Part 15

-Short ride in a Large Grimm-

Shortly after the train started moving, Ruby spoke up. "So what are we going to call this thing?" She randomly began, cheerfully, as Weiss just looked back in confusion. "You know," the Huntress continued, "the Grimm. I'm thinking it's like a caterpillar, but it's a subway, right? So what about… the Underpillar! Because it's underground!"

"Ruby…." Weiss quietly muttered as she shook her head for a moment. "We've been through a lot together, I've been through a lot tonight, and there's absolutely nobody I'd ever trust as much as you. So I can tell you with complete honesty that that's not a great name."

The dark haired woman crossed her arms and nodded her head a few times in response. "And do you have any alternatives?"

The sword user simply sat still for a moment, lost in thought, as she tried to think of a better Grimm name before, finally, coming out and admitting the truth. "I'll have to think it over, but once I do come up with something it'll definitely be better than 'Underpillar'. That's a guarantee!"

"I don't know," Oscar openly murmured, "I actually kind-of like Underpillar. It just feels right… not that it matters much anyways…." A heavy sigh escaped the boy as he slowly looked down. "Not much really matters now, anyways. Even now, Ozpin wants to talk to you. Must be important, huh?" Before anyone could say anything, the child's eyes flashed as Ozpin took over. "Sorry for that, Oscar." He stated to himself. "But while we have time, we need to take a moment to recount what we know and strategize." Ozpin then made Oscar turn his head towards the other two, one at a time, before continuing. "So, you remember the timeline of events, correct? Remembering might help us notice anything we may have potentially missed."

"Hmmm…." Ruby muttered for a brief second. "Well, first Qrow was taken, right? But I don't think he'd go down without a fight. He must have faced someone skilled."

Weiss closed her eyes before shaking her head. "Not necessarily." She admitted. "I was there, Qrow was pretty drunk, but he at least seemed confident. If I stayed behind, he might have been able to win…." Before she could get distracted, the woman pushed the thought aside. "On another note, I'm afraid I was unable to get any information on the attacker. The note was signed by Jack Holmes, but for all we know it could be anyone, right?"

"Right!" Ruby acknowledged as she sat up sharply. "We won't know who his real attacker is until we meet them. For all we know, it might even be Cinder again." The huntress stopped to scratch her head at the thought for a moment. "… Actually, that feels unlikely…. Cinder might not even still be around, right? And if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she's tricky. I don't know for sure, but I don't think she would ever be careless enough to let someone like Weiss escape. And I don't think Qrow would be enough of a problem to keep her from being able to follow her, right?"

Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground as he stood up through Oscar's body. "I believe that to be the case." He admitted. "However, with so many unknowns at work, it's hard to rule out any possibilities. All we can say for sure is that Qrow most likely kept them occupied long enough for Weiss to escape. And then after that?"

Weiss turned her head away for a moment before forcing herself to respond. "After that, Ren went into that bar. And that's when that blonde woman, Lilly, attacked me." Her hand clenched into a fist as she spoke, trying to keep her own frustration over the fight from showing.

Immediately, the scythe-user chimed in. "Right, I almost forgot you fought with her." Ruby responded before leaning forward towards Weiss. "So what was her fighting style like? I remember she had a thing against weapons, but I didn't clash with her long enough to really learn anything. Her Aura seemed pretty tough when I kicked her, though."

"I'm not so sure…." Weiss replied, holding her hand up to her chin in thought. "There seems to be some form of trick to it. At some point in the fight I managed to cut her and her wound didn't immediately heal. At least, I think I cut her… she was ruthless, constantly on the offensive and once she managed to grab me, there wasn't much I could do. If I didn't manage send her flying, she probably would have won."

Ozpin nodded his head in approval. "Excellent analysis." He stated, moving his hands behind his back as he slipped into 'lecture mode'. "It's not surprising you've never heard of the mechanics behind it. As Huntresses, you've been training to fight Grimm, but we never suspected you'd have to deal with Martial Arts. By learning to section off their aura, it can be made to be stronger on one part of their body at the cost of leaving other parts of their body exposed. With that in mind, when you meet her again, a few well-placed rounds from Crescent Rose would be able to put her down if you predict where she's focusing her aura."

"I suppose that's true." Ruby admitted in an almost dreary tone. "But… if I do that… then there's a chance she might die, right? I mean, if I hit her in the wrong place, it could really hurt her." After a moment, the huntress stood up as she made her declaration. "I'm not going to let anyone die on this mission! We're here to save Ren and Qrow, not to become killers! If I have to fight Lilly, then I'll beat her without shooting her with Crescent Rose. That's a fact!"

Oscar's eyes pierced through Ruby for a moment before Ozpin finally responded. "It might not be possible, Ruby. You understand that, correct? The world of Huntsmen favors those who can think fast while holding nothing back. These aren't friendly sparring matches, we're going to be in direct opposition to hardened killers." However, before he could get too serious, Oscar's expression suddenly lightened as Ozpin continued. "The path you want to walk will not be an easy one, Ruby, but I can tell your mind's been made up. So I'm going to choose to trust you'll make the right choice when the time comes…. Just be wary of being tied to one unwavering mindset. Flexible thinking can make or break a Huntsman in a fight."

After breathing a heavy sigh, Ruby finally responded. "Thanks for understanding, at least."

Suddenly, Weiss interrupted. "Well to get us back on-track!" She almost shouted to try and break the tension. "That's when they got Ren, right? There was an explosion of some kind, but I was outside at the time, so I couldn't have known what happened." The white haired woman closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "I think it was at the back of the bar, though, right? Wasn't that where Ren was?"

Ruby simply sat down as she recalled the scene. "Yeah, it was definitely in that area." She openly declared, pausing afterwards to try and remember how exactly things played out. "Actually, when it happened, Lilly seemed to react to it, I think. I remember her saying something about a bomb and some 'rat' thing? Or maybe she was calling someone a rat? Maybe they planted a trap? But how would they know we're coming?"

"Maybe it was a Semblance?" Weiss uttered, throwing out the first idea that came to mind. "Or maybe they had someone watching us before?" With a shrug, the Huntress quickly moved on from the topic. "Either way, it doesn't really matter now. Unless they're expecting the woman Nora beat to be on this train, they're going to know we're coming for them. Still, though, it's good that you remembered that, Ruby, because now we know that they definitely do have someone who specializes in bombing and they might be waiting for us."

"Right!" The scythe-user suddenly snappily responded! "And then I gave Nora some electric rounds and she beat one of them bad! And now…." Slowly, the dark haired woman glanced across the cabin at what few members they had left. "Humph…." She murmured to herself. Suddenly, Ruby turned back to Oscar. "Uhh… Ozpin… do you really think we can do this? If Oscar doesn't let you fight again, then… well, that's me and Weiss against Lilly, the kidnapper, and maybe the bomber. That seems kind-of…."

After swinging his cane around a few times, Ozpin began pacing around as he talked. "Yes, you're indeed correct there. If we brought the full group with us on this mission then we might have an easier time. However, it's impossible to say for sure. Our smaller group may have caused the enemy to act rashly, to make moves they wouldn't normally attempt to make, if you will. But, remember, we are on a rescue mission." Eagerly, Oscar pointed his cane at Ruby. "If you use your speed, you could prioritize rescuing Qrow. That would go a long way towards making up any number disadvantage." He then spun his cane around before pointing it at Weiss. "Meanwhile, your summon and Dust techniques will have to keep the enemy at bey. It's a tough job, but I believe you can do it. Are we in agreement then?"

"Leave it to me!" Ruby excitedly shouted with an exaggerated fist-pumping motion while Weiss calmly nodded her head with a smile. This would definitely be a difficult battle, but it'd be over soon enough. All they needed to do was wait for the Underpillar to reach its destination, which, based on its current speed, should take less than a day's travel. The rescue of their friends was close at hand! For now, all they could do was prepare themselves for what was to come.