Alright, ladies and gents... At the start of this month, I promised I would upload the continuation of 'To Be a Huntsman,' so here you have it. This chapter is a prologue, an introduction to the basic plotline, and since the prequel ended up being an AU, in relation to the canon story, things are gonna deviate from canon here, too, even if the events will loosely follow the plot of RWBY volumes 4 and 5, to a degree. But I should stop here before I start rambling too much... The story starts right where part 1 of the character shorts left off (not required to read but I recommend) and there will be some references to the prequel and the collection of one shots, just a heads-up.
Lastly, time to get formalities out of the way before we begin: RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and absolutely fantastic Mr. Monty Oum (RIP)! I own nothing of RWBYverse except my OCs.
Prologue – A new journey
"What is taking her so long? Ugh, this waiting sucks!"
"Skipper was at the Beacon Tower when I called her. She'll be here in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?! But that's-"
"Completely reasonable. You should learn to practice some patience, Nora."
"But I don't wanna practice patience, Ren! I wanna-"
"Shut it, all of you!" An angry female voice shut up the arguing teenagers. "Just a minute more of your prattling and my head's gonna explode!"
Nobody dared to speak afterwards.
Rooms at the Beacon's dormitory building were designed specifically to accommodate one student teams, or four people, per room. So when nine hunters in training crammed themselves into the limited space of team TNDR's room it got rather difficult to get comfortable, especially when each of them brought some snacks, drinks, some decorations and other accessories.
Ever since the disaster of Vale city, there weren't many opportunities for merrymaking of any sort. This was a special occasion though, meant specifically for the missing member of team TNDR. It was a spur of the moment, not really planned in advance. Given the circumstances, however, there likely wouldn't be any other chance to do this... Though as hectic as the preparations were, the students were convinced it would pay off, or so they hoped.
After what seemed like an eternity, though in reality it was barely ten minutes, a telltale sign of high heels clicking against the tile floor echoed from the hallway outside. The group of teenagers in the room quieted down and shared excited looks.
The footsteps abruptly stopped. A moment later, the door opened, revealing the woman of the hour, none other than Tanya Griffon.
"Alright fellas, sorry I'm late. I was just... Uh..." The leader of team TNDR trailed off as she took in the sight before her. Confetti littering the floor, colorful ribbons hanging from the ceiling, tables laden with snacks... and then there was the group of nine fellow students, wide grins plastered on their faces. It was might confusing to her.
"Guys? What are you-" Griffon didn't get to finish the question when the crowd hollered in unison.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
For a minute, she just stood in the doorway with a confused expression. My birthday? TODAY? Something totally didn't add up here. In the meantime, her teammates, team JNPR and Rose-Xiao Long sisters stared back at her expectantly, waiting for some kind of reaction. She searched through her memory trying to get to the bottom of all this, all while the silence was quickly becoming uncomfortable.
Then it finally dawned on her. Today wasn't her birthday. It was whole three months ago and she didn't even realize it. And she wouldn't if her friends weren't so kind as to remind her.
"Oh my god..." Tanya intoned with a grimace of complete embarrassment. "I can't believe I forgot about that." And it was no excuse she had many other things to worry about at the time, such as getting back into shape after weeks of being bed ridden.
"Nah, that's okay." Yang waved her hand. "There was so much stuff to take care of, I wouldn't be surprised if some of us forgot about their birthday, too!" That was entirely too possible...
"But today is your day, Skipper!" Ruby chimed in. Even the other teams started using the nickname; Griffon was used to it at this point. "And we're gonna make it special!"
And with that, the crowd behind her split in two.
There, on a small folding table, was a cake, only simply adorned with cream and blue frosting. On the top, there was an inscription reading 'Happy birthday' made with a chocolate topping, eighteen lit candles and a small wooden stick with a Jolly Roger flag... which might've felt a bit out of place on a birthday cake. A normal person might've been offended... but Tanya chuckled lightly, obviously not thinking much of it.
"You guys sure went all out with that pirate thing, huh?"
Ren grimaced at her remark. "It was Nora's idea." Obviously, Tanya chortled internally. "I didn't agree but she can be very convincing."
"How dare you betray me like that?" Valkyrie pointed her finger accusingly at her partner in a fit of feigned anger. The rest of the gang chuckled at the scene.
"Personally, I find it appropriate, given your choice of attire." Pyrrha said with a smile, to which her partner and boyfriend Jaune nodded. Those two lovebirds were almost inseparable since the fall of Vale city and their fight with Cinder Fall, a maniac of a woman which almost succeeded at killing them. Jaune was stuck in the infirmary for almost two months and it was a small miracle that he recovered, given that Cinder's arrow nearly skewered his heart. Ever since he was finally released, Pyrrha was attached to his hip, figuratively speaking, and helped a great deal with his recovery. Jaune said it multiple times he couldn't understand how someone like Pyrrha could fall for a hopeless klutz and a fraud such as himself... but he wouldn't change her for anything in the world.
As for Pyrrha... she was only glad she managed to somehow get through his thick skull.
"Of course you do." Tanya chuckled. "But anyway, where did you get this? I didn't know there were any shops open downtown-"
"We made it!" Ruby chirped, looking very proud of herself.
"We?"
"Well, it's just Jaune and Ruby." Ren explained. "The rest of us just got the ingredients."
"I got to harass the chef at the cafeteria, asking nicely to give us some extra flour." Yang huffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That was fun."
"You can't blame him for not wanting to waste food, Yang." Roland pointed out. "Supply's been difficult lately and we need to be careful with food rationing."
"We wouldn't starve just because of taking a little flour!"
"Hey, we ended up fetching some from a store downtown, no point in arguing about it now." Nicolaus butted in. He wasn't proud of having to loot abandoned shops like a lowly scavenger... but these were difficult times.
"Wait a moment, guys!" Tanya interjected before things could devolve into an argument. "Nevermind the ingredients; Ruby, I could understand but since when can Jaune cook? Or bake, for that matter?"
"Heh, seven sisters, remember?" Jaune laughed. "Or do you not believe in my talents?"
"Of a professional male housewife?" Yang teased, prompting him to blush.
"We did the best we could with the little we had!" Ruby pouted. "Don't you like it, Tan?"
The fencer cursed mentally. She hated that 'kicked puppy' look the crimsonette used so effectively as a secret weapon. You wouldn't be able to say 'no' under its terrible influence...
"Of course I like it, Ruby." She replied with a smile. After investing so much time into making this little surprise happen, she couldn't possibly say anything bad about all this. There was a question of what brought this up, her forgotten birthday, but that hardly mattered now.
Much like her namesake, Ruby went bright red in the face when the older girl planted a peck on her cheek. She sputtered in embarrassment as the rest of the gang laughed.
"Aw, look at her, that's so adorable!" Yang giggled at the sight of her flustered sister.
"Shut up, Yang!" Even with that furious scowl, Ruby couldn't possibly hope to intimidate people...
Tanya would be content with laughing at the bickering sisters, especially Ruby swinging her fists uselessly as Yang held her back with her one hand. Ren had other ideas, though. "Alright, while the sisters are having a moment," He said, gesturing to her birthday cake. "blow the candles and make a wish, preferably before Nora decides to demolish that thing all by herself."
Sure enough, Nora stared at the cake without blinking once, as if in trance. She had already procured a knife and a plate; it was only good manners that kept her from taking the first slice while the candles still burned... Or maybe it was the knowledge Ren would get mad at her.
Best not to keep her waiting, then...
Even as she bent down towards the 'wheel of sugary goodness' Tanya struggled to come up with her wish. Finding a true love? Becoming rich and famous? These things sounded so inane and foolish in contrast with their current problems. And what was the point, anyway? The whole 'blow the candles' thing was a childish belief and she knew it too. However, given what herself, her teammates and friends went through in the last half a year, after seeing all the horrors of the real world out there and witnessing the worst people could offer, humankind and Faunus alike... Maybe a miracle would happen and the wish would somehow come true. And she was fairly convinced a miracle was something they all could use.
To see the end of the war that threatened to engulf Remnant in its fires of death and doom.
Taking a sharp inhale, she blew out all eighteen candles on the first try. As soon as the flames flickered and died, the whole room erupted into cheers and applause.
Let's hope this works, at least this once...
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jaune hand her a knife. "Here you go, Skipper; you get the first slice."
Tanya took it out of his hand and quickly got to work. The cake had no chance of surviving the massacre, mercilessly split into ten pieces, one for each person in the room.
Right when everyone was about to dig in, 'Skipper' asked them for a moment of attention, much to Nora's chagrin who was in no way happy about having to wait any longer...
"Alright, before you guys begin stuffing your faces, I'd like to thank all of you for this." Tanya gestured to the decorations, snacks and other stuff the gang brought here for the 'surprise party.' "In all honesty, I didn't expect any one of you to actually remember the most important day in my life, especially when I myself forgot all about it. You've clearly put a lot of effort into all this and I appreciate it, really. And honestly, I couldn't ask for better friends than you." This brought smiles from her fellow hunters in training. "On the other hand, though, I'd wager some of you might have the same problem I did, forgetting about things that are important to you... and I wouldn't blame you for that, really. With all the terrible things we had to deal with in the last few months, and all the work we gotta get done every day, we all seem to forget to think about ourselves once in a while."
Seeing all the puzzled looks cast her way made her think it better to get to the point.
"What I'm trying to say is: this little party should be about all of us, not just me. We've all been through some tough times; Grimm, White Fang, Red witch and her little conspiracy... and the hospital, for some of us." The last remark earned a few chuckles, namely from Yang, Roland and Jaune. "This right here is one of the very few chances for us to relax, unwind, and forget about our worries, fears, responsibilities, even if for just a few hours. No telling if such opportunity might arise again, because for all I know, some or all of us might wind up dead tomorrow! So all of you with me here, eat, drink and enjoy yourselves to your hearts content because the way I see it, this ain't only my day, but your day as well!"
The moment she finished her little speech, another round of cheers and clapping shook the room. Were it any other day, Tanya would be afraid Goodwitch would chew them out for making such racket... but the now Acting headmistress had other things to worry about.
Not likely that she'd stop by any time that day...
Only when the surprise party was in full swing did the students realize how much they needed a break, a distraction. Griffon couldn't have been more right when she dedicated it to every one in the Beacon gang. They all deserved it.
Soon after the poor birthday cake was erased from existence, Jaune cracked open a bottle of soda and poured into plastic cups, one for each person. When it was time to raise their glasses, or cups, there was only one thing to drink to.
"To us!"
Well, this was their day, after all.
Soda wasn't really an approproiate choice of drink for a toast... But getting drunk while they could be called out for a mission any time would be a terrible idea, unless you were Qrow Branwen, of course. Besides, if Goodwitch caught even a whiff of alcohol in their room, there would be hell to pay.
In that day, teams JNPR, TNDR, and the sisters remembered friends and comrades who couldn't be with them. Weiss, who was basically under house arrest imposed by her father; Blake, who disappeared on them after the Festival massacre and no one saw her since; Sun, Neptune and other friends from Mistral who got called back to Haven academy a couple months ago; and the unfortunate souls who didn't survive the Grimm invasion.
It was half a year since her father passed away and Tanya did her best to move on... but the world didn't make things easy for her. Only a month ago she had to bury another one of her friends. Ellie was her schoolmate before Beacon and hung out with Emile and his gang; no one knew how it happened but Ellie wound up captured by White Fang and was killed before she could be rescued.
Lately it's just been one disaster after another... It would be difficult to just forget all this, even for a day, but she'd do her best. This was one of the very few opportunities to relax and she wouldn't let her personal tragedies get in the way of enjoying it.
No one seemed to mind how cramped the room felt with ten people stuffed inside. The group of hunters in training was seated on the beds, few chair or simply on the floor (and nobody cared how uncomfortable it might be), chatting casually, telling jokes, laughing, while munching on whatever snacks were available. It's been a long time since they last got together like this, and that was before the Vytal Tournament. They were all grateful for a chance to enjoy each other's company even amidst all the chaos and facing the uncertain future. It was enough to make them forget all the bad things that happened in the last few months...
Destruction of Vale City by monsters and Beacon Academy being the last bastion of resistance in the area; close friends dying or escaping death only by a hair; losing homes, families... or the knowledge that some people out there might be more wicked and malevolent than Grimm themselves.
Tonight though, these thoughts were pushed to the background; this day was theirs to enjoy, without being plagued by all kinds of miseries.
"You guys know what we should do?" Ruby chirped. "Let's play some game!"
Her suggestion was met with general approval.
"Sure, why not." Ren agreed. "Any ideas?"
Yang grinned. "What about truth or dare?"
"NOOOO!" And just like that, her idea got shot down by everyone at once.
"The last time we did this Goodwitch almost gave us detention!" Tanya argued, remembering the whole affair too well. Goodwitch thought she had walked in on some kind of drunk orgy given the very... compromising position Tanya was in at the moment; she blamed Yang for that, by the way. Miraculously they managed to talk the angry professor down but it didn't make the entire situation any less embarrassing. No one wanted to repeat this kind of experience if they could help it.
"Maybe we should do something less... extreme?" Pyrrha offered.
Yang pouted in response. "You guys are such a bunch of wet blankets."
"Not everyone's as wild and crazy as you, Yang." Roland chuckled.
"That's it, Gunny; you're sleeping on the couch tonight!"
"We don't have a couch; joke's on you, Firecracker!"
The rifleman winced when his girlfriend slugged him in the shoulder, the one not made of metal. Sometimes he tended to forget how ridiculously strong Yang was.
"Alright, knock it off, you two!" Nicolaus intervened. "If you wanna fight, take it to the arena!"
"Nope!"
"... Nah, we're good."
"But seriously, truth or dare is out." Tanya said.
"Wuss," Yang muttered which went completely ignored.
"And no spin the bottle." Ruby chimed in, shuddering slightly. "Or gross stuff in general."
Oh Ruby, always so innocent... or it seemed that way. No wonder you're still single, Yang thought to herself, even if her over-protective nature also had a hand in that... not that she'd admit it aloud.
"Well, if anyone has some bright ideas, we're all ears!" The blonde threw her hands up in frustration.
"Tug-o-war?" Emery suggested.
"Against you? No thanks, I'd rather save myself the embarrassment." Nicolaus quipped.
"I'd prefer something that doesn't involve us leaving this room." Ren stated, making himself comfortable on the bed.
"What about truth-truth-lie?" Jaune spoke next. "My sisters and I played that many times!" Of course, he didn't mention he didn't always partake voluntarily in that game.
"I don't think I've heard of that one." Nicolaus remarked. "Mind explaining-"
"OR!" Nora exclaimed with a wild grin that didn't bode well. "What about interrogating our lovely new couples! We gotta get 'em to share stuff with us! The juicier, the better!" The grenadier failed to notice Ruby gagging.
Jaune and Pyrrha began fidgeting nervously, knowing too well where this would go. As much as they loved Nora, they knew she was a menace whose idea of 'fun' could be a hazard to people's health, be it physical or mental...
"Oh God no..." Roland groaned, obviously not liking the direction things were taking. He was by no means looking forward to disclosing the details of his love life. Nora wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, hell no; she'd get him to spill one way or another.
Suddenly he found himself pulled into a tight hug. "It's okay, Gunny; don't ya worry, I'll protect you." Yang giggled... as did the rest of the gang, seeing the position the gunman was in.
The right side of his face was pressed right into her generous bust. Sure, guys would kill to be in his shoes right now and frankly, he didn't find it in himself to protest... but this was so not the time. That blond devil was doing this on purpose, he was sure of that.
And as if the situation couldn't be any more embarrassing, the door slammed open and a tall grizzled man, wearing a grey shirt, black pants and a red cape stumbled inside.
While the rest of the room's occupants greeted the newcomer with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Roland could literally feel the blood draining away from his face.
Qrow Branwen... fuck.
And the rather suggestive position he found himself in didn't help in any way.
"Huh, nobody told me there was a party goin' on." The veteran Huntsman slurred as he took in the sight before him, completely ignoring the fact that Ruby had latched onto his neck. "And no booze; that ain't the way to go, kids."
Emery leaned towards Nicolaus. "How that guy hasn't gotten himself killed yet, I have no idea." His Faunus partner could only agree.
When Qrow's red eyes finally rested on Yang and her boyfriend, said boyfriend didn't make a single sound, hoping he'd go unnoticed. Roland could literally feel his heart trying to escape from his chest. No wonder; Qrow was absolutely terrifying... He was the guy that wielded a scythe like if it were an extension of his body and was a beast on the battlefield, even when drunk... especially when drunk. As someone who dated the said beast's niece, Roland felt he had the right to be afraid.
Much to his relief, Qrow only rolled his eyes at the snuggling couple. "Keep it to the bedroom, you two; Ruby doesn't need to see this." He said as the rest of the students laughed.
"Come on, Qrow; we're keeping it PG... for now at least." Yang countered with a mischievous smirk.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Branwen scoffed. "Try not to break your boy toy too soon, okay?"
"You got it!"
"I'm not a boy toy..." Roland muttered to himself. He was grateful to be finally released from Yang's firm hold, though not much...
"So... is there something we can do for you?" Jaune asked. "'Cause I don't think you're after a friendly banter, no offense." He wasn't that far from the truth; with Branwen it was always about work.
"Well, you got it, kid." Qrow answered readily, making a gun gesture with his right hand. "Sorry to break up your little party here but Goodwitch asked me personally to fetch all of you to her office and she doesn't take 'no' for an answer."
"Ugh, really?" Tanya groaned. "We weren't that loud, okay?"
"Nah, it has nothin' to do with this." Qrow shook his head. "Duty calls, an' you know what that means."
For the next few moments a dead silence reigned in the room... until Ruby heaved a sigh. "Well, it was good while it lasted. Let's go, guys."
"Leave your weapons here, this is just a debriefing." Qrow said as the students simultaneously got up and headed for the door. "Goodwitch's gonna explain everything."
"I'm glad you could make it here on such short notice." The Acting headmistress Goodwitch adressed the ten hunters in training plus Qrow before her.
"It was no problem." Tanya replied, glancing subtly around the office.
Empty plastic cups littered on the table, stacks of papers occupying nigh every free spot in the room and various objects strewn across the floor; all of this signified that something was off. Amongst other things, such as being the by-the-book kind of woman, Goodwitch was renown for her meticulousness and she was obsessed with keeping her office clean at any circumstances. It was so unlike her to have such mess at her workplace.
But should she feel surprised, given how much things changed just months ago?
The Acting headmistress herself looked like she went through hell lately. Her hair was a mess, her glasses were gone, her blouse wrinkled and her boots were off; without them she was noticeably shorter. Tanya never claimed to be an expert at this sort of thing but she could tell Goodwitch was exhausted. Not even the best make up could mask the dark bags under her eyes, which looked unusually dull.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your rest, but we have a situation; a serious one, at that."
"Yeah, another mission." Roland drawled. "Where do we go and what are the objectives?"
Goodwitch cast a glare at him. "This isn't like every other mission you took part in, Mr. Peregrine." The professor said tiredly. "First of all, I've always followed the rule of interacting with students only on a need-to-know basis. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be obliged to share any of this with you. Alas, the lot of you saw first hand what we're up against. It would make no sense to keep this away from you."
Ruby frowned. "Excuse me but where are you going with this, professor?"
Goodwitch sighed deeply. "I've been in contact with other Hunter academies and with Atlas military, and only hours ago I've received some disturbing reports."
"What reports?" Jaune asked and instantly received a slap on the back of his head from Qrow.
"Glynda's getting' to it so shut up."
"Now that there won't be any more interruption, let's get down to business." The professor continued. "I think you all are familiar with the aims of the current incarnation of White Fang, and by that I mean its Vale chapter, which recently adopted a new name: Red Talon. The way I see it, it signifies a complete departure from the peaceful principles of the original White Fang and overall, it means nothing good for humankind, or most Faunus. The more unsettling thing is that Red Talon will most likely attempt to spread their radical ideology to the Fang branches in Mistral, Vacuo or Atlas, or even stage a coup." She paused. "Some of my informants believe it is happening already."
"And if they succeed, we'll be dealing with a full scale war." Tanya whispered, dread creeping into her voice. "God, this is bad..."
"It's good to see you understand the gravity of the situation." Goodwitch nodded. "Available intelligence seems to suggest that the island of Menagerie is among the Talon's first targets. I suspect the Talon will attempt to depose Chieftain Belladonna and install some of their officers in his place." The professor paused when she noticed the shocked expressions of her guests. "Is something the matter?"
"Um, excuse me, but..." Yang stammered out. "Did you say Belladonna?!"
"I did, as in Ghira Belladonna. He is Blake's father." Goodwitch sighed. "I'm sorry but so far we haven't caught a single trace of your teammate, Miss Xiao Long, and neither did Mr. Belladonna. She might either be in hiding or... or no longer alive. We do not know."
Yang hung her head, clenching her fists. She relaxed slightly when Roland wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"My point is, that taking control of Menagerie would be a significant victory for Talon. As you all know, the population of Menagerie consists mostly of Faunus and after the Vale crisis, most Faunus from the city sook refuge there." The professor scowled. "This makes Menagerie an ideal place for recruitment-"
"Or taking slaves." Nicolaus added, his voice filled with venom. "We can't allow this to happen."
"I concur, Mr. Flamme. The Fang's position in Vacuo was weakened substantially after its violent turn and as far as we know, the leader of the Fang chapter in Mistral had severed all contacts with Red Talon." Goodwitch explained. "I'm convinced that Atlas and Menagerie are Talon's primary targets and given the sheer size of Atlesian armed forces and their state-of-the-art equipment and weaponry, the first target would be quite obvious. However, that's not all."
"What else is there, professor?" Pyrrha spoke up.
"I believe we managed to track down Cinder Fall and her associates."
"You're welcome, by the way." Qrow snorted, ignoring Goodwitch's hard look.
"Where is she?!" Tanya demanded hotly. After what happened during that fateful night, she couldn't wait for a rematch against the infamous Red witch. And needless to say the others also fancied the chance to take down a woman that orchestrated perhaps the worst mass murder in post-war history.
"Careful with that attitude, Miss Griffon." The professor warned. "Cinder Fall is an extremely powerful individual, as you have seen and experienced first hand. If you spring head first into the battle with her, you'll only get yourself killed."
"So what we're supposed to do, then?" Roland questioned. "I don't care how powerful she is, that bitch needs to pay for what she did!"
Goodwitch shook her head, not even slightly bothered by his choice of words. "And she will, but our actions against her need to be carefully planned. We can't afford to act recklessly, otherwise people will die!"
That seemed to dampen the students' enthusiasm a bit.
"What do we know about her? What is she planning? And why Mistral?" Ruby asked.
"As much as I loathe admitting it, Cinder's motivation remains a huge unknown to us." The professor said. "All we know is that she specifically targets authorities, particularly Huntsman academies, as evidenced by her speech during the Grimm invasion."
Everyone heard the message she relayed through the hacked communications. They all assumed it was just her way of inciting even more panic... But would it really hint at her future plans? What Goodwitch said did make sense, but there were likely many things they didn't know about.
"We also have reasons to think Cinder doesn't actually act on her own." She continued. "Alas, we don't know who she receives the orders from, or what their end goal is. However, her actions are bound to cause major disruptions and chaos which will only attract more monsters, as it did in Vale City. We can't have a repeat of what happened here, otherwise the consequences would be... catastrophic, spanning across Kingdoms and continents."
Vale City disaster was bad enough; thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, a whole city in ruins. If such thing was to happen again and no one could stop it... the society would collapse in the following upsurge of fear and chaos. It would be every man for himself, and all of them defenseless against monsters lurking in the dark. Only a complete lunatic would willingly bring about an apocalypse such as this.
"We need to stop her."
At that moment, Qrow couldn't feel any more proud of his little niece.
"What?" Jaune gaped at the fellow team leader. "You mean us? But- What can we do? We're barely out of our freshman year!"
"You children are far more capable than you give yourself credit for."
All pairs of eyes in the room simultaneously turned to professor Goodwitch.
"I cannot say why but Ozpin saw something special in all of you. Honestly, as someone who is strictly against playing favorites, I found it quite infuriating." She chuckled weakly. "It wasn't until much later, when I finally started to see what he meant. It wasn't that long ago when you were but a group of teenagers standing at the gates of this school, filled with naive dreams of fame and glory and convinced that you'd conquer the world, while in fact you had no idea whatsoever of what awaited you. And look where you are now."
"In your office, prof!" Nora blurted out with a grin, prompting Ren to smack his forehead. Way to ruin the moment...
Goodwitch knew better than to react to this random outburst.
"I've seen many hunters in training come and go during my time at the Academy and only few of them could boast achievements such as yours. Stopping an attack on Faunus rights demonstrators, preventing a major Dust robbery in the docks, putting your lives on the line to contain the first breach, uncovering a covert manipulation of the Vytal tournament; I could go on and on-"
"Yet we failed miserably at keeping monsters out of the city." Tanya grumbled, staring at her feet.
The professor heaved a sigh. "True, but to be fair, we were all set up for failure from the beginning and we did the best we could in the given situation. However, it was mainly thanks to your effort, and that of guest students that we managed to save so many. Not to mention your recent work at thwarting the Talon's operations."
"That's nice and all, but..." Ruby said, not appearing even slightly convinced. "I know you're gonna ask us to deal with Cinder and this 'Red Talon' but- Aren't there people better suited for something like this?"
Much to her surprise, Goodwitch chuckled. "Such modesty coming from someone who slew an enormous Primordial Grimm all by herself, just to save her friend's life; I find it almost... laughable."
The crimsonette went red in the face just like her namesake.
"Seriously, though, I'm not asking this of you simply because we can't send anyone else." The professor continued with a serious expression. "I realize it might sound absolutely ludicrous... but something tells me you can actually succeed at stopping whatever calamity is headed our way." She leaned on the table. "I'm not forcing you into any of this; it's your choice whether you step up to this task or not. But know that I wouldn't be speaking with you if I didn't think you could succeed."
The silence that reigned in the office was almost deafening. The students glanced at one another, as if exchanging silent words. The professor understood; this was a difficult decision, one that might get them hurt in the end. She took no pleasure in having to send children away into a battle that might decide the fate of the world. Their enemy was dangerous, ruthless and would never take pity on them. But Ozpin believed in those students for some reason... and that must've meant something.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ruby Rose took a step forward.
"Okay, guys." She said in a shaky voice. "Call me crazy if you want but- I'm gonna do this. If any of you don't want to take part in this mission, speak now!"
And silence fell once more.
Goodwitch couldn't help it but feel amazed. She expected at least someone to voice their disapproval... but no such thing happened.
"I take it no one wishes to stay behind?"
No answer.
"I guess that settles it." Qrow spoke up. "Since everyone's on board with your plan, Glyn, I suggest I take my nieces and the Junipers to Mistral."
"So you're coming with us?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Well, yeah but mostly I'll be scouting ahead, so don't count on me holdin' your hands along the way." Qrow smirked, ruffling her hair.
"What about Griffon and her boys?" Yang questioned.
"Team TNDR should head to Menagerie-"
The blonde stiffened and her expression fell. Her boyfriend reacted the same way.
"The Faunus there are suspicious of humans and since Flamme is a Faunus, obviously, it might help their case there. Just sayin'." Branwen continued. "Once their business there is done, they can meet us in Haven Academy... so don't you worry about never seeing your boy toy again, Yang."
"Ugh, you're the worst." Yang grumbled to herself, earning a chuckle from her uncle.
No one noticed the curious glint in Tanya's eyes.
"When do we leave?" Jaune asked.
"The sooner, the better; we're running out of time." Goodwitch stated. "We'll have two VTOLs waiting for you on the landing pad tomorrow at 9 AM. I remind you that being late is out of the question."
"That's sooner than I expected." Pyrrha remarked.
"In that case I suggest you start packing up tonight." Qrow shot back. "We're on a tight schedule as it is and I expect you to keep up."
"I'll be sure to give all of you more specific information tomorrow before you leave." The Acting headmistress Goodwitch spoke, drawing the students' attention once again. "Remember, this mission is much unlike what any of you have faced before. You'll be likely to stand against people that won't hesitate to kill you, and encounter creatures the likes of you've never see before. This is no controlled scenario; you'll be dealing with many unknowns and a single mistake might cost you your life. I want you to be aware of this at all times."
A series of frantic nods was the only response. At least they know this isn't a game anymore.
"With that being said, I will give you no rules of engagement and only one order; do not hesitate to do whatever it takes to keep yourselves alive." The professor exhaled deeply. "This meeting is adjourned. We'll speak more tomorrow. Go now and have a proper rest, you're going to need it."
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