We go to the top of Beacon's tower AKA the headmaster's room, where Ozpin and Goodwitch were dealing with the general. "They were here, Ozpin. They were here!" He said, slamming his fist on the headmaster's desk.
"We're very much aware of that. Thank you, James." Goodwitch said.
"Fantastic. You're aware." The general said sarcastically. "Now are we going to do something about it or are we going to stay the course and ignore what's RIGHT in front of us?!" He demanded (I wouldn't exactly say it's RIGHT in front of you).
We then heard a beeping noise and the elevator opened to reveal Ruby and myself as I was reading a Gameinformer magazine. "Oh, sorry." I said, putting it away.
"Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here. It wasn't me." She said as I stood behind her and pulled out a small sign that said "it was".
"Thank you for coming, Ruby. You as well, Sai. How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked.
"Fine, thank you. We didn't really take any damage during the fight. Just a shame we didn't DEAL any, either." I said.
"Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't 0 for 3." She said, holding up 3 fingers.
"Uh... Now might not be the right time for that." I said as they gave us stone cold serious looks.
"Okay, so that's the tone we're going for, got it." She said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Ruby, Sai, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that what you did last night is EXACTLY what being huntsman and huntresses is all about: you recognized a threat, you took action and you did the very best you could." The general said, putting a hand on each of our shoulders.
"Well, that helps clear some of the tension out of the room, thank you." I said, feeling exponentially less nervous.
"Yeah, thank you, sir." Ruby agreed.
"Now: the general here has already informed us of the events that... transpired last night. But now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add." Ozpin said.
"Not TOO much to say, really. Never seen the girl in my life before." I said.
"Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?" Goodwitch asked.
"I... I don't know. She was wearing a mask and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked." Ruby answered.
"Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby." Goodwitch said.
"I wasn't there, so I can't comment." I said.
"Embedding dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could've been anyone." The general said.
"Wait, you think this girl's connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?" Ruby asked.
"It's possible. But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together." Ozpin replied.
"There is one small thing." I said, getting their attention. "She didn't say anything to us, but I managed to overhear her communicating to someone that their operations were happening somewhere in the Southeast outside of Vale." I reported.
Ozpin smiled at this. "Thank you, Sai. You as well, Ruby. Why don't you go spend some time with your teams. You have a big day ahead of you." He said.
"Of course." I said, bowing a bit before turning and leaving (respectful ninja upbringing).
"Any time." Ruby said, leaving as well.
"And one more thing. Please try to be... discreet about this matter." Ozpin threw in.
"Yes, sir." We both said, finally leaving.
"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought. I was sweating bullets when we first got here. Seriously, looking." I said, holding out actual bullets I sweat out, probably from times in the past when I've been shot.
Ruby and I each entered our individual team dorms, our other 3 teammates each at the doorway as soon as they saw us. "Sai, thank god! I was worried they were gonna boot you out of the school!" Draco said, hugging me.
"Easy, man. I'm not going anywhere that easy." I said, pushing him off.
"So, what DID happen?" Damion asked.
"Not much. We just told them everything we know about last night and where the hideout should be, then we were free to go." I said.
"Good work. I bet they're trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation as quietly and peacefully as they can." Nicolas said.
Back up there...
"So there we have it. We send as many troops as we can to the Southeast, find out EXACTLY what's going on and eradicate ANY forces that stand in our way." He said (Yep. As quietly and peacefully as possible. Or not...).
Goodwitch shook her head at this, walking up and glaring at him. "Why must your answer to EVERYTHING be a triumphant display of military bravado?! You treat everything like it's a contest of measuring d-" She started before being interrupted (Whoa! Almost got crazy for a second there).
"Glynda." Ozpin said, waving a hand.
"Well, he does." She said, crossing her arms as he spun around in his chair to face them.
"She's right. As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this could go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon." He explained. The general looked down and shook his head at this, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist that was against the window. "And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic." He reasoned (he's got a point there. I think the general just likes violence too much).
The general then walked up to them. "I have served you faithfully for years... But if you mean to tell me that your plan is to just hold the defenses and wait-!" He started.
"It is not!" Ozpin said, standing up. "You're a general, James. So tell me: when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag-bearer? Or the scouts?" He asked (is the flag-bearer a ship? Because if it's just the guy who carries the flag, he usually does go in first).
Back to us...
The two teams reconvened as one. "That was a risky move." Weiss said.
"No, I think you handled it well." Blake said.
"Yeah, me, too!" Nick threw in quickly, but likely only to agree with Blake.
"Now we just need to get to the Southeast." Draco said.
"Yeah, that is the problem." Damion agreed.
Ruby looked a little downcast at this, but Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby." She said, then looked like she remembered something. "Oh! I know what will cheer you up!" She said, walking over to her desk.
"What's that?" Ruby asked, looking at a tube on the desk.
"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together." She said, holding it out to her younger sister.
"Ooh, something from home!" Ruby squealed in delight, rushing her sister, getting behind her, wrapping her legs around her waist and reaching out towards the parcel, flailing her arms wildly to reach it as Yang held it just beyond reach.
"That is adorable and hilarious at the same time." I said, the guys nodding in agreement.
"Oh, Sai, that reminds me, something also came for you as well." Damion said, moving out of the way to reveal a 4 foot tall, 8 foot long box with a bunch of holes drilled in.
"Wow, that's for me?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's from Mt. Fuji, so it's probably straight from your house." Draco said, looking in one of the holes in the front of the box, when suddenly, another eye looked back at him and a growl sounded from the box. "MOMMY!" He cried, jumping into Nicolas' arms, who held him bridal style while they both shook like leaves.
"Oh, no way, it can't be!" I said, pulling a crowbar out of my trench coat and ripping the top off the box.
At the same time, whatever was in Ruby and Yang's parcel came out, it looked like a black tube of something, but then it suddenly moved a bit, then again, before popping up into the shape of a dog.
Everyone leaned in and looked at it, seeing that it was indeed a dog: some type of Corgi, which then barked, at which point all the girls screamed, Ruby jumping in the air from excitement and Blake out of fear. "Zwei!" The black/red-haired girl said happily, jumping higher into the air and posing, an image of the dog running from across the top and the bottom of the screen appearing.
At the same time, a cougar calmly climbed out of the box sent to my. "Kira!" I said, dropping to my knees and hugging the big cat.
"They sent you a fucking MOUNTAIN LION?!" Damion said.
I laughed at this. "It's pronounced 'mou'ain' lion, dummy." I said, my Vermont accent showing (true fact: Vermonters don't pronounce T's). "But I just say 'cougar', anyway, it's easier." I said.
"I think he was just surprised they sent you a very large, carnivorous animal." Draco said.
"They could've just as easily sent me a lion, a tiger or a liger. And I don't know if you've seen the latter, but those fuckers are HUGE. But still, I'm happy with Kira." I said, getting on the cougar's back and rubbing both sides of his head and neck area.
"Why 'Kira'?" Nick asked.
"Well, for one: she's a girl, two: I already have a doberman named Killer, so I named her Kira, because it's Killer in Japanese." I explained, as she walked over cautiously to Zwei, looking strangely at the Corgi.
"He sent a dog?!" Blake asked Ruby in shock.
"In the mail!?" Weiss asked, sounding more angry than shocked.
"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time." Yang said as Ruby held the Corgi, laughing happily as he licked her face.
"Your father or your dog?" Yang asked, now on Ruby's bed to get more distance from the canine.
"You're not equally as shocked to see Sai's family sent him a mountain-dwelling killing machine?" Damion asked, holding his arm out towards the cougar, which I was now feeding strips of bacon.
"I'm honestly not as shocked for that, Sai's family is clinically insane already, so this isn't too far-fetched." Weiss said.
I looked at her deadpanned for a moment, before looking down at Kira. "Get her." I said, nodding my head towards her. Blink and you would've missed it. In half a second, Weiss was on the floor, desperately trying to hold back the cougar's head as it tried to tear into her flesh, Damion and Ruby combined barely holding her back. I looked at everyone else, who was giving me a death glare. "What? WHAT?!" I asked. Nothing changed. I sighed at this. "Fine. Kira, enough." I said, to which she came back to me for more bacon.
The heiress got up, glaring at me for a moment, before looking at the Corgi once again in Ruby's arms. "Are you telling me this mangy..." She started, the dog still looking at her, happily and friendly as could be. "Drooling..." She continued, looking into the dog's adorable eyes. "Mutt... Is going to live with us forever?! Oh, yes he is, oh yes he is!" She said in a baby-like tone, showering the dog with affection.
"Please keep it away from my belongings." Blake said.
"Hey, there's a note here." I said, picking it up out of the box. "Dear Sai, I've found out about the Atlasian Dragon that was stolen. Thank you for destroying it. In case you're planning on going after the guys that stole it, I sent you and your team a little help. Just one of a few surprises you'll be getting soon. Your brother, Lance." I said, looking back in the box and finding a couple of specific guns in the box. "OH HELL YEAH!" I said, picking up one of the Hellish Blade Magnums, easily the strongest gun-typed gun in fictional history (you know, like regular guns, not like laser guns or things like that).
"Big deal, it's a gun, so what?" Nicolas asked.
"I'm glad you asked, my friend: this is no ordinary gun. It's the Hellish Blade Magnum. One of Lance's best creations. This baby could've brought down the Atlasian dragon we fought. About the size of a sawed-off shotgun, yet light as a piece of paper. Both the gun and it's bullets made out of Bladenium and easily packs the power of a tank blast, probably more." I explained.
"Could it REALLY be that good?" He asked, not buying it. "Okay, let me show you. I said, grabbing him by his shoulder, teleporting him a good distance away from the school, but where he was still fairly visible from team RWBY'S window. I teleported back, aimed at his head and fired. Blood splattered everywhere, that being the only thing that was left of his entire body
"HOLY SHIT." Everyone in the room said at once, completely shocked.
"Okay, it's a pretty badass gun." Nick said as he reformed.
"Impressive. Something like that should be standard issue." Weiss said.
"Eh, it's got one small problem. About how much can you lift above your head with one hand?" I asked her.
"Maybe 50 pounds at most?" She estimated
"Okay, come over here." I said. She walked over and I handed her the gun. "Okay, now whenever you're ready, shoot him." I said. As soon as she pulled the trigger, she screamed and her arm was ripped off from the force of the kickback. "Yeah, if you can't lift over 150 pounds with one hand, then if you hold it and fire it with one arm, you're gonna lose that arm." I said, picking up her fallen arm and reattaching it.
"Who the hell do they expect to use that gun?!" She asked.
"Well, it's only intended for the strongest of soldiers and for extreme situations, but everyone's too afraid of using it. Pansies. That's why my brother's trying to make robots and dinosaurs to completely get rid of the human risk element in war." I explained, passing the other 3 magnums in the box to the other 3 members of my team.
"You're brother's insane, isn't he?" Yang asked.
"I'm convinced all scientists are a little crazy. Although there were those times when he built a hotel for assassins and a bar for villains. But then he also made a cafe' superheroes. And then there's also the Bladenium treatment." I said.
"I know I'm gonna regret this: what is that?" Damion asked.
"He melts down Bladenium, you sit in a tub of it and absorb it through your pores so it's directly beneath your skin. Like this." I said, cutting a small nick in Kira's skin, before ripping it off to reveal that she was metal beneath the skin, which then regenerated in a few seconds. "He also created a badass regeneration formula." I added.
"So, it's like a skin version of wolvie's Adamantium bones?" Draco asked.
"Exactly." I said nodding. "Okay, we're getting off track, back to the episode." I said.
We then heard an announcement over the loudspeakers. "Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater?" Goodwitch said.
"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week." Weiss said as Ruby let the dog go, who then ran over to the beds to try and get closer to Blake, who crawled on the top bed cautiously and defensively, readying one of her hands like a cat getting ready to claw.
"Look, there's a letter." Yang said, pulling it out of the parcel. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island, so I'm sending Zwei to you for a few days to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang." Yang read, Zwei running around the girls once and over to her. She then tipped the parcel upside down, dumping a small pile of cans of dog food onto the dog, who happily popped out of it.
"I know those cans can't weigh a lot, but getting those dropped on you still has to hurt. That's a tough dog." Damion said.
"A Corgi named Zwei. I'm getting a Cowboy Bebop reference somewhere here." I said, scratching the back of my neck.
"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asked, gesturing to all the cans.
Yang then shook the parcel once, a can opener falling out, bouncing off Zwei's head to the floor. "Well, that settles it. Come on girls! Zwei will be here when we get back!" Yang said, leaving.
"Did she just imply a Corgi can use a can opener?" I asked.
"They ARE one of the smartest breeds of dogs." Draco said. I prefer the big powerhouse dogs like Bull Mastiffs, Pitbulls, Rottweilers, etc." I said as my team left.
"So, how, pray tell, are you going to sneak a cougar along with us?" Damion asked as Kira followed us.
"Oh, please, you act like I've never done this before." I said, throwing the cloak of invisibility I stole from Harry Potter over the cougar, who now walked invisibly alongside us. As everyone else left, however, Ruby looked at the dog in front of her and suddenly got an idea.
We then walked into the ampitheater, Ruby wearing a full-looking backpack on her back. "Quiet. Quiet, please." Goodwitch said as everyone got settled. "Professor Ozpin would like to say a few words before we begin." She said, giving the Professor the stage.
"Today we stand together. United. Mistral, Atlas, Vaccuo (the only people not wearing uniforms. BOONIES), Vale. The 4 kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly 80 years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed and of oppression. A war about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of the reasons being the destructions of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well-aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, many people began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: Color." He spoke, the camera showing Ruby.
"Many, he's going somewhere with this, I can already tell." I said.
"It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. It was a trend that has held to this very day." He continued.
"Well, yeah, plenty of people are named after colors, even in real life." I said.
"We encourage individuality, expressionism and unity through diversity. As I said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today when the rest of the world celebrates peace, hunstman and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked on shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training and remember to do your very best." He said, walking off, all of us applauding.
"Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty powerful." I said.
"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the Southeast!" Ruby said.
"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give 'em the slip at night!" Yang agreed.
"Love the way you think, babe." Damion said, wrapping an army around her shoulder.
"Let's check Search and Destroy." Weiss said.
"That sounds like a job I'd enjoy." I said.
We walked to the board and found... "Here we go! Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby said.
"Huh. 2 huntsman will be on this mission. And look. 2 teams are required for it. Not just one." I said (I had to think of some way for both teams to be on it).
"And it's in the Southeast." Blake said.
"Sounds like a done deal." Draco said as Ruby and I requested the mission.
"Perfect." Yang agreed.
However, our hopes were slightly dashed when a message popped up. MISSION UNAVAILABLE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS. "What?! Why would it be on this list, then?!" Nicolas criticized.
"Don't worry, I'm a master hacker, you guys keep me covered." I said, cracking my knuckles and reaching for the computer, but quickly hid my hands behind my back as Ozpin walked up.
"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too advanced for 1st year students. It seems that region is rather popular. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion the 8 of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose." He said, as the non-leader members of both teams glared at their leaders.
"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked.
"I'm curious as to how you all found your way to the docks last semester." He said.
"Fishing." I quickly answered.
"I'm interested in how you really found out about a 'hideout' in the Southeast." He continued.
"Sai's hearing and the intruder's conveniently-timed conversation." Ruby threw in.
"And I'm certainly curious as to several warehouses being destroyed and witnesses reporting seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago." He finished.
"Someone has a vendetta against warehouses!" Draco said.
"Maybe robots and rose petals are a new theme!" Nicolas suggested.
"Oh, my gods..." I sighed, face-palming.
"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So, how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" He asked, typing on his scroll and the mission we wanted accepting us.
"Screw Dumbledore, YOU are the best headmaster EVER." I said.
"We won't let you down. Thank you, Professor." Ruby said.
"Do not thank me for this, teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission and he CAN have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory." He finished, walking off.
"OH, that sounds like a challenge." I said, my team eagerly agreeing.
"Good luck." He said, leaning back into frame before leaving again.
"That wasn't exactly uplifting." Yang said.
"Eh. I hear worse from my dad and my brother, Nightshade all the time." I said.
"It's the truth, though, Yang." Blake said.
"No sweat, any of us can handle anything we go up against." Nicolas said.
"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it." Ruby said.
"Hey, team CFVY is back!" A dude said as everyone walked up to them.
"Velvet, are you okay?" Blake asked as we walked up to the bunny girl.
"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." She said.
"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago. What happened?" Weiss asked.
"Nothing happened. It was just... There were just so many." She said, but then looked up. "Oh, but don't worry. You first years are just shadowing huntsman, so you should be fine." She finished.
"Riiiight." Yang said awkwardly.
"I should go. Be safe, okay?" She asked, walking off.
"We can do this. We've never backed down before and we're not going to start now!" Ruby said.
"Oorah!" My team agreed.
"Right." Blake agreed.
"Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside two GENUINE hunstman!" Ruby said excitedly.
"Yeah!" Yang agreed, just as excitedly.
That excitement turned to disappointment, however, as we found out the first huntsman and the one Ruby's team specifically would be shadowing was going to be... "Why hello girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?!" Professor Oobleck said.
"Wow, sucks to be you guys." Draco said.
"You have my sympathies." Damion said.
"Glad it's not us." Nick said, wiping away nervous sweat from his brow.
"Our huntsman BETTER NOT be Professor Port in that case." I said.
"Nope. Looks like you're gonna be stuck with me, little bro." A voice rang out, getting my entire team's attention.