Disclaimer: RWBY and its characters belong to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.
Warnings: Language
Prepare the Players
Friday Afternoon: Vale, Plaza Resting Tent 12
"She's just askin' me some questions, Grumpy." Noctis propped himself up on his elbows to look at the approaching man, "There ain't nothin' wrong with that, right?"
The other man ran a hand through his dark blue hair and sent a look in Ruby's direction. "I'd rather have you focus your energy on your damned wounds! Your aura needs to be focused instead of letting them close on their own; passive aura healing isn't always effective. And quit calling me 'Grumpy!'"
Ruby raised an eyebrow at 'Grumpy' and spoke, "I didn't mean to disturb Noctis, sir. I'm trying to gather information. My group needs to understand what's wrong in Vale to help out."
"That's reasonable, but you're better off asking someone else." Rubbing a hand across his face, 'Grumpy' regarded Ruby with a skeptical glance, "Aren't you a bit young to be trying to exterminate monsters?"
"I'm a student at Beacon Academy!" The red-clad leader huffed.
'Grumpy' scoffed, "Just leave Noctis alone for now; he's got enough problems as it is. If you'll excuse me, I have other people to check up on."
As the man left, Ruby stood up from her kneeling position. She patted away the dirt gathered on her skirt and looked down at her legless companion. A kind smile rested on the wounded man's features. Ruby returned the smile and cautiously sent a glance in the direction 'Grumpy' left before slightly stooping down to continue speaking with Noctis.
"Don't mind Bergmann, kid. He means well but he seems real ornery. I reckon it's 'cause most of the folks from Atlas are awfully uppity."
"It's fine, Noctis, I get it. I think I'll go ask some others about the monsters instead." The girl began to straighten up, but Noctis grabbed her arm, "What?"
Wincing, the wounded huntsman sat up and looked at the teen seriously. "Ya oughta get up with the huntsmen and huntresses who are guardin' the area. They've gone to the city more than our injured. The ones who got injured used keep an eye on things 'round 'ere, while the others went explorin'. You'll get the info ya want outta them."
"Excuse me?" Ruby tilted her head to the side.
Noctis rolled his eyes, "Ya know, use yer yapper. Sweet talk. Now go on and skedaddle before Grumpy comes back!"
Beacon Academy, Hallway
Slowly approaching his target, Sky Lark subconsciously fidgeted with the cuffs of his uniform jacket. This will be a breeze; all I should do is ask her if she knows what's going on. He stepped towards the bunny girl with purpose. Her eyes distractedly scanned the hallway as she held her scroll up to the side of her face. A moment passed where she met Sky's eyes. The other teen paused and waited for her to do something. She lowered her phone and narrowed her eyes at him. Sky put on a brave face and continued forward. This will be a breeze.
Before he reached her, the bunny girl's eyes suddenly widened and her hands flew to her head. What the hell? Is she alright? His walk became a slight jog as he approached her. Gotta get her attention first; what's her name? She opened her mouth in a silent, agonized scream. Then, the girl doubled over with pain evident on her face. Shit! Shit, what's her name?! V-something? Last name, last name, what was it? Scar? Scarlet? No, that's one of the exchange students. Damn it, brain, forget this! Sky rushed over and grasped onto the Faunus' elbows. Her eyes met his and everything came to an abrupt stop.
Dull, lifeless eyes stared into a pair of scared blue eyes.
Atlesian Airship, Infirmary
Why the hell am I at the air docks? Sun wondered idly as a bunch of Atlesian military personnel passed him by. Last thing I remember was...leaving the Leadership Arts meeting? Weird...coulda sworn something else happened... He groaned and rubbed his forehead. Clink-clink, clink-clink. The Faunus turned to see the approaching figure. A person wearing brilliant white armor with teal accents and a black, full-faced visor looked down at him.
A feminine, mechanical voice surprised him. "Hello. I am your Health Evaluation and Recovery Assistant, otherwise called HERA. How are you feeling?"
"Uh...fine, I guess?" Why does Atlas love having robots around? These things kinda weird me out when they're talking to me...
"I am detecting uncertainty in your tone. Is something bothering you?" HERA's arm whirred loudly as she wrote something on her clipboard.
Sun sighed and shrugged at the bot, "I'm a little confused. See, I tried to remember what I was doing earlier but I couldn't think of anything."
"..." HERA's visor briefly lit up as she turned her head to the side. "Reports indicate you were seen sitting here at the docks when General Ironwood found you."
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I was doing something else before that. I mean, people don't just teleport to places; not without a semblance."
? ? ?
"AAAHHH!" Screaming as he sat up, Sky Lark took in his surroundings.
Frightened blue eyes were met with a stark white room. He whipped his head around, desperately searching for any doors. Where am I? What the hell happened? Slowly, the teen stood up and brushed out the wrinkles in his uniform. How did I end up here? Sky took another look around the room; he found white walls staring back at him. He stopped turning around and shut his eyes.
"I gotta remember what I was doing before I got here..." Sky breathed in steadily and exhaled, continuing the process as he tried to recollect what he did recently.
I was... I was...walking to my dorm? No, that doesn't sound right. Was I looking for somebody? He crossed his arms and opened his eyes. The halberd wielder gazed at the wall ahead of him to find a small window. That window wasn't there a few seconds ago. Sky shifted his eyes nervously around the room before deciding to approach the window. What's on the other side?
Upon reaching the window, Sky rested a hand against the glass and looked through. The window showed him another room. Dark grey, blood-stained walls greeted him. Turning his eyes downward, Sky could see that the room was much deeper than his. If he were to try and break the window, then Sky would take a very bad fall. There goes that idea... A head of brown hair with bunny ears caught his eye. Is that...the girl my team and I used to bother? What's her name again? Wait, weren't we walking together? No, no, I was looking for her. Why was I doing that? Why is it so hard to remember?
A bright light flashed before his eyes, forcing him away from the window. When Sky reopened his eyes, he found himself standing on a small, circular platform. Large, blindingly bright spotlights surrounded him, and he covered his eyes.
Vale, Goodwitch's Tent
THUNK! Slamming his fist on a crate, Cardin grumbled to himself. Why is all this shit happening?! What the hell is going on in Vale? Cardin put his other hand on the crate and leaned against it. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. This isn't some shitty, simulated investigation anymore. If it were, Coco and Jaune wouldn't be here... Opening his indigo eyes, the bully looked over the plaza.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guards leave. Even professionals need their rest, I guess. Within seconds, two other adults replaced those who left. A tiger Faunus, judging by the striped tail, skulked past him. Great, a Faunus is here. A woman with red and green streaks in her white hair sauntered in after the Faunus. Lady's hair reminds me of peppermint. Shoving himself away from the crate, Cardin took another deep breath and faced Professor Goodwitch.
Off to the side, the bully saw Jaune seated on the floor. The other teen held his head in his hands. If things were normal, I'd needle him and smack him around. Jaune's shoulders began to tremble. Cardin pursed his lips and averted his gaze from the blonde teen. If things were normal, I wouldn't care. He crossed his arms and trudged over to his peer. Uncaring of the warning glance from Goodwitch and the feeling of Coco's glare at his back, Cardin set a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder. But things are going to hell real fast. We're fighting on the same side; we're not friends, but we gotta work together and rely on each other.
Jaune looked up at the taller teen, despite the tear tracks on his cheeks, the blond wore a guarded expression. "Wh-what is it? Here to mock me?"
"Chin up, Arc. Ruby would hate to see you like this when she comes back." Cardin avoided the other boy's eyes. "Save the tears for when there's something to cry about."
"Our classmates are somewhere out there!" The knight gestured towards the city. "We haven't heard a word from them and whatever is out there probably killed them!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Cardin focused on something in the distance. "We don't know that for sure."
Hurrying onto his feet, Jaune angrily shoved the bully, who willingly took a step back; Cardin wondered briefly if it surprised the others that he did. "You heard what they said! There are freaking monsters out there that-"
"Monsters that go feral at night and have things against cars and stuff like that. Not to mention there's Grimm out there." Cardin deadpanned, bothering to meet the other boy's eyes.
"Exactly! They never stood a chance..."
"..." Looking away, the tall teen exhaled sharply and rubbed the back of his neck. Ugh, what point was I even trying to make here?
"I can't leave you guys alone for a few minutes, can I?" Ruby questioned as she approached the tent, a somber expression on her features despite her light tone.
Frowning at the two, Ruby sighed and crossed her arms. I can't believe I overheard that. Cardin's trying to be a decent person. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting for anyone to respond. Standing outside the tent canopy, Coco silently observed them but her stance told Ruby that she was ready to intervene at any time. Next to the planning table, Goodwitch quietly turned away from the scene and held a hand to her forehead. Well, at least Cardin tried to be a decent person to the others. We'll work more on that in the future.
"In any case," Keeping her tone as light as possible, the red-cloaked leader looked down at her notebook, "both of you made good points. We should be worried for our classmates, but not too worried. They're huntsmen-and-huntresses-in-training too, ranging from first years to fourth years. I don't doubt that they can handle themselves, even now."
Jaune furrowed his brow as he considered Ruby's words. The blond sat back down and avoided everyone's eyes. Meanwhile, Cardin gazed at Ruby with a hint of appreciation. He sent her a brief smile before he tiredly wiped his eyes. In the background, she could see Coco thinking as well. The fashionista tilted her head from side-to-side; her expression well-hidden. Ruby knew she didn't have a chance to speak to her now. The young teen casually flipped through her notes and turned her full attention onto her classmates again.
"You know, Cardin, I didn't peg you as an optimist." Maybe Ozpin was right about pairing us up for Leadership Arts.
The bully shrugged, "Like I said before, you've had a positive impact."
"Good to know," Humming, the girl focused on Goodwitch. "Professor, do you feel well enough to answer more questions?"
Beacon Academy, Courtyard
"Have either of you noticed anything strange today?" Weiss questioned her teammates as they sat at a stone picnic table.
Yang laid her head against the table's cold surface and mumbled. "Other than the obvious absence of my sister? No."
We won't find her at this rate; especially if you hold onto that attitude of yours. Rolling her eyes, the heiress huffed and turned to her Faunus friend. "What about you, Blake?"
"I overheard some students talking about how their team leaders went missing as well, but every time they started thinking of reasons why, they suddenly stopped." The cat Faunus drummed her fingers on the table.
At this, Yang perked up and looked at her partner inquisitively. "Any idea why they stopped?"
Blake pressed her lips into a thin line, "Afraid not. Has anyone heard from Velvet?"
"Not yet," Weiss responded, a curious glint in her otherwise calculating gaze. "Yatsuhashi said she went looking for Sun during our food fight." I wonder if she found anything interesting.
"Hm..."
"You know, I never caught that." Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, the blonde brawler of their group looked at the table. "I was too busy trying to ignore Goodwitch. What's our punishment again?"
"Only you would ignore her." The heiress grumbled back, only to be playfully swatted on the head by Yang, "Hey!"
Frowning, the cat Faunus shifted her gaze between her teammates. "Now that you mention her, Professor Goodwitch acted strange as well."
Weiss' eyes immediately focused on Blake once again. I assumed the professor had something more important on her mind, but perhaps Blake is onto something. The heiress folded her hands on the table as she delved into her thoughts. Then there's Velvet...we haven't heard from her at all besides what her teammates told us. Hopefully, it has nothing to do with why Ruby is gone. Weiss raised her eyes to meet the others' gazes.
"I figured something more important was on her mind." Perhaps it's something worth examining...
"She did seem more on edge than usual. You think that has something to do with our missing leaders?" Yang questioned.
Blake made a noncommittal sound. "I have feeling that it does, but we can't prove anything yet."
We'll need more people on board; people we can trust. "There's bound to be a lot of ground we can't cover ourselves. We'd better ask Teams JNPR and CFVY to help us out."
The blonde and the brunette shared a brief look with each other before nodding in agreement. In the air, the trio felt the weight of an unspoken question that hung over them. Due to Sun's behavior, I fear we can't trust Team SSSN now. As much as I wish they could help, I won't let them stop me from helping my partner. Weiss stood up from the table and left without another word. Her shoulders tensed slightly as she made her way back in. Surely, the uneasy feeling within her would go away once Ruby and the others returned.
We'll find out what's going on and see our friends again.
Beacon, Oobleck's Lecture Hall
Rubbing at his eyes, the coffee-loving doctor buzzed around the empty desks. The students' work space must be clear and ready for them before they arrived. He snapped back towards his desk, which appeared neater than it had ever been since he started working at Beacon. Everything must have a place and a purpose; he had no time for useless clutter. Oobleck, much like his superior, wanted the best for his pupils and only the best would do.
As he looked around his lecture hall, an odd sensation tugged at the edge of his mind. Narrowing his eyes, the history teacher crossed his arms with a frown. Some...something...isn't right... The thought appeared in his head like a distant lightning bolt. He visualized it for a mere microsecond, and then it disappeared. Oobleck forced out the thought and any concern that came with it from his mind, rubbed his temples and took a sip from his thermos.
? ? ?
A sharp and tingly sensation washed over Velvet as she sat up. W-where am I? She examined her surroundings with squinted eyes to see a dim, bare room. Why do my eyes hurt? To get up on her feet, the sensation on her body intensified, as if battleaxes slammed down on her. Velvet yelped out in pain and clutched her side, which soothed her a bit. What happened to me? She groaned in effort to pull herself up to her feet; Velvet tried to ignore the pain that rocketed through her.
As soon as Velvet stood up, dozens of lights clicked on and blinded her.
Vale, Goodwitch's Tent
"Professor, can you tell us where Professor Port is? Or at least where any of the other professors are?" Coco dared to ask as she sat down on an unoccupied cot.
Goodwitch tiredly massaged her temples but obliged her student's question. "He and a few others left the camp a few nights ago to secure the perimeter as well as some more supplies for the injured."
"And look how well that went." Cardin scoffed moodily, earning himself a glare from the fashionista.
"Please keep your comments to yourself, Mr. Winchester." Shaking her head, the blonde professor continued. "Most of my colleagues remained to help guard the camp but recent attacks have begun to dwindle our numbers."
Scritch-scritch-scritch. The sound of Ruby's pen scraping against her notebook paper became louder than usual before the girl spoke up. "Sorry for not asking this earlier, Professor, but how long has this been going on?"
"Beacon's response was delayed for some unknown reason, from what I gathered. The huntsmen and huntresses from private contractors and those from the government appeared on the scene at least two weeks before we arrived." A look of regret appeared briefly in the woman's eyes.
"Two weeks." Ruby parroted, her scribbling came to a stop, "How long has Beacon's forces been here?"
Something sparked in the woman's eyes, causing her to frown. "Ten days..."
Lowering her sunglasses, Coco peered at her younger peer. That's twenty-four days, not counting however long it took for the city to get a hold of the huntsmen and huntresses. In her peripheral vision, the fashionista saw her partner gape in realization of the implications. Whatever is here in Vale has been going on for almost a month and within that time everything's gone to hell. If this thing spreads...or if it already has... Coco tightened her grip on her handbag.
Jaune shook his head, seeming to come to the same conclusion as her. "Then the huntsmen and huntresses present have been pushed beyond their limits... How can they even be standing now after being on high alert for twenty-four days or maybe even more?"
"They know that if they quit, hundreds of citizens who survived this long will perish." Professor Goodwitch tiredly stated, her eyes focused on something in the distance.
Adjusting her sunglasses, Coco frowned deeply. "The citizens aren't safe here; no one is."
Friday Late Afternoon: Beacon Air Docks, Outside the Atlesian Airship
General Ironwood finally stepped off his airship and made his way down Beacon's Main Avenue. His eyes glinted with determination as he strode past students out for a stroll. Clank-clank-clank! Clank-clank-clank! Ironwood spun around and saw a familiar ginger with glowing green eyes. He regarded her with a calculating gaze but spoke softly.
"Penny, what on Remnant are you doing? I told you to stay on the ship."
The android smiled up at him, unfazed by his stern tone. "Mr. Ironwood, please let me help you! My sensors detected your unease and I wish to stand by your side to confront whatever is here in Beacon."
"Ah, Geppetto..." Ironwood sent a withering glare into the sky as he thought of Penny's father, who currently stayed in Atlas. "I... You simply aren't ready yet, Penny. Please stay on-board the airship."
"My performance during our tests proved that I am more than ready, Mr. Ironwood. I can handle a little danger. I am combat ready!" Penny insisted, her eyes gleamed like a child's.
Ironwood sighed and motioned for her to walk beside him. "Very well. However, if I tell you to return to the ship, then you do so immediately, understand?"
"Of course!" The android happily fell into step beside the officer.
Atlesian Airship, Infirmary
After being questioned, for what felt like hours, the monkey Faunus felt that he had had enough. This is ridiculous! We aren't getting anywhere and my head feels like it's gonna explode! He ground his teeth together and sent a half-hearted glare at the robot before him. She or it or whatever they want me to call this thing is getting on my nerves. I'm tired of sitting around in here! Unfortunately, the robot seemed oblivious to his displeasure as she continued her interrogation.
"Do you recall being-"
Sun crossed his arms and curled his tail into his back. "I don't know, HERA! It just feels like something's wrong. I can't explain it."
With a mechanical hum, the Health Evaluation and Recovery Assistant nodded her head. "Can you describe where you were before you 'lost consciousness?'"
"My friend dragged me into our Leadership Arts class after she received a memo. I didn't get it on my scroll though, for whatever reason. So then, we just sat through the class and our teacher explained...something. Can't remember what it was, but I think it was important." The blonde Faunus winced and clutched the side of his head, "Augh..."
"Are you in need of medication?" HERA lowered her clipboard, "Sir?"
Growling, Sun exhaled sharply. "Got anything for headaches?"
Nodding, HERA brought up one of her hands. She extended her index finger. Whiirr... A long, thin needle popped out of her finger tip. Before the Faunus could question the robot, she plunged the needle into his upper arm and brought up her thumb. If Sun were in the mood for jokes, he'd ask HERA if she was pretending to shoot him instead of giving him a shot. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood and the moment went away in a flash as HERA withdrew her needle. The pain slowly ebbed away from his head.
"That should help you with any aches or pains for about twelve hours." She informed him as kindly as a robot could.
"Right, anyway, after the teacher was finished lecturing us he dismissed the class. I left without my friend and then...suddenly I'm here."
HERA nodded her head once again. "That leaves quite a lot of time unaccounted for, sir. Can you tell me who your teacher is?"
Scratching the back of his neck and letting his tail swing to-and-fro behind him, Sun shrugged. "I can't remember his name."
? ? ?
Sweat dripped from Velvet's forehead as she stood beneath the lights. Using her free hand, the Faunus shielded her eyes and took a tentative step forward. She pushed on in hopes of somehow figuring out her location and how she ended up here. Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath her feet and the sensation of weightlessness overwhelmed her. The pain throughout her body intensified, swiftly replacing the weightless feeling. Velvet screamed out in pain, making the mistake of flailing her arms as she fell rather than keeping pressure on her side. It only allowed the pain flowing through her to reach new heights, causing her thought process to go blank.
BANG! THUD!
"What the freaking hell?!" A voice beneath her questioned.
Daring to open her eyes, Velvet saw that she had landed on top of Sky Lark. "Sorry..."
"Whatever, just get off." He snapped back, albeit without any bite. "You alright? You kinda came out of nowhere."
Struggling to her feet, the Faunus looked at their surroundings. "I woke up in a strange room and then I started falling."
Sky seemed to notice her plight and hesitantly reached out to help her stand. Once Velvet steadied herself, her hands flew to her pained side. The pain feels like it's everywhere and nowhere at the same time! What is this? She stifled a scream in her throat, leaning her weight against Sky. If only he were Coco... Coco...wasn't I looking for her? No, that can't be right... I... I can't remember. Adjusting her posture with a mumbled apology, the Faunus examined their surroundings once again.
"Do...do you have any idea where we are?"
The blue-haired boy stared at her as if she had grown five heads for a moment, but quickly snapped out of his stupor, "Not a clue. Well...I think there was a platform I stood on earlier, but then you came out of nowhere. Now, I don't know a damn thing."
"Don't blame me for it!" Velvet scowled, raising her free hand to smack him but stopped short.
Sky raised his hands up in defense. "Hey now, hey! I didn't mean for it to sound like that, Cottontail."
Velvet glared at him, "And don't call me that!"
"Well, excuse me for not knowing your damn name, you stupid animal!"
"My name is Velvet Scarlatina!" The Faunus growled back, her face in an uncharacteristic snarl. "I will not tolerate your racism anymore!"
Soon after she uttered that sentence, Velvet and Sky found themselves caught up in an argument. Due to their arguing, the two teens failed to notice a figure materializing nearby. Once the process was complete, one could see a man. As he stepped towards the duo, platforms formed in front of him to prevent him from falling. Cl-clack, cl-clack. The man came to a stop merely an arm's length away from the teens. He tilted his head to the side with a hum.
The brunette's ears twitched and she turned to face the mysterious man. Her eyes lit up with recognition. Seeing her distracted, the blue-haired teen turned to see the man as well. His face visibly paled. Curiously peering down at the two, the man felt the corners of his mouth turning up. He kept his expression a neutral as he could; he raised his hand to quiet whatever either teen would start to say.
Before they could react, the man knocked them on to the floor with a wave of his hand.
Vale, Plaza Fountain
Shouldering a backpack, Ruby shared a look with her classmates. "Alright. We've wasted enough time asking questions for today. Now, we should start investigating things for ourselves."
"Coco and I will look out for any breaches and see if we can close them." Jaune's eyes were steely, but his hand shook as he grasped Crocea Mors' sheathe.
His partner playfully punched his arm, nearly knocking him over. "We should be able to get a few things done before nightfall. Lighten up, will you?"
Good to know we're trying to keep everyone's mood up. Giggling at their antics, Ruby gestured to herself and Cardin. "While you two handle that, Cardin and I will search for more supplies. Hopefully, things will start looking up for everyone once we're done."
"We'll also be on the look out for any clues so we can figure out why the...'monsters' are the way they are." The bully chimed in, checking over his equipment.
Standing in front of the fountain, Professor Goodwitch silently watched her students. Ruby's eyes darted over to her to see the woman's concerned expression. Goodwitch's hand clasped her riding crop tightly; the rest of her posture spoke volumes of how she felt about plan. There is no other way for our forces to go on. We're sitting ducks and our protectors are bound to start falling over. Putting on a brave front, the red-clad girl managed to send her professor a smile.
"Don't worry, Professor, we'll be back before those things become feral."
The look on the blonde's face remained, "I strongly suggest you four remain here and let your elders take care of this. We can't risk-"
"You guys can't risk any more than you already have." Ruby countered, her voice slightly wavering at the frown on Goodwitch's face, "Please. We may be students, but we're not entirely helpless."
Goodwitch took a long look at her students before she sighed heavily, "Very well. If there's anything you find that can help us, then please remember to bring it to me. Stay safe out there."
Nodding to the professor as they passed, the four students ventured into the city.
Rubbing her temples, the weary professor made her way back to her tent. Ozpin must have a good reason for sending students out here. Surely, he has his reasons but... Glynda shook her head and looked at the plaza. Numerous citizens were wounded and too few huntsmen and huntresses could keep watch. What bothered her more was the far-off corner reserved for a multitude of makeshift body bags. With luck, our students should be able to find more medical supplies. Exhaustion suddenly washed over her, causing the woman to stumble slightly on her way to her tent.
Clack-clack-clack. "Miss Goodwitch?"
Shrugging off the feeling of exhaustion, the weary woman looked up to see the one-armed huntsman from earlier, "Yes?"
"Where are your students? I promised to share information with them." The man adjusted his glasses.
"They decided to head out into the city to try and figure out how they could help. I tried to stop them, but I'm afraid they're infamous for their reckless behavior."
The huntsman furrowed his brow at the professor. "They're in the city?! Did you at least warn them about the-"
A sharp ache erupted in Glynda's head; she cried out in pain and ended the man's sentence. The professor fell to her knees with her head in her hands. The one-armed huntsman hurried to help her up and she could vaguely hear him calling for assistance. She felt herself being turned over by the huntsman. Other distant voices filtered into her senses but they soon became nothing but faint murmurs.
Before darkness took over her vision, Glynda stared up at the gloomy skies over Vale.
? ? ?
Circling around the two teens as they writhed on the ground in pain, the mystery man's eyes glinted. "You two have so little faith. Your peers obviously trust in their leaders' abilities. Why is it that you two don't?"
Velvet simply whimpered and clutched onto her bunny ears.
Sneering, the man focused on Sky, who had curled in on himself on the floor. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"Oh," The man drawled, "I think you do. And I believe that your rebellious actions must be punished. Beacon produces only the best of the best and we shall not settle for anything less."
Leaning over the two, he frowned and slammed his foot down. A deafening shockwave emitted from the action. Both teens screamed in agony but the man refused to relent. Boom. At this point, tears streamed down Velvet's face. Her heightened sense of hearing hurt her more than helped her in this situation. Boom! Sky's back arched at an uncomfortable angle as he tried to hide himself in the floor from the sound. BOOM. A malicious smile appeared on the man's face as the two screamed for mercy. BOOM! By now, faint lines of red trailed down the sides of the teens' faces.
Forcing himself to stop, the man cleared his throat and adjusted his wrinkled clothes. "Now, don't you two worry. Those injuries will be mended quite easily. However, that damage you've caused to your brains by this...investigation nonsense... That is going to be a problem."
Late Friday Afternoon: Beacon Academy, Team RWBY Dorm
"So, you think we should try and figure out what's going on ourselves?" Fox wondered as he leaned against a wall.
Weiss hummed in agreement. "Obviously, something is going on here and I doubt waiting around will get us anywhere."
"She's been really proactive in this investigation business since our leaders have gone missing. Even if it's only been a day." Yang chimed in, absent-mindedly petting Zwei.
The heiress sent a glare in the blonde's direction. "Oh, don't tell me that you of all people aren't the least bit curious. All of the teams' leaders are gone for no apparent reason, and the teachers are acting stranger than usual; isn't that odd enough for you?"
"I didn't say it wasn't, Ice Queen." The brawler smirked back at her. "I'm just saying that it's weird seeing you so worked up about this. Is somebody missing Ruby more than I am?"
Before Weiss could chuck a pillow in Yang's direction, Pyrrha spoke up. "Those are some good points you brought up, Weiss. Professor Oobleck acted oddly...lethargic today in class and something seemed wrong with many of our professors."
"Professor Peach wouldn't even let me mix those new chemicals she got recently." Nora pouted, "She said she'd let me demonstrate, but today she was all about 'perfection' or something weird like that."
Ren shook his head at his friend. "To be fair, Nora, you could've caused another explosion. I think she's getting tired of cleaning up the aftermath."
The pink-loving teen shrugged. "She never minded it before... Do you think the pancake gods are punishing me because I had waffles today instead of pancakes?!"
"I doubt the 'pancake gods' are punishing you for anything, Nora." The green-clad martial artist sighed, "But, don't you think it's time to start being a little serious?"
Nora's turquoise eyes lost their bright luster as a serious edge settled in them, "Right. I'm sorry, I... I don't do well with tension. I just wanted to lighten things up, y'know?"
"No one is telling you to stop being you, Nora." Blake spoke gently as she unrolled a poster board on the floor. "We're just asking you to tone it down until we solve this problem. I appreciate what you're trying to do though."
"Aw," Yang pouted at that statement. "How come you never appreciate my puns? I try to lighten the mood with those!"
Blake simply shook her head at her partner's question. A small smile tugged at her lips. The smile quickly disappeared when something finally registered in her mind. She saw all the remaining members of Teams RWBY and JNPR present, but someone else was missing from the remainder of Team CFVY. Dusting off her clothes as she stood up from her sitting position, Blake looked at Yatsuhashi.
"Hey, where's Velvet?"
Yatsuhashi's stony face couldn't betray the concern in his eyes, "I don't know. Fox and I haven't heard anything from her since this morning."
"We'd better hurry up then," Pyrrha took a seat at another end of the poster board. "The sooner we get this done, then the sooner we can start looking for Velvet."
The blonde brawler of Team RWBY glanced at the paper and then gave Blake a questioning glance. "So, why are we using a poster board?"
Grabbing a marker from her desk, Blake turned to face Yang. "We can't take any chances with Beacon's computers or our scrolls. Call me paranoid, but old school should be the safest thing we do for now."
Beacon Academy, Memorial Statue
Resting his cane across his lap as he sat on a stone bench, Ozpin watched as the distant figure of General Ironwood appeared along the Main Avenue. He adjusted his glasses and waited patiently for the other man to arrive. The green-clad man relaxed his shoulders, but tensed when he noticed a redhead with luminous green eyes walking beside the general. With a slight frown on his features, Ozpin stood up and leaned against his cane. He quickly dismissed the frown on his face and started walking to the Atlesian.
"I didn't make all this progress to simply lose it, Ironwood. I'll not have you cheat your way through this game."
Welcome back and apologies for the wait, my dear readers! I'd like to thank those who follow this story and those who chose to favorite!
Review Response -
Gilgamesh: Perhaps they are evil clones, perhaps they aren't. Or maybe they are something else entirely? Who's to say at this point in the story. I promise time will tell.
Thank you for reading.
