Volume Two

"A wiser man would have called it quits. A better man would have apologized. Robin was neither of those things."

Chapter 1: Catch the Rainbow (Rainbow is Metaphorical)

"You have the right to remain silent; fucking use it."

Robin stared as Jaune charged. Shield held at his side, sword already up in the air. It honestly made him kind of embarrassed he had been losing to him before. Then again, he hadn't exactly been the model of skill either. Jaune simply had more aura and was able to waste him down to exhaustion.

But now? Now Jaune seemed slow, far slower than he used to. He was slower than Tusk, certainly slower than Cardin. Robin could almost lackadaisically follow that tug in his head that he was slowly getting more and more familiar with.

He brought his sword up, the two blades clashed in the air, and Robin moved his sword, forcing Jaune's sword to the side, sending the boy far off balance. With the blonde boy fumbling for his balance, Robin struck, once, then twice on his chest. The slashes weren't precisely aimed, but they continued to wear down Jaune's massive aura.

Jaune swung wildly, attempting to force Robin back. However, Robin continued to follow that strange tug and stepped back, which caused the blade to meet nothing but air. He flooded his muscles with aura as he stepped forward once more, striking down with his off-hand, and his fist cracked across Jaune's face with a sound not dissimilar to meat hitting concrete as his fist impacted aura. Jaune was sent to the ground, but his aura reserves were hardly touched.

The same tempo remained—dodge, slash, dodge, kick, dodge, counter. Rinse and repeat until Jaune's aura finally lowered near the red. The monotony finally broke as Jaune changed his stance, turning his shield back into a sheath and holding his sword with both hands. The blonde boy roared as he charged forward, but it still seemed… slow, telegraphed.

Robin didn't even need the mental tug to shift to the side, holding out one of his legs. Jaune couldn't stop his momentum in time and tripped over the extended leg, falling face-first to the ground. With a swift motion, Robin unholstered his pistol and fired all six shots into Jaune's back, and the sixth shot finally brought Jaune's aura into the red.

Robin reholstered his pistol and sheathed his sword. As he turned, he caught a glimpse out into the crowd and saw the face of Jaune's partner, Pyrrha, looking not quite embarrassed or shocked at Jaune's defeat but more exhausted. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he faced Goodwitch.

"I won. Are you proud of me, ma?" Robin spoke, lazily moving his arm in a cheering motion.

Her eyebrow raised. "I praise exemplary work. Adequate is adequate."

"Awww, I knew you cared." Robin put a hand over his chest.

"Mr. Dubois, I would give you detention, but I'm afraid that would only feed your lunacy. Get off the platform, please." Goodwitch said.

Robin gave a lazy salute as he walked off, making sure to help Jaune to the locker room to put away their armor.

-2-

Not much later, the pair stood silently in the locker room, divesting themselves of their arms and armor. Jaune's poor mood was evident in his every move. His posture slumped, his movements sluggish, his head tilted down. It wasn't exactly surprising to see him put out by his loss. Before now, Robin was the opponent Jaune could routinely best through sheer aura size alone.

"Hey Jaune?" Robin said, without evening realizing he had opened his mouth.

"Huh–what?" The blonde's head snapped up. For a brief moment, Jaune glared at Robin, but it seemed to melt off in an instant.

"What's going on with you today?" Robin asked.

"What do you mean?" Jaune questioned.

"Well, it's obvious you ain't doing so hot right now. I was just a bit worried." Robin said slowly. The words felt off on his tongue for some reason.

"Ah, it's fine, I'm fine." Jaune forced a smile onto his face. "See, nothing wrong with me!"

"You're a godawful liar, you know that, right?" Robin asked.

Jaune's forced smile quickly turned into a frown. "Well, what do you care for? You didn't step in when Cardin was making fun of me. What's with the sudden caring?"

Robin breathed out through his teeth. "I'm trying to be better. Which is what you should be doing also."

Jaune's frown intensified. "I think I missed it when you weren't so nosy."

"Listen, Jaune, we were the worst in the class before this. We were supposed to climb to mediocrity together. Instead, I'm being let down by my fellow peasant-in-arms. Just go ask your partner for help." Robin said.

Jaune pointed a finger at Robin. "We aren't friends, Robin. Don't just pretend- don't just act like you care about me! I'm fine to play buddy-buddy because I don't like to cause problems. But don't patronize me, like we're anything alike."

"We are alike in the fact we were both shit when we started. I ain't pretending we got much else in common." Robin crossed his arms. "I just want to see you get stronger because it will cost you your life if you don't. I don't even have to pretend to be friends to make sure someone doesn't kill themselves." What went unsaid is Robin didn't know if it'd cost others their lives if Jaune wasn't strong enough.

Jaune simply stared at him, his gaze piercing through Robin entirely. At least it felt that way. Finally, the other boy spoke. "Who do you want to get stronger, Robin?"

Huh? What kind of question was that? "Why can't it be both of us?" Robin voiced his confusion.

Jaune spoke, a strange fervor in his tone. "Because you have to be honest with yourself! Because if all you live is a lie, then that's all you can ever make."

What the hell do you say to that. What the hell do you say to that?

He was sure someone more elegant and smarter than him could actually offer a response. Or maybe not, but at least provide some philosophical commentary.

But the person who could wasn't him. Not by a bad country mile.

"I don't know," he whispered, mouth dry. He didn't know a lot of things. Like what to think of everything and huntsmen and what he's trying to do with his life anymore. Not that it made a difference.

Jaune stared at him. Then he spoke, his voice soft. "You really think I should ask her. Honestly, from the bottom of your heart. You think I should ask her for help?"

Robin recovered slightly and nodded. "What other way did you expect to get stronger outside of asking for help?"

Jaune looked at him, his face contorted in a rollercoaster of emotions, before sighing. "I'll do it. I'll get stronger; I'll work with my partner. But not for you. Because we are going to do it together, you watch your ass, Robin! I'm going to catch up to you, and then I'm going to surpass you, got it?"

Jaune walked off, and as seemed to be a running trend, Robin was left standing. As a whirlwind of confusion and emotions ran through his mind. Eventually, he shook his head, clearing his thoughts with the motion. He needed to get back to it; Dove surely had plenty of corrections he wanted to share after witnessing today's match.

-3-

Vale was an old city, and like many old cities, it had accrued its fair share of folk tales and urban legends. Some were more recent than others. Some were flagrantly bullshit. But some were just stupid and funny enough for Robin to waste his time seeing if they were true.

This is why he and the rest of his team were standing around a manhole cover in an alleyway, and Cardin was staring at him like an idiot.

"This is, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I've ever agreed to," Cardin said.

"Ah, but you did agree to it," Robin said.

"Only because I know nothing is gonna happen. It's a myth." Cardin said.

"Well, yeah, what you know is a myth, but all myths have some measure of truth in them."

"And I am vaguely sure this one is true," Dove spoke as the foremost expert on all things in the city itself by virtue of having been raised there. "It was a big deal on the news about a decade ago. Maintenance workers were going missing every other day."

"So, you two really believe a sewer alligator is the best explanation for it?" Cardin asked.

Robin nodded seriously. "What? Don't tell me you think it's a Grimm; those things are just myths."

"Robin, you fought one not even two weeks ago." Cardin sighed.

"No, I didn't. I think you are delusional," Robin said.

"So why are you insisting we go into the sewers fully armed and armored?" Cardin asked.

"For the aesthetic," Robin said.

"And that journal of yours that's full of notes on Grimm?" Cardin pointed at Robin's coat pocket.

"I'm worldbuilding for a story I am writing. It's about four idiots going around hunting monsters." Robin claimed.

"You'd be the worst author I've ever seen. You can barely speak normally half the time, and I've seen your handwriting." Cardin.

"Cardin, you are a step away from illiterate. Don't critique my writing." Robin shook his head.

Sky interjected, having followed the exchange silently. "So what are we here to do again? I usually tune it out when those two start flirting."

Dove spoke. "We are here to hunt down an alligator that may or may not exist in this sewer."

"You expect me to trudge around in a sewer for Gods knows how long to find a myth that might not exist?" Sky asked.

"Yes." Robin and Dove spoke simultaneously.

"Haha. Very funny. I'm going back to the dorm. If you don't return, I'll tell the teachers you died or whatever." Sky began to walk off.

"Chicken!" Robin shouted, pointing at Sky as he walked. The sudden shouting drew the attention of people walking by the alleyway.

Sky paused for a moment but then continued walking.

"Bitch made! You craven, faint-hearted, gutless, feeble coward!" Robin continued to shout, drawing yet more looks.

"Holy shit, please shut the fuck up, fine!" Sky shouted as he turned around, marching back toward the group.

"Ah, nothing like some good peer pressure to start an adventure, so shall we?" Robin reached down and lifted the manhole cover off the entrance to the tunnel.

Everyone stared at him with various expressions on their face. Dove seemed excited, Cardin was almost bored, and Sky was annoyed. "Fine, I'll go first," Robin said.

Robin dropped down the hole, his boots hitting the concrete below. The sewer was surprisingly large and well-lit. A trench of sewer water ran between two concrete walkways. The stench was unsurprisingly like a mix of shit and rotten eggs.

He looked up the maintenance entrance. "Well! What are you losers waiting for?"

One by one, the rest of the team came down. "Well, what now?" Sky asked.

"Well, I suppose we just wander," Robin said.

"You're telling me you didn't even bring a map?" Cardin asked.

"Nope! Nothing by my raw skills and sense of direction." Robin spoke.

"We are going to die down here, aren't we?" Cardin asked no one as he looked back up the sewer exit longingly.

"Eh, it should be fine." Robin shrugged. "Now onwards, my companions!"

He started walking off, straight toward the direction where the lights began to dim and dim until it became nearly pitch black, strangely though he felt confident. Movie logic dictated that as the most violent, Cardin would die a gruesome death first. Probably.

"Anyone starting to get horror movie vibes from this?" Dove spoke as they walked down.

"Get out of my head, I'm not a schizo," Robin said.

"What?" Dove asked.

"I mean, facts, so true, friend," Robin said.

"Right…" Dove trailed off.

"So Cardin's the jock, you are the nerd, Sky is the pretty boy." Robin ticked off.

"I'm not the nerd. You're the nerd. I'm the protagonist." Dove retorted.

"You have to be the nerd, Dove; I'm the maverick," Robin whined.

"What the hells is a maverick?" Dove asked.

"You know, like, a wild horse? Refuses to settle down?" Robin gestured vaguely.

"I've never heard of such a term in my life," Dove said.

"Well, it's what I am. Something you ain't ever heard of." Robin said, and the conversation went dead for the moment.

The light in the sewer went out fully as they progressed deeper and deeper into the maze-like structure. Though some might say otherwise, Robin wasn't a full idiot, only half an idiot, and packed a flashlight. He pulled it out and looked around the hall.

"Huh, it seems a lot more run down here than it did before. What does the city only maintain half the sewers?" Robin commented as they walked.

"We are probably just in one of the old sections," Dove said. "Vale is old. The city has been destroyed, rebuilt, and built over dozens of times by now. I wouldn't be surprised if we are walking above the ruins of old Vale right n-"

There was a sudden splash and a brief shout of surprise from behind, causing everyone to turn around. The light dimly revealed the form of Cardin being dragged through the sewer water, his arm caught in the maw of some enormous thing with glowing red eyes. It darted underwater, dragging Cardin with it, leaving Robin, Dove, and Sky staring in shock at where their leader used to stand.

I am here! and pretty unhappy with this chapter, I fought with it, and rewrote chunks a couple times over. Iunno, it exists, and it gets things a moving. Hope y'all manage to find some enjoyment in it, call out any weird things, errors, or mistakes, and have a wonderful day!