*The security room is empty, save for a holographic note. It reads as such: [Jesus Christ, this was DELAYED. And to Phoenix Champion and all fans of this, I apologize for the unmistakable tardiness. And, that's inexcusable. Anywho, hopefully, I can get this out on time again.] Suddenly, a massive sonic boom hit the ship, causing the camera to cut out.*
In the reading room, teams RWBY, JNPR, STRQ, along with Sun, Neptune, Winter, Penny and the Guardian Forces are frozen as the elevator doors opened, revealing Tronmaster and Alicia exited the elevator.
"Jesus, this has been delayed like all hell." Tronmaster lamented as Alicia grabbed the hourglass.
"Yeah, no kidding. What with you finishing Fire Emblem Echoes' story, to focusing on the war with both Embla and Muspell." Alicia added.
"I wonder what that sonic boom was." Tronmaster mused.
"I dunno." Alicia shrugged, turning over the hourglass, unfreezing time.
"ACHOO!" Ruby sneezed as everyone snapped out of their collective trance.
"Ah, my neck." Summer groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Gesundheit." Tronmaster joked, earning a chuckle from Alicia.
"Hey guys, why is my neck so stiff?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, it's been awhile since we've read a chapter, hasn't it?" Alicia replied.
"No kidding." Raven added, "Let me guess, it's Nora's turn, right?"
"Bingo." Alicia answered, Jaune passing the book to Nora. Said hammer-crazy ginger beginning to read.
[No P.O.V.]
"Guess we're still on the lack of point of view." Glynda mused.
"I guess I never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang said addressing Doctor Oobleck.
"Yeah, Barty's a real string bean." Qrow japed.
'Don't blame you really.' Ifrit muttered, 'He hardly looks like a fighter.'
'He'd probably go into shock without his coffee.' Diablos joked.
"Yeah, he's attached to his coffee." Tai sighed.
"I admit I fancy myself as more of an intellectual, but I can assure you as a huntsman I've had my fair share of tussles." Oobleck said.
"And here we go." Ruby groaned, burying her head in her hands.
"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked tilting her head.
"Um, what?" Summer asked, chucking slightly.
"Although the rest of it isn't in the story, Ruby had a bit of a brainfart." Tronmaster explained, with a 'Thank you' from Ruby.
"Seriously?" Qrow chuckled.
"I was still processing the fact that we were shadowing freaking Oobleck." Ruby groaned.
'Those are truffles Ruby.' Alexander stated, 'Tussles are fights.'
"Oh right, never mind." Ruby muttered scratching her head.
"Talk about a brainfart." Sun joked, earning a short shock from Raiden, earning a berry from Tronmaster.
"Besides given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabbling in the archeological surveys my dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular... assignment." Oobleck stated.
"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.
"Oh dear lord, no." Glynda groaned.
"Why what a preposterous question you silly girl why history is the backbone of our very society, and the liver! Probably the kidneys if I were to wager." Oobleck said.
"The backbone analogy makes sense, but not so much the kidneys thing." Winter said, confused.
'The more I listen to this guy the more I worry for him.' Shiva said.
"What my other said." Shiva noted.
"Amen sister." Alicia added.
"And that means?" Weiss asked.
"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it also the location of one of the kingdom's greatest failures." Oobleck said.
"Along with the location of the headquarters of Merlot Industries." Tronmaster explained.
"And it's underneath the city where you'll find some mutated Grimm." Alicia added.
"Meep." Yang squeaked.
"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said rather darkly.
"I freaking hate Mountain Glenn." Ruby muttered.
'Excuse me, sleep away a couple of centuries, mind filling me in?' Diablos asked.
"Try drinking some coffee." Alicia joked, earning a middle finger from the demon-looking GF.
"Gonna need a Senzu for that one." Tronmaster muttered.
"That's right it was an extension of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang said.
"It's also possible that Doctor Merlot was responsible, if partially, for the fall of Mountain Glenn." Tronmaster explained.
"Dude sounded insane." Sun added, making Tronmaster nod in response.
"Correct and now it stands abandoned and a dark reminder." Oobleck said.
"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake said.
"Precisely." Oobleck said.
"And was it?" Penny asked.
"Yep. But we had to fight Oum-knows how many Grimm we had to fight." Weiss groaned.
The Bullhead dropped off the team in the middle of the colorless, crumbling city before flying off.
"I just realized something." Alicia noted, "Mountain Glenn looks like something out of Fallout."
"Team you maybe students but at this moment your mission as hunter and huntresses has begun, from this point forward you need to do exactly as I say, do you understand?" Oobleck inquired, looking over at Team RWBY before narrowing his sights directly on Ruby, "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all your bags at school!"
"Busted!~" Yang sang teasingly.
"Yang, don't tease your sister." Summer scolded.
"But you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't." Ruby defended.
'Smooth.' Alexander said flatly.
Ruby's reason ended up causing all of the readers to facepalm.
"Just end me already." Ruby groaned.
"She's not wrong, very well Ruby leave your bag here we can pick it up upon our return." Oobleck said.
"Brilliant idea doc." Neptune retorted, "Leave a corgi inside a bag in the middle of a wasteland."
"But I wa-" Ruby started.
"Young lady what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that's so important to bring with-" Oobleck started ut cut himself off as Zwei popped his head out of the bag, as well as Boko. Heck Ruby didn't even know Boko had gotten had gotten into the bag.
"That is one stealthy little bird." Glynda muttered.
"And knowing how Oobleck geeked out about Zwei, no doubt he'll freak out over Boko too." Blake added.
Silence filled the air for a good moment as everyone looked at the Corgi and Chocobo, "Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered, Zwei simply barked once instead of going back into hiding, while Boko chirped.
"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought, a dog, and a bird." Oobleck said very seriously.
"And freak-out in 3, 2, 1..." Blake counted down.
"I uh..." Ruby started.
"Genius!" Oobleck exclaimed walking away, before quickly rushing back and grabbing Zwei from Ruby's bag, knocking her over in the process.
"Jerk." Ruby mumbled, earning a peck on the cheek from Weiss.
"Canine's are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!" Oobleck said, Zwei barked.
"I'm a genius." Ruby said proudly before deflating, "Though I was certain Mom was taking care of Boko..."
"I would've too." Summer cooed, as Boko chirped.
"That is one ninja bird." Yang added.
Shiva then manifested completely to take Zwei from Oobleck, as did Ifrit, Diablos and Alexander seeing as they had no reason to hide now.
"He's such a cute little poochie~" Shiva cooed.
"And he's been learning from Pet Pals." Ifrit said proudly, "And I know you remember how Angelo turned out.
"Angelo?" Winter asked.
"Story will explain." Alicia answered, tossing another berry to Raiden, the Jolteon catching it.
"And Angelo was such a cute shepherd dog." Shiva continued, "Even if she was a terror in a fight when she came to Rinoa's aide."
"Rinoa?" Penny asked.
"One of the main characters of Final Fantasy VIII." Tronmaster replied, "And Squall's love interest."
"Oh yeah, Squall and Rinoa had it BAD for each other." Ifrit added with a chuckle.
"Those two..." Shiva sighed in remembrance.
"So, what are your orders doctor?" Blake asked.
"Ah yes straight to the chase, I like it." Oobleck said turning his attention to Team RWBY, "As you've been informed the southeast 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 confused.
"I swear, it's always shop talk with that guy." Yang said.
"There is a Beowolf approximately one hundred yards from our position right behind you." Alexander said causing the team to jump and spin around, readying their weapons.
"Stop." Oobleck said, "There are a number of reasons why a Grimm congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which is their attraction to negativity. Sadness, Envy, Loneliness, Hatred, all qualities that are likely our hidden group harboring ill intent." Oobleck said.
"Right, cause Grimm are attracted to any and all negative feelings." Neptune stated.
"No frigging shit Sherlock." Tronmaster deadpanned.
"So what now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait, we track, if this specimen leads us to it's pack that pack ma subsequently lead us to our prey." Oobleck said.
"Right, cause that strategy ALWAYS works." Raven retorted.
"How long do we wait?" Blake asked.
"It's uncertain, hours, days, weeks, why lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months- and there the whole pack." Oobleck said as more Beowolves showed up.
"Well, that was quick." Tai said, snickering.
"What?" Weiss asked a little loud.
"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said.
"What?" Weiss asked again.
"AND NOW THEY"VE SEEN US!" Oobleck yelled right in Weiss's ear.
"I swear that coffee-addicted psycho gave me tinnitus." Weiss groaned, rubbing her ear.
"Yeah, he's quite the screamer." Raven joked.
"I take it tracking is out of the question?" Ruby asked.
"An accurate assumption, yes." Oobleck said.
"Oh boy, we kicked some SERIOUS ass!" Yang exclaimed, pumping her fist.
"What's the plan then?" Yang asked.
"Show me what you're made of." Oobleck said.
"Time to crack some skulls." Ifrit said, laughing.
"Allow me." Alexander said pulling himself in front of the group, "I haven't used this trick in a while."
"What trick?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, what trick?" Ruby asked, repeating what her other said.
Instead of answering, Alexander's faceplate suddenly slid downward into his body, just as a pair of white lasers shot out of hiseyes and drew some kind of sigil on the ground around the Beowolf pack, confusing the Grimm.
"Okay..." Weiss trailed off.
Alexander's faceplate slid back up at the exact moment the sigil blasted upward in pure holy energy, eradicating the Grimm in an instant.
"Oh my Oum..." Glynda breathed.
At that moment, a few words are uttered through the speakers at a high volume: "IMMA FIRIN MAH LAZOR! BLAAAAAARRRRGGGGG!"
"AH! Jesus goddamn Christ!" Alicia shouted, as her, Blake and Sun clutched their ears, as laughter is heard from the speakers.
"JENKINS! MELODY! HECTOR! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASSES!" Alicia yelled, her eyes glowing.
"S-sorry Alicia! We, we couldn't resist." Jenkins replied in-between laughs.
"Fucking Lazer Collection." Alicia mumbled, motioning for Nora to continue reading.
"Hot damn. Ifrit shouted, "I completely forgot you had laser eyes."
"Yeah, I forgot about that too." Alexander added.
"I found the holy missiles to be more awe inspiring." Alexander said.
"That too." Alexander deadpanned.
"Yeesh, what else are you packing in all that metal?" Diablos asked.
"More firepower than any military combined." Winter replied jokingly.
"Yeah, dude's a walking, or floating, armory." Qrow added.
A few hours passed of the group completely decimating the Grimm, not tiring in the least thanks to the boosts provided by the GF's.
"Certainly helps on hunts." Summer noted, writing the hint on a notepad she just pulled out of nowhere.
Oobleck had also questioned the team as to why the became huntresses, and had also asked Ruby to follow him while the rest of the team set up camp.
"Although this story doesn't show the view with the Goliaths and the volcano, said volcano is based off of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on one of Earth's continents, Africa." Tronmaster informed.
"Huh, neat." Nora said, continuing to read.
However once Ruby's shift ended she noticed Zwei was starting to wander off, thankfully Boko had chosen to nest in Blake's hair for the night so he was fine.
"Alright, that's cute." Blake admitted, before adding, "Don't even think about it bird, or I'm turning you into barbeque wings."
Boko chirped in response.
So naturally Ruby followed Zwei outside of the building and noticed he was taking a leak next to a lamppost.
"Hey, nature calls." Neptune said, shrugging his shoulders.
"But it's a wasteland, he literally could have done that anywhere." Ruby countered.
"Zwei this is a wasteland, you literally ould have done that anywhere." Ruby scolded as she picked up the Corgi after he barked once.
"Look, an echo." Jaune joked.
"Be fortunate that he didn't decide to take a leak where y'all were sleeping." Tronmaster said, as everyone looked at him.
"Y'all?" Raven asked with a chuckle as Tronmaster stared at her defiantly.
"Some of my family lives in the southern United States. Sue me." Tronmaster retorted.
'At least he didn't pee where you all were sleeping.' Alexander said.
"Uh, captain, you're from Michigan." Jenkins said over the intercom.
"You're looking at the monitors Jenkins, do you see me giving any fucks?" Tronmaster replied, flipping off the security camera.
"Pont taken." Jenkins replied after a minute.
Before Ruby could answer a noise was heard coming from the distance, out of reflex Ruby hid in behind cover.
She peaked her head out of a corner and saw two White Fang soldiers, "I thought I heard a Beowulf or something." White Fang A said.
"Let's just finish our patrol and get back." White Fang B said.
"These mooks graduated from the Imperial Stormtrooper School of Patrolling." Alicia joked.
Ruby decided to silently follow them for several feet until they reached a building, then she poked Zwei's head out, "Did they go in yet, one bark means yes." Ruby said, Zwei waited until the sound of a door closing was heard then barked, "Oh this is it, this is it!" Ruby whisper cheered, and pulled out her Scroll only to have no signal, "Oh man, come on we gotta get the others." Ruby said getting up.
"Oh man, I know what's coming up." Ruby groaned.
Ruby didn't get far when the ground below her feet cracked and gave away, she managed to catch Zwei before he fell in and tossed the dog up as the piece she was holding onto broke before she could pull herself up.
"Oh Oum!" Tai shouted.
"What the hell?!" Glynda yelled.
"OZPIN!" Summer screeched.
Ruby hear Zwei bark as she fell, but she focused on one thing as she fell.
"Let's hope it's something I think it is." Tai said worriedly.
Casting a Spell.
"Oh, thank Oum." Tai and Summer breathed.
"Float." Ruby whispered casting the support spell.
Golden feathered wings appeared on Ruby's back and flapped slowly, slowing her descent before the wings faded, fortunately not taking their effects with them.
"Honestly, that ended a lot better than when I actually fell." Ruby said, relived.
Why, what happened originally?" Sun asked.
"I, got captured." Ruby admitted bashfully.
Ruby neared the ground but her feet didn't directly connect as she looked around the area, there appeared to be another city underneath Mountain Glenn.
"Holy shit." Neptune breathed.
"Yep. After the surface of Mountain Glenn was overrun with Grimm, the surviving citizens evacuated underground." Tronmaster explained.
"And then they accidentally opened up a tunnel that contained subterranean Grimm, and well, Remnant's largest mass grave." Alicia added grimly.
'Someone's coming, hide!' Alexander said.
Ruby looked around before quickly delving behind a pile of the freshly piled up rocks from the collapse.
"Quick thinking squirt." Qrow said, praising Ruby.
"False alarm." She heard a White Fang say, "Surface caved again."
"Considering that Mountain Glenn is a complete wasteland, yeah that's not too surprising." Summer said casually.
"Trust me, I've seen more than my fair share of wastelands." Tronmaster added.
Probably a Nevermore, I don't see any footprints." Another Fang said.
"A Nevermore's actually a lot heavier than most people would assume." Alicia retorted.
"Considering that it's pretty much an overgrown turkey babe, yeah, it's about the same weight as a Boeing 747." Tronmaster added, making Alicia chuckle.
"Come on, let's go inform the higher ups." The first one muttered, "If these cave in's keep happening we might have to bail before we get the signal."
"Why not bail now?" Blake asked sarcastically.
"Then we wouldn't get the Wilhelm scream." Tronmaster answered with a chuckle.
Ruby waited until the footsteps faded before coming out of cover and reached for Crescent Rose... Only to not feel it.
"You dropped Crescent Rose?" Sun asked.
"Hey, to be fair, I WAS falling down a pit!" Ruby defended.
'Rats, I must have dropped it when I fell.' Ruby thought, "Well at least I have magic.'
"I'll give you a magic satchel later." Tronmaster said.
"Magic satchel?" Weiss asked.
"In regards to fictional media, it's something that allows a character to pull anything from nothingness." Alicia explained, "In the case of RPGs, it's the character's inventory."
'Ruby, look to your right.' Alexander said.
Ruby turned her head to her right and rose her eyebrows at what she saw, a navy blue metal case that looked big enough to at least fit a small weapon marked by an NG.
"The Neo Galbadians?" Glynda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Probably stolen from a Neo Galbadian supply depot or something." Winter replied.
"A Neo Galbadian supply crate." Ruby said, "Wonder what that's doing here?"
"Like Winter said, it's probably stolen." Penny said, repeating Winter's statement.
Her mother told her that NG crates were rather easy to open, mainly because the symbol is the button. So on that thought Rub pressed the button hidden as the symbol, hoping the White Fang haven't raided it.
"That just seems like an intentional design flaw." Jaune noted as Nora passed the book to Pyrrha.
"Well, it IS based off of chests in RPGs. Kinda would be annoying if the characters were forced to go on a random sidequest for a key." Said a robotically disguised voice, making everyone turn in the direction the voice came from, Tronmaster and Alicia drawing their weapons.
"Who the fuck are you?" Alicia asked.
"And how did you get aboard my ship?" Tronmaster asked the figure, who was six foot two, covered in armor that was white and gold in color, his head mostly covered by a helmet, saved for his two eyes. His two silver eyes.
"That, is an excellent question, Summoner." Replied the mysterious figure, making Tronmaster narrow his eyes.
"Well, this is fucking ominous." Nora added.
*Melody, Jenkins and Hector are looking at the security monitors in total shock.*
Jenkins: Who the fuck is this schmuck?
Melody: No idea, think he's the cause of the sonic boom from earlier?
Hector: Maybe. *Looks at the camera* For everyone reading this, and especially to Phoenix, Tronmaster would like to apologize for the lack of updates on, everything. He had some, family issues to deal with, so that's what's been taking the brunt of his attention as of late. But don't worry folks! He's truly hoping to get back to it! Maybe, heh... *Looks back at monitor* Jesus Christ...