Chapter 25
Cinder wasted no time, leaping backwards, fire leaping into her hands as a bow and a trio of arrows simply appeared out of the air, the arrows already drawn back and ready to fire without her having to go to the effort to pull back the string.
She fired a split second later, aiming for the floor in front of the four teenage girls standing before her.
"Explosives!" Ruby Rose warned as she blurred into rose petals.
A second Blake Belladonna appeared, throwing the first upwards and forwards over the arrows in the floor, already going bright as they prepared to explode.
Yang fired both gauntlets at Cinder, letting her own feet leave the floor as the recoil carried her back into the elevator and out of the blast radius, while Pyrrha leapt forward, spinning sideways and away from the three arrows as they exploded. Pyrrha rode the blast wave toward her and was flinging her shield before her feet hit the floor. Cinder knocked the shield upwards with her bow, even as the bow broke apart into a pair of scimitars, and her second scimitar sliced around to catch Ruby Rose's scythe just before it caught Cinder in the neck.
Cinder stabbed for Ruby's heart with her free scimitar, forcing the smaller girl to disengage and dart backwards, and Cinder parried several sniper rounds with one hand while she spun and turned in time to parry Blake Belladonna sweeping in from the opposite side with her own sword. Then Blake's sheath came around and clipped Cinder in the head even as she twisted and ducked to reduce the damage.
And then Pyrrha hit her like a battering ram, spear point first.
Cinder managed to dodge the spear, but Pyrrha caught her with her shoulder in the stomach, the impact throwing them both against the far wall with stunning force, Cinder taking the brunt of the damage. Pyrrha leapt back as Cinder abandoned one blade in an attempt to burn Pyrrha down with a line of flame six inches wide and white hot in intensity. Pyrrha ducked and rolled, avoiding the flame just long enough for her to scoop up her shield. Pyrrha kept retreating even as the flames licked harmlessly over her shield.
Cinder heard the paired shotguns going off once, then twice. Four rounds being fired, and she jerked herself to the side, but Yang hadn't been firing at her, she'd been turning herself into a human missile with a leap and the recoil from her gauntlets. Nevertheless, Cinder had all the time in the world to summon another bow and put three more explosive arrows into Xiao-Long before the idiot bimbo ever reached her.
Except that once again Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna were coming at her from opposite sides, each almost exactly 90 degrees away from the direction Yang was coming at her from. Cinder could attack Yang and possibly fend off both of the others besides, but it was safer to leap backwards again.
And a round from Pyrrha's rifle caught her in the side as she leapt back. Nikos had to have fired at the same time as Cinder had started to retreat to have made that shot. She'd anticipated Cinder's retreat perfectly, fired for where she'd be, not where she had been. Cinder brought up an empty hand and disintegrated the next three rounds from Pyrrha's rifle before they reached her, but Belladonna and that infuriating child, Ruby Rose, had met where she had been a moment before, and instead of colliding, they'd linked arms and Ruby had flung Belladonna at her with the combined force of their momentum.
Belladonna came in swinging both her mechashift katana and her sheath simultaneously, and Cinder summoned her own blades to parry both, but then that blasted Ruby shot her the second her blades were engaged, unable to move for just long enough to keep the cat faunus from carving through her Aura with all her power and therefore unable to block the shot.
"NO!" Cinder screamed, her eyes flaring with flames of bright amber as a whirlwind surrounded her, throwing Belladonna away and deflecting two more rounds from the child's sniper rifle. Behind her, the window shattered, and reluctantly, Cinder made the choice to flee. She'd return, stronger than ever, and they'd never see her coming...
The blond brawler landed in front of her and tried to force her way past the whirlwind with her brutish strength, but it wasn't anywhere near enough. Even with only half of the power of the Fall Maiden, it was enough to keep these children from her long enough to escape.
A javelin cut through her winds like they weren't there, propelled like an arrow through a dead space in her miniature storm. It struck Cinder in the side, caught on her belt, and yanked her away from the broken window.
"You're not leaving yet, are you Cinder?" Nikos taunted quietly, although somehow Cinder heard every word. How could she not? She stared at the so called 'Invincible Girl' as if she'd suddenly become the most important thing on Remnant, because in that moment, she was exactly that. She held the rest of the power she'd been so long denied, and suddenly nothing was more important. Pyrrha's eyes burned with bright green flames, and she hurtled her shield at Cinder next, the shield also covered in a protective sheathe of wind that allowed the damnable discus to punch through her own defensive winds as well.
Cinder caught the shield in her hands, although it cost her precious Aura to do so, and she growled as her hands glowed, burning into the metal.
But as she did so, her concentration ebbed, and the whirlwind started to fade, and the brawler took full advantage, launching herself at Cinder with a bestial snarl.
Cinder almost snorted at the pathetic imbecile, telegraphing her attack so completely, and turned to casually swat the insect away with the shield in her hands, but rather than attempt to crash headfirst into Cinder, as Cinder had expected, the blond had fired both gauntlets a moment before she connected, hitting her with both barrels and stopping Yang's flight in mid motion. The shotgun rounds were less effective at range, but they still stung, and her attempt to use Xiao-Long as a battering ram to knock out the windows next to her failed completely as her swing was inches short of her target. Cinder snarled, hurling the shield at Yang's face, but the discus curved over Yang's head and flew onto Pyrrha's arm instead. Pyrrha's right hand was empty, however, and sheathed with a black Aura, pointed in her general direction.
Cinder had to focus on deflecting fire from both the Belladonna girl and the child, and almost missed the ominous creaking sound till it was too late, as a metal table ripped loose of the bolts holding it to the floor and flew at her back.
Cinder screamed and blasted the middle of the table with all the strength she had, cutting through it in moments with an intense beam of fire, but the table still struck her a pair of glancing blows as it whipped past her... and the pieces came back around for another go.
Cinder ducked below the flying pieces of metal table and then dived and rolled to avoid a swing from Ruby's scythe, which stopped mid swing and fired a round into her thigh instead of following through. Cinder yelled in pain, her Aura was holding but it didn't stop that from hurting like crazy, and she grabbed for the scythe, which fired again in response, missing Cinder but propelling blade and owner out of reach.
The blond brawler had gathered herself and was leaping at her from the side now, and as her feet left the ground, Cinder shoved a palm at her, concentrating as much force as she could into a blast of wind that picked Yang up like a rag doll and threw her into the window behind her, shattering it and sending the brawler flying out of the 14th story, heading swiftly for the ground far below.
"YANG!" The owner of the other half of the Fall Maiden's power screamed in panic, and Cinder brought her focus back to the real prize. She just needed a moment. If she could just wrap her hands around the fool's neck long enough to activate her semblance, she'd burn her throat closed, sear flesh till she lost the ability to breathe... then toss her from the tower as well and flee. The so called 'Invincible Girl' would die before she could be rescued, and Cinder would gain the full powers herself even as she escaped into the forest.
"Yang's FINE! Stay on Cinder!" The child ordered grimly, firing her weapon in it's carbine mode at her over and over, forcing Cinder to parry the rounds as she maneuvered for position. All she needed to do was get past Nikos' guard for just a moment...
Pyrrha however, was focused fully on her once more, steeling herself as her javelin flew back into her right hand, transforming into a sword an instant later. Now fully armed, Pyrrha broke into a sprint straight at Cinder, and she found herself hard pressed in moments. Pyrrha's skills in close melee were more than a little impressive, and for several long moments, Cinder had to put everything she had into fending her off.
"Bloody Mary!" The child yelled, and Cinder frowned. Some sort of team attack? But what?
The cat faunus was leaping at her, snarling, but it was child's play for Cinder to pivot to put her in the path for Nikos to have to hit the amber-eyed, sub-human feline in order to get at her. Pyrrha drew back rather than strike, but Cinder was more than willing to take the opening. She stabbed an obsidian blade deep into Belladonna's chest... only for Belladonna to turn into a girl made of fire which exploded in Cinder's face.
A gust of wind from Nikos caused the explosion to knock Cinder head over heels into a bank of computers, several of which promptly exploded, showering her with glass. Cinder's aura flickered, and she barely managed to raise a hand in time to disintegrate a burst coming from the real Belladonna's machine pistol, who'd somehow summoned some sort of flame clone at the last moment instead of taking the blow herself.
She heard the child's sniper rifle bark, but she was too slow, her hand got in the way, but the powers didn't come quickly enough, and the sniper round nearly tore her hand off.
Cinder screamed. Dimly, she was aware of the elevator door opening, saw, for just a moment, the hated face of her master's greatest enemy, then Belladonna's sheath swung in for her face, and there was a sharp pain... and blackness.
/-/
Ruby walked towards Cinder, Crescent Rose fully unfolded in it's sniper/scythe configuration, the barrel pointed squarely at Cinder's head. Cinder's head didn't look so good, Ruby was forced to admit to herself as Blake backed off a step, sheath raised as if to strike again, the machine pistol barrel of Gambol pointed at Cinder's center mass. Cinder's nose was obviously broken, and the red line across her face and going up into her hairline made Ruby wonder if Blake had cracked her skull as well. Nevertheless, she continued to slowly advance. She needed to be sure.
"Miss Rose." A familiar voice spoke to her in a calm tone. She knew the voice, trusted it, but, Cinder was right in front of her... she couldn't take her eyes off her. Just in case.
"MISS ROSE!" The voice snapped now, loudly, commandingly. "We can take it from here."
"She's a Maiden." Blake reported quickly. "Her eyes lit up like Pyrrha's."
Ruby chanced the quickest glance to one side to confirm. It was Ozpin, and just behind him, General Ironwood.
"Miss Rose." Ozpin said again, gently once more. "It's over. She's not getting up any time soon."
Ruby took a shaky breath, then nodded once, sharply, and took a big step back. But she kept Crescent Rose aimed at Cinder's broken face regardless.
Ozpin seemed to accept that and stepped forward himself, taking to one knee to put a pair of fingers at Cinder's throat. "Still alive." He said after several seconds. "If barely."
He glanced thoughtfully at Blake's sheath, it's edge bloodied, but he simply nodded, no condemnation in his eyes. "She is a Maiden, you say?"
Blake nodded firmly. "She used fire, wind... glass weapons she summoned to her hands. Caused explosions. Her eyes were flaring with flames about half the time she was fighting us. Just like Pyrrha's do."
Ozpin nodded, and glanced to James. "I would presume this... is Amber's attacker."
General James Ironwood frowned down at the badly injured woman. "I hate to suggest it... but... if she doesn't survive her injuries... the powers would most likely go in full to Miss Nikos."
Ozpin frowned. "We should take the chance to interrogate her. If... someone sent her, we need to know more."
Ironwood sighed and nodded. "Of course. We need to find out what she knows."
With a cry, Pyrrha suddenly rushed to the window Yang had been flung out of, and she peered out and down, looking for her love. Of the blond brawler, there was no sign, although there was a sizable piece of red fabric shot through with golden thread hanging from a broken metal bar in the middle of where the window had shattered open.
"Yang?" Pyrrha took the piece of cloth in her hands, peering worriedly down into the night, and failing to see the one thing that could reassure her. "YANG!" She screamed into the night. "YANG! Where are you?!"
The elevator door pinged open, and Yang Xiao Long came into the room at a jog, although she quickly came to a stop when she took in the situation. "I'm here, I'm safe... is everybody...?"
Yang started turning pink in the cheeks as everyone's attention turned to her, and she covered her chest with both arms. The upper half of her dress was in tatters, and hung around her waist. The lacy red bra she had on underneath was thankfully intact, but it really wasn't the sort of thing one wore while standing in front of not one, but two school headmasters... one of whom was also a General.
"Everyone seems to be well, except for your opponent, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin assured the brawler smoothly, pushing his glasses up slightly on his face as he turned politely away from her. "And I'm sure everyone is quite glad to see you survived as well."
Yang sighed in relief. "Well I survived, but my dress didn't fare quite as well."
James Ironwood sighed and started unbuttoning his long military coat. "Why don't you borrow this for awhile, Miss Xiao Long." He finished shrugging out of the coat and handed it to Yang, coughing once and turning away so that he held it out to her sideways while adverting her eyes.
Yang's blush hadn't quite faded, but the reactions of the two older men in the room seemed to amuse Yang more than a little. "Yangs alot, General." She quipped as she took the coat and tossed it over her shoulders.
Ruby immediately groaned as if in pain at the pun, nearly taking her sights off of Cinder in the process. "Really Yang? One of your stupid puns now?"
"Hey, they're excellent puns." Yang protested, slipping her arms into the coat and attempting to button it up.
"No... that was was really bad." Blake agreed with her girlfriend.
"It was pretty bad, love." Pyrrha agreed, although her cheeks were pink from an effort not to giggle.
Ironwood just snorted. "Yangs alot." He muttered under his breath with a chuckle. He shook his head and sighed. He'd been through the ranks. He'd heard worse. With another thought, he pulled out his own scroll and hit a button. "We need medics on the 14th floor of the CCT. Now."
Blake was grinning at the brawler. "Hah. And you thought Ruby or I were the ones who were going to have a wardrobe malfunction!"
Yang gestured to her. "How did you manage to come through that whole fight without a scratch? That dress should NOT have survived that whole thing."
Blake snorted. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you."
Yang shrugged. "Well... yeah?"
Blake blushed, then glared. "Naturally, you giant blond pervert."
Yang just grinned. "You know you love me."
Ruby stuck out her tongue at her older sister, turning her head to do so, although she kept her barrel still pointed at Cinder regardless. "You're just jealous because you can't get through a fight without taking every hit head on."
Yang growled. "Hey, I dodged a ton of hits tonight! Cinder thought she had me a bunch of times... man, the look on her face when I just wasn't there..."
Ruby giggled a little. "OK, yeah. You were pretty smooth. Not as smooth as me or Blake though." She glanced down at her own tight little black dress and shook her head. "I actually can't believe I didn't ruin this dress in all of that..." she muttered.
Ozpin snickered, and Ironwood had to cough to keep from laughing as well. Pyrrha didn't resist, giggling merrily now that the danger was passed. They'd done it. They'd beaten Cinder. Ruby's nightmare future was all but stopped now.
Blake started to chuckle, then winced. "Damn!" She whirled toward Ironwood. "General! Cinder's teammates, Emerald and Mercury! They were at the dance!"
Ironwood nodded. "Right, I'll send men..." He started quietly giving orders through his scroll.
"They're strong." Ruby warned. "Tell Professor Goodwitch."
Ozpin had his scroll out. "We'll do both." He hit a button, and after a few moments, Glynda Goodwitch's face appeared on the screen. "Glynda. I need you to secure a pair of students. Emerald... Sustrai I believe, and Mercury Black, from Haven. Take Bart and Peter with you."
Glynda's face soured. "Those two? There was a bit of a scene, and they left abruptly in the confusion around five minutes ago, a few minutes after you and James rushed out."
"Damn it!" Yang swore. "They got away!"
"We'll catch them before they get far." Ironwood quickly reassured them, but as team RPBY glanced at each other, each face was resigned... Emerald and Mercury would escape. Cinder's minions were nothing if not dangerous and skilled. They'd be long gone already.
/-/
Half an hour later, in Ozpin's office, three members of Ozpin's inner circle, as well as team RPBY had gathered. The girls had been able to return to their dorms and change clothes, each of them choosing to put on their combat attire. Glynda Goodwitch nodded to the four teenagers as they entered, but quickly excused herself.
"I will be downstairs, keeping an eye on Miss Fall in the infirmary. I trust Tsune to care for her, but should she wake..." Glynda's face was dire.
"I'm sure you'll be able to handle Miss Fall if that occurs, although I find it unlikely. She took quite the blow to the head." Ozpin commented calmly.
"Regardless..." Glynda said somberly. "I'm not taking chances. Not tonight."
"Very well." Ozpin agreed. "I'll have Peter spell you in a few hours." Glynda stepped into the elevator and was gone a moment later. Ozpin turned to face the four teens. "Now then. Why don't you explain how you came to be battling Miss Fall in the CCT tonight?"
Ruby glanced at Blake, who nodded, and stepped forward. "Ruby and I were... taking a bit of fresh air..." she began.
Ozpin chuckled. "I believe I noticed your departure, yes."
Blake blushed slightly, but stuck to her cover story. "Yes... er... we were outside the dance when we saw someone in a black catsuit and mask jumping from rooftop to rooftop. We followed, wanting to know what was going on. We were a bit behind her, but by the time we got there, we saw the guards outside the CCT, unconscious."
Ironwood sighed. "Not all the men incapacitated by Miss Fall were simply unconscious, unfortunately. Two men were badly injured, and one... died from his injuries before help arrived."
Ruby winced. "Oh... if we'd stopped to check on them..."
Ironwood shook his head. "You called for help promptly, and made sure that the attacker could not continue... whatever it was she had planned. You defeated her soundly, and prevented further loss of life. You all behaved as huntresses tonight. You should be proud of yourselves."
Yang grinned slightly, but Ruby didn't seemed cheered. "Another death..." she muttered softly.
Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, and tried to smile, but the look on Ruby's face stole the smile from her lips. Instead she gathered the smaller girl into a hug.
"It wasn't your fault, Ruby. You can't save everyone." Blake told her softly.
"No one can, I'm afraid." Ozpin agreed somberly. "No matter how strong, or how fast, or how skilled we are, none of us are infallible. You did the best you could with a difficult situation. That is all we can ask of anyone."
Pyrrha spoke up. "We stopped Cinder, Ruby. And we found out who attacked Amber. That's a win."
Ruby sighed and nodded, pushing Blake back softly and pulling away with a small smile and a nod for her faunus girlfriend. "Yeah. I know. Guess I just wanted to do better."
Ironwood nodded to that. "Everyone in a command position has to deal with those feelings, Miss Rose. Trust me on that. We all lose people. Often times people we care about, if we choose to stand and fight. But you did as well as anyone under my command could have. Better, I'd say. Defeating Amber's attacker... that's no mean feat, even from a full team of huntresses. From Qrow's description, she was extremely dangerous."
"Where is our Uncle?" Yang asked curiously. "I thought he was staying at Beacon at the moment."
Ozpin nodded. "Your uncle is out searching for Cinder's missing teammates. No doubt they are the other two assailants he saw that day. Qrow is the best person for the job of tracking them down. If anyone can do it, it's Qrow Branwen."
"Unfortunately, they may have already gotten too much of a head start." General Ironwood said somberly. "Nevertheless, their images will be all over the kingdom by the end of the night, and across all of Remnant by this time tomorrow. They'll have nowhere to hide."
Ozpin turned to Yang. "What about you, Miss Xiao Long? How did you and Miss Nikos happen to arrive so quickly?"
Yang shrugged, going straight into their rehearsed story without a flinch. "We were up on the second floor balcony, when we spotted Ruby and Blake sprinting towards the CCT. We jumped down and went after them."
Pyrrha nodded, backing up Yang's story smoothly. "When Ruby pointed out the downed guards, we called for our Rocket Lockers and contacted you, sir." She shrugged. "And you know the rest, I think."
Ozpin smiled at her. "I can piece most of the rest of the events involved together, yes. However, I would like to know. Did you call upon your Maiden abilities in the fight?"
Pyrrha nodded somberly. "Cinder had summoned a whirlwind around her. She'd broken the window behind her and it was clear she was about to try and escape. I used my own powers to open a hole in her whirlwind in order to drive her from the window... as well as to... well... provoke her into staying to fight me."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "A risky move... but it seems, a good one. Letting her escape would not have been ideal, and while it was certainly dangerous to reveal yourself to her... it worked. Often, that's the most important element of a battle. When something works... it's wise not to question it. You were there, in the moment, and you succeeded. I will accept your word that you felt it was necessary, and simply congratulate you on your victory." He nodded to each of them in turn. "Very well done, ladies. You've done yourselves proud tonight." Ozpin looked around at them curiously. "Well... unless you have anything to add?"
Ruby spoke up slowly. "Nothing about tonight... but..." she hesitated. "Are we still going to Mountain Glenn?"
Ironwood frowned. "You girls have all proved yourselves tonight. I don't think there is any need for you to do more..."
Ozpin spoke up. "That is, of course, up to all of you." He told them somberly.
Ironwood frowned at him. "Ozpin, I don't think..."
Ozpin smiled slightly at the General. "It is their decision, James. They've earned that much."
Ironwood sighed but settled down.
Ruby looked from one to the other of her team. One by one, they all nodded encouragement at her. She turned back to Ozpin.
"Then we're going to Mountain Glenn on Monday."
/-/
When the four girls had gone, Ironwood turned to Ozpin. "I don't like the idea of letting the new Fall Maiden go into danger like that. We should do what I originally suggested. Send a battalion of troops into Mountain Glenn... flush out the White Fang, and end this for good."
Ozpin shook his head. "Miss Nikos is not one to sit on the sidelines when she could be taking action. The same goes for all of her team."
"They're students, Ozpin, you're their headmaster." Ironwood protested.
"And yet, they have already shown that they will act without our permission if they feel it is necessary." Ozpin cautioned. "And only inform us afterwards."
Glynda Goodwitch growled at that. "And yet you reward them for it."
Ozpin shrugged. "Detention would not keep them from acting as they think is right. If they do not fear criminals and terrorists, how frightened do you think they would be of being held behind after class?"
Ironwood shook his head. "I still don't like it. We could lose Fall... AGAIN."
Ozpin shrugged. "It is a possibility, but we cannot cage the Maidens unless they allow it. You know that as well as I." He sighed. "And if, in the unlikely event Miss Nikos does fall... who do you think she will be thinking of?"
"Yang Xiao-Long, if I was to guess." Glynda said dryly.
Ozpin nodded. "Exactly. Now, it is still quite possible that the powers would go to Cinder Fall. But... well, should the worse occur, we already have her in our custody, and we will do... what we have to do."
Glynda grimaced but did not protest, and Ironwood simply nodded.
Ozpin spoke up. "In any case, if they will be throwing themselves into danger regardless, then it is best if we know exactly when and where they are doing so." He smiled softly. "Bart will keep a close eye on team RPBY for us, and those four young women, are, as you both must realize by now, by far the most promising huntresses we've had since team STRQ."
"I'd say they're quite a bit MORE impressive than team STRQ was." Glynda disagreed. "For all that they're just as hopelessly hormonal."
Ironwood sighed. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing, Oz."
Ozpin shrugged. "I have made my share of mistakes in the past, old friend. Trusting Ruby Rose to keep her team safe, however... that is a decision I do not regret making."
"Do we have any other contingency plans, in case their mission goes poorly?" Ironwood asked, seeming resigned.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow at him. "At that point, I believe there are three Atlas battleships in the sky outside my window. If things go badly... then it just might be time to use them."
Ironwood nodded grimly. "Understood."
/-/
Mercury sighed in relief as he and Emerald got inside the safe-house they'd prepared weeks ago for just such an emergency, although he hadn't expected to actually need it. Having backups like this was how you stayed alive. His old man hadn't been much of a father, but at least he'd given him a few good pieces of advice before dying.
Emerald moved over to the window and pulled back the curtain, looking out into the night with a pensive expression. "We have to go back... rescue Cinder."
"Are you crazy?" Mercury shot back, irritated. "We'd get three steps into Beacon before we got spotted."
Emerald's eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. "I could sneak in. My semblance..."
"Is useless if you run into more than one person at a time." Mercury shot back. "And it's not like they're going to have guards by themselves. They'll be in pairs, at least."
"I can handle more than one... for long enough." Emerald shot back.
Mercury rolled his eyes. "It's your funeral."
"A funeral, hmm?" A stranger's voice came from the doorway behind them. "I do love funerals..."
Mercury and Emerald spun around to see the stranger, leaning casually against the doorway. He had a dark brown leather duster with short sleeves on over a white shirt, both open in front to reveal several scars across his chest. He wore bracers on each arm, and had short brown hair, yellow eyes, and a more than slightly manic grin.
"Dear little Emerald and Mercury..." The stranger said. "Cinder has told me SO much about you."
The door to the house that they'd just entered through opened then and an absolutely enormous man in brown and green stepped through. "Don't taunt the children, Tyrian." The man rumbled, his voice low and powerful, his face surprisingly calm, given how both Emerald and Mercury had both snapped immediately into stances, ready to fight.
"But Hazel..." Tyrian complained. "It's so much fun."
"Who... who are you?" Emerald asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.
"We're your backup." Hazel told them calmly. "This job isn't done yet." He stepped farther into the room, and closed the door behind him.
Emerald hesitated. "Are... are you here to rescue Cinder?"
Hazel grunted. "That's the plan."
Tyrian cackled. "We must rescue our dear sister... and deliver unto her the power she has so long sought!"
Mercury frowned. "Cinder must have screwed things up. She insisted on being the one to do the infiltration... and she got caught ten minutes in."
"Cinder wouldn't have made a mistake like that!" Emerald defended. "Something must have gone wrong!" She shook her head. "I can't figure it out. There should have only been a few Atlas soldiers on guard. Nobody that should have been able to stand up to Cinder. We kept an eye on all the major players. Ozpin, Ironwood, Goodwitch... none of them left the dance until after the fireworks started."
"Well, somebody obviously spotted her." Mercury argued. "Somebody good enough to beat her, or else she'd be here with us right now."
Hazel brought out a scroll, opened it to a screen showing Pyrrha in the CCT, her eyes alight with green flames. "Someone." He agreed. "Tell us everything you know about... this one." He ordered.
Emerald frowned. "Pyrrha Nikos. We... had her on our list of possible Maiden candidates. We had no idea that they'd already given her the powers..."
Mercury frowned. "Now that they have Cinder, all they have to do is kill her, and their Fall Maiden will have all the power, right?"
Tyrian cackled at that. "She's alive! She's alive!"
Hazel grunted again. "Our information shows that they've moved her to Beacon's infirmary."
"She's alive?" Emerald asked with sudden hope. "Then we have to go rescue her!"
"That's not your job." Hazel disagreed with a low rumble.
Tyrian cackled. "Yes... Torchwick's little playmate will rescue our dear sister, while we do our part... and KILL the new Fall Maiden!"
Mercury grinned back. "Sounds like fun. Count me in."
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The next morning, Yang brought in a long mail tube as the rest of them were getting ready for the mission. She tapped it several times, and Zwei dropped out of it, shook himself off, and looked around with interest, barking once to signal his arrival.
Blake moved backwards behind Ruby. Her stay at the Xaio-Long household had somewhat inured her to the dog, but she still wasn't entirely comfortable around him. "What's he doing here?" She screeched in dismay.
"Oh!" Pyrrha said with a look of understanding. "You told us this would happen!" She pointed at Ruby. "Your father has a mission..."
Yang was reading the enclosed note. "Yup... although why he didn't remember that we're having our first mission this week as well escapes me."
Ruby was frowning. "Right... sorry. I'd nearly forgotten he was coming." She looked thoughtful. "The question is, should we take Zwei along, or more explosives?"
Yang grinned. "Zwei is practically made of explosives. He'll be worth more than a few sticky mines."
Ruby wrinkled her nose. "And he will give us a good excuse for how we find the hole leading into the caverns where the White Fang are hiding."
Blake groaned. "Can't we just... leave him here? Maybe team WJNR will take him?"
Ruby looked thoughtful. "Well, Weiss DOES love Zwei..."
Yang looked dubious. "Ruby... Weiss has never met Zwei."
Ruby blinked. "Oh right." She shrugged. "Well... she WILL love Zwei, if we introduce him to her."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Really? Weiss Cream?"
Ruby nodded, giggling. "Zero to baby talk in under six seconds."
Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, Zwei IS adorable... but I'm not sure he'll be up to how dangerous we know this mission is going to be."
Ruby frowned. "I suppose. I mean... he's pretty good, but we'll be a bit faster without him."
Yang grinned. "Let's take him over to team Winter's dorm and see if Weiss will take him."
/-/
Predictably, Weiss had fallen in love with the Corgi at first sight, and she and Nora both looked more than happy to give Zwei all the attention the little dog could handle.
"Our mission doesn't start till Wednesday." Weiss told them when she managed to pull herself away from cooing over the Corgi. "But we will either contact your father to come collect him by then, or find another caretaker before we go."
"You could just leave him in our room with some food." Yang said. "He's a pretty self sufficient dog."
"Or you could take him with you." Ruby agreed. "He's a good tracker, and he can handle a Grimm or two."
Weiss blinked. "That cute little thing can fight Grimm?" Yang and Ruby both nodded seriously back.
"He's a hunter's dog." Yang explained. "And he's a lot smarter than he looks."
"He's got his Aura unlocked." Ruby continued. "And with some of the things he pulls off, I'd swear he has some sort of semblance."
Nora's eyes were shining. "Ooh! A combat puppy!"
Ren was sighing. "Nora, we are not taking a dog into battle."
Nora pouted. "But he'd be so cute tearing Beowolf throats out!"
Jack picked up the little dog and looked at it dubiously, turning Zwei this way and that as if trying to find an angle where he looked a bit more dangerous. "This tiny thing can take on a Beowolf?"
Zwei abruptly rammed his head into Jack's face and broke his hold effortlessly, sending the now almost six-foot tall Jack Spriggen sprawling as he jumped back to Nora, apparently much preferring the hyper red-head's attention.
"Who's the best killer puppy ever?" Nora cooed. "You are!" She told the dog. "You're the best killer puppy!"
"And on that note..." Blake said. "We don't want to keep Dr. Oobleck waiting."
"Wait." Jack said incredulously as he started getting to his feet again. "Your huntsman is Professor Oobleck?"
"Doctor." Ruby corrected. "He doesn't like to be called Professor."
Nora winced. "Hyper history man? Are you guys going to be alright?"
"We'll be FINE." Ruby told her calmly. "Dr. Oobleck is great. He's really smart, and he's actually a really strong huntsman!"
Weiss shrugged. "I suppose we'll take your word for it."
/-/
As they headed to the Beacon landing pads, Blake looked at Ruby curiously. "I take it it was Dr. Oobleck the last time through?"
Ruby nodded. "Yup."
"And he's strong." Blake said dubiously.
Ruby nodded again. "Yup."
Yang spoke up. "Maybe we'll get someone different this time?" She said, then glanced at the Bullhead in the distance. "Or not." Dr. Oobleck zipped up to them from the Bullhead, traveling fifty yards in seconds, and stood in front of them a moment later, standing ramrod straight with his coffee mug in one hand.
"Well hello girls!" He smiled pleasantly at them and gave a jaunty swagger. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"
The whole team was in their combat attire, carrying their usual weapons, while Ruby alone carried a loaded pack.
"I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, girls." He said smartly, not even bothering to look at the four huntresses in training as he walked back in forth in front of them. "Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland, and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself, provided the air course and readied the airship." The doctor turned to face them again, gesturing emphatically into the air. "Come now children, according to my schedule we are already 3 minutes behind... schedule." And with that, he dashed off again, moving easily as fast as Ruby Rose did in her semblance, arriving at the side of the Bullhead at the end of the dock 50 yards away in under a second.
Pyrrha glanced at Ruby and nodded. That sort of speed was certainly impressive. While the doctor did tend to zip around his classroom quite rapidly, apparently he held back while indoors. She wondered if she'd have a chance against the man, with the sort of reflexes he had to have in order to handle that sort of speed. Certainly, as Ruby had told them, he was stronger than her first impression of the man would have led her to believe.
The four girls headed down to the Bullhead together, and soon boarded. Ruby tuned out the Professor's words as they traveled, and let her three teammates keep him engaged in conversation while she went over the contents of her backpack one more time. She sighed. She really wished she could have packed along the gigantic folding shuriken she'd picked out for Pyrrha weeks ago, but between Pyrrha gaining the Maiden powers and everything else, the Mistralian champion simply hadn't had the time to train with the weapon.
"It would have been SO good against Grimm though..." Ruby muttered to herself. "Especially with wind or lightning magic..."
Pyrrha, who'd been standing closest to the crimson reaper smiled. "You're wishing you'd packed that shuriken, aren't you?"
"You didn't have enough time to practice with it." Ruby admitted. "But you have to admit it'd be useful..."
Pyrrha nodded agreeably. "If I use my semblance to the fullest... I agree. In theory, it'd be extremely useful." She patted Ruby on the shoulder. "We'll do some training with it after we get back from Mountain Glenn."
"We should ask for permission to go into the forest near the school." Ruby said. "So you can try it out on actual Grimm."
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow curiously. "Do you think the professors would allow that?"
Ruby nodded. "I think they'd allow their 'Fall Maiden' any extra training you ask for."
Pyrrha sighed. "You're probably right... which is one reason I might have reconsidered accepting if I'd taken the time to consider the ramifications."
"Because you don't like the attention?" Ruby guessed.
"That..." Pyrrha agreed. "And the lack of privacy. Professor Ozpin and the others can't afford to let me just wander off after we leave Beacon. At the least I'm sure they'll want to keep track of me when I leave school."
Ruby frowned. "Yeah... I guess."
Pyrrha sighed softly. "I chose this for myself, so I shouldn't complain, but... all else being equal, that is not a part of all of this I am looking forward to."
Ruby looked thoughtful. "Well, maybe it won't be so bad. Professor Ozpin said that Amber used to travel all over... places other hunters don't usually go, and I'm guessing from what you said that she was alone most of the time. That doesn't sound like they kept her on all that short of a leash."
Pyrrha brightened a bit at that. "You have a point, Ruby. Perhaps I worry unnecessarily."
"You'll have us with you." Ruby reminded her. "So you'll be a lot safer than Amber was." She grinned. "And I'm betting you're a better fighter than Amber ever was."
Pyrrha smiled slightly, but sighed as Ruby came to her final point. "Amber also had the full powers of the Fall Maiden, while I only have half."
Ruby shrugged. "Still. The four of us together are pretty strong. I'm sure we'll be fine."
"So long as we protect each other." Pyrrha agreed. "And I know we'll do that."
/-/
It wasn't actually all that long before the Bullhead came into sight of the ruined skyline of the abandoned city, and the girls prepared themselves as the Bullhead pilot took them over an abandoned roadway in the middle of the devastated cityscape, near what must have originally been meant to be the city center of the now partially destroyed city.
They jumped out of the Bullhead in quick succession, each ready to fight. Dr. Oobleck landed just behind them, then took a long swig from his coffee mug.
"Ladies..." He began. "You may still be students, but as of this moment your first mission as a huntress has begun. From this point forward you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?" They all nodded, but Oobleck finally noticed the heavy looking pack on Ruby's back. "Ruby!" He shouted with a bit of a glare. "I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."
"Actually..." Ruby corrected him. "You said you packed all our essentials yourself, which means we wouldn't need camping supplies or gear of that nature. That's not what I brought."
Oobleck frowned. "And what DID you bring?"
Ruby swung the bag off her shoulders and put it on the ground, opening it. "Weapons." She pulled out a customized bandolier and handed it to Pyrrha. "Metal strips for Pyrrha." She brought out a second bandolier. "Sticky Mines and extra magazines of Dust ammo for Blake." She then turned the bag to show it's remaining contents, which was apparently another dozen or so mines lined up sideways in rows and held apart by styrofoam. "And extra mines for Pyrrha."
Dr. Oobleck blinked. "And what on earth would you need all that extra weaponry for?"
Ruby shrugged. "The White Fang is supposed to have a pretty large force in this area, and they have a bunch of stolen Atlesian Paladins. So I brought supplies for non-lethal take downs and for dealing with Giant Mecha."
Dr. Oobleck blinked, then blinked again. "While our mission is primarily reconnaissance, I take your point. If we come into contact with the enemy, it does not hurt to be prepared for them." He frowned. "Nevertheless, we are likely to spend most of the rest of the day searching the city on foot while fighting Grimm. Any extra weight may prove a liability."
Ruby glanced to the others, who nodded supportively. "We've been training... a lot, Dr. Oobleck. With these weapons, as well as just plain training. We can manage."
Dr. Oobleck looked at her for several long moments, then nodded. "Very well. However, if I feel that any of you are NOT up to this task, I will be calling off this entire mission. Is that clear?"
Ruby smiled and saluted. "Crystal clear, sir."
Oobleck smiled and nodded again. "Very well."
Blake's ears twitched, and she turned away from the others, holding up a hand. "Quiet... I heard..." She pointed. "Grimm. 100 yards. One Beowolf."
Pyrrha gestured to Ruby. "I'll carry the pack..." she began.
"I'll be acting as a sniper for most of this mission." Ruby said quietly, closing the pack and strapping it back onto her back. "So I won't be moving around as much in fights. I'll let you know if I get tired."
Pyrrha nodded and simply turned towards the lone Grimm Blake had pointed out.
"There's more of them..." Blake warned.
Oobleck nodded thoughtfully. "There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."
"So?" Yang asked after several long moments of silence. "Do we kill them?"
"No..." Oobleck told her. "We wait, we track. This pack may lead us to our prey."
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked sourly.
"They've spotted us." Blake observed dryly.
"Time to fight." Ruby said with a grim smile. "Conserve your ammo. Pyrrha, go straight up the middle. Blake, right flank, Yang, go left. Wait for Pyrrha to be fully engaged, then hit them from both sides."
Dr. Oobleck blinked, then shrugged, stepping back a bit and taking another sip from his coffee flask.
Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and took aim even as Pyrrha started to confidently stride down the street towards the pack of Beowolves alone. Yang and Blake nodded to each other and started moving right and left, respectively, fading quickly behind the store fronts in between them and the incoming pack.
Ruby started to take carefully aimed, measured shots, each one taking out a single Grimm, even as the Grimm started to race for them at a dead run. Pyrrha continued to simply walk forward, almost strut, as if she was walking on stage before a big fight with thousands of fans. She walked like she was the star of the show, and she knew it, and so did everyone watching.
The Grimm raced at her, as if determined to prove her wrong, even as they started dying to Ruby's sniper rounds.
Pyrrha started to jog, lowering her center of gravity as she moved faster, then just before the first Grimm reached her she went into a low slide even as she brought her shield up. The first Grimm spilled over her shield as she took both it's legs out from under it with effortless ease, and Milo swung behind her in it's sword mode, taking off it's head even as the Beowolf was going past Pyrrha's back, upside down.
Two more came in but Pyrrha was already spinning up to her feet, tossing Akouo at the one on the left, the discus shaped shield bouncing off it's faceplate to strike the Beowolf on the right in the skull an instant later. Pyrrha was moving forward even as she threw, and her shield came back onto her arm after the second bounce so smoothly it was like she was taking it from a shelf, the momentum causing Pyrrha to spin, Milo whipping around to cut a fourth Beowolf across the throat, neatly severing the creature's head from it's shoulders.
Yang and Blake both leaped in from opposite sides, each of them headed for one of the two Beowolves Pyrrha had just stunned. One shot from Ember Celica and a slash from Gambol Shroud and those two were dissolving as well.
Yang fired both of her gauntlets at the ground even as her target vanished and that, combined with her earlier momentum carried her out of the street once more. Blake formed a clone and it threw her even as she leaped, and Blake was gone as well.
Pyrrha came back around and continued striding forward into the next pack of Grimm as if she and her team hadn't just destroyed the first in less than two seconds.
Ruby downed Grimm after Grimm, not rushing, but planning out each shot, as Pyrrha continued her powerful, challenging strut right into the teeth of the Beowolf pack. Yang and Blake kept cutting into their sides, taking out anything Pyrrha had stunned or driven off balance, while Pyrrha only destroyed those Grimm directly in front of her... distracting, stunning, or tripping the rest as they attempted to pile upon her.
But Pyrrha wasn't slowed, or driven back by the assault. She waded through the monsters as if she was in the middle of combat class, walking through them as easily... no... as if they were much weaker than even team CRDL had been. For team Cardinal were at least somewhat intelligent, skilled, and expert with their individual styles of combat, while the Beowolves were none of those things. The only thing these young Grimm had going for them was ferocity and numbers, and against the 'Invincible Girl' that counted for almost nothing at all.
The pack of Grimm around Pyrrha grew thicker, and Yang and Blake each had to deal with two or three Beowolves on each pass... but neither girl so much as slowed for a moment as they tore through the white-skulled monsters of darkness like a pair of black and yellow whirlwinds.
A pair of Beowolves managed to slip past the trio and headed for Ruby and Oobleck, and Ruby snorted, swinging her sniper scythe behind her to fire one shot backwards, letting the recoil carry her forward. She turned and swung at exactly the right moment to bisect both Beowolves with a single swing, causing their separated halves to fall to the concrete below and immediately start to disintegrate. And then it was over.
"Heh." Ruby said. "Easy."
Oobleck raised an eyebrow, then pushed his glasses back more firmly onto his nose. He looked like he was trying not to look impressed. "Don't celebrate yet." He warned. "For I am certain this is the first bout of many." He raised a hand jauntily. "Shall we continue?"
The day wore on as Oobleck searched and team RPBY fought. Ruby had remembered getting pretty tired throughout the day during her first time through, but she was in the best shape of her life. She'd trained significantly harder this time, and so had all of her friends. The short breaks between fights with wandering Grimm was enough for them to recover each time, and Oobleck wandered about almost without a care as the four huntresses in training mercilessly destroyed everything that came near him before he would ever be endangered.
In between skirmishes with the Grimm, Yang spoke up. "Hey doc, you know I was actually looking forward to seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like... fighting or at least helping us fight?"
Oobleck glanced over his shoulder to answer even as he continued calmly walking down the deserted street. "Ah, but I am in action, scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity." He turned to face them, stopping. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination." He looked at Yang over his glasses. "Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."
Yang looked nonplussed. "Well, yeah. Of course."
As they continued moving through the city, fighting as they went, Dr. Oobleck took a moment out to talk to each of Ruby's team. "Tell me Yang, why did you choose this line of work?"
"Huh?" Yang turned thoughtful. "Well, to fight monsters and save..."
"No, that is what you do." Oobleck interrupted. "I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a huntress."
"The honest reason?" Yang asked quietly, taking the question seriously now. "I'm a thrill seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, that'd be even better." She frowned. "Or at least, that's how I used to feel. Now... that's still there, but I also want to stick with my team and keep them safe. No matter what, no matter where they go." She grinned. "But I'm pretty sure I can do both at the same time, so... win win, you know?"
Oobleck nodded just slightly. "I see."
He approached Pyrrha next, a while later. "And you, Miss Nikos." He began. "You had a promising career as a tournament fighter. Commercial endorsements, your face on cereal boxes. You certainly don't need the extra work. Why choose this instead of staying on the tournament scene, which is considerably safer, as well as more lucrative, especially for someone as skilled as yourself?"
Pyrrha finished stabbing a Beowolf through the throat and let it fall off her blade as she turned to answer. "As you say, I have skills... and fortune in equal measure. But once I understood where my talents truly lay, I realized that I had a duty... an obligation to use those skills to protect those less fortunate than myself." She glanced at Yang and smiled. "And to be allowed to do so in the company of such fine and noble warriors as I have found myself among?" She turned back to Oobleck with a warm and proud smile. "I could have no greater honor. No finer glory. This is the life I choose for myself, and I have no regrets."
Oobleck's eyes warmed just slightly. "Fascinating." He commented, going back to jot something down in his notebook, but Pyrrha couldn't help but notice that the man seemed to have a small smile on his face as he did so.
Blake was clearing a small house of a swarm of small Nevermore when Oobleck got to her. "And what about you, Blake?" After peering into the house to check it over for himself, he glanced at the cat faunus with curiosity. "You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."
Blake had her answer ready. "There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption, someone has to stop it."
Oobleck nodded agreeably. "Very well, how?"
Blake hesitated, frowning, then she smiled and turned back to the man. "By following where Ruby leads me." She paused before continuing. "You may consider this naive, but Ruby... is a person who will always find a way forward. A way to do the right thing. So I'll support her, and follow her wherever she goes."
Oobleck looked surprised, but seemed to have no real response save a for a thoughtful. "Hmm."
The sun had reached it's zenith and had been slowly sinking for several hours when Oobleck stopped. "Well, it's going to be dark soon." He nodded at a nearby building, then at Yang, Blake and Pyrrha. "You three set up camp in there, and do make sure there are no more of those... creatures within." He told them, tossing his pack to Pyrrha. "I will go secure the perimeter with your leader. Come Ruby."
Oobleck led Ruby around the corner, till they came to an opening in the outer wall of the city, where they could see a forested area beyond. A line of enormous Grimm walked single file through the woods beyond, each towering head and shoulders over the trees around them.
"Goliaths." Ruby said softly, and the memory of the last time she'd stood at this spot flooded back to her. She'd never seen that particular type of the enormous Grimm before that point, and she'd naively thought to attack them. Oobleck had warned her against it, that her sniper rifle wouldn't be able to really harm them, and Ruby had remembered the lesson. She knew she had enough explosives in her pack to be able to deal with one or two of the massive beasts... but she also knew that she wanted to save those for the fight to come ahead, so she simply stood and observed.
"Indeed." Oobleck agreed. "That particular herd is likely hundreds of years old."
"And they've gotten smart." Ruby commented.
Oobleck raised an eyebrow at the comment but nodded. "Indeed. These Grimm are no danger to us... at the moment, in any case."
"They're waiting." Ruby said back somberly.
Oobleck looked surprised. "Has your father talked to you about Elder Grimm before?"
Ruby hesitated. "Oh... someone told me about them." She told him evasively. Then she frowned. "They're waiting for something big. Like... another Mountain Glenn."
Oobleck nodded soberly. "Yes. If people panic in mass... if the Grimm sense weakness, then the Elder Grimm will come, following behind their newer brethren. Which is why we must always be watchful, and keep the people's spirits high."
Ruby cocked her head to one side curiously. "But... we know they'll attack eventually. Just because they're waiting doesn't mean they won't be a threat later. Why don't huntsmen and huntresses hunt them down?"
Oobleck frowned. "There is only so much we can do, I'm afraid. There are always more Grimm. It is considered wiser to save our resources and the lives of our huntsmen and women for when they are truly needed. For no matter how many times we have driven the Grimm back, no matter how strong our forces, the Grimm always... always return." With a sigh, he turned to go back to where the others were setting up camp. Oobleck started walking again, Ruby falling into step beside him. "Tell me, Ruby. Does that thought distress you?"
Ruby thought about it. "Maybe the Grimm will always be out there." She said softly. "But we'll always be here to protect people from them. If not us, then our sons and daughters... or their sons and daughters."
Oobleck nodded. "And that is why I do what I do. Rather than going out to hunt the Grimm myself, I find teaching others... arming the next generation... and the one after that, with the most formidable weapon I possess, knowledge, to be the greatest gift I can give to the future."
Ruby smiled. "Well, when I have kids... I'll be sure to tell them to pay attention in your class."
Oobleck chuckled. "For all the good that will do, anyway."
When they got back, it was already getting dark, but inside the building, a campfire was already burning nicely. "Ah, very good! A textbook campsite!" Oobleck said cheerfully. "Well... eat dinner, and get ready to get some sleep. We'll have much to do tomorrow." He looked around. "Now, who will take the first watch?"
Ruby raised a hand. "Yo."
Oobleck nodded and went off by himself, looking like he was going to explore the upper floors.
As soon as he was well out of earshot, Ruby sidled up to her team and waved them in so she could speak to them quietly. "Around the middle of my watch, I'll 'need to use the bathroom' and Blake will come with me to keep me safe. Then we'll 'spot' a White Fang patrol, and Blake will come back and get you guys, then lead you to where I will be 'keeping an eye' on them.
Blake nodded. "Will there be a White Fang patrol?"
Ruby hesitated. "There was the last time... but even if we don't see them, we say we did, and I'll lead you to the hole that leads into their underground hideout."
Blake frowned. "Do you remember where that is?"
Ruby nodded. "I recognized this place. Zwei walked about a block..." she pointed. "That way, to do his business last time. And I spotted the White Fang down the road..." she pointed again. "That way. A couple blocks from there, is the hole. I think."
Blake wrinkled her nose. "You think?"
Ruby shrugged helplessly. "It's close to that. If we don't spot it right away, Blake can go high for a better look at the area and I'll search around really quick with my semblance. I'm sure we'll spot it quickly. We're really close to it."
Yang nodded somberly. "OK. Sounds like a plan."
Pyrrha smiled wanly. "I suppose we're going to finish this tonight, then."
"I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway." Blake admitted. "Knowing what we're about to come up against."
"We'll be fine." Yang said confidently. "We managed this the first time, and we're stronger this time through, right Ruby?"
Ruby nodded firmly. "We are. And we will be fine. We'll stop that train, stop the breach, and that will put an end to the White Fang's plans."
"Hopefully." Blake said with a sigh.
"Without Cinder backing them, I'm betting they go back to acting like they used to." Ruby said quietly as she spotted Dr. Oobleck making his way into view once more. "And... dinner!" She said in a normal voice, the difference in volume startling her three teammates. "I'm starving!"
They all noticed Oobleck at that point, and they went back to pretending that they were all getting ready to call it a night.
They ate dinner quietly, talking softly about school, about the dance, about Weiss and Neptune, and how Jack Spriggen seemed to be getting taller every day, and how much fun it'd been to watch him trounce Cardin so easily... everything but what was foremost on their minds, as Dr. Oobleck probably wouldn't buy the whole... time traveler thing without a ton of proof they didn't have the ability to provide. At least, not in time to not jeopardize their mission.
And so Yang, Pyrrha and Blake pretended to settle down to sleep.
Ruby took her post, and, after about an hour, crept over to Blake. "Blake... Blake..." she hissed softly.
"I'm awake, Ruby." Blake answered quietly.
"Blake, I've got to... you know." Ruby said just loud enough to be overheard, rolling her eyes at where Dr. Oobleck was sleeping.
Blake rolled her eyes back at her girlfriend's overacting, but she played her part, getting up, stretching, then following her leader out of the building, trying to move quietly enough to sell the fact that they weren't trying to wake anyone, but not so quietly as to make it look like they were genuinely trying to sneak away without being noticed.
Blake wasn't sure how well it worked. She had seen Yang crack an eye open as they'd been leaving, but Yang was in on the plan. Dr. Oobleck, on the other hand, she had no idea how much of their little performance he'd caught, if any. Still, it hardly mattered. If he'd listened to the whole thing, they were fine, and if he missed it, they'd still be fine when Blake went back for the others and 'explained' what she'd 'seen'.
Ruby led her around the building to a street they'd hadn't quite gotten to exploring before calling their search off for the day, and nodded. "This way..." She hissed softly.
Blake simply nodded and followed. As they walked, however, Ruby seemed to grow confused. "Wait... the hole... wasn't it...?" Ruby suddenly sighed. "Oh... damn it."
Blake went stiff. "What? What is it?" She whirled around, looking for what had alarmed Ruby, but Ruby was putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"No... no, it's just, it was kind of traumatic at the time, and I kind of got kicked in the head right after, and the clearest thing I could remember was looking up and seeing the hole above me. The hole where I fell through the street."
Blake blinked. "What?"
Ruby winced. "Er... I'm pretty sure there wasn't a hole. After I followed the White Fang guys... I started back to tell everyone, and... the street collapsed out from under me. We can't find a hole... because I haven't MADE it yet."
Blake blinked. "Oh." She frowned. "OK, so how do we figure out how to get down?"
Ruby frowned. "Well... like I said, I got kicked in the head right after... and I'd just fallen down a hole... but I remember... they went into a building."
Blake blinked. "What?"
"The White Fang patrol I was following." Ruby explained. "I followed them to a building, and they went inside. Then when I was heading back, the street collapsed and I fell in."
Blake nodded. "And... do you remember which building it was?"
Ruby hesitated, looking around. "Maybe... just around that corner?"
Blake nodded. "Right. Well... lead the way."
Ruby shrugged and did so, taking her up to another intersection, she looked around the corner, and jerked herself backwards. "Eep!" She squeeked and put her hands over her mouth.
"Hey!" A rough male voice said. "What was that?"
Blake rolled her eyes and pulled Ruby back from the corner and quickly helped her hide behind a pillar. "Stay here." She told Ruby quietly, then slipped into the building through a window.
She quickly passed through the ruined building and came out through another window around behind the corner Ruby had just peeked and apparently been spotted around, just as a pair of White Fang members came around that very corner carrying rifles and looking around suspiciously.
Blake snuck up on them, and just before they reached Ruby's position, Blake brought the sheath of Gambol Shroud, blunt end first, down on the back of one of their heads. The man teetered and collapsed, and his companion blinked and started to turn, but Blake was already leaping upon him, and wrapped Gambol's ribbon around his throat.
The man started to struggle, but before he could do much more, Ruby came up around the pillar and brained him with the blunt side of Crescent Rose, hitting him in the side of the head.
The man dropped as well, and Blake breathed a sigh of relief, then, just to be sure, quickly darted to the corner to check to see if they'd been overheard.
"Ruby... go." Blake said quietly but firmly. "You're faster, and they'll be MISSED."
Ruby just nodded and blurred into rose petals and was gone.
"Not the worst start to a mission I've ever had." Blake admitted to herself wryly.