The inside of the whale is just as gross as Yang had expected. She tries not to think too much about what she's stepping in as she hurries along behind Oscar and Ren. They're here for Oscar, she reminds herself. They just need to grab him and go. The rest can be left up to the Ace Ops, as much as it pains her to not stay and fight.
The whale seems oddly deserted as they creep along its passages; there's no sign of Salem or any of the others that she can see. Still, she remains tense, bracing herself for an attack, half-expecting someone to come bursting out of one of the tunnels at any moment and spot them. Ren is too drained to properly shield them from being detected, leaving them wide open.
But no one seems to be there.
Although none of them really have a clue about where they're heading, they're not willing to take the risk of splitting up and searching separately. It's too dangerous, and they already have a time limit; with all the winding tunnels in here, it'd be easy to become urned around and find yourself trapped in here, running out of time well before you can escape.
No, they'll stick together, and just hope that things turn out for the best.
The minutes drag on, and they continue their search. All the dark hallways look the same, and Yang is starting to worry that even if they do manage to find Oscar, they might not be able to find their way back to the entrance in time. Maybe they could make their own exit? She's not sure that the three of them have enough firepower to blast through a Grimm this big.
And then, unbelievably, after a few more turns, they stumble across Oscar. Yang feels a wave of relief wash over her—but it's quickly replaced by alarm when she realizes that Hazel is with him, lurking next to him in the shadows. She, Jaune, and Ren immediately go for their weapons, only to be stopped by Oscar.
"Guys, it's okay, he's helping me," he explains hastily. Oscar definitely hasn't had an easy time of it while he's been here, if his collection of bruises is anything to go by. Still, there's not much they can do about it here. They've got Oscar, now it's time to ditch this place before it blows up.
Hazel echoes this sentiment. "You kids need to get out of here."
Without further discussion, the five of them turn around and head back the way they came, doing their best to move quietly and avoid attracting attention. Despite his obvious injuries, Oscar easily keeps pace with the rest of them, without even a limp to slow him down. For a brief moment, Yang allows herself to hope that they might make it out of this without too much trouble.
Of course, that's when Salem shows up, standing between them and the exit. She's smiling pleasantly, which is somehow far more terrifying then if she was scowling at them. "Going somewhere?"
Crap.