Chapter 31

The five charged out of the building, eyes on high alert, as they followed the small mutt as he charged down the street. They dashed past the empty buildings, without a grimm in sight, until they came across a familiar red and black object. Zwei skidded to a halt in front of it, sniffing it anxiously.

'Ruby's scythe!' Yang gasped, dropping to her knees to examine the deserted weapon.

'Oh no.' Blake groaned, checking their surroundings for grimm. Weiss peered over the edge of a large hole in the ground before them. Jaye analyzed it critically. It appeared to have been an inward collapse of most likely natural cause, leading down into what could only be a natural cave network or formation, one that couldn't have been achieved by human technology.

'Do you think she fell?' She wondered, and started as Doctor Oobleck apparated next to her.

'Of course…of course, of course, of course!' He yelled, grabbing at his fisherman's hat covered head. Blake and Yang jumped as he darted past them in frustration. 'How could I be so stupid?!'

'Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?' Yang hissed, and Doctor Oobleck halted on the spot, throwing his head backwards. He zipped right into her face, causing her to jump back to avoid him.

'Mountain Glenn! Yes! An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people, commuting to the city, the main city. Developed a subway system to the inner city. Grimm attacks increase! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into metro tunnels and what do they find?!' He yelled, jabbing a finger into each of the five students' faces in turn, finally dropping to his knees to yell his revelation to Zwei, who merely watched him in amusement. 'The South-East quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves! My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network! We're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!'

'They've been working in caves?!' Blake exclaimed, and Doctor Oobleck raised his hands in a "stop" gesture.

'No, no. Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense and unique transportation.' He explained. 'The city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom. Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start. As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival. They took up shelter beneath the city, in massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface.'

'An underground village?' Yang muttered disbelievingly. Doctor Oobleck touched a finger to his chin, observing the hole.

'In a manner of speaking, yes. A... a safe haven.' He explained, peering down into the inky blackness of the hole. 'Until...an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern...filled with subterranean Grimm. After that...the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb.'

The girls glanced across each other nervously, and Jaye grimaced in disgust. He eyed the hole with disdain, shuddering, as if the spirits of the dead were pouring out of it. His hands inched towards his swords, and Doctor Oobleck drew his thermos, extending the insulated liquid container into a short staff. He addressed the four students and one dog standing before him, setting his mouth in a grim line.

'If Ruby is down there...we must find her.'

'What in the world?' Jaye gaped slightly at the massive underground network they were now traversing. The four had entered a massive underground cavern, with ceilings higher than one could see, abandoned buildings surrounding them on all sides as they made their way down a wide road, boots crunching on gravel and dislodged tarmac. Judging from the state of decay, these building were relatively newer than the ones on the surface, and many had clear signs of recent disturbance.

He slipped slightly in a pool of water, cursing as it soaked the hem of his pants, and swatted at a mosquito that had alighted on his cheek. Doctor Oobleck glared almost imperceptibly at the ruins around them, rubbing his chin as he did so.

'It doesn't look like anyone's been here in decades.' Yang groaned, kicking at the dirt. Jaye shook his head gently.

'Tracking is never as obvious as they play it out to be in movies. You'll never find a nicely embedded footprint, or a scrap of paper, or the remains of a fire, or random items lying around. People aren't that dumb.' He said, scanning the ground. As if on cue, numerous nicely embedded footprints poofed out of nowhere in the dirt, and a scrap of paper flew into his face. Swearing violently, Jaye snatched it out of his eyes and glared at it. It was a routine order, dictating roles and job assignments for the day, commonly used by military organizations such as the White Fang. In the corner of the paper, the logo of the White Fang was emblazoned in a deep red, and Yang raised an eyebrow at the paper, sniggering as the remains of a recently put out fire appeared in one of the doorways. Jaye raised a hand in warning.

'Not one word.' He spat, and Yang punched him in the shoulder, her peals of laughter echoing in the empty drum of the ruins. The four teammates and hyperactive professor continued down the stretch, stepping over potholes and other road hazards, before rounding a corner and coming face to face with a group of White Fang members on patrol. They stood for a moment, blinking at each other, both parties unsure as to what to do, and Jaye decided to resolve the issue by punching the nearest guard in the face, serving the dual purpose of letting him vent some of his frustration from the past few hours. The poor guard, taken by (somewhat) surprise, stood little chance as he crashed through the doorway of a nearby house.

Ruby crashed to the ground, groaning more in annoyance than pain as the handle of a cane hooked itself into her collar. She felt herself being reeled across the floor, and glared up at the orange haired, bowler-hat wearing man who grinned maliciously down at her.

'Not through here yet!' He hissed, bearing down on the girl, and flinched as a gunshot sounded off in the distance, throwing up a cloud of dust behind a short-roofed multi-story building. He groaned in annoyance, turning to his subordinates and jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

'Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? Kind of in the middle of something.' He said, wiggling a finger in annoyance. The lieutenant, Perry, who was curiously wearing his glasses on the outside of his mask, bowed slightly in acknowledgement, and branched off to deal with the disturbance. They flinched again as another shockwave spread through the ground, and Torchwick waved his arms in exasperation.

'What is going on here?!' He demanded, squinting as numerous White Fang members rounded the corner of the building, clearly fleeing from something dangerous. As he watched, the colorful group of students and one hyper professor charged out after them. He growled in annoyance as Ruby leaped atop of his head, using his momentary distraction to jam his bowler hat down over his eyes. She darted down the road at breakneck pace, making desperately for the group. Torchwick raised his cane, glaring down at the girl, the targeting reticle on the bottom popping up as he did so.

'Somebody kill her!' He screamed, opening fire on the red-hooded girl. Ruby weaved back and forth, her small stature making her a challenging target to hit, and the orange haired man wrenched his cane in anger, nearly snapping it in half.

'Attach this car and spread the word! We're starting the train.' He declared to the nearest White Fang member, who stared at him incredulously.

'But we're not finished!' He protested, and Torchwick whirled on him in anger, jamming his cane into the Faunus's throat.

'Do it, or you're finished!' He hissed, letting the man drop to the ground, clutching his throat for air.

Ruby skidded to a halt as a White Fang patrol force drew its guns on her. She raised her hands in a desperate plea of survival and blanched slightly as they erupted into flames.

'Ruby!' Yang cried, gathering her sister into her arms. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine! I'm fine!' She placated, pushing herself out of Yang's grasp. 'But listen! Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there! Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars.'

Doctor Oobleck waved a hand in disbelief as Blake handed the girl back her weapon.

'That's ridiculous! These tunnels have been sealed! The tracks lead to a dead end.' He exclaimed, and they flinched as a voice sounded over a PA system.

'Get to your places, we are leaving now!' Yang waved a hand at the contraption of iron and steel.

'Well it sounds like they're going somewhere.' She stated, and Ruby pulled out her scroll.

'We need backup! Let me call Jaune.' The device beeped uselessly in her hand, and she grimaced. 'I can't get through!'

'So what do we do?!' Weiss asked helplessly, and Doctor Oobleck addressed the five teammates with determined eyes.

'I believe we only have on option.' He declared, and Ruby cocked Crescent Rose.

'We're stopping that train.'

'Boss! They made it on the train!' Torchwick scowled as the door opened and a masked White Fang member stuck his head in.

'Then grab some cargo and get them off the train!' He swore, and the Faunus nodded his understanding, backing quickly out of the door. He rolled his eyes, touching a finger to his forehead. 'Manic animals, every one of them!' He cursed, turning sheepishly to the Faunus operating the train next to him. 'Not you though, you're great.'

'Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!' Doctor Oobleck hurried as they clambered onto the roof of the train. Jaye swayed unsteadily as the metal contraption bounced and jostled underneath his feet. He slipped as a particularly hard bounce sent him off his feet for a moment, giving him a miniature heart attack.

'Uh...Professor? What's that?' Weiss called, her hand resting on the edge of a roof hatch. The hyperactive Doctor zipped over to her instantaneously.

'Doctor.' He cautioned, observing the contents of the train she had pointed out. A rectangular metal canister sat atop a pile of crates inside the train car, numerous multi-colored wires sticking out of it. Touching a finger to his chin, Doctor Oobleck let out a gentle puff of air.

'That my dear, appears to be a bomb.' The girls jumped back in fear, and Jaye snarled in fury, slapping his swords onto his back. He dug through his jacket, yanking out a bomb disposal set and immediately went to work on the cables.

'We've got baddies!' Ruby pointed out, and Jaye swore as a line of Faunus emerged from the further carriages, clambering slowly onto the roof as the constant movement threatened to throw either of the groups off the locomotive.

'Well I didn't expect them to go –' Doctor Oobleck started, before a heart-stopping "beep" resounded from the device. 'Easy on us.'

They glanced at the beeping explosive, glaring at Jaye. He threw an arm up in exasperation.

'Well I didn't set it off.' He spat, rolling his eyes, and Doctor Oobleck raised a finger pointedly in the air.

'Time to go!' He yelled, and the group leaped from the train car. He placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, turning the girl towards him.

'Blake! Detach the caboose! It'll kill us all!' He said, and Blake nodded her assent. Leaping down from the car, she raised her blade in preparation to sever the attachment, but stumbled as the car detached itself, jostling her in the process. Teetering on the edge of the platform, she righted herself and leapt back onto the roof.

'It decoupled itself!'

'What?'

'I guess he really doesn't want us on this train.' Yang cut in, firing off Ember Celica at the approaching assailants. The three flinched as the train car exploded behind them, and Doctor Oobleck watched, horrified, as bits of the support pillars and the roof began to fall down, holes forming in the cavern walls as they did so.

'That's not good.' He murmured, scanning the vast expanse of the deserted tunnel. He racked his brain desperately, a horrifying thought forming in his mind as realization began to dawn upon him.

'Neither is this!' Ruby called, holding open the hatch into another car, and Blake blanched in incredulity.

'Another bomb?!' She yelled, and Doctor Oobleck dashed ahead to the next car, yanking open the hatch, his mouth forming a grim line as his suspicions were confirmed.

'THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!' He yelled, and Jaye glanced back at the tracks where the previous car had exploded. He noticed the hole gaping in the wall, and stumbled as the car jolted underneath his feet, pulling slowly away from the rest of the train. The four leapt to the next car as it slowed down, eventually crashing off the rails and exploding as well, creating another hole in the cavern sides. Jaye glared at the holes as subterranean grimm began to pour out of them and onto the tracks, and his eyes widened in shock and realization.

'This doesn't make any sense!' Yang stomped her feet in exasperation, and Jaye shook his head grimly.

'No, it does.' He said darkly, and the girls turned to him. Jaye locked eyes with the Doctor, both having come to the same realization. Their thoughts were cut short as more Faunus poured out form the hatches in the train cars, raising guns and other weapons in their direction. They charged the opposing forces, carving through them with little difficulty. Doctor Oobleck watched as the next train car exploded as well, blowing a hole in the ceiling as they began to reach the surface, grimm pouring in through the holes, flooding the passageway with them.

'HE'S LEADING GRIMM OT THE CITY!' He yelled, waving his arms desperately in the air. Weiss turned to look, aghast, and Jaye cut into the explanation.

'It's the cars! They detach and explode to create openings for the grimm!' He yelled, stabbing a White Fang member and knocking him off the train. He glanced back as yet another car detached itself, and Doctor Oobleck hopped over to safety as it crashed off the rails.

'That's insane!' Blake yelled, and Jaye growled in annoyance, charging towards the head of the train. The others followed his lead, dashing over the rusty metal roof and leaping across just as other cars detached themselves and rolled away.

'You three! Go below and try to stop those bombs!' Doctor Oobleck yelled, and Yang, Blake and Weiss nodded their assent. Ruby turned back to the Doctor, grabbing Jaye's arm as he tried to run ahead.

'What about us?!' She asked, and Doctor Oobleck pushed up his glasses, placing his hands on his hips.

'We're going to stop this train!' He said, and Ruby cut in, frowning in confusion.

'Yeah, I know. I said that earlier.'

END. Hope you guys are having fun reading this as we go along. I know some of yall want me to move on to the more exciting bits that everyone wants to see, like the Vytal Tournament and other stuff, especially since volume five is now done, but I don't intend to skip too much. Things WILL speed up after this, I promise.