Last Time...
Ruby's eyes widened in wonder. She was deep inside a cave that was supposedly the nesting grounds of a plethora of Grimm. That made it a dangerous place for humans. Furthermore, everything had been completely silent just a moment before, and on top of that, this person looked to be in prime health- not beat up or anything. There was no immediate sign or indication that he had been here for long, and if he had been, she would have found evidence, or at least noticed him before. Her imagination kicked in, and there was only one remaining explanation: This boy hadn't fallen, he had just appeared completely out of nowhere.
Cliff's mind raced, trying to rationalize the situation at hand. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Why would a seemingly normal young lady be so deep underground, especially looking to be in perfect health? Where was he, anyway? One second he was just barely dodging a scorpion beast's attack, and the next, he had fallen here. Was this an illusion?
Cliff cocked his head to the side, but didn't get time to respond. He looked up, and saw the same creature that was chasing him a second before, perched on the wall. It pounced towards them.
"WATCH OUT!" In an instant, Cliff grabbed a hold of the girl and spun back, dodging the creature's strike. They rolled across the cavern floor. He sprung to his feet and saw the girl a couple feet away from him, and dashed over.
"Are you alright?"
Ruby rolled over, pushing herself to her knees, looking at the boy. "I-I am!"
The moment had gone by like lightning. Cliff helped her to her feet, facing the creature.
Ruby drew her weapon. "Can you fight?"
Cliff nodded. "I can."
"Good, I could use your help- here it comes!"
The beast charged at them.
The Deathstalker jabbed forward with its twin claws, Cliff and Ruby both jumping up out of the way, dodging the attack and circling the beast. Cliff quickly dashed around to its back, extending his arm forward and firing a beam of heat at it from behind. The creature snarled, quickly turning around, and raised its claw above its head, preparing to strike.
Just before it hit him, a shot from Ruby's Crescent Rose stunned the creature through a direct eye shot.
"Strike, now!" she yelled to Cliff.
The latter nodded, and leaped into the air, crashing a drop kick down upon the distracted Deathstalker's head. The beast cried in pain, thrashing its claws around, Cliff quickly jumping back away from it.
The creature looked to where Ruby was, and charged for her. The huntress sped out of the way, as the Deathstalker snapped its pincers, missing, and getting a claw lodged in a wall. Ruby immediately turned around and shot it twice. It was easier to maneuver with Crescent Rose in its gun form.
The beast yanked its arm out, roaring and lunging for her.
Just in time, Cliff shot a ray of heat in front of the Deathstalker, making it flinch, interrupting its attack. He shot another beam at it, trying to frustrate it. He glanced at Ruby. "I'll distract it! Attack while it's exposed!"
The Deathstalker roared, and dashed at Cliff. He swallowed. It must have been pissed. He summoned as much energy as possible, and launched a tidal wave of heat at the monster. It flinched from the power- just long enough for Ruby to close the gap, and fire her scythe straight through its poisonous tail tip, the bulbous pod dropping onto its head, piercing the armor. The Deathstalker screeched in pain, flailing about, but it couldn't move, pinned down by the severed end of its own tail. A perfect opportunity. Cliff bounded forward, kinetic vibrations swelling in his fist.
With untold strength, he plunged his fist down into the Deathstalker's head, shattering the bony helmet into multiple pieces and shards of armor. A great rumble roared through the cave, the ground beneath the monster cracking, succumbing under the strength and force of Cliff's punch. With a final push, he drove its body down halfway, lodging it into the floor, vanquished.
Surely it would become a fossil overtime.
Cliff stood up, pulling his fist out of the cartilage of the monster, his knuckles dripping with blood. He simply shook his wrists casually, and looked over to the girl, who was simply staring at him, wide-eyed.
"Whoa… You're strong…" She commented.
Cliff managed a friendly grin. And then, he remembered. He didn't even know her name.
He cleared his throat, scratching his head idly. "I didn't get your name before, so-"
She waved a hand after snapping out of her trance. "Ruby. Ruby Rose." She flashed a smile at him. "You?"
"Clifford Hazellon- but just call me Cliff, it's what everyone else calls me." He smiled. A nod came from Ruby.
Silence dropped between them suddenly. Cliff's mind shifted back to what had happened just a couple minutes before. He had fallen out of nowhere.
"So, how'd you get here, Cliff?" Ruby asked suddenly, squinting. "You just popped out of thin air… Where'd you come from?"
Cliff blushed, hesitating. There were so many questions that they both had. "Well, I live in Autumn City, from the Season Isles..." He swallowed.
Ruby tilted her head. "Autumn City? What's that? I'm not sure if there's a place on Remnant with that name..."
Cliff stared for a moment. "... Remnant? What's Remnant?"
Ruby tilted her head confusedly. "Remnant is... the world we live in. The planet, I guess... I'm surprised you're not familiar with it."
Her words poked at his conscience, exciting his fears and worst-case anticipations.
Cliff swallowed. "Okay, so…" He began, licking his lips nervously.
Ruby tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"... I've never heard of this Remnant you speak of... Uh, by any chance, have you heard of a place called Avalon?"
Ruby stared at him for a long moment. "No, never... Why do you ask?"
Cliff sighed. "Avalon is a…" How was he going to explain this to her? "Avalon is a planet within the Haven system, and..."
Ruby listened attentively. "Go on."
"It's... where I come from."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be- but, then again... "What do you mean come from?"
Cliff cleared his throat. "I mean that, I've never heard of a place called Remnant before." He took it slowly.
"There were abnormally high amounts of Aether- a naturally-occurring substance on Avalon, in a place where we suspected the Grimm might be originating from. I was sent on a mission that led me here. Upon going there, I lost contact with my navigator. And then, I ended up here…"
A moment passed. Ruby's eyes lit up. "So, you're telling me… you came from another world?"
Cliff nodded. "Apparently... I mean, at first, I assumed this place was underground, but you claim that it's just a whole other realm." He rubbed his arm nervously. "Though, I have absolutely no clue how I ended up here, of all places…"
He sighed. "I'm not at all sure what happened… Do you believe what I'm saying?"
Ruby waved a hand. "I can't say that I think you're nuts. You say you don't know how you physically got here?"
Cliff shook his head. "It was almost like blacking out, really... like momentary amnesia. I was running from that monster thing, and then suddenly, I felt really dizzy, like everything was spinning... It lasted for a moment, and then I ended up here."
"Huh…" Ruby said, blinking. "Well, I noticed something weird as soon as you hit the cave floor." A chuckle came from her lips.
Cliff managed a smile. "True, one doesn't simply appear out of nowhere..." Then, he got that feeling of worry again. He sighed deeply. "So… You really believe me?"
The huntress stroked her chin. "The Grimm came into your world?" She asked, wanting to get a general idea of the situation.
A nod from Cliff answered her question. "Only wolves, though, none like that scorpion-"
"Deathstalker, and the wolves are called Beowolves."
"-Deathstalker, that we just fought."
She nodded. "It's strange… But I can't say that I don't believe you."
Cliff loosened his posture. "Thank you… I just don't know how I'll get back." He ran a hand through his hair.
Ruby smirked, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm positive that there's going to be a way that you can get back home."
Cliff looked at her, smiling. Ever so slightly, he was reminded of his younger, fifteen year-old self. Intellectual, while also being hopeful, supportive, and optimistic.
"Thanks, I really appreciate the reassurance." He said, smiling.
Ruby grinned. "Still though, it's nice to meet you!"
Cliff sighed internally, relieved. The last thing he wanted was to look like a silly kid who claimed he was an alien. "It's nice to meet you too."
He chuckled nervously. "I'm going to have to lean on you when it comes to local customs…" He noted.
Ruby gave an energetic thumbs up. "You can count on me!" She announced, smiling.
Cliff clutched his chin, looking down in thought. As much as he wanted to go back to his own world, there was still the possibility that the Grimm would keep invading. Would he have to destroy the source of the Grimm in this world to stop them from crossing over to his?
He cleared his throat. "Can you tell me more about these so-called Grimm?"
"They've been here since the dawn of mankind." Said Ruby. "Over time, we've learned to fight them, and defend the world from their wrath."
"I see… But, why are they here?"
"Nobody knows for sure… They're attracted to negative feelings such as anger, hatred, despair, et cetera."
Cliff looked around the cavern, glancing at the deceased Deathstalker. "So, why exactly did you come to this cave?" There was still her story to explain.
"I was investigating. Apparently, there were reports of an abnormally high abundance of Grimm somewhere around here. I followed a Beowolf into this cave." She informed, humming all the while.
"And you haven't seen it since it entered?"
"No. That Deathstalker was the only Grimm I actually saw."
Cliff receded into his thoughts again. Sure, there was anger and ill-intention in Autumn City, as well as the rest of the region, but enough to attract monsters from another realm?
Ruby spoke up, interrupting the thought. "You were doing some flashy tricks earlier, during that fight."
Cliff smirked. "You mean this?" From his palm, he produced a red-colored ball of radiant energy.
Ruby stared at it for a moment, like a cat eyeing a new toy, and tried poking it with her finger. Cliff quickly took his hand away before she could. "I highly suggest you don't touch it, it's very hot."
"What is it?"
"I can manipulate and generate heat and heat energy at will. It comes in handy a lot, actually."
Ruby curiously stared. Then, her eyes lit up. "Does that mean you can prepare oven or microwavable foods without having to put them in the oven or microwave?"
"Well, pretty much..."
Her eyes went starry. "Can you bake cookies when we get back to the academy?!"
Cliff raised an eyebrow. "Academy? What academy?"
"Oh, see, I came here with a team."
Cliff blinked. He still didn't know anything about this new world. "A team, you say?"
"Yes. Three others. We go to an academy dedicated to training young hunters and huntresses- people who defend the world from the forces of the Grimm. During the first year, we're put into teams of four, who are our allies for the next three years. We were chosen as Team R-W-B-Y during the first semester. I'm the team leader."
Cliff cocked his head. "So, you all fight Grimm together?" He smirked.
Ruby nodded. "We're Freshman from Beacon Academy- the hunter academy, of the Kingdom of Vale. There are four Kingdoms. Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral, each with their own academies."
Cliff chuckled. "I'd be delighted to know more about this world… And I'm eager to meet your friends."
Ruby giggled. "You might like them. But, uhm… Your otherworldliness, as I'd call it, might not sit well with them…"
"I can imagine so… They didn't see me pop into existence like you did."
"Hehe, yeah…"
"But, that's irrelevant. Either way… Do you think they may have found something?" Cliff asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Ruby furrowed her brow. "If they did, they would have told me… Though, I think this cave might be the Grimm nesting grounds."
Cliff raised an eyebrow. "I see..." He rested his hand at his waist. "I'll come with you, either way. I'd love to meet your friends. What are their names, by the way?"
Ruby nodded. "Oh, well, W is for-"
"Ruby!" The call of a name echoed from where the huntress had entered. From the tunnel emerged a girl in white, wearing a dignified-looking attire. Beside her, a girl in black.
Ruby tsked. "Perfect timing."
"Ruby!" The girl in white called, trotting over. "Do you have anything to report?"
Ruby nodded. "I think I may have found the Grimm's nesting grounds, and it's deeper into this cave. I watched a Beowolf retreat into here."
The girl in white docked her hands at her waist. "Great. Blake and I didn't find anything. We came running to your destination. You had been standing here for a while."
Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, and I was just about to contact you… Have you seen Yang?"
The black-clothed lady chimed in. "I think she's still searching with Oobleck. But, what do you plan to do?"
Ruby could think of nothing other to do than to proceed. "The nesting grounds are probably deeper into the cave. I think our best bet is to head onward."
The girl in white nodded in agreement. "Though, I think we should prepa-..."
It was only then that she noticed the pulverized Deathstalker wedged into the floor. It wasn't just pulverized, it was obliterated.
Her sight settled on the boy next to her teammate. Realizing he had been there for the whole conversation, Weiss flushed red. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you there..."
Cliff suppressed a snicker.
Ruby smiled. "Oh, Weiss, Blake, this is Cliff. I…" She hesitated. "... I met him here. He saved me from an oncoming Deathstalker."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "You slayed it?"
"Not without my help."
Weiss looked at him again. He didn't have a weapon. "Impressive… Cliff? Are you a Hunter, by any chance?"
Cliff's voice caught in his throat, as he looked to Ruby. She only gave him a nervous smile.
He shook his head. "I'm more of an explorer… Weiss? Blake, was it? I assume you're both Huntresses?"
They nodded their heads in unison. "And, we commend you for your bravery," Weiss said, smiling. "Don't worry, from here, we can take on the Grimm threat ourselves. Right, Ruby?"
Ruby turned to Cliff, a nervous look on her face. "Well, actually… Cliff here says he wants to be a Hunter!"
The boy flinched. He hadn't directly said that, but...
"Oh?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not just anyone can be a Hunter, you know. It takes strength, determination, and most of all, bravery. If you have even the slightest lack of confidence, I advise you think twice about this."
Cliff smirked internally. He had all of those requirements, and a little bit more. "I assure you, I think-"
"You can't think. You have to know." Weiss strictly snapped. "This kind of job is not meant for the indecisive."
Cliff held his tongue. They were quite strict about this, but he had to be a Hunter, if he wanted to stay with Ruby. "Please, let me help. I'd feel awful if I didn't lend a hand." He begged.
Weiss looked at him, her mouth bent into a frown. She didn't think she could trust an 'explorer' to assist them.
Ruby chimed in. "Weiss, Blake, I promised I'd help him become a Hunter. Believe me, he'll be a huge help. Think of it as a tour!" She zoomed to Weiss' side, making an imaginative gesture with her hand. "You can totally show off your combat proficiency to this newbie here!"
A protest from Cliff almost came up as a reflex.
Weiss rolled her eyes. Though, she did want to show this new boy how a pro did things. "Alright… you can come with us. Think of this, your assistance to us, as a test. From what you can do, I'll judge whether or not you're fit to be a Hunter."
It was a challenge- one he couldn't pass up. It was what he needed to do to excel in this strange, foreign world.
Cliff chuckled, popping his knuckles once and knocking them together.
"Bring it on."
