O00000O00000O
Chapter 23: Field Trip (Part 2)
O00000O00000O
Delsin looked around at the remnants of Mountain Glenn. Half-finished buildings and decrepit storefronts. The streets were empty save for a few tumbleweeds, which Delsin couldn't help but find a little funny. The wind swept through the husk of the city eerily, and both teams surveyed their surroundings from combat ready stances. There was nothing to be found.
"Remember," Oobleck said, "You may still be students but as of this moment your first mission as Huntresses and Huntsmen has begun. From this moment forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"
"Actually Doctor, this isn't our first mission," Ruby said.
"What?" he asked.
"Yeah, we went to Rintah on a mission back in the first semester," Yang added, "Don't you remember?"
Oobleck's expression was unreadable.
"Even so," he said, "What I said is still true."
He looked at the students.
"Ruby!" he shouted.
The young girl jumped and dropped her scythe.
"I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school," he continued.
"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet," Ruby explained, "So I didn't."
Delsin rolled his eyes.
"There's no way that excuse will work," Delsin thought.
"She's not wrong," he heard the Doctor whisper.
His jaw dropped.
"Very well Ruby, leave your bag here we can pick it up upon our return," Oobleck said.
"But, I-"
"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that would be so important to bring it w-"
Oobleck didn't get to finish his question. Before he could, the small black and white head of a certain adorable corgi popped out of the bag.
Everyone looked over Ruby to observe the stowaway.
"Zwei?" Delsin asked.
"Arf!"
"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility," Oobleck said, "And you brought...a dog."
"I, uh-"
"GENIUS!" Oobleck cheered.
The professor began to dance around them, spinning like a top. He swept around them like a tornado and swiped Zwei from Ruby's pack, knocking the girl over in the process.
"Canine's are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound!" Oobleck explained, "Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!"
Delsin and Alex buried their faces in their hands, wondering why in the hell this man was allowed to teach children.
"I'm a genius," Ruby said proudly.
With that, the faces of her companions became similarly buried.
"So, what are your orders doctor?" Blake asked.
"Ah, yes, straight to the chase, I like it," he said.
He dropped Zwei.
"As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity," Oobleck said, "Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."
"Wait, what?" Eugene asked.
"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment," he answered calmly.
"What!?" Yang shouted as both teams turned, weapons and powers ready.
Behind them, they saw a single Beowolf walking slowly past them.
"Stop," the good Doctor said quietly.
"Huh?" Blake said.
"He's right," Delsin said, dropping his hands, "If these Grimm are here, we might be able to track them back to our bad guy's hideout. I mean it makes sense that people who want to destroy a Kingdom would be making a metric ton of negativity."
"Correct," Oobleck said.
"So... What now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked, sounding mildly disappointed.
"It's uncertain. Hours. Days. Weeks. Why lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months and there's the whole pack."
Several more Grimm began pouring out from around the corner.
"What?!" Weiss exclaimed.
"And now they've seen us," Oobleck said.
"What?!" Weiss shouted.
"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck shouted like he was talking to a hearing-impaired student.
"I take it tracking is no longer an option," Alex said.
"An accurate evaluation, yes," Oobleck replied.
"What's the plan then," Yang asked.
Oobleck stared down the charging horde.
"Show me what you're capable of," he said.
Without hesitation, Team RWBY burst into action. The four of them charged into the fray. Team CNDT was right behind them, but before any of them could act, Doctor Oobleck stopped them.
"Hold a moment gentlemen," he said.
"What? Why?" Eugene asked.
"While I have no doubt that you three could easily defeat these monsters, I would very much like to see the ladies fight so I can accurately evaluate their combat abilities," Oobleck explained.
Alex's brow furrowed.
"Don't worry," Delsin whispered, "If anything happens, we'll charge in, no matter what he says."
"Indeed," Oobleck said, "That's what I was planning on telling you anyway."
Delsin did a double take at him. Doctor Oobleck smiled.
"As a teacher, one of the first things you acquire is an acute sense of hearing."
The three of them gulped.
O00000O00000O
As it turned out, the ladies of Team RWBY didn't need their help. They dispatched the pack with relative ease. The fight was over within three minutes and once it was, they moved on.
On Oobleck's orders, Team CNDT took the high-ground, scouting the area from the skies and rooftops. Whenever they spotted a pack, they let the ground team know and directed them to a different path, making sure to keep an eye on them and the various packs they spotted. Once in a while they missed one, and they had to engage, but beyond a few skirmishes, there were no real problems.
When they reached a low point, Eugene went to scout solo while Delsin and Alex stayed behind to keep watch on the others.
"So what do you think they're talking about down there?" Alex asked.
Delsin shrugged.
"No idea. Don't you have super-hearing?"
"You would think," Alex said, "but no, I don't."
"Why do you care about what they're talking about anyway?" Delsin asked.
Alex shrugged.
"Just trying to pass the time," Alex replied, "I'm getting a bit bored up here."
"You and me both," Delsin said.
The two of them leaned back against the edge of the roof they were sitting on.
"So how are things with you and Yang?" Delsin asked out of the blue.
Alex's eyes snapped to him.
"What?" Alex said.
Delsin smirked.
"C'mon dude, the jig is up. Everybody knows that you are crushing on that girl hard."
Alex turned red and looked away in embarrassment.
"What gave me away?" he said.
"You mean aside from when you straight up admitted it literally twenty seconds after meeting her?" Delsin asked, "Well, the look on your face while you two danced last night at the party pretty much confirmed it."
Alex buried his face in his hands.
"You two talked at all since then?"
Alex sighed as the blush died down.
"No. We haven't."
Delsin smiled.
"Want me to talk to her?" he asked, "Find out how she feels about you?"
Alex opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Delsin knew his partner was conflicted. Even with someone as powerful as he was, few men know how to talk to a girl, especially one like Yang. Delsin had made his offer because he knew that Alex was feeling just that.
But, to his surprise, Delsin's partner shook his head.
"No."
"Really?"
Alex nodded.
"That's something I need to do myself," Alex said.
Delsin smiled.
"So what about you and Velvet?" Alex asked.
Delsin sputtered.
"What?" he said.
Alex smirked right back at him.
"You're not the only one who knows how to be observant," Alex said.
Delsin sighed.
"I like Velvet," he said, "A lot."
"I can feel a 'but' coming," Alex said.
"No buts," Delsin said, "I like her."
"So?"
"Well, I was planning on asking her out when we get back from this mission."
"'Was?'"
Delsin shook his head.
"I don't know," he said, "It's like something in me is saying I may not get the chance. Like, the other shoe is about to drop."
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked seriously.
Delsin shook his head again.
"It's nothing. It's probably just nerves."
"EXCUSE ME GENTLEMEN!" they heard Oobleck shout from down below, "YOU CAN COME DOWN! WERE MAKING CAMP HERE! IT'S GOING TO BE DARK SOON!"
"On our way down doc!" Delsin shouted back.
The two of them jumped off the roof.
O00000O00000O
On the ground, Alex called Eugene and the Video Conduit circled back with nothing special to report.
"Ah, good, everyone's here," Oobleck said, "Ms. Rose, Mr. Rowe, please come with me to secure the perimeter. The rest of you, set up camp in that building."
He threw his bag to Yang and she caught it.
"Come now you two," he said, walking off.
With a quick glance between them, Ruby and Delsin set off after him.
O00000O00000O
Doctor Oobleck led the duo to the edge of the city, where years of neglect had caused the foundations to wear away, yielding to the natural curve of the stone they were built on. As there was now nothing there, they could see far out into what Delsin remembered was the Emerald Forest. Far off into the forest, towering above the trees, were six Grimm so large, he understood why they were called Goliaths.
"Whoa," Ruby said, rapidly approaching the edge, "What is that? It looks awesome!"
"That, my dear girl," he replied, "Is a Grimm."
The two students looked at the creatures in awe. When that wore off, Ruby readied her sniper rifle.
"Let's kill it," she said.
Concrete shards began to swarm around Delsin's hands.
"I'm game if you are," he said.
Oobleck laughed a bit and placed a hand on Ruby's sniper rifle.
"As entertaining as it would be to watch, I'm afraid that your attacks would do little more than agitate a Grimm of that size," he said.
"But what if it attacks us?" Ruby asked.
"Fret not Ruby, those Goliaths are not concerned with us," he replied.
"Why not? Isn't that kind of their thing?" Delsin asked.
Oobleck smiled.
"Delsin, not every Grimm is mindless. Or rather, not every Grimm is still mindless," the good doctor explained, "You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you've fought, that they have undoubtedly lived for hundreds of years. And in that time, between killing humans and attacking our borders, they've done one important thing. They've learned."
Delsin's eyes widened slightly.
"They have learned that when they attack our borders, they are likely to die. And, that what we lack in strength, we make up for in will, and that killing one human, will only bring more."
"Then... why are they so close to the city? What are they doing?" Ruby asked.
"Waiting," Doctor Oobleck said.
The professor turned and walked away, heading back to the campsite.
"Dr. Oobleck?" Ruby asked as she stepped in behind him.
"Hm?"
"I was wondering-"
"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" the professor replied.
"Actually," Ruby said, "I was wondering, why did you want to become a Huntsman?"
Dr. Oobleck turned to face her.
"Look around and tell me what you see," he said, gesturing to the area around them.
"Lots of old buildings? Empty streets..." Ruby replied, her voice trailing off.
"And you Mr. Rowe? What do you see?"
Delsin looked through the streets again. As he once again gazed at the barren remnants of the city, he saw nothing. But, he felt a sense of profound sadness and despair. It was so dense it was practically tangible.
"I see pain. The pain of a dead city," Delsin said, "And one hell of a parkour area."
Oobleck smiled weakly.
"Both are true, I suppose," he said, "Do you want to know what I see?"
"What?" Ruby asked.
"I see lives that could have been saved," Oobleck told her.
He started walking again.
"As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind," he said, "As a teacher, I am able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student who passes through my classroom.
"I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved. But, I also see an opportunity. An opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger.
"I am a Huntsman Ruby because there is nothing else in this world that I would rather be."
Delsin looked at the teacher in front of him, one unanimously thought to be a goofball, and felt his opinion of the man change. Dr. Oobleck began to walk away, leaving Ruby, Zwei, and Delsin behind to ponder what he said.
O00000O00000O
Back at the campsite, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were standing or sitting around the newly lit fire.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything," Yang said.
The missing two walked in the door.
"We will. We just have to keep looking," Eugene said.
"Anything to report?" Weiss asked.
"Just a few lone Grimm. We took care of them," Eugene replied.
Blake sighed.
"Well, I suppose that's something," she said.
The silence hung in the air only for a moment before Weiss broke it.
"Hey," she said, looking at Alex.
"Yeah?" Alex asked.
"Why did you want to become a Huntsman?" she asked.
"Why do you ask?" Alex replied.
"Dr. Oobleck asked us earlier, and it got me curious," she said, "So... why did you?"
Alex sat down and looked up at the starry sky.
"That's a good question, actually," Alex said, "Honestly? I don't know."
The ladies looked at him in confusion.
"You don't know?" Yang asked.
"Is it really so hard to believe?" Alex asked, "Not everyone has a reason. I didn't feel a calling, and while I may have a legacy to uphold, it doesn't really fall to me to do that. Helping people is an admirable reason, but it's not the whole of it, and I suppose I could come up with some long-winded speech about honor or responsibility but that wouldn't really mean anything. Honestly, being a Huntsman just felt right, so that's what I am."
"And you?" Weiss asked Eugene.
"Well, I fell to this planet a few weeks ago with literally nothing more than the clothes on my back, and Professor Ozpin offered me a place to stay and a way to earn money. That's about it," Eugene said.
For whatever reason, the ladies found the simplicity of the two's answers to be oddly comforting, but if they were going to say anything about it, they didn't get the chance.
"Ah, wonderful! A textbook campfire!" Dr. Oobleck said.
"Ah! Fire!" Ruby exclaimed happily, "So... warm..."
"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for the first watch?"
"Yo," Ruby said, raising a hand.
"You sure Rubes?" Delsin asked, "I can take it if you want."
"No, I'll do it. Thanks though."
With that, Delsin nodded and everyone went to bed.
O00000O00000O
Delsin found it surprisingly easy to sleep on the stone floor. Within a couple minutes of laying down, he was out cold. He slept peacefully until the early morning hours when he heard something.
"Zwei...It's late... go back to bed," he heard Ruby moan. At least, he assumed it was Ruby, he was a bit groggy.
"Well, I'm awake now," he thought.
He checked his Scroll. Oobleck was going to wake them at 5:00 and it was already 4:00, so he made himself get up.
"Guess I'll go take over watch duty."
"Zwei? Zwei!" he heard.
He looked up to see the adorable corgi running out of their camp.
"Alright, where's he going?" he asked softly.
Ruby looked at him and pouted apologetically.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, but it's fine," Delsin told her, "Let's go get Mr. Snuffle-butt before he runs off somewhere."
Ruby giggled as the two of them walked out of the campsite. When they reached the door, they peeked around the edge.
"Zwei?" she said, "Zwei where are you? Zwei?"
Delsin sighed and raised a finger. Ruby found him pointing right at Zwei, who was relieving himself behind a leftover steel pillar from one of the buildings.
"Zwei, this is a wasteland. You literally could have done that anywhere!" Ruby said.
"Well at least he didn't do it on your bedroll or something," Delsin offered.
Ruby sighed.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Arf!"
"What was that?" the two of them heard off from the side.
Delsin tensed up immediately.
"Ruby, get your weapon," he said.
"On it."
Ruby walked back into the building to grabbed her weapon. As quietly as he could, Delsin climbed the wall of the campsite to see where the noise came from. On the western side of the building, he saw exactly what they'd come here to find: two White Fang troops were standing not twenty feet from where he was hiding.
Ruby reappeared next to him and was about to say something, but he held up a finger to silence her, then pointed at the target.
"What was what?" one of the troops asked indifferently.
"I thought it heard a Beowolf or... something," the other one replied.
"Hm. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base," said the first one as he began to walk away.
"This place gives me the creeps," the second one said.
As the two of them walked away, Delsin and Ruby smiled at each other.
They started following them, making sure to stay out of sight. It was surprisingly easy, as apparently the Faunus they were following never heard them. The White Fang troops never even turned around. After a few minutes, they knew they had to be close. Their targets had just rounded a corner and had begun to enter a building. When they saw that their targets had finally stopped somewhere, Ruby pulled out her Scroll.
"Dang it! No signal!" she said.
"Come on, we'll circle back for the others," Delsin told her.
The three of them started walking back. Delsin walked quickly, finding himself surprisingly eager to get back and show what they'd found. Then he heard the ground crack behind him. His blood turned to ice as he turned around.
"Ruby, move!" he shouted, motioning for her to come to him.
Ruby tried, but the ground gave way before she could move. She and Zwei fell into the opening but Ruby managed to grab one of the edges. With her other hand, she grabbed Zwei's collar and threw him back to safety. As the ground continued to split apart, Delsin frantically unfurled his chain and threw it to her. Just as the shard she was clinging to fell away, Ruby grabbed for the chain.
She missed it by a fraction of an inch.
"Ruby!" he screamed, rushing to the edge.
She was gone. The cavern below was too dark to see clearly, especially at night.
"Arf!" Zwei barked, standing next to the edge.
Delsin shook it off quickly and grabbed Zwei.
"We need to get the others. Now."
Delsin bolted back to camp.
O00000O00000O
Yang yawned as her shift on watch ended.
"Hey Eugene," she said, "It's your...Ruby?"
Yang's eyes fell on her sister's empty bedroll.
"Hey," she said nervously, "Where's Ruby?"
"What did you say?" Alex asked.
Doctor Oobleck barreled down the stairs of the upper floor.
"What," he said groggily.
Zwei ran into the room as fast as his four little feet could carry him, right up to Yang.
"Zwei?" she said.
"Guys!" Delsin shouted.
"Delsin!" Blake exclaimed, "What's wrong?"
"Ruby's in trouble!" he said.
"What happened?" Yang asked in alarm.
"Zwei woke us up because he had to pee and when we went out to get him we overheard some voices and found two White Fang members just a little bit away from here. We followed them back to their base and were on our way back here to get you but the ground fell through and she fell into a hole, so she's down somewhere and she needs help!"
"Lead the way," Dr. Oobleck said solemnly.
O00000O00000O
Delsin led them back to the spot where he'd seen Ruby fall.
"Right there," he said, pointing to the large hole in the ground.
Doctor Oobleck approached the hole and knelt down to inspect it.
"Oh my," he said breathlessly.
He gasped as realization dawned.
"Of course!" he shouted, "Of course, of course, of course!"
"What is it?!" Blake asked.
"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck shouted again.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Eugene asked.
"Mountain Glenn!" Oobleck shouted, "Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm, previously home to thousands of people. Working people, commuting to the city, the main city, developed a subway system to the inner city-"
"Wait," Alex said, "Caves. The subway tunnels they made were made from huge naturally formed caves! When the Grimm attacks peaked, the citizens moved underground to get away from them!"
"Precisely!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed, "The south-east quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"
"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked.
"My dear, we aren't just looking for an underground crime network-" Oobleck started.
"We're looking for an underground crime network!" Alex finished, gesturing to the giant hole in the ground.
"They've been working in caves?" Blake asked.
"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion!" Doctor Oobleck explained, "It worked for a short period of time thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense and unique transportation."
"The people who lived here made big subway system to carry people from Mountain Glenn, back into Central Vale!" Alex continued, "But without Vale's natural border defenses, Mountain Glenn was doomed!"
The group moved closer to the hole.
"As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival," Doctor Oobleck explained.
"They took up shelter beneath the city, and cut themselves off from the surface," Alex continued.
"An underground village," Eugene said in awe.
"Makes sense," Delsin commented, "Most of the buildings would be intact wouldn't they?"
"In a manner of speaking, at least. Until-" Oobleck started.
"A mining accident, supposedly, no one knows for sure. Either way, an explosion opened up a new cave," Alex said, "Grimm poured in. they never stood a chance."
"After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the worlds largest tomb," Doctor Oobleck said.
He pulled out his coffee thermos.
"If Ruby is down there," he continued, changing the thermos to its weapon form, "We must find her."
O00000O00000O
Ruby hit the ground a few seconds after she fell. Normally such a fall would result in serious injury, but for someone with an unlocked Aura, it was like falling off a ten-foot ladder: it hurt but not much else. The young girl shook off her fall quickly and stood up. She looked around the giant cavern she had fallen into and was amazed at what she saw.
The ruins of a subterranean city sprawled in front of her. She noticed that it was in at least slightly better condition than the one above ground, but she didn't get to look around for long. She heard a door click open behind her.
"Freeze!" she heard someone say.
She spun around and found herself face to face with a pair of White Fang troops with guns pointed right at her.
"Where did she come from?" one of them asked.
Ruby tried to back away from them but quickly remembered she was on a rooftop, and given the current state of her Aura, she wouldn't survive the next fall.
"You're a long way from home, little girl," the other one said.
Ruby reached back to get Crescent Rose, but it wasn't there. She remembered that she dropped it a few seconds before she fell. She gasped, and one of the terrorists grabbed her arm.
"Hey! Hands off!" she shouted, breaking his grip.
She tried punching him to get him to back off, but he didn't so much as twitch at her attacks. The Faunus holding her countered with a right hook to the face, making Ruby tumble over onto the rooftop.
"The boss is gonna wanna see this one," the same one said.
Then, he kicked her in the face, and Ruby passed out cold.
CHAPTER END
So you may have noticed I cut out all of the conversations between the ladies of Team RWBY about why they wanted to become Huntresses. I did that on purpose because honestly, I felt like since most if not all of the people reading this story have watched RWBY before and thus already know what they said (and if you are reading this and haven't watched the show, well then what are you even doing with your life.)
Plus, honestly, if I had taken the time to write it down, it just would have bloated an already exceedingly long chapter with even more dialogue. So, I did away with it.
Ok, now that that's done, I hope you enjoyed yourselves, thank you for the kind words, all of you. Come back in two weeks for the next chapter.
I promise you won't want to miss it.
