RWBY: Team CRML

Chapter 14

The next day

"What happened?" Chrome asked Marek. He had just gotten back from Ozpin's office.

"I told them what happened and was dismissed." Marek replied as he laid down in his bed.

"That's it?" Nicci asked.

"Yeah. That's it."

"So, what should we do now?" Nicci asked, turning to her leader.

"Well, we have our mission assignments in..." Chrome checked the time on his scroll. "...right now."

Minutes later

Staring at the mission selection screen, Chrome looked carefully through their options. "How about this one?" Nicci pointed to one of the missions. "Helping a nearby village with Grimm. It'd be an easy grade."

"Yeah, but I'd like more of a challenge." Chrome replied.

"There's clearing out Grimm in an abandoned village." Marek pointed out.

"Why not?" Chrome pressed the mission and put in our team name only for a notification to pop up.

"This team has already been assigned to a mission..?" Nicci read. "Wait, what?"

The members of team CRML looked at each other, confused. "Ah, you're here." All four of them turned around to see Ozpin with a cup of coffee. "Team RWBY is going on a rather difficult mission for first years, so I have assigned your team to assist them."

"Oh..." Chrome said softly. "What mission are they going on?"

Minutes later

On board an airship with team RWBY, the eight of them, along with Dr. Oobleck, were heading towards Mountain Glenn, a failed expansion of Vale which was abandoned and fenced off due to Grimm attacks.

"So, what are we doing exactly?" Nicci asked.

"We're basically just clearing out Grimm." Yang replied.

"And what are you doing?" Marek asked, turning to face all of the members of team RWBY. "I know you have ulterior motives, especially since Ruby told Ozpin something about those intruders saying something about a hideout out here even though they never said anything. Which is also why I suspect Ozpin had us tag along, seeing as how I was there to help with those two intruders."

Ruby stared at Marek with a bit of awe. "Technically, that guy did say something." Ruby chuckled.

"You know what I me-"

"We've arrived." Oobleck said, cutting Marek off. "Let's go students!"

Each of them jumped out of the airship, landing and immediately pulling out their weapons. "You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" they all nod in agreement. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school."

It was then the others noticed a backpack on Ruby's back.

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

"She's not wrong... Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return." Oobleck told her.

"But I, well uh-"

'Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with..." he stopped as the bag's zipper opens and out pops a dog's head, causing everyone to stare at the uninvited guest.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered to it.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... a dog?"

"I, uh..."

"Genius!" Oobleck snatched the dog from the bag. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"

"I'm a genius!" Ruby said while pointing to herself.

"So, what are your orders, Doctor?" Liam asked.

"Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" Oobleck dropped the dog as he turned to his students. "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."

"Uh, what?"

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment." Oobleck pointed to it.

"What?!" the eight students turned to it, each reading their weapons except for Marek who just crossed his arms, not really caring.

"Stop!"

"Huh?"

"There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent." Oobleck explained.

"So... What now?" Nicci asked.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"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's the whole pack." looking down the street, more Beowolf emerged from behind the buildings.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"And now they've seen us."

"What?!" Weiss shouted.

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck said much louder than before.

"I take it tracking them is out of the question?"

"An accurate assumption, yes."

"What's the plan, then?" Yang asked.

"Show me what you're capable of." Oobleck replied.

Team RWBY rushed ahead as more Grimm ran in from the sides. CRML, noticing this, turned their attention to kill them.

Chrome, Liam and Nicci all ran ahead while Marek just walked towards the Grimm.

Shooting a sniper round behind him, Liam launched forward, sinking his blade into the neck of one of the Beowolves. Pressing the trigger again, his blade cut through the Grimm diagonally, cutting through its torso and completely severing it from its body.

While Liam was lower to the ground, Nicci vaulted over him, sinking her axe into the next Beowolf and firing off a shotgun shell point blank into its head. As the two Grimm turned to dust, Marek, using his semblance, collected the dust into his palm for later use.

Pulling the levers on the hilts of his weapons, Chrome threw the two blades passed a Beowolf before calling them back. The blades cut through the Beowolf's body, cutting it in half horizontally before reattaching to their hilts.

Collecting the dust from that fallen Grimm, Marek finally decided to join the fun. Taking his spear off his back, he threw it into a Beowolf that was charging him, the force of the throw causing his weapon to go straight through the beast and impale the one directly behind it.

Walking over to the Beowolf, Marek grabbed his spear and yanked it free, collecting the dust and storing it.

The battle came to an end as the last Beowolf turned to dust. "Heh, piece of cake!" Ruby said.

"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many." Oobleck told them. "Shall we continue?"

Later in the day, both team's members decided to split up, looking around Mountain Glenn by themselves to cover larger areas.

Liam was currently in his avian form, perched on the edge of a destroyed building, overlooking the area.

Marek was just walking around, killing any Grimm that challenged him before moving on.

Chrome was searching building after building with Nicci. Coming up empty handed after a few hours of searching, they decided to call it a day and head back to meet up with the others.

"Anything else you want us to do today, doc?" Marek asked.

"Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon." he throws his bag over to Yang, who makes a sound when she catches it. "Ruby and I are going to secure the perimeter. The rest of you, set up camp in that building. Come, Ruby." Oobleck and Ruby walked off.

Going into the building, they all rolled out their sleeping bags. Marek left and came back moments later with some sticks for a fire. Weiss, using one of her glyphs, set the dry wood ablaze.

Walking over to the destroyed window, Liam sat down and looked out. "I'll keep watch for any Grimm." he told the others.

Chrome, Marek and Nicci laid down and fell asleep rather quickly. The members of team RWBY weren't able to do so as easily. Their thoughts were elsewhere.

After a few minutes, Ruby and Oobleck returned. "Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!"

"Fire!" Ruby knelt next to the fire as her dog did the same. "So... warm..."

"Very good! 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?" Oobleck asked.

Ruby raised her hand but quickly lowered it as Liam spoke. "I got it, Ruby." Liam said, noticing Ruby had raised her hand. "You get some rest."

She hesitated before nodding and crawling into her sleeping bag.

Crossing his arms, Liam continued to stare out at the destroyed buildings, watching for any sign of movement.

End of chapter 14