Here we are at Chapter 18. Ei's mission continues, this time outside the city of Vale. I do not own RWBY or Genshin Impact. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 18. Enjoy.
Chapter 18: Rumble in the Ruins
After the events of the night against the White Fang, Ei and her friends return to Beacon, only to be summoned to Ozpin's office the next morning. Suffice it to say, Professor Goodwitch was not happy.
"Just what were you eight thinking? Getting into a fight with a known extremist group in the middle of Vale at night. Did you not think to run and call the authorities? You could've been seriously injured, or have gotten innocent civilians caught in the crossfire," Goodwitch berates them.
"We were only trying to help. The White Fang are up to something and whatever it is, it's not good," Blake retorts.
"And I suppose you would have first-hand knowledge of this fact, correct Miss Belladonna?" Goodwitch shoots back, spooking Blake.
"W-What are you-," Blake stutters.
"Miss Belladonna, know that we are not your enemies here. But... we are not fools either. We know you're a Faunus, and we know of your past with the White Fang," Ozpin explains.
This horrifies Blake. She thought she was doing a good job of hiding her secret.
"How... How long..." Blake asks.
"Ever since you applied to Beacon Academy. You did not think we'd heavily screen future huntsmen and huntresses, did you? If it had been another academy, they would've rejected your application because of your past ties to the White Fang. I did not because I wanted to believe you were different, Blake. That you wanted to do good in this world, not ill. And I still believe that," Ozpin says, which seems to help Blake calm down. "However, the fact remains that you all caused quite the commotion in Vale. The investigation into the White Fang has been left up to the police and the local huntsmen. I know you were only trying to help, but you're just students. It is not yet your time to take risks such as these. I'll decide on your punishment at a later date. You are dismissed," Ozpin says and they turn to leave. "Ei, stop. A word, if you please,"
The others look at Ei with concern before leaving. Leaving just Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ei now.
"So, care to tell me why you really went after the White Fang? Another possible lead to the one who attacked Venti and stole his Gnosis?" Ozpin asks.
"Yes. We believe the one leading this splinter group, Adam Taurus, might have connections to her. We wanted to find him and interrogate him, but he wasn't there. Candace's semblance showed a vision of some ancient ruins outside the city. And I am going there to see what I can find," Ei explains.
"Ei, you may be an archon, but this isn't just about you. You're a student here, and there are rules to follow. Leave this task to us," Goodwitch says.
"The last time I left an important task to someone else, my people suffered for it. I sat around and did nothing for centuries..." Ei walks up to Ozpin's desk, her eyes glowing. "I will NOT simply do nothing this time. I am going, and you can't stop me. However, I'd like it if you would help me in this mission. We need to find the missing Gnosis and this woman... before something terrible happens. And I'll need my friends to help me do it,"
"Ei, even if you did go, you can't bring your friends with you. They're not gods, and this is dangerous. We could send experienced huntsmen with you instead," Glynda suggests.
"No, it has to be them. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. I won't bring anyone else in on this than I already have," Ei retorts.
Ozpin sighs, "I see nothing we say will sway you on this. Very well. Let's just say that I have an idea on what your team and Team RWBY's punishment will be. You may go now, Ei,"
Ei nods before leaving.
"Professor Ozpin, are you sure it is wise to do this?" Goodwitch asks.
"We could not stop her even if we tried, Glynda. Besides, when they go all out, few can stand against an archon. And if this enemy we face has a Gnosis, the power of an archon, then we will need someone of equal power to stop them. Before it's too late. Besides, I'm sure her friends will follow her anyway. Might as well bend the rules before they break them," Ozpin says.
Goodwitch sighs, "I hate it when you do this,"
Ozpin chuckles, "I know,"
...
Ei rejoins her friends in her dorm room as they discuss their next move, although Blake still seems disturbed by Ozpin's revelation.
"I just don't understand. If they knew who I was, then why did they let me enroll at Beacon?" Blake asks.
"It's just like Professor Ozpin said. He believes you want to do good as a huntress. To walk a different path. I believe it too. And this is my opinion without my semblance," Candace says.
"She's right. Besides, we got your back always. Right, guys?" Yang pats Blake's shoulder.
"Yeah!" Ruby cheers while Weiss simply smiles.
Their kindness touches Blake's heart and she eventually smiles.
"So, what do we do now?" Nilou asks.
"This changes nothing. We are going to those ruins. We will find Adam Taurus... and find out what he knows. I cannot let this drag on for too long," Ei says.
"Well, sounds fun, so count me in," Dehya says.
"We'll need to plan this out thoroughly. Supplies, coordinates, and transportation among other things," Weiss reminds them.
"I believe we won't have to worry about that last one. For now, let's take the time to gather ourselves and rest before we plan to leave. We'll talk more later," Ei says.
"Alright, we'll see you guys later," Ruby says before she and her team take their leave.
However, as they leave, Weiss starts wondering about something, "Hey guys, don't you think something's up?"
The others turn to her, "About that?" Ruby asks.
"This quest that Ei's on. Finding a friend's family heirloom or whatever. She's going to great lengths just for some trinket. Whether or not it has monetary value or sentimental value, that alone shouldn't be enough for this kind of drive," Weiss explains.
"Okay, what are you getting at exactly?" Yang asks.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but... what if Ei is hiding something from us? She didn't give us any concrete details on what this item is, nor did she say who her friend is. I don't know about you, but I find that suspicious," Weiss says.
"You're not thinking she's secretly a bad guy, are you? Ei is our friend," Ruby asks with worry.
"No, I'm not saying that Ruby. Just... I think I'd like to know more about exactly what we're getting into. For now, let's keep helping Ei. I agree with you when you say she's our friend. But, even friends keep secrets, right," Weiss says, glancing at Blake who rubs her head.
"Okay, but I still say we help her find her friend's heirloom. Then we'll ask her what's going on," Ruby says, getting nods of agreement from the others.
...
The next day, Teams RWBY and RDCN are called up by Goodwitch and they know exactly why. Officially, Teams RDCN and RWBY are being sent out on a grimm extermination mission as a form of 'punishment' for their little escapade in Vale. Unofficially, they're heading straight for the old ruins Candace saw in her vision. Provisions were provided, but only for two days at most. After three or four days, if they didn't come bac or contact Ozpin, a rescue party would be sent out. Ei doesn't intend for it to take that long. They all mount up in an airship that flies up and towards their destination. They fly northeast of the kingdom, beyond the safety of its walls.
"We'll land some distance away from the ruins so we don't get spotted. We'll go the rest of the way on foot," Ei says.
"So, Blake, what can we expect from a place that might be crawling with White Fang?" Dehya asks.
"Weapons, ranged and melee. Possible traps. I wouldn't be surprised if they have airships and explosives with them as well," Blake says.
"What about this Adam Taurus guy? Anything we should know about him?" Yang asks.
Blake sighs, "Adam's strong. Very strong. But, his strength is matched only by his hatred for humanity. He will kill us the second he sees us," she looks out at the forest passing by beneath them.
"Sounds like there's something more there," Nilou notes.
"We were partners... a long time ago. Before I left. I used to think that what we were doing was helping our people. I'm only sorry that it took me so long to realize how wrong I was," Blake shakes her head.
"We'll if he does show up, we got your back, Blake," Ruby tries to cheer her up.
"Ruby's right. As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. I want to thank you all again for lending me your aid in this endeavor. I know it's a selfish one, but still... I'm grateful," Ei says.
"That's what friends are for, Ei. And at least with us, we're a team and you're our leader. Where you go, we go," Nilou says.
The conversation ends there and a little while later, the airship reaches its destination. It lands in an open expanse within the trees and the two teams disembark. The airship takes off and heads back to Beacon for the time being.
"We're at least a few miles from the ruins. We'd better get moving," Ei says, and they begin their journey.
They all walk through the forest, keeping an eye out for any White Fang members, or worse, grimm. Unfortunately, the latter makes their appearance not long after. A pack of Beowolves approaches through the bushes and trees, eyeing the eight girls.
"You know, it'd be nice to stroll through the forest WITHOUT having to worry about something trying to kill us at least once in my lifetime," Yang rolls her eyes before engaging her gauntlets.
"Let's move," Ruby fires her scythe before her to propel her forth.
One Beowolf charges right at her, but Ruby spins around it and swings her scythe, bisecting the body. Ei follows behind her, swinging her naginata with lightning sparking as wo grimm jump at her. Her single attack sends both flying through trees as they die. Behind her, Yang fires off a few shots at the grimm to scatter them, allowing Weiss and Blake to charge in and take out two grimm with their blades in a cross-slash combo. Candace blocks one Beowolf charging at her with her shield and counters with a thrust of her spear through its mouth and out the back of its head. Nilou twirls over her for a downward slash with her blade to cut another grimm in half. One Beowolf swipes its claws at Dehya, but Dehya blocks them and then punches it in the face. She follows this up with a few more punches across its jaw and then finishes it off with a hard punch to its chest that sends it flying into a tree.
"Nice, my turn," Yang smirks before throwing an uppercut into a Beowolves jaws, knocking it up into the air. She jumps and sends it flying with a right hook, "Nailed it,"
Ei slides by three grimm, making a few quick slashes and stops behind them. Their bodies fall to pieces as she twirls her blade. It's not long before the rest of the grimm are taken out.
"Anyone injured?" Nilou calls out.
"All good here," Ruby waves.
"I'm good," Dehya dusts off her shoulders.
"Good. We'd better get moving. Hopefully, the White Fang didn't hear our battle just now," Ei suggests.
"They may have scouts patrolling the forest. With grimm around, and their people usually full of hate for humans, it would be foolish to leave their camp unprotected," Blake says.
"Then if we find one of those scouts, maybe we can follow them straight to their camp just in case," Nilou says.
"Or interrogate them and make them spill their guts," Dehya cracks her knuckles.
"No, if one of their scouting parties doesn't return in them, they'll be on guard. We go with Nilou's plan. If we spot any scouts, we follow them back to the ruins just to be safe. We'll go from there," Ei says.
They continue on their path, keeping an eye out for their target. Thankfully, they don't encounter anymore grimm along the journey. It would've only delayed them even further. The sun gets lower in the sky as they continue their journey.
"It'll get dark soon. We should probably find a good place to set up camp. It wouldn't be wise to travel through grimm-infested forest in the dark," Candace suggests.
Ei sighs, "Alright, we'll move a little longer and then find a place to rest,"
They all nod, but then hear noise up ahead. Getting low and really quiet, they move up and might praise the heavens for their good fortune. They spot a pair of White Fang soldiers, armed with rifles, walking through the forest.
"Come on, the sun will set soon. Better head back to base," one soldier says.
"I hear that. This place gives me the creeps when it's dark out. Even though we can see in the dark, I still don't like it," his buddy replies.
They turn and head off in another direction, with Ei's group hot on their tails. Doing their absolute best to stay hidden and stay quiet. They move through the foliage until they see a few faint lights ahead. A minute later, the forest ends and they spot the two scouts approaching an old set of ruins. Just the place they were looking for. Within the old ruins, they spot other White Fang members moving crates and weapons around. It looks like they're preparing for a big battle.
"This is definitely the place. Look at all those weapons," Ruby notes.
"Ruby we can stare at weapons later. Please remain focused on the task at hand," Weiss reminds her.
"I don't see any sign of Adam Taurus," Dehya notes.
The mere mentioning of his name makes Blake nervous; her weapon hand shaking a bit. Yang puts a hand on her shoulder to help calm her down.
"So, what's the plan?" Nilou asks.
"We need to find Adam Taurus and learn what he knows. However, we can't wait forever. We split up. One time causes a distraction while the other sneaks past the chaos and heads further in to find our target. My team will search for Taurus. Ruby, you and your team need to get their attention. Apprehending these White Fang soldiers will also help with the authorities in Vale," Ei explains.
"Sounds good to me," Ruby cocks her sniper scythe. "I'll fire the first shot. That'll be your queue to move away. Wait for the right time to sneak by once we've got their attention,"
Team RDCN sneak away from Team RWBY. Ruby then aims her weapon and fires at the back of the head of one soldier before pulling the trigger. The shot flies out, landing dead center on target. The goon falls to the ground and his buddies immediately take notice. They all aim their rifles towards the trees. A moment later, Yang jumps into the air and fires off as few shots at them to scatter the Faunus soldiers. Weiss, Blake, and Ruby use the confusion to charge in for their assault. Ruby twirls her scythe around and makes a slash at one goon as she passes by. Meanwhile, Weiss stabs her rapier into the ground, sending out ice to freeze the soldiers up to their knees. This gives Blake the chance to run by them all while making slashes with her blades. As all this chaos unfolds, Team RDCN find their opening and head deeper into the ruins.
They find the ruins mixed with the tech and supplies of the White Fang, and there's quite a bit of it.
"Looks like they've been camping out here for a while," Candace notes.
"Well, too bad for them because we're here to crash the party," Dehya smirks.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you," they tense up when the spot the White Fang Lieutenant approaching from the shadows. "You've made a big mistake coming here," he brings out his chainsaw, just as several of those red goons in hoods with blades join him.
"It seems my hunch was correct. Where is the woman behind all of this?" Ei demands.
"No idea what you're talking about. Don't matter anyway since you won't live past tonight," the lieutenant revs up his chainsaw as the red goons charge at the girls.
Dehya makes the first move, swinging her greatsword around like a fan blade as two goons jump at her, only to get sent flying into the stone walls. Nilou flips over her and swings her blade down on a third foe who blocks it, but then she throws a spinning back kick to knock him back a few steps. She finishes him off with a triple-slash technique and he goes flying back. Meanwhile, Ei goes after the lieutenant. He swings his chainsaw down on her, but she swiftly dodges the strike and counters with a slash across his back. The Faunus staggers before turning to her with a glare.
"You won't defeat me. I've faced far worse than you and won. This is your last chance. Surrender and tell me what I want to know," Ei says.
"As if I would ever bow to the whims of a damn human!" the White Fang Lieutenant growls and charges at her again.
Ei parries a strike from him and then deflects a second before countering with an upward swing to knock him back. She then thrusts the back end of her polearm into his face and then kicks him in the chest. As she fights, one of the red goons attacks her rear, only to get blocked by Candace's shield.
"Ah, ah, ah, let's not interrupt them, now," Candace smirks before pushing him back and then swinging her spear.
Dehya punches one goon's arm as they try to swing their blade, snapping an elbow. She finishes him off with an elbow to the face and a knee to the stomach. Behind her, Nilou uses her semblance to bring out her water. The water forms blades and flies forth, slicing through the blades of two goons. Nilou lands in between them and spins around with her blade, taking them out in a flurry of steel and water. As her friends finish off the foot soldiers, Ei continues her duel with the lieutenant. He swings his chainsaw, hoping to bisect her, but she jumps over the swing and lands on the flat end of the chainsaw. She backflips him in the face and then swings her arm, unleashing her Eye of Stormy Judgment. The lightning stuns the Faunus, allowing Ei to swoop in and makes several strikes in conjunction with her power. The electric onslaught sends the lieutenant crashing into a wall.
Ei stands before him and aims her blade at his neck, "Now will you answer my questions? Where is Adam Taurus?"
The Faunus merely laughs, "You still don't get it. Things are going to change really soon. With the allies he's gather and the power he will soon amass, nothing will stop Adam Taurus from making the humans pay and bringing the Faunus on top of the world,"
Ei's teammates join them, "Yeah, yeah, we've heard that before. Enough crap. Where is the head honcho himself?" Dehya says.
"I suppose I should thank you... for bringing that traitor straight to us. Adam has been looking forward to making her pay," the lieutenant says.
That doesn't sound good, "Oh no... Team RWBY," Ei realizes that her friends are in danger.
And that's the chapter. Ei and her friends find the White Fang outpost, but it seems there's more danger waiting for them than they may have realized. What will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.