Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, not a lot goes on that episode and I was trying to think of ways to extend it or make it more interesting before just settling on this. Hope you enjoy it!
His eyes flickered between the student profiles on his monitor.
Coco Puphs Adel. One of the top combatants in Beacon Academy and the leader of the team with the fastest completion record of the initiation test. Intelligent and lethal, and known for viewing the Faunus as her equal. She was rather brash however, and prone to violence. She also enjoyed her popularity, a life of solitude wandering Sanus helping strangers does not seem like something she would be able to do for long.
Blake Belladonna. While her skills in combat were impressive and she was quite worldly and knowledgeable, there were some issues. Moody, anti-social, aggressive, and prone to unhealthy behaviors. And although she would probably be comfortable traveling alone helping others, there was the issue of the White Fang. She would no doubt try to use those abilities to help her people, but there was no way of knowing what the White Fang had taught her, and if she would use those abilities against innocent humans.
Violet Paulina Akita. High scores in her academics and in her fights. She was also a member of the team with the second fastest completion record of the initiation test in Beacon history. However, she was a frequent guest of Doctor Duerf's, and seemed to have situational depression. Failing to help a village in time could send her spiraling back into that mental hell.
Pyrrha Diana Nikos…
A knock came from the door and he looked up.
"Come in," he said. The door opened and Glynda entered the room. He gave her a polite nod. "What is it Professor Goodwitch?" She rested her hands behind her back as she stood in the room.
"It's almost time for the speech, and to send the first years on their trips." Ozpin checked the time on his monitor, and like she said, it was almost time.
"Thank you Glynda. I'll be down in a moment." Glynda stayed in place and Ozpin cocked an eyebrow. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" She nodded and approached the desk, her back stiff.
"I've gotten in contact with some old students of mine, and something was brought to my attention I thought I should notify you about." Ozpin interlocked his fingers, resting them on his desk.
"Which is?"
"They've noticed an unusually high amount of Grimm activity in the southeast, specifically in the ruins of Mount Glenn." Glynda crossed her arms. "We both know that place is dead. Why are the Grimm gathering there?" Ozpin frowned.
"An excellent question Glynda."
"Once CFVY have returned, and recovered, we should send them to investigate." She said. Ozpin looked over at his monitor, eyeing Blake's profile. He smiled.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will take care of it."
She opened the dorm door, carrying the team's mail in her hands. She set Ruby's weapons magazine on her desk, and Yang's motorcycle magazine on her desk before going to her own desk. She set the package down and opened it. She smiled at the familiar sight of the Schnee crest on the bubble wrapped vials of Dust and the white box.
"Whatcha get?" Ruby asked. Weiss looked over at her to see Ruby at her desk, flipping through the magazine.
"I was low on Dust for Myrtenestar and bought some new vials while I was in town with Blake a little while ago. And…" She held up the white box, giving it a little shake, hearing the magazine rattle inside. Ruby cocked her head as Weiss smiled. "I picked her up something as well." Ruby snorted, crossing her arms.
"You're playing favorites Weiss. You never buy Yang or I anything."
"If you two want anything just let me know" She opened the box and tucked the clip away in her pouch. "When we get back from this trip, maybe I can take you and Yang shopping. I'm sure we can find a nice candy store or a mechanics shop or something." Ruby smiled.
"That'd be nice. I didn't think they would have high class candy stores." Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Of course we have candy stores you dolt." Ruby set the magazine back down onto her desk.
"Speaking of when we get back, what do you think about the Vytal Festival?" Weiss titled her head to the side a bit.
"I think it's an important multi-cultural event and look forward to watching it this year." Ruby smirked, resting her hands behind her back. Weiss furrowed her brow. "Why are you smiling like that?" Ruby's smile grew. Weiss' eyes widened. "Tell me you didn't." Ruby shook her head.
"I did," she said.
"You put our names forward to compete in the Tournament." It was a statement, not a question. Ruby nodded, moving her hands from behind her back and doing a small fist pump.
"There's no way to know if we'll get chosen but I thought it'd be fun if we got to compete. I wanted us to be able to fight together for once, where our lives weren't on the line." Weiss huffed and crossed her arms.
"Well I would have preferred it if you told us before you put our names in." Ruby shrugged.
"I mean, I'm pretty sure most of the people here are putting their names in. I doubt we'll get selected. JNPR put their names in it too, and I'm pretty sure they'll get in, what with Pyrrha on the team."
There was a static noise for a second before Glynda's voice filled the room, her voice sounding a little distant. Weiss' eyes flickered upwards as Glynda spoke over the intercom.
"Will all first year students please report to the auditorium." Weiss looked back down and saw Ruby grabbing her scythe, holstering it. Weiss unwrapped the Dust vials and put them in her pouch before grabbing, and sheathing, her sword.
"Blake and Yang have their weapons right? I don't see them on the desk." Weiss asked. Ruby nodded.
"Yeah, I think so," she said. Ruby opened the door and held it open for Weiss as they left the dorm together.
The spotlight was harsh and he squinted his eyes a bit as he watched the students file into the building. Glynda stood in front of him, in front of a microphone. The room was filled with idle chatter as the students talked amongst themselves while he waited for all the students to arrive. Glynda tapped on the microphone, and said
"Quiet, quiet please." The chatter died down and Ozpin hobbled forward, standing next to Glynda. "Professor Ozpin will be sharing a few words with you all before you leave." She stepped away from the mic and Ozpin stood in front of it. He looked over the crowd of students, clearing his throat before he began.
"On this day, eighty years ago, the largest, most destructive war in Remnant history came to a close. A war of oppression and aggression, a war against the core concepts that make us unique; individuality. Art, self-expression, and even non Common Tongue languages had become forbidden in Mistral and Atlas, and this was something that Vale and Vacuo could not stand for. Those who opposed this tyranny saw to it to start naming their children after one of the core concepts of art; color. It was a sign of resistance to this oppression, to show the world that individuality would never be destroyed or controlled and that the generations to come would uphold this idea." He paused for a moment.
"This act continues to this very day, and we make sure to encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity, as our diversity is what makes us strong." He adjusted his glasses. "On this day, we stand united, the Four Kingdoms having a day of rest. And while the rest of the world enjoys its hard earned peace, we, the Hunters, shall be working to preserve this peace." Screens flickered to life, the Beacon emblem rotating on the blank gray screens. "Today, you shall be shadowing professional Hunters on various missions. Some of you shall be taken out of the Kingdoms for several days, while others may be working within the Walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose to take, remember this; be safe, remember your training, and to do the best that you can."
The light on him died down as the crowd applauded. He hobbled away as the applause died down and idle chatter filled the room once again.
Ruby turned to her team as the crowd around them started to move towards the screens.
"This is perfect!" She said with a smile. She hit her fist against the palm of her hand. "We just need to find a Hunter working in the southeast." Her sister smirked at her.
"Give em the slip at night while they're sleeping?" Ruby nodded.
"You know it," she said. Blake crossed her arms.
"What type of mission would that be under?"
"Search and Destroy?" Weiss suggested. Ruby gave a nod; that made sense.
They walked over to one of the screens, waiting for the team in front of them to finish. Once they were done they stepped up, Ruby resting her hand on her chin as she looked over the long list of missions.
"Hmmm, lets see. Oh! Look!" she pointed at one of the mission names: 'CLEAR QUADRANT 5 OF GRIMM', a smile on her face as she turned to her team. "Quadrant Five is in the southeast part of Vale, well outside the Wall. If we slip away we can look for the White Fang." A predatory look entered Blake's eyes at the mention of the group.
"Let's do it," she said. Ruby pressed the mission on the screen and typed in her teams name. She frowned as a red screen popped up. 'ERROR. TEAM ALREADY ASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT MISSION.' She heard Weiss sigh.
"Did you do something wrong, Ruby?" Ruby rubbed the back of her head.
"I don't think I did?' she said. Yang crossed her arms.
"Well how are we supposed to get there now?"
"Mail ourselves?" Ruby offered. She heard a laugh and turned to see Ozpin hobbling towards them.
"That is an option, yes," he said as he came to a stop, leaning on his cane. "But I believe I have a better option." He pulled out his scroll, extending it so they could all see what he pulled up. He turned it around and the screen read 'RECON GRIMM ACTIVITY IN MOUNT GLENN. TEAM ASSIGNED: RWBY'. Ruby cocked her head to the side; she never signed them up for that.
"Mount Glenn's in the southeast?"
"Indeed it is."
"Why are we already assigned to go there?" Yang asked. Ozpin pocketed his scroll.
"As you know, Mount Glenn has been a dead zone for generations. For some reason it has suddenly become a hotspot for Grimm activity. You four have shown to be quite skilled; completing my test rather quickly, fighting and surviving against the White Fang on multiple occasions. With Team CFVY still out on their mission, I need a team I can rely on to get this job done."
"Thank you, sir. We promise not to let you down," Ruby said with a nod. Ozpin shook his head.
"Don't thank me for this Ruby. You four must understand that what you experienced during initiation is but a smidgen of what awaits you outside the Wall. The Grimm do not care, and they will not show you any mercy. Stay together, keep an eye on your partner at all times, and follow your Hunters instructions to the T. He will be helping keep you alive on this mission and your survival centers around him. If it is found that what you will experience out there is too much, he can and will send you back here." Ozpin began to hobble away and Ruby cast a nervous glance at her teammates. "Oh." She heard Ozpin say. He turned around. "Good luck. Brothers be with you. Your flight leaves in," he checked his watch "Five minutes. Best hurry." He began to hobble away again and Ruby looked back at her teammates. Their expressions were grim.
They left the building, the air warm but not terribly hot like it had been most of the summer. Yang sighed.
"Not exactly the most uplifting of going away speeches." She said.
"He told us the truth," Blake said. Ruby swallowed; red mist, the wolf's head, the Nevermore's throat. She shook her head and forced a smile.
"I'm positive we'll be fine team. We can do this." Ruby looked up ahead and saw a large crowd forming. She grunted as a student ran past her, bumping into her shoulder.
"Team CFVY's back!" he shouted. Ruby looked at her team mates and they looked at her before they jogged up to the murmuring crowd, making their way to the front.
Fox was walking forward, his left arm bandaged and the blades on his arms caked in dried black blood. His clothes were ripped and stained with mud and grime. Yatsuhashi followed him, his claymore nicked and also caked in dried Grimm blood. A bandage was wrapped around his head, the white cloth stained brown. Coco was limping, being supported by Velvet. Her beret was shredded, her glasses cracked, a bandage on her cheek. Her leg was in a splint, her pants stained with human and Grimm blood. Her bandoliers were empty. Velvet seemed the least run down, her clothes grimy and bloodied and a few bruises and cuts but nothing as bad as her other teammates.
"Coco!" Yang shouted. Coco and her team stopped and looked over at them as they made their way over to them. Coco flashed them a grin and tried to step towards them, only to hiss in pain, clutching her splinted leg.
"Don't push yourself," Velvet said.
"I'm fine ya big worry wort," Coco shot back.
"You're mission was supposed to end weeks ago. What happened?" Weiss asked.
"Nothing happened, mission went as we expected. It was just…" Velvet's eyes flickered down to Coco's leg.
"The Grimm," Yatsuhashi said. Fox nodded.
"Much more than we were anticipating." Fox said. Velvet's gaze fell, looking at the floor.
"There was so many of them…" she said. Coco kissed Velvet on the cheek.
"And now there's a lot less of them in the world cause we kicked their fucking asses." She said. Velvet snorted, looking back up at Coco. Coco looked over at them. "I'm sure you four will be fine, you're heading out there with a professional." She turned to Velvet and whispered "Those field trips are today right?"
"They are," Fox said. Coco looked over at him and gave him a thumbs up.
"Thanks Fox," she said. She turned back to them. "See? Nothing to worry about."
"Riiiight," Yang said. Coco shrugged and Velvet started to walk away, bringing Coco with her.
"We need to get going, her leg needs actual treatment. But be safe out there okay?" Velvet said.
"And come party with us when you're back!" Coco shouted over her shoulder. Fox led the way as they took Coco to the infirmary. Ruby saw Weiss and Blake glance at each other, worry on their faces. The red mist appeared in her mind again. She saw Yang clench her jaw. She nodded, reassuring herself.
"We can do this girls." They looked at her. "We've never backed down against impossible odds before and we're not gonna start now. We've survived against the Grimm and we'll do it again." A smile crept onto Blake's face. Ruby started to walk towards the air docks, leading her team to meet their Hunter. "And we won't be facing them alone. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Hunter. A veteran against those horrible monsters."
"Hell yeah!" Yang exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air. Ruby smiled. They could do this, the Grimm stood no chance against the four of them. She saw an airship on the dock, and could hear someone moving around in it. Their Hunter was going to be fearsome, someone who surpassed their combat skills and show them how it's done when it came to killing Grimm.
The Hunter stepped out of the airship; his mane of green hair shoved underneath a hat. Ruby felt herself stop, her jaw dropping, and from the corner of her eye she saw her teammates freeze in place too. Oobleck pushed up his glasses as he greeted them.
"Hello girls!" He smiled, punching his fist into his hand. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"
We're doomed.
And that's it!