(Opening Theme - Simple and Clean)

https://youtu.be/nhxDVYaO3eM

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https://youtu.be/5F3_1cSBuKM

As soon as the beast was shown on the screen, Ozpin's heart raced and turned to Glynda. "Inform Peter, Crowe, and Bartholomew at once!" he barked, his tone deadly serious. "I don't care if they're still setting up a classroom!"

"Y-Yes sir!" the blonde professor said with haste before she took off. Meanwhile, Ozpin scowled furiously as he turned back to the Emerald Forest. He didn't understand this. This should have been impossible. They had surveyed the area only a few minutes ago before they started Initiation, and there was absolutely no sign of it anywhere! There was no way it could have found its way inside the grounds without them noticing! Furthermore, there were absolutely no sightings of it in the surrounding area either! So how?!

"What in the hell is a Behemoth doing here?!"

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Standing before the 13 individuals was a fully grown Behemoth. The gargantuan beast growled at them as it stood tall on all four legs, it's fangs bared.

"...oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Aptus with a tired glare.

"O-oh god." Jaune whimpered. "Um, Your Highness. Please tell me that's not what I think it is!"

"I'm afraid it is, Jaune." Sieg said morbidly. 

Kyon let out a small growl. "It's definitely a Behemoth."

"W-what's a Behemoth?" Ruby asked, terrified and unfamiliar with most Lucian wildlife.

Before any could answer, the Behemoth released another roar. The Death Stalker emerged out from the ice prison, shaking off the remnants of cold bits before it whirled around, letting out a screech at the monster. The beast roared in turn before pouncing on the scorpion-like Grimm. It leaped over its body, which was an understatement given the sheer size of the beast, and in mid-leap, it grabbed the Death Stalker by the tail, fangs crushing the armor plating in between its teeth and dragging it along.

With the appendage still in its jaws, the Behemoth whipped its head around, dragging and thrashing the Deathstalker all over the place. It's ivory exoskeleton impacted the ground and trees surrounding it.

Splinters, pieces of rock - debris was kicked around everywhere with each impact. Some even broke into the shell that protected its body. With one final whiplash, the scorpion-Grimm was finally released...only it was sent flying through the air with black gunk spewing out of its severed tail, which was now as long as the tiny strings of flesh that attached the main body to the large pincers. The Behemoth crushed the remnants of the tail, spitting out the black remnants that began to quickly dissolve before it craned its head, finding the Death Stalker thrashing about wildly, screeching in pain erratically.

Its screams caused the initiates to cover their ears, the painful cries uncomfortable and unbearable to listen. It sounded much like hundreds of nails scratching a chalkboard.

The large beast let out a low growl, and stalked its prey. It planted its foot down on its stomach, preventing it from moving before it let out another roar and dug its fangs into its head, head pulling and tugging before, with impressive and terrifying strength, it pulled its head back...and ripped the Death Stalker in half.

The screeches of agony ceased as the carcass fell limp. It's remains had begun to dissolve into wisps of black smoke.

The Behemoth, on the other hand, was chewing up the remains of its head. Dissatisfied with the taste, the beast spat it out, leaving a mass of black gunk splattered on the forest floor.

The teens removed their hands from their ears and stared at the scene in horror and dread.

"H-holy crap!" Eliza shouted as she backpedaled, her face pale. "It ripped that sucker in half!"

"B-But what is it doing here?" Silica fearfully asked, the hair on her cat tail flaring up.

Sieg frowned heavily as he reloaded Fint and Lock. "I've heard that the wildlife in Lucis were capable of fighting off the Grimm," he noted tensely. "But seeing an Elder Grimm being slaughtered so easily...!"

"Guys, heads up!" Ruby shouted, pointing a finger upwards. The group looked up, and found the Nevermore squawked, flapping its wings before dive-bombing towards the beast.

https://youtu.be/8V3V-ZPhCEY

The Behemoth craned its head toward the diving Nevermore and growled in what appeared to be annoyance. Instead of moving out of the way, the beast stood its ground and opened its maw.

What happened next surprised the group even further.

As the Nevermore was within range to strike, the Behemoth shot out a plume of fire from its jaws, enveloping the avian Grimm.

In a matter of seconds, the stream of dark red flames reduced the bird to ashes, not even allowing it let out a single cry. As the flames faded away, leaving only smoke to blow from within the jaws of the beast, there was not even a shred of the Grimm remaining.

"The hell?!" Aptus hissed. "Since when do Behemoth's breath fire?!"

"This one, apparently!" Kyon remarked before the group froze as the Behemoth turned towards them, eyes set on them with a predatory gaze. "Ah, shit! Everyone, get ready!"

The others prepped their weapons in hand as the gargantuan beast took an earth-rumbling step towards them.

Then, it leaped up, mouth agape with claws at the ready.

The group of twelve scattered from its trajectory and positioned themselves to flank it after it landed.

Sieg joined with Ren and Blake, gunning it from behind while Yang and Aptus charged up front, Nora trailing behind them. The blonde brawler struck first, slamming her fist straight into its snout and letting off a round, causing the head to recoil. 

"Burn, sucker!" Aptus followed up by delivering a fiery kick at one of its legs, creating a sizable scorch in its ankle, though it seemed to barely faze the creature as it instead merely gave a growl of annoyance, raising a claw to crush them. However, a pink grenade exploded in its face, causing it to become stunned for a moment, allowing Aptus to escape.

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "Headshot!" She soon stopped her celebration, however, when the Behemoth turned, and flames danced in its mouth. "Oh no."

Quickly, she threw herself to the ground, avoiding the jet stream of flames that blazed through the grass. She then scrambled to get away as it began to crane its head, burning everything around it. The group was then forced to run around, avoiding the flames.

It swung its head from side to side to spread the fire over a wide area. Pretty soon, the surrounding foliage was lit ablaze as their air grew hotter and drier with each passing moment.

"Whoa!" Ruby cried, avoiding a nearby sprout of flame that nearly set her cloak on fire. "Hot hot hot!"

Jaune gritted his teeth, his skin becoming caked in sweat. "This is bad...any ideas, anyone?!"

"Move aside, tooth pick!" Aptus called out, standing in front of the group. "I got this!"

What Aptus did next made sure that those few who had barely retained their sanity lose it completely. He stood in firmly in front of the flames opened his mouth and inhaled the blazing flames.

Aptus patted his stomach and grinned at the beast. "Not bad, big guy!" Aptus exclaimed happily. Absolute silence followed his words. Other than his Lucian friends, everyone else's jaws hit the floor.

Jaune pointed a shaky finger at him and stuttered, "Y-you..wha..what the hell ARE you?!"

"That's Ap's power," Eliza snickered. "He can absorb or inhale fire into himself and get a decent power-up from it. Translation: Fire doesn't even faze him."

"Sick..." Nora muttered lowly in awe.

Kyon quickly scanned the surrounding area, running calculations in his mind. The Behemoth set the surrounding trees ablaze to trap them in the clearing, slowly diminishing the oxygen in the area as smoke took its place. They had to find a way out of here and challenge it in a different area. If they stayed, it would only be a losing battle.

It was at that moment he noticed a path close to the ruins, still untouched by the fire.

"Everyone, come on!" he shouted, pointing to the escape route.

The other teens were quick to follow after him. In the midst of the flames, the Behemoth let loose a thundering roar that resounded, and soon chased after them.

"Uh,  Ky!" Jaune shouted as they reached what appeared to be the face of the cliff. Between them and the cliff was a large gap, and the only thing linking the two platforms together was a bridge. The twelve initiates barreled through, looking over their shoulder to see the beast still hunting them, roaring and snarling all the while. "Its gaining on us!"

"I see that, Jaune!" Kyon shouted back before he whirled around, slamming on his feet and calling on Ascencion and Endeavour. "Ap, let's go!"

The armored Faunus nodded, eyes fierce. "On it!" As the Behemoth emerged, leaping out from the trees, Aptus charged forward, gauntlets ignited in flames. Letting out a roar, the large monstrosity swung its claw at him, only to be barred by his left arm and parried, allowing him to swing his right fiery fist directly slam it into its leg, knocking it off balance. "Sieg!"

The dark-haired sharpshooter was already over it, smirking as he took aim. "Hi there, opening~"

He pulled the triggers and two elemental bullets shot out of the barrels before hitting the beast's clavicle. The rounds exploded upon impact, eliciting a cry from the beast as its neck and shoulder were encased in a thin sheet of ice from the residual magic.

As it staggered, Eliza rushed up to it. " Our turn!" She exclaimed, mace prepared in hand

"Right!" Silica nodded, right behind her.

Seeing this, Jaune immediately saw an opportunity. "Nora!" he called. "Think you can give it a good thwack too?"

Somehow, the dangerous smile she gave him was downright unnerving as she charged up. The Behemoth managed to recover quickly, shaking off the damage and inhaling, small flickers of flames dancing in its mouth. The group realized what was about to happen and quickly took cover behind the scattered pillars and rocks for cover, minus Aptus, who took the flames head on. The three girls, however, continued to charge forward. Just as the Behemoth was about to fire off another plume of flames to reduce the humans to ashes, Eliza and Silica both jumped to through the high trees to avoid the flames. Nora aimed her grenade launcher at her feet. "Boom!" she cheered as she was sent up into the air, thus avoiding the flames too.

At that moment, Eliza and Silica launched forward out of the trees downwards at the foe, swinging Morning Star and Oathkeeper, respectively, with all their might and smashed harshly into the side of the Behemoth's face, causing to roar in pain.

 As she flew upwards, Nora's weapon changed into what appeared to be a giant hammer. Her grin grew wider as she descended downward, weapon overhead.

"YAZTHEE!"

As the Behemoth inclined its head to reach its target, the hammer, descent fueled by gravity and inhuman arm strength, slammed on top of its head, forcing its mouth shut. With its jaws closed abruptly, the flames had nowhere to go. The pressure built up before a blast of heat exploded from its mouth.

The hyperactive ginger used the monster's head as a springboard to propel herself away once her attack was finished.

The Behemoth then released a painful cry: a mixture of rage and pain as it shook his head, black smoke blowing out from its mouth and snout. The entire insides of its mouth were utterly charred, and several of its fangs were broken apart from the explosion. "Aw, what's the matter, big boy?" Yang taunted, smirking. "Too hot for ya?" In response, the Behemoth glared at her, and roared in rage, slamming its claw down in anger before it charged at her. Acting quickly, she used Ember Celica to bump her up in the air, avoiding the swipe of its claw that would have flatten her and delivered a few shots to its exposed backsides. Unfortunately, she was hit by its tail, knocking her out of the air. "Oof!"

"Yang!" Ruby cried in panic, seeing her flying towards the open chasm.

The brawler's eyes widened in panic. She would have used her gauntlets, but she realized too late that she was too far to get enough distance to reach the edge before she fell to the point of no return. However, she soon felt a black band wrap around her wrist, and found herself yanked back. She landed back on the ground, just shy of the edge leering over the seemingly bottomless abyss of the chasm, and looked to her side to find her partner with her weapon out. "...thanks for that." she said quietly.

The black-haired Faunus smiled thinly. "Next time." she said teasingly. "Don't be so reckless, Yang. It's bad for your health."

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." Yang smirked back. "It's what I do."

"There's a difference between bravery and foolhardiness." Sieg admonished as he passed them, two daggers in hand.

The Behemoth let out a growl as it tried to swipe the man away, only for him to nimbly slide underneath it and find himself right below it. Acting quickly, he tossed the knives at its ankles, two each striking around where the bone stuck out. Hissing in annoyance, the beast hopped back and tried to scoop the man up in its burnt mouth. Aptus, however, stopped it by slamming a powered up fiery punch into it's face and knocking it back, allowing Sieg to throw another knife at its neck.

His eyes developed a glare as he roared, "Ky!"

"On it!"

Following his friend's command, the Crown prince of Lucis locked onto the dagger that was thrown. Focusing his power into it, Kyon warped to its location, flying through the air from the dagger's momentum. While airborne, he summoned Endeavour and stabbed it right into the Behemoth's neck.

He tried to dig the sword was far into the neck as possible, but the hide was incredibly thick. The Behemoth, in response, tried to shake him off, letting out a cry before the human could do any damage to it. Eventually, it threw him off, though Kyon was not done yet. His body disappeared into a burst of blue light and reappeared at the daggers thrown at the ankles of the Behemoth.

His forgotten Endeavour blade, still stuck in the neck, also reappeared in his hand alongside Ascencion as he immediately went about cutting up the skin. Several decently-sized gashes were made in its ankle, blood spurting out before he warped to the next ankle and repeated. In an attempt to stop him, the Behemoth thrashed about wildly, stomping around as if in a tantrum.

"Hey, ugly!" Ruby shouted as she fired off a few rounds at the Behemoth, though they barely made any impact into the thick hide of the beast. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?!"

The massive beast craned its head over to the petite red girl, pure fury burning in its green and milky eyes.

Utilizing this distraction, Kyon cut through the last ankle, reminding the beast that it had someone underneath it. Roaring angrily, and having enough, it leaped back, avoiding the prince. His actions were already done as is as he warped back over to his friends. "Talk about thick skin!" Kyon growled. "Sie, any ideas?"

"A few come to mind..." the strategist of the team replied. "Despite its hulking frame, it is quite agile. In addition it has a durable hide. However...given the state of its eyes, it seems to be blind on one side."

As the Behemoth stepped closer, growling and slowly waltzing towards them like a predator zeroing in on its prey. The group slowly edged away, weapons ready when it pounced. "So what's the plan?" Aptus asked.

"Despite being quite durable, it doesn't have a favorable disposition to flame." Sieg noted, noticing how its mouth had been severely damaged from the result of its own flames backfiring. It was an odd phenomenon, as it lacked proper resistance to its own attack.

He was unsure why it was the case, then again, this is the first they've encountered a Behemoth capable of breathing fire. Nevertheless, this was an opportunity they could exploit. He pushed up his glasses, looking at Weiss. More specifically, her pouch. "Weiss, how many Fire Dust crystals do you have on your person?"

"Quite a few. I always bring several crystals with me into combat." Weiss nodded, taking a couple of red crystals from her pouch.

Sieg nodded in approval before he took out a familiar sphere in his hand. "Ky," he turned the prince. "How many Elemental Bombs do we have on hand?"

"That depends." Kyon smirked. "Ap! Ya feelin fired up!?"

Said faunus smirked wildly at that. "What kind of question is that? Let's make Behemoth BBQ!"

"Then we have enough for the job!"

The Behemoth, finding the moment to strike, let loose a gigantic roar and charged, releasing thunderous steps as it barreled its way toward them with the intent of ripping them apart.

Both Kyon and Sieg readied their bombs in hand and waited until the precise moment to throw them. 

As the beast drew near, Ruby, Eliza, Silica and Jaune looked at one another, nodding before they charged in. Weiss needed time to prep the dust crystals, while Aptus jumped back and began to harness all the fire he absorbed and store it into his right arm for a powerful shot, and they were going to give her the time. Ruby reached the Behemoth first with her speed, darting forward with a burst of petals. Her scythe dragged along the side of its body, creating a shallow cut along the thick hide. The creature roared out as it whirled around, snarling while swishing its tail.

Jaune was nearly thrown off by it, but instead managed to use it to his advantage as he grabbed hold of it, hanging on and slowly working his way up. Feeling something on its tail, the Behemoth craned its head to find the human clinging to its tail and roared, swinging its body around. Jaune tried to hang on, but he eventually lost his grip and found himself high in the air.

"Oh craaaaaap!" he cried as he fell down once gravity got a hold of him. The Behemoth's body tensed before it leaped up with the intent of snatching him in its mouth like a dog catching a ball.

Nora and Pyrrha, however, had other ideas.

Nodding at one another, the two girls went to action. Pyrrha crouched down as Nora jumped. When the ginger fell back down on top of the Spartan's shield, she was seated on the shaft of her hammer, the face of her weapon using the shield as a platform. The moment she was on, the red haired girl jumped as Nora pulled the trigger of her weapon, propelling her high into the air and above the Behemoth. Once she reached apex height, she spun around fired off her weapon again, letting the recoil and gravity fuel her descent.

"BAAAAAATER UP!"

She swung Magnihld with all her might and the head of the hammer impacted with the side of the Behemoth's face, forcing it to crash to the ground away from Jaune.

Jaune struck the ground rear first, causing him to cry out in pain. "OW!" he yelped, rubbing his rear as he stood up. "Man...think I landed right on my scroll!" He looked up just in time to see the Behemoth growling in rage as it quickly shook off the damage, charging at him. It raised its upper body up, limb extended, with the intent of crushing him right there.

Acting quickly, Eliza shot foward with Morning Star crackling with lighting dust, before slamming it into the Behemoth's back leg. The attack caused the beast to loose focus enough to miss Jaune by mere inches.

Silica shot passed Jaune and slashed the Behemoth across the face several time before leaping back.

Seeing this, Jaune went on the offensive and struck with Crocea Mors. The blade made a wide arc before it dug into the Behemoth's ankle, right over the wound that Noctis made before.

The strike deepened the gash, causing more blood to leak out and cut into the tendon. The Behemoth felt strength being lost in its leg and roared in defiance, trying to swipe at the blonde, only for a blast of electricity to explode on its blindside, releasing yet another cry before it turned and found Blake and Ren shooting at it, the former prepping another Dust crystal to toss.

She gave her Fire Dust to Weiss, who was close to being ready. Meanwhile, Sieg was heading towards it from behind, determined to keep it in one spot and prevent it from moving any further before his friends were ready to set its ass on fire. Using the distraction, the two gunners making, Sieg came up to one of the hind legs and unleashed rapid shots right at the heel.

The Behemoth let out a pained cry, losing strength in its hind legs. With a furious rage, it turned around and tried to crush him, dragging its claw along the earth. He was quick to evade it, moving out of the way. However, it then realized its blindspot was exposed, evident when it felt several blasts strike away at its hide. "I!" Yang shouted, throwing shot after shot at the monster. "Hope! Your! Hun! Gry!"

The massive beast howled as kinetic energy rounds pelted it over and over again in the same spot, gradually wearing down its defenses. The fact that the attacker was in its blind side did not help either.

It eventually whirled around, kicking up dust and debris. Some of it went flying at the brawler, though she managed to blow some of it away. Pyrrha then charged in through the dust, leaping up. Switching her weapon to its spear form, she reared her arm back and threw it.

The thrown weapon flew and stabbed itself into the monster's lone, functioning eye. The Behemoth screeched louder than it ever had before, forcing the teens to cover their ears from the noise.

"Ahh! My ears!" Silica cried out.

"Somebody shut it up!" Nora cried, clutching her ears closed. "I can't stand it!"

 "Good Oum! Its like somebody's dragging nails across the chalkboard back home!" Eliza exclaimed.

"It sounds even worse than that!" Ruby yelled in agreement. "It sounds like the songs of Yang's favorite boyband!"

"Hey!"

As the creature continued to thrash around, swiping a claw at its face and removing the spear, it shook his head, trying to shake off the pain before releasing another roar.

"Ky!" Sieg called. "Aptus! Weiss! On my mark!"

"Right!" The Prince, Faunus, and Heiress all nodded as they readied the elemental bomb, powered up gauntlet and dust crystals in hand respectively.

This time, the creature relied on sound. Hearing the three's cry, it charged right at them. "Steady!" Sieg told them, keeping their hands tamed. "Steady!" The Behemoth continued to charge, unheeding of its losing strength in its legs from the blood loss. If it was going to die, it would at least kill one of these humans. As it neared, a bead of sweat dripped down Ignis' forehead. "Steady!"

Three seconds. Two. One-!

"NOW!"

Just as the Behemoth lunged at them, they swiftly moved out of the way. Kyon and Sieg threw their bombs straight into the air, flying in an arc and ready to hit their mark while Weiss threw the myriad of dust crystals at the bridge's floor. As their bodies hit the ground, the Behemoth fell on all fours, tumbling through the bridge before coming to a stop. Growling, it tried to get back to its feet. However, none of the students were about to give it a chance.

"APTUS, NOW!"

"Aye aye!" Aptus shouted as he took aim with his blazing arm. Just as the elemental bombs came down close to the Behemoth, the fox faunus smirked. "Adios you, bastard!"

He launched a large, powerful, ball of fire from his arm and shot it right at the Dust crystals lying at the Behemoth's feet. The elemental bombs were right in front of its face now.

Then the fiery sphere struck the Dust crystal, right as one of the bombs touched the cobblestone floor of the bridge.

The result was a cacophony of fiery explosions. Plumes of fire erupted from the bridge and swallowed the gargantuan beast whole. Furthermore, the force of the blasts compromised the age-weakened structure of the stone bridge, causing pieces to be blown off as cracks rapidly formed. In a matter of moments, all that could be heard through the blaze was the Beast's final howls of agony before the stone floor beneath it finally broke apart.

With that, a fireball was sent downwards into the chasm below, vanishing in the mist.

"...Hey, pal?" Aptus asked, looking at the prince. "What happens when wildfire tells you a joke?"

Kyon shrugged as he laid down on the ground, utterly exhausted. Both from the events in the forest, running for dear life, and fighting a Behemoth. The adrenaline had finally left his body, and he was no worse for wear. "What?"

"You get burned!" Aptus grinned, laughing...only to wince as he held his ribs. "Okay...on second thought, no laughing." His armor started to glow a moment, before disappearing off his body.

"Good. Cuz that was a terrible one-liner." Eliza said as she sat against a tree.

"I don't know, I thought it was a pretty good one." Yang commented.

Ruby groaned, laying flat on the grass. "Only you would think that, Yang." she said tiredly. "Hey, Weiss? Can I go to sleep now? I hurt all over..."

"Of course not...is what I would say...but I could use a break myself..." The white haired girl nodded as she kneeled on the ground.

Nora let out a laugh. "What a bunch of wimps!" she said with a grin. "Me and Ren could take on another...cou...ple..." She trailed off as she fell to the ground. Moments later, they could hear her snoring. "Zzz..."

"...Ren?" Jaune asked his friend in exasperation. "You mind if I ask something?"

The boy sighed as he sat up. "Yes." he stated the unanswered question. "Yes she is."

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"Have all the students transported to the medical bay." Ozpin ordered the staff. "Their safety is our first priority. Also inform the initiates that, until further notice, Initiation will be suspended. Inform the nearest guild association of the situation. If there's another one of those things roaming around, we're going to need all the help we can get."

They didn't stick around much longer after that. They were quick to run about their business, intent with the tasks they had been assigned. However, that said, they couldn't help but feel disturbed. For as long as they have known him, Ozpin was a figure of composure. A giant of mental strength, stature and charisma. Yes, he could be odd at times, but his charm and excellent abilities could bring out the best in anyone.

To see the man lose his composure, however, was a little jarring, yet not expected. After all, no one had expected an honest-to-gods BEHEMOTH to suddenly appear.

Never before had the Emerald Forest had been home to one of these creatures native to Lucis. They usually roam around the Leide region, a vast desert surrounding the Capital of Lucis, Insomnia. To see such a monstrosity here in Vale of all places was quite alarming.

But it also begged the unasked question. Just how was a Behemoth even here?

The question was plaguing their minds, especially Ozpin's. As he sat in his office, forehead creased in disturb, he tried to think of possibilities and theories as to how such a beast could have been there. While Bartholomew and Peter had arrived late, just minutes after the students eliminated the Behemoth, he was still worried about them. This was not boding well, both for his own health and for political matters. No doubt the press or council would have a field day if they learned that a Behemoth had appeared in the Emerald Forest while so many transfer students from the Cultural Exchange program, including the crown prince himself, were present.

He let out a tired sigh. "I'm getting too old for this."

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Done and done! The Emerald Forest arc is finally done! Tell me what you guys thought of this chapter so far! Leave a review or PM me your thoughts and opinions on it!

See ya!!!