General Ironwood was looking out from the landing docks of Beacon Academy to the city of Vale at night, a few airships hovering over the lit-up buildings. Walking up from behind him was Glynda Goodwitch.
"Trouble sleeping?" She asked.
Ironwood looked back at her. "Arm was acting up." He explained, gripping his shoulder with the other hand.
"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." She said skeptically as she approached all the way to his side, then looked at him concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just... I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark." He explained.
"Don't be ridiculous! You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark." Glynda snapped.
Ironwood laughed humorously. "That makes it worse! I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so... passively." He said.
Glynda put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it." She reasoned, dropping her hand as they stared into the distance together. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering." She explained.
The full moon was shining over the ruined buildings of Mountain Glenn, and a lone Beowulf was searching through the rubble. It looked up briefly at the young girl who had it in her red cross-hair scope, but Ruby just lowered Crescent Rose and sighed in tiredness at she kept lookout over the destruction. The rest of her team was lying down on their sleeping mats around the fire with weapons nearby, Team SCRN not too far from them, Black Panther asleep in a dark corner of the room and Doctor Oobleck was higher up, slumped down against the wall next to the hole in the ceiling/floor.
The three members of RWBY had their eyes closed, but Yang was the first to stop pretending. "Blake, are you awake?" She asked.
"Yeah." The faunus confirmed.
"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?" She asked again.
"Maybe he was just curious." Blake guessed.
"You think?" Yang wondered.
"No." Blake admitted.
"If I had to guess, they're testing our resolve or our motivation to do the right thing for the right reason..." Bayonetta said, having woken up due to the conversation.
"Doing the right thing... For the right reason..." Yang said unsurely. "Weiss, are you awake?" Yang now asked the heiress.
"Of course I'm awake! You two are talking. And I think he... When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... moral gray area." Weiss explained.
"That's putting it lightly." Blake jabbed.
"Hey, you can't blame us that our dad's an asshole." Dante said.
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it." She explained.
"That's sweet, sis. You're doing the right thing and sticking it to dad. Two for one." Dante said.
"It's... Really because of you, Dante... Ever since that day you saved us, you've gone from being... well, basically what Whitley is now..." Weiss started.
"Ouch!" Dante said, wincing slightly at being compared to their snobbish little brother.
"To being one of the bravest, strongest people I've ever known. That's another reason I want to be a Huntress. To be as brave and as strong as you." She said. Dante chuckled a bit at this. "Oh, what? Are you gonna mock me for sounding like some soap opera or TV drama?" She asked.
"No, it's just that I'm one of the reasons you wanted to be a Huntress. It's funny because you're one of the reasons I wanted to be one. That day, when that thug put that gun to Mom's head, I realized just how precious family was to me. You, Mom, Winter, even Dad and Whitley as much as I don't want to admit it. And I just couldn't stand the thought of losing you. So I wanted to be a Huntsman so I could protect the family from the White Fang or any other threat we or the people close to us might face. And of course save the people where I can. So as for who has the better reason, I guess you win that one." He said.
Weiss was a bit shocked at this, but smiled. "Yours is still a close second." She said.
"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I - how can I undo so many years of hate?" Blake wondered.
"The first thing you should do is stop hiding your ears. Let the world know you're a faunus and show them all the good deeds you've done and can do in the future. Show them not all faunus are the monsters the White Fang makes them out to be." Kratos said.
Blake was shocked at this. "R-really? But... How can I be sure they'll see past my ears and won't just ignore all the good things I've done when they see I'm different?" Blake asked.
"I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." Yang said supportively.
"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!" She cried.
Team SCRN thought for a moment, before Ryu spoke up. "Sometimes running is the best option. There are some battles you just can't win and running is the only way to save yourself or others. I can think of several situations where if I hadn't run that I, someone I cared about or an innocent person, would be dead. As for your Semblance, it's a good one. It saves you from taking a hit, which keeps you alive. And anything that can keep you alive in a battle is well worth using." He spoke up.
Blake was surprised at first, but then smiled. "I never thought of it before.
"At least you all have something that drives you. I've just kinda of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that." Yang explained.
"Truly, we are sisters." Bayonetta said with a nod.
"You're reason's good as any. No one has the right to judge your reason. And if they do, just give 'em that dreaded right hook. " Dante said.
Yang smiled a bit at the support, but sighed and looked to her younger sister on lookout. "I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today." Yang said.
"Yeah. She's a good kid." Bayonetta said, looking at her younger sister proudly.
"She's certainly impressive for a child her age. She's gonna go far." Dante said.
"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss said.
"And for being younger, she's more developed than you are." Bayonetta said.
"Hey!" Weiss said, pouting.
"She's only two years younger. We're all kids." Blake explained.
"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" Yang said.
"We should all be used to this by now." Kratos said. "Some of us more than others..." He whispered to himself.
"It's the life we chose." Blake said.
"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being Huntsmen and Huntresses in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second." Weiss said.
The apparently-sleeping Oobleck had a small smile when she finished. And from his own spot, Black Panther smiled and nodded as well. "Their hearts are in the right place." He said.
Yang had taken up watch, allowing for Ruby and Zwei to sleep on the sleeping bag Yang had been lying on. Zwei suddenly woke and stood up, causing Ruby to wake up.
"Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed." She said tiredly, about to take her own advice, but Zwei ran off, waking up Bayonetta as well. "Zwei! Zwei! Ugh!" Ruby groaned, wandering out of the building, looking for Zwei.
"Ugh. That dog. Sometimes I swear he tries to make our lives harder." Bayonetta said, hurrying after her sister and dog.
"Zwei! Zwei, where are you? Zwei! Huh?" Ruby asked, turning as she heard something, spotting Zwei urinating on some ruins. "Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!" She said.
"At least he didn't do it in anyone's bed this time." Bayonetta said, remembering a time when she had to share a bed with Yang because Zwei peed on her bed.
Suddenly, Zwei barked at something! "What was that?" A voice was heard.
Having heard the new arrival, Ruby picked up Zwei and hid behind some ruins, peeking out two see two White Fang members patrolling the area. "What was what?" White Fang Grunt #2 asked.
"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something." WF Guard #1 explained.
"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps." WF Guard #2 said.
"This is perfect. We have to follow them. We'll never get a better chance." Bayonetta said.
"Right!" Ruby agreed.
As the WF Guards walked away, Ruby and Zwei snuck around in the background, following them. They eventually reached a ruined building with a pair of metal doors, Ruby almost walking out into plain sight, before Bayonetta pulled her back behind the corner she hid behind, holding Zwei out to watch them.
"Did they go in yet? One bark means yes." Ruby whispered to the corgi. The sound of the door closing echoed out Zwei barking "Oh! This is it! This is it!" She said excitedly
"Have I ever told you how much I love you, Zwei?" Bayonetta said in a babying tone, petting the dog as Ruby brought out her scroll and trying to call her teammates. However, the screen said "Low Signal".
"Aw man! Come on, we gotta get the others!" She said.
"Right." The older sister said, the two of them and Zwei hurried off down the street. However, the asphalt beneath them suddenly sank before caving in. Bayonetta managed to jump to safety before the ground collapsed while Ruby grabbed onto a ledge and caught Zwei. "Ruby!" She called, running to the edge. She grabbed Zwei as Ruby lifted him to her and tossed him up out of the hole and reached back for Ruby. However, She was suddenly kicked in the side and knocked away by a smirking Dio.
"Bayonetta!" Ruby cried before the ledge she was holding onto broke off and she fell.
Dio watched Ruby fall with a malicious grin, knowing she'd fallen in the worst place possible, before turning back to Bayonetta as she got back to her feet. She looked down at the hole Ruby had fallen into in shock and worry, before glaring at... "Dio!" She snapped.
"Ahh, the lovely Bayonetta. I don't believe we finished our business from last time." He said, walking towards her.
"Oh, don't worry! We'll finish it this time!" Bayonetta snapped, looking down at Zwei as he ran to her side, turning to Dio and barking angrily. "Zwei, go! Get the others!" She snapped, Zwei barking in confirmation and rushing off.
"No, you don't, mongrel!" Dio snapped, pulling out a handful of knives from his coat and preparing to swing them at Zwei, before Bayonetta shot him in the head, staggering him back. He growled at this, but managed not to lose his composure. "Very well, if you're so eager to die first, I'll grant your wish." He said.
"You're about to wish you'd stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of!" Bayonetta snapped, readying her guns and glaring at him, but her eyes drifted back to the hole Ruby fell into. (Ruby...) She thought.
Ruby plummeted into a huge cave filled with ruined buildings, far below the surface. She landed on a building up against a cavern wall, and as she got up, a nearby door burst open to reveal two other WF Guards, one of whom was Perry.
"Freeze!" He snapped
"Where did she come from?" WF Guard #3 asked.
As the WF Guards walked forward, Ruby backed away only to end up on the very edge of the platform. "You're a long way from home, little girl." Perry said.
Ruby reached back for her scythe, only to realize that she didn't have it. Both guards approached her, and one of them grabbed her arm. "Hey! Hands off!" She snapped, jerking her arm out of the guard's hand and started punching him. It has very little effect, and he punched her in the face hard enough to knock her down.
"The boss is gonna want to see this one..." WF Guard #3 said as he kicked her in the head hard enough to knock her out.
Yang finished her guard shift and turned to Weiss, who was on next shift. "Hey Weiss, it's your..." She said, before noticing her sisters missing. "Ruby? Bayo? Hey, where's Ruby and Bayonetta?" She asked.
"What?" Oobleck asked as everyone got up.
"They're gone?" Black Panther asked.
Suddenly, Zwei came running into the room, barking. "Zwei?" Yang asked.
"What's going on?" Blake asked.
"Grab your weapons! Your leader may be in trouble." Oobleck ordered.
"Bayonetta may also be in danger. Let's get ready to move." T'Challa said as they got up.
"Those two are always getting themselves in trouble." Dante said with a sigh, but was secretly worried about Bayonetta. He knew at least one of the creeps they fought at the docks was here and if it was Dio, he already knew how that fight played out once.
Ruby awoke to the two WF Guards who caught her dragging her by both arms through the underground city. All around her, White Fang members were at work, doing various things such as piloting a Paladin to carry large shipping containers. There was a loud sound nearby as one of the White Fang members dropped a large device.
"Hey, be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?" WF Guard #4 snapped.
"Sorry sir!" WF Guard #5 apologized.
"Hey boss! Found something you might want to see!" Perry called.
"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day." Roman called from inside of a railcar.
"Uh, it's a little girl?" Perry said unsurely.
Roman leaned out through the doorway and saw Ruby. "That would be bad." He said.
Dio summoned The World and sent it at Bayonetta, throwing a haymaker at the former Umbran Witch, but she jumped over the golden apparition. Dio threw some knives at her as soon as she was in the air, but she activated her Semblance, stopping them in place and doing a few flips in mid-air while unloading her guns, putting a few holes in The World's back and shooting the knives out of the air, the damage on the gold creature reflecting on Dio, who growled in rage. "You're trying my patience, Witch! Every moment you resist is another second I'll grind you beneath my heel as you beg for death!" He snapped, The World vanishing as Dio rushed in more knives ready in his hand as he slashed at Bayonetta, who dodged every attack.
"You couldn't do that last time and you won't this time," Bayonetta said, jumping back to dodge on more slash, deploying Lt. Kilgore, "Especially not when you piss me off and make my sister fall in a pit!" She snapped, landing several brutal hits on the criminal in front of her. He managed to summon The World and catch one of the massive tonfas, but Bayonetta used the other one to blast him point blank in the chest with a rocket, sending him flying back.
He got up, glaring at her furiously, pulling out a total of 29 knives, 14 in his left and 15 in his right. "This ends here, you bitch! The-" He started.
"Not this time!" Bayonetta said, firing both rockets into the ground in front of her twice, shattering the ground and sending up dozens of small rocks as and pieces of concrete into the air in front of her.
"World!" Dio finished, stopping time and flinging the knives, all of them stopping a few feet in front of her... but each one's path was blocked by a rock or piece of debris. "I'll give you credit, you're certainly better prepared than last time, but don't think such a simple trick will save you!" Dio snapped, readying one more knife and summoning The World. Time resumed and all the knives hit the rocks, bouncing off the rocks and clattering harmlessly to the ground. "One more for the road!" He snapped, flinging his final knife and sending The World after her. She shot the knife out of the air and managed to dodge or block the attacks from The World, but it suddenly vanished and Dio hit her with a flying kick to the chest, launching her back.
Bayonetta landed on her feet and staggered back a few steps, both of them slightly worn, glaring at the monster while he smirked at her, summoning The World and having it rush at her. She prepared to defend herself, before hearing barking, turning to see Zwei leading Oobleck, Black Panther, Team SCRN and Ruby's teammates to the place Bayonetta and Dio were fighting, T'Challa creating an energy spear from nowhere and flinging it at the world, the creature turning just in time to see it and lean JUST enough out of the way to avoid a fatal blow, the spear still deeply cutting the monster's cheek, the damage reflecting back on Dio. "Damn you all! Still, it's too late! You'll never be able to stop our plan now!" He snapped, jumping into the hole.
"Bayo! Are you okay?!" Yang asked, running up to her twin and hugging her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for showing up when you did." Bayonetta said.
"Good to see you're still doing okay." Dante said as they walked up.
"I'm doing okay, but Ruby..." She said, looking into hole that Ruby fell into, and Yang spotted Crescent Rose next to the hole.
"Ruby's scythe!" Yang said.
"Oh no." Blake said worriedly.
"Ruby's useless without her weapon..." Kratos said with concern.
"Do you think she fell?" Weiss asked.
"She must've..." Ryu said.
"Fell?" Oobleck asked, looking up.
"Down there." Weiss said, pointing to the hole.
"The caves..." T'Challa said, realizing it along with Oobleck.
"Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!" Oobleck exclaimed, looking down at the hole.
"What is it?" Blake asked.
"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck said, mentally kicking himself.
"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang asked.
"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!" He explained.
"Thanks for the history lesson, but could you get to the point?!" Bayonetta snapped.
"Yeah, Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked.
"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!" Oobleck explained.
"Underground... You mean-?" Kratos started.
"They've been working in caves?" Blake asked.
"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!" Oobleck explained.
"Working underground... That's certainly a way to avoid detection." Ryu said, remembering all of his adventures in his previous life all taking him underground at some point.
"An underground village?" Yang asked.
"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby is down there," Oobleck started, deploying his weapon. "We must find her..." He finished.
"They wanna hide in the ground like bugs, huh? Well that's fine, because here come the exterminators." Dante said.