Here we are at Chapter 24. It's time to get back to work on hunting down Signora. I do not own RWBY or Genshin Impact. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 24. Enjoy.
Chapter 24: Looming Shadow
The dance party had finally ended and everyone felt refreshed from the break, short though it was. Now it's back to work. But for some, they're still recovering from the fun party. In one dorm room, the morning sunlight sneaks in through the drapes of the window and hits the face of Dehya. She groans, blinking her eyes awake. As she comes to, she realizes she's in quite the... precarious position. She finds herself in bed with the four girls she went to the dance with last night. More importantly, she realizes that their clothes are around the room...and not on their bodies. It all comes back to Dehya now and she sighs and lets her head fall back on the pillow. The lioness now has four official mates.
"Candace is gonna have a field day with me," Dehya groans.
...
"So, did you sleep well last night?" Candace asks Dehya when everyone's at breakfast; a knowing smirk on her face.
Dehya knew this was coming, but still groans, "I slept fine, thank you,"
"I was a little concerned when you didn't return to the dorm room last night after the party. Candace said you were fine, so I deferred to her judgment on the matter. I do hope you had somewhere to sleep for the night," Ei notes.
At their table, Yang and Nora snicker at Dehya's expense while everyone else tries to stay out of it. At least some of them showed mercy to the lioness.
"Oh, I bet she slept well. But, I'll bet she had PLENTY of fun last night," Yang wiggles her eyebrows.
The idea she gave made several people at the table blush.
"I had fun at the dance too. It was a nice party," and of course, some people were oblivious, like Jaune.
"Well, the party was fun. Weiss even taught me how to dance. Though I still hate those shoes," Ruby notes, making Weiss blush a bit.
Yang eyes her next target, "Ooh, I guess the Ice Queen has a softer side after all, at least when it comes to certain people,"
"Yang, one mor word and I will freeze your butt to that seat," Weiss warns her.
"Well, with the fun out of the way, we'll be going back to work now. I remember Professor Goodwitch saying that we'll be shadowing huntsmen on training missions across the kingdom as part of our training. I wonder where we'll be going and who we'll be going with," Ei says.
"As long as it's somewhere with a lot of grimm so smash, count me in!" Nora cracks her knuckles.
"Not all missions will involve hunting down grimm. I heard some will be in the city and others will be simple investigations. They want us to get experience in different fields," Ren explains.
"Well, either way, I'm sure it'll be fun," Nilou says.
"Yes... And maybe Ozpin will have a new lead on Signora. The longer she has those Gnoses in her grasp, the more powerful she becomes," Ei thinks.
She must find Signora... before it's too late. After finishing breakfast, the teams head back to their dorm rooms to get ready for the mission. However, as they do...
"Would Teams RDCN and RWBY please report to Professor Ozpin's office. Repeat, Teams RDCN and RWBY please report to Professor Ozpin's office immediately," an announcement comes on.
"Uh, did we do something wrong?" Nilou wonders.
"Unlikely. I have a feeling it's something else. Let's go," Ei says.
The two teams head to Professor Ozpin's office to find him and Goodwitch waiting. Surprisingly, even Nahida is there with them.
"You called for us, Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asks.
"Yes, thank you for coming. I called you all here for a reason. It's in regard to the upcoming training mission with the huntsmen. More importantly, it's about La Signora," Ozpin says.
This gets everyone's attention, "Did you find her location?" Ei asks.
"That, we're not certain of. Though, we do have a good possibility. This information came to us from an old friend of ours," Ozpin explains.
"Considering the importance of this mission, and the fact that you are the only ones who know the truth about the archons, we felt you should know," Goodwitch says.
"Um, not to sound rude, but should you really be saying these things in front of a child? For that record, who is she anyway?" Weiss gestures to Nahida.
"It's nice to meet you all. My name is Nahida," Nahida waves.
"Everyone, Nahida is like me; a god. She is the current Dendro Archon. Lesser Lord Kusanali, or Buer, the God of Wisdom," Ei introduces her.
That took them by surprise, "Huh?! This little girl is a god?!" Weiss nearly shrieks.
"I mean, she looks so young," Yang adds.
"I look young too, but I'm several thousand years old. Archons don't age like normal humans do. Nahida is the youngest of us at only 500 years since she became an archon," Ei explains.
"I can understand the confusion. You hear the word 'god', and you automatically think someone older. Maybe even an old man in a white robe. It actually helps us with keeping our true identities secret with these stereotypes. No one would expect a little girl like me to be much older than them," Nahida says.
"She does have a point. Well, it's nice to meet you, Nahida," Candace says.
"Nahida, these are my teammates. Nilou, Dehya, and Candace. And then these are my friends, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang of Team RWBY," Ei gestures to her friends.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you, Nahida," Ruby says for the group.
"A pleasure. Ei told me about all of you," Nahida replies.
"While this is a nice occasion, we did not call you here for introductions. Back on task. Thanks to the information we received, we have reason to suspect that La Signora has moved her base of operations to another location outside the kingdom. Another set of ruins, but one far younger," Goodwitch explains.
"Where?" Dehya asks.
"Mountain Glenn," Ozpin pulls up a map from his desk. "It was a project to expand the kingdom long ago, but when negativity started to increase in that area, it pulled a large number of grimm to it and destroyed the city. Many lives were lost that day. The expansion project was shut down after that and has since sat in ruin. What's more, the negativity there still remains, so grimm are always there. Only experienced huntsmen are permitted to conduct missions there under normal circumstances. There would be plenty of hiding places there for a criminal group to mask their activities," Ozpin explains.
"So, that's where we'll be going?" Candace asks.
"Yes. Both of your teams will go there due to the importance of this mission, and the fact that you all know about the archons and the Gnoses. To act as a cover, this will be your training mission like the others. Accept due to the severity of the grimm there, two teams and two huntsmen will go there. No one should have any questions for that," Glynda explains.
"Thank you, Professors. We'll capture Signora this time," Ei says.
"Do not thank me for this. The challenges that you have faced thus far will be nothing compared to whatever may await you at Mountain Glenn. You will follow your huntsmen and obey their instructions while on this mission. That includes you, Ei. You may be a good, but to the rest of the world, you are a student of Beacon. Remember to act accordingly," Ozpin says.
"I understand, Professor Ozpin," Ei nods.
"So, uh, who are the huntsmen we're supposed to be shadowing? I'm very excited," Ruby bounces on her feet.
...
A few moments later, the two teams are outside in the courtyard... with every member having their own expressions on their faces. From unpleasantly shocked to looking like they're about to vomit, or to simply pass out and escape from reality.
"Why hello there, girls. Who's ready to fight for their lives?!" standing before them is one of their teachers, Dr. Oobleck.
"Uh, are we being punished for something?" Dehya whispers to Candace, who elbows her in the stomach.
"Um, Professor Oobleck? You're one of the huntsmen we're supposed to be shadowing?" Weiss asks.
"Yes, girls since we'll be going to an abandoned city steeped in history and even some folklore, Professor Ozpin thought that my expertise would be perfect for this mission. Professor Ozpin informed me that we are to locate an underground crime network and apprehend their leadership for further questioning. He said that you've all seen the leader of this crime group and could ID them should we find them," Oobleck then gets in Weiss' face. "And it's 'Dr.'. I didn't get the PhD just for laughs, thank you very much!" and he steps back.
From the sound of things, Ozpin didn't tell Oobleck about the Gnoses or the archons or any specific details about La Signora herself. Probably best to keep it that way.
"Wait, we were told we'd be shadowing two huntsmen. Where's the second one?" Nilou asks.
"Ah, they are already at the location of our mission and are waiting for our arrival. We shall meet them there. Now then girls, we'd best get going. The airship has been waiting for us for precisely... two minutes!" Dr. Oobleck says before zipping over to the airship at the landing platform.
"Okay, we'd best get going. I don't want to waste time on this," Ei says.
"Yeah, we're gonna stop the bad guys with... Dr. Oobleck-okay yeah it sounds worse out loud," Ruby says as most of the group hunch over in defeat.
"Yeah, Ozpin is definitely punishing us for this, isn't he," Dehya groans, earning another elbow from Candace. "Ow!"
They all board the airship and it takes off into the sky. It's not long before they leave the city limits and continue southeast from the kingdom.
"I must admit I'm quite surprised, Dr. Oobleck. Previous experiences with you made me believe you were strictly a scholar rather than a warrior," Ei notes.
"I admit I am more of an intellectual rather than a fighter, but I can assure you, as an experienced huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles," Oobleck replies.
"Like the mushroom?" Ruby scratches her head.
"Those are truffles, Ruby," Nilou says.
"Like the sprout?" Ruby asks again.
"Those are brussels," Weiss corrects her.
"So, tell me girls, how much do you know about Mountain Glenn? Consider it a little history lesson while we enjoy the ride," Dr. Oobleck asks.
"As Professor Ozpin told us before, it was supposed to be an expansion of Vale long ago, only to get swarmed by grimm. The city was abandoned and cut off from the rest of the kingdom," Candace explains.
"Exactly, and now it stands as a reminder as Vale's greatest failure. The idea of expanding the kingdom for its people isn't exactly a bad one, but expansion always comes with plenty of risks and dangers, especially in a world like ours. And thus, many people died to those risks. Vale has never attempted an expansion of that magnitude ever since," Oobleck explains.
"The grimm were really that bad, huh," Yang notes.
"Precisely. Remember children, mankind has accomplished many great things, but we are not gods. We are mortals, and thus we all have our limits," Oobleck states.
Of course, he has no idea that there's a god standing before him right now. Well, whatever he doesn't know won't hurt him.
"And since no one's been there since the collapse, it would be a good place to set up a hideout for criminal activities. The grimm in and around the city would make the perfect defense system," Ei notes.
"Indeed. Huntsmen have been sent there to keep the grimm numbers from rising too high, but only the more experienced ones ever returned. A dark reminder of how dangerous the abandoned city is. Remember children, while there will be two huntsmen with you on this mission, you must never let your guard down. Who knows what could be waiting for us there," Oobleck says.
Not long after, they reach the abandoned city of Mountain Glenn. They city the destroyed remains of a city that was never finished, reduced to a ghost town. Once the ship gets close, they all jump and land safely on the ground. Thankfully, there are no grimm or other enemies around to greet them.
"Alright ladies, your first mission as huntresses has begun. From this point on, you must obey my orders. Is that clear?" Oobleck asks. They nod, but then Oobleck notices that Ruby brought a backpack with her. "Ruby, why did you bring a backpack with you?"
She had actually been wearing that since before they left Vale.
"Well, I thought I might need it," Ruby says nervously.
"My dear, I don't understand why you would bring that? What could be so important that you had to-," and just then, the head of a cute, furry Corgi pops out from the backpack.
"Huh?" Dehya mutters.
Everyone stares at Ruby, "Get back in the bag," she whispers to the dog, who merely barks back.
"Ruby... why did you bring a dog with you?" Ei asks.
"We're here to investigate an evil organization in an area filled with death and danger and you brought... a dog?" Oobleck scrutinizes her.
"Um...," Ruby glances away.
"Genius!" Oobleck says and grabs the dog. "Canines have an excellent sense of smell, which will make it very reliable and helpful for our mission!"
"Yay for me!" Ruby cheers, while her teammates just facepalm.
"Okay, again, what's with the dog?" Dehya asks.
"That's Zwei, our pet corgi. Dad sent him to us in the mail because he was going to be away from home for work for a little while... I guess Ruby decided to bring him along for the ride," Yang explains.
"Your dad sent your dog? In the mail?" Candace asks.
"Oh, don't worry. He does stuff like that all the time," Yang waves it off, but that just leaves Team RDCN even more confused.
"Heh, best not think too much about it. It just runs in the family," a new voice rings out.
They all turn and spot a man in a gray dress shirt, a tattered red cape, and black pants approaching them.
Ruby and Yang gasp, "Uncle Qrow!" the two sisters cheer. They over and practically tackle him, but he stays on his feet. "Did you miss us? Did you miss us!?" they ask together.
Qrow smirks, "Nope," he teases them.
"So, care to introduce us?" Nilou asks.
"Oh right. Guys, this is our Uncle Qrow. He's a huntsman and a teacher at Signal and taught me how to wield a scythe," Ruby says.
"Yo," Qrow waves.
"Uncle Qrow, these are our friends. Weiss and Blake from our team, and Ei, Nilou, Candace, and Dehya from Team RDCN," Ruby introduces the gang next.
"A pleasure, Mr. Qrow," Ei nods her head.
"Eh, just Qrow is fine. I'm not that old," Qrow replies.
"So, I take it you're the second huntsman we're supposed to be shadowing, right Qrow?" Nilou asks.
"Yeah. I'm the one who found our sneaky little friends here, actually. So, just like the good doctor said, you'll listen to us and follow our orders. That goes for you two as well. Just because I'm your uncle, that don't mean you can venture off on your own," Qrow eyes his nieces.
"Hey, why are you singling us out?!" Ruby pouts.
"Because I know you girls well enough to know how you think. Don't forget, I taught you everything you know about being a scythe wielder, kiddo," Qrow replies, making her pout even more.
"Yes, yes, while this is a nice little family reunion, I must remind you that we are not here to sightsee. Qrow, have you spotted any new activity from our little crime group?" Oobleck asks.
"Not really. They've been keeping a low profile. I know they're here because I've seen their airships come by here before. I haven't seen any new ones in a while though, which may not be a good sign. The grimm in this place are dug in pretty deep too. We need to keep our eyes peeled," Qrow explains.
"Alright, then let's begin scouting the area. Don't wander off too far from one another," Oobleck says.
The group start to split off to search the area, but Qrow taps Ei's shoulder, "Listen, I know who you are, archon. I know my nieces know too," he whispers in her ear.
"I see. Is that a problem for you?" Ei whispers.
"I'm just saying. I know my nieces can handle themselves most of the time, but they're still young and inexperienced. And this will definitely be a tough fight from what Oz told me. I just want to make sure they'll be alright, that's all," Qrow says.
"I understand. However, I have every intention of stopping Signora here and ending this. I won't let her do as she pleases," Ei replies.
With that, the conversation ends and they continue with their search. However, none of them notice that within the shadows of one of the destroyed buildings, the woman with the red crosses in her eyes watches them from afar. She watches them before her eyes fall on Ruby.
"That girl... could she be... Hmm, no use making assumptions now," the woman mutters before she turns and walks away, walking past the body of a dead red sniper on the ground.
And that's the chapter. Of course, Zwei will be in the story. Who can forget that fluffy sidekick? Anyway, the gang reach Mountain Glenn. But, the danger will only grow from here. Until then, please Read and Review.