Chapter 8: Thinning the enemy ranks
Vandal's peak, Mistral
6:30 pm
Vandal's Peak was a criminal controlled settlement, a place where major criminal elements would operate their business without being interrupted by local law enforcement, and could do whatever they wanted. This was the perfect place for the White Fang to gather recruits among the local Faunus who had turned to crime, and the perfect place for Blake and her allies to start their fight against their former comrades. In the town inn, a recruiter for the organization was training possible recruits in small sparring matches in the large basement. But one of those recruits just so happened to be Caius in disguise as a dog-Faunus, with Blake watching from the shadows...
" Remember Caius, we need to find out where the Fang have their training ground here, so don't kill any of the others." Blake explained via comms.
" Understood, ma'am." Caius said.
" Jordan Basset, we're ready for you." The recruiting agent said.
Jordan Basset was his cover name for when he infiltrated the fighting ring that was used as a way for The White Fang to recruit new members to their cause. He entered the ring and dominated over the other recruits, following Blake's orders not to kill any of the other candidates, thanks to his adaptive protocols. He impressed the White Fang lieutenant that was overseeing the matches, and then was approached by the man after the fighting was done...
" Your fighting style's impressive kid." The lieutenant said.
" Well, I'm thankful that my semblance helps me greatly." Caius responded.
" Why don't you meet me at this location? You'll fit in just fine with my people." The Lieutenant said.
" I'm looking forward to it." Caius said with a smile.
" Well done Caius, we're one step closer." Blake said.
" They're in for one wild night." Caius said.
Caius proceeded to meet up with his "ride" (Hera) to the main training ground for the White Fang's operations in Mistral, while back in Vale, Ruby was about to undergo her 7th therapy session to test her spine's strength following the incident.
Cantor therapeutics
9:34 am
Qrow and Ruby pulled up to Cantor Therapeutics for her 7th therapy session for her spine, as ordered by Doctor Hargrove. It was a relatively large building, it's outside being a simple white with a red cross as a logo. It stood between two large buildings, one was an apartment complex while the other was a restaurant that was usually busy around lunch time. They entered the structure, where they even saw veteran huntsmen and huntresses undergoing therapy here. They approached the receptionist at the desk...
" Um, hello." Qrow said.
" Oh, hello sir." The receptionist said in response.
" We're here for my niece's therapy session with Dr. Williams." Qrow explained.
" Oh, you must be Mr. Branwen, please have a seat, Dr. Williams will be with you shortly." The receptionist said.
Ruby and Qrow walked over to the leather couch, and they sat down together with Qrow helping Ruby sit down due to her spinal injury. They were sitting next to a much older gentleman, who wore a fancy business suit, a Pin the shape of a Thunderbolt sat on the fold of his jacket and black leather shoes on his feet.
" What brings a young girl like yourself here?" The man asked Ruby.
" I suffered a pretty serious spine injury a while back." Ruby said.
" Did it involve a blade?" The man asked.
" Yes, how did?" Ruby said.
" My nephew was part of the WHITECROSS unit that had found you." The man explained.
" You have a nephew in WHITECROSS?" Qrow asked.
" Yeah, I'm glad he's actually doing some good work." The man said.
" What did he used to do before joining WHITECROSS?" Ruby asked.
" He fell in with a bad crowd, ended up finding out he was illegally moving shipments for a crime syndicate." The man said.
" So what'd he do?" Qrow asked.
" He quit and told the police about that business." The man said.
" What's your name?" Qrow inquired.
" I'm Benjamin Irons, my son is here for his session after he was in a car accident." Ben said.
" I'm Qrow, and this is my niece Ruby." Qrow said.
" Pleased to meet you, hope your road to recovery is as swift as the wind." Ben said.
" Favorite phrase of yours?" Ruby asked.
" Yes, I'm actually trying to get a new one." Ben said.
After their discussion, Ruby was called in by Dr. Kendra Williams to begin her therapy session, which tested her back's flexibility and strength. She also tested Ruby's reflexes and response time by tossing a ball back and fourth. Meanwhile, Ozpin was about to get both a package and a special visit from Ruby's teachers...
Beacon Academy, Headmaster's office
9:35 am
Ozpin was looking over some of documents and noticed Ruby has been marked absent from her classes, in which he felt like an idiot because he had concealed the fact Ruby has been confined to bed rest in order to recover from the severity of the spinal damage done by Blake's Gambol Shroud back during the GRV outbreak, so there wouldn't be a slight panic. But he was also aware that a group of students had known about Ruby's injuries, so he didn't mind. His scroll had gone off, and he answered it...
" Yes?" Ozpin said.
" Sir, there is a courier on his way up to see you, he has a package for you" The tower receptionist said.
" Okay." Ozpin said.
The elevator arrived at his office, and a young man exited off carrying a medium sized box under his arm with a clipboard resting on it. He was about Port's height, faded blonde hair was covered by a red and black cap, and he wore a grey and red jacket over a bright blue shirt with black pants and Red and white sneakers.
" Okay, Professor Ozpin, where would you like me to set this?" The courier asked.
" Set it over here." Ozpin recommended, as he cleared away some papers on one side of his desk.
The courier walked over and set the box down, in which Ozpin immediately heard the clank of metal inside the box, and noticed an envelope attached to it and sealed with the WHITECROSS emblem. The courier than took a breath, and then approached Ozpin with the clipboard.
" Okay, now I'm gonna need you to sign for this." The courier said.
" Of course." Ozpin said, putting his signature on the clipboard.
He shook hands with the courier, and the courier then proceeded on his way to his next job. Ozpin then picked up the envelope, and opened it, in which it was a letter from Xavier himself...
Dear Professor Ozpin,
One of my survey teams had come across this when sweeping through the Nubian Valley in case of any hostile Grimm that tried to move in. They found it trapped under a heavy rock, from what looks like used to be part of a whole until a certain explosion happened. Took 15 men just to get it out, anyway, it's in pretty rough shape so I suggest having it fixed before returning it to it's rightful owner.
Yours truly
Xavier.
Ozpin set the envelope down, and looked at the box and went to open it when the elevator sounded, and Professors Port, Goodwitch, and Oobleck exited the elevator. They each had questions regarding Ruby's latest string of absences to each of their classes, in which Ozpin decided it was time to tell the truth.
" Professors." Ozpin said.
" Ozpin, we have some growing concerns..." Port started.
" WHY HAS RUBY ROSE BEEN ABSENT THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?" Oobleck said really fast, right in Ozpin's face.
" Bartholomew, please." Goodwitch said.
" I figured that would be your reason for coming here." Ozpin said.
" We are just expressing some concern for why she has been absent to our classes even though her work is still getting done." Port said.
" Then it'll be best it you three listen." Ozpin started. " Do you remember the virus WHITECROSS was trying to destroy a few weeks back?" He said.
" Yes, and destroying it guaranteed the organization a position on the United Kingdom's Security Council." Oobleck said.
" Well, Blake Belladonna was discovered during the outbreak to have contracted the virus, and had an outburst while on an assignment." Ozpin said.
" How does the virus play into this outburst of hers?" Goodwitch asked.
" She began to hallucinate her fellow teammates as Grimm, and attacked them, wounding Miss Schnee and..." Ozpin said.
" Well, what happened?" Port asked.
" She drove her sword through Ruby's chest." Ozpin said.
" WHAT?!" Port said with his grey, bushy eyebrows raised.
" Oh my god." Goodwitch said in a shocked tone.
Oobleck accidentally spat his coffee into Ozpin's face, which took him a bit to clean up before he could continue his explanation.
" Anyway, the blade had missed all of the vital organs in her body, but did damage to her spinal cord." Ozpin explained.
" How serious was the damage?" Goodwitch asked.
" The blade fractured upon impacting with her spinal cord, and some shards merged with her nerves." Ozpin explained.
" So that explains why she was out the first week." Oobleck said.
" She was in the hospital with her sister and Weiss for the first week, and she was in an induced coma so her body could recover from the shock of the injury." Ozpin said.
" So, where is she?" Port asked.
" Currently at a physical therapy session in the city, Qrow has been taking her to her sessions." Ozpin said.
" What were the doctor's orders?" Oobleck asked.
" Ruby is to stay in bed for several weeks, excluding bathroom breaks and trips to physical therapy." Ozpin explained.
" Is she taking any medication for her spine?" Goodwitch asked.
" Yes, Cyphexaline." Ozpin said.
" Cyphexaline, a powerful bone supplement." Oobleck said.
The teachers concluded their conversation, and the three decided to correct Ruby's attendance sheet. Ozpin then turned his attention to the box that had been delivered to him from Xavier, and opened it up. The only thing in the box was Ruby's Crescent Rose, which was in terrible shape. It was severely dented, it's firing chamber was crushed, it's paint had faded, it's handle was bent, and when he picked it up, there were parts shaking around inside. He looked up and saw General Ironwood and Penny enter the room, and they had noticed Ozpin holding Crescent Rose.
" Is that Ruby's weapon?" Ironwood asked.
" Yes, one of Xavier's survey teams found it when they were assessing the region after the outbreak, it was trapped under a rock." Ozpin said.
" It doesn't look too good." Penny said.
" No, it's been damaged greatly." Ozpin explained.
" I can fix it." Penny said with a proud tone.
" Penny, are you sure?" Ironwood said.
" Yes, I fixed a lot of thing in my free time." Penny explained.
" If she's wiling to-" Ozpin said, before realizing Penny was gone and Crescent Rose was gone too.
A note was left on Ozpin's desk from Penny, asking that the weapon's blueprints be sent her way. Qrow arrived moments later after dropping off Ruby at her dorm, and delivered the Blueprints for the original to Penny, and she opened up Crescent Rose...
" Oh dear." Penny said, looking at the internal damage.
She immediately went to work on repairing the damage done to it by the rock, and even began to design a 3-D model of a new and improved Crescent Rose labeled as " CRESCENT ROSE MK 2".
This chapter ends with Ruby's teachers learning the situation regarding Ruby, and Penny begins to make developments of a CRESCENT ROSE MK 2 while also repairing the original after it had been confirmed to be severely damaged. The next chapter has a celebrity cameo appearance by two popular YouTube sensations, and the situation of the fang is revealed after the outbreak of GRV.
WAIT AND SEE.