Chapter 26
"Professor Oobelck?" Weiss asked with uncertainty after calming down.
"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary girls." Oobleck replied while pacing back and forth, "Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations, rather we will be traversing several miles of hazard wasteland and making camp at any expendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all of our essentials myself, prodded the air course and readied the airship. And," he then got up into Weiss' face, "it's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the P.H.D. for fun, thank you very much."
"Uhhhhhh…." Was all the heiress said in response.
"Come now, children. According to my schedule we are already three minutes behind…schedule." The teacher said before dashing off to the bullhead.
"Well, alright then." Ruby said, "Looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck, okay, yeah. When you say it out loud, it sounds worse."
"Save the world?!" shouted the voiced of Nora as she and Team JNPR walked up to Team RWBY, "You're going on world saving missions without us?! I'M SO SAD!"
Her stomach then growled.
"Maybe a little hungry. That last one's not your fault though. Ren." She then looked at Ren, angerly.
"Sounds exciting." Jaune said, "Where're you going."
"Oh, just outside the kingdom." Ruby answered.
"Hey! So are we!" Nora chimed in.
"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha said.
"We set out tomorrow." Ren clarified.
"Then you can party with us tonight!" Said Neptune as he and Sun showed up. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."
Jaune saw stars at hearing this from amazement.
"We normally go to the city with you guys and Theodore," Sun said, "which means stuff's always exploding and junk. So, we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's…you know…normal."
"Well- "Ruby was about to speak before she was interrupted.
"FOUR MINUTES, LADIES!" shouted the voice Dr. Oobleck. They all smiled awkwardly at hearing his voice.
"Well uh…wish us luck." Ruby said before she and her whole team went onto the bullhead. Once they got in though they saw a boy standing next to Oobleck. He looked about 18-19 years of age, had both black hair and eyes. His height was 5'9", her wore a red and yellow sweater, blue jeans, black and white sneakers. He was currently drinking from a soda cup.
"Once the bullhead takes off, we can converse." Oobleck stated and the girls took their places on the bullhead. Once it took off, the girls started to talk among themselves.
"Who is he?" Weiss asked.
"I have no idea." Blake replied.
"Think he's another transfer student?" Ruby asked.
"I doubt it." Yang said, "Theodore would've informed us."
"Theodore?" said a new voice. Team RWBY turned to see the boy walking up to them. "Theodore Constantine?"
"You know him?" Yang asked suspiciously.
"He's a friend!" the boy answered with a smile then held out his hand. "I'm Billy Batson."
"Yang Xiao Long."
"Blake Belladonna."
"Weiss Schnee."
"Ruby Rose."
"I've already met your professor."
"Doctor!" Oobleck stated.
"Sorry."
"Are you from the earth, like Theodore?!" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Uh…w-what makes you think that I-I'm from another w-world?" Billy asked nervously.
"It's alright." Blake interjected, "Theodore told us everything."
"He did?" he got a nod from everyone. "Phew. That makes things a whole lot easier. Yes, I am."
"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Ruby shouted.
"I'm glad you all have made a new friend," Oobleck said, "but we must focus on the job at hand."
"Oh, that's right. You're taking these students on a mission." Billy said then turned back to Team RWBY, "I'll be in the back if you need me. Think of me as the third wheel."
He then walked to the back of the bullhead, so the girls could talk with their teacher.
"Doctor Oobleck," Yang started, "I never saw you as a fighter."
"I admit, I fancy myself as more of a…intellectual," Oobleck replied, "but I can assure you. As a huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."
"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.
"Those are truffles." Blake said.
"Like the sprout?"
"Those are Brussels." Yang replied.
"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dawdling in the archeological surveys," Oobleck continued, "our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular…assignment."
"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.
"Why what a preposterous question you silly girl!" Oobleck replied, "Why history is the backbone of very society! And the liver! Probably, the kidneys if I were to wager!"
This professor has got a few screws loose. Billy thought to himself.
"And that means…"
"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures."
"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said,
"That's right. It was an expansion of Vale," Yang added, "but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."
"Correct!" Oobleck stated, "And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder."
"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake added.
"Precisely."
Looking out, they saw their destination. It looked like a twenty first century ghost town. Most of the buildings were falling apart from either damage and decay or were left unfinished. When the bullhead was a few feet from the ground, all five teens and the teacher jumped out and landed on the ground. The ship then flew away leaving them in the city. Team RWBY all had awesome poses until they heard a slurping sound. Turning to the source, they saw Billy drinking from his soda cup. Feeling eyes on him, he looked to the four girls.
"I ruined the moment, didn't I?" he asked.
"You think?!" Yang replied.
Looking back towards the town, expecting to see Grimm, all they saw was a few tumbleweeds roll by.
"Ladies!" Oobleck said getting Team RWBY's attention, "You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as huntresses has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"
They nodded their heads. The doctor then noticed the silver eyed girl's backpack.
"Ruby!" he exclaimed, causing her to drop her weapon. "I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."
"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet." Ruby replied. "So, I didn't."
"She's not wrong." Billy said to the doctor who nodded in agreement.
"Very well Ruby." Oobleck said, "Leave your bag here. We can pick it up upon our return."
"But-well-I-uh…" Ruby stammered.
"Young lady! What in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring with- "
He stopped mid-sentence when the familiar head of Zwei popped out of the bag. Everyone had looks of surprise on their face, including Oobleck.
"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered to Zwei hoping that he would obey, and everyone wouldn't notice. The only reply she got was a bark.
"We're here," Oobleck started very sternly, "to investigate an abandoned, urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought…a dog?"
"I…uhhhh…"
"GENUIS!"
Oobleck then dashed around the girls, grabbing Zwei in the process, holding him in the air, while still spinning.
"Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound!" he stated excitedly, "Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!"
Zwei just barked in agreement.
He, definitely, has a few screws loose. Billy thought.
"I'm a genius." Ruby stated triumphantly, while Yang facepalmed herself at hearing this.
"So, what are your orders Doctor?" Blake asked bringing Oobleck out of his excitement.
"Awe, yes! Straight to the chase! I like it!" Oobleck said while dropping Zwei, "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being-Grimm!"
He stayed silent for five seconds before Ruby spoke up.
"Uhhh…what?" She asked.
"Grimm. A creature of Grimm, approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment."
"What?!" Yang exclaimed, and all four girls turned around to see a Beowulf behind them the exact distance Oobleck said. Surprisingly, it had not noticed them, and all four girls readied their weapons.
"Stop." Oobleck whispered, causing all five teens to look at him.
"Huh?" Blake replied.
"Why?" Billy asked, "Let them take it out."
"There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area." He answered, "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."
"So…what now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait. We track. If the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.
"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for more than months-and there's the whole pack."
As if on cue, more Beowulves showed up by the tens.
"What?" Weiss stated.
"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said.
"What?!"
"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!"
"I take it tracking is out of the question?" Ruby asked.
"An accurate assumption, yes."
"What's the plan then?!" Yang asked as the Grimm started to charge at them.
"Show me what you're capable of."
Ruby then stabbed her scythe into the ground for better aim.
"Cover your ears Zwei." Ruby said, and the dog obeyed. Billy watched as all four girls took out the pack with ease. He had surprise and amazement written all over his face.
Did I get sent to another world or straight into an anime with butt kicking girls? He thought to himself. Looking around he saw that the whole pack was demolished.
"Heh. Piece a cake." Ruby said as Oobleck walked up to them.
"Do not celebrate yet." He told them, "For I am certain this is first bout of many."
He was right. While scouring through the city, they ran into more Grimm that needed to be dealt with. While Team RWBY was fighting them, though, Doctor Oobleck looked to be only examining through the whole trip. Either their fighting styles or anything that looked abnormal. Billy kept a safe distance from the fight, still acting as the third wheel and drinking his soda.
Is this guy even going to help? He thought to himself seeing the team panting and Oobleck just standing around.
"Excellent work girls!" Oobleck said at seeing them successfully take out another pack of Grimm. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh well! Moving on!"
He then started to walk off with the teens following close behind.
"Hey Doc," Yang said, "you know I was actually looking forward seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like, fighting or, at least, helping us fight?!"
"Ahh! But I am in action!" Oobleck replied, "Scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity! Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism girls. Sometimes it's just a heightend form of examination. Remember, this is a job…and you all signed up for it. Well, all except Mr. Batson. I do hope you understand that."
"Well…yeah." Yang replied a little upset, "O-Of course."
"Hey!" Billy exclaimed, "Don't insult me!"
At that moment, lone Beowulf appeared from nowhere and charged at Billy. Blake immediately grabbed him and pulled him out of harms way. The Grimm skidded away from them a good 30 feet. Everyone crowded around Billy while Oobleck checked him for injuries.
"Are you alright, Mr. Batson?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"No…my drink." Billy replied pointing in the direction where he was attacked. Everyone looked to see his cup cut to ribbons and his soda spilled on the ground. Billy then turned to where the Grimm was getting back on its feet.
"That's what your upset about- "Weiss didn't get to finish as Billy ran straight towards the Grimm.
"You're dead, Fido!" he exclaimed while running. The Beowulf noticed him and started running towards him as well.
"MR. BATSON!" Oobleck shouted, seeing the boy getting closer to the Grimm.
"SHAZAM!" Billy shouted and out of the blue, a bolt of lighting came down and struck him. All four girls screamed in shock, while Oobleck stood as stiff as stone and the Beowulf skidded to a halt. There was still dust and smoke surrounding where the lighting struck. When the smoke cleared, though, they didn't see a charred body, but a man standing there.
He was 6'2", had black hair and eyes along with a beard. He wore a red suit with a gold and white lightning bolt on his chest. He also had gold wrist bands and boots. The suit also had a white with gold outlined cape complete with a hood. He was also very muscular, looking like he could lift a car with no problem.
Before the Beowulf could register what had happened, the man dashed towards it, in the blink of an eye, and punched it. The Grimm flew straight out of the city and into the sky. The teacher and most of his students were wondering who this man was and where Billy's body had disappeared to. Ruby, however, had a different idea.
"Billy…is that you?" she asked with uncertainty. The man then turned to the silver eyed student and gave her a thumbs up with a grin.
"Yup! It's me!" said the man who was confirmed as Billy. "I forgot to mention that I'm one of Earth's superheroes."
Ruby had stars in her eyes at hearing this. Standing a few feet from her, the team and teacher was an actual superhero.
"I must admit, I did not see this coming." Weiss said.
"You think you're the only one?" Blake added.
"What's your superhero name?" Yang asked Billy.
"The word I shouted out." Billy replied, "Shazam."
"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I must say…" Oobleck finally spoke, "That was unexpected. A real-life superhero walking among us in a boy's body. Well, if you are willing, would you like to help the girls in combat in case the Grimm become a huge problem?"
"Of course, I would." Billy responded, "It would be an honor."
From then on when the Grimm decided to come in the hundreds, Shazam came in to help. Everyone got to see his powers. His super strength, super speed, flight, and firing electricity from his hands. During that time, though, Oobleck started to ask questions to each of his students.
"Tell me, Yang." He asked the blond brawler, "Why did you choose this line of work?"
"Huh?" Yang said, Oobleck just now grabbing her attention from watching Shazam grab a pillar and chuck it at a few Beowulves. "Well, to fight monsters and save- "
"No!" Oobleck interrupted, "That is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a huntress."
"The honest reason? I'm a thrill seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can, and if I help people along the way then that's even better. It's a win-win you know."
"I see."
Oobleck then moved to the next spot to find Weiss fighting some Grimm. He took a seat on one of the walls and started writing. When he was done, he questioned the young heiress.
"And you Miss Schnee," he started, "a girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So, why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"
"It's exactly as you said." Weiss said after defeating all the Grimm, "I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I wanted to do with my life. It was my duty."
"Interesting."
Leaping off the wall, he went in search for Blake. He found her dealing with some small Nevermores.
"And what about you, Blake?" he asked, "You seem to carry yourself in a sense of purpose."
"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing." She replied, "Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stop it."
"Very well. How?"
"I…uh…" Blake didn't have an answer for that and Oobleck left her to ponder on it. He found Ruby, with a cooked turkey on the end of her scythe, playing with Zwei. Shazam arrived next to him watching the interaction, trying not to laugh. When Ruby noticed her professor and the super hero standing by her, she put her weapon away, as well as the turkey.
"Sorry." She said, "Uh…are we ready to keep going?"
"No." Oobleck replied, "I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon."
He then threw his bag to one of the girls who were standing behind him. Hearing a grunt, he knew Yang caught it.
"You three set up camp at that building. Oh, and please do make sure that there are no more of those…creatures. Your leader, Shazam and I are going to scour the perimeter. Come Ruby. Come Shazam."
"Please, just call me Billy or Mr. Batson. You don't have to use my superhero name all the time." Shazam replied and walked with Oobleck and Ruby. Zwei followed close behind the three humans. When all for walkers got to a clearing, they saw an amazing view. Trees that made up a forest and mountains in the background. What caught their attention though were the things that looked like elephants walking through the trees. These elephants looked different though. They were black with Grimm masks and spikes protruding from their backs.
"Woah." Ruby exclaimed then turned to Oobleck. "What is that? It looks awesome!"
Looks intimidating to me. Billy thought.
"That my dear girl…is a Grimm." Oobleck replied. Ruby was both impressed and intimidated by what she was seeing. Those giants were Grimm and looked dangerously close to the city limits. She activated her weapon in sniper form.
"Let's kill it." She stated and cocked her gun.
"I'm afraid the only one capable of doing that right now is Shazam." Oobleck intervened, "Your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size."
"But what if it attacks us?"
"Hello." Billy said, "Have you forgotten I was here?"
"Fret not Ruby. Those Goliaths are not concerned with us. Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtably lived hundreds of years, and in their time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they've done one important thing. They've learned. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength…we make up for in will. And that killing one human…will only bring more."
"Then…why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"
"Waiting."
Waiting for what? Ruby thought to herself.
One Goliath stopped walking and looked towards where the huntsman, student, and super-hero were. After five seconds of looking, it continued on its way with the rest of the herd. Oobleck then turned and started to walk away. Ruby took one last look at the Grimm before putting her weapon away and following her teacher with Shazam right behind her. While walking though, Ruby had a question that she needed to ask.
"Doctor Oobleck?" she started.
"Hm?" the teacher answered.
"I was wondering…"
"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" he assumed and stopped walking to turn and look at her. She and Shazam stopped as well.
"A-A-Actually, I was wondering…why did you want to become a huntsman?"
"Look around and tell me what you see."
"Lots of old buildings…empty streets."
"I see lives that could have been saved." Oobleck then turned and continued to walk with Ruby and Shazam following. "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. As a teacher I am able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it into the hands of every student that passes through my class room. I look at this wasteland and I see live 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…I would rather be."
"Hey, uh…" Shazam interjected, "I hate to break up the moment of student and teacher bonding, but do either of you have Theodore's phone number? I was hoping to talk to him in person but seeing as he is not here, I have to go with the alternative."
"I've got Theodore's number." Ruby said excitedly and pulled out her scroll. She was about to dial when Shazam stopped.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, "Theodore probably won't recognize me in my manly voice. I be right back."
Moving thirty feet away, he shouted the name and another lightning bolt struck him. When the smoke cleared, he was once again, Billy Batson. He then walked back to Ruby.
"Okay. Now, I'm good." He said with a smile. Ruby then dialed the number and handed her scroll to Billy.
Blake sat by the fire, making sure it didn't go out right after she lit it. Weiss just stood by, lost in her own thoughts. Yang then walked up with an upset look on her face.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything." She said.
"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time." Blake replied, "I guess we can't always have luck on our side."
"That's not what I meant." Weiss suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"Earlier. About…upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that."
"Yeah. No, me too." Yang added, "I mean…I don't know."
"I don't know either." Blake also added, "I know what I want to do, but…I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."
"Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?"
Neither Weiss or Blake answered Yang. They just stared at the fire. Their quiet time was interrupted by Oobleck as he dashed towards the fire and started to warm himself.
"Ah wonderful!" he exclaimed, "A textbook campfire!"
"Fire!" Ruby exclaimed with a happy shout and sat down next to it. Billy joined her a second later. "So warm."
"You can say that again." Billy said.
"Very good." Oobleck interjected, "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 first watch?"
"Yoh." Ruby said while raising her hand. As she stood up, she felt her hand grabbed and turned to see Billy hand her back her scroll. She nodded as 'Thank you' accepted her scroll. She then placed it in her pocket and started walking to the side of the building to keep watch. Before, she got there, though, Yang stopped her.
"Hey." She said, "Did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a huntress? I mean…what did you tell him?"
"Hmm. No, he didn't." Ruby replied, "Weird. Oh well, good night guys."
Ruby then walked off to where she needed to be leaving Yang, Weiss and Blake to settle down of the night. In the darkness, somewhere in the city, a bunch of Beowolves howled causing Zwei, who was sitting right next to Ruby, to whine out of fear.
"Don't worry." She assured her dog while petting him, "Things will be better tomorrow."
(During Team RWBY's Adventure)
Saying Team CATT were skeptical would be an understatement. Each one of them was past that point since they got on the bullhead. The huntsman they were following was the story teller, Professor Port, who at the moment was telling one of his stories instead of debriefing them on the mission. Theodore had a straight face but, on the inside, he was annoyed. Clair's tiger ears were flattened on his head because he was tired of hearing the story. Argent was calmly listening and hoping for him to be done so that he could tell them what to do. Titian's patience, however, had reached its end. He stomped his foot getting the attention of his team and the professor.
"We're suppose to be on a mission!" he exclaimed to Port, "Not hearing stories from the past!"
"My apologies, young Ironwood." Port apologized, "I was so caught up in the story I completely forgot why we were on the bullhead in the first place."
You think? Clair thought sarcastically.
"Now, as you may all know, this is a search and rescue mission. Being a huntsman doesn't mean just killing Grimm. It also means to protect the innocent! As I'm sure, Mr. Constantine has been demonstrating during his whole career in Vale."
"Thanks for the complement." Theodore replied, "So, the mission said we were saving a child, but didn't go into details."
"Ah, yes! The child is the daughter of the mayor of a village near the remains of Mountain Glenn. She was kidnapped over twenty-four hours ago. The kidnappers also left a note on her bed which I have at this moment."
Port then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Handing it to Argent, the silver haired student unfolded it and read what was written on it. What was on it made him see red.
Mayor,
We have your daughter, Sapphire. Don't worry, she's alive and well…for now. Unless you deliver to us 100,000 lien, your little girl won't live to see another day. Come to the forest near Mountain Glenn by sundown and bring the money. Don't try to contact any huntsman or your daughter will swing from a tree by the neck.
Argent handed the note to each of his teammates while trying to contain his anger. Each member read showing their own anger. When it reached Clair, though, after reading it he shredded it until there was nothing left. This action left Professor Port stunned.
"How do people like them sleep at night?!" he asked in an angered tone.
"People who don't care for the well being of others." Argent replied in a disgusted tone, "Only themselves."
"When we find them," Theodore said, "lets be sure to hurt them before we arrest them."
"As much as I too would like to see these ruffians put in their place," Port intervened, "I need you four to control your anger until we come up with a plan."
"Oh, don't worry. I already have one."
Once they had touched down, Team CATT and Professor Port immediately set up camp. When they were finished, Theodore explained his plan. Once they had tracked the kidnappers down, one of the teammates would create a distraction while another would get the girl to safety. Once that was done, they would go on the assault and bring the kidnappers in. Port was impressed with the plan and decided to follow along with it.
Clair was able to track where the kidnappers had disappeared to after searching half an hour for tracks. While following the half-Faunus, Port started to ask some questions.
"Mr. Silvermane." He said addressing to Argent, "Why did you choose to become a huntsman?"
"Why?" Argent replied, "I've seen people suffer because there are not enough huntsman and huntresses willing to go beyond the kingdoms borders. I want to be a huntsman that will go beyond his comfort zone and help those in need."
"Ha ha! You will become a true huntsman when you graduate!"
Walking ahead, Professor Port came up next to Titian.
"Young Ironwood. As the son of one of the most esteemed soldiers in Atlas, why would you choose this life over one that has more benefits?"
"If you've forgotten," Titian replied, "I've been a soldier my whole life. I had to follow orders without question even if they were questionable. As a huntsman, I can make my own choices without putting innocent lives at risk or taking any lives."
Port just nodded his head in understanding and walked on. He then noticed Theodore, who was looking ahead and Clair who was jumping from tree to tree. Stopping on one, he raised his hand for everyone to freeze. Once they had, he jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground. Taking a few sniffs, he bent down and spotted a footprint.
"They came through here." He told them, "Six maybe seven of them. One of them was caring the girl. She was crying the whole way, probably out of fear and sadness."
"Astounding!" Port said in amazement, "Have you just learned to use this skill?!"
"I've been using it since I started my one-man war against the White Fang."
"That's right! As the Butcher once, why did you decide to become a huntsman?"
That question caught Clair by surprise and didn't speak for ten seconds before answering.
"I guess…" he started, "it was thanks to Theodore. He stopped me from killing more Faunus and from what I was becoming. A creature of darkness and vengeance. A monster. I may not be able to change the past, but I can walk towards a brighter future. That's why I chose to become a huntsman."
Port once again nodded his head in understanding and Clair continued leaping through the trees. Once everyone started to move forward again, Theodore took a few steps back to walk next to Port.
"Professor why are you questioning my team?" he asked.
"I wanted to see if their choices to become huntsmen were sincere." The professor replied, "I already know why you want to become a huntsman. Though, I must say, you are already considered a hero in all of Vale. Some people become huntsman for either fame or fortune. Your team shows both honor and valor in wanting to become defenders of humanity. Very few have those traits."
Before Port could say anything else, Clair raised his hand up for everyone to stop walking. Pointing somewhere, everyone followed his gaze to see smoke in the air. Taking cautious steps, everyone crept close while staying hidden in the shadows of the trees. What Port saw made him both amazed and shocked. There were seven bandits in the group, five men and two women, armed with weapons. Sitting near the fire was the person they had come to rescue.
She looked to be nine years old, had dark blue hair and sky-blue eyes. She was wearing school uniform, showing she was taken was she was at school. Her hands and legs were tied so that she couldn't escape. Her eyes were a bit red, showing that she had been crying. Seeing the sight made Port want to charge in their and teach the bandits a lesson but couldn't without endangering the girl's life.
"Looks like sundown is here." One of the male bandits said, "The mayor hasn't shown up with our money yet."
"Well, you know what that means." Said one of the of female bandits and pulled out a rope that was tied into a noose. She then started walking towards the girl, who had fear written all over her face and fresh tears coming out. "Guess daddy doesn't love you."
"WAIT!" called a voice. The bandits turned to what looked like a sheriff coming towards them with a bag. He was five feet from them when he had weapons trained on him. Stopping in his tracks, he raised his hands in a defensive manner.
Who is that? Port thought to himself.
"I have the money you asked from the mayor, in exchange for Sapphire's life." The sheriff said while holding the bag out to them. One of the male bandits motioned for one of them to get the bag. One complied and grabbed the bag from the sheriff. Opening it to check the contents he saw it was full of lien, exactly 100,00 in total.
"It's all here!" the bandit said turning to his companions, "Every last bit! The mayor paid up!"
"You have the money. Now, I would like to take Sapphire home." Before the sheriff could advance any further though, a sword was put to his neck.
"Who said your taking her home?" the other female bandit asked.
"The deal was the money for Sapphire's life!"
"True, but the note didn't say you could take her back." Another one of the bandits said with a smirk.
What's going on?! The sheriff is ruining the plan! Port thought to himself and noticed that Theodore and Clair were missing. Looking back towards the commotion, he noticed that Sapphire was floating in the air with a scared look on her face. Not one of the bandits were noticing what was going on behind them.
"She's not going anywhere!" the bandits said, "That is our final decision."
"That's too bad for you." The sheriff said with a smile and swung a sword at them. The bandits dodged, wondering where he got the weapon. The appearance then faded away to that of Theodore in an instant. The bandits were shocked while Port was surprised.
So that is what he meant by distraction! Port thought.
"It's Theodore Conestrain!" one of the bandits exclaimed.
"IT'S CONSTANTINE!" Theodore shouted, and the fight started. All seven bandits charged at Theodore, but some were intercepted by Titian and Argent. Port watched in astonishment as Theodore and most of his teammates handled themselves. Just then, he saw Sapphire floating to him. She stopped a few feet away from him and Clair materialized in front, holding her. He handed her to Port who took her into his arms and comforted her.
"It's alright. You're safe now." He said, and Sapphire calmed down, realizing she was safe. Port then looked to Clair. "How were you able to…"
"My semblance is invisibility." Clair answered then dashed towards where the fighting was. Port and Sapphire watched as Team CATT took down the bandits as if it was nothing. Once they had defeated them, they tied them up to make sure they wouldn't escape.
"Not so fun when you're the victim, is it?" Argent asked in an angry voice.
"What happens now?" one of the female bandits asked.
"Sapphire goes home, and you go to prison." Titian replied.
"WELL DONE, STUDENTS!" Port shouted, "WELL DONE!"
After returning Sapphire home, the group returned to their camp, though some of the villagers took pictures with them first. Once they had reached camp, Port decided to tell some more stories to the boy's dismay. He was interrupted when he heard a ring come from one of his students scrolls. Theodore showed it was his by raising it in air, revealing Ruby's ID on the screen. Standing up, he walked away to answer by hitting the green icon.
"Hey Ruby." He started.
"Sorry, you're talking to the wrong person." Said a boy's voice.
"Who are you and how did you get Ruby's scroll?!" Theodore asked in a threatening manner.
"Whoa! Calm down Merlin Jr. If I had known you were going to act like that, I would've waited to see you in person."
That nickname caught Theodore by surprise. The only person who ever called him that was…
"Billy Batson?" he asked, "Is that you?!"
"The one and only." Billy answered.
"Hey man! How have you been and how did you get to Remnant?!"
"I'm good and long story short, your dad sent me here to find you."
"My dad huh? Worried about me?"
"Why wouldn't he be? You disappeared out of the blue and no one could find you."
"How did he send you to the right place, though?"
"He went back to the theater and looked for some of your magic residue. Then, he narrowed down the location and sent me here to come find you."
"So, you ended up with Team RWBY?"
"Yup. Gotta say, I thought I would have to help them, but let me tell you. They are no damsels in distress. If a dragon was dumb enough to try and capture them, they would kill the dragon and make clothes out of its scales."
"Yeah, that's Team RWBY for you."
"Oh, almost at the camp. Got to go. Nice talking to you."
"Same here, Billy."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Theodore then hung up and walked back to the campsite. He took his usual seat and waited for Port to question him. As if on que…
"Good talk?" he asked.
"Yes, it was." Theodore answered, "Who's going to take first watch?"
"I'll take it." Titian said, "I can go six hours without sleep."
"Very well." Port said and walked off to his sleeping bag. Before he could settle down of the night, though, he saw Theodore walk up to him.
"Professor." He said.
"Yes?" Port answered.
"With your permission, I would like to head to Mountain Glenn to search for possible White Fang activity. My teammates and I have a waiting period for when we are separated. If there is no contact for a certain amount of time, we come and search for one another. If you want us to wait for you- "
"Mr. Constantine." Port interrupted, "I have been around you long enough to know that you and your tea are responsible and will look out for each other. Besides, we already completed our mission, now go do your own."
Theodore looked at Port in surprise. A teacher from Beacon was allowing him to separate from the group and go on his own to search for the White Fang. Standing up and thanking Port for giving permission, he walked back to his team and told about what was going to happen. Once they were informed, they all headed off to bed, ready for what was going to happen in the morning.
AN: Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long to upload this chapter, but I had a-lot of projects to work on. However, YES! I have put a experienced hero in this chapter, SHAZAM! I will try to either add another or put in a different OC in the next few chapters. Until then, Sentinel Prime out!