Chapter 24: Search and Rescue
AN: Short and sweet author's note this time. This is the last dark one before we move on to some more fun chapters. Time for the Wizard of Oz to make a reappearance, while Kassidy figures out why exactly she wants to be a Huntress. Also, insert Volume 4 hype here. We'll be throwing a party to celebrate.
(Perspective: K)
Kassidy trudged through the corridors on her way to the combat training classroom. Today had been… odd, to put it mildly. I didn't have any nightmares at least. Killer morning though: two brains, two hangovers. And then there's the fact that Yang tried babying me all day like I'm incompetent or something. Really, don't know what everyone's started with coddling me for. Shaking her head, the gunslinger just now started to clear out a haze she's been in all day. Everything seemed like it was fuzzy, almost like being filtered through a sponge. At least Goodwitch didn't make her fight a duel today, though she more than made up for it by having her train against Pyrrha for most of the period. Reaching the doors to the classroom, Kass only took a moment to clear the final cobwebs out of her head before stepping inside.
"Right on time. Glynda did say you were a rather scheduled person." That's not Professor Goodwitch…
"Professor Ozpin. This is a surprise." She was about to walk over to join him in the middle of the room when he raised his hand and strode over to meet her.
"Good, I was hoping as such. Before you ask, no, we will not be doing one of your regular training sessions tonight. If you could follow me." With that, the two started making their way across campus. They walked for a little bit before Ozpin resumed the conversation.
"I've been talking with Yang and Bob recently." Kassidy sweatdropped at that mention. "Apparently you're going through a bit of a mid-life crisis. Which is incredibly strange, considering your age," he chuckled. "I'm told that you're not sure about continuing on the path of becoming a Huntress."
"No. Well, yes. Well…" The gunslinger thought for a moment. "It's complicated."
"Then by all means, take your time. We do have a bit of a flight ahead of us."
"Great, I forgot to pack my barf bags. May I ask where we're going?"
"I have a stop I need to make in town, and then I was hoping we could do a bit of extra training for you." Finding a Bullhead already waiting for the two of them on the tarmac, they climbed inside and the craft took off. "Now, I believe you were talking about a complicated situation?"
A tense silence hovered over them for a few minutes. "It's just… I'm not Huntress material. That's pretty obvious." Kass sighed and looked at the opposite wall. "Don't get me wrong, I'm appreciating the opportunity I have. But what am I supposed to do? I'm not getting any better. I'm already as good a shot as I'm going to get, I've already pushed human reactions and endurance to their limits, my body is absolutely refusing to get any stronger for some reason. And bless Glynda, she's trying to teach me how to fight with a melee weapon, but I think we've both recognized that's just an exercise in futility."
"You're afraid you won't measure up to the standards of a Huntress?"
"That's only part of it. The standards are there because of what we have to deal with, what we have to be able to do to deal with the situations we find ourselves in. I mean, the first time I did anything Huntress-related, I failed to stop a criminal and wound up with shrapnel in my gut for my troubles. Then I got my ankle shattered and my shoulder dislocated. And then…" Kassidy shuddered. "That was way too close. If I see a situation going south, I can't just ignore it. But what can I do? Back where I came from, I couldn't do anything and that was before everyone and their mothers had superpowers. Now? I'm about as useless as a fart in an air conditioner."
"Is that so? Well, I would most certainly hope not. It'd be a shame if I brought you out here only to discover I brought the wrong person for the job."
Kassidy looked at him incredulously. "The job?"
"Indeed. Hmm, it appears we've arrived at our destination." True to his words, their Bullhead landed and dropped them off. The professor and pupil departed to find themselves at the edge of the Emerald Forest nearest to Vale, right outside what appeared to be a temporary headquarters of some kind. A man in a militia uniform came up to greet them.
"Glad you could make it so quickly, sir. Is this your specialist?"
"She is the woman for the job, if her abilities are anything to go by." The gunslinger looked at the two of them, silently asking the obvious question. The militiaman shook her hand.
"Sergeant Barnes, Vale Militia. We've got someone lost in the Emerald Forest. A little girl went missing about two hours back." Her eyes went wide at that. "When we asked Ozpin for help, he said he'd be right over with the best tracker he could find. You're it?"
"I might know my way around a wilderness." She was practically panicking. A little girl, lost in a Grimm-infested forest? The gut-wrenching conversation she just had with the headmaster went out the window as her mind went into overdrive to figure out the fastest way to bring her back.
"Well, whatever we've got, it's yours."
"Have you found any tracks or a clue as to where she might have been? If I can get on her trail, we can talk over comms about the girl to get an idea about thought patterns and habits."
"Yeah, we have footprints over here. We haven't been able to follow them for more than a couple dozen feet though." The three of them went over to the prints in question. Sure enough, the trail ended a short ways later. It would be impossible for anyone who didn't know what they were doing to continue the search intelligently.
"Moss scraped off the log here. Inch and a half across. How old is she?"
"About nine."
"Yup, this is her."
"Squad two, form up here! We've got a trail!"
"Forget about it, I'll move faster solo. We're already racing the clock here." She considered dumping her bag, but then decided against it. The first aid kit might be needed, and there was no guarantee she wouldn't need extra ammo. "Are your boys fit to fight some Grimm?"
"Depends on how many."
"I don't need them to get themselves killed, just to buy some time. The girl's guaranteed to be panicking. Grimm're gonna be riled into a frenzy. The fewer monsters there are, the more time I'll have."
"I like your thinking. It'll take us a bit to get fully equipped, but as soon as they are I'll get them out there and doing some hunting."
"Professor, can you stay back and find out everything you can about the girl? The more I know about her, the better chance I have of getting to her in time."
Ozpin's mouth twitched into a satisfied grin. "I'll be sure to do that. Now hurry along, the clock is ticking after all."
Moving up to the scraped moss, she spied a bit of flattened grass. Confident that she was on the right path, Kass charged into the forest. Too many people have died because of me. No more.
I. Hate. Boarbatusks. Pushing as hard as she could against the one currently on top of her, she finally got the leverage she needed to get her arm unpinned. She reached for her knife and wasted no time burying it in its temple. Standing up, she stepped over the dissolving corpse as she worked to remember where it was headed before spotting her.
She was getting close, that much was obvious. The Grimm at this point have obliterated any actual tracks, but the beasts themselves were headed straight for her. This told the gunslinger that the girl was both still alive, as well as roughly where she was. A little bit of sprinting, and she found a pair of Beowolves tearing through the underbrush. Rather than gunning them down, she elected to follow them for a ways.
This turned out to be every bit the boon Kass hoped it was. The two stopped near the base of a tree. The girl she was supposed to find had climbed surprisingly high for her size. Dropping the Grimm with bullets to the head, Kassidy went up to the trunk. "Hey, just hang on. I'm coming up for you."
The girl turned to her, revealing a pair of ram horns sticking out of her head. The fear was obvious in her voice, but so was the relief. "C-can you help? I'm s-stuck."
She was about to start climbing the tree when a might roar sounded behind her. Great, an Ursa. Just what I needed. Turning around, her heart sank to find that it was a Major, big enough to tear through the tree the Faunus was on. It sank further when it started charging and she had to dive out of the way. Well, at least she's not stuck in the tree anymore. However, the Faunus was stuck under a branch, and the Ursa was stalking towards her. Kassidy had no chance of taking it in a straight up fight. Really, the decision was obvious.
As it reared up and roared, a ball of ice exploded on its face and froze its mouth shut. I need to thank Weiss for making me more of these. Dumping her backpack and rifle on the ground, she walked between the ram and the bear, drawing her knife and pistol. "Stay behind me, okay? I won't let it hurt you." The girl's eyes were wide and sparkling as she nodded.
Ice shattered, and the gunslinger turned around to see that the Ursa had clawed the substance off its face and started growling at her. She growled back, "You aren't getting anywhere near her." Alright, to bring this girl back safely I need to take down a two and a half ton armored bear with a pistol and a knife. Eh, I've faced worse odds. Sprinting forward, she rolled under a swipe, past its body, and came back up right next to its rear legs. Kass buried her knife into one while emptying a magazine in the other, going for tendons and ligaments. Her knife found some, and eight bullets didn't do the other leg any favors either.
Rolling back, she narrowly dodged another swipe, and found herself face to face with the demon. It lumbered after her, but was significantly slowed and obviously in pain. Dancing back from another paw, she rolled forward again to plant bullet and blade into its midsection. Unfortunately, it didn't do a whole lot. While significantly less armored than the back, its stomach was still more than thick enough to resist the smaller weapons. Kassidy tried scrambling back, but its claws came faster than she expected and left a nice gash on her right forearm.
She needed a new strategy, considering her current inability to straight up kill it. Rolling around, she returned to its flanks and put more bullets into the legs. Dodging back to the front, the gunslinger resorted to the time-honored tactic of running away. The girl was with her bag a good couple dozen feet away, and the Ursa wasn't going to be winning any footraces. Picking up her gear, she turned to the Faunus. "Hey, you ready to go?" She nodded, and Kass scooped her up and placed her on her shoulders. "See, piggyback ride. We're gonna have fun, right?"
"W-where's mommy?"
"She's back at the city. Hold on tight, okay? I'll get you to mommy." She couldn't sprint with a young girl on her shoulders, but she could still outrun an Ursa Major with eviscerated rear legs. Still, the other Grimm that were coming were a problem. Rifle not being an option, Kassidy drew her pistol, reloaded, and started shooting at the Creeps and Beowolves that were getting too close. She didn't have any hopes of killing them until they were right on top of her, but all that was needed at this point was space to run.
Space she got when, after a few minutes of running, she ran into a militia team that was in the forest. "Hey, over here!" Perking up, the squad was able to pick off the straggling Grimm that had managed to keep up.
One of them yelled out to her, "Follow us, we'll get you back."
"I won't turn down that offer."
The rest of the trip was uneventful for Kassidy. The soldiers escorting her back were quick to ensure any Grimm that took an interest were blown apart, and the girl's family took her after they got back. Presently, the gunslinger was sitting with a far too persistent nurse bandaging her arm. Ozpin had wanted to talk with Bob for some reason. As the nurse finished the patch job, the girl, her parents, and a brother walked up to her.
It was the father who spoke. "You're the one that saved our little ewe? Thank you. Our family owes you a debt it can never repay."
Kass waved her hand dismissively. "You owe me nothing. I'm just glad I got to her in time. Sorry for not bringing her back faster."
"Still, our family is whole, thanks to you. Our herd has a village not far from here. If you ever find yourself there, consider yourself our guest."
"That is most kind of you. Unfortunately, I need to bring my student back to the school. Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Emile." And the Wizard of Oz comes in to save the day once again.
"We will now that our little ewe is back. Thank you." The Faunus family left, and Ozpin helped Kassidy to her feet before beckoning her back to the Bullhead. They were already halfway back to Beacon before the headmaster spoke up.
"Still considering yourself useless?"
"Anyone with a knowledge of tracking could've done that." The gunslinger let out a happy sigh. "Still, though, I'm glad I got to her. I don't want to think about what would've been if I brought a corpse back instead."
Ozpin decided to focus on the first point she made. "Anyone with a knowledge of tracking? You undersell yourself far too much."
"How do you mean?"
"Obviously you're aware of the many stories regarding Professor Port. I can assure you they're true. He is one of the finest experts on Grimm and the wilderness that I've ever had the pleasure to know. When I told him about how quickly you found the girl, do you know what his reaction was?"
The gunslinger perked up. "Professor Port knows about this already?"
"And Glynda. Peter was upset with the results. Do you want to know why?"
"Because I took too long, obviously." She rubbed her bandaged hand. "And I got sloppy with my fight."
"Actually, he was upset that he just got upstaged." Her eyes bugged out. "You say that you're not good enough to be a Huntress. But you could not be more wrong about the matter. Fighting is not all that we do, you know. We protect people from the evils of this world. Yes, that does often mean fighting. But you bring a unique skillset, a unique perspective that is also invaluable to a good Huntress."
While Kass pondered this, he continued. "And then there is the matter of your fight with an Ursa Major. A young woman, without an aura, the weakest in her class, and having peaked in her skills, from what you told me. But does that sound like the kind of young woman that effortlessly dances around a Grimm many times her size and cripples it?"
She held up her bandaged arm. "Effortlessly?"
He grinned. "Given the nature of some of your other injuries, I'm not terribly worried about your survival chances. Also, from what I've heard, this also ended in a far more… agreeable understanding with society than you're used to."
"You can say that again."
Ozpin leaned forward and looked her in the eye. "It is perfectly understandable for you to not fully know why you want to be a Huntress. Examining such reasons is not only encouraged, but also a goal of our curriculum. However, do not dismiss your chances simply because you perceive yourself to be weaker than your peers. And as for results, you managed to cover three miles in forty five minutes, while fighting Grimm and tracking a trail that Vale's finest could not pick up."
She shifted in her seat while he continued. "You are not useless, and I did not allow you into Beacon for a social experiment. Like everyone else, I allowed you into Beacon because I saw the potential for a fine Huntress, a guardian to protect our people." Ozpin grinned again. "And you want to prove me wrong, you're going to have to try harder than you are."
Another beautiful night. I should spend time on the roof more often. Kassidy gazed at the night sky again, the moon and the tower again making for a picturesque moment. She looked down at her feet again, to three unopened bottles. The gunslinger felt better, yes, but her nightmares never gave up so easily.
"Hey, Kass. Yang said I could find you up here." Turning around, RWKY's (mostly) fearless leader was walking up to join her. "So… how are you doing?"
"Alright for now." She nudged the six pack a bit with her foot. "Weiss finally give you a break from studying?"
Ruby giggled, "Yeah, finally. You haven't been drinking, have you? Yang and Dad say that it never helps, after all."
Kassidy sighed. "Not for now, I haven't. But it does help with a very specific problem." Instantly, she whirled around and pointed a finger at the younger girl. "A problem that's specific to me, so don't go using me as an excuse to do stupid stuff."
"I won't. Bob told me about it. Are you really worried you'll have more nightmares tonight? You look really, not unhappier, I guess?"
The two girls snickered. "Yeah, I do feel better. But they never give up that easy. I don't want to put up with them anymore, and I don't want you guys to put up with me whenever I'm putting up with them."
"Ooh!" Ruby apparently had an idea. "Whenever I had nightmares, Yang and I would always read from this storybook. I even have it with me here at Beacon!"
Kass raised an eyebrow. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think a book is going to help me."
"Sure it will! It never fails!" Ruby turned away for a second, before unleashing The Pout. "Please?"
"Ugh, I need to stop falling for that. Teaching you that you can get what you want with that is a bad habit we need to break." The gunslinger took a deep breath. "Alright, fine, you win."
"Yay! Come on in. We're all kinda missing you anyway…" Not waiting for an answer, Ruby grabbed her wrist and drug her back inside. Weiss and Yang were both ready for bed.
"Hey there partner. Took you long enough." Flashing a dopey smile, Yang hopped up on her bunk.
"She promised she'd read with me! Be right out!" With that, Ruby dashed into the bathroom to change. The brawler had an amused look in her eyes, which the gunslinger instantly picked up on.
"I didn't have a choice in the matter. Save me Yang Xiao Long, you're my only hope. Don't you have some big sister power or something?"
"I do, but… nah. She's your problem now." Kassidy grumbled before her sleepwear got tossed in her face. Again. I really wish Ruby would quit doing that.
"Don't make promises you don't intend to keep." The mirth in Weiss' usually stern voice was palpable. She was obviously finding this far too humorous. Getting changed, Kassidy climbed into her bed before Ruby jumped in with an oversized fairytale book.
Ugh. Sometimes having a soft spot for the little ones is a real pain in the neck. Or the arm.