Hey guys! JCtheWriterr here, with chapter two of RWBY: MUTATION! But before we get to the main attraction, I would like to talk about a few things.
First of all, you guys are AMAZING. THANK YOU SO MUCH to the 98 visitors who have read the previous chapter of my story, it has been a great source of encouragement to me! :D Also to the people who have been so kind to follow and favourite my story, you guys are AWESOME, you have no idea how much it means to me as a first time fan-fiction writer. :)
Next, like I have mentioned in the previous chapter, constructive feedback is always welcome, and it would make my day if you could take some time to let me know how i'm doing, whether there is any room for improvement, and maybe even give me some of your own suggestions for what you want to see in future chapters! If you have anything of that sort, do drop a review!
Finally, some bad news... :'( I have major examinations coming up in the next three weeks, meaning I will have to go into full-on cramming mode for this period of time, and thus, will be unable to update this story for an extended period of time. I apologise in advance for this, and reiterate that I absolutely HATE to leave you guys hanging a mere two chapters into this story. I promise that I will be up and about rattling off updates for this story as soon as I have the opportunity, so do stay tuned for more content from me in the nearest possible future!
With that painful stuff aside, I believe the usual formalities are in order: I do not own any part of RWBY, or any part of Monty Oum for that matter. I only own my original characters, and the laptop I am typing this story with.
I hope you enjoy this new chapter as much as I have enjoyed putting it together, and if you do, a favourite, follow, or review would brighten my day. Sit back, relax with a beverage of your preference, and enjoy the story!
Until the next author's note, I will see you guys around!
Chapter 2: Gear Up!
Ruby sighed and rested her head on her desk. She had just spent the past 45 minutes of Professor Oobleck's lecture attempting in vain to follow the tall, thin man as he almost literally teleported from one end of the classroom to another.
His faster than normal rate of movement was only further augmented by the fact that he was high on caffeine, supplied by his trusty mug which he seemed to almost perpetually have in his hand.
As a result, his normally almost indecipherable hand gestures and speech were accelerated into a fluid blur of motion that none but the sharpest, most attentive of Beacon's students could fully understand.
Ruby, who fortunately was blessed with the semblance of speed, was one of them, but attempting to follow the Professor for longer than half an hour was nothing short of suicide, even for the scythe-wielder. Not to mention it gave her a sore neck for the next few days.
So, like the dozens of brave Hunters and Huntresses-in-training with her in the classroom, she finally chose the wisest course of action: Give up.
She was in the middle of a daydream about a wonderland where everything was made of chocolate chip cookies when the loud crackle of the school-wide intercom shook her from her reverie.
The familiar voice of Professor Glynda Goodwitch resounded through the halls of the school. "Teams RWBY, JNPR and CYCN, please proceed to Professor Ozpin's office immediately."
Ruby turned to look at her teammates with a worried expression on her face. They shrugged at her, as confused as she was.
What could Professor Ozpin possibly need of them? They rarely, if ever, got summoned by their enigmatic Headmaster. The sole occasion it had happened was due to Yang landing Cardin Winchester in the infirmary with several broken ribs. He had stolen and hung Ruby's hood over the doorway of the auditorium, in petty revenge for the red reaper humiliating him during combat training several days prior.
Professor Goodwitch had wanted to mete out a heavier consequence for Yang's actions, but Professor Ozpin had simply let her off with a light warning to control her temper.
Ruby turned to make eye contact with Jaune, with her eyebrow raised in a silent question. The blonde knight merely replied her with a shrug as well, mirroring her confusion.
Meanwhile, after some hesitation, the members of Team CYCN got up from their seats near the front row, and began to proceed out of the classroom. The boy in the blue cape looked up at Ruby and Jaune, and beckoned them to follow suit with a slight smile.
"Well Miss Rose, Mr Arc, I suggest you not keep Professor Ozpin waiting. Whatever it is he is calling you for, it must be of some importance." Said Professor Oobleck, in his rapid-fire drone. Ruby and Jaune nodded quickly and gathered their teammates, joining Team CYCN in the corridor.
Once they were in the corridor, the boy in blue extended his hand in greeting, to all of the members from both teams. "Hello, everyone. My name is Cepphyre Skye, and I'm the leader of team CYCN. You can call me Ceph for short," said Ceph in a friendly tone, to a chorus of greetings from the members of teams RWBY and JNPR.
"Mr Cowboy goes by the name York," York tipped his hat with a grin to the others.
"Mr Juggernaut over there is Colin," The heavily-built boy lifted a hand in a casual salute to the teams, "The pleasure's mine." Said Colin in a deep baritone, smiling.
"Colin is the elder brother of Miss Almost-Mute over there, who would appreciate it if you called her Nat."
Nat raised her hand shyly in greeting, before glaring at him reproachfully. "C'mon, it's a fact!" Ceph chuckled, "You really DON'T talk much!" "I… Talk when it's necessary, unlike you…" Nat quietly retorted.
"Team CYCN was the best performing team in their year at Guardian Academy. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Weiss smiled, having accepted Ceph's hand of greeting.
"How would you kno-?" Yang was cut off mid-sentence by Weiss, who shot back at her, "Some people actually BOTHERED to do their research in preparation for the Vytal Tournament, unlike yourself?"
"Of course you would, Weiss, of course you would." Yang sighed, amused by her teammate's competitiveness.
"Like Colin has mentioned, the pleasure is ours," Ceph continued excitedly, "Team CYCN, working with Teams RWBY and JNPR, the champion and runner-up in this year's Vytal Tournament? I'm a HUGE fan of your weapon designs, your combat styles... EVERYTHING!" Ceph gushed, attracting an embarrassed grin from York.
"You'll have to excuse our dear leader here, my friends," He explained sheepishly in a thick Southern accent. "He's a massive weapon nut, went almost catatonic from ecstasy when he saw the variety of weapons that the students have here in Beacon on the first day…"
"Huh. Seems like Ceph and Rubes have more in common than just their capes, then," Yang smirked. "You two should get together more often."
Ceph and Ruby blushed crimson simultaneously, and Ruby turned to stare daggers at her. "Just saying…" Yang shrugged, raising her hands in mock defeat.
York grinned mischievously, before cuffing Ceph under his arm, and proceeding to ruffle his hair. "Is that the sound of wedding bells I hear? When will you be handing out invitations? Will there be cake?"
Ceph squirmed uncomfortably in York's grasp for a few moments, before he suddenly managed to flip the cowboy down on the floor with a well-executed judo tackle. Satisfied with his handiwork, Ceph proceeded to dust himself off, leaving York to painfully get back to his feet.
"S-sorry, Ruby, York's sense of humour can get quite ridiculous at times… Hope his mouth doesn't eventually ruin our friendship…" Ceph growled, half in annoyance and half in amusement. He punched York lightly on the shoulder, eliciting an exaggerated "OW!" from the cowboy.
"Tell me about it…" Ruby replied, though with a slight note of disappointment. "My sis never fails to find humour at the worst possible times…"
"Hey!" Yang yelled, arms akimbo. "I tried to do you lovebirds a favour, playing matchmaker, and this is how you repay me?"
"Yeah, we were only trying to help speed up the inevitable… You didn't need to shoot us down like that..." York grumbled.
Yang and York exchanged a high-five, bursting into laughter.
Ceph and Ruby exchanged exasperated looks, eyes twitching, and turned back to the insufferable blonde pair. "SHUT UP ALREADY!" they yelled in unison, all but ready to pounce on the duo to put a painful end to their incessant teasing.
"Guys? I hate to interrupt your 'matchmaking'…" Jaune cut in with a sheepish smile, "But we should really get going, Ozpin's waiting for us…"
"Understood, Vomit Boy. Let's go!" Yang exclaimed, waving the others forward. This elicited a groan from Jaune.
"You're just not going to let me live that one down, are you?" he grumbled, shaking his head.
As the three teams started to walk at a brisk pace in the direction of Ozpin's office, Yang noticed Ruby had not moved from her position, and that the redhead had a faraway expression on her face.
Yang waited until the others were out of earshot.
"Ruby…?" Yang tapped her on the shoulder, trying hard not to laugh.
"WHA—NO-I WASN'T—STARING-" Ruby yelped, blushing as fiercely as her namesake.
"I KNEW IT! MY LITTLE SISTER HAS A CRUSH!" Yang squealed, crushing Ruby with a massive bear hug.
"S-shut up! I just think Ceph's kinda cute, okay?! No big deal! CUT IT OUT!" Ruby yowled, trying desperately to struggle out of Yang's vice-like grip.
Once she finally freed herself, Ruby activated her semblance, disappearing in a cloud of rose petals as she bolted off to join the others.
Yang sang after her, "Don't worrryyy… Your secret is safe with me…!"
Professor Ozpin sighed heavily as he put his personal scroll down upon his desk, and tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ozpin, no matter how much faith you have in them, they are still KIDS! They aren't old enough to go on missions unsupervised, let alone a mission of this level of difficulty! You may as well be sending them to their deaths! Professor Goodwitch's words of protest from a few moments prior echoed in his mind, and he gritted his teeth as he fought down the rising uncertainty in the back of his mind, sighing yet again. I wish there were a better way, Glynda. I really do.
He took a long swig from his trusty coffee mug, and silently reflected upon the way he had replied her. I have said it before, and I will say it again, Glynda. I have made more mistakes than any person on Remnant. It goes without saying that I already regret having to make this decision, however the circumstances have forced our hand. We have no other choice. In the time that we have had to observe them, these teams, though young and inexperienced, have shown time and again that they possess raw skill and tactical thinking on the battlefield that rivals the very best that our active Huntsmen and Huntresses have to offer, and as such present themselves as the unfortunate best alternative to a battle-tested Hunter team that the network simply cannot afford to spare at the moment! At this, Professor Ozpin slammed his fist down on the glass surface of the desk and let out an uncharacteristic growl of frustration. Damn it all, he swore internally. These children have done nothing to deserve being denied a safe, normal 4 years in Beacon! Why do they have to face the harsh reality of this cruel world any sooner than graduation day? The silver-haired man got to his feet paced the marble floor of his office restlessly, cursing the unfairness of it all.
A flashing, holographic notification appeared on the Headmaster's desk, bringing his thoughts back to the present. Access Requested, it said. Getting to his feet, he glanced at the live feed from the security camera in the elevator, which also served as the entrance to his office. When he saw that it was Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CYCN waiting patiently inside, he took a moment to compose himself, and straightened his suit jacket, which had become slightly wrinkled after his outburst.
"Come in!" Professor Ozpin called out, tapping the notification to grant access to the students. The three teams exited the lift and proceeded to gather around Ozpin's desk in an orderly fashion.
"You called for us, Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked Ozpin curiously.
"Indeed, Miss Rose." Professor Ozpin started. "What I am about to tell you is highly classified and you are not to provide any explanation to anybody other than the other Professors if questioned about the matter. Is that clear?"
Ruby, Jaune and Ceph traded apprehensive looks, before nodding.
"I know that you are only coming to the end of your first year of training as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we will need to… speed things up a little. Teams RWBY and JNPR. You have been consistently been the best performing teams of your cohort, with academic and training results that far surpass your closest competition. Not only that, but you even have some... real world experience to boot," Ozpin smiled at the two teams knowingly.
He was alluding to the two teams' joint effort in foiling the plans of notorious criminal masterminds Cinder Fall and Roman Torchwick to usurp the central government of the Kingdom of Vale during the Vytal Tournament. A large number of White Fang members and wanted criminals working under the duo were also rounded up in the ensuing government crackdown. The members of Teams RWBY and JNPR squirmed uncomfortably under the Headmaster's piercing gaze, and could only smile sheepishly in reply.
The fact that it had been the two teams of young Hunters-in-Training who had taken down the two most wanted criminals in Vale, and not the authorities, was not common knowledge. It was only by the kindness of the head of Vale's police force, Commissioner Burns, that the two teams had been quietly given a pat on their backs and allowed to walk away scot-free. Vigilante justice was considered a serious offence in the four kingdoms, punishable by law.
"Team CYCN. You have shown yourself to possess one of the highest levels of proficiency ever seen in your prowess as future Huntsmen and Huntresses in the history of Guardian Academy, which I am sure you will continue to display in your continued studies with Beacon." Team CYCN's confused expressions from Team RWBY's and JNPR's weird behaviour changed into expressions of pride and humility.
"We will continue to work even harder than we have done while in Guardian, sir, we will not disappoint you." Ceph declared, with conviction in his voice, and the member of his team nodded in affirmation.
"Of that I am sure, Mr Skye." Ozpin smiled.
"Now, the reason for gathering you here today. It is with great honour and pleasure that I declare your collective promotions to the rank of Class Five Junior Hunters, or the lowest rank in the Hunter hierarchy, a rank which is usually attained at the end of your second year in Beacon. Ruby Rose will additionally be granted the title of Section Leader, which gives her seniority over the three teams. Jaune Arc and Cepphyre Skye will be second- and third- in command respectively."
The members of the three teams glanced at each other in a mixture of disbelief and excitement.
Professor Ozpin walked up to each of them, pinning a bronze badge in the shape of a miniature Beowolf skull to their collars.
"Congratulations on your promotions." A small smile found its way to Ozpin's face as he stepped away from Nora Valkyrie, who had been the last to receive her badge. She beamed at Ozpin, before turning to fling her arms around Ren, nearly causing the poor boy's knees to buckle under her unexpected weight.
Yang, on the other hand, crushed her younger sister in of her signature bear hugs. "I'm so PROUD of you! My baby sister's becoming a LEADER!" she squealed. Ruby blushed and tried to yell at her sister in embarrassment, but only managed a weak wheeze in response as Yang's hug had knocked the air out of her lungs.
"Yang… Sorry to ruin the moment, but Ruby needs to breathe, you know…" Blake tapped Yang on her shoulder, barely holding back her laughter. Yang's eyes flew open in realisation, and she hastily released her grip on Ruby. Ruby drew in a ragged breath, fresh air finally flooding her lungs, and she gave Blake a weak thumbs-up in gratitude. "Sorry sis…" Yang said sheepishly.
Ozpin was unable to hold back a smile as he saw the joy of the three teams before him, and decided to allow them some time for celebration before continuing, his expression growing serious.
"This of course means that you will be able to accept and go on missions without senior Hunter supervision, starting from the one I have for you today." Ozpin paused to pick up his personal scroll from his desk.
"About half an hour ago, a distress call was sent out on the Hunter network by the Vale Police Department. It was a request for immediate Hunter assistance due to what could possibly be the emergence of a new form of Grimm. The report details that the "Grimm" have been successfully quarantined by the police within the Mount Evermore Hospital in downtown Vale, and that unfortunately, most of the patients and staff are still inside. As of the time we received the distress call, no active Huntsmen or Huntresses in Vale were available to render assistance as they are all tied in with efforts to eliminate existing infected Grimm from the forested areas in the vicinity of the city limits. This is where you come in. Your mission is to infiltrate the hospital with an assault team of SWAT officers and attempt to exterminate the hospital of Grimm, rescuing any survivors you may find along the way." Ozpin set down the scroll and took a sip from his coffee mug.
"An armed police Bullhead dropship will be on station at the main gate of the academy for you in 10 minutes, I would advise you head down to the armoury and gear up for combat. I wish you dustspeed, and know that I have nothing less than complete faith in your abilities." Ozpin finished, with a small smile on his face as he snapped a crisp salute to the three teams, which they promptly returned.
"Thank you for believing in us, sir." Ruby said, a look of grim determination etched onto her features. She turned to her teammates. "Let's suit up and meet at the main gate in 10, guys! Go, go, go!"
The members of the three teams did not have to be told twice.
They met Ruby's look of steely determination with affirmative smiles of their own and spun on their heels, re-entering the elevator from which they had came from earlier.
"Oh, and one more thing," Ozpin called out after the three leaders as they reached the door. Ruby, Jaune and Ceph paused and turned to face Ozpin. "Yes, sir?" Ruby asked.
"This promotion will not only be exclusive to you and your members. If I can deem the other teams in your cohort ready, I will not hesitate to promote them to operation-ready status at the earliest possible timing. However, you will have seniority over them and you will be able to give out orders as to the roles they should play in any conflict, if this situation escalates any further than it has already."
"That's great to hear, sir." Jaune smiled at Ozpin. "If this situation turns out to be as serious as it sounds, we're going to need all the help we can get." With that, the trio exited Ozpin's office, closing the door behind them.
As the doors of the elevator sealed shut behind them, a small, worried frown found its way to Ozpin's face, and he drank deeply from his coffee mug. Dustspeed, my dear students, Dustspeed.
The three teams arrived at the armoury, and immediately sprang into action.
The members of Teams RWBY, JNPR and CYCN parted their ways to their individual lockers, keying in their access codes and retrieving the contents within. Lifting Crescent Rose from its rack within her locker, Ruby glanced over curiously in the direction of Team CYCN's lockers.
Catching her eye first was Ceph, as he slung a combat harness over his shoulders. At the chest area, there appeared to be two over-sized combat knives attached to the harness by sheathes that seemed to double up as a form of chest plate due to their size. Ceph then proceeded to draw the knives, which seemed to be ordinary-looking at first, until blue, glowing blades of energy suddenly flared to life, appearing to hover just over the actual knife blades, like an extension of them. Upon the press of a button, the knives then transformed into a pair of Desert Eagle-pattern pistols with the blades doubling up as the barrels. Satisfied that they were in working order, Ceph transformed them back into their combat knife forms and sheathed them.
Ruby's eyes widened in wonder, impressed by the display.
She then observed as York cycled his weapon from what appeared to be a large great sword, into a compound crossbow complete with a sniper scope, and then into a Mk.14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. He smirked in satisfaction, and slung the rifle onto his back.
He must be the team's marksman, Ruby thought, letting out a low whistle of amazement.
Next, she looked at Colin, who was hefting an intimidating-looking battle-axe with Burn crystals jutting out of slots in the weapon. He transformed it into what appeared to be a heavily modified Mk. 48 light machine gun form, before he slung it over his shoulder, and grabbed a bandolier of seemingly nothing but various dust crystals.
That's an interesting weapon, Ruby gushed internally. I wonder what it does?
Finally, her eyes came to rest upon Nat, and she blinked in surprise. Nat was merely seated on an ammunition crate near her teammates, not doing any preparations whatsoever. If anything, she actually seemed bored.
She doesn't use a regular weapon? Well, that's strange… Ruby pondered. Maybe she's a dust user?
Ruby suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.
"Are you done with your preparations? The other teams are ready to go." Blake asked gently, Gambol Shroud slung on her back. She was accompanied by Weiss, who had Myrtenaster attached in its rightful place on her belt. The heiress gave her partner a small nod.
"U-uh yeah, just gimme a sec…" Ruby blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. She quickly mounted Crescent Rose on her back, and grabbed several extra clips of ammo for her trusty sniper scythe.
Upon seeing that the others were ready, Yang threw two belts of 12-gauge 'Dragon's Breath' shells into the air in a graceful arc, the loading mechanism of Ember Celica promptly catching them and storing the ammunition. "Let's rock 'n' roll!" she crowed, pumping her fists together to rack the pump-action, chambering the first shells into each of the gauntlets.
"Alright teams, let's head down to the main gate!" said Ruby, closing the door of her locker.
The three teams made their way down to the airship docks at the main gate, where a solitary Bullhead dropship with the crest of the Vale Police Department emblazoned on its side awaited them, engines humming. On the boarding ramp stood a young lady with purple eyes and bubblegum-pink hair in a pixie cut, dressed in a navy-blue flight suit. She waved to the approaching group cheerfully, and firmly shook the hand of each person as they boarded the ramp of the Bullhead.
"Welcome aboard, fellas!" She grinned, donning a pilot's helmet as she spoke, "The name's Kylie, Kylie Falcone, and I'll be your crew chief for this flight. You can call the man behind the stick CJ!"
The pilot, whose features save for his mouth and nose were concealed by the tinted visor of his helmet, stuck his head out of the cockpit and flashed the group a toothy smile. "Pleasure to meet y'all! Buckle in and make yourselves comfortable, we dust off in 30 seconds." With that, he retreated back into the cockpit, and began preparations for take-off.
"And these two trigger-happy blokes on the guns are Grant and Walker." Kylie stuck her thumb back towards the gunners manning their stations on either side of the dropship. They were attired in a similar fashion to CJ, with helmets mostly obscuring their features.
Grant, the taller of the two, who was positioned on the right, gave a friendly wave, while Walker, the gunner on the left, burst out laughing, and crowed, "You said it, Birdy! Give us a target, and leave the rest to us. Not that there will be much left by the time we're done with it, of course!"
Kylie rolled her eyes, and answered the quizzical expression that had appeared on Ruby's face. "This idiot," she jabbed a thumb at Walker, "decided to give me the nickname "Birdy", all because my last name sounds like "falcon". And I distinctly remember telling him, that I DON'T like being called that!" she growled, glaring at Walker.
"Aww, you'll always be a little, adorable birdy in our hearts, Kylie, don't even try to change that…" Walker sang, flapping his hands and managing to look remarkably like a navy-blue canary.
"Shut it, Walker, you sure talk big for a short guy like yourself. You'd better make good to that statement you made earlier if we run into anything later, or else all the beers tonight are on you…"
Walker's face, or what could be seen of it below his visor immediately sunk into an angry pout. "I'm only half a head shorter than you! I can't help it that you're tall for a woman!"
Kylie turned to look at Yang and Pyrrha, who were at least a full head taller than her, and the other girls present for that matter, and smirked at Walker. "Yeah, right. You want to say someone's tall for a woman, you should say it to their faces." She jabbed her thumbs at the brawler and the spartan. Yang grinned and pretended to blush, waving a hand dismissively at the crew chief. "Oh, stop it you…" Pyrrha simply smiled and nodded gracefully in acknowledgement of the compliment.
"Fine, you win…" Walker grumbled, and fell silent.
Satisfied, Kylie turned back to the students, who were all strapped securely into their seats. "All buckled up? Good." She rapped on the door-frame of the cockpit, and keyed her helmet's microphone. "Take us up, CJ!"
"With pleasure, Chief!" CJ replied cheerfully, as he applied power to the Bullhead's two dust-powered jet engines, and the mid-sized dropship rose gracefully into the air.
Hope you enjoyed it! Until the next chapter, I will see you guys around!:D
