A/N: Chapter 22 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 22: Mountain Glenn
Vale...
"What's the matter? Can't sleep?" Ironwood had been staring out into the distance as the sound of Glynda's voice caught his attention before the clicking of her heels against the pavement. He turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder at the huntress.
"Arm was acting up." He replied and tapped the appendage lightly as he said so. "It's been happening for awhile now. Nothing for you to concern yourself with."
"Ah, of course. So, logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." Glynda huffed before casting her fellow comrade a concerned expression. "What's wrong?"
"I've trusted him for years. We both have." Ironwood told her as an aircraft flew across their line of sight, its outline lit up thanks to the lights of the city just beyond a body of water. "I just...I can't help but feel...like he's keeping us in the dark."
"Don't be ridiculous. You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark." Glynda replied to which her male comrade snorted with disbelief.
"That makes it worse. I refuse to believe that a man I've trusted for so long would act so...passively."
"You're a good person, James." Glynda placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. "You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable." Then she huffed and shrugged her shoulders. "But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it."
"Hmm..." Ironwood mused as he took in her words carefully.
"Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack." The blonde huntress continued speaking, removing her hand from his shoulder and putting it by her side. "And I think that's something worth remembering."
Meanwhile...
The shuffling noise outside signaled the presence of a lone Grimm but it didn't bother coming too close to the camp so I left it alone. The moon was still up in the sky radiating its luminescence and I found it rejuvenating, almost rewarding to say the least. It's been awhile since I actually took a moment to stop and enjoy the space around me.
And once my eyes are back to what they once were...I'll be able to see everyone's smiling faces. I curled my fingers into fists, making a dedicated promise to myself. No doubt about that!
"Some night this is..." Ruby sighed as she watched the Beowolf through the cross-hairs of her scope. She looked over her shoulder to see the rest of our pow-wow sleeping by the campfire and Oobleck himself was perched on a high beam, his hat resting sideways on his head. "They seem peaceful."
"The night has blessed us and the weather seems calm." I commented, leaning back against the post and took a deep breath. "I wish it could stay this way forever."
"You make it sound like you've never experienced this kind of thing before." Ruby inquired with interest. I smiled at her and sighed. "Reina? I'm curious to know your story...you know, your childhood and the sorts. What made you want to become a Huntress?"
"When the time comes..." I placed a hand on her shoulder and released a calming sigh. "I promise to reveal everything. But for now, lets just enjoy this."
"Alright then." She agreed. Meanwhile, the others have already made themselves comfortable and were almost fast asleep. Kairos had left the embers burn a little longer, making sure everyone was comfortable with the temperature. She didn't want to smother it out immediately, something about watching the flames dance sent a soothing feeling through her own body.
Timber had his back towards the flames while Efram slept on his back, arms raised across his eyes to block out some of the light. Blake herself settled to laying on her side facing the open fire and Weiss herself opted to sleeping on her back, arms draped across her stomach. Overhead Oobleck rested and had some sort of smile plastered on his face.
"Blake?" Yang, unable to sleep for a while with a lot of thoughts running amok in her head, whispered her partner's name. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah." The Faunus replied without opening her eyes, the ears underneath her bow twitched when she picked up Yang's voice. "What is it?"
"Why do you think he asked us about being a huntress? Like...what as he trying to say?" Yang glanced up at the ceiling and sighed, placing both hands behind her head. She normally wasn't bothered by questions professors throw at her but Oobleck's definitely got under her skin. It actually made her think really hard about her choices.
"Maybe he was just curious." Blake replied, turning her head to actually stare at her battle partner. "Can't blame a professor who wishes to know what students are doing."
"Ya think?"
"...no." There was a pause before Blake answered, indicating that she was also having thoughts about Oobleck's intentions. "No I don't." A sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she asked if the heiress was awake as well, hoping to get some more input.
"Well I am now." came the grumbled response, her voice laced with a mild bite that caused Yang to flinch. The Schnee heiress managed to get comfortable before the sounds of chatter reached her ears. "Talking in such a small proximity is bound to wake others up."
"Sorry."
"Great, that means we're all awake."
"But this is actually a good thing because we can get to know each other a little more and understand one another." Kairos spoke calmly, shifting around so that she laid on her stomach. Her arms were neatly folded into a makeshift pillow. "Right now we're just a bunch of friends on a mission."
"Going back to what Yang was saying about Oobleck..." Weiss took a deep breath before continuing. "When I told him I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant every single word. 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."
"That's putting it lightly." Blake commented.
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right!" Weiss sat up to look pointedly at her teammate, holding back a retort. "If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed a damn thing. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it." Pleased with what she said she laid back down with a huff.
"Sounds like the Schnees have had bad blood with Faunus over the years." Kairos stated, getting a confused look from the cat faunus laying beside her. "I wasn't aware that this had been going on."
"You weren't? The White Fang and their fight against Schnees is quite common, all faunus' should know a little bit about it."
"Yeah...everyone but me apparently." Kairos spoke, fixing her gaze on the campfire. "My adoptive family hid information about it from me when I was young, didn't want the news of uprising and revolution to detour from my studies. To them, such things were considered 'taboo'. "
"Adoptive family?" Blake questioned the girl, one of her eyebrows cocked upward in surprise. "You weren't raised by your own parents?"
"I don't really know or remember my parents too well. They left minimal impact as I grew up. Over time my memories of them become hazy so I focus more of my energy with my new family." She released a small chuckle before giving Blake a weary smile. "I'm not as strong willed as you are Blake. Because of the taboo I've learned to hide my identity. These muffs that I wear to conceal my Faunus traits...were made by my adoptive younger sister. Her name was Ingrid. But then something happened and the bond between us was severed and in the end I enrolled for Beacon without hesitation."
"But what happened to yer sister?" Efram asked softly. "The family must've been worried about the quick decision..."
"Believe me when I say this but I hardly doubt they shed a single tear...especially for someone like me." Kairos told them. "Sorry...maybe I'll explain more but for now, just know that I had to get out of there."
"All my life I fought for what I thought was the right thing." Blake sighed almost in defeat, turning onto her back so she could stare up at the ceiling. "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 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-?" Her voice began to crack as she held back threatening tears. "How can I undo so many years of hate?"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out..." Yang said softly. "You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake."
"But I am! I do it all the time!"
"Then just take things one day at a time, one step at a time." Timber offered. "My mom always told me that it isn't good to take on more than you can handle. It's better to do a job well instead of taking a lot of jobs but result in a mediocre performance."
"When you learned that I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran." Blake confessed, holding her hands close to her heart. "When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my...Semblance...represents that. I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away."
"At least you two have something that drives you." Yang commented once silence drifted down upon them. She rolled over onto her stomach with a small smile. "I've just gone with the flow, you 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 wanna be a hero. But because I want the adventure."
"So you're basically a thrill seeker huh?" Kairos thought about it and smiled. "That's a lot better than struggling through for a purpose you know you may not achieve in the end. To be free like you Yang sounds heavenly."
"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 glanced over to where Ruby and I were still on look out before resting on one arm. "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 dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day and never asking for anything in return."
"Even when she couldn't fight? That's some drive she has." Timber said. "I'm impressed."
"Yup, even without the ability to fight she knew that's what she wanted to do." Yang nodded her head with agreement. "That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."
"She's still just a kid though." Weiss sat up again with a worried expression on her face. "Two years younger than us."
"Three years for me." Efram scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm only 18."
"One year difference for me." Timber added.
"Okay so the age difference between all of us are minimal so there's no need to get agitated over this." Blake said as she sat up as well. "She's not any younger than the rest of us. We're all kids in the grand scheme of things."
"Well...not anymore." Yang huffed nonchalantly. "We're on our first mission as huntsmen and huntresses. We better start acting like adults. Out here in the middle of a war zone, armed to the teeth with Grimm just around every corner..."
"It's the path we chose to walk as individuals." said Kairos. "We're in charge of our own life, to do as we please and owning up to the responsibilities and consequences."
"It's a job." Weiss countered, her voice sounded like she was berating a couple of prepubescents. "Be serious here."
"Weiss so serious?" Timber chuckled, getting the others to join in as the heiress hit him with her fist. "Ouch!"
"Looks like someone's been spending a little too much time with Yang..." She scowled, giving the blonde dagger eyes before clearing her throat. "Like I was saying, we all have this romanticized vision of being a huntress or huntsmen in our heads. But at the end of the day...it's a job to protect the people."
"People who you hope appreciate you putting your life on the line." Kairos stated almost forlornly. "But...it's okay. Not everything can go the way you plan."
"Reality hurts, I agree but that's what it means when we took this path." Weiss said. "We have to prioritize whatever we want to come in second."
"By the way...I'm not sure if you guys have ever introduced your weapons." Yang said out of the blue, getting curious glances from the others. "Ruby always love talking about weapons and I'm sure you guys have seen our weapons in battle since we spend so much time together. However I don't think we've been introduced to your weapons yet."
"You know come to think of it..."
"Yang's got a point for once..." Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, I'll go first. I've always wanted to present my precious baby!" Efram smirked before sitting up to be comfortable. Reaching over he grabbed the shaft of his weapon and held it out in front of him with the pointed ends facing the sky. "Arcturus is its name and I created it myself while I was at sea."
"How in the wide world of Remnant were you able to craft a trident out in the middle of a massive body of water?" Weiss questioned. "How did you get the tools necessary for such a task?"
"When there's a will there's a way." He grinned broadly, watching the heiress roll her eyes at the cliché saying. "Ain't nobody tellin' me what I can or cannot achieve. I'm mighty impressed myself mind you. I couldn't stop twirling above my head before arriving at Beacon."
"You came to Beacon...with a weapon you made...while sailing in the sea?" Weiss asked, feeling the back story a little strange. "That sounds a bit...absurd. I can't seem to wrap my head around it."
"Don't worry about it, most of it was a lie anyway! I'm just pulling all yer legs!" Efram threw his head back in laughter as the rest of them just sighed or shook their head in disbelief. "The thing is, I picked this weapon up while I was making my way around the beach, I patrol around my town and pick up trash and stuff that are carried in by the waves. So one day I happened to stumble across this thing. It looked like rubbish with all the seaweed around it but I took it home, modified it and low and behold, its become my most trusted companion!"
"This is Berzelius." Timber followed suit once his teammate had finished and held out his bow with one arm, letting the light from the fire illuminate the strange designs etched along the surface. "It's my family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, from father to son. Apparently my ancestor claimed that the weapon was a gift from the heavens above. Not many people were favored to draw the strings but my family happened to be the chosen one. Thus it became tradition and I inherited it from my grandfather. You see, the power skipped my dad and fell onto me."
"Was your dad angry when he realized he'd been passed?" Yang asked and the boy shook his head.
"Nope. Although he was a bit upset when he heard the news but he and my mother knew I would have to leave the nest at some point and what better way than to be gifted by the deities? So they wished me the best of luck and allowed me to venture out on my own, ultimately landing in Beacon."
"What's interesting is that it doesn't appear to have a gun component to it." Blake commented as she looked at the weapon. "How peculiar..."
"Even if it isn't a gun he made up for it by throwing it like a fucking boomerang." Weiss said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I saw it with my own two eyes!"
"I'm not very good with a gun." He explained as an embarrassed blush started creeping up the side of his neck. "I've been good at archery so I incorporated that into the weapon. Sometimes gun shots scare me if they're very loud."
"Lancelot is my weapon's name." Kairos gestured to the sword leaning against the wall. "I can also separate it to form my dual rifles to handle long-range hits. But I focus myself more in its sword mode since I love close quarter fighting. That weapon was the last gift from my actual parents, my adopted parents said they found me with the weapon and no note attached. Since then I spent my time learning sword styles and got very good at it. There's no other weapon I'd use besides a sword."
"And what about Reina?" Weiss jerked her chin over to where I was talking with Ruby. The leader of RWBY was chatting away while I nodded my head now and then, indicating that I was listening to whatever she was rattling on about. "I don't think I've ever seen anything physical like a weapon in her hands when she attacks. She just uses...uh what did she call it? Aura?"
"It must be a family thing." Kairos replied thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. "I heard of a family that rarely uses weapons like the rest of us but instead they bear some kind of a mark to channel their semblances through. Each mark is different from person to person but I haven't seen our leader's mark yet. It's like she's trying hard to avoid that kind of topic."
"Why would she do that? You know, keeping things away from you all...Isn't she your leader?" The heiress pressured a bit. "Aren't you all at least a bit curious to know the secrets she may be hiding?"
"Yes we're curious but it's also wise to respect her personal needs." Efram said gently. "If she doesn't wanna talk about it, we won't force her to speak. I'm sure our leader will talk about it when she's ready."
"Uh, yeah you're right...sorry." Weiss hung her head slightly. "I shouldn't be so pushy. But I hope she comes around to trusting us with her secrets."
"Anyways...it's getting late." Blake said before releasing a large yawn. "Let's get some shut eye. We have a lot of things to accomplish by morning."
After a few hours...
Ruby and I were soon released from our watch duty, switching out with Yang and Efram. I took over his mat while Ruby slept where Yang was with Zwei curled up next to her. Yang and Efram made small talk before taking up their positions. Throughout my sleep I had this horrible feeling conjuring in the pit of my stomach. It felt like a large stone just settled inside and I was uncomfortable.
"Augh...Zwei." I heard Ruby's voice and slowly the aura of red flashed within my mind, disappearing out of sight.
Where's she going at a time like this? I wondered and slowly hoisted myself onto my knees. Within my mind I could see the outline of my sleeping comrades as well as the two outlines of our watchers, their backs towards me at the moment. Perfect. Slipping out carefully I followed the red aura like thread before my ears picked up something else.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I dunno...a Beowolf or something...Could've sworn it came from that direction..."
Huh? White Fang lackeys? I crouched down behind a worn down building and two new auras popped up within my Mind's Eye, both indicating White Fang soldiers who were arguing among themselves. What are they doing here?
"Lets just wrap up this patrol and then head back to base." One of the irritated ones spoke to his companion. "I don't understand why we were the ones chosen for this lame job."
"Sucks for us huh...At least the pay isn't too bad..."
So something is here that's getting their interest. But what...? Fuck! I snarled suddenly and gripped my right shoulder tightly. The mark underneath my fingers pulsed at a rapid pace, sending warmth throughout my entire body. Alfheim...why the hell are you' acting up again? Calming my nerves and feeling the searing warmth fade away I sensed that Ruby had begun to move as well, following the two guards from before. I hurried after her, keeping my steps as light as possible.
"Did they go in yet?" Ruby's hushed voice reached my ears as the girl held Zwei up, the dog's head peaking out from behind the corner. "One bark means 'yes'."
"Bark!" Zwei spoke once the gate to some area beyond my sight sealed shut.
"Oh, this is it! This is it!" She said excitedly and quickly fished out her Scroll from her pocket. Dialing some numbers she waited anxiously for her teammates to pick up but soon realized that it was low battery. "Oh man...uh..."
"Ruby!" I hissed, making her jump a few feet into the air. "What are you doing snooping out here?!"
"I could be asking you the same question!" She fired back, making sure her voice was low. "Almost gave me a heart attack...Anyway, we have to get the others!" Taking the lead we tried to walk back when the ground below her feet gave way. With a yelp she disappeared from my sight and I felt as though my heart skipped a beat.
"Shit! Ruby!" I ran over to see her gripping tightly to the ledge with Zwei in her arms. "You okay?"
"I'm...I'm fine!" She breathed before throwing Zwei to safety, the dog landing close to where Crescent Rose lay. "Give me a minute!" As soon as she tried to move the ground started to break faster. "Oh no...!"
"I gotcha!" Lunging forward I grabbed onto her outstretched hand just as she had let go. "Hang on, I'll pull you up..." The sound of more rocks cracking underneath my feet and I glanced down with a frown. "Bad idea..."
"Reina you have to get the others!" She pleaded, looking at me with terrified eyes. "Please let go!"
"No!" I shouted back, gripping her hand tightly to show that I will never leave her side. "I won't do it!" The cracks became more prominent as I struggled to lift her out. "I'll take you back with me! We'll go back together!"
"Reina..." Ruby's eyes widened with horror and quickly shouted, "Zwei! Go get everyone!"
C'mon...c'mon...I strained and took a tiny step back. At that instant everyone gave way and the two of us suddenly plunged into the darkness. Zwei's barks could no longer be heard and soon solid ground rushed up to meet us.
"Ouch. That was some fall huh?" Ruby winced when she blinked the stars out of her eyes and sat up slowly. She had landed on her back so lucky her. As for me I actually landed on my face so it took me a few minutes to regain my bearings. "Where are we?"
"Did we fall into some kind of pitfall trap?" I groaned after making sure I didn't break anything. She helped me to my feet and we glanced around. There didn't seem to be any sign of life forms but based on the jagged outlines I deduced we ended up in some underground ruin. "Well this seems a little homey don't you think?"
"Ugh, and there's no way to go back the way we came." Ruby announced. "How are we gonna get out now?"
"Freeze!" The two of us turned around to see two White Fang members pointing their guns at us. A glowing light behind them indicated a secret passageway but we were concerned about weapons pointed to our faces. "Don't move!"
"Where the hell did these two runts come from?"
"Reina...there's a ledge behind us." Ruby whispered when we began to back up. She almost fell when she couldn't feel solid ground underneath her foot and looked over, taking in the considerable drop into account. "There's no place for us to run to. And I don't have Crescent Rose with me..." She had reached behind her for her weapon only to feel nothing, the weapon was still above ground near the hole.
"You two are a long way from home." One of the soldiers snarled. Marching over he reached out to grab Ruby by the arm and squeezed tightly. "Come with us!"
"Hey!" She snapped and struggled in his grip, managing to wiggle free. "Hands off!" Snarling she balled her fist and threw a punch however the soldier was unfazed when her attack connected with his toned body. In fact he was highly amused by her attempt to hurt him.
"Hmph!" He just blocked another punch that was aimed for his face before socking her with a right hook, getting a yelp to escape her lips as she crashed to the ground. "Don't even waste your time little brat."
"Ruby!" I knelt beside her, pulling her into my arms as the two turned their attention to me. She had a dazed look on her face so there was no way she'll be able to fight. "How dare you..."
"Don't make a fuss and just come with us." The man ordered, getting annoyed that his orders were being ignored. "Otherwise I won't go easy on you."
"Rrrrrrrrrrahhhhhh!" Covering both hands in Aura I swiped at him, feeling satisfied when I snagged onto his uniform and slashed right through. The blood roared in my ears and my instincts to protect my friend took over. Something primal from within was on the verge of being let loose. I'll make him pay for hurting Ruby!
"What the hell?!" He cried, stumbling back in shock as shreds of fabric fell to the ground. He looked down to see three large marks going diagonal down his shirt and growled. "She has that kind of power?!"
"I got her, don't worry about it." The other one spoke and started to fire. The bullets ricochet off the shield as I rushed at him, knocking the weapon out and pinning the guy to the ground. His eyes widened with fear as I raised an arm, ready to stab him without any mercy. "Shit! A little help here would be great about now!"
"Hey." I turned my head at the voice, noticing the first soldier holding Ruby up and had his weapon pointed to her skull. "Let him go. Or else."
Ruby...I hesitated when I noticed how I had left her defenseless, wrestling with my emotions and ultimately decided to obey the order. I stood down, letting the other soldier scramble back to collect his weapon.
"Hehe...that's a good girl." After bashing the butt of his weapon to knock the younger huntress out he strode towards me. "Ah ah, don't even think of retaliating, I'm in charge here." He spoke when he noticed my body tensing up. Leaning down his face was mere inches from mine and he was smiling. "If you even think about defying me..." With a strong kick he sent me crashing into the wall and there was nothing I could do about it. "...you are in a world of hell."
"Gaaghh..." I coughed, one arm wrapped around my stomach were his foot connected. I slowly rose up, feeling the anger burn within me but I knew I was in a tight spot. Blood dribbled down from a cut lip but I soon stood on my two feet and glared angrily at him.
"So you still want to go a round?" The man chuckled before tilting his head. "Hey, go and point your weapon at the other brat. This one won't do anything if she knows what's good for her."
"You dirty bastards." I growled, watching the white aura of a soldier kneel beside the red one. "How dare you fight dirty!"
"That's some mouth on you..." My opponent spoke, getting my attention as he cracked his knuckles loudly. "You won't be saying bad things about the White Fang when I'm through with you." I did nothing to defend myself as the rains from his fists collided with my body. What's even worse he cornered me against the rugged walls and continued to beat the shit out of me, his mouth twisted into a wide smirk with each strike he lands. His fists were soon coated with my blood but that just egged him on more and more. The sounds of flesh being hit repeatedly resonated throughout the area but other than that, nothing stirred.
"Don't you think that's enough?" The other soldier suddenly asked after he had enough watching the thrashing. He hadn't spoken up because he knew his buddy wanted to have his fun but after awhile he began to feel sympathetic towards me. "Look she hasn't even raised her hands against you when you ordered her to."
"Huh? What did you say?" The guy looked over nonchalantly, holding my head up by entangling his fingers in my blood-matted hair. "You're telling me to stop? No way this is way fun!"
"Gah!" I coughed out as he slammed his fist into my stomach and collapsed against him. My body trembled and tears began falling from my eyes. "Uugh...auugh.."
"Besides..." Removing his fist he followed up with a knee, shoving me deeper into the already broken wall. Stepping back he watched with satisfaction as I crumpled to the ground without another sound, leaving a huge bloody stain on the rugged rocks. "it's been awhile since I got to unleash on this pent up frustration. I feel rejuvenated."
"But against kids like this...I think you went too far."
"Are you getting soft?" The guy growled to his comrade and shook his head in disbelief. "Forget it. The boss is probably gonna wanna see these two immediately so why don't you carry that one?"
Back at the base...
Something doesn't feel right...Yang thought to herself as she looked outside, her eyes looking around the barren space in case there was any movement. Thinking it was nothing but an intuition in the back of her mind she quickly tapped Efram on the shoulder, signaling the end of their shift.
"Thanks, my muscles were getting stiff anyway." He spoke as they both stretched out their tight muscles and prepared for a good night's rest.
"Hey, Weiss it's your..." Yang paused as her eyes locked in on the empty bed. Kneeling down she quickly touched the material to see that it was slowly becoming cold, meaning that the girl shouldn't have gone too far away. "Ruby?"
"Reina's not here either." Efram's concerned voice reached her ears and she turned to see the other empty bed, the man kneeling down next to it as well. "You don't suppose they went to the restroom do you?"
"If they went to the restroom then they should've come back already." She replied, nibbling the bottom of her lip with nervousness. "Oh shit...what if they were abducted? Or even worse...eaten by Grimms?"
"Don't jump quickly to conclusions. Also if they were eaten by Grimms we would've heard 'em howlin'." He advised her quickly. "Lets wake everyone up and see how to handle it from there."
"Good plan. Hey, where did our leaders go?" Yang called, rousing everyone from their slumber. There were a slur of groggy speeches and the shuffling of blankets indicated that the owners were just coming around from being comfortable. "C'mon! Get up! We might have an emergency on our hands!"
"What? What do you mean we have an emergency?!" Even Oobleck rushed downstairs from his perch to see what all the noise was all about. The sound of whimpering and crying reached their ears as Zwei ran in as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, going straight for Yang.
"Zwei?! Where's Ruby?" The blonde asked, kneeling down to pet him. He whined and licked her hands, trying his best to communicate his words to her.
"What's going on?" Blake asked, sleepiness still laced in her voice. "Ugh and I'm still so tired..."
Reina...please be safe. Kairos thought as she strapped Lancelot across her back, the first burning brightly within her eyes. I will never forgive you if you foolishly put yourself in danger...
"Grab your weapons." Oobleck ordered hastily, watching as the students shuffled about and rolling up their bags. "Those two are probably in danger. We don't have time to waste." Everyone rushed out of their base and followed Zwei who took the lead, his ears perked forward with alertness.
"That's Ruby's scythe!" Yang called out when she spotted the item on the ground. The other hurried and huddled around the fallen weapon with concern expressions on their faces.
"Oh no..." Blake muttered with worry. "Oh no..."
"Do you think she fell?" Weiss pointed out the large hole, minding her step so that she herself didn't fall in. "That looks a bit deep, I can't even see the bottom."
"Fell?!" Oobleck exclaimed with a huff and peered into the hole himself. "Oh my...But of course..." Suddenly it was like a light bulb lit up in his mind. "Of course of course of course!"
"Spill the beans Professor, we don't have time to play mind games with you." Kairos spoke up. "Time is of the essence!"
"How could I be so stupid?!"
"What is it?" Blake asked as he walked to and fro, agitated about something.
"Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?"
"What got yer panties in a twist?"
"You are making this suspenseful! Just say something!" By now the others were chiming in, almost begging the green-haired professor to tell them what was the matter.
"Mountain Glenn!" He exclaimed, rubbing his chin with his fingers thoughtfully. "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."
"So...what does that have to do with our leaders missing again?" Kairos questioned, completely lost in the rambling.
"It means that Grimm attacks will increase! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into metro tunnels and what do they find?!"
"A whole lot of Grimm waiting to kill them?" Efram guessed.
"No! Well maybe yes. But! The south-east quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"
"Why are you talking to the dog?" Weiss asked as Zwei licked the professor's hand.
"Boys and girls, we're not looking for an underground crime network! We're looking for AN UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!" He shook Yang's shoulders as he said so. "Oh we are so screwed!"
"They've been working in caves?" Blake said with disbelief. "I understand that faunus have good night vision but this seems a little too much..."
"No, no no." Oobleck shook his head and launched into his lecture mode. "Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time however 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."
"That's uplifting to say the least." Kairos commented under her breath.
"As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival." Oobleck ushered the students close to the hole. "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."
"So we're gonna be dealing with a couple of underground gophers? And by gophers I mean some White Fang right?" Kairos asked. "Sounds like a lot has landed on our plate."
"A-An underground village? That's something I've never heard about." Yang spoke up. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing by disturbing some mole people?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. However I assume that the village has been abandoned for awhile." Oobleck nodded his head in agreement. "A...A safe haven if you will. Well...that was until...an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern...filled with subterranean Grimm."
"Did...did the villagers make it?" Timber asked, keeping his voice soft since he kinda knew what the answer would be.
"After that...the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. So no my lad...the villagers didn't make it." He took a deep breath before speaking, "If both Ruby and Reina are down there...we must find them." He took out his thermos, transforming it into his weapon of choice. "Lets go children."
Somewhere...
Ruby was the first to open her eyes and she looked around as multiple voices reached her. The back of her neck was sore but she could still pick up the little pieces of conversation as dozen of White Fang soldiers chattered about.
"Can you give me a hand? I can't reach that box over there!"
"Hey be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?"
"Sorry sir! I'll be more vigilant."
Ugh...what happened? She furrowed her brow in concentration. I was woken up because Zwei went to do his business, then we almost got spotted by the White Fang. Reina showed up later...and then we fell into a hole. Oh my gosh, Reina! She glanced around in haste before noticing that I was being dragged behind the other soldier who had a hand around my right ankle, leaving a thin streak of red on the ground.
"You don't think the boss will be mad if I made a mess will he?" The soldier who was dragging me asked with a dull voice. "I'd hate to be the one who has to wash all the blood off."
"You should really carry her like I am doing with this brat." The other one claimed, gesturing to Ruby with a free hand. He had an arm wrapped around the Huntress' middle while making sure she didn't slip out. "You already got your hands bloodied anyway..."
Bloodied? Glancing out of her peripherals Ruby noticed how the man's knuckles were splashed with red. It didn't take long to put two and two together. Did Reina get hurt...because of me?
"Hey boss!" The voice from the bloodied soldier got her attention as her carrier came to a halt next to his buddy. "We found a couple of things you might want to see."
"Is it good or bad, Perry, because let me tell ya, I have had a day." From the inside of a storage unit, Roman's voice fluttered out and he didn't sound very happy.
"Uhh...it's two little girls?" The one known as Perry informed him. At that statement, the orange-haired man leaned out with a cigar in his mouth. His eyes widen when he recognized Ruby immediately and he took a deep breath.
"That would be bad." He claimed and threw away his cigar. Walking down the steps he stopped before the boys and tapped his boot against the ground. "You seriously have gone way past your bedtime Red, that's not healthy for someone like you."
"Grrrr..." Ruby growled angrily, narrowing her eyes at him. Ignoring her for a minute he then noticed his other guest and frowned. His eyes darted between Perry's knuckles and my unconscious form and snapped his fingers a couple of times.
"Ahhh...I see. Perry, why did you have to go all out with our merchandise? Learn to be more considerate man."
"I'm sorry boss." Perry apologized.
"No matter!" Roman twirled his cane and smiled brightly. "Let us make our guests...feel more welcome! Otherwise I'd be a horrible host and those other two heathens will never let me live it down."
