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Black heels loudly made their way down Beacon's staff corridor on the far side of the campus. Office after office was passed quickly, most of them having their doors shut and lights off within due to the late hour. The school's academic offices for their professors had always been the favored place for instructors to work, offering an incredible view of the Emerald Forest from atop their perch in the rounded tower near the back of the grounds.
Glynda often preferred them herself, especially the courtyard atop the structure covered in elegant flowers and always having a consistent warm breeze. However, this time she was there on business, seeking out one office in particular.
She inwardly sighed as she circled through the tower to the top floor, annoyed by the sheer size of the offices and the long walk that was needed to get where she wanted to go. Climbing up the second-to-last flight of stairs, she reached the highest floor where both Beacon's most iconic professors and herself worked after classes. Taking a breath, Glynda strode forward, seeking one in particular.
Peter Port, the school's Grimm subject matter expert, could almost always be found in his office on a weekday either grading student work or boasting about past quests to his colleagues. And this night was no different, as light was clearly visible from behind his closed blinds beside the door.
Glynda stopped in front of the dignified wooden door and rapped loudly with the back of her hand, the other clutching her recently discovered student essay. She waited a few moments with a slight tap of her foot, impatient to get on with her duties for the night. Hopefully the conversation wouldn't take long, but knowing Peter she would likely be there for at least an hour.
The mahogany gateway opened, revealing Peter with his jacket unbuttoned and a pen in his hand. He smiled as they made eye contact and his mustache quirked upwards with his lips.
"Glynda! What a pleasant surprise! Please, do come in!" he offered jovially, stepping aside to allow her in.
Goodwitch exhaled and accepted the invitation, striding past him and into the high-ceilinged room. Against the far wall a large window showcased the wide expanse of the Emerald Forest in the distance, lit by moonlight. Covering the walls were trophies and relics from the Professor's past ranging from pieces of Grimm to unknown objects such as a large spoon mounted on a plaque. Many bookshelves lined the walls filled with scrolls and tomes. His desk was against the side of the room, covered in papers and open books.
She stopped firmly in the center of the room before turning to her colleague right as he shut the door. "I apologize for disturbing you at this hour, Peter. I just wanted to ask about something."
"Nonsense!" he chuckled, moving to a bookshelf and pulling out a small bottle of alcohol along with two glasses. "You know I enjoy the company. What can I do for you?"
Glynda raised the damaged essay in front of her, studying the front once more. "I discovered this paper torn into pieces and lodged into a bush on the other side of the grounds. It is signed and written by Ruby Rose, and appears to be one of your assignments."
Peter slowed down, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity and placing the alcohol on his desk. He walked up to her and pulled the paper from her hands, holding it closely to his face and inspecting it closely. "A lost paper? It must be quite old indeed. I can't even recall the last assignment Miss Rose failed to turn in."
"It's dated for only a few days ago, actually," Glynda informed him. "I personally found it odd to find it damaged and hidden away, especially considering that it appears to be of high quality from what I can tell."
She didn't get an answer immediately. Peter appeared deep in thought, sifting through the pages and scanning the text. His brow furrowed as he went on.
"I thought I would ask you about it, especially if she never turned it in," she continued. "She clearly did the work and deserves some credit for it."
Peter looked up at her, eyes narrowed in befuddlement. "I assigned this paper three weeks ago, Glynda. The topic is on Grimm Migration: the student must select a variation of Grimm and report on its movements throughout a standard year."
"And?" she asked, sensing there was more to it.
"Miss Rose turned it in on time. I have her essay on my desk, even." He turned and moved towards the messy workspace with slow steps.
Glynda frowned at the revelation. "So she wrote another draft. I suppose that makes sense. Miss Schnee probably wasn't satisfied with the first and demanded an even better one. I may have to speak with her at some point."
"Glynda." Peter glanced at her with doubt on his face. "Her second draft is much worse. It barely avoided failing the assignment, and that's even after I was overly kind with points."
The discovery made her pause. The story of the paper had only grown more complicated. She had been expecting problems from Schnee, but at the same time Glynda was confident that the heiress would never allow her partner to turn in a sub-par essay, therefore ruling out the girl causing problems.
"This damaged paper is exactly what I wanted," Peter went on. "I can clearly see many citations and references, which the second draft had little of. It seems that this essay was far superior to the one that was turned in."
"So why was it torn up and thrown away?" Glynda asked curiously. "It almost seems like sabotage."
Peter leaned against the desk and stroked his mustache. "Perhaps. Whatever the case, there is clearly something going on with Miss Rose that needs to be addressed. For the moment though, I will piece together the better paper and grade it accordingly. It is only fair that she receives the correct grade."
Glynda nodded with conviction. She would be sure to speak with the young prodigy privately as soon as possible. Whatever problem the young girl had could be fixed quickly and effectively. "I'll talk with her soon. Any issue she is hav-"
She trailed off as a bright red light illuminated the office, originating from the office's expansive window. She stepped past Peter and marched to it in time to see a solitary red flare soaring up above the Emerald Forest, turning it into a sea of crimson trees.
"That's a distress flare." She declared in a focused tone, scanning the forest below.
Peter jogged over to join her, eyeing the flare. "What madness! Whoever is out there surely has a death wish at this time of night!"
The office's lights dimmed and a two-tone alarm came to life. Glynda tensed up and shared a dismayed look with Peter, before making her way for the door as quickly as possible. Beacon's defense alarm was designed for the immediate protection of the school and had never been needed before, only used for the rare drill. Its activation was a very bad sign.
She yanked open the door and made her way for the stairs, worry growing as she faintly heard the engines of a Bullhead VTOL coming to life nearby. Heavy footsteps joined hers, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Peter right behind her, his Blunderbuss firmly gripped in his hands. "Madness or not we're both needed. I'm with you, my friend."
Glynda nodded in appreciation and led the way down, while worry churned in her gut. Something was very wrong.
The Emerald Forest was more quiet than it deserved to be.
Even in her combat outfit and with Myrtenaster firmly in her hand, Weiss was uncertain and uncomfortable among the shadowed trees. They were steadily breaking more and more rules by being there and part of her wanted to abandon her team and return to safety. But it was her partner out there, mixed up in something unknown that even involved her own family. She had to be there whether she liked it or not.
"How do we even know she is out here?" Weiss asked quietly, walking closely behind Yang. "This is Ruby we're talking about, she could be literally anywhere in Beacon."
"We don't," Yang muttered as she pushed through bushes. "But its out best lead right now and we're sticking with it."
Weiss bit her lip at the response. She knew Yang well enough to identify the concern for her sister hidden in the short reply. She was clearly increasingly worried for Ruby's safety as time went on and things continued to look worse.
"Do you think Blake will find anything?" she asked carefully. The other teammate in black had broken off from them at the start of the forest, putting her tracking skills and experience to good use while the other two started into the forest and looked for signs.
Yang scoffed. "If any of us are gonna find something, it'll be her."
Weiss nodded slightly and went back to scanning her environment, unsure of what to expect from the massive forest. In day it was already filled with Grimm; she assumed it got much more hazardous at nightfall.
A soft ringtone broke the quiet march. Weiss stopped and watched as Yang pulled out her scroll and accepted the call, turning on the speaker for her benefit.
"Break two hundred meters to your left," Blake's voice came through. "I've found a trail."
The call terminated quickly, and Yang darted off to the side, scroll still in hand. Weiss started to complain before she closed her mouth and ran after her teammate, dodging through bushes and low branches in dim lighting. She tracked the brawler through the thick of it for several minutes, her heels being more frustrating than normal amongst the uneven terrain of the forest floor.
A sharp whistle caught their attention, and Weiss looked to the side to see Blake standing at guard underneath the shadows of a tree, her amber eyes almost glowing in the darkness. Yang moved to join her, and Weiss followed suit, swiveling her head for any indicators of her wayward partner.
"What'd you find?" Yang asked impatiently.
Blake gestured to the ground at the side of the tree, where footprints were faintly visible in the dirt. "I've followed these for a while. Relatively fresh, at least four people, moving deeper into the forest. They come and go so they're difficult to track."
Yang bent down and studied them closely, and Weiss moved to stand alongside her. The prints were large and deep, and very unlike anything Ruby would wear. "These aren't hers," Weiss thought out loud.
"No," Yang said softly. She turned her head and followed the tracks in the direction that they were headed, moving slowly and closely monitoring the footprints. After exchanging a worried glance, Weiss and Blake moved after her, giving her plenty of space to work. Weiss continued to watch her surroundings as they continued deeper into the shadows.
They left the brush temporarily, coming into a small clearing. The prints were very easy to track in moonlight, showing four different pairs cutting straight through the area. Weiss stood back as Yang followed them closely, searching for any sign of their leader. She glanced around the area before moving, and paused when she noticed impressions in the dirt to the far side of the clearing.
Moving to investigate, Weiss carefully approached her discovery, finding another set of footprints curiously separate from the others. These prints were smaller in size and had a very familiar tread and imprint. The revelation was both relieving and concerning to the heiress, who immediately turned to the others.
"Over here!" She yelled in a low tone. "I found her tracks!"
Yang was the first to approach, sprinting straight over and kneeling in the dirt beside them. Blake followed more slowly, eyes scanning the footprints from one side of the cleaning to the other.
"So she is out here," Blake said with concern. "What is she doing?"
Weiss rubbed her temple with her free hand, sheathing Myrtenaster with the other. "If this could start making sense, that would be great."
"Look at the distance between footsteps," Yang cut in, her voice growing increasingly intense. "She's not walking, she's-"
"Running." Blake finished. "So are the other prints, their stride is very long."
The three were silent, taking in the new information. It was slightly comforting to find a trace of Ruby, but the existence of the other prints was a new and unexpected problem. The only people Weiss could think of being out with Ruby would be Team Juniper, but their footwear was nothing like the prints they found. And apparently both Ruby and the others were moving very quickly, another piece in the puzzle.
"Was she being chased?" Yang asked in an almost pained tone.
"Unlikely." Blake replied, studying the clearing. "Her tracks haven't yet intersected the others, a big indicator for a pursuit. And it would be very odd for Ruby to have been following them instead, especially with the route she chose."
"So you're saying…" Weiss started.
"That they are traveling together? It would appear so."
Yang let out a loud growl, surprising the other two. She stood up and turned to them with red eyes and clenched fists. "Ruby values her future and us way too much to risk all of this for something stupid," she snarled. "She's broken several huge rules, lied to all of us, and is now risking her life against Grimm in the middle of the night. There's no way she's doing any of this willingly! These pricks are involved somehow."
"So we're going after them?" Weiss asked forcefully, tightly gripping her rapier.
"Whoever the hell they are, the Grimm just became the least of their worries!" Yang returned with fury, spinning around and running after Ruby's tracks.
Weiss shot after her, following the blonde once more at high speed out of the clearing and into dense brush. Blake followed right behind her, the sound of her movements almost silent and her shape often only a distant shadow. They made their way through the forest for several kilometers, the run tiring but necessary. Yang somehow managed to maintain sight of the tracks in front of her, and Weiss realized early on that they went in an almost completely straight line, as if they were heading for something.
The area of the forest they were in was somewhat familiar to her. She recalled passing through it on her way back to the school after initiation, the team still bright with adrenaline from battling a massive Nevermore. That meant that they were right above the ruins of the old fortress from before the Modern Age where their battle had occurred. But why would anyone go there? There was only dust and echoes.
They reached the cliffside where Ruby had landed after killing the Nevermore, and all came to a stop at the sight. Weiss's eyes went wide at what was before her, and dread seeped through her limbs.
The ground before the cliff was torn up and mutilated, hundreds of massive paw prints stamping down what little vegetation there was. The gashes of claws were everywhere, from the trees to the dirt below. At the edge of the cliff there were many long and straight gashes into the dirt, the thin shape clearly recognizable to all three members of RWBY. Ruby had fought against Grimm on the edge od the cliff, and there were no signs of who won.
Yang sprinted for the edge and stopped upon it, searching the cliff face for any sign of her sister. Weiss moved carefully next to her and looked down into the misty ruins, seeing nothing but aging stone and shadows.
"What happened here?!" Yang cried out, the red gone from her eyes and replaced with a worried lavender. "Where did the Grimm go? Where did Ruby go?!"
Weiss had no answer, turning way from the cliffside and looking at the damaged ground beneath her. She paused and bent down, seeing human footprints mixed in with the Grimm, which judging by the claws and shape were completely made up of Beowolves. One member of the unknown group had moved erratically where she stood, right next to Crescent Rose's gashes in the ground. It was possible they had fought each other, or more likely had stood their ground against the Grimm.
"Blake?" Yang asked, her voice growing hoarse. "Please tell me you can find out where she went."
Blake carefully moved through the rampaged ground and frowned at her partner. "There's so much going on here I can't tell. There must have been hundreds of Beowolves."
"Please find something!" Yang begged.
Weiss bit her cheek at the blonde's desperation, having never before seen her this desperate. She really cared about her sister, and the steadily worsening signs behind the small girl were tearing Yang apart. Weiss herself was growing scared for her partner's safety. Prodigy or not, there was only so much Ruby could handle.
Blake opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by a distant gunshot. The deep roar and long echo was known to all of them, even as it passed through them and bounced through the ruins. Yang started to smile and Weiss sighed in relief. She was still out there, still fighting.
Another shot was heard. And then another. A different firearm joined the barrage, quieter but with a higher rate of fire. Crescent Rose and the other weapon continued going off nonstop, signifying that something was very wrong.
"Let's move!" Yang gestured in the rough direction of the gunfire, before tearing off with Ember Celica at the ready on both wrist.
Weiss and Blake fell in once more, weapons unsheathed and auras fully charged. As they ran out of the trampled cliffside forest and deeper in, the shots stopped completely, making Weiss's blood run cold. Loud noises would only attract more Grimm at a time like this, and Ruby halting fire on something likely meant that she had shifted to be melee combat. And if the horde of Beowolves was still around, this spelt certain doom for her partner.
They pushed on even harder, Weiss struggling to keep up with Yang's aggressive pace. As they passed through several clearings a blinding red light shot into the sky, catching their attention and bringing them to a stop. The distress flare was a clear plea for help and a further attraction for Grimm. Between the gunfire and the light, every Grimm within kilometers would be out for blood.
Ruby didn't have long.
The three resumed their run without a word, aiming for the origin of the flare. Yang was in a full sprint, eyes flickering to crimson and gauntlets at the ready. Weiss clearly saw armor-piercing slugs loaded into the yellow bracers, very rare for the brawler who almost always preferred explosive shells. Whatever or whoever they found, she could tell Yang would show no mercy to them.
Blake was alongside her, Gambol Shroud in hand and trailing behind her lithe form. Her eyes were locked on the path ahead, promising a quick and brutal fight.
Weiss rotated the cylinder of Myrtenaster and assured herself it was fully loaded with dust. The rapier was as clean and sharp as ever, reflecting the light of the moon around them.
She hoped they would make it in time.
This one was challenging to write.
Up next: Ruby, injured and aura-less makes a final stand; and Cardin finds an answer.
Thanks for reading! Please review!
- ThunderApple
