Chapter 25: Research and Secrets

Victor and Blake returned to a relatively deserted Beacon with only a few other students on the airship and even less walking around the school. Victor shouldered their bags and took Blake's hand. "Here." She proclaimed as she started taking their bags from him. "I'll take these to my room while you go tell Professor Ozpin what happened." Victor let her take the bags and replied "Good idea. This is why you're the smart one in this relationship." She rolled her eyes and muttered "You're ridiculous."

He moved quickly and navigated the large school until he made it to Professor Ozpin's office. Victor knocked on the door and heard Professor Ozpin exclaim "Enter." Victor opened the door to see that Professor Ozpin was at his computer with a cup in his hand. "How can one man drink so much coffee and yet remain so calm?" Victor thought as he stepped into the office. "Did you enjoy your time home Mr. Roman?" Ozpin questioned without looking away from the screen.

"I have some urgent news sir." Victor reported.

"Does it involve Grimm corrupted humans?"

Victor felt his eyes widen as Ozpin turned his computer screen to show a news report about several attacks by 'Grimm corrupted humans' all over Remnant. "Yes sir." Victor finally answered. "My home was attacked by a small army of these… Corrupted."

"Corrupted? Seems like a fitting name. Did everyone make it out all right?"

"We were able to hold the Corrupted at bay and prevented any fatalities."

"Excellent. Did you have any thoughts on where these… Corrupted, came from?"

"It is a theory that the Draco is behind this. Claiming that Grimm are superior to humans, it has been brought up that he might have found a way to create Grimm humans."

"An interesting theory. Have you found any leads on the Draco himself?"

"Only scraps sir, but this creates a bigger need to find the beast and stop him."

"Indeed it does. It seems like we both have plenty on our plates that we must attend to."

"Yes sir. I will take my leave then."

Victor went for the door when Ozpin proclaimed "Give Mrs. Belladonna my regards." Victor took the door and replied "Yes sir." He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him, thinking "How does he seem to know everything about the students here?" He shook the thought and went to Team RWBY's room. Victor knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Weiss.

"Weiss? What are you doing back?" Victor questioned. "I thought you were back home?" Weiss smiled and replied "I am home. Beacon, Team RWBY's room, they are my home." Victor nodded his head and questioned "Is Blake here? She took my bag with her when I went to talk to Professor Ozpin."

"She went to get something to eat since the cafeteria is still open. I've heard news about the new creatures that have appeared."

"I've taken to calling them Corrupted since they are just people in Grimm skin."

"That's disturbing."

"You have no idea. I'm going to the library, this new threat kinda pushes finding Draco to a higher priority. Just let Blake know where I'm at."

Victor started walking towards the library since he knew that Weiss would tell Blake. He heard the door shut and Weiss proclaim "I'll go with you." He looked to his left to see her trying to keep pace with his long stride. "Why?" Victor questioned.

"I'm a part of the Draco hunt, am I not?"

"You are a part of it."

"Then I'm going to do everything I can to help."

"Thanks I, erm, Weiss."

She smiled and the two arrived at the library. "I'll let Blake know that we're at the library." Weiss proclaimed. Victor nodded and went to the computer to see if the library held any books on Dracos. He was lucky to find a good number of them and wrote down all of their locations. He walked around the library and gathered the books for research.

He set the books down at a table and cracked the first one, The Grimm of Remnant. He skipped a majority of the book since it wasn't relevant to what he was looking for. Weiss sat down in front of him and grabbed a book. She opened it, but Victor could tell that she really wasn't reading since her eyes stayed glued to the same spot. "What's on your mind?" Victor finally asked.

"What makes you think that there's something on my mind?" She questioned.

"Because you've been staring at the same spot for five minutes."

She sighed and shut the book, admitting "There is something I need to ask you." Victor set his book down and responded "Ask away."

"What would be a good date for, let's say, a three month anniversary?"

Victor smiled behind his mask since he knew what, and even better who, Weiss was talking about. It didn't seem apparent that Weiss was in a romantic relationship with someone, if you didn't see the signs. Victor replied "You are asking me where you should take Ruby out for a three month anniversary date?" Weiss immediately turned red and stammered "What? Why… the nerve! Why I never! What makes you think that me and that… that…"

"You have yet to deny my accusation."

She pressed her lips together and sighed. "How did you figure it out?" She questioned quietly. "I'm smart, well, smart enough to see the signs of a secret relationship." He explained. "The way you two act around each other, the way you 'critisize' Ruby now, the way you act when you think nobody is looking, and I saw you two making out in the hallway a little bit before we went on break." He saw Weiss' face turn a bright red color and she tried to hide it in a book. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Victor quietly chuckled. "Ruby is a very… special girl. If she makes you happy and you do the same for her then there isn't a problem."

"There is one problem." Weiss mumbled behind her book. "Yang."

"Oh god. I could only imagine how she would react to this."

"Exactly. We aren't on the best of terms and I really don't want to find out that."

"She'll find out one way or the other. You and Ruby are going to have to come out with this."

Weiss didn't respond, she just kept the book in front of her face. Victor reached over and lowered the book to assure "Don't worry. Your secret has been safe with me since I saw you two, it will stay safe now." Weiss smiled and replied "Thank you. What information do you have on Dracos currently?"

"Nothing really, just specific details about the one we are searching for. Did you find something?"

"It isn't much, but it has to be something. Dracos are said to prefer a rocky, mountainous terrain to live in. Ones of the past are said to inhabit old castles and fallen ruins in the mountains."

"Dracos like castles in the mountains… got it. Anything else?"

"Nothing really."

"That actually helps narrow down the search a little bit. I need to find a book on ruins in Remnant."

He saw Blake approach them and exclaim "I'll start looking for those." She went to the computer and started searching for the books. Victor heard Weiss frantically whisper to him "You CAN'T tell Blake about me and Ruby." Victor sighed "I know. I'll keep your secret safe." Victor knew why Blake couldn't know, her and Yang were best friends and tell each other everything.

If Blake knew, Yang would figure out that she was keeping something from her and do her worst to get Blake to spill. He set his book aside since it didn't hold any helpful information on Dracos. He picked up a book that was supposed to be about Dracos of the past. He started going through it when Blake placed two books on the desk and explained "These hold information on every ruin in Remnant." Victor proclaimed "Good. Go through them and look closely on ruins in the mountains. One's large enough to hold Dracos."

"Think that's where the beast is hiding?"

"It's the best lead we have."

Blake nodded and opened the book. She read for a while until she proclaimed "We need a map we can write on." She stood up and went to the librarian to see if there was a map they could use. "Did you enjoy your break with Blake?" Weiss questioned. "I did." Victor answered. "My family practically fell in love with Blake as quick as I did."

"And the fact she's a Faunus?"

"They could have cared less. They deal with Faunus on a daily basis. My best friend back home is a wolf Faunus."

"Really? You never mentioned her."

"That's because she was also my combat teacher and I could never get up to her standards."

"Sounds like a harsh friendship."

"Meh, she wants me to be great. I don't really mind her criticism since it is just to help."

Blake returned with a map and laid it across the table. "There aren't many ruins in the mountains." She proclaimed as she uncapped a red marker. "But there are a few." She proceeded to circle about four of them, naming each of them as she did. "Fort Magragorn, Castle Vladimir, Fort Valhalla, and Fort Gormine. The biggest out of all of them is Castle Vladimir." She finished. Victor looked at the point on the map and scratched his chin.

"What's on your mind?" Weiss questioned. "If Draco is behind these Corrupted attacks like we believe," Victor suggested "then the attacks will have to have started near his lair. Where did the first Corrupted attack occur?" Weiss jumped up and ran to a computer. She typed away at the keys for a while and finally answered "In a town called Mountain's Shadow." Victor looked over the map and found the town right on the edge of the mountain range where the three of the ruins laid.

"Then we know that his lair is somewhere in these mountains." Victor proclaimed. "That gives us Magragorn, Vladimir and Valhalla. The town is practically equal distance from each of the ruins so it doesn't narrow it down that much." Victor scratched his head with the end of the marker and thought "What are we missing? What are we not seeing that points to the Draco?" Weiss suggested "Why not search all three of the ruins?" Blake answered "Because the Draco will see us coming if we search each one."

"Is this beast really smart enough to see us coming?"

"It is the only talking Grimm that has ever been encountered." Victor proclaimed as he leaned back in his chair. "We have to assume that it is smart enough to figure out that we are looking for it." He put his hand over his eyes and grumbled "This bastard is smart. He's going to make this as hard as he possibly can so he can turn Remnant into his own image." He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Blake with a smile on her face. "We've been working for a while, let's call it a night and get a fresh start in the morning." She advised.

"Probably the best idea. Thanks for the help, both of you."

Weiss proudly proclaimed "We're friends. It is no trouble to help." Blake chuckled "I bet you never thought you'd say that when you got here."

"I'll be honest and say that I didn't even intend on making friends when I got here, but people have a way of surprising you."

Victor laughed and got up from his chair. They put the books they had away and headed back to their rooms. Victor walked in with Blake and Weiss into their room and proclaimed "I should probably step out and let Weiss change." Weiss responded "Don't you mean to let us change?"

"Not really."

He laughed when he saw Blake turn red when he said that. "I'll just be in my room. Good night Weiss. Good night Blake." He exclaimed as he walked out of the room. He returned to his room and took off his bone armor that he'd been wearing for the past two days. He stretched since the armor was still pretty heavy to him. He took his mask off and set it on the nightstand when he heard a knock at his door.

He opened it up to see Blake holding a set of pajamas and dragging his bag. "You forgot your bag." She proclaimed as she walked into his room. She dragged it to his bed and threw her pajamas onto his bed. "Thanks for bringing it to me." Victor thanked. "But why do you have a set of pajamas with you?"

"Because I'm staying here for the night."

She started to unbutton her top and Victor turned around to give her some privacy. "You're such a gentleman." She laughed as she gave him a hug from behind. "Even though you've seen just about everything on me." He felt his face grow red since he could tell she wasn't wearing her top anymore. She let him go and he fought every urge to turn around. He failed that fight and turned around to see her with her back to him and in her underwear.

She reached down and grabbed her pajama bottoms. Victor couldn't help but admire every curve on her body. She looked at him and Victor stopped breathing for a second. "Didn't you say I looked better in my pajamas without the pants?" She proclaimed as she turned to face him. Victor stared at his girlfriend and had his mouth open, but was having a hard time finding the words. "I think you did," She answered for him "so I'm just going to go without pants."

She grabbed her top and threw it on, but didn't start buttoning it up. "Would you like to help me?" She questioned as she stepped closer to him. He started his attempt at buttoning her top, but he continued to fumble with the buttons. "Damn, this woman can just turn me into a bumbling buffoon." Victor thought as he finally got the first button. He took a little bit longer to get the second one as Blake put her arms around his neck.

He got the second one and was about to start the third when Blake stopped him. She pulled him down to her level and she whispered in his ear "I think you can stop now." She pushed Victor onto his bed and she turned off the light. He laid down on his bed and felt her get into the bed. She cuddled close to him and whispered "Why were you so nervous when I started changing?"

"I don't know." Victor admitted as he put his arms around her. "Something about you just shuts my brain down and I can't think straight."

"I think it's cute."

"Thank you dear. Goodnight Blake."

"Goodnight Victor."

Victor kissed her in between her cat ears and she mewed. She then gave him a soft slap on the chest and giggled "Don't do that. It tickles." He pulled her close and laughed "Yes dear." He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with his love in his arms.