Chapter 10
I awoke suddenly feeling something warm opening my eyes I shot up seeing the ring of fire then Ice who was snickering I roared and leapt for him ready to rip his throat out if needed. Neo however stood in my way I growled and turned.
"I'll be back soon, nature calls." I sighed making a quick exit I walked down the dark streets finding my way quite far from the sort of camp we made I found an old wall to sit upon. I raised my head to the sky and closed my eyes.
The cold air filled my lungs my chest swelling with the fuel to my voice.
"Hello Darkness my old friend." I mused.
"I've come to talk with you again, because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain. Still remains. Within the sound of silence." I felt the rain beginning to fall my voice slithered through the streets as it grew in volume.
"In restless dreams I walked alone. Narrow streets of cobblestone. 'Neath the halo of a street lamp. I turned my collar to the cold and damp. When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light. That split the night. And touched the sound of silence." My vocal cords rattled in my throat the rain only drizzling accompanied by thunder echoed in the streets.
"And in the naked light I saw. Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared. Disturb the sound of silence." The thunder grew violent as did my voice, the rain soaked my hair my ears flattened against my head as my words continued to echo gaining the attention of an uninvited audience.
""Fools" said I "You do not know, silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you". But my words like silent raindrops fell. And echoed. In the wells of silence!" I didn't see the Beowolf slowly approaching its ears standing straight up catching every note that came from me.
When it came but a few feet of me it stopped sat down and listened to me pouring my heart and soul into the words.
"And the people bowed and prayed. To the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming. And the signs said. "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls. And tenement halls. And whispered in the sounds of silence." I sighed as my song came to an end the Beowolf howled loudly as if begging for an encore I looked at it and unsheathed my claws but the creature just stared awaiting me.
"What do you want?" I asked the huge lupin beast padded up to me and sniffed at the back of my wrapped up hand.
"You're a weird Beo aren't you?" I chuckled scratching the creature's ear it grabbed the edge of my hoodie and gave it a pull as if it was trying to drag me somewhere.
"Okay, okay I'm coming what the hell?" I asked following the beast into another nearby building where I saw them...
Five bodies, fresh kills thanks to the blood still pouring out of the stab wounds I covered my mouth... Five bodies to bury.
"Hunter... I need a shovel..." I muttered acknowledging the shadow behind me.
"You know who it is now don't you?" She asked taking down her hood revealing her pale blonde hair, her blue and red eyes and her black horns.
"Something much worse than originally thought." I growled catching the shovel thrown to me.
Half an hour later I had dug the graves and hid the bodies when I felt a tug on my jeans again. I looked down and saw the child ghost from before, along with four others.
"We have work... and once we've avenged your deaths Hunter here will take you to the light." I smiled as the ghosts began to float around me. I turned suddenly hearing a loud noise.
Sprinting back to near our base I saw a large hole where Ruby's weapon laid...
"It has begun."
"Ruby's scythe!" It was Yang I turned to see team RWBY and my team run up.
"Oh no!" Blake muttered I looked to Ice and nodded at him. I crouched low and moved to the edge of the hole and carefully looked down trying to see any signs of life underneath.
"Do you think she fell?" Weiss asked Oobleck looked up to the sky... is he for real?
"Fell?" He asked.
"Down here." I said getting his attention.
"Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!" He cried I moved away and took my weapons from Neo.
"What is it?" Blake asked.
"How could I be so stupid?!" He asked himself... I know what he's talking about but even I'm confused right now.
"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang asked.
"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!" He motored on.
"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked I threw Ice an end of my rope and went to go find something to tether it to.
"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!" Oobleck explained as I secured the end of the rope to a broken street lamp.
"They've been working in caves?" Blake asked I took the end from Ice and waited for the conversation to end.
"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!" Oobleck explained as I tied the end of the rope to a piece of rubble roughly the size of my fist.
"An underground village?" Yang asked as I threw the rubble into the hole and waited before pulling on the rope a bit.
"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby is down there, we must find her..." Oobleck growled deploying his weapon.
"Cool, I'll go first." I said lowering myself down the rope using my glove and jeans to avoid giving myself a rope burn.