Chapter 29
"Put your fists closer together, sis." Yang stated as she mimicked the correct stance.
"It feels like when we were younger…you know, before I started training and when you were still learning. I would always copy your workout sessions." Ruby laughed.
"Oh, yeah! I remember that. You were so cute when you tried to look serious and throw a punch." Yang cooed.
"But this isn't pretending anymore. We very well can't have you losing Crescent Rose on the battlefield and becoming dead weight." Weiss said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"You can just hear the love echoing from her voice." Blake said sarcastically before taking a drink of her water.
"S-shut up!" Weiss said in annoyance.
"Aww! She's concerned about me!" Ruby said.
Weiss scoffed. "Remember to use your semblance with your attacks. Don't expect to hit quite as hard as Yang. You're going to be more focused on quick jabs and a few strong, quick strikes." She said attempting to change the subject.
"Exactly." Yang said as she picked up a large punching bag filled with sand and hung it on a hook protruding from the wall. "I want you to attack this S-O-B with everything you've got." She stated.
Ruby readied herself in Yang's fighting stance and focused on her target. She lashed out at incredible speed attacking the punching bag from nearly all sides before returning to her starting position. The other ladies were impressed; it looked as though a red gust of wind and rose petals was abusing the punching bag. "How was that?" she asked.
"Not bad, but we need to mix it up a little. One of the worst things in hand-to-hand is going for the same attack over and over again." Yang said.
"Indeed. Ruby, were you focusing on attacking each individual point before actually striking them? Or was the whole punching bag your target?" Weiss asked.
"Umm. The whole thing, I guess." Ruby replied
"That's fine for large groups of people. But try focusing on the center point and attacking it with the full force of your semblance." Weiss stated.
Ruby returned to her fighting stance and stared directly in the center of the punching bag. She darted forward and punched as hard as her semblance would allow. When she opened her eyes, she was on the other side of the punching bag; she turned around and saw that she had ripped a hole on the left side…of someone else's punching bag.
"Were you aiming there, Rubes?" Yang asked with a smirk.
Ruby shook her head as she looked down in embarrassment.
"I hope that was just a fluke then." Yang stated.
"I can't really see in all that great of detail while moving at high speeds." Ruby said while still avoiding the eyes of her teammates.
"I thought you could control your body's chemistry. Can't you make your eyes better for the duration of your attack?" Blake asked.
"The eyes are already so close to the brain that any change I make would only have a significant effect over long periods of time. With my quick attacks, it doesn't really matter." Ruby explained with her eyes downcast on the ground.
"Sounds like you need more practice then. Maybe get a feel for focusing your body on directed movements at high speeds." Yang said.
"It's not that simple…" Ruby said.
"Listen, Ruby." Weiss said as she tilted her partner's chin up with her hand. "You are going to try again and again until you get it right. And you WILL get it right." She said in an authoritarian tone.
"I will? How?" Ruby asked.
"Because I said so." Weiss stated before taking her leader in a hug.
Yang looked to Blake and made a puking motion. "Get a room, guys!" Yang said in a deeper voice and looking around pretending as though someone else said it.
"On the inside, she's really happy." Blake said with a smile.
"The only thing inside of me that feels something is my stomach. Are you guys all done with your workouts?" Yang asked.
"I just finished." Blake said as she turned the screen on the gym's exercise bike off.
"Yeah. I'll start incorporating this into my workouts from now on." Ruby said.
"I'm all done, as well." Weiss said.
"Great. So…shower and food?" Yang asked.
"That sounds good." Blake said as she stepped off the bike and began walking to the locker room. Yang took one glance at her partner walking away before her eyes were glued to her posterior.
"Seriously?" Weiss asked as she crossed her arms.
"Don't hate just because you've got no libido." Yang said as Blake enter the locker room, interrupting her viewing session.
Weiss rolled her eyes before picking up her water bottle and making her way to the locker room. Ruby turned her eyes to Weiss' butt as she made her way to the door. "I don't get it…it's a butt." She said as she looked to her sister.
"With age comes wisdom, Ruby." Yang said as she patted her sister on the head and picked up her workout towel. "c'mon." she stated.
Ruby picked up her water bottle and caught back up to her sister as they both walked into the locker room.
"Have we confirmed who the captain of that submarine was?" Lionel asked.
"Yes. According to Miss Rose's description and the intel we've acquired, we have every reason to believe that it was Romanov Synther." Ozpin stated.
"That just doesn't make any sense. She was the one with the semblance to essentially void most of our defense technology. But they sent her in head first, without backup? And we know the mission itself was meant to be a distraction since the ships weren't carrying any munitions. Whatever they are planning could be made even better with her still alive." Ironwood stated.
"Honestly, I don't believe the White Fang leaders are calling the shots anymore. Ruby also said that Lieutenant Synther's eyes were glowing purple. That tells us she was being controlled and, since the beast's egg was incubating on the ship, it makes sense that everyone on board would be affected." Lionel said.
"An egg? This thing hatched?" Ironwood asked in disbelief.
"Well, it's not like another intelligent Grimm laid an egg. They took an egg from another Grimm and injected it with a cocktail of DNA from many other Grimm, among other things." Lionel stated.
"That's how it was born?" Ozpin asked.
"Reborn would be a better term. Whenever it is killed, it simply splits its' consciousness among all of the other Grimm in the World. This is what makes the Grimm specifically seek out negativity. When a large enough portion of its' consciousness is assembled in one being, it becomes aware and begins recalling the rest of its' mind." Lionel explained.
"It's never really going to actually be dead when we kill it then…right?" Ironwood asked.
"Unfortunately so. It will never die…at least, not in the conventional way we see death. This is why we kept this covered up for so many centuries. If it were common knowledge, then there would always come a person who thought that the world deserved this monster's rampage. Or those who think they can control it." Lionel stated.
"Which do you think the White Fang are? Eager for death and destruction or control freaks?" Ironwood asked.
"Probably some of both, more so the latter. They probably didn't expect for it to go this far." Lionel said.
"What will be our next course of action…with the girls, I mean." Ironwood asked to which Lionel sent glare toward Ozpin.
"Yes. I told him about how we believe that Team RWBY is the reincarnation of the Saviors. I think the time for secrets, between us at least, has far passed." Ozpin stated.
"I suppose that is true." Lionel said before thinking about his next choice of words. "Honestly, I think they need a lot more training…however, we don't have the time for that." Lionel said as he, again, thought about the situation carefully.
"General." Ironwood said gaining Lionel's attention. "What else aren't you telling us about the girls." He asked.
"I am interested as well…from what you've said, the Saviors only lengthy feet was killing this monster. While I am not discounting the effort they must have put in, most legends tend to be far greater in their majesty. The Knight-General and his unparalleled strength. The four Maidens and their incredible power. The Saviors, however, seem to be rather bland." Ozpin said.
"Indeed. What other power do they possess? Or are you simply clinging to past glory?" Ironwood asked.
"Well, for one, the whole reincarnation thing." Lionel said sarcastically to which Ironwood rolled his eyes. "As for what you're asking…I don't know. That's something I've thought about many of times…why are they so normal?" he stated.
"You have no clue?" Ironwood asked.
"Well, I have some ideas. But nothing concrete…or even significantly interesting. Honestly, I think they're going to show us their true power soon enough. That's not important right now; we need to get them ready for a fight." Lionel said.
"I saw them heading to the gym this morning. I believe that they have already taken it upon themselves to begin preparing." Ozpin said.
"The kind of preparedness they will need is far greater than anything this academy can muster. And I'm pretty sure that my training wouldn't be legal for minors anyway." Lionel joked.
"Do what you have to do in order to have them ready for the worst." Ironwood stated.
"That's really easy to say when they're not yours. Taiyang and Qrow have already informed me that they don't approve of me training Ruby and Yang for this…but they relented nevertheless. The Schnee family, however, is rather insistent." Lionel said with a smile.
"How do you mean?" Ozpin asked to which Lionel sent a message from his phone to each of the men.
"My goodness." Ozpin said.
"I don't even hear my drill sergeants speaking that way. An interesting metaphor and surprisingly graphic descriptions." Ironwood said.
"Yeah. But, that has only pushed me to train them even harder." Lionel said with a laugh before hearing the elevator door open.
"What's so funny guys?" Ruby asked as she and her team walked in.
"Weiss' parents." Lionel answered.
"Excuse me?" Weiss asked quizzically.
"You're not excused. Your parents are always fun to laugh at." Yang stated.
"Though they're not perfect, I don't think we should make fun of them." Weiss stated.
"She's right. We mustn't be rude. They are going to be the ones supplying us with the munitions needed for this endeavor." Ozpin said.
"So, have you guys figured out what's happening?" Yang asked as she pulled a chair from one of the desks, turned it backward, and sat down with her chin resting on the back of the chair.
"First of all, why are we meeting in one of the classrooms?" Weiss asked.
"The attack from the fleet, interestingly enough, began immediately after I was told about its' presence." Ironwood said.
"You believe that your office is bugged?" Weiss asked.
"That is more-or-less accurate. I don't have any evidence to support such a claim, but…it's better to be safe than be sorry." Ozpin stated.
"To answer Yang's question, we have begun piecing together the events of what took place." Lionel said.
"So, no. You haven't figured it out." Yang stated blandly.
"Correct." Lionel stated just as blandly.
"Do you have any other information regarding the Saviors you spoke of?" Blake asked.
Lionel, Ozpin, and Ironwood remained silent for a moment as though each of them was trying to think of an appropriate answer. Ironwood sighed, "Ladies, you should know–"
"–there is nothing that we wouldn't tell you in this situation. Trust me, we need all the help we can get. But, we've just been unable to figure out anything more about the Saviors." Lionel interrupted earning weary glances from both Ozpin and Ironwood.
"I see. Then what is our next course of action?" Blake asked.
"I need to return to the White Fang outpost with Qrow." Lionel said.
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"The White Fang are acting differently…and there's a distinct presence there. I feel like our new friend is hiding out there now. We never actually got a chance to take control of the area and if it is hiding there, we should find out why." Lionel stated.
"Okay, what do you want us to do?" Yang asked.
"For now, stay low and keep training. This is not something that should be solved with an all-out war. We need intelligence before we make any moves." Lionel explained as she stood up from his chair.
"That's it?" Ruby asked.
"That's it." Lionel replied.
"Boring." Yang stated.
"I know. But you have to remember, this is not something that happens every day. The potential for a Grimm invasion is real and I'm trying to make sure no one has to die due to it." Lionel said.
"I understand." Ruby said. "But…what do you plan on doing after you reach the outpost?" She asked.
"Well, I'm hoping to meet Qrow there and, if things are looking up, we'll try to get those coordinates again to bomb the place. If that monster is hiding out there, then it would be corrupting all of the White Fang in the outpost. If that's the case, they shouldn't be able to think critically and taking it over should be no problem." Lionel said.
"What would that actually accomplish?" Blake asked.
"I explained this before the four of you arrived, but basically the monster is not at full strength right now. It will take some time to regain his lost mind and it will take a bit for it to do that." Lionel stated.
"So if you can kick some ass before it's able to regain its' power?" Yang asked.
"Pretty much." Lionel affirmed.
"Well, keep us updated at least…we want to help." Ruby said.
"Trust me, ladies…you'll have your chance." Lionel said as he gathered his weapon from the ground, sheathed it on his back, and began walking to the door. "Wish me luck." He stated before exiting.
"I suppose I should be on my way as well…" Ironwood stated.
"Alright. Keep us informed if you find out anything new." Ozpin stated as Ironwood nodded his head in affirmation.
"And ladies…good luck." Ironwood stated.
"With what?" Yang asked.
"With everything." Ironwood said before his hologram disappeared.
"I am going to retire for the night. It has been a long day." Ozpin said. "Is there anything else you ladies need before I leave?" he asked as he stood up.
"No, sir. Have a good night." Ruby said.
"Indeed. Get some rest girls." Ozpin said as he left for the exit.
Yang sighed. "You guys hungry?" Yang asked.
"Again?!" Weiss stated.