RWBY: Son of Salem
Marek's POV, the next day
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I grabbed my scroll to check the time.
"Shit!" I got up and quickly changed into my hoodie and jeans, pulling on my red shoes as I was halfway out the door. 'I'm so fucking late!'
I ran out of the dorms and down the hall, making my way to the auditorium.
I barged through the doors.
"Mr. Marek." Ozpin said. "Glad you could join us."
I turned to him. "I'm sorry I'm late!" I said out of breath. "Did I miss anything?"
"Just the whole speech." he replied, taking a sip of coffee.
"Care to fill me in?" I asked.
"You're going to be joining team RWBY on a mission, since you don't have a team." he took another sip. "They're making their way to the landing pad now. I suggest you make your way there. And once you get back I want to talk to you."
"Sure." I told him as I ran out of the building and towards the landing pad. I ran passed students and quickly found team RWBY talking to team CFVY.
"Hey!" I yelled to them as I caught up.
"Marek?" Ruby asked.
"Ozpin said I was joining you guys on a mission." I told them.
"Hi, Marek!" Velvet waved.
"Hey, Velvet." I waved back. "How'd the mission go?"
"Fine." she smiled. "There were more than expected."
"I'm guessing it wasn't a problem with Coco and Yatsu. Oh! I have a question for you but that'll have to wait until we get back." I told her.
"What?" Velvet asked.
"It's a surprise." I told her.
She frowned as team RWBY started to walk away.
"I ever tell you that you look cute when you're annoyed?" I asked with a smirk.
She blushed and turned around.
"You'll be left behind if you stay any longer." she said.
"It's just so difficult to leave such a beautiful girl." I replied making her blush more.
"Get going." she said as she walked away.
I turned around and caught up with RWBY and...
"Professor...Oobleck?" I asked.
"Doctor." he corrected. "I will be accompanying you on this mission!"
"Oh...that'll be...fun?" I scratched the back of my head.
"Indeed!" he said. "Now, we must get going!" he dashed towards the bullhead.
I shrugged. "Let's get going." Ruby said.
An hour later, Mountain Glenn
"Whoa!" I said as we passed over the destroyed city in a bullhead.
"Indeed." Oobleck said. "This was one of the kingdom's greatest failures."
"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said.
"That's right, it was an expansion of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang added.
"Correct! And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder." Oobleck said.
"We're not just here to wipe out some Grimm, are we?" I asked.
"It's a likely place for a White Fang hideout." Blake said.
"Precisely."
"Oh." I shrugged. "This'll be fun."
We all hopped out of the bullhead as it flew low.
"Alright students, your first assignment as huntsmen and huntressess starts today. From here on out you need to do exactly as I say." Oobleck said. "Ruby!" he turned to the scythe wielder. "I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."
After he said that I noticed Ruby was wearing a backpack.
"But, uh you hadn't told us to listen to you yet...so I didn't." Ruby replied.
"She's not wrong." he said mostly to himself. "Very well Ruby leave your bag here we can pick it up upon our return."
"But, I-whaa"
"Young lady what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important for you to bring it-" he was cut off as a small dog popped it's head out of the bag.
"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility and you brought, a dog?" Oobleck asked.
"Uuh."
"Genius!" Oobleck snatched the little mutt out of Ruby's backpack. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound. Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!"
"I'm a genius." Ruby pointed to herself.
"So, what are your orders doctor?" Blake asked.
"Ah! Yes! Straight to the chase, I like it!" he dropped the dog. "As you have been informed the Southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior. One of which being, Grimm."
"Uh...what?" Ruby asked.
"Grimm, a creature of Grimm approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment." Oobleck replied.
We all turned around to see a Beowolf looking around for something.
RWBY pulled their weapons out as I crossed my arms.
"Stop." Oobleck ordered.
"Huh?"
"There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area." Oobleck replied. "The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."
"What now?" I asked.
"We wait, we track, if the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey." Oobleck said.
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.
"It's uncertain, hours, days, weeks, why lone Grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack." Oobleck replied.
A bunch of other Beowolves came out of the ruins.
"What?" Weiss shouted a little too loud.
"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said.
"What?!"
"And now they've seen us!" Oobleck shouted.
"I take it tracking is out of the question." Ruby said.
"An accurate assumption, yes."
"What's the plan then?" Yang asked.
There was a pause. "Show me what you're capable of."
I pulled my weapon off my back and walked towards the group of Beowolves. I cut the first one in half and kicked the top part of it into the next, knocking it over. I walked over and plunged my blade into it's chest, yanking upwards as another Beowolf swung at me, cutting it's paw off as well as cutting the other Beowolf in half from the chest up.
I rested my weapon on my shoulder as they started to surround me. I counted 9 Beowolves surrounding me.
"Hmph." I held my hand out and watched as the dust from the dead Grimm rushed to my palm. As the last spec reached me, a Beowolf pounced.
I ducked under it's swing and stabbed it in the chest, watching it slowly sink further on the blade before I yanked it out and kicked the Grimm to the ground.
As I stood back up the rest of the Grimm charged at the same time.
I spun in a circle, releasing the dust. The Grimm started to back away, rubbing their eyes with their paws.
I smirked as I rushed towards the closest one, cutting it's head off and kicking the decapitated head into another Beowolf, knocking it over.
I switched to my assault rifle and shot it in it's head before changing back to the sword.
I blocked a swing with the flat side of my blade as another Beowolf tried to sneak up behind me. I jumped up and put my feet against the one behind me, pushing off and knocking the Beowolf in front of me down.
I backflipped over another swing and sunk my sword into the Beowolf that I knocked over. I ripped it out and turned to the Beowolf behind me.
It crouched down before pouncing. I ducked under it, as it crashed into the one behind me, knocking them both over.
I walked over and slashed, cutting both of them in half, leaving 3 Grimm remaining.
I held my hand out and watched more dust from the fallen Grimm rush to my hand.
My red eye bagan to glow as I held my hand up. Dust danced between my fingers as I smirked. My smile widened as the black dust started to glow.
I swung my hand horizontally. The dust flew off my fingertips, spreading out and wrapping around the 3 Beowolves. The dust started to constrict, pulling the 3 closer together as I walked up and, with one swing, decapitated the 3 Grimm.
I put my sword on my back as my red eye went back to normal.
"Impressive." Oobleck said.
"Thanks." I told him as the others started to search the ruins for clues.
"Can you tell me something?" he asked. I turned to him. "Why do you want to become a huntsmen?"
"I didn't...at first." I told him. "But...I want to help people. I don't want a life of pain and neglect. I want to help others the way my friends helped me."
"And how did your friends help you?" Oobleck asked.
"I was distant when I first came to Beacon." I told him. "I still somewhat am. But I have friends, I'm not alone anymore. I have something I can fight for now instead of just living to live, ya know?"
He smirked. "I see."
I walked off to help look for clues.
A few hours passed and we came up empty handed.
"You four, set up in that building." Oobleck told me, Weiss, Blake and Yang. "Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come Ruby." the two walked off.
I walked into the ruined building and grabbed what I could to make a fire.
It took me a few minutes but I had finally started a fire and laid down.
"You didn't bring a sleeping bag?" Weiss asked.
I shrugged. "I'm fine without one." I told her as I rested my hands behind my head.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
I nodded.
A few minutes passed. Ruby and Oobleck came back. Ruby rushed to the fire, warming her hands.
"Eat your dinners and hurry to bed." Oobleck said. "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 first watch?"
"Yo." Ruby raised her hand.
I closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep.
End of chapter 11