"Hmmm..." Ruby looked carefully at the list of different jobs, trying to find one that she and Oscar could do together. She didn't want to offend him by taking an easy mission, but still wasn't sure if he was as prepared for combat as he claimed.

"Let's see," Ruby muttered. "We have a group of Grimm harassing a settlement, but that's kinda far away. A Blind Worm was spotted, but that's a bit much for just two of us. Ooooohhh! Look at that!" She pointed at a mission on the bottom right of the board.

"Scavenger Hunt in the Red Dunes?" Oscar read aloud.

"Yeah!" Ruby replied excitedly. "You know what the Red Dunes are, right?"

Oscar nodded. "It's the site of the last battle of the Great War. Countless warriors on all sides were lost there. So much blood was spilled, it literally turned the sand red."

"And because of the chaos, most of the warriors who fell were never recovered," Ruby said tapping the screen to access the details of the mission. "And neither were their weapons! So the sand swallowed all those people and their weapons, leaving little to no trace of them. But according to this, there's a storm over the Red Dunes that's churning up the sand and uncovering all those old weapons and armor, and there are people who will pay a ton for some of the good ones, including..." her eyes widened. "No way. They still haven't got it yet!"

"What?" Oscar asked, leaning in to look. He started reading the details, until a specific part caught his attention.

As with every Scavenger Hunt, the reward is 40% of all earnings from the weapons, armor and other artifacts recovered by the Huntsmen and Huntresses. However, a promised 80% is available for whoever recovers the primary weapon of the late General Blutstrom.

"General Blutstrom?" Oscar repeated aloud. "Wasn't he the Field Marshall of Mantle?"

"Yeah, he was!" Ruby answered excitedly. "He was a horrible person, don't get me wrong, but his weapons were legendary! His sidearm, Timore, sold at an auction for over two billion Lien! Just imagine how much his primary weapon, Nox, would fetch!"

"Two billion Lien!?" Oscar's head spun just trying to imagine that much money. Then he blinked. "I didn't think you cared that much about money."

"Hey, billion means billion!" Ruby argued. "Besides, it's more about getting to hold one of the most elegant and beautiful weapons in existence!"

"Why? What's so special about it? You know, besides the person who carried it."

Ruby looked at Oscar as if he grew a second head. "Oscar, Nox is advanced tech even by today's standards, and it was made over a hundred years ago! It's a pepperbox rifle with ten 10mm barrels surrounding a 30mm grenade launcher, and the muzzle is surrounded by a gigantic mace head. But it's how it holds the ammunition that's so unique—the bullets and grenades are all stacked on top of each other! That means Nox can carry a hundred bullets and five grenades! And that's not even-"

"Okay, Okay, I get it!" Oscar interrupted. "Let's check more on the details before we decide."

Ruby looked disappointed, but turned back to the mission board and kept reading. "Okay, well it says that Sandrails will be provided, and the goal is to collect as many artifacts as possible during a lull in the storm when the winds aren't as strong. Not sure why, though."

"Wait," Oscar interjected, "what's a Sandrail?"

"Yang told me about them," Ruby explained. "They're sort of like souped up dune buggies. She said they move really fast, and can even do wheelies."

"Huh," Oscar tried to hide it, but he liked the sound of that. "This sounds fun and all, but is it really in our skill set? Shouldn't we be taking missions to destroy some of the Grimm, or defend some of the outer villages?"

"C'mon, Oscar," Ruby replied. "There's more to being a Huntsman than just killing Grimm. Besides, this is in our skill set! I studied the weapons used by the best warriors to fight in the Great War, so I can pick out the most valuable weapons and armor pretty easily. And thanks to my Semblance, I can grab more of them faster! All I need is a driver."

"Ehh, I dunno, Ruby."

"Awww, come on! Pleeeeease? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?" Ruby looked at Oscar with puppy eyes.

Under the pressure of her pleading, Oscar finally caved and sighed. "I get to drive the Sandrail?" He asked.

Ruby and Oscar walked through the streets of the city, heading for the meeting point in the outskirts. After accepting the mission, they were given directions to a garage that held the Sandrails in order to meet with the person who sponsored the mission. Upon arriving, however, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.

"Dr. Oobleck?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Ah! Hello, Ms. Rose!" The lanky, green-haired Huntsman shouted happily. "So nice of you to join the Scavenger Hunt! I honestly had to do a double take when I saw your name on the list of applicants!"

"What are you doing here in Vacuo?" Ruby asked her former history teacher.

"Why, what a preposterous question!" Oobleck said in his usual rapid manner. "History is being made here as we speak! Why, your return alone is a historic moment in its own right!"

"Uhh, wha?"

"Ruby, do you not realize that you have become a face that everyone on Remnant would recognize? You changed the way people view the world! If that's not worthy of having your own chapter in the history books, then I don't know what is!"

"Uhhh..." Ruby wasn't sure she liked that idea, so she quickly decided to change the subject. "Did you decide to go on this mission, too?"

"Oh no, Ruby," Oobleck answered. "I am the appraiser! I believe my expertise in the knowledge of historical weapons will come quite in handy with determining the value of each artifact recovered, and my time with archaeologists has given me many contacts for potential buyers as well!"

"And Professor Port?" Ruby asked. "Did he come, too?"

"No, he said he was a bit too old for an excursion into the desert, so he stayed behind to secure the homefront. I'm certain he'll be happy you remember him, though!" Oobleck then looked back at his former student. "And what about you? What made you decide to take such a mission?"

"The weapons, obviously!" Ruby said excitedly. "I've studied every single encyclopedia about the weapons used in the Great War, so this is right up my alley! Plus, I might actually get to find Blutstrom's pepperbox!"

"Ah, yes!" Oobleck agreed. "That certainly is a valuable piece of world history! I know the curator of the Museum of Infamy, and he said he would pay any price to be able to display such a grisly artifact!" He then looked at Oscar, who was trying to follow everything. "I see that Ozpin has decided to accompany you on this mission. I'm surprised your other teammates didn't want to assist you."

"Actually," Ruby corrected him, "Oscar was made my temporary new partner, and I needed a driver for this mission."

"Ah, another of Theodore's infamous 'shake ups,' I presume?" Ruby nodded. "Well, no matter! I'm certain you two will do splendidly together! Now, let's get you set up with a Sandrail!"

Ruby and Oscar followed the Huntsman to the garage, where they were greeted by another unexpected sight.

"Yang? Blake?" Ruby ran up to the young couple. Both of them had also changed their outfits. Blake had a black sarashi tied around her chest, with white shorts and thigh high black heeled boots. She was also wearing a long white sleeveless jacket with black detached sleeves and a black bandanna around her neck.

Yang, meanwhile, had decided to wear far less than her girlfriend. Her outfit was a small yellow tube top, an open khaki vest, and a very short pair of black shorts. Her legs were covered by a pair of yellow chaps and brown boots. She had an orange bandanna and a pair of goggles with yellow lenses around her neck. A small poncho that barely covered her shoulders and a brown Stetson on her head completed the look. Ruby noticed that Blake wasn't the only one staring at her sister—Oscar was gawking at her as well. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

"Oh! Hey, Rubes!" Yang greeted her sister. "I should've guessed you'd be taking this mission. High speed, collecting weapons, it's right up your alley."

"Told you so," Blake teased the blonde.

Ruby giggled a bit, then paused and looked around. This was a mission that required pairs, but...

"Wait a minute," Ruby said suspiciously. "Why are you two here?"

"Because Yang really wants to drive one of these things," Blake half-grumbled, eyeing the yellow and black Sandrail nervously. "Honestly, I'm not looking forward to this, but Yang gave me those big puppy eyes and I-"

"No, not that!" Ruby interrupted. "I mean why are you here together? Theodore told us to mix it up, to choose new partners we're not familiar with. So why exactly are you two taking the same mission as partners?"

"Oh, that," Yang looked slightly guilty. "Well, we thought about it, but when we remembered that we're already licensed Huntresses and from an entirely different kingdom, we decided not to listen."

"Seriously?" Ruby pouted, annoyed. "The whole point of us getting different partners was in case we get separated from our normal partners. And I think you two need that practice more than me."

"Eh," Yang said dismissively. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Now, how's about we give these babies a spin?"

"Well," Oscar replied, "that's why we're here. If I'm going to be Ruby's driver, I need to be able to handle these things." He left to pick out a Sandrail, with Oobleck accompanying him.

With Oscar busy, Ruby beckoned her sister to follow her. Yang hopped off the Sandrail and walked over to her, but when Blake tried to follow, Ruby put a hand up.

"Sorry, Blake," Ruby said. "This is a family thing." Blake nodded and sat back down in the vehicle.

"What's up, Sis?" Yang asked, her face concerned.

Ruby sighed worriedly. "Have you heard from Uncle Qrow yet?"

Yang shook her head and pulled out her scroll, showing her recent call log. Ruby's eyes widened when she saw that Yang had called him thirty eight times with no answer.

"Either he's dead, or he's really trying to avoid us," the blonde said sadly. "You want to try looking for him after this?"

Ruby nodded. "Just the two of us, though. I think we're the ones he needs to see."

"Alright," Yang agreed, then pat Ruby on the shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine. You set him straight once already, right?"

Ruby smiled at her sister. "Right. Now, back to the mission. Can you show me how these things work?"

Yang blinked. "I thought Oscar was your driver. Doesn't Ozpin know how to drive a Sandrail?"

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "But I might want to know where everything is just in case."

"Good call," Yang replied. "Alright, let me show you."

Walking back to the yellow and black Sandrail, Yang pointed out the clutch, handbrake and gear shift.

"And this," Yang said, pointing to a button on the steering wheel," is the booster—Or as I like to call it: the 'go baby go!' button! Press this little gem and you'll get five whole seconds of crazy speed!"

"How crazy?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Remember when I said these things can pop wheelies?"

"Right..." Ruby made a mental note to make sure Oscar didn't hit that button.

"Hey, Ruby!" Oscar called. "I found a good one over here!"

"Oh! Partner's calling! See you soon!" Ruby saluted her teammates and ran over to where Oscar and Oobleck were waiting. The Sandrail they had chosen was simpler-looking than the one Blake and Yang had grabbed, but it had a bigger bed in the back and more room in the roll cage—all the better for storing lots of weapons and other loot, Ruby thought—and yet still appeared more nimble.

"What do you think?" Oscar asked. "Is it too big in the back?"

"Nope, Ruby answered. "I think it's perfect. How about you? Ready to give it a test drive?"

"Sure," Oscar nodded, patting the passenger seat. "Hop in."

Ruby, Oscar, Blake and Yang were taken to an area of the desert that was close enough to the Red Dunes for them to make it to the starting line, but not close enough to be affected by the storm. The Sandrails were airlifted in, instead of the groups just driving there.

"Now," Oobleck instructed the four. "We still have about an hour and a half before the storm starts to wane, which gives you plenty of time to practice driving around the area and getting in and out to grab the artifacts! I suggest you go at whatever pace makes you feel safe, but be warned: many of the Huntsmen and Huntresses who signed up for this mission have had far more experience on these than you do."

Nodding, the four hopped into their Sandrails and strapped themselves in. Ruby started feeling a bit nervous, knowing that the only other time Oscar was in the pilot seat of anything, it crashed.

"I know I said you could drive, Oscar, but I just want to make sure you feel at least comfortable. Yang told me how crazy these things are."

"C'mon," Oscar said confidently. "I flew an airship, didn't I?"

"You crashed an airship," Ruby reminded him.

"It was already crashing!"

Ruby giggled and punched his arm playfully. "I'm just messing with you! Just... take it slow until you get your bearings."

"Right," Oscar said. "But come on, how bad can it be?" With that, he faced forward and pushed down on the accelerator with his foot.

VROOOMMM!

Oscar yelped as the Sandrail took off, accelerating much faster than he expected. Ruby tightened her grip on the handlebar above her head, starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Yang and Blake followed close behind, with Yang whooping with joy while Blake held on for dear life. Keeping the steering wheel straight, Oscar let off the gas and slowed to a more manageable speed while Yang pulled ahead. The buggy was surprisingly comfortable, with the suspension absorbing most of the bumps in the sand. It was very loud, though, with the engine roaring in their ears.

After a short ways, Oscar relaxed a bit and began steering around, feeling braver. It turned surprisingly tightly, with the slightest input changing direction. After a while of practicing sharp turns and the occasional donut, Ruby began to relax a bit as well. Looking around, she pointed to a bunch of dunes in the distance that Yang's buggy was heading.

"Try going over those!" She shouted over the roar of the engine.

Nodding, Oscar steered towards the closest dune, and started climbing. The paddle-like treads gripped the loose sand well, propelling them up to the top in seconds.

"Slow down, Oscar!" Ruby said frantically, tensing up again as they approached the peak. "Slow down slow down slow down!"

Oscar ignored her and kept going, reaching the summit at high speed and sailing over, landing on the other side while a terrified Ruby tried desperately to get air back into her lungs.

"Are you crazy!?" Ruby shrieked.

"You're one to talk!" Oscar retorted, heading for the next dune. Once again, he sped up the slope and leaped gracefully over the summit. "You jumped down the barrel of a giant mech!"

Ruby grimaced at that, knowing he had a point. Instead of talking back, she held on tight as he jumped the Sandrail over several other dunes. With each jump, more and more tension left her body, and she began to truly trust Oscar's skills. Eventually the area leveled out, and they found themselves on a large flat. With nothing to crash into, Oscar put the pedal to the metal and they cruised at full speed. Ruby had finally let go of the handle and began to relax, when she heard him call out to her.

"Hey, Ruby! What's this do?"

Looking over, Ruby's face turned white when she saw Oscar pointing at a red button on the steering wheel.

"Oscar NO!"

But it was too late. Oscar pressed the booster button, and they both screamed over the roar of the engine as the Sandrail suddenly accelerated at an alarming rate. The front wheels popped up off of the ground and the buggy was officially performing a high speed wheelie. After five seconds of nightmarish speed, the booster cut off and the front wheels landed back on the sand as Oscar hit the brakes, bringing the Sandrail to a stop.

Ruby gasped for breath as the panic subsided. Her mouth was drier than the desert, so she took a long swig from her canteen. Once her heart slowed down, she began to laugh breathlessly, and Oscar joined her.

"Okay," she wheezed. "Maybe I should have told you about the booster before telling you not to touch it. But I still told you not to touch that button!"

"Sorry," Oscar said after taking a drink from his own canteen. "I got carried away."

The rumble of an engine and the sound of hysterical laughter reached their ears, and they turned to see Yang and Blake's Sandrail coming to a halt next to them. Yang was laughing harder than Ruby ever saw her, holding her sides. Even Blake was laughing.

"Your screams!" Yang coughed. "We could hear them over the engines!"

"It was terrifying!" Ruby protested, then pouted as Blake and Yang continued laughing. "Anyway, I think my heart's settled down a bit." She pulled her goggles over her eyes and the elastic cloth over her nose and mouth, then turned back to Oscar. "Now that I know you can handle this thing, let's head back, and I can practice jumping in and out while you're driving."

"Alright," Oscar agreed, and he stepped back on the accelerator and did a quick U-turn back to the starting area.

Once the Sandrail was up to speed, Ruby activated her Semblance and rocketed out of the vehicle, only to stop and jet right back in. The first time was a bit awkward, but she managed to fit between the bars of the roll cage and make it back to her seat. The next time she tried, she instead aimed to grab onto the roll bars and hang on to the outside. This proved to be much easier, and before long, she was darting around either side of the buggy as Oscar kept it as steady as possible for her. Blake was having more difficulty, and Yang had to slow down or stop every time she tried. By the time Ruby and Oscar had made it back to Professor Oobleck, they had built a considerable lead.

"Well done, you two!" The Huntsman applauded. "It looks like you are both naturals!"

"Yes!" Ruby whooped, fist pumping. She was slightly out of breath, but she would easily recover in time for the Scavenger Hunt to begin. "That pepperbox is ours!"

"Well, come along now!" Oobleck said as Yang's Sandrail came to a halt. "The storm is nearing its lull, and the mission is about to begin!"

"Yeah, about that," Yang interjected. "Why do we have to wait for the storm to settle down first? Can't we just go in whenever?"

"Goodness, no!" Oobleck snapped. "The Wasting Winds over the Red Dunes are particularly strong, my dear! During the lull is the only time they are passable! If you get caught in the storm at its peak, especially without an Aura..." he lowered his glasses to show his serious expression. "The high winds and sand particles will literally skin you alive!"

Everyone blinked in shock as a stunned silence descended.

"Well then!" Oobleck said, getting into his own Sandrail and starting it up. "Onwards!"