RWBY Plays Grim Fandango – A RWBY Let's Play-style fanfiction by Fireball Dragon
Chapter #4 – All Hell Brakes Loose
Dragon's Notes: Okay, first of all, yes, the chapter title's misspelling was on purpose. Hopefully you'll understand why when you read it.
Second, this is gonna be the last chapter for Year One of the game. After this, I'll get back to work on Remastering RWBY Watches Death Battle. To remind you, this whole fanfiction will have four chapters for each Year of the game, coming out to a grand total of sixteen chapters. However…
There is a LOT of bonus content in Grim Fandango that's rather easy to miss when playing it the first time around. A L-O-T. Mostly just optional dialogue and observations and all that, but it's entertaining enough to wanna see just once.
BUT! Trying to cover all of that content in this fanfiction would drag it out far longer than it needs to be, and my god, considering this fanfiction went on for like, 20 pages per chapter so far, it would be a hell of a hassle to try and include all of the optional content.
So what I'm gonna do is include a bonus chapter or two after RWBY finishes playing the main game, chapters that include their reactions to the optional content. They won't be replaying it again per se, but just consider those bonus chapters comparable to "deleted scenes," if you will. With that said…
Enjoy the fourth chapter.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (RIP).
Grim Fandango belongs to Double Fine and Tim Schafer.
I own NONE of this.
The first thing RWBY saw (And heard) when Manny started walking towards the Petrified Forest was… Glottis?! Crying his beady demon eyes out and thrashing on the ground like a baby.
Glottis: Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaah! A-hoo-hoo-hoo…
"Oh god, they fired him!" Said Ruby, shocked and sad for the poor demon former-mechanic.
"Oh, man… Poor guy." Yang added. If she got separated from her bike, she wouldn't know what to do.
Manny: Glottis, my friend! Why are you crying?
"Isn't it obvious?!" Asked Weiss.
Glottis: Manny? Oh, Manny! They fired me! Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaah!
Blake put her hand to her mouth in shock at seeing the demon denied his one purpose, one skill, one desire.
Manny: Me too, buddy.
Glottis: You don't understand, Manny! I was created just to do that job! It's the only thing that makes me happy!
"Yeah, having the very reason for your existence stolen," Said Blake, "doesn't sound all that pleasant, to say the least." Her voice was laden with sorrow and regret.
But the sorrow and regret would soon turn in shock and disgust at what Glottis did in a fit of misguided angst.
Glottis: It's like they reached into my chest, and pulled out my heart, and threw it into the woods to…
Much to the girls' horror, Glottis did literally just that; rip out his heart and throw it into the woods. After he did so, he collapsed. Obviously. RWBY was absolutely terrified at the sight. How did he even do that?!
Manny: Glottis! What have you done! Oh Glottis…
"Glottis, you freakin' IDIOT!" Chided Yang. "You need that goddamn thing to LIVE!"
"We gotta give him his heart back, and fast." Ruby said anxiously. Said anxiety would only be exacerbated all four girls as the scene immediately cut to Glottis's heart lying on the ground, only to be surrounded by a swarm of flying spider demons.
"OH DEAR GOD!" They screamed. But much to their surprise, as the scene shifted back to Manny and Glottis, they saw (And heard) that Glottis was snoring. Like, snoring as if he were still alive! WHAT?!
"What the hell, how can ripping his heart out just make him sleep?!" Yang shouted, flabbergasted at the impossible sight. "How do demon bodies even work over there?!"
Manny: I wonder how long he can live without a heart?
"Not very long, I assume." Said Weiss. RBY knew this as well, and as such, Ruby had Manny hurry on over to the part of the forest where Glottis threw his heart into. Upon doing so, they saw that the spider demons already took his heart into their webs.
Manny: Oh, no…
A spider demon crawled up to Glottis's captive heart and started nibbling on it, which grossed out the girls (And Manny) tremendously.
Manny: Oh, ick.
Manny ran over to the spiders to scare them away so he could get Glottis's heart back. RWBY needed to think of a plan ASAP.
Manny: Shoo!
"Alright," Said Ruby. "We gotta get it back NOW." She got Manny to try and take the heart out of the web. Keyword being "try," because no matter how hard he pulled, it was just too well-stuck to the web to just yank it out.
Manny: Ugh! It's stuck in there good.
"Crap. Now what do we do?" Asked Yang. The girls decided to see if there was anything in the area that they could use to get Glottis's heart out of the spider web. Not too far from it did they see… A pile of bones. Ruby got Manny to "examine pile of bones."
Manny: It's an ugly pile of bones, like me.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, tough guy." Yang replied. "At least your bones are in order." Ruby got Manny to pick one of the bones up.
Manny: I guess I could always use a spare.
"For what?" Asked Weiss. "He doesn't seem to be missing any bones." Yang was about to make a dirty joke, but Weiss immediately interrupted with "Don't you DARE!" Yang shut up, but Blake noticed something. "That bone sounds a little hollow." Ruby realized it too as soon as Manny picked it up. She got Manny to examine the bone.
Manny: Ewwww. Something has sucked the marrow out.
"The spiders?!" Ruby said, shivering. But what was more concerning was how the hell they were gonna be able to use the bone to free Glottis's heart out of the spider web. Ruby, ready to try just about anything at this point, decided to just throw the bone onto the web.
Manny: Soup's on!
As soon as the bone landed on the web, both RWBY and Manny noticed that the spiders didn't seem to care. Intriguing.
Manny: Hmmmm… They don't seem very interested in that bone I put in there.
"Well yeah, they already sucked out all the marrow," replied Weiss. "So now what do we do?" Ruby was stumped. She didn't know what to use the bone for. "Aw, shoot. I don't know what to do here." WBY were worried for her, until she realized something. "Wait a minute… Shoot?" She then got Manny to whip out his scythe. And because they liked how Manny described it, got him to examine it again.
Manny: My scythe-I like to keep it next to where my heart used to be.
The girls cooed at that once again, but then Yang asked, "What are you gonna do?" Ruby replied with "Just watch." She then got Manny to use his scythe on the bone in the spider web, which gave him enough pull to launch both the bone and Glottis's heart right out the spider nest. WBY were impressed at Ruby's creative solution.
Manny: Oh, poor spiders. No more demon heart to eat.
"That was clever!" Weiss said in praise. Ruby blushed and giggled, hand behind her head. Not wanting to waste too much time, she got Manny to run back to Glottis's "corpse," noticing that his heart was right in front of him.
Manny: It's still beating.
"Good, that's good!" Said Yang. "Put it back in him, hurry!" As time was of the essence, Ruby got Manny to do exactly that. After which, Glottis came back to life, gasping for air and realizing what he did was absolutely stupid.
Glottis: AH HEART! HEART IS GOOD! BE GOOD TO HEART! DON'T TEAR OUT HEART! HEART IS GOOD! STRONG BEATING GOOD HEART!
"Alright, he's back!" Said Yang in pride. "Hopefully he won't do that again."
"So now what do we do?" Asked Blake. "How are we supposed to get to Rubacava?" But as soon as she asked that, Glottis noticed something very important.
Glottis: Hey, is that my car?
"YES! We got a ride!" Yang said in happiness. RWB were happy too; looks like they were finally making some decent progress. But suddenly, the game shifted back to the DOD's office in El Marrow, where Don and Domino were in the meeting Eva mentioned beforehand with the "fatty in a fez…"
Domino: Mr. LeMans, I assure you the missing woman will be found. I will personally track her down myself.
"LeMans?" Ruby said in a whisper. She started to get an idea of what role this man played in the story.
LeMans: Just like you personally picked her up from the Land of the Living?
The girls smirked after remembering how Manny foiled Domino in that regard. Because of their help.
Domino: That was my intention, but Agent Calavera somehow got to her first.
LeMans: We gave you the fastest car, Domino. We gave you all the best clients. You had all the advantages, so how was this Calavera able to sneak in there and eat your lunch?
LeMans was furious at Domino's failure to acquire Meche. All Don Copal could do was look in shock as the fatass's slimy voice was raised in anger.
Don: Oh, now Hector, you can't get too mad at Domino. That wasn't his fault—
"Hector?!" RWBY said in surprise.
"Wasn't that the man who gave Domino that coral?" Weiss recalled.
"So he's the boss to both Domino AND Don," Blake realized.
"I think he might be the mastermind behind the ticket racketeering scheme," Ruby said.
"Ladies, meet the big bad. With emphasis on big." Yang said in awe of finally seeing the game's main villain.
Hector: Oh, I can, Don. You should know I CAN get too mad. But not at Domino. After all, he wasn't in charge of this operation.
RWBY gulped at Hector clearly blaming Don for Domino's failure. If Don didn't threaten to fire Manny if he didn't get a premium by next month, Manny wouldn't have tried to steal Meche from Domino and find out about their plan. Basically, Don pushing Manny so hard led to Copal shooting himself in the foot.
And speaking of getting shot, Hector readied a gun right of Don. The girls were surprised at the sight of it. Was that… a flower on the side?!
Hector: At least, not until now.
Don: Hector! No!
Hector then opened fire on Don, darts popping out of the gun and straight into Don's bones. Don was on the floor, writhing in clear agony as invasive flora infested his body, suffocating him from the inside.
Don: Agggggggk!
All he could do was scream and groan in his final moments, as flowers quickly popped out of the skeletal mess of what used to be Don Copal. RWBY was horrified, to say the very least.
"So that's… sprouting," Ruby said in sheer terror.
"A way to kill what's already dead," Weiss reiterated in fear.
"How could he do that to his own employee?" Blake said in shock.
"That fat bastard…!" Yang said through gritted teeth.
Hector: Marigolds… Hm. Funny. For some reason I was expecting tulips.
"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" The girls shouted in anger.
Hector: Well, maybe Mr. Calavera, eh, Domino? Why don't you personally go down to the basement and escort him up here? The sooner he's sprouted and we can get back to business, the better.
"Good luck," Weiss said harshly. "He's already long since left town."
And thus, the game cut back to the exact whereabouts of Manny AND his driver, both in their car once again, ready to ride.
Manny: Wanna go for a ride?
"Hell yeah!" Yang said cheerfully.
Glottis: I thought you'd never ask!
Glottis then started the engine and shifted into reverse. However, he backed up a little too hard, and bumped into a lone signpost, partially knocking it off the ground.
Glottis: OH! Sorry.
Blake looked at the signpost, wondering if that was supposed to be a clue. But before she could say anything, Ruby already started taking control of the car, driving into the depths of the Petrified Forest.
Deep within the forest lied a series of tunnels formed by the trees. Not knowing which one to take, Ruby just decided to pick one at random and see where it leads. Much to the girls' surprise, it led to… Right back where they started.
Manny/RWBY: Hey, wait a second…
Wanting to confirm the problem, Ruby tried entering a couple of more tunnels. This time the girls weren't as surprised, as they quickly gathered that all of the tunnels just led back to the same point.
"What the? How are we supposed to get to Rubacava like this?!" Ruby said, shocked at this conundrum.
"The signpost," Blake replied. "That had to have been there for a reason. Go check it out. There's not much else we can do."
Ruby did as she was told and went back to the forest's starting point. She got Manny to get out of the car and "examine signpost," but not before giggling at Glottis making all sorts of driving sound effects with his big gaping demon mouth in joy. Yang was amused as well, but Weiss and Blake (ESPECIALLY Blake) found it rather annoying.
Manny: This sign post seems to be pointing the way to Rubacava.
Ruby realized she can get Manny to pick it up now that Glottis knocked it over and did just that. She then got Manny to run back to where the tunnels were and had him stick it back onto the ground. The signpost then spun around for a couple of seconds before pointing in a new direction.
"Whoa," Ruby said in shock. After a couple of minutes of repeating this process, the signpost then started spinning until… An underground hatch popped up!
"Holy crap!" Yang said in amazement. "So that's what the signpost was for!"
Manny: ¡LoterÍa!
Ruby then got Manny to get back to the car and have Glottis drive under the hatch. But unfortunately, once they made it to the next section of the forest, Glottis immediately hit the brakes, as he could not get past the boulders that covered the next part of the road.
Glottis: Uh-oh! Crazy road! Too crazy for the Bone Wagon!
"Bone Wagon?" Yang asked in amazement. "KILLER nickname!" RWB groaned at her pun as usual but agreed that "the Bone Wagon" was a pretty cool name for the car.
"Let's focus on what's important, shall we?" Weiss insisted. "The roads in front of us are too rough for the car to maneuver on. I suggest looking for another path."
Ruby agreed and drove the Bone Wagon back to the starting point once again. She tried using the upper-right exit, but Glottis refused, as those roads were also too rough to drive on.
Glottis: Manny, this is a low-riding street rod, not a four-by-four! We don't have the clearance for that kinda road.
"Clearance?" Ruby asked. She didn't know much about cars. Guns, sure. But cars? Eh, that seemed more of Yang's thing. And sure enough…
"Usually if you wanna get past roads like that," Yang advised, "you'd need shock absorbers on your car."
"Where are we supposed to get shock absorbers?!" Asked Weiss.
"There is one more exit we haven't tried," Blake reminded her teammates. Ruby took it.
The exit led to what looked to be some kind of drilling rig, extracting what was inside the… trees?!
Manny: HÌjole Mano!
"Are they sucking the insides of the trees?!" Weiss asked in shock.
"Cutting the trees down is one thing," Ruby said. "But sucking out their insides?! Why?!"
Manny: What sort of unholy Christmas tree farm is this, Glottis? ...Glottis?
Glottis came back into the scene, pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks with him. The wheelbarrow noticeably went over the tubes in the ground, which were connected to the pumps on the giant tree in the background.
Glottis: Manny, check out this wheelbarrow, will ya? With a couple ATV nubbie tires on the back and a two-stroke lawnmower engine, we could make one SWEET go-cart!
"Yeah, a decent clutch, torque converter…" Yang pondered. "That'd be one great go-cart!" Ruby however, wanted to know just what exactly was going in this part of the forest, and got Manny to ask Glottis for more info.
Manny: Glottis, what are they doing to that tree?
Glottis: Oh, City Boy! You work all day in a sixty-story skyscraper, but didn't you ever wonder what it was made of?
"Wait, what?" Said Weiss in confusion.
Glottis: The marrow of these trees, Manny, they suck it out, it's like cement!
"Really?" Asked Weiss, very much interested in the composition of that flora. "I wonder if my company's rigs could do something like that."
Manny: Is that why the town's called, "El Marrow?"
Glottis: Huh… Never thought of that… MAYBE SO!
RWBY believed it was as well. They thought it was named that after the marrow in bones, which is what everyone there was made of. Choosing to get back on track, Ruby got Manny to "examine wheelbarrow."
Manny: That WOULD make a decent go-cart…
"See?" Yang said. But Ruby was eyeing the wheelbarrow and got an idea. "Shock absorbers, huh?" She said. She then got Manny to take hold of the wheelbarrow and push it onto one of the tubes in the ground. As soon as he did, one the pumps stopped working. That's when the girls realized what they needed to do.
"I get it now," Ruby said, piecing the puzzle together. After a couple of minutes of manipulating the pumps, they were pumping in a side-by-side sequence, which caused the tree to start shaking.
"What's that switch?" Yang said, pointing to a lever on a console in the foreground. While Manny couldn't go inside the greenhouse where the tree marrow was apparently being extracted into, he could interact with the console that stood outside its door.
"I think those are the controls for balancing the pumps," Weiss assumed. Ruby got Manny to pull the main switch, shutting off the balancer and causing the pumps to shake the tree even harder.
Glottis: Oooh, careful, Manny. With the harmonic balancer turned off, those pumps might shake that tree apart!
"That's what we want," Ruby said. Luckily, Glottis pieced it together near-instantly.
Glottis: Oh! But! Oh! If we shook the tree down, those pumps would dislodge, and I could make high-lift shocks out of them for the Bone Wagon!
Glottis then picked up a couple of rocks from the wheelbarrow and climbed the tree, attempting to take down the pumps.
Glottis: Hold on, I'm going to un-balance that wheel with some of these weights. That'll shake her down for sure!
Glottis was on top of the tree, trying to shake off the pump wheel. It looked like it would take a while though, and time was what they didn't have.
Glottis: Okay, just give me a second to balance these doggies!
"There's gotta be a way to speed up the process," Said Yang. But as soon as she said that, she noticed that Ruby was sporting a rather devilish grin. Her teammates were a bit put off by it, but she knew what she needed to do, and she was going to enjoy it. She then got Manny to reactivate the balancer, with Glottis still working the wheel.
Glottis: Aaaaaaaay! Maaaaaannnnyyyy! What are you doooooooiiiiinnnnnnggggg?
RWBY giggled at the hilarious sight of Glottis spinning around in the air, screaming in surprise. Glottis desperately hung onto the now-spinning wheel, trying not to get sent flying. However, with his girthy weight added to the speed of the wheel, it would only be a matter of seconds before the pumps dislodged from the tree. Which they did, but not before Glottis was launched off the top of the tree.
Glottis: Whooooaaaa!...Ooof!...Ugh.
"Uh, sorry buddy," Ruby said, a little guilty for potentially harming him like that. "But it needed to be done.
Glottis: Manny, until now we scraped along the ground like rats, but from now on, we soar! Like eagles! Yeah! LIKE EAGLES…ON…POGO STICKS!
After equipping the Bone Wagon with the newly-acquired shock absorbers, Glottis demonstrated that they were remotely activated; with just the press of a button, the car would go up and down as if it were on a platform.
"Car goes up, car goes down, car goes up, car goes down…" Yang joked.
Manny: What a relief. I was getting concerned that our transportation wasn't ostentatious enough.
"Ostrich-what-now?" Asked Ruby.
"Os-ten-ta-tious," corrected Weiss. "Flashy and showy."
"Right?" Said Blake sarcastically. "Weren't they trying to keep a low profile?"
Glottis: Get in! Or are you afraid of heights?
With the newly-modified Bone Wagon, Glottis had no trouble getting over the boulder-ridden path on their way out of the forest. But once again, he ended up stopping. This time for a different reason; a demonic-looking sign.
Glottis: Manny, I'm scared of that sign.
Manny disembarked from the Bone Wagon to check out the sign, which also held a key on its post. Since the back of the sign was facing the TV screen, Manny had to read it out loud so RWBY would know what it said.
Manny: "They'll tear you apart, bone by bone and build with you a human throne. Their buck-toothed king will sit upon what once was you, but now is gone. This key unlocks the gates of Hell. Steady traveler, use it well."
"What the hell does THAT mean?!" Said Yang in utter shock and confusion. Ruby decided to ignore it for now and take the key from the signpost.
Manny: Can't pass up an old creepy key!
Manny got back onto the Bone Wagon, and Glottis activated the shock absorbers, which finally let them cross the rough roads. They then stopped at what appeared to be a giant gate made of scrap metal.
The girls noted a padlock on one of the sides, but a door was right in front of them, so why bother with that for now? Ruby got Manny to open the gate's door and walk on ahead, but not before Glottis ran up to him, desperately trying to warn him about what was behind that door.
Glottis: MANNY! What are you doing? Don't you know what's on the other side of that gate?
"Uh-oh…" RWBY said anxiously.
Manny: Yeah, the way out of the forest.
Glottis: Demon beavers, Manny! They'll make you into a dam!
"Demon BEAVERS?!" Ruby said, completely flabbergasted.
"The flying spiders were one thing," said Weiss, "but BEAVERS?!"
"Could you imagine if there were beaver Grimm?" Asked Blake. The girls shuddered at that notion.
"Wait, why is Glottis so scared of the beavers hurting Manny?" Questioned Yang. "He's Manuel, not Mannequin."
Manny: Relax Geppetto, I'm not made of wood.
Not knowing what he was getting himself into, Manny walked on ahead, but not before Glottis told him one very important thing.
Glottis: But Manny! They don't use wood…
On the other side of the gate, there they were. Giant flaming demon beavers. They were tending to their dam… Which was made completely out of human bones. As soon as Manny got too close to them, they roared and charged at him, ready to sink their chompers into him. Manny had no choice but to run.
Manny: Aaaaiiieee!
"So THAT'S what the warning sign meant!" Ruby shouted. The demon beavers used bones for their dams. As Manny was nothing but bones in a suit, he had to put a stop to them somehow.
"Let's turn 'em into roadkill!" Said Yang, eager to run them over in the Bone Wagon. Ruby got Manny to get back on the car, who came to the same conclusion as Yang.
Manny: Come on Glottis, let's crash through this gate and drive right over those little monsters!
Glottis: Nnnooo way, Manny! Those flaming bone-beavers are mean–They bite, they claw… And if one of them wrapped around my driveshaft, I'd be picking flaming hunks of fur outta my U-joint for months! I'm not going down there until you get rid of them.
"Alright, there's gotta be another way," Ruby said, her brain scrambling for ideas. She checked the inventory; currently Manny had his scythe, the gate key, and… the fire extinguisher from the DOD's tube machine room! "THAT'S IT!" She realized.
Ruby then got Manny to storm back into the beaver dam, fire extinguisher at full spray. Just as she thought, it did manage to incapacitate the beavers… Until they retreated long enough to re-ignite, swam through the river the dam was nestled on, and came back out as fiery as ever, chasing Manny off once again.
"Agh! I KNEW I was onto something!" Ruby said, frustrated.
"Was that river made of tar?" Yang asked, noting its thick dark coloration. From that observation, Ruby started to piece together another idea. Going back to the dam once again, she got Manny to discreetly pick up one of the loose bones from the dam and head off into a small cave hidden in the side.
On top of the cave, a demon beaver lied, waiting to jump into the tar river for a swim. The beaver didn't seem to notice that Manny was standing underneath and had a full clear view of the river.
"So you like bones, huh?" Ruby said in a challenging tone. "HERE!" Ruby got Manny to throw the bone he picked up from the dam into the tar river. The beaver, taking note of the bone, let out a roar, and took a dive. But right before it did that, Ruby got Manny to whip out the fire extinguisher right before the beaver roared. As soon as the beaver leapt off of the top of the cave, Manny used the extinguisher on the beaver, leaving it too powerless to swim out of the river, killing it.
WBY was super-impressed at Ruby's smart fighting. But all Ruby said was "One down, two to go." She repeated the process two more times, thus getting rid of the beaver menace. All they needed to do now was drive on out of there. But Glottis and the Bone Wagon would never fit through the door. Which is why Ruby got Manny to use his key on the padlock outside of the gate so they could take it down.
Manny: This outer gate is huge! I'll need Glottis to open it.
Glottis did just that, and the two of them drove right over the beaver dam, straight out of the Petrified Forest. RWBY felt elated to have powered through all of that.
Glottis: Manny, I don't know if I like driving over people.
Manny: They can't feel it. They're dead.
Glottis: You're dead, and I wouldn't wanna drive over you.
Manny: That's because you and I, Glottis… Are friends.
Glottis: Oh, Manny…
"Awwww!" RWBY said, heartwarmed by their friendship. Manny and Glottis drove along the Roads of the Dead for what seemed like hours to them (Only a couple of seconds cutscene-wise), before finally arriving in Rubacava. Glottis parked the Bone Wagon outside a set of stairs leading to the upper part of the city and called out for Meche.
Glottis: Hello? Ms. Colomar! We're here to save you!
Manny: Hey, lay off the racket! The whole town's asleep!
"Yeah, judging from the look of the sky," said Blake, "it looks like it's pretty early in the morning." Glottis was having none of it, though.
Glottis: But I wanna drag race! When they get a load o' my car, we're gonna be the talk of the town! Heh.
Manny: You're right. We're gonna have to find a good place to hide that road show.
Glottis hung his head low upon realizing they'd have to hide the Bone Wagon to avoid suspicion. RWBY felt bad for him but understood that it was necessary.
Manny: Speaking of hiding, I wonder if Meche's here already? I'm gonna go see what I can stir up. Not a bad piece of real estate, actually. It's got potential…
"Remember Manny," Ruby noted, "you still gotta make it to the Ninth Underworld. You can't stay here forever."
"I guess it could be a good place to hide out and lie low for a while," Yang admitted. "Maybe work his time off some other way?"
The girls noted that there was a building in the background that stood at the top of the stairs. But they chose to try and investigate the rest of the town first. "Try" being the keyword there, because as soon as Manny started walking into the foggy depths of Rubacava…
Manny: Uh! Ooof.
"Are you okay?" RWBY asked, worried about his status.
The game then showed Manny falling a great height from a cliff, much to RWBY's horror. He fell into the Sea of Lament skull-first, and boy would he lament that.
Manny: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
RWBY cringed as soon as they saw Manny fall into the water. But one man watching from the docks beside simply shook his head and helped fish him out. Judging from the hat and uniform he was wearing, he appeared to be the local dockmaster. His eyepatch and apparent facial hair only helped add to his "salty seadog" image.
Dockmaster: Ohhh, tourists!
The dockmaster got Manny out of the water and hauled him back to the point where he ran into the fog. RWBY was relieved that a complete stranger would go out of his way to help the guy.
Dockmaster: You gotta watch your step around here, stranger. Rubacava ain't the quaint little port town she used to be.
After setting Manny down, the dockmaster took note of the Bone Wagon below.
Dockmaster: Wwwweeell-hell-hell. Looks like there's a new vessel in town. Pardon me whilst I go check her out!
Manny was left shivering after being fished out of cold water but managed to get back up and head back down to where Glottis and the dockmaster were talking.
Glottis: Well, actually, it's mostly stock, with a few mods here and there…
Dockmaster: So would those be glass packs I'm hearing, or turbos?
"Well at least Glottis has someone he can talk shop with." Yang said, liking how Glottis was able to talk about his car with the dockmaster.
Glottis: There was this one high-pitched whine it was making–really grating noise, you know? And I searched and searched, but I couldn't find the source of the noise, until we pulled in here.
Dockmaster: Was it the blower?
Glottis: No, it was Manny screaming in the back like a cat tied to a cruise missile!
Dockmaster: Ah-ha ha! That's a good'n.
RWBY laughed at that. "Oh, you think that's funny?" Yang said, chortling. "You should've heard Ruby when she took a ride on my bike with me this one time! She was latched onto my back like a bookbag, hanging on for dear life and crying like she was about to die-"
"SHUT UP!" Ruby barked. "You promised you'd never talk about that!" Yang stopped, but she couldn't keep that grin off her face. Weiss and Blake were grinning too, much to Ruby's embarrassment.
Manny: Hola!
Glottis: Hey, Manny! Dockmaster Velasco here says he's got a place we can dry-dock the Bone Wagon for a while.
"Alright, so his name's Velasco," Ruby noted.
Velasco: Oh, yeah–we can't leave a beauty like this out in the fog, or her chrome will get pitted.
Glottis: Pitted? Did you hear that, Manny?
Velasco: You folks gonna stay in Rubacava for a spell?
The usual list of dialogue prompts popped up once again. It's been a while since RWBY saw it, but mainly because Glottis was the only one they could talk to for a while, and he didn't really have much to say that could advance the plot or reveal anything new.
Manny: We're here looking for a woman named Mercedes Colomar.
Velasco: I'm not too good with names… Did she have any distinguishing marks or a tattoo?
Manny: Not that she showed me.
Velasco: Well, like I said, I'm as good with names as you are with the fog… Heh heh.
"So like, maybe he could recognize her from a picture or something?" Ruby wondered. "Where are we supposed to get a picture of her?"
Manny: I might be here a while. Is there any work in this town?
Velasco: Oh, there's lots of work down at the docks, but it's all union work. Eh-heh, a-and I just don't see you in that union (huh, huh, huh).
RWBY was intrigued by the idea of labor unions in the Land of the Dead. Guess there's more than one way to work off your time over there.
Manny: How do you get around here with all the mist?
Velasco: Ah-uh, when you've strolled these docks as long as I have, pilgrim… You know where you are by smell of the sea, by the sound of the lonely fog horn… …by the icy touch of the cold, salty air.
"So cool." RWBY said. Velasco was a pretty interesting old man.
Glottis: Wow… Manny? Could I have an eyepatch?
"Both of your eyes are working just fine, big guy," said Yang.
"Plus, why would Velasco need an eyepatch?" Asked Blake. "I mean, Weiss said it herself; they don't have eyeballs."
Manny: Can I just ask–what IS under the eyepatch? …because I KNOW it's not an eye.
Velasco: Oh, well, when I was alive I had an eye patch like this…this one's just for the phantom pain… And that one eye socket used to scream like a banshee when the trade winds blew, so I plugged her.
"Fair enough," Blake admitted.
Glottis: Hey, Manny, we WERE in the middle of a conversation here…
Manny: Hey, hey, okay.
RWBY now would be a good time to check out the building that stood on top of the stairs. They couldn't do anything else, seeing as they couldn't risk going through the fog again. Once Ruby got Manny to get inside the building, they saw that it was an automat.
"You hungry?" Asked Yang. However, the girls noted that a very familiar-looking man was mopping the floors. "Hey, isn't that…" Ruby pondered.
Manny: This guy looks familiar…
"He sure does," said Weiss. Ruby got Manny to "talk to janitor."
Manny: Mr. Flores? I'm ready to take you now.
Celso: Manny Calavera? Is that you?
"Long time no see," said Yang.
Celso: Didn't you used to be… TALLER?
"Oh, HA-FREAKIN'-HA." RWBY groaned. Dialogue prompts popped up once again.
Manny: I'm here to reclaim that walking stick.
Celso: I broke it over the head of some hideous monsters in the forest.
"I'll bet," said Yang. Those monsters wouldn't really deserve better.
Manny: I'm looking for a woman named Mercedes Colomar.
Celso: Well, no one's come through town by that name, and you can take it from me. I, too, am looking for someone, so I watch the comings and goings around here VERY carefully.
"Really?" Ruby asked. "Who's he looking for?"
Manny: Who are you looking for?
Celso: Well, if you must know, it's about my wife…
"He's married?" Said Weiss, a little intrigued.
Celso: I got word that she passed away not long after I, and that she, too, was crossing the Land of the Dead on foot.
"She must've not qualified for any good packages either," said Blake.
Celso: It is said that all lost souls come to Rubacava, so I came here to wait for her.
"And work as a janitor in the meantime?" Yang asked.
"He's gotta do something while he's waiting for her," replied Ruby.
Manny: You must love her very much, Celso.
Celso: Yes, this is true… Of course, she also has all of my money…
"Of course she does," RWBY muttered at hearing Celso's less-than-noble-intentions for finding his wife.
Manny: How do you know your wife hasn't gone ahead of you?
Celso: Oh, Manny–If she had arrived here first, SURELY she would have waited for me!
"She took all your money," said Blake. "Why do you think she'd wait for you?"
Manny: I'll help you find your wife. What did she look like?
Celso: Oh, here.
Celso then handed Manny a headshot of his wife, who put it into his inventory.
Celso: I got this from the DOD, and made copies to hand out. Isn't she something?
Manny: She must have been beautiful with skin.
Celso: Weren't we all?
"Part of me wonders what we'd look like in that style," said Blake. The girls were a little weirded out at the idea, but did indeed think it interesting to imagine themselves as skeleton people.
Manny: So, know a good place to stay in town?
Celso: What's your price range?
Manny: Somewhere around the high-end of nothing.
Celso: Then maybe, young man, it's time you started thinking about a job.
"What, like in that automat?" Yang asked.
Manny: Can you get me a job here?
Celso: Have any skills?
Manny: Sales.
Celso: Well, that does qualify you for a certain position, but… We only have one mop.
"Oh boy," said Ruby. "This is gonna be difficult, isn't it?"
Celso: I'm sorry Manuel, I've got to get this place ready to open…
Manny: Right. I'll let you know if I see your wife.
Celso: She'll be the one asking for her beloved Celso.
Since they didn't get to see Celso's wife's headshot up close, Ruby decided to check it out in Manny's inventory. Manny was lying through his teeth about what he said to Celso before. His wife wasn't exactly the pride of the peaches, per se.
Manny: It's Celso's wife—Actually I don't think skin would help.
"No kidding," Yang muttered.
"I think Velasco might know something about her," Ruby said, "especially now that we have a picture of her." She got Manny to head back down to where Velasco and Glottis were talking and showed him the picture of Celso's wife.
Manny: Ever seen this woman?
Velasco: Oh, if this is the woman you're looking for, take my advice… Forget about her! She sailed out of here weeks ago in a cozy portside cabin built for two, and she wasn't alone.
"Oh no." RWBY said, feeling bad for Celso. His wife takes his money with her and runs away with another man… Once he hears the news, who knows how he'll react?
"Well she's not Meche, but we are trying to look for her too," said Ruby. She knew Velasco couldn't hear her, but…
Manny: How do you know she sailed out of here? I don't believe it!
Velasco: It's a tough break junior, but you gotta face it! Here! Look it up in my port log if you want it in writing!
Velasco handed Manny a logbook, who put it into his inventory. RWBY immediately realized that they needed to show it to Celso as proof of his wife's whereabouts.
Velasco: Six weeks ago on a Tuesday. Ticket for two, paid in full! I cracked the champagne on the bow myself!
"I guess if we tell Celso," Yang said, "he'll try and go after her, so we can take over his job." RWB guessed that's what would happen.
Velasco: Look, I know how you feel son. Once I lost a very special lady myself. I waved to her from the docks as she sailed out of port and I never saw her again.
Manny: What was her name?
Velasco: The "SS Lamancha" was her name… But don't make me talk about her 'cuz I…I just can't do it.
"Oh, his boat," Ruby realized. "I guess he's as attached to his boats as we are to our weapons." The girls didn't see any point in just standing around, so Ruby got Manny to go back to the automat and show the logbook to Celso.
Manny: Celso, your wife sailed out of here two months ago, with another man.
Upon hearing that, Celso immediately stopped mopping, as if he were shocked. Manny handed him the logbook so he could see for himself.
Manny: It's all in there.
As Celso read the contents of the logbook, focusing on his wife's entry, he said with a resigned tone in his voice.
Celso: Oh, Manny. Is there a greater constant in nature than the treachery of women?
"HEY!" The girls said, offended at Celso's outdated way of thinking about women.
Manny: Forget about her, Celso.
Celso: Have you forgotten yours? I'm going after her.
Celso handed Manny his mop, signifying that he gave his job to him.
Celso: You take over my job here– This mop, at least, will never let you down.
As Celso ran out the automat's front door, he gave Manny a familiar piece of advice.
Celso: That compass in the handle will sure come in handy, too!
"Was that from the cane Manny gave him?" Asked Yang. Most likely it was.
The scene then showed Manny mopping the floors of the automat, starting his new job. The camera then zoomed out to the sky, the clouds serving as the background on the TV screen. The game then gave an automatic prompt.
"Would you like you save your progress so far?"
RWBY decided that they played enough for tonight and saved their game file. The game then asked them if they wanted to return to the title screen. They did and then powered off the game console.
NOTE: This feature doesn't actually exist in any version of Grim Fandango. I only added it for the sake of pacing the story.
"Well, that was a fun surprise!" Said Ruby. "I can't wait to play more!"
"Let's save that for tomorrow Ruby," said Weiss with a yawn. "Right now, we gotta get some rest."
"We're definitely playing it again tomorrow," said Yang. "I really wanna know more!"
"Yeah totally," said Blake, "but still… Manuel Calavera… That name just sounds so familiar…! Eh, maybe I'm just imagining it." The girls then went to bed and shut off the lights, eager to continue playing once they had a good night's sleep.
Meanwhile, in a far-off location in the world of Remnant, a small elderly woman stared off into the starry sky. She was dark-skinned, clad in garbs resembling tribal clothing, and seemed to be wearing unusual blue-lensed spectacles.
She was holding a picture in her hands. A picture of a very-familiar looking man. It looked as it if were Manny… When he was alive. In the flesh and everything. The woman let out a sigh and said, "Oh, Uncle Manuel… Are you truly resting in peace?" She then sneezed out of the blue (An indication that someone's talking about her or something like that), and simply brushed it off as a result of the cold night air.
TO BE CONTINUED…