she nodded to herself.

This wasn't a bad feeling.

After resting for the night and making her report, Shizu prepared for the new day. She fulfilled the daily ritual of using the shower, getting dressed and eating breakfast with the rest of the students, but she noticed a slight change to the daily routine. Instead of eating by herself, finishing quickly and making her way to class early, she instead found herself interacting with Team CFVY. Her conversations with them felt quite normal than what she was expecting of friends, but the feeling had been rather different than before. It felt more…comfortable, she supposed? It was a little hard to describe, but it was not unpleasant.

Instead of heading to class at a later date, Professor Goodwitch had found her and informed her that she would be exempt from first and second period and would gather her gear for a test of sorts. What sort of test, she did not know, and from the looks on Team CFVY's face, they were just as in the dark as she was. She also took note of Professor Goodwitch's recommendation to visit Professor Peach for therapy sessions regarding what transpired in the Emerald Forest. It was likely that they were still suspicious of her inability to unlock her Aura, so she would have to keep her guard up.

Nonetheless, she followed the teacher's instructions and went to the locker room to gather her gear. When she entered the locker room, she discovered that she was not the only one present.

There were three people, all unfamiliar and not from Beacon as far as she could recall. Females of seventeen years of age or so.

The first had a heart-shaped face and tanned skin, dusky rose hair that came down to the base of her neck and grayish-blue eyes. Atop her head was a lopsided black beanie that covered her right eye alongside the fringe of her bangs. She wore a red jacket with white stripes, one across the chest and one running down the sleeves with a black scarf wrapped neatly around her neck. She also wore black tracksuit pants that were rolled up at the knees and red sneakers. Fastened to her hip was her weapon, the long shaft distinctive of a sniper rifle or grip.

The second girl had bronze skin that contrasted with her platinum blonde hair and olive eyes, which oddly reminded her of her elder sister Yuri Alpha. Her attire was obviously of Mistralian design; a loose-fitting yellow robe with a single sleeve pulled over the left side of her body, revealing a back tube top underneath. Fastened around her waist was a red sash bearing a white "endless knot" embroided on it. She also wore black pants and shoes. Wrapped around her arms and legs, specifically the ankles, bicep and hands were bandages, though this seemed more like an aesthetic choice than because of an injury. Around her neck was a red beaded necklace. At the back of her head were two red pins.

She had no discernable weapon on her person, and if the bandages on her hands were of any indication, she was obviously a front-line fighter.

The last girl looked more like a civilian than a Huntsman-in-training. Her hair was swept to the right side of her face, her teal eyes matching her green hair. Her skin was fair, not tanned or dark like the other two and seemed visibly more cheerful. Two black marks were painted on her face, one beneath each eye. She wore a dark purple sweater with the hood pulled over her head, a mauve shirt barely visible from underneath the hood, complete with black shorts and high-top laced sneakers. Strapped over her knees and elbows were armored pads. On her back was her weapon, somewhat shaped like a shield but too thin, both in size and in length.

"Who are you all?" Shizu asked.

The girl with the beanie shrugged. "Newcomers. We're taking Initiation. You?"

"First year student. Solo."

The bronze-skinned girl raised a brow. "You have no team?"

"Guess that explains why we're all here then, huh?" the girl with the shield smiled as she stood up from the bench and walked up to Shizu, offering a hand in greeting. "My name's Reese Chloris! And she's Arslan Altain, my partner from Haven Academy. Nice to meet you!"

Shizu accepted the hand. "Shizu Obsidian. A pleasure," she reciprocated the greeting before pausing. "You are from Haven?"

"Yep! We just transferred here, and the Headmaster wants us to go through Initiation. Wants to see how we score and how we'll fit in, all that jazz."

The girl with the beanie stared at Arslan and Reese. "It's only been a month since the school year started, though. What made you decide to transfer?"

Arslan sighed. "We had some…complications with our team, not helped by the fact that our leader was, how to put it, a raging asshole. Got so bad that Headmaster Leonardo decided to give them the boot and give us a fresh start at Beacon, since there wasn't anyone else willing to host us."

"…you got into a big fight with your team that ended with them getting expelled, and you getting transferred to Beacon, within a month." The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to be amazed or confused. "What the hell happened between you?"

Reese's smile turn strained. "We don't really want to talk about it."

The intercom system cracked to life. Professor Goodwitch's voice echoed across the locker room. "Will May Zedong, Arslan Altan, Reese Chloris and Shizu Obsidian please report to Beacon Cliff? I repeat…"

"There's our cue," Arslan pushed off the locker she had been leaning on. As she walked past Shizu, she sized the girl up. "I hope we won't have any problems between us. I already had to deal with a bunch of pricks, I'd rather not have to deal with more."

"I'm afraid the ones you are describing passed away yesterday." Although confused by Shizu's comment Arslan didn't think much about it and continued walking, but Reese looked like she wanted to learn more. Shizu followed after them, soon joined by May. "What of you? How did you arrive here?"

May shook her head. "I tried out for Shade Academy. Didn't make the cut, but I guess the Headmaster there must have pulled some strings to make me take some tests here at Beacon. Depending on how things go, I might be going here instead."

"I see."

"…what's Beacon like?"

Shizu recalled her interaction with Team CFVY earlier. "…fun, I suppose."

"In that case, I hope I pass," May smiled slightly at her. "If we do end up on a team, let's try to be cool with each other, yeah?"

The girls left the locker room behind them and made their way towards Initiation, with Shizu wondering what the future was going to hold for her with three new variables to investigate, and friends to learn more about for the next few years…

AFTERWORD

First off, yes, I am fully aware that characters Arslan Altan, Reese Chloris and May Zedong are first years by the time Ruby is enrolled at Beacon, but for the sake of not using OC characters, I've aged them up a bit and chose to make them first-year students at Beacon, and official members of Shizu's team. As such, when RWBY does officially start, they will be second-year students alongside Team CFVY.

The official team name is Team MARS (May, Arslan, Reese, Shizu). While Shizu would be the optimal choice, take a moment to consider things from Ozpin's point of view. He sees a girl who was perhaps traumatized by the loss of her parents, is very quiet and reserved, is desperate to be acknowledged by 'somebody', and recently witnessed the people she was fighting alongside with get slaughtered. Giving her the responsibilities of a team leader would just put unnecessary pressure on her, so he chooses someone else.

Obviously, that isn't quite the truth, but Shizu is fine with that. She's just there to gather information, and while being team leader would be optimal, she's fine playing the part of a "teammate".

Small thing to note is that Arslan and Reese's teammates in their short time at Haven are not their teammates in canon, and they got stuck with people they were "destined to hate".

Secondly, regarding the possibility of the NPCs of Nazarick and Ainz gaining Aura. While Ainz's case could be argued, since he is technically trapped in the body of his game avatar, I do not think it is possible for the NPCs to gain aura. Aura, in RWBY, is described as being the manifestation of the soul. The NPCs of Nazarick were originally game characters—made from polygons and code and data—and while things may have changed with the migration to Remnant, I do not think they would be capable of developing Aura. And as interesting as it would be for Ainz develop Aura, I have no plans for him to get it.

And let's be honest here. DOES AINZ REALLY NEED AURA?!

Third, the inclusion of the "Wild Hunt" class Grimm. Odds are that this will be a divisive inclusion, especially since this one is capable of speech. Even so, I wanted to explore this idea. While it's never stated how long it was before humans were recreated after the GoD killed them off the first time, I would think it would be possible for Grimm that have lived during that time to still be around. Elder Grimm are large in size and thought to be dangerous, but try to imagine how dangerous Grimm that have been around since when the Brothers were around.

As for its weaponry, specifically the sword, eagle-eyed viewers might know about the emblem on the sword's hilt. It certainly provides a hint as to how it came across such a dangerous weapon.

Lastly, my update schedule. I have said this before, and I will say it again. The story will be updated when I decide it will be updated. I consider writing to be more of a "hobby" than an actual career of sorts, and I am quite busy with my real life even during the pandemic bullshit. I write on my time, not yours.

In short, a chapter will be ready when it is ready. Now please stop asking. If a story is being discontinued, I will inform you ahead of time.

With all of that out of the way, I have to admit, writing this arc has been a fun experience. Granted, it isn't very heavy on the action and is more focused on character interaction and set-up, but I still liked how it turned out. For the record, Shizu being placed on a team has been in the works since the start despite what the title of the arc says. I'm also aware that I haven't been portraying the characters correctly, but I never claimed to be perfect. Obviously I am going to be making some mistakes.

It has also been a while since I've read the novels, so perhaps a re-read is in order. Sadly, NovelPlanet got taken down recently alongside KissAnime and KissManga, much to my displeasure, but I've since found replacements for the latter two. If anyone has recommendations for a replacement site for NovelPlanet (preferably one with good and reliable translations), shoot me a PM.

To wrap this up, huge thanks to TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere, who proved to be invaluable in his help for Chapter 3 and has gone out of his way to cross-post this story on Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity. I would also like to remind everyone that Something Wicked This Way Comes has a TV Tropes page as well, thanks to whoever made that as well.

I look forward to seeing you again soon when a certain Faunus Demi-god Spartan takes to the battlefields of Beacon Academy.

P.S. Have I ever stated how much I hated writing Roy? I know I made him out to be a total scumbag, but my god, I didn't realize I hated him that badly. Also, fun fact: I had not even read the novel where Philip was introduced in Overlord and wrote Roy out to be a composite of Weiss and Jaune's worst traits i.e. relying on daddy to get what he wants and hating Faunus for little reason and so on.