RWBY: The Redeemer


Beta-read by SkyRig

Chapter 33: D.D.D. (III)

"Say, any ideas how long Claude is going out for the mission?"

Ruby asked as she and her team just finished their classes for the day.

Blake was the one to reply, "Depends on the mission, I say. On that note, I heard that he's meant to chaperone team CFVY, and he also brought two other huntsmen - Professor Port and Professor Leicester."

"Wait, so Beacon sent out a team of second-year students with three huntsmen? Sounds like an overkill to me." Yang put in her two-cents.

"You have a point there." Weiss agreed to Yang. "But if the staff deemed it's necessary to send out three huntsmen then I can only assume the mission as a difficult one. Not like we can do anything about it."

"I hope he's okay…" Ruby said with a worried look.

Seeing Ruby's face, Yang then nudged her younger sister's shoulder in an attempt to cheer her up. "Hey, look alive, sis. This is Claude we're talking about. He'll be fine; besides, he got two huntsmen with him, and I don't think team CFVY is a push-over either."

"Well, it's Professor Port, after all." Blake shrugged.

"Yeah, and that Leicester guy? It's like he's the more muscular version of Professor Port." Yang remarked, which elicited a small giggle from Ruby.

"Since we're talking about teachers, any speculations about Claude's old teammates? He said that we've met all of them, right?" Ruby asked, changing the topic.

Weiss hummed, "It's safe to assume that the teammates in question are from Vale, so we can exclude the teachers from other academies… I have nothing else other than that to suspect anyone."

"I say it was Professor Goodwitch." Yang decided to pitch in.

"They do seem to get along with each other…" Ruby muttered. "Do you think one of them might be Professor Ozpin himself?"

Rolling her eyes at her partner's 'exciting' speculation, Weiss replied, "No, Ruby. Just no."

Ruby pouted when Blake and Yang's expressions hinted that they also shared Weiss' opinion.

"...Besides, rather than making some baseless guesses, we have something more important to do, don't we?" Weiss interjected, "Considering that team CFVY was in charge of preparing the dance ball and ended up going for a mission, Professor Goodwitch has decided to entrust the task to us."

The team nodded along, albeit reluctantly at the prospect of working to prepare such a big event.

"Speaking of dance, any of you girls bringing a date?" Yang asked.

"No."

"Nah."

"No…. Though Sun asked me out the other day."

The team then turned to Blake, who simply returned their looks with a raised eyebrow. "...What?"

Yang was grinning, "Well? Did you accept?"

"I did say 'no', didn't I?"

The blonde simply pouted like a child being denied her birthday present, "Really, so I guess all of us girls are gonna go singles for the dance?"

Ruby sighed, "I actually thought of asking Claude…"

The other three's heads turned to regard Ruby with looks that implied they were not expecting those words.

"You're asking Claude - uncle Claude, to be your date to the dance?" Yang asked, "Rubes, that's pretty much like asking your dad to a prom."

"No, it's not!" Ruby argued back, "Sure, Claude is my uncle, but strange as it is, he doesn't look that much older than us, does he?"

"Still our uncle." Yang stood her point.

"Ruby is…. Actually not entirely wrong." Blake put her two-cents. "Strange circumstances aside, Claude still looks passable to be a student here. Besides, technically, there's nothing that forbids a student to ask a teacher, or a family member out to the dance."

"A relationship between a teacher and a student is still a stigmata among society, you know. Even more if it's between family members." Weiss added.

"Ugh, then who else do I ask? Yang kept pestering me to hang out with some guy to the dance!" Ruby whined.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can ask Claude. Not only that sounds weird, it also sounds like cheating too." Yang replied, receiving a grumble from Ruby.

"Anyway, instead of wondering about whether we will bring a date to the dance or not, we still need to ensure the dance will happen smoothly first and foremost, correct?" Weiss decided to end the subject. "We have lots to do."

The girls followed, while Ruby looked up to the sky, wondering how her uncle was doing in his mission.


"HA!"

Claude just cleaved through another Ursa before he immediately went towards another Grimm that was about to flank Peter, who was in the middle of bombarding a horde with his Blowhard.

The mission had already begun on a bad start.

As soon as they arrived on the site, the entire settlement had been overrun by the Creatures of Grimm of various sizes. Buildings were either ruined or downright flattened, a good amount of dead bodies were littering the streets and even some of the Grimm were feasting over the corpses.

The team was soon divided - Claude, Peter, Coco and Fox jumped out of the Bullhead and engaged the Grimm in the settlement, while Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Griswald would be dropped on the outskirts of the settlement to search for the survivors.

Looking at the amount of Grimm, the devastation that reached as far as he could see, Claude doubted that his group would find any survivor holding up anywhere.

However, the mourning needed to wait - he and the others had to do what they did best at the moment, which was killing every single monster in sight.

Coco was emptying her ammunition on the surrounding Grimm with her Gianduja, with her partner providing cover by delivering Sharp Retribution at the Grimm that were too close for comfort.

Unfortunately, there was one of those moments where Claude was caught off-guard, as an Alpha Beowulf ambushed him and he barely halted the Grimm from eating his face with his shield. The Grimm's momentum managed to force Claude to take some steady steps back.

"Claude!" Peter was about to help, but he grunted as a Beringel came up on him, forcing Peter to keep Grimm at bay with his blunderbuss.

Their struggles eventually forced them back-to-back, with Claude and Peter fending the Grimm off their faces.

"Hey, Peter! How're ya doin'?" Claude asked as he stabbed his sword on the Grimm's sides several times.

Peter snarled as he tried to throw his own Grimm off before replying, "Bad! How about you, sir?!"

"Also bad!" Claude replied as he finally managed to bisect the Grimm, killing the creature before he proceeded to whip out his Mjolnir Mk. II and deal with Peter's opponent by blowing its head off.

"Much obliged, sir!" Peter gave a quick thanks before he immediately went off to continue his bombardment.

Claude then gave a quick look around and found that the Grimm was still at large. They were holding themselves up well so far, but it was only a matter of time until they were overwhelmed, if the Grimm from outside the settlement decided to check out the commotion.

Should he go all out? But doing so with Coco and Fox able to witness him, he then had to explain about his lineage, and in extension, perhaps had to reveal the secret war he had joined under Ozpin's employ, assuming that the two students would likely demand answers.

He started to regret bringing the children along, Glynda was probably right that Waldo and Peter alone would have been enough to help him finish the mission. Then again, hindsight is 20-20.

For now, Claude could only hope that the SAR team had confirmed and located the survivors so they could leave the shithole promptly.

"Coco, Fox! How are you two holding up?!" Claude asked while keeping up the fight.

"Still strong!" Coco shouted as she just forced some air-borne Grimm to fly away from her hailstorm of bullets.

What she said, but we can't keep this up for too long.

Claude blinked at the sudden voice in his head, just in time when his eyes met with Fox's white orbs. The teen nodded at him right after he dispatched another Grimm.

Telepathic Semblance? That's interesting - Claude thought in amusement as he parried a lunging Creep with his shield before he made quick work by stabbing the creature's neck.

Claude then only remembered that he had implemented some upgrades on his Shatter Storm and currently was a damned good time to use it. However…

"Peter, do you still have some Dust?!"

"What kind, sir!?" Peter yelled back as he just finished reloading his Blowhard.

"Anything that goes 'boom' the most!"

"Then have this one!" Peter fished through his inventory and tossed a bright orange Dust crystal to Claude, who easily caught it before he put the Dust inside the newly installed chamber of his Shatter Storm.

As soon as Claude assembled his weapon into its great-axe form, The Dust infused shield came to life as sparks and flames licked out around the edges of its metal. Glaring at another incoming pack of Grimm, Claude roared as he swung his weapon towards the intended target.

As soon as Shatter Storm hit the ground, a massive heat wave roared towards the monsters, incinerating those who were too weak to take the heat, and badly burned even the bigger ones.

Coco and Fox, who could feel the heat from their position, were stunned for a moment. The former even lowered her shades to see the Creatures of Grimm get incinerated from Claude's attack, whistling in impression before she continued pouring her ammo on her next enemy.

"Bravo, bravo!" Peter guffawed, all while dispatching Grimm left and right on his own.

Claude on the other hand, was ecstatic as he stared at his smoking shield. "Holy shit, it actually worked! Peter, do you have lightning dust this time?"

Without a word, Peter then tossed a bright yellow crystal at Claude, who caught it, but flinched when he touched his weapon to reload the Dust. The metal around the Dust chamber was still too hot from the Fire Dust. "Damn, I need to work on a cooling system for Shatter Storm…"

Keeping the Lightning Dust to himself for the time being, with Shatter Storm was still 'too hot' for Claude to turn into its sword and shield combination, the man proceeded to improvised with powerful wide swings of his weapon, decimating the surrounding Grimm.

Then, Claude's earpiece communication came to life as he received an incoming call from the SAR team. "Waldo, we really can use some good news right now!"

[We might have survivors, after all! Scarlatina said that she picked some noises and some of the Grimm are heading towards the direction where she picked 'em up! How are things on your side, by the way?!]

Claude's face lit up, "Things are complete shit-show over here with nothing but Grimm everywhere! Send me the coordinates! We'll meet you there!"

[Got it! This is our last spot, anyway! Over and out!]

Claude then took quick glances at his comrades. The channel was open, so what one said to another would be heard by the rest. Peter, Coco and Fox nodded, showing that they had heard his earlier conversation.

"One last spurt, ladies and gents!"

Claude's words were returned with collective battle cries.


"That way! We're getting closer!"

Velvet shouted as she and her group ran towards the direction she pointed at, trekking through the rocky and mountainous terrains around the Lower Cairn. Along the way, Creatures of Grimm in various sizes were going after them.

"Tally-ho!"

Griswald Leicester guffawed as he literally tore his way through the Grimm that came their way. His shotgun-axe hybrid weapon appeared to be similar to Port's, but it had an actual mecha-shift feature, as well as nearly as tall as his frame.

Velvet was no stranger to guys who were capable of lifting large, heavy objects with ease - her partner being one example. Then again, Yatsuhashi's Fulcrum simple design was definitely lighter than Leicester's weapon that had more complex construction.

The team had their fair share of working with a licensed huntsman, but it was their first time to work with one that came from another Kingdom. Seeing Leicester's gravity-defying performance made them wonder if Vacuo's huntsmen were anything like.

"There!"

Velvet's musing was halted as Griswald pointed at an entrance of a cavern up ahead. Much to her horror and Yatsuhashi's apprehension, a Deathstalker was pinning someone down with its claw, its tail hovering above, ready to deliver the killing blow.

The said someone - a middle-aged man, was desperately struggling to break free, yet his face slowly came to a morbid revelation that he had no hope whatsoever to escape the monster's clutch. His eyes were wide, gazing at the deadly stinger with unbridled fear.

Velvet's heart sank when she also noticed another detail - at the mouth of the cavern, a group of a woman and children were helplessly shouting and calling out towards the man, who was safely assumed to be their patriarch; praying for something or someone to rescue him.

"HEADS UP!"

Griswald roared as he picked up his running pace. Velvet did not expect for the massive frame to run that fast, and her eyes widened in surprise when he jumped to the air - reaching the height that was not supposedly probable with his body, before he shifted his body into a lotus position and suddenly dropped like a meteor on top of the Deathstalker's main body.

The impact did force the Grimm to release the man from its claws, but the resulting shockwave was not something to scoff at either. The poor man was thrown back by the blast, but the silver lining was he was no longer at the death's door.

"Whew, that was a close one, yeah?" Griswald grinned as the family reunited outside the cave. "You folks okay?"

The family gave him a grateful look, but before they could have replied, a roar was heard, followed with Yatsuhashi's voice.

"We have a pack incoming and they're coming fast!"

"Multiple directions! We are surrounded!" Velvet also provided.

Griswald's expression quickly shifted into a serious frown, "Move back to the cave! We can protect you lot better there!"

The patriarch nodded without a word and quickly ushered the rest of the family back to the cave, while the three huntsmen began setting up the perimeter to defend against the incoming danger.

Velvet took out her Anesidora - a Dust-powered camera that she handcrafted herself. She pointed the device at the sight of Griswald's shotgun-axe and pressed the shutter button.

Noticing the blitz light at the corner of his eyes, Griswald grinned at the girl, "Looking for a memento from the trip, Scarlatina?"

Velvet shot him a knowing smirk. Without a word, a solid object made out of holographic light suddenly manifested in her hands, resembling Griswald's own. Said teacher was looking with genuine interest.

"...I'll be damned. You gotta tell me more about your stuff later, lass." Griswald winked at Velvet, who snickered in return.

The trio then watched the incoming horde, and they knew their situation was not looking good. All kinds of Grimm with various sizes came from every angle; the only silver lining was that there were no airborne Grimm in sight. Griswald had already considered a plan where he would forcefully open a path for the students and civilians made the run.

However, they suddenly heard another commotion that came from behind the horde. The Creatures of Grimm also seemingly noticed the newcomers as they turned their attention towards their flank.

Velvet could hear the familiar sound of minigun pouring leads into whatever object that was unfortunate enough to stand in its line of fire, while Griswald saw a familiar rain of exploding pellets, along with several lightning strikes.

Finally, a figure was seen jumping from the midst of the Grimm horde, slamming his weapon on the ground upon landing, and a thunderous shockwave that followed suit eradicated the Grimm around the perimeter.

"The cavalry's here, people! Sorry for the wait!" Claude greeted with a grin towards Griswald, Velvet and Yatsuhashi, who were visibly relieved at his presence.

"About fucking time! Well, not that you're too late!" Griswald guffawed.

"How is it looking, you two?" Coco asked her remaining teammates once she had arrived.

"Not looking too good, but we find some survivors. What about you?" Velvet asked with a worried tone at the sight of her leader clearly out of breath.

"Kind of worse, and we're running low on ammo." Coco cryptically replied. Fox simply shared a grim nod with Yatsuhashi as they took their defensive stance.

Claude threw a quick glance at the group of family hiding in the cave before turning to Griswald. "You sure they're the ones that's left?!"

The grin slid off Griswald's face as Velvet and Yatsuhashi looked regretful over the lost of lives, that the survivors behind them were the only ones they could rescue.

Understanding the look on their faces, Claude nodded while ignoring a towering Ursa looming just above him. The man did not react as much as whipping his hand-canon up and pulled the trigger. Next second, the Ursa had lost its head and its body fell back to the ground before disappearing.

"Peter, call our ride back! We're leaving!" Claude barked his next order.

The older-looking huntsman stared at Claude for a second before nodding.

"We are fortunate, people!" Peter announced to the others. "Our ride earlier had finished re-fueling and was in the middle of circling the area for stragglers! Evac inbound ETA 5 minutes!"

"You heard the man!" Griswald shouted, "Let's keep our LZ here as cool as we can, yeah!?"

Everyone chorused in affirmative at the prospect of leaving the ground zero filled with Creatures of Grimm. The family behind them also looked hopeful that they would be safe soon.

Still, they were still in the middle of danger, as the Grimm was still everywhere.

In the midst of the battle, Claude soon noticed that Velvet suddenly conjured a sword and shield made out of hard-light Dust - replicating his Shatter Storm. Moreover, Claude recognized Velvet's move and combat style as his own. She even exhibited a similar feat of his own when Shatter Storm entered its great-axe form.

"The fuck, Velvet!? How and where did you learn my moves from!?" Claude could not contain the excitement in his tone.

The girl in question only gave a brief giggle as she was preoccupied with the fighting, but Coco put in her own two-cents.

"That's pretty much the main reason our Velvet cake is our ace in the hole, Claude! Now stop distracting her and keep fighting!"

Claude ignored the blatant disrespect in Coco's tone in favour of asking his friend, "Peter, did you know about this?!"

"What do you think?! I've been teaching them for nearly one and a half years! Of course I am aware, not just about Ms. Scarlatina, but the Semblance of every member from team CFVY as well!" Peter replied with 'as a matter of fact' tone.

Dammit! We got one breaking through the perimeter!

Recognizing Fox's voice in his head, Claude immediately snapped his head towards a Boarbatusk that just finished spinning its way past Fox, and set its sight at the defenceless family at the mouth of the cave.

Claude had already moved by that time - he stood his ground with his shield up towards the Boar-looking Grimm that had begun spinning again. The beast charged, and it took a second until its charge was met with Claude's shield.

Claude grunted as his entire body strained against the impact behind the Boarbatusk charge. He kept his muscles frigid, particularly on his legs that supported him, as he weathered the force trying to barrel through him.

Nonetheless, experience had allowed him some other tricks - Claude lowered his body and tilted the surface of his shield upward. The Boarbatusk was suddenly rolled on top of Claude's shield, and the man immediately pushed up with all his strength, allowing the Grimm to overreach and fly until it hit against the rocky wall above the cave.

The Boarbatusk stopped spinning - disoriented as it fell back to the ground. Claude seized the moment of its vulnerability to make a quick work on it by a swift stab through its neck.

"Incoming Goliath!"

Claude cursed at the information, a Grimm of that calibre when they did not have much space to move around? The situation had become worse as the time went by. He gave a quick glance at the survivors, who looked pensive and fearful at the incoming giant Grimm. He shot them a quick grin, as a silent reassurance that he had everything under control.

Shatter Storm had gotten enough time to cool down - utilizing its Dust chamber once again, Claude inserted a Lightning Dust and the weapon thrummed and sparked with power.

"Get behind me!" Claude roared as he swung his weapon towards a pair of Goliath and unleashed a massive wave cracking with thunder. Both Goliaths were knocked down - one at the front disintegrated, while the other survived, albeit having difficulty in standing back up.

Claude clicked his teeth at the not-satisfying result; in addition, his shield would be useless for a while.

"NOO!"

"What the-!?"

As if to make matters worse, everyone turned and saw the survivors were attacked by a pack of Grimm that came from inside the cave.

"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!?" Claude shouted in indignation as Coco and Fox quickly made their way to the rescue.

Then, another sound was heard from the air. Griswald looked up and had his eyes wide, "That's our ride!"

"Now?!" Claude shouted as the bullhead fired a quick round of artillery at the surrounding Creatures of Grimm, clearing a space to land.

As the aircraft descended to the ground, Claude immediately called out, "Everyone, get to the ship! Coco, Fox! How are the survivors!?"

Much to everyone's relief, Fox was in the middle of escorting the terrified family, where Velvet and Yatsuhashi quickly came to his aid. Coco on the other hand, was still busy emptying her last clip to fend off the Grimm inside the cave.

However, Claude noticed that the sheer amount of the Grimm trying to make their way out had destabilized the cavern's structure; not to mention the Boarbatusk that Claude sent railing towards the wall earlier. It did not take long for him to spot the cave above Coco started to fall apart.

"Shit…!"

Claude discarded his still-overheated shield, strapping his sword on his back as he dashed towards Coco, who just noticed the crumbling rocks on top of her.

"COCO/CLAUDE!"

Everyone watched in horror as Claude tackled Coco further inside the cave, just when the falling rocks touched the ground, obscuring Claude and Coco from everyone's sight in the midst of dust and debris.


Claude gritted his teeth as he wrestled against a Creep that survived the avalanche, inside a dark, enclosed cave.

With a grunt, Claude slammed the Grimm onto the ground, brought his fist down on the monster's head several times, before he finished the creature with a stab through its eyes with his sword.

He waited for a few more seconds, confirming that his current location was devoid of hostile. It was dark, and his eyes were barely accustomed to the lack of light when he remembered that he was not alone.

"Get off me!"

Claude was glad that his Scroll was still intact. He turned its flashlight feature on and spotted the girl just finished bludgeoning a Beowulf with her Gianduja. He noticed that her expression was distraught, as she immediately turned towards the sealed pathway and ran her hands on the rocky surface.

"Velvet! Yatsu! Fox!?" Coco looked as if she was about to dig her way through all those rubbles with her bare hands.

Claude approached her, and he saw how panicked Coco appeared, as she kept calling out.

"Professor Port!? Professor Leicester! ANYONE!?"

Knowing that the girl was having a breakdown, Claude immediately closed in to calm her down.

"Hey, Coco. Easy..." Claude pulled Coco by her shoulder towards him, and she automatically attempted to scurry away. "Coco, Coco! Look at me!" He barked louder as he firmly grabbed her shoulders and shook her to gain her attention - her body was trembling.

Once Claude affirmed that Coco's attention was on him, he lowered his tone as well, "Breath…"

The girl did as she was told, and her trembling gradually subsided with each deep breath.

"...You good? Are you hurt anywhere?" Claude asked as he attempted to give Coco a look-over despite the poor lighting in the enclosed cave.

Coco merely shook her head as her expression had yet to be completely devoid of fear.

Something was obviously off about her. Claude then slowly pried Coco's shades off her face to see her eyes glistened with unshed tears. He then placed his thumb over her temple, "Look at me, Coco. Are you sure you're okay?"

The girl bit her lip as she averted her gaze in shame. "I'm…. I'm not too good with enclosed space."

Claude simply nodded in understanding, albeit he never dealt with claustrophobic people before. Nonetheless, having her kept panicking would not improve their situation.

"Coco." Claude called her name to get her eyes back on him. "I know things are looking bad here, but we'll be fine. Trust me."

The girl could not say anything but to look at the smile filled with conviction. She found herself nodding at actually, felt slightly better at the brief pep-talk.

"Now, let's have a look… What do we have here?" Claude finally let go of Coco and proceeded to scan the dark space with the limited light from his Scroll.

Having a semblance of tranquility, Coco managed to speak, "...Do you think they can get us out of here?"

Claude glanced at her, noticing that she was uncomfortably rubbing her arm. "Like I said earlier, it's not looking good. Judging the size of the rubbles blocking the path, assuming that the rest had to drop the survivors on Vale, and assuming that outside is still littered with Grimm…. It'd take at least a few days for Beacon to dig us out of here. However…."

Coco blinked as her eyes followed Claude who trekked and pointed his flashlight deeper into the cave… Where she could not see the end.

"The Grimm that ambushed us…. Where did they come from?" Claude asked as he kept peering into the darkness.

"Maybe they've been holding up here and were attracted to the fight outside?" Coco put her two-cents.

"Maybe, but there are too many different kinds of Grimm that showed up. If it were simply a pack of Beowulves or Grimm of the same type; but that kind of diverse Grimm holding up in the same space? That's not exactly common."

Claude then knelt down, running his palm on the ground to grab a fistful of dust. He shifted on his position slightly, brought his hand up and allowed the dust to flow out from his grasp.

"Look." Claude pointed at the sight of the dust shifting ever so slightly towards the blocked exit. "It's not much, but there's an air flow from the deeper parts."

"Whatever causing that air flow… could be anything." Coco grimmly noted, but that was more likely her negativity from her phobia talking.

"Even so, we can't just stay here." Claude clapped the remaining dust off his hands. "We don't have supplies, so I don't think we can last without risking dehydration until the help comes. The cave we are in is still a part of the entire mountain. If we are lucky, we can find either a water source, or another way out of here. Beats sticking in this gloomy spot, right?" He finished with a small grin.

Coco sighed as a small smile finally crept up to her lips, "Okay, you got me. Exploring sounds better than just sitting around. Lead the way, sir."

Claude nodded, "Stay close to me, and keep the beacon on your Scroll on. At least we can let everyone know that we are still here."

Coco did as instructed, as well as turning the flashlight feature on to improve their vision around. With Claude in front, both of them began walking towards the darkness.


The news of what had transpired during team CFVY's mission quickly spread around the school, despite the teacher's attempt on discretion to prevent panic. After all, the team was one of the best in the second-year student body.

Team RWBY had immediately dropped the task of preparing the dance party when they caught the wind, and after confronting Professor Goodwitch, the deputy only told them that the team that had gone with Claude would continue searching for the next 48 hours before they had to report back to Beacon to ask for additional reinforcements.

It was night past dinner time; Ruby was on her way to the training hall while most of the students had fallen asleep. Her team and friends had done their best to reassure her that her uncle would be fine, but she could tell that Yang in particular was just as worried; she simply knew how to play it off better.

Still, negative thoughts kept coming to her mind - what if Claude did not actually make it? What if what happened to her mother repeated itself? Just when Ruby gained the only link to her late mother…

She shook her head and clapped her cheek hard to snap herself out of it. No use in worrying. Claude himself had promised her that he was not going anywhere, and it was her job to have faith in him; not just as a family, but as a fellow huntsman as well. She nodded to herself as she arrived at the door - a good work-out could help her to get things off her mind.

She left her Crescent Rose behind, having chosen to follow Claude's advice to improve her hand-to-hand combat however she could. On a second thought, she should have asked Yang to accompany and give her pointers, but it was late and Yang herself was probably tired enough.

Ruby did not expect, however, to see Brunesteid Shamir kneeling in a vacant space inside the training hall, with several dummies placed around her. Her eyes were closed with her expression stoic as ever, but there was a hint of serenity plastered over her face. She was clad in a baggy-looking clothing, and her sheathed sword was laid before her.

The girl suddenly found herself feeling awkward; she was not interrupting, was she? Did Professor Shamir book the entire room prior? Should she leave? It was not like she had to use this room in particular, there were other places she could use.

"You have been staring at me for some time, Ms. Rose."

Ruby let out a small yelp at Brunesteid suddenly calling her out. The woman had not shifted from her position, with her eyes opened softly and were glancing at her.

"Is there something you need from me?"

Ruby waved her hands, "No, no, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you!"

"You did not disturb me at all, Ms. Rose. I was merely curious about your staring and called you out of my own volition." Brunesteid calmly replied as she closed her eyes again.

Ruby felt relief at the reply, but she still felt nervous.

"You are nervous."

The young girl blinked at the sudden remark from the woman, before she chuckled sheepishly, "That obvious, huh? Actually, how could you tell from all the way there?"

Brune's lips twitched into a smallest smirk of amusement, "My… heritage allows me to sense things that normal people cannot…. And I can sense your anxiety from here just fine."

"Oh, err, um… I guess I am kind of nervous. I just wanted to use the room for a bit…. But then I saw you here, so…. Heheh." Ruby inwardly berated herself for acting like a total dork.

"There's no need for reservations, Ms. Rose. This room is available for everyone inside Beacon Academy." Brunesteid replied, ignoring Ruby's nervous tone.

Ruby blinked, "Are… you sure? I mean, won't I be intruding? You look like you need to be alone…"

Brunesteid gave a silent sigh, "...If I were to lose focus with merely your presence and whatever you need to do here, then the fault lies in my own shortcomings. You are free to train here all you want."

"I see…" Ruby fidgeted on her spot before her eyes lit up. "Um… Actually, maybe you can help me…?"

This time, Brunesteid opened her eyes and turned to look at Ruby with quizzical looks.

Ruby remembered that Brunesteid Shamir was one of a handful of people who knew Claude from way back. Considering they were in the same room, she found there was no harm to talk to her in order to learn more about her uncle.

Although she immediately regretted her decision. "I- I mean! When you are finished with your own thing, of course! If you don't want, I can just be on my own!" Ruby quickly followed.

Brune regarded the young girl for a few more seconds before she gave a soft snort and stood up. "Calm down, Ms. Rose. I simply didn't expect such a request from you." She said with a small smile, "I might be a guest, but I am still a teacher. If you are fine with me, then I won't mind helping."

"R-really?" Ruby asked with a hopeful tone, in which Brunesteid replied with a nod.

It was also an opportunity for Brunesteid, at least to sate her own curiosity on the girl who shared the same bloodline as Summer Rose and him.

Brunesteid that stood up while sizing-up the younger girl. "You don't have your weapon with you."

"Um, yeah. I… was told to improve my hand-to-hand." Ruby held up her fists to emphasize.

"I see." Brune gave a small nod of approval, "Huntsmen have to be capable of holding on their own with or without their weapons. Would you mind a quick spar, so I can see what I am working with?"

"Err… Sure." Ruby replied with a shrug.

Soon, the two females were facing each other in an empty space of the training hall. Ruby was holding a simple boxing stance while Brune simply stood on her position.

"We shall employ the first-blood rule. Whenever you are ready, Ms. Rose." The older woman beckoned.

Ruby nodded and took a deep breath, trying to implement any little lesson she had learned prior. A few seconds later, she dashed forward and threw a punch straight towards Brune's abdomen.

In return, Brune merely stepped aside and allowed Ruby to trip on the former's extended feet. The redhead stumbled while flailing her arm around to keep herself from falling on her face.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hood from behind, tugged her back and Ruby suddenly found a hand pressed against her jugular in a chopping-motion.

"If this were a real combat, I would have killed you by now." Brune remarked with a 'matter of fact' tone. "It appears that you are obviously still new to the concept of unarmed combat." Brune noted as she maintained her position with Ruby for a good few seconds before letting her go.

"Heheh… I've been fighting with my Crescent Rose for as long as I can remember… That's the name of my weapon, by the way." Ruby sheepishly replied as she rubbed the spot where Brune's hand was pressed on.

Brune hummed thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "I recall in few of the previous classes that your weapon is a giant scythe and rifle hybrid…. I assumed Qrow Branwen was the one who taught you?"

"He was! He only taught my class for one and half-year, but I learned everything I know from him. Oh, do you also know Uncle Qrow as well?" Ruby asked.

"We met in the past Vytal Festival… But I'm afraid we digress. I heard that Claude Rose has been holding an unarmed-combat lesson. Have you come up with anything yet?"

Ruby frowned in reply, "Ugh… I've been trying to figure that one out, but I just don't get it. I mean, I've been accustomed too much in wielding my weapon, then I need to recondition myself so I can fight like my sister?"

"Yang Xiao-Long…" Brune noted the name when Ruby mentioned 'sister', then she shook her head briefly to address the young girl again, "So you don't really intend to let your weapon go anytime soon?"

"Well, weapons are an extension of ourselves." Ruby just had to bring that one up in her defence.

"...You are not wrong." Brune nodded after taking in Ruby's reply for a second. "But don't you think that idea can be reversed?"

Ruby blinked at that, "What do you mean?"

Brune's lips twitched again into a knowing smirk, "Tell me, Ms. Rose. Do you think I'm wielding my sword right now?" She spread her hands up.

"...No, I don't." Ruby asked with an intrigued look.

Then, Brune proceeded to bring her hands together - she brought the index finger of her right hand out, clasped it with her left hand, in which the index finger was pointed towards Ruby.

"...Then what do you think now?"

Ruby stared, and she stared hard for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her mind. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Professor Shamir still holding the same stance like she did earlier.

However, she could not fathom, and she could have sworn that the woman was holding a real sword pointed at her a few seconds ago.

"Ms. Rose."

Ruby blinked as her attention was returned to Brune's face, who was still smiling knowingly. "Perhaps another round? Same rule as before."

Ruby looked down in contemplation for a second, wondering what just transpired in her eyes earlier. With curiosity running inside her, she nodded and assumed her boxing stance once again.

Ruby might be a novice in unarmed combat, but she was not when it came to combat itself in general. Considering what happened when she rushed in blindly, she opted to observe and react this time around.

Then Brunesteid move.

Ruby did not expect for Brunesteid to be fast enough to catch her off-guard, considering their distance. She was about to jump away to dodge when she felt it.

Brunesteid had cut her.

Ruby exhaled as she ran her hand over her frame - no, that was not right; her aura protected her just fine, but she could have sworn the blow earlier was from an actual blade than a bare hand.

She then returned to regard Brunesteid once again; the woman was throwing her hand-blade aside, and that was when Ruby realised.

"You… you moved and fought as if you are holding an actual sword."

"So you see now." Brune replied with a nod.

"Actually, wait. How did you do that?" Ruby's eyes were gleaming with curiosity. "I actually thought you're using real swords on me? Was that your Semblance?"

Brune gave a soft snort, "I'm afraid not, Ms. Rose. My Semblance is nothing of the sorts. It's more like… a skill that I acquired through years of training."

"Oh, I see… So I need to incorporate my style of using Crescent Rose into my hand-to-hand?" Ruby asked.

"It is up for yourself to decide, Ms. Rose. All I did was show you an example, a reference. There is no guarantee that my style is applicable for everyone else."

Brune then glanced at a clock on the wall, "I am afraid I have used all my time here. I trust that you will be mindful of the time and your class tomorrow?"

The younger girl blinked for a couple of times before nodding, "Oh, um, yeah! Thank you for the lesson, Professor Shamir! Have a goodnight!"

Brune replied with a silent nod before she went out of the room, leaving Ruby with many things to consider.

As she walked through the hallway, Brune's mind drifted to her earlier exchange with Ruby. When Ruby's image shifted to Summer and Clause, her lips slowly grew into a small grin, as if she was looking forward to what the future had in store.

oXo

Claude and Coco had been walking for one good hour through the dark cavern, and so far, they had yet to find anything but longer path to follow.

While taking the lead, Claude would occasionally take a quick check on Coco who walked slightly behind him; she was scanning around with her flashlight, but her expression remained distraught, and spelled that she wanted nothing more than to get outside.

Fortunately, there had been distractions, although whether they were good or bad signs was debatable.

"Say, Coco…" Claude said as he pointed his flashlight towards the objects he had been seeing for a while, "Those are not things you usually find in a cave, right?"

Snapped out of phobia-induced stupor, Coco only realised what the teacher was insinuating, as she flashed her light around - crates and barrels meant for industrial purposes could be seen here and there.

"Huh… You're right, those aren't normal."

Coco then suddenly walked into Claude's back - the man had stopped walking abruptly. She was about to ask what was wrong, until she noticed that Claude was looking at what appeared before them.

"...And that one is definitely something you don't see in a cave."

Coco remarked as she and Claude gazed upon the building in front of them.


Omake

"I don't know. Should I have been more forward with my advances? But this is Jaune we're talking about. What if I go too far and he found me indecent? Repulsive, even? He seems to like the elegant, proper type like Weiss."

Pyrrha was pouring out her worries and anxiety on a recliner couch, with Jersey sitting on her desk and listening to the younger girl.

"What do you think I should do, doctor?" Pyrrha asked from her seat.

Jersey hummed for a second before replying, "Let me say this first that what you encounter is completely a normal problem that every girl has at some point in their lives. Some boy cannot see just how attractive you are? Big deal, I've been there." She began with a light-hearted note to cheer her charge up.

"However, sometimes when you cannot make him notice you, you might just need to make certain parts of him to notice you. There's a saying, love comes not only from the heart, it also comes… from the brain." the doctor finished by tapping her head.

"Okay…? I guess that makes sense." Pyrrha replied after she had taken in what the doctor said.

"Which is why I have concocted a proprietary chemical compound that might come in handy." Jersey then fished out and shook a small tube filled with rattling tablets. "...I call it, Formula L."

Pyrrha blinked at the small tube in Jersey's hand, "And how is it related…? Wait a second… Are you suggesting me to drug Jaune?"

At her scandalous tone, Jersey merely shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. I just began human testing anyway… By mixing it into Ms. Valkyrie's coffee this morning."

The doctor clicked on her Scroll, which also served as a remote controlling an automatic curtain on the other side of the room, which revealed Nora sitting on the bed with a deranged look on her face.

"Doctor~! Nora is definitely feeling something~!" The gingerhead sing-songed while tugging on her shirt while her other hand was grasping her own hair.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in horror and she stood up from her seat, "Nora?! My god, what have you done to her?" she turned to glare at the doctor. "Is Ren okay?! Does he even know about this?"

Jersey shrugged, "Not a clue, I suppose. Since Mr. Ren was the one who dropped her here when the formula kicked in. If it's any consolation, the effect should be temporary."

"So is she going to be okay?" Pyrrha asked as she glanced at still-high Nora.

"She'll be fine after I give her the antidote, in the worst case scenario." Jersey waved off before she waved her invention at Pyrrha again. "So? Will you take the shot? The offer still stands."

"I think I'm going to pass on that." Pyrrha replied with a scowl.

"Suit yourself, then." Jersey popped a few tablets out and chugged them into her mouth, "Means more share for me and Ms. Valkyrie there."

In response, Nora spread her arms wide on her bed as her pupils dilated, "WHO IS LOVING IT~!"


Okay, it has been a while since the last time I did this. So what do you think? I was struggling when I wrote Coco's case of claustrophobia, I had only ever seen ONE example in real life, then again, it's not in a cave but in elevator, so I'm not sure if I could pull it off. What of the stuff I wrote between Ruby and Brune? Please let me know!

Also, have you guys seen RWBY vol. 8 so far? They gave me lots of new avenues.