RWBY Plays Grim Fandango – A RWBY Let's Play-style fanfiction by Fireball Dragon
Chapter #3 – Lost Souls
Dragon's Notes: I know what some of you are thinking. "Where's RWBY Watches Death Battle REMASTERED?!" Well, before I answer that question, let me make something clear;
For those of you who actually are familiar with Grim Fandango (And you should be considering that, like I've said, that's the whole point of this fanfiction), you would know that the entire game is split up into four separate chapters, each representing a year in the Four-Year Journey.
I've decided to split those "Years" into four chapters of this fanfiction each, meaning that this fanfiction will have a total of sixteen chapters, and that there's only going to be one more chapter after this before RWBY completes Year One.
After RWBY completes Year One, that's when I'll go back to Remastering RWBY Watches Death Battle. Also, they're not gonna play it in one night. I mean, it's possible, considering that the game really isn't that long (Though trying to figure out how the developers wanted you to solve the puzzles can be a gigantic pain in the ass), but I figured it'd be best for the sake of pacing in-between stories and all that. Now since that's out of the way…
Enjoy the third chapter.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (RIP).
Grim Fandango belongs to Double Fine and Tim Schafer.
I own NONE of this.
This was supposed to be a lucky break. A chance for Manny to finally make a premium sale and keep his job/chance at getting out of the Eighth Underworld. He did so much and worked so hard (Read: Broke so many rules) just to get face-to-face with a woman known as Mercedes Colomar, who went out of her way to volunteer reading stories to dying children.
But unfortunately, life doesn't work like that. Not even afterlife. RWBY learned this the hard way.
After Manny took Mercedes to his office, he explained his situation to her. RWBY, after seeing that Mercedes was finally dressed, noted how pretty she looked.
"She must've been beautiful when she was alive." Said Ruby wistfully.
Mercedes: That's a lot of responsibility, Mr. Calavera. What makes you think I've been all that good?
Manny: Ms. Colomar-
Mercedes: Meche. Please.
"Meche it is." Said Yang. It was a cute nickname.
Manny: Meche. I can see it in your face. And in your file here, where it says you're entitled to a first-class ticket to...
As Manny checked Meche's file on his computer, he was astonished to see that Meche, kindly woman she was, had absolutely NO record of anything even remotely resembling a Number Nine ticket, or any travel package in her file!
Manny: ...nowhere?
RWBY's mouths were collectively agape at this revelation. How could someone who spent her time reading stories to dying children not be eligible for the Number Nine?!
Manny/RWBY: WHAT?!
Meche: Did I do something wrong?
Manny: Not according to your bio! It was spotless! ...at least the part I read was.
Meche: I'm not sure I like the implication, Mr. Calavera.
Meche had every right to be suspicious. Hell, EVERYONE was suspicious at this point. Something was very, VERY wrong here. RWBY saw the usual list of dialogue prompts, and like always, went through all of them.
Manny: The only implication here is that I'm fired.
Meche: Is it something I did?
"No, it's something he did." Said Ruby, recalling upon the several illegal actions Manny performed just to get to this point. But then she corrected herself. "Something… We did." The girls felt like they had to take collective responsibility.
Manny: Are you SURE you're Mercedes Colomar?
Meche: Yes, would you like to see my birthmark?
Manny: Sure. Where is it?
Meche: It's wherever you guys put my skin!
"Where do they put their skin?" Asked Yang. She was curious as to how the hell clients go from being wrapped in fleshly tortillas to outright skeletons. What was the exact process? Do they store the skin somewhere?
"I think it's best we never find out." Replied Weiss in disgust.
Manny: Anything about your past you haven't told me?
Meche: Quite a bit, considering I've told you nothing.
"There's something very wrong here." Muttered Blake. "Either Meche's hiding something disqualifying, Manny stealing her from Domino messed with her commission file, or her ticket was stolen somehow." Which one could it be?
"Do you think Meche has a couple of skeletons in her closet?" Yang said, chuckling. RWB groaned as usual.
Manny: Did you kill much when you were alive?
Meche: Very little.
"How do you kill 'very little?" Weiss said, annoyed by the vagueness of that answer.
"Maybe she tried to kill someone, and they got better?" Answered Yang.
Manny: Never killed anybody?
Meche: I have to confess, I never killed anybody.
"She really doesn't seem the type." Said Blake. "She looks too innocent."
"I'm sure you already know this," Replied Weiss, "But you can't judge a book by its cover." Blake acknowledged her point.
Manny: Not even a teensy bit of killing?
Meche: Maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough.
"That's not the kind of thing you should try hard at doing." Ruby said. "Unless it was Grimm or something." But at that moment, a shiver ran through bother Blake and Yang's spines. "Whoa, are you two okay?" She said, slightly worried.
"I'm fine." Yang replied. "It was only for a second."
"I don't know what caused that." Muttered Blake.
"A/C must be on the fritz again." Said Ruby, seeing as that was the most logical answer. But they chose to ignore it. For now.
Manny: Were you a big shoplifter?
Meche: Well, they accused me of it once...
Manny: Really?
"One charge of shoplifting doesn't seem all that incriminating." Weiss noted.
"Maybe she shoplifted a bunch of other times and didn't get caught." Yang replied.
Meche: But it wasn't my fault. That puppy followed me out of the store.
Manny: Oh.
Zwei, who was watching the girls play the game this whole time, barked in happiness. RWBY giggled in response.
"Do you think he'd try to maul or bury the characters in this game?" Asked Yang. RWB giggled even harder.
Manny: Mean to animals?
Meche: Oh no! I love animals. Once, when I was volunteering at an animal shelter-
Manny: Just stop right there.
"If a puppy liked her enough to follow her out of a store," Said Ruby, "Then she doesn't exactly strike me as the type to hurt animals."
Manny: Ever cheated on your taxes?
Meche: I've never paid taxes in my life.
Manny/RWBY: Ah-ha!
Meche: I've never made enough money to be taxed. You know, it's mostly been all volunteer work...
Manny: Uh-huh.
"Oh..." RWBY said, disappointed.
Manny: Ever cheated on your husband?
Meche: Mr. Calavera, there's no ring on my finger.
She then showed her hand to Manny. Like she said, it was as ringless as it was fleshless.
Manny: There's no skin on it either...
Meche: I guess you'll just have to trust me then.
"There's gotta be something that would disqualify her, right?" Ruby said, getting fed up with being screwed over like this.
"I don't think there is." Replied Weiss. "It's gotta be something else."
"Something else?" Asked Yang. "Like what?"
All Blake could do was put her finger to her chin in contemplation. What was going on here? How could someone as pure and as innocent as Meche not qualify for the Number Nine? It made no sense!
Manny: Litter?
Meche: Oh, Manny. Is that the best you can do?
"He is really grasping at straws here." Ruby muttered.
Manny: Work with me Meche. Give me some dirt.
Meche: Well, I could do something bad right now if that would help.
"I don't think it would apply after-the-fact." Said Weiss.
Manny: Wouldn't count. Sorry.
After RWBY exhausted all of their dialogue options, Manny gave a sigh showcasing he too was also exhausted.
Manny: I give up.
Meche: Don't say that, Manny.
"Yeah, Manny. There's gotta be a way to fix this." Said Ruby, trying to keep her team's hopes up.
"I don't imagine it'll be easy." Replied Blake."
Manny: You know what I have to do, I just have to go straighten this mess out.
Meche: Sorry to be so much trouble, Mr. Calavera.
Manny: It's no trouble, but please... Call me Manny.
Manny then made his way out of his office. And after he walked out of his office, Meche gave the following line.
Meche: I'm sorry I let you down, Manny.
"No. I'm sorry we let you down, Meche." Said Ruby with obvious guilt in her voice.
"Ruby. I don't think it's our fault." Blake retorted. "There has to be something else to this."
"Well, what the hell could there be to this?" Argued Yang sharply.
"I have no idea, but I feel like we're going to find out soon." Blake replied.
Manny walked out of his office and over to Eva, hoping she would either give Manny a clue on how to fix Meche's situation, or at least offer her condolences. But as soon as he walked over to her desk, Don burst out of his office, infuriated at Manny.
Don: Hey! Funny Bones! In my office! Now!
RWBY collectively gulped. The game then switched to a cutscene, showing Don in his office, berating Manny for all of the misconduct he's performed up until this point in the game with Domino standing by Manny, ashamed of him as well.
Don: You VANDALIZED company property in order to obtain SECRET INFORMATION so you could take your ILLEGALLY MODIFIED company car and your UNREGISTERED DRIVER and run Domino here off the road, all in order to steal a client from her legitimate agent!
"As much as it pains me to admit it, he's right." Weiss said. "Everything Manny did up to this point was completely illegal."
Ruby begrudgingly nodded in agreement. "If we did all of this outside the game, we'd be in jail faster than I can run."
"Yeah well," Yang responded. "We've met people who've done a LOT worse."
Blake agreed with Yang. "Have we ever."
Manny: There's nothing legitimate about this place. You give all the good clients to Domino.
Domino: Manny, now I'm embarrassed for you.
"I hate to say it," Said Yang, head buried in her hand. "But this is pretty embarrassing. Humiliating, honestly."
Don: You've embarrassed the whole office. I'm going to call the woman in here so you can apologize to her yourself.
Don buzzed his intercom to talk to Eva.
Don: Eva, send in Ms. Colomar, please.
Eva: She left about fifteen minutes ago, sir. She said she had a long walk ahead of her and she wanted to get started.
"She left?!" RWBY said. They were all very worried about her. And they had every right to be. But they wouldn't know that until later.
Don: Walking? She had a ticket on the Number Nine! Why does she think she has to walk?
Manny: That's the best package I could find for her…
Domino: Heh heh.
RWBY glared at Domino as he chuckled, effectively rubbing Manny's mistake in his face. But this still didn't make any sense.
"Someone as nice as her should've totally gotten a ticket on the Number Nine!" Weiss said. It wasn't adding up! How could someone who spent her entire life helping others so selflessly be screwed out of salvation by a mere clerical error?! Regardless, Don had enough of Manny's misconduct.
Don: Now you see why I give all the good clients to Domino?
"No! There is SOMETHING going on here!" Blake yelled. "I'm sure of it! This is too unfair! It CAN'T be a coincidence!" RWY were surprised at her suddenly getting so worked up. It seemed like she REALLY wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Don: That woman was a saint and a shoo-in for a Double-N ticket that she's not going to get because YOU just couldn't find it! And now, because of your little stunt, she's out there on her own…
The scene zoomed on Manny, his skull hung low and eyesockets full of regret. He messed up. Big time. RWBY felt so terribly bad for him, as his actions caused both him and Meche to be subject to egregious unfairness.
Don: Walking by herself through the Petrified Forest, facing the demons of the underworld alone and unprotected.
"Petrified Forest?!" Said Ruby. She was shocked and scared for Meche. A lone woman in a dark forest filled with skeletons and horrible monsters without even so much as a weapon was not a very nice image to have in your head.
"Something tells me the demons in that forest aren't as nice as Glottis or even as helpful as Brennis." Blake said. The girls all shuddered in worry for Meche.
Don: This is her reward, after a lifetime of hardship and public service? Her destiny stolen by some overreaching salesman looking for a fat commission he didn't deserve!
The game then shifted to the inside of Glottis's shack inside the garage. It took RWBY a couple of seconds to piece that together. Don held Manny captive in there as his punishment. Or at least, the start of it.
Don: Get in there and stay put until the boys downtown tell us what they want done with ya. Someone's gonna take the fall for this, Calavera, and it ain't gonna be me!
"He's fired, isn't he?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, you think?" Weiss replied.
"They're gonna arrest him, aren't they?" Yang asked.
"Oh, you think?" Blake replied.
RWBY got Manny to examine the inside of the shack. They noted a big machine with two cylinders full of… Something on top. It sort of looked like a soft-serve ice-cream machine. They got Manny to "examine" it…
Manny: It looks like it dispenses something called "Fil-a-Dent."
"Fil-a-Dent?" Ruby asked. Curious as to what it was, she had Manny use the machine. A gelatinous red substance plopped out of the machine and into Manny's hand. Weiss and Blake were kinda grossed out, but Ruby and Yang giggled at how funny it sounded.
Manny: Oh, ick.
After shaking the Fil-a-Dent off of his hand, Manny gave the following observation.
Manny: It came out like soft-serve ice cream, but judging by the smell, I think it's auto-body filler.
"Makes sense, he is in Glottis's shack." Yang noted.
"How did Glottis even FIT in that thing?!" Said Weiss, absolutely puzzled.
"That doesn't matter." Blake responded. "We have to get him out of there. NOW." Ruby agreed and got Manny to knock on the door.
Manny: Hey, is anybody out there?
As soon as he asked that, a mysterious shadow popped out from the side of the shack's window. Sporting a deep and suave voice, the girls were actually kind of captivated by it for God knows what reason.
Shadow: So, Manuel… Have you thought about what you have done?
The usual list of dialogue prompts popped up.
Manny: Who's out there?
Shadow: I'm you. Or rather, I was you years ago.
Manny: Yeah, well I'm me now, so get lost.
"Manny, no!" Ruby warned. "He might be our only chance outta there!"
Manny: What are they going to do to me?
Shadow: I don't want to alarm you, Agent Calavera... But have you ever seen a man SPROUTED?
"Sprouted?" RWBY asked. They did not like were this was going.
Manny: What do you mean, "sprouted?"
Shadow: Then you don't know... ...there's nothing more horrible than the bite of the sprouter.
"What is he talking about? Gardening tools?!" Yang said, annoyed. Her annoyance would be short-lived however, as the shadow described the process of "sprouting" in unbelievably gruesome detail.
Shadow: Its deadly stinger spreads a green disease through every calcified pore on your body... ...leaving you veined with roots and flocked with grass...
"Oh my God…" Said Ruby, her body and voice trembling in horror.
Shadow: ...steadily growing thicker and thicker until you crash and bloom out... ...in a horrifying bouquet of pain and fragrant suffering...
"It can't be…" Said Weiss, also terrified.
Shadow: ...screaming until your mouth fills with petals and your nostrils shoot out thorny stems... ...and the bulbs sprout in your eyes...
"How horrible…" Said Blake, shaking in fear.
Shadow: ...leaving you nothing but a patch of wildflowers on the ground, swarming with butterflies.
"That's just messed up." Said Yang, her voice being small and hollow, signifying that she was riddled with shock.
Manny Are you done?
Shadow: Yes.
Manny: No, I've never seen that.
"Are you telling me that they've managed to find a way to kill what's already dead?!" Shouted Weiss. The very idea of that filled the girls with dread and terror, the idea of that happening to Manny permeating their minds with fear. But unbeknownst to them, it's impossible to lose this game, so they needn't worry about Manny getting sprouted... At least, not too much.
"We HAVE to get him the hell outta there!" Barked Yang. RWB agreed greatly. Manny's life- Manny's afterlife was in severe danger! They didn't even know that was possible!
Manny: Get me out of here!
Shadow: The only way out, Manuel, is to be taken back in. If you are truly still loyal to this company, declare it loudly. The management might hear and stick you right back in their fold.
The girls then saw a list of responses:
1. "Yeah, well I got something they can stick in their fold..."
2. "My loyalty is still to the DOD, believe it or not."
3. "The DOD runs a crooked game, and I intend to prove it."
4. "Look, I did what I had to do. So what?"
"Loyalty?! To those bastards?! FUCK THAT!" Screamed Yang. RWB was shocked by her raw anger, but they agreed; after everything they did to Manny, going back to the DOD was out of the question. They were up to something, and RWBY would make damn well sure they get exposed and punished for it.
Manny: The DOD runs a crooked game, and I intend to prove it.
Shadow: You would do that? That could cause this agency a lot of trouble...
"It seems like this guy might be testing us." Noted Weiss. "Like he wants to be sure that we're against the DOD."
"Well, why not confirm it for him?" Said Blake. Ruby nodded and picked the decisive answer.
Manny: I'm gonna blow the lid off this place!
Shadow: Young man, you are an enemy of the Department of Death!
The shadow stepped inside the shack, showing his real form at last; it was that of another skeleton man, dressed like a mercenary. His broad chin and strong posture implied he must've been quite the looker when he was alive. RWBY knew this, as they all blushed in response to finally seeing him.
Mercenary: Welcome to the club!
The game switched to another cutscene, where Manny and the mercenary were seen through what appeared to be a camera. The mercenary talked into the camera.
Mercenary: Salvador Limones and guest.
"Salvador Limones…" Said Ruby, making a mental note of his name. The game camera then shifted to the side of the DOD's office building, where the rope of ties was. The camera Salvador was talking into was the blue eye in one of the wall's decorative carvings. Just then, the grate on the ground opened up, showing a small elevator rise from below. The girls were surprised and intrigued.
Manny: Where are you taking me?
Salvador: To the headquarters of the LSA.
Manny/RWBY: LSA?
Salvador: The Lost Souls' Alliance, we're a small group Manuel, but we're always looking for new soldiers.
Manny and Salvador stepped into the elevator, and it descended into the LSA's headquarters. Upon entering, RWBY noted a familiar facing manning what appeared to be some kind of radio.
"Eva?!" Ruby said in surprise.
"So that's what she meant by having secrets!" Confirmed Weiss.
"Well, the more allies the better." Said Yang. Good thing Eva wasn't in on the whole conspiracy thing.
Manny: To do what, exactly?
Salvador: We need help in our intelligence unit. You know Eva of course.
Eva: Manny?
Salvador walked towards the end of the room, where a projector lied, facing the wall he was walking towards. He began to explain his story.
Salvador: I was once a reaper like yourself Manuel, but I uncovered a web of corruption in our beloved Department of Death.
"We gathered that." Said Blake. It was kind of depressing to see that Manny's hard work was all for naught from the start, considering the DOD was planning to screw him over.
Salvador: I have reason to believe that the Bureau of Acquisitions is cheating the very souls it was charted to serve.
"But… WHY?" Asked Yang. "Why would they go out of their way to screw their own customers out of happiness?!" A few ideas rolled in the girls' heads…
Salvador: I think someone is robbing these poor naive souls of their rightful destinies, leaving them no option but to march on a treacherous trail of tears, unprotected and alone, like babies, Manuel, like babies.
Manny: What's your evidence?
Salvador: That's where you come in, Manuel, or should I call you Agent Calavera?
Manny: Manny suits me fine. I'm not looking to join any military organization, Sal. I just want my old job back so I can work off my time and get out of this dump.
"What?!" RWBY screamed. Apparently even after claiming that he was gonna "blow the lid off the DOD" Manny didn't understand that going back to work there was pointless. He would either be sprouted or given bum clients again, causing this whole process to start all over from the beginning.
"Even after all of that, he still just wants to work his time off in the DOD?!" Weiss shouted, flabbergasted as Manny's selfishness.
"Dude, there's no way you can go back to working there!" Yang said, knowing full well what would happen if he tried. "Even if they bring you back in, they'll just keep screwing you out of chances!"
Salvador: Well, you won't even be able to get out of this city without my help – which means, of course, you won't be able to find that woman and you'll never get your job back.
"He's not gonna get his job back anyway." Said Ruby. "I wish he could've just joined the LSA from the start."
"He's got no other choice but to help Salvador." Blake followed up with. Manny needed to at least try and contribute to the LSA somehow.
Salvador: When you're ready to join the cause Manuel, come talk to me. We might be of some use to each other.
The game then re-enabled control, and Manny was left to look inside the interior of the LSA's headquarters. RWBY noted there was a discarded DOD computer on one of the walls, and more importantly, a giant exit hatch right next to it. RWBY got Manny to "examine exit hatch…"
Manny: Where does this go?
Salvador: To a secret tunnel out of the city, but… It opens for members of the LSA only.
"So yeah, we gotta join the LSA to win Salvador's trust and get him to open the hatch." Said Yang. RWB agreed. They needed Manny to talk to Salvador to learn more. And so they did.
Manny: Open that door, Sal, I've got places to go.
Salvador: Does that mean you're ready to join us?
The usual list of dialogue prompts popped up. RWBY could have Manny say:
1. "I'm not a joiner. Just pop the hatch and let's part friends."
2. "Okay, I'm in. What do I have to do?" (They really wanted to pick this one)
3. "Do you know something I don't know?"
4. "I'm off."
"I still don't get exactly what this conspiracy is." Inquired Blake. "We should ask Salvador for more info on it." Ruby agreed and picked option 3.
Manny: Do you know something I don't know?
Salvador: Have you ever wondered why your clients, even your BEST clients, never seem to qualify for the packages you know they deserve?
Manny: Yes, my last client in particular… Meche.
Salvador: Well, they all DID qualify, Manuel. Especially her. But somehow, somebody with access to the files has stolen their just rewards, their sweet hereafters…
Manny: Their tickets on the Number Nine?
Salvador: Precisamente, amigo.
RWBY's jaws dropped at this revelation. They were right; someone was trying to screw Manny out of working his time off. Not only that, they were effectively racketeering Double-N tickets for some reason.
"Somebody with access to the files…" Pondered Blake. "Don, maybe?"
"Considering how much he seems to treat Domino as the office favorite," Added Weiss. "It wouldn't surprise me if Domino was in on the whole scheme too."
Manny: What would they do with the tickets?
Salvador: A ticket on the Number Nine is like a leaf of gold, Manuel. Especially to one who has died with a less-than-perfect record. Someone is profiting here from those that would buy their way into Heaven.
"That's horrible!" Said Weiss. "How could they be okay with profiting off of denying other people salvation?! Not even my company would stoop that low!"
"They're taking Double-N tickets from people who deserve them and selling them to others who don't?!" Ruby asked. "Do they really need all that money in the Land of the Dead?!" Money shouldn't mean anything if you're dead. All you should want is to just rest in peace.
Manny: But money's not important here. We all just want out.
Salvador: YOU want to get out, Manuel, and so do I someday. But for some people, this world is all there is. They have decided to seek pleasure and happiness here in the Eighth Underworld, and for that, you need money.
A scowl formed on Blake's lips, her eyes furrowed into a piercing glare. "Cowards." She said with venom in her voice. "They don't want to own up to being dead, so they act like they're still alive? They're all cowards!"
RWY was shocked at Blake's impassioned rage, but they agreed with her; wanting to act like you're still alive in the Land of the Dead was just running away from the truth. It was cowardice, plain and simple.
"With all of this coming to light," Said Yang. "Manny HAS to help the LSA." RWB agreed, and Ruby had Manny want in.
Manny: Okay, I'm in. What do I have to do?
Salvador: I am going to build an underground army of souls to fight the injustice I have seen in El Marrow. Communication will become vital as the Lost Souls' Alliance spreads out.
"True." Noted Weiss. "In order to function efficiently as an army, they'll need a reliable means of long-distance communication."
"Is he trying to establish some kind of network of comm lines?" Pondered Blake, noticing how Eva kept fiddling with a radio.
"El Marrow… Is that the name of the city?" Ruby asked. And it was.
Salvador: We'll need messengers we can trust.
"What, does he want Manny to be his mailman or something?" Said Yang sarcastically.
Manny: You want me to be your messenger?
Salvador: No, Manuel. Our numbers are small, and our agents are too valuable to risk that sort of work.
"Okay, that's a fair point." Yang acknowledged.
Salvador: History shows only one messenger to be of use to a cause like ours: CARRIER PIGEONS!
"That's a pretty… Archaic form of messaging, to say the least." Said Blake. Who in this day and age used carrier pigeons for messages anymore?!
"I think that'd kind of the point." Yang noted. "It's so outdated, no one'll see it coming."
But Weiss was worried. "What if someone ends up catching on and sprouts one of the pigeons as a result?"
That mental image distressed Ruby. "Birdie, NO!"
Manny: If I grab some pigeons off the roof, will you let me go?
Salvador: No, I need to raise them from birth, Agent Calavera– I need you to bring me their eggs!
"Makes sense." Blake admitted. "They'd be easier to train that way."
"And they'd make a good snack if rations are low." Yang chuckled. RWB was turned off by her black comedy and groaned in disgust. "What? It was just a joke!"
Manny: You're keeping me here because you need the eggs?
Salvador: Why are you still here, Calavera? Go get me an air force before it hatches!
Manny: I'm off.
Salvador: Farewell, Agent Calavera, and… Viva la Revolución!
The girls had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like one hell of a creed to have. The way Salvador said it with such confidence and bravado almost swooned them.
"What about Eva?" Asked Yang. "I think we could learn more from her."
"Yeah, enough secret-hiding." Said Ruby. "Time we learned why she joined the LSA and what she wants out of it." She got Manny to "Look at Eva."
Manny: It's my boss's secretary's evil twin!
Eva: Just me, honey.
RWBY giggled at that. "I think she'd more like the good twin, if anything." Said Yang. What kind of "evil twin" would try to help with saving lost souls?
Manny: So, you're not really a secretary?
Eva: I'm a spy, Manny.
Manny: Well, that's the last time we use THAT temp agency.
RWBY giggled again, and the list of dialogue prompts popped up.
Manny: Any messages for me?
Eva: Yes: "Join or Die!"
Manny: But I'm already–
Eva: Again!
RWBY burst into laughter this time. They missed the more comedic aspects of this game, and the witty dialogue that embodied it.
Manny: Eva, you gotta get me out of town. They're going to sprout me!
Eva: You can't leave, Manny. We need access to the DOD computer network if we're ever gonna find out what's going on. And we can't access without a salesman like you. The computer ID's you when you log on.
"It does?" Asked Ruby. "I guess that makes sense."
"Hmm." Pondered Blake. "So they need to hack into the DOD's network to get intel…"
Manny: How does it do that? Fingerprints? I don't have any!
"Right, they don't have skin." Yang remembered.
"Can't be retinal scans, either." Noted Weiss. "They don't have eyeballs."
"Manny didn't know?" Ruby inquired. "That's weird. I thought he would've known about something like that."
Eva: Your teeth, Manny. Haven't you ever noticed your computer scanning your teeth when you log on?
Manny: I thought that was just a power surge.
"Oh, his teeth." Yang realized. "That works. I guess they have his dental records on file or something."
Eva: We need your teeth Manny, we can't let you go. Sorry.
"Wait, how exactly are we supposed give them his teeth?!" Weiss said in shock. "He needs those!"
"Maybe we don't need to literally give them his teeth." Blake said, hinting at another way. The exact method, though… They didn't know yet.
Manny: How long have you been a spy?
Eva: Salvador recruited me about a year ago.
"A year ago, huh?" Blake wondered. "I get the feeling that's around the same time when Domino entered the office and the whole racketeering scheme began." She couldn't really say for sure, though.
Note: I brought this up because like I mentioned before, this game is split into four chapters, each representing a year of the Four-Year Journey. Manny's career probably started going south because of the scheme a year before the events of the actual game began, effectively making that the start of his real Four-Year Journey. Just throwing a theory out there.
Eva: I couldn't resist him–he's just so… noble!
"He sure is." RWBY agreed with a wistful sigh.
Manny: What are you working on there?
Eva: I'm trying to get this radio working so we can use it in the field.
"Makes sense." Noted Yang. "But it doesn't look like it's working."
Eva: But it looks pretty hopeless. Salvador's right–we need good old-fashioned homing pigeons to communicate with our field agents.
Manny: You have field agents?
Eva: No, it's just Sal and me right now, but someday, Manny…
"So we gotta get the eggs." Ruby confirmed. "And Manny's teeth… Somehow." The girls were kinda worried as to how they'd acquire the latter.
Manny: Doesn't Copal wonder where you are?
Eva: Don and Domino are both locked up in Don's office with some bigwig from downtown. Some fatty in a fez.
Salvador: Hmmmm. Who is the fat man, I wonder, and how does he fit into this sinister puzzle?
"Not comfortably, I'm assuming." Yang muttered.
"I'll bet he's in on the whole scheme too." Said Ruby. She didn't know the half of it. The "fat man" played a role in this whole story larger than even him, and that's saying a lot.
Manny: I'm off.
Eva: Fight the good fight, babe.
After that conversation, Ruby got Manny to exit the LSA's headquarters. "First things first, let's get the eggs. They're supposed to be on the roof, so…" She got Manny to climb the rope of ties. But after climbing, the girls remembered something; the path to the ladder that leads to the rooftop was broken.
As there was no "jump" command in the game (And it looks as if it was too far for Manny to jump to anyway), they had to find another way to make it across. Ruby decided to search the windows, noting that Don's office was closed, but…
Manny: Hmm… Dom's office is empty.
"Well, we might as well look there. Nowhere else we can look." Ruby noted. She got Manny to enter Domino's office. It looked the same as usual, but this time Domino wasn't in, so they could search his office all he wanted. Ruby decided to search Domino's desk.
Manny: Desk drawers? I don't have desk drawers!
RWBY giggled at Manny's jealousy/envy, but after opening the drawer, they saw something very interesting. Or rather, "heard" something interesting. The sound of something glowing.
Manny: What the? There's something glowing in there.
"Glowing?" Ruby said, curious. She got Manny to pick it up.
Manny: It looks like a glowing hunk of coral.
"Why would he have that?" Asked Weiss. "Was it a gift?" Wanting to know more, Ruby got Manny to "examine coral."
Manny: "Congratulations, Domino, on your new job! — Hector"
"Who's Hector?" Asked Yang? "A friend of his? Family member?"
"I get the feeling we'll find out very soon." Blake said, pondering as usual. "I think we might've heard about him already." She said in a whisper.
Ruby got Manny to close Domino's desk drawer so as to cover his tracks. Yang took the opportunity to point something out. "Hey! Domino left his mouthpiece on top of his punching bag's frame!"
"His mouthpiece?!" Said Ruby in surprise. She started to get an idea of what to use it for. She got Manny to strike Domino's punching bag three times, which caused the mouthpiece to fall. She then got Manny to pick it up.
Manny: Acch. Domino had this in his mouth.
Ruby got Manny to "use mouthpiece." Manny then put it in his mouth, clearly disgusted at having to do so.
Manny: Eccch! Well, now I know what Domino tastes like.
"Booze and smarminess?" Yang snarked. RWB giggled.
"That was clever Ruby," Blake admitted. "But it's not going to be enough to make a copy of his teeth." She was right; Ruby needed to do something a little more. Choosing to ignore it for now, Ruby got Manny to leave Domino's office through the window (So to avoid getting caught by the authorities or Don) and make his way back to the part of the ledge where the rope of ties hung.
"Y'know, I didn't notice this before," Ruby noted. "But it looks like there's a shorter end of that tie rope on the other side of the ledge." She got Manny to pick it up, who then coiled it and dropped it onto the ledge in front of his feet. "Oh, I GET IT NOW!"
"What do you mean?" Asked Yang, surprised at Ruby shouting.
"Just watch!" Ruby got Manny to get Domino's gift coral out of his inventory, and she got him to combine the coral with the shorter end of the tie rope, effectively turning it into a makeshift grappling hook.
Manny: I wonder if that's how Domino meant it to be used.
"Oh my God!" Said Yang, very clearly impressed at her sister's cleverness. "That was smart!" Ruby blushed and giggled, hand behind her head.
"If I had to guess," Blake quipped. "That's probably exactly what Domino meant to use that coral for."
"Yeah well, Dom's not here, and he's an asshole." Yang boasted. "Who cares if we have to use his stuff? Besides, compared to stealing his client, stealing his coral and mouthpiece ain't so bad."
Ruby got Manny to use the coral hook on the ladder, throwing it and almost instantly securing it to the ladder. Manny climbed the rope up onto the ladder, and finally he made it onto the rooftop.
As Salvador said, there were indeed pigeons on the roof (Or pigeon skeletons, mind you), and more importantly, their eggs. As Ruby got Manny to try and get to the eggs, she then realized it wasn't going to be that simple, because as soon as Manny got in range, the pigeons swarmed him, scaring him away.
Manny: Ahhh!
"Uh-oh." Ruby said. There had to be a way around them. Salvador couldn't use already-born pigeons because they'd be harder to train. It was the EGGS they needed. But that's when Ruby noted a dish vent not too far from where the pigeons were sitting. "I still have some of that bread." She recalled.
"No, wait." Blake protested. "I don't think it'll be enough. You have to do something more." That's when Ruby had another stroke of genius and dropped the cat balloon she got from the clown from the Day of the Dead festival into the dish.
Manny: Maybe that will scare them… Eventually.
"Alright, NOW." Ruby got Manny to grind the bread into the dish, which attracted the pigeons. As they ate the bread crumbs, their beaks got too "peckish" for their own good, and popped the balloon, the noise scaring them and their entire flock off of the roof. A comedic horn played as Manny expressed contentment at getting rid of the pigeons, which caused RWBY to giggle.
Manny: Yeah, beat it you lousy little ledge-peckers!
Ruby got Manny to finally make it to the pigeons' eggs and had him pick them up.
Manny: You must come with me, young ones, for I am the Grim Reaper.
"Eh, kinda cheesy." Yang said dryly. "Your whole spiel before getting Bruno was cooler." Yeah well, wait until Year Four. Manny says something super-badass near the very end of the game.
Ruby got Manny to head back down to ground level. She noted the garage entrance from the office's side was open. She got Manny to head back inside, and over to Glottis's shack, which had a surprising lack of Glottis.
Manny: Hey, what did they do with Glottis?
"Did they fire him as well?" Asked Weiss.
"Wait a minute…" Ruby said. "Wasn't there something in his shack that…" Ruby got Manny to enter Glottis's shack and saw the familiar Fil-a-Dent dispenser standing on the shelf as usual. She got Manny to bring Domino's mouthpiece of his inventory and use it on the Fil-a-Dent machine. The filler plopped straight onto the mouthpiece, and at that moment, RWBY knew exactly what to use it for.
Manny: Fil-a-Dent: good for dents, great for dentures!
"Great for dentures, indeed." Said Weiss. Ruby got Manny to bite Domino's mouthpiece once again, only this time, there were much better results.
Manny: Wow, that made a perfect impression of my teeth. ...and left quite a chalky aftertaste, too.
"Well, if that won't help them access the DOD's servers," Yang said. "I don't know what will! Now let's get this stuff back to the LSA!"
Ruby got Manny to use the hidden camera outside the DOD's office.
Manny: Agent Calavera here.
The underground lift popped up, and Manny went down into the LSA's headquarters. First, Ruby got Manny to "give eggs to Salvador."
Salvador: EXCELLENT, Manuel! With these, I can breed an entire ARMY of winged messengers!
"D'aww, shucks." Ruby said, blushing once again, hand behind head again as well.
Salvador: Our revolution can spread now across the land, carried on the shimmering wings of justice, thanks to you…Agent Calavera!
Manny: I, myself, would also like to spread across the land…
Salvador: But you can't. We need your dental work here to access the computer. I'm sorry, but freedom has its price!
"A price we can pay in full." Yang replied. Ruby got Manny to "give dental cast to Eva," who was impressed at Manny's/Ruby's creative solution.
Eva: Manny, this looks like a perfect impression of your teeth. We can use this as a mold to make a fake set of teeth, and get into the computer system that way.
Salvador: Good work soldier.
With both requirements fulfilled, Salvador was finally willing to give Manny access to the exit hatch out of El Marrow.
Salvador: You are a friend of the revolution, Agent Calavera, and now… …let me be of service to you.
The game then shifted to another cutscene, this time one of Manny (Now dressed in LSA soldier gear) walking with Salvador through the tunnel the exit hatch led to, finally bidding "adios" to El Marrow.
Salvador: You must go to the town of Rubacava, my friend, if you want to find your lost soul.
"Rubacava…" Blake said in curiosity. "For some reason, that sounds like a pretty big town." It wouldn't be long before they realized HOW big it was.
Manny: How do YOU know where she is?
Salvador: I don't. But everyone who wants to get to the Ninth Underworld must cross the Sea of Lament, and therefore must go to Rubacava to get passage on a ship. As long as you get there before she does, you'll find her, but it may be quite a wait.
"Sea of Lament? Sounds depressing." Said Yang.
"How do we know she didn't make it to Rubacava already?" Asked Weiss.
"It's our only lead." Replied Ruby. "We gotta follow it."
Manny: I'll wait as long as it takes.
Both Salvador and RWBY were surprised by Manny's tenacity. They wondered if his wanting to find Meche was born out of something more than just the desire to help.
Salvador: Manuel? Are you… …in love with her?
Manny: Love? Love is for the living, Sal. I'm only after her for one reason…she's my ticket out of here.
RWBY wondered if that was really all there was to it, but just then, the game shifted back to control mode, with Manny climbing out of a tree stump, finally out of El Marrow.
Manny: That was some tunnel–I'm all the way to the edge of the Petrified Forest!
"It's filled with demons, right?" Said Ruby warily.
"Speaking of which, where did Glottis go?" Asked Yang. "Do you think he left town too?"
"Well, let's get a move on and maybe we'll find out." Ruby answered. And so, Manny took the first steps forward of his true Four-Year Journey.
TO BE CONTINUED…