I own nothing. All references and properties belong to their respective creators, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.
'Thoughts'
"emphasis, dream, and scroll"
"Talking"
"Deep Emotion"
(Insert Music)
General POV
Pitch's Classroom
Pitch paced back and forth by a projector as pictures of Grimm that the students have never seen. "Now class, what I am about to show you may not be entirely necessary, but in our line of work it's better to be prepared for ANY eventuality. SO, here are some of the most rare and dangerous Grimm to walk the planet. We'll start things off with one that's native to Vacuo, the Sulfur Fish."
The projector switched on and showed them a picture of said Grimm had a body similar to that of a silverfish. It has a black body with to bull-like horns, six legs, one eye, and an armored abdomen which leads into three fiery, yellow tails.
"Now, while these Grimm have very low durability, it does not mean it's harmless. Much like some species of insects there is NEVER just one, if you see one there will be a dozen nearby. Their main method of offense is through overwhelming through shere numbers and breathing fire down on its target... However its most unique ability is that they can merge with one another, they group up and make a larger body similar to a snake or an eel. It is in this form that is said to produce fire hot enough to melt through most metals within a few second." Pitch said as he looked back toward the class to gauge their reactions.
Yang blows off what her teacher says and opens her mouth, "So you have to hit it till it dies and not get burned. Other than the fire, I don't see what makes them so dangerous."
Pitch scowled at the blond's arrogance while Summer facepalmed, "Well, clearly their strength is your weakness."
Yang's shorter hair catches fire as she growls and says with an edge, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Blake grabs her shoulder to make sure her partner doesn't do anything stupid like attacking Pitch. Dusty narrows his eyes at Yang and thinks, 'Looks like that hair cut didn't help her learn caution, if anything it made her more violent.' Unbeknownst to him, Pitch had a similar thought roaming through his head and was working on a plan to fix that.
"Patience and adaptability, the most dangerous feature these Grimm possess is a hive mind, a Sulfur Fish will become mentally linked to a queen of the same species and will become more dangerous the longer you allow it to live. The queen itself can be identified large horns that that form a crown or it's screech.", he said sternly.
Ruby raises her hand, "Yes, miss Rose?"
"How big are they exactly?", she asks.
He pauses for a moment to think of a proper comparison before telling her, "It can reach up to halfway up to your knee in terms of height if you don't account for the tails, but overall between the size of a corgi and a Boarbatusk."
She nods to him before he flips to the next slide. "Next we have is the Specter, it's a rare sub-species of the Geist. For the most part they look pretty much the same, there is only way to tell the difference solely based on it's appearance. Unlike the Geist, these Grimm have a jaw and is shown to have a three piece mask that opens in a way similar to a pair of mandibles. They are vastly intelligent and have many myths and rumor surrounding their existence. However they only come out during night with no exceptions. The have the same abilities as their cousin, but what makes them truly unique is the fact that they never the first to attack and the ability to enter dreams."
That got whisper running through the class, Pitch moves on, "This Grimm has the passive ability to spread paranoia and increases tension, some Grimm tend to have a preference to the emotion they are drawn to. Beowolves prefer loneliness, Nuckelavees enjoy dread - some just pass through villages to bait other species of Grimm, but the Specters enjoy self-loathing. They show up when some feels that they have failed and will kick them while they're down and let them live only for them to suffer another day."
He sighs deeply before telling the class, "And THIS is the hardest Grimm to kill, not because of strength, but its nature. I could only find a sketch of one, this is another relative of the Geist." He huffs as he click the button, the reaction was instant.
The members of team RWBY widen their eyes as the cover their mouths, Ren didn't react much aside from a cold sweat, Pyrrha clenched her hands, Nora looked like she wanted to cry, Dusty grimaced at what he saw, Summer just had a sad look, and Jaune's mind went blank. Even the member of team CMEN were not spared. The only sign of discomfort that Mercury showed was short grimace, Emerald winced, Neo hold her breath, and even Cinder looked like she wanted to look away.
What they all saw was an old sketch of a little girl no older than eight, she had skin and hair that matched snow and eyes, deep black eyes that had no light in them, and black veins on her neck. Pitch rubbed the bridge between his eyes as he went on to explain, "The name is quite appropriate given your reaction, this is an old sketch drawn years ago. This is what one would call a Chill, it only possesses humans and has only been recorded to have possess children under the age of ten. The last one sighted was just under two decades ago... It was said that one Chill can and has killed everyone in a village in a single night. The one that took it down was scarred for life and couldn't face their family out of guilt and disgust in themselves. If you ever find one... kill on sight. The sooner you finish the job, the sooner you can get some well deserved therapy..." Seeing the depressing atmosphere, Pitch decides to shift the mood.
"Seeing as how most of you all won't be able digest anymore information about Grimm, I'll tell you a story to brighten the mood. During my third year at Beacon, my team and I had to work with STRQ to retrieve stolen property from Haven..."
2 Hours Later
As Pitch went on with his story, Weiss was left waiting patiently for her teacher to finish his story. All in all, she genuinely enjoyed listening to what happened in Pitch's past. They were all so well detailed and carried decades of experience while not being long and drawn out, the best part was that he kept them detailed just enough to where they wanted to learn. She truly pitied any student from the years prior to her arrival, she's heard silly rumors about student who have severely injured themselves just to get away from Port, unaware of just how true they were.
She was broken from her train of thought when she heard the only one to get on her nerves more than Ruby, Jaune. His constant flirting has been bordering on the side of harassment. "So, Weiss, y'know, uh, I-I was thinking after this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat?" Jaune turns to the teacher for a second, then turns back around.
"And, uh um, I-I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie, if you wanna make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awe- OW!" Jaune was interrupted when a piece of chalk went flying and hit him in the forehead. He rubs his head and sees that Pitch was the one to throw it at him.
He gives the blond a sneer and says, "Pay attention, also don't say Spruce Willis in front of me ever again." He grimaces when he thinks about how that one difference between realities pissed him off. Jaune nods to him and gives a simple 'Yes sir'.
Pitch coughs into his hand before he went on to proceed. "As I was saying, Bart had just taken a tank and sent me through several buildings..."
A minute passed before Jaune went back to flirting. "So~ um, do you think that maybe after this we could study together? I mean, you're smart and I'm, uh... Y'know."
Finally, the clock in front of Weiss gives a shrill beep as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, and she dismisses him with a wave of her hand. Hearing the bell toll, Pitch said to the class, "Alright class, I hope that you all thoroughly enjoyed my tale and have learned some valuable information. Remember: power means nothing if you haven't the idea of how to use it, creativity and adaptability are your greatest assets. Class dismissed."
"Weiss? Did you hear me?" Jaune asks as he watches Weiss packs up her Scroll.
"No, no, no, yes." Weiss answers Jaune's questions without even looking at him as she walks away, leaving the poor blond to plant his face into the desk as the rest of Team RWBY walks out of class behind him, Yang ruffles Jaune's hair without directly looking. "One day."
Dusty walks up next to him while putting a hand on Jaune's shoulder, he tells him. "It's better this way. Trust me, you would be miserable for the rest of your life."
As the rest of the students get ready to go, Pitch calls out. "Oh and Cinder Fall, I'd like for you stay for a moment, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Emerald and Mercury cast each other an unsure glance before looking to their leader who sends the duo a nod.
Cinder send them a coy look and says, "I'll be fine, go on, I'll be back before you know it." Mercury and Neo give her a nod and leave as Emerald leave shortly after. The clock on the wall could be heard ticking in the background as Cinder and Pitch look at one another. She smirks at him as she says, "So, what do you wish to discuss with me? I haven't done anything bad, have I?"
With Team RWBY DRPN
Inside Team RWBY's dorm room we see a closeup of Ruby's hands as she straps the red laces of her shoes. Switch to a closeup of Weiss' hand gripping the handle of Myrtenaster strapped to her side. Switch to a closeup of Yang's Ember Celica over her left forearm as she slides the chamber. Switch to a closeup of Blake tightening the black ribbons around her arms. Switch to full view of Team RWBY's preparations, revealing their alternate outfits. The only one with a clear difference is Blake's, her outfit was dyed red and her hair was being pulled back, as a way not to stick out.
Blake approaches her bunk as she tightens her wraps. "No offense to Pitch, but I thought that class would never end."
"Alright, guys, today's the day! The investigation begins!" Ruby declares from her position sitting on the hanging bed. She happily leaps off her mattress and onto the floor, arms raised excitedly. She almost lands on Weiss, who is on the bunk below.
"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously." Weiss says sarcastically.
"Hey, we've got a plan!" Yang says. "That's... moderately serious..."
Blake suddenly pauses before asking"Hey, has anyone seen where Summer went off to? She's be disappearing a lot lately/"
The rest of the team pauses as they think about how their fifth member would disappear for hours at a time, Weiss then says, "Hm, she might be spending her time with Pitch. I mean, he IS her uncle after all."
Yang sighs, "Yeah, maybe you're right."
"Right!" Ruby agrees, looking around at her teammates. "Now, unfortunately Dusty couldn't join us. Apparently he's having a date night with Pyrrha, but he did give me some advice on how to improve the plan. Everyone remember their roles?"
"Ruby and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem." Weiss says to Ruby.
"The Red Maw still operates similarly to the White Fang, so there should be a chance that a faction meeting is taking place somewhere in Vale and are likely to be looking for more recruits. After the arrests and casualties at the docks, they should be pretty desperate for new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning." Blake conveys her role as she ties her hair into a bun.
"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard..." Yang says.
Ruby turns to her sister and gives Yang a flat look. "Yang, I love you. But I'm pretty sure that crushing a guys nuts and ordering him to give you information doesn't qualify as a friendly gesture."
Blake and Weiss swiftly snap their heads towards Yang and yell, "She did WHAT?!"
Yang stood up shocked, "Wait, how do you even know about that?! You only saw me after everything ended!"
"Dad put a tracker on your weapon while Dusty placed a listening device on your jacket. They thought that you'd do something stupid before getting into Beacon, turns out they were right." Ruby shrugged before agreeing with everyone's plans "Now! We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found where she WON'T break anything. Seriously Yang, don't start another fight, Dusty said that Ozpin is the reason that Junior hasn't sued us."
When Yang heard about what her brother did, her hair lit on fire before she became pale at the thought of a lawsuit.
"And with THAT out of the way, let's go!"
"Yeah!" Sun cheers from outside the window. The team shifts their attention right to the sight of a smiling Sun Wukong as he hangs upside-down by his tail in their open window. The whole team steps back upon seeing this.
"Sun!" Blake yells in surprise and alarm.
"How did you get up there?" Yang asks.
"Pfft, this? It's easy; I do it all the time." Sun casually responds.
"You do what?!" Weiss yells in outrage.
"I peep on- ahem, I mean I climb trees all the time." Sun answers without reacting to Weiss' unconvinced scowl. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?" He flips into the dorm room while changing the subject.
Blake steps forward. "We are going to investigate the situation... as a team." She conveys her point clearly.
"Sorry, Sun." Ruby apologizes. "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."
"Psh! That's dumb! We should always get friends involved! That's why I brought Neptune!" Sun gestures out the window.
The girls lean out the window on top of one another cartoon-style to see the aforementioned teammate of Sun's standing outside, cool as can be.
"Hey guys." Neptune greets them.
"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asks with a raised brow.
"I have my ways." Neptune responds. "But seriously, though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now... Please." Neptune says nervously.
Yang rolls her eyes before looking to her sister, Ruby sighs before gesturing for her to pull him in. Neptune dusted himself off before thanking the sisters.
Once the pair were inside the dorm room, the two teams began to talk as Ruby laid out how her next plan would go down.
"Alright, I'll go with Weiss; Sun, you can go with Blake" Ruby pushes Neptune past Weiss as he slips the heiress a wink. Weiss looks mildly shocked but then comes to her senses quickly. "And Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Everyone good?"
"Actually, Ruby, why don't you go with Yang? After all, she is your sister." Weiss proposes.
"But, Weiss, who would go with you, then?" Ruby asks.
"Well... I guess Neptune could come with me." Weiss says in a roundabout way.
Neptune puts on a suave look and points at Weiss as the team leader cracks up. "Hahaha, no." Ruby waves off Weiss's request before leaning in to whisper, "Listen, I know that you just want to flirt with him, but we've got to be serious right now. You should be glad; after all, I'm doing this cause of your advice. Business before pleasure... Also, Yang's "friend" is at a nightclub so do you really think that the people who work there would let me in assuming that Yang wouldn't have me wait outside?"
Weiss is obviously less than amused as she blushed in annoyance and embarrassment, yet she was powerless to stop her leader from pulling her by the back, out the door. "Fine, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it." She complains as she sticks her arms out fruitlessly trying to get back to Neptune, never aware of the black Bombay cat with silver eyes watching them from a nearby tree.
It narrows its eyes before leaping down branch by branch before landing on the ground and later being picked up by its new owner against its will. Pyrrha gushed at it she held her new cat a foot away from her face, "Come on Noir, let's go back inside. Aren't just adorable?" She fawned, earning a satisfied meow.
The scene changes to that of a monumental tower that looms over the sparse trees growing around the crossroads below.
"Wow~! I forget how big the Transmit tower looks up close!" Ruby looks up in awe.
"You should see the one in Atlas!" Weiss says as she continues walking.
"That was the first one, right?" Ruby asks as she catches up.
"Correct." Weiss says. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."
Ruby starts acting all high and mighty. "Oooh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I compensate for the fact that I'm flat by showing how much I know." She then snorts into her hands at Weiss' frown.
"Don't be a pest. Besides, the only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library." Weiss says. "AND I AM NOT FLAT!"
Ruby lets out a sigh and thinks, 'I'm not gonna tell her how I thought she was a cross dresser when we first met.' She brightens up and squeals in excitement, "I know, but it's so cool! Oh, I'm going to take a picture!" she grabs her Scroll from a pocket on her clothes, but in her excitement, the device is launched from her hands, bouncing along the pavement until it lands at some familiar looking feet.
"Oh!" Penny picks up the Scroll and extends her arms towards the clumsy teen. "You dropped this."
"Penny?!" Ruby looks in shock.
"Uuuh..." Penny responds nervously.
"Where have you been?" Ruby asks. "We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!"
"S-Sorry. I think you're confused." Penny responds slowly, before suddenly hiccuping, throwing the Scroll into Ruby's hands. "Uh... I've got to go!" She turns quickly and walks away.
Weiss turns to Ruby. "What was that about?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ruby starts walking in Penny's direction as she shouts back to her partner. "You go make your call! I'll meet up with you later!"
"Wait!" Weiss reaches toward, but fails as Ruby chases her new friend Penny, descending some steps as she does. "Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"
"There seems to be a... misunderstanding." Penny responds.
"What?!" Ruby says as Penny continues to walk away. Ruby slides down the rail next to her. "Penny... Is everything okay?" Penny continues forward without reaction so Ruby grabs her by the arm. "Penny, please stop!" Penny finally stops and listens. "Look, I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me! Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big, something bad! I need you to tell me what happened to you that night! Please... As a friend."
Penny sighs, then glances to her sides, cautious of the people nearby. She walks over to Ruby's side and leans in close. "It isn't safe to talk here, come with me." Penny says as she drags Ruby by her hand to the commercial district of Vale, the two stand alone near a two-story building with patio furniture and she is looking around nervously when a hand grabs her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turns to see Ruby grinning. She smiles in return. "Let's go for a walk. I wish I could help you, Ruby, I really do, but I don't know anything about those men." Penny answers the earlier question.
"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby asks. "We were all together, and then you just disappeared! Were you kidnapped?"
"Oh, no! Nothing like that!" Penny reassures.
"Well then where did you go?" Ruby asks.
"I've never been to another kingdom before." Penny explains. "My father asked me not to venture out too far, but... You have to understand; my father loves me very much; he just worries a lot and he made it clear that there are only two people in Vale that I can trust aside from the Headmasters. That being my half brother and Pitch Black."
Ruby raises an eyebrow, "Wait, you have a brother? And how does the professor fit into this?"
Penny looks a little unsure as she tries to find the right words, "In a way, you see, you could say that we share the same 'mother' but have different fathers. I've only met him three times and is quite the trouble maker, he once hacked the CCT back in Atlas into playing I Know a Song That Gets on Everybody's Nerves on a loop for a few hours. Needless to say it was a long day."
Ruby snorts at the thought of Atlas personnel tearing their hair out, "What's his name?"
"His name is Fizzarolli Narada, but he just goes by 'Fizz'. And as for you're other question, all I can tell you is that Mister Black has a lot of connections and has proven to be a great ally in the past."
"Believe me, I know the feeling." Ruby grins and Penny grins back. "But why not let us know you were okay?"
"I... was asked not to talk to you. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody, really." Penny explains.
"Was your dad that upset?" Ruby asks.
Penny answers. "No, it wasn't my father..." But before she can continue, she and Ruby hear the sound of megaphones announcing something.
The girls turn around the corner to look at the platform in the center of a plaza where the holographic image of James Ironwood is seen before six AK-130 Androids, who are in turn standing in front of two large metal storage cases with the spear-and-shield emblem on their doors.
"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree?" The pre-recorded hologram of Ironwood asks to the clapping audience as the drones take a servant's bow. "But... the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'... Well, that's just not good enough, is it? Presenting... the Atlesian Knight-200!" Ironwood announces as the doors to the cases roll up, and six new, bulkier, shinier automatons stand at attention before knocking their obsolete predecessors down to the applause of the onlookers. "Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly, a little less scary." Ironwood markets the robots as they flex and pose in a way that made them look slightly ridiculous.
"These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone! Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require... a human touch." Ironwood says.
"Ruby...?" Penny says nervously as the girl looks at the presentation in fascination.
Ironwood continues. "So, our kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce... the Atlesian Paladin!"
Ironwood's image is replaced with the hologram of a robotic white behemoth, featuring hinged piston legs, large guns for hands, and a rectangular head, standing at over twice as tall as the Knights below it.
"Whoa..." Ruby is hunched over in awe.
"And that's not all, thanks to an old acquaintance, we present you with our first Mantis class military assault droid!"
(Red VS Blue: Freckles theme)
As the general finishes his sentence, a larger container behind him opens up showing a taller version of the Paladin with a dark green paint job with four red arrows on its 'head'. It had long legs that were each twice the height of the general and two arms, the left being a cannon/missile launcher and the right being a large machine. It walked out of the container, shaking the ground with each step, unnerving the citizens, and said "I SHALL PROTECT AND SERVE." As it honked a horn that played La Cocaracha.
(Red VS Blue: Freckles theme) END
"Now, we couldn't have him here for you today, but these mechanized battle suits and Mantises will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!" Ironwood announces, now only a voice.
Ruby was a little intimidated by this one until he said, "... But we call it Freckles." Causing her to giggle.
"Ruby?" Penny steps back a bit. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."
At the side of the stage, two armored soldiers see Penny, pointing her out and calling in backup. Penny backs away and then breaks into a dead run, which snaps Ruby out of her weapon-awe-induced stupor.
"Penny?" Ruby asks. "Wait! Where are you going?"
Ruby turns to see the soldiers chasing after her friend, and realizing Penny's situation, swiftly follows her in an attempt to catch up down the winding alley.
As the chase continues, one of the Atlas Soldiers points his partner in the right direction. "Down here! She went this way!"
Penny and Ruby run across the street with the soldiers following them. As the soldiers continue the chase, one of them nearly gets run over by a car that brakes at the last moment. The soldier manages to brace his hands against the hood, which somehow stops the vehicle, and his partner runs along after the girls.
Ruby is still trying to catch up with Penny, but a high stack of crates on a flimsy support is easily cut down by Crescent Rose, causing a wooden avalanche of boxes to block the path.
Seeing Penny right ahead of her, Ruby leaps into the air and lands on the alley wall, ricocheting off to grab Penny around the middle.
"This way!" Ruby grimaces before the two disappear in a flash of red and rose petals.
Ruby dashes away as fast as she can while carrying Penny, but the strain is too great, and Ruby ends up collapsing mid-flight, causing her to fall all the way into the street while Penny is dropped off at the pavement.
Ruby gets up slowly, and in her dazed state, she doesn't notice the large truck coming up from behind her at very high speeds until the honking is too late of a warning. She stands up just as she's about to be hit, but from out of nowhere, Penny pushes Ruby out of the way and holds her palms out.
In the split second where the two make contact, the ground beneath Penny cracks and crumbles into pieces, and the truck is lifted a little ways into the air by the girl's sheer strength. She puts it down, and the driver stares in awe at the crumples in his hood, just like the Huntress in training who got saved.
"Penny...?" Ruby's eyes are wide, a terrified and uncertain look on her face.
"Are you okay?" Penny asks the driver of the truck, who slowly nods in amazement.
Penny backs away, looking at Ruby's frightened expression, then at the bystanders murmuring to each other in an attempt to understand what just happened. In her panic, she runs from the Atlas soldiers still chasing her down and bumps into Ruby, knocking the poor girl out of her stupor as her friend tries to get away again.
"Penny! Come back!" Ruby starts going after Penny as the people look at the destruction Penny caused with her bare hands and the soldiers find they lost their target.
Shortly later Penny comes to a stop just outside of an alleyway, looking around for where to run next.
"Penny! Please!" Ruby catches up to her friend, exasperated from all the running. "What is going on?! Why are you running? How did you do that?!"
"I-I can't! Everything's fine! I-I don't want to talk about it!" Penny starts to hiccup with each lie.
"Penny, if you can just tell me what's wrong, I can help you!" Ruby begs.
"No!" Penny retreats from her friend. "No, no! You wouldn't understand..."
"Let me try! You can trust me!" Ruby urges.
Penny finally relents, coming up to Ruby's face desperately. "You're my friend, right? You promise you're my friend?!"
"I promise." Ruby answers softly, but filled with determination.
"Ruby..." Penny is silent for a second, then, looking down at her hands. "I'm not a real girl."
Penny shows Ruby the toll of stopping the truck that would have killed her: Parts of her palm's skin have ripped away, revealing the gray metal underneath.
Penny stares sadly at Ruby's face.
Chapter 18, DONE! I really hope you guys liked it. PLEASE free to comment, ask a question, or ask to put your own scene in. Reviews are what keep me going. Name the references you find. I will post the next chapter when I get it done, I NEED to know what you think, I read ALL comments. The more reviews I get the sooner you'll get your chapters.
Things to take away from this:
Pitch spoke with Cinder.
Pitch cringes at Spruce Willis.
Penny is related to malicious clown.
Ruby is a lot more snarky than in the show.
Atlas has invented the world's deadliest freckles.
