Here we are at Chapter 30. We'll be getting to Mountain Glenn soon, where I have a surprise in store. I do not own RWBY. They belong to Roosterteeth. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 30. Enjoy.
Chapter 30: Field Trip
…The next day after the dance…
In the morning after the dance, Professor Ozpin is sitting in his office, accompanied by Professor Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood.
"…They were here. Ozpin, they were HERE!" Ironwood almost shout while slamming his fist on Ozpin's desk while Ozpin just rests his head in his hands.
"We are very much aware of that. Thank you, James," Glynda retorts.
"Fantastic! You're aware," Ironwood sarcastically replies. "Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?" Ironwood spitefully asks.
Ozpin then hears a beeping on his desk and stands, "Come in," he says.
The doors open to reveal Ruby and Khazhak, back in their usual attire, entering the room.
"You wanted to see us?" Khazhak asks, before narrowing his eyes at Ironwood for a moment.
"Ah, sorry it took so long. Someone accidently hit all of the buttons on the elevator on the way up here," Ruby apologizes before looking around. "It wasn't me," she defends herself as she and Khazhak walk up to the teachers.
"Thank you for coming, Ruby, Khazhak. How are you two feeling?" Ozpin asks.
"Fine, considering what happened last night," Khazhak replies.
"Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if my bad-guy catching record wasn't 0-for-3," Ruby says, showing three fingers. But the teachers just give them serious, bland, looks. "Okay, so that's the tone we're going for. Got it," she mutters while rubbing her head.
"Ruby, I feel it's appropriate-," Ironwood begins while walking up to her before Khazhak stands in between them, keeping Ironwood from placing a hand on her shoulder. "Khazhak, I was only trying to give Ruby some praise for what you two did," Ironwood says.
"Sorry, Ironwood, but from my experience, everything you touch, turns to metal, or turns to rust. So, try to put that hand on Ruby, and you won't get it back," Khazhak warns the general while protectively guarding Ruby.
"I see you still don't trust me," Ironwood responds, taking his hand back.
"I trust an URSA more than I trust you. Ruby and I did what we had to do, and that's it. So back off, before I decide to slice you in two," Khazhak threatens him while grasping his blades.
"Khazhak, please. Now's not the time," Ruby pleads with him, making Khazhak release his grip on his blades.
"I suggest we move on to more important matters, shall we? Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that…transpired last night. But now that you two have rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add," Ozpin says.
Glynda then steps up, "Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?" Goodwitch asks.
Ruby begins, "I…I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her semblance though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked," Ruby explains.
Khazhak speaks next, "When I fought her, she fused her swords into a bow and conjured up arrows out of thin air for it. I think she uses some kind of dust in her fighting style. What I am certain of, is that she is either well-trained, or has a lot of combat experience that may rival even mine. Whoever that woman was, she is definitely strong," Khazhak says.
"Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby and Khazhak's group," Goodwitch says.
"Imbedding dust into clothing is an age-old technique, it could've been anyone," Ironwood says.
"Wait, you think this girl's connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?" Ruby inquires.
"It definitely explains a lot," Khazhak mentally thinks, not voicing it with Ironwood in the room.
"It's possible…" Opzin begins, hand on his chin while Ruby looks off to the side. "…But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together," Ozpin says as he and Ironwood look at each other.
"Actually, I…I think I remember her saying something about a hideout or something, in the southeast, just outside the kingdom," Ruby says, pointing her thumb behind her.
"Putting a lot of trust in Ozpin there, little rose. Alright then, I'll play along," Khazhak thinks to himself. "I heard her say the same thing, right before Ironwood entered the room and we got distracted long enough for her to escape," Khazhak says, shooting a glare at the general.
"Interesting…" Ozpin says, smiling at them for telling him that.
"I thought you said that the intruder never-," Goodwitch begins as Ozpin walks up beside her.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby and Khazhak. Why don't you two go and spend some time with your teams. You both have a big day ahead of you," Ozpin interrupts her.
"Anytime," Ruby says as she turns and begins to walks away.
"Professors…Ironwood," Khazhak bids them farewell, although he says Ironwood's name with contempt all over it, and turns to follow Ruby.
"And Miss Rose, Mr. Rairyu," Ozpin begins, getting their attention. "Please try and be…discreit about this matter," Ozpin tells them.
"Yes sir," Ruby replies while Khazhak just nods and they leave the room.
When the elevator hits the ground floor, Khazhak and Ruby exit the elevator and walk back to their dorm rooms. Along the way, Ruby glances at Khazhak.
"You really don't like Ironwood, huh?" she asks.
"No, I don't. I'd much rather throw him out Ozpin's window and watch him go splat," Khazhak replies, clasping his hands together.
"Is that how…how you feel about me?" she mutters out of nowhere.
"What? No, I could never hate you, little rose. I trust you," Khazhak says, rubbing her head, and making her smile at the gesture.
"Heh-heh, thanks Khazhak," Ruby says before getting bold and wrapping her arms around Khazhak's right arm.
"Um…why are you holding my arm?" Khazhak asks confused.
"J-just because," Ruby mutters, blushing madly.
"Um…okay," Khazhak relents to the gesture and they continue in this position until they reach Team RWBY's dorm since both teams are waiting inside. "You should probably let go now before Yang sees you," Khazhak says.
Ruby quickly lets go, "Right! Sorry!" she quickly apologizes before using her scroll to unlock the door.
The second the door opens, the other members of their teams suddenly bolt to the entrance and into their faces.
"What happened?" Yang questions them.
"Um, well, uh, heh-heh, ha," Ruby nervously laughs before she begins to speak.
…Back in Ozpin's office…
After Ruby and Khazhak left, and soon after them Ironwood after his little tantrum, it is just Ozpin and Glynda.
"What do you think we should do now? I doubt James will listen to you," Glynda notes.
Ozpin sighs, "I'm aware, however until we know more, we can't just act rashly. We need a proper plan," he says.
"Would this plan involve Teams RWBY and KEPL?" Glynda asks.
"You and I both know that we can't keep them from finding the answers themselves. They've already begun, and I'm sure they won't stop until they finish it," Ozpin says.
"But they're just students. They're not ready for this," Glynda retorts.
"None of us are ever truly ready for this, Glynda…With what they told us, I'll bet they'll be heading to the southeast no matter what we do…Which is why I have sent HER there ahead of them," Ozpin says.
Glynda appears a little stunned by this, "Ozpin, you can't be serious. We don't know if she's ready," Glynda says, concerned.
"She was trained by both you and Qrow personally, and has done this training for longer than any student has ever been here at Beacon. We can't keep her locked up in here forever. She wants to face him. It is her choice, not ours. She'll be fine. I owe it to her, to both of them after what happened…" Ozpin says as he pulls up a picture on his scroll, showing a man with black hair and blue eyes.
…In Team RWBY's room…
The two teams go over what transpired in Ozpin's office. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss stand by Weiss' bed while Blake sits on it, and Lloyd and Reaper sit on Blake's while Khazhak and Porphyrius stand in the center of the room.
"That was a risky move," Weiss says, crossing her arms.
"No…I think you handled it well," Blake supports Ruby's decision.
"I agree. While we can't really trust Ironwood, I believe that we can trust Professor Ozpin with this information at least. He has always shown to truly care about his students," Reaper adds.
"Yeah, unlike old Iron-fart, Ozpin's soul isn't made of steel," Lloyd says.
"I hope so," Ruby says while Yang has a supportive hand on her left shoulder.
"I'm sure everything will be alright Ruby," Yang comforts her. "Oh! I know what will cheer you up!" Yang gets an idea and walks over to one of their desks.
"What's that?" Ruby asks as everyone turns to Yang.
"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it up together," Yang says, holding a cylinder-shaped package in her left hand.
"Oh, something from home!" Ruby squeals.
Using her semblance, she bolts over to Yang and jumps onto her back, wrapping her legs around her waist. She starts quickly waving her hands at the package while Yang holds it out of her reach. A moment later, some grayish-black cylinder-shaped object falls out of the package as Ruby stops trying to grab it and holds onto Yang as everyone looks down at the package. The object starts BOUNCING up and down for a moment before expanding into a four-legged, furry creature. Everyone looks down more closely at it with mixed expressions of confusion, awe, or fear. The object turns out to be…a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, with a black-headed- tricolor coat, gray eyes, a short, stubby tail, and a white stomach. The corgi then barks twice at them. Yang and Ruby jolt up with joy, Blake and Weiss reel back in terror, and Team KEPL jump back in shock.
"ZWEI!" Ruby happily calls out the dog's name, indicating she knows it.
"He sent a DOG?!" Blake exclaims.
"In the MAIL?!" Weiss adds.
"I'd expect this kind of thing in cartoons, not in real life," Khazhak says, resting his head on his right hand.
"I'd expect Lloyd to do something like that," Reaper notes while Porphyrius nods.
"Hey, I resent that!" Lloyd retorts.
"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time," Yang explains while Ruby is holding Zwei in her arms like a baby as it lovingly licks her face.
"Your father or your dog?" Blake ask…as she hides on top of Ruby's bed.
"What's wrong Blake? You more of a cat person?" Porphyrius jokes, much to her displeasure.
Weiss leans in closer to the dog, "Are you telling me, that this mangy…" Weiss begins as she scowls at the dog. "Drooling…" he licks his nose as they keep staring. "Mutt...Is going to wiv with us foreva?! Oh, yes he is! Yes he is! Oh isn't he adorable? Ah! Ah!" Weiss suddenly starts making baby talk to Zwei as she pets his nose.
Porphyrius just looks wide-eyed, "I think we just found the Ice Queen's kryptonite," he mutters.
Lloyd just shudders, "I think I liked her better when she WAS the Ice Queen," Lloyd mutters back.
"Please keep it away from my belongings," Blake says as she sits on Ruby's bed as far away from Zwei as she can.
Then, the intercoms come one, "Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater," they hear Glynda's voice on the other end.
"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week," Weiss notes as Ruby releases Zwei and the dog immediately runs up to Weiss's bed, trying to get to Blake, who cringes back like a cat.
Yang then pulls out a letter from the package.
"Look, there's a letter. 'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care off. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang," Yang reads.
Zwei runs over to her and she points the opening of the package over him, and suddenly a large number of cans of dog food fall out of the package, burying Zwei until his head pops out.
"How the hell did all of that fit in there?" Khazhak asks, surprised by the amount of food.
"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asks.
Yang shakes the package, and out comes a can opener that falls on Zwei's head, who continues panting with his tongue out like nothing's wrong.
"Does he even know how to use that?" Lloyd asks, scratching his head.
Yang then tosses the package and the letter away, "Welp, that settles it. Come on guys, Zwei will be here when we get back," Yang says as she leaves the room.
Weiss then walks around Zwei, "Oh, I'll miss you so much! We're going to be best friends! I can't wait to see you again! Yeah, you're such a…" Weiss makes baby talk to Zwei as she pets him and leaves while Blake avoids Zwei,by jumping off Ruby's bed and the desk to quickly run out of the room.
Again, Lloyd shudders, "Ugh! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want the old, cold Weiss back," Lloyd says as he, Reaper, and Porphyrius leave.
"Come on, Ruby. Time to go," Khazhak says before taking his leave as well.
However, Ruby just looks at Zwei, humming in thought for a moment before gasping as she gets an idea and smiles.
A few minutes later, the two teams enter the amphitheater, although Ruby is now carrying a big backpack on her back with the school logo on it. The large room has the students of the four academies separate into four sections. From left to right of the stage, it's the students from Mistral, then Atlas, then Vacuo, and finally Vale. Ruby places her new bag with a pile of other bags before joining her team, with Teams KEPL and JNPR standing behind them
"Quiet. Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin," Goodwitch says while on stage before leaving and then Ozpin steps up to the microphone.
"…Today we stand together, united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell, or who traded with who, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united, but this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first-year students, you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsmen or huntress on a mission," Ozpin explains as screens pop up on the sides of the amphitheater, showcasing the various missions the students may take. "Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best," Ozpin ends his speech and leaves the stage as the audience applauds him.
The students begin separating to choose their missions for the week. Meanwhile, Team's RWBY and KEPL gather together.
"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a huntsmen working in the southeast," Ruby says.
"Yeah, we'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night," Yang adds.
"Two teams can't take one mission together, so we'll each have to take a separate mission that both take place in the southeast, and aren't too far away from each other so that we can link up," Khazhak says.
"Let's check search and destroy," Weiss suggests.
The two teams head to one screen that has a list of missions classified as "Search and Destroy" missions.
"Here we go. Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out," Ruby says, looking at the screen.
"Well, it's in the southeast," Blake says.
"Sounds perfect," Yang adds while Khazhak looks at a different section of the screen.
"There's a scouting mission for possible Grimm activity in quadrant 6 in the southeast. That's not too far from you guys. We'll take that one while you take the one in quadrant 5 and we'll link up with you guys," Khazhak suggests as he registers his team for the mission.
Ruby then tries to register her team for the search and destroy mission, typing the team name in on the screen, but the screen then shows "mission unavailable for first-year students," showing she was rejected.
"Wonderful," Weiss sarcastically says, hands on her hips.
"Any other ideas?" Blake asks.
"We MAIL ourselves there," Ruby suggests.
"You're joking, right?" Porphyrius deadpans.
"Well, that's one option…" they hear a voice and turn to their left to see Professor Ozpin walking up to them. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students," Ozpin explains before he smiles at them. "It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that the eight of you will make your way there no matter which jobs you choose," Ozpin says as Yang, Blake, and Weiss glare at Ruby who just nervously rubs her head, and the three members of Team KEPL give Khazhak an unamused look, to which he just crosses his arms.
"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asks, sounding innocent.
"I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a 'hideout' in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago," Ozpin says, feigning the fact that he knows about their activities.
"Dance club? What the Hell is that all about?" Khazhak mentally asks himself while raising an eyebrow at Ruby.
"Uuuuummmm, uh, um well…" Ruby rambles off.
"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for, so how about this? Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" Ozpin says before typing on his scroll.
The screen then registers both Team RWBY and Team KEPL for the search and destroy mission in the southeast, much to the joy of the two teams as they look at each other, smiling, before turning back to Ozpin.
"We won't let you down. Thank you Professor," Ruby thanks him.
"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsmen at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills unsatisfactory," Ozpin says and then walks away while the members of the two teams look at each other with concern. Ozpin then leans back to them. "Good luck," he says before leaving.
The two teams are then seen walking outside the amphitheater in the courtyard, having already lost their previous smiles.
"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang mentions.
"But it's the truth," Blake adds.
"Ozpin is right guys. The kingdoms may be safe inside, for the most part, but outside their walls, only the strong may survive. What awaits us out there will not show us any mercy," Reaper points out.
"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it," Ruby says, trying to get their spirits up.
As their walking, a random student walks by Ruby, "Hey, Team CFVY is back!" he says.
The two teams look ahead to see many students piled around four other students walking by. These students are Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi, the four members of Team CFVY.
As the second-year team is walking by, Teams RWBY and KEPL walk up to them.
"Velvet, are you okay?" Blake asks out of concern, making Velvet turn to her.
"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me," she answers as Khazhak steps up. "Oh, hello Khazhak. Good to see you," she nods to him.
Khazhak nods back, "Velvet, good to see you're doing well," he greets back.
Though the two have had little interactions with each other, because of Khazhak and his team saving her that one time last semester, Velvet is always happy when they talk.
Weiss then comes up, "Your mission was supposed to end a week ago. What happened?" she asks as the others walk up.
"N-nothing happened. It was just…there were just so many," she replies, getting more serious. "Oh but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing huntsmen, so you should be fine. And plus, I know I don't have to be worried about you and your team, Khazhak. You'll have no problem wherever you're going," she says, trying to make their jobs sound less dangerous.
"Well, you're not wrong about that," Lloyd notes, smirking.
"Rrriiiiiight," Yang says, not feeling convinced.
"I should go. Be safe, okay," she says, waving goodbye as she leaves.
The members of the two teams look at each other for a moment.
"We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now," Ruby encourages them.
"Right," Blake agrees.
"No matter how difficult the path, one must continue moving forward if they wish to become stronger and achieve their goals,' as my father once said," Khazhak says.
"Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!" Ruby says with glee.
"Yeah!" Yang says.
A few minutes later, the two teams suddenly go from feeling confident, to feeling dread. Ruby and Yang have looks that say "oh no" written on them, Weiss eyes' are as big as baseballs, Blake is hunched over in dissatisfaction, Khazhak looks like he's sick, Reaper has his head hanging down, and Porphyrius and Lloyd both have looks mixed between shock and fear.
"Why hello, boys and girls," to their horror, the huntsman they're shadowing…is Dr. Oobleck, who is wearing a long brown great coat, khaki buttoned up safari shirt, a pith helmet, and a large backpack. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?!" he asks with joy in his voice.
Khazhak thinks to himself, "…Da-da-da, we're dead…"
And that's the chapter. I honestly think Ozpin set Oobleck up as their huntsman, one, because of his skills, and two, because he wanted to mess with them a little bit. Brilliant LOL. Anyway, who were Ozpin and Glynda talking about earlier? What awaits Teams KEPL and RWBY in the southeast? Until then, please Read and Review.