Author's Note: I managed to publish this chapter sooner than expected because I had some spare time on my hands. That's more than I can probably say for the next update, since I'll be on vacation next weekend.
I messed up with the poll after publishing the first HTTYD chapter. But it's up now, so let's get those votes in. Choose very carefully, because I'll probably have a special announcement to make with the next update.
Review Responses
OtherwiseR00K: You know what, that's an AWESOME idea! Your right. Nobody would ever suspect Jaune of playing such a character. But it would most likely be a one shot.
Fox Boss: I loved that movie, but it'll most likely be in the one-shot fic.
Lancastershipper: Lol. The "Loin"? You mean the lion. But that's a good idea for a one-shot, and I like your casting ideas too.
Yawar: I don't think I'll adapt Jumanji. But I like the idea of Salem playing Oscar's mother if I ever continue writing for HTTYD. And yes, I'll write more on Bio-Shock in the future for the one-shot fic.
Arashi78: I did contemplate that in the event that Ruby played Hiccup, but I decided to keep Toothless as his original self.
Guest, May28th: That's a good idea. Although, imo, either him or Weiss would fit Tony Stark quite well.
EmeraldStirling: Those are all awesome ideas, but since the MCU cast is so big, it would be very difficult for me to fill it properly with RWBY characters. But anyway, I wish you luck with your stories.
Megaboy75: Spiderman (2002) is the only movie on your list. I'm sorry, but the poll has already been posted.
Jack Redhawke: You got it, lol.
Mando-23: The poll is on my profile.
Memnon45: You won't be disappointed. And the audience will love to see their relationship as well.
Guest: Yeah, good point. I'll address that this chapter.
Pharamine: I hope you like it. I know not everyone will like the pairings, but I honestly can't picture her with anyone else. And thanks once again for pointing out my errors. I fixed them.
Random65: My bad. The poll is up now, and I fixed the author's note.
Chronosign: It could be. Who knows? Lol.
LoamyCoffee: I'm glad you agree. Jaune would have been a good choice too, but he already had a starring role. Oh, yeah. I know why you're excited. But I'm not sure I'll make it to that point.
dariuscrawford482: I loved that film. Although, more likely than not, I'll make it a one-shot.
TheFishKing: I don't know about that. I've never seen Tropic Thunder, but I'll give a watch and see.
Guest, May 22nd: Good movie, but I'll most likely write it as a one-shot.
GojiraFan455516: I'm glad you like this adaptation. When I find the time, I'll check out some of your crossovers.
Airchampion: Indeed. He reminds me of Oscar the most. I messed up with the poll and forgot to display it on my profile. It should be there now.
VirusChris: I'm glad you like this movie. And I didn't know there was already a RWBY reaction to HTTYD.
Inspiration: How To Train Your Dragon
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. "RWBY" is the property of director and animator Monty Oum (RIP) and production company Rooster Teeth, and "How To Train Your Dragon" is the property of director, production company DreamWorks Animation, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Open to Ozma at his house. He was slouched over a fire-pit, stirring the coals of a fire pit. In the background, Oscar entered and tried to sneak past and go upstairs to his bedroom. Ozma didn't seem to notice.
Ozma perked up. "Oscar."
"Dad...uh..." Oscar mumbled in mid climb.
Ruby giggled. "This reminds of me of some nights you snuck out," she said to Yang.
Yang slumped in her seat. "Don't remind me. Dad read me the riot act every time," she groaned.
"He was just looking out for you, kiddo," Qrow defended, remembering himself.
"...I have to talk to you, Dad," Oscar said as he climbed back down the stairs.
Ozma clasped his hands together. "I need to speak with you, too, son."
Then both father and son spoke simultaneously.
"I don't want to fight dragons," Oscar said.
"It's time you learn to fight dragons," Ozma said.
"Awkward~" Nora said in a sing-song voice.
"Just when I've changed my mind," Oscar sighed in frustration.
"Do you think he'll tell him about the Night Fury?" Ruby asked.
"That's probably not a good idea," Vine shook his head lightly.
Unfortunately, both of them spoke in tandem, resulting in an awkward pause.
"What?" Oscar and Ozma said at once.
"Uh...you go first," Ozma said.
"No, you go first," Oscar insisted.
"All right," Ozma sighed. "You get your wish. Dragon training... you start in the morning."
"Hold up...did Oscar just say he doesn't want to kill dragons?" Ren said, confused.
"He probably feels he's too conscientious for the job," Clover noted, remembering Oscar hesitate to kill the Night Fury.
"Be careful what you wish for, it might come true" Ozpin said sagely.
"Oh, man, I should have gone first..." Oscar said as he scrambled for words. "I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings or small-home-repair Vikings?"
"You'll need this," Ozma insisted as he handed an axe to Oscar.
"I don't want to fight dragons," Oscar said as he clumsily held the axe.
Ozma turned away. "Come on. Yes, you do," he chuckled.
"Rephrase. Dad, I can't kill dragons."
Ozma turned back to his son. "But you will kill dragons," Ozma said with conviction.
"No, I'm really very extra-sure that I won't."
"It's time, Oscar," Ozma insisted.
"Can you not hear me?" Oscar said in exasperation.
"It's a classic father and son dynamic," Elm noted sadly.
"This takes me back to when my dad trying to talk me into something else besides being a huntsman," Jaune lamented on his past.
Ozma took the axe from Oscar. "This is serious, son," he said sternly as he took the axe back. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us, you talk like us...you think like us."
Ozma handed the axe back to Oscar and forced him to stand up straight.
"No more of... this," Ozma said, gesturing vaguely at his son.
"You just gestured to all of me," Oscar said irritably.
Nora giggled. "Just like with Professor Port."
"This is like one of those flicks where an athletic father tries to mold his nerdy son into what he wants him to be," Marrow commented, having watched such films in the past.
"Deal?" Ozma pressed the issue.
"This conversation is very one-sided," Oscar said.
"Deal?!" Ozma repeated angrily.
"Deal," Oscar sighed, knowing he couldn't win the argument.
"But he doesn't have the heart for dragon slaying," Harriet said bluntly
"He doesn't have a choice," Blake countered, feeling bad for Oscar.
Weiss threw up her hands. "He's just gotta make the best of this," she said simply.
Ozma slung a bag over his shoulder. "Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably," he said as he headed out.
"And I'll be here. Maybe," Oscar said with uncertainty.
"I'm assuming he's heading out to locate the dragon nest," Ironwood presumed with a sip of water.
"It seems that way. Though I wish there was a better way to end this war besides destroying an entire dragon nest," Penny said sadly.
"So do I. But, regardless, I wish him luck on his mission," Winter declared.
Ruby and Yang both looked saddened and worried for Oscar's counterpart. Hearing Ozma say "I'll be back. Probably." struck a chord concerning Summer when she disappeared.
Cut to the next day. Peter raised a huge iron gate at the entrance of a big rocky arena with a metal mesh covering the top.
"Cool looking arena. Though it's got nothing on Amity," Harriet said with pride for her home kingdom.
"Well, considering this is the dark ages, it's impressive they built it," Ozpin complimented.
"It even has a mesh built over it," Ren noted before frowning. "Is that to keep dragons in or out?"
"Welcome to dragon training!" Peter greeted the new recruits.
Ruby and the now armed fire brigade were present for their first day of training. Ruby looked determined while the others looked eager.
"No turning back," Ruby said confidently as she led her team into the arena.
"I hope I get some serious burns," Ren said excitedly.
"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or back," Nora shared Ren's enthusiasm.
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," Ruby reasoned.
Nora and Ren looked perturbed by their counterparts' words.
"Why would they want to suffer injuries like that?" Penny asked, not understanding.
"Probably because they think scars are tough and cool looking," Harriet assumed.
"Yeah, no kidding, right?" Oscar piped up from offscreen.
The recruits all turned around in surprise to see Oscar emerge from the entrance.
"Pain. Love it," Oscar said sarcastically.
"Oh, great. Who let him in?" Ren groaned.
"Ozma the vast, that's who," Nora said acidly, before giving Ren an apologetic look.
"It's all right, Nora," Ren assured softly.
Peter showed up behind Oscar. "Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village," he declared, waving his hook hand.
"Oscar already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him?" Cardin joked.
Ren and Nora both snickered at Cardin's gag as the fire brigade formed a line at the opposite end of the arena.
"Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?" Ren requested mockingly.
Peter put an arm around Oscar. "Don't worry. You're small and weak... that'll make you less of a target," he said cheerfully as he led him to the line with the others. "They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead."
"You're supposed to be helping him, Peter," Ozpin reprimanded.
"And I doubt that's how dragons would hunt. Like any predatory animal, they'll likely target the weakest and easiest of the pack," Penny said astutely.
"That's what worries me..." Oscar muttered with a gulp.
"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight!" Peter walked down the line of students
Behind Peter were five large, reinforced doors. Roars and growls emitted from behind them as Peter named each contained dragon.
"The Deadly Nadder!"
"Speed 8, armor 16," Jaune stated.
"The Hideous Zippleback."
"Plus 11 stealth. Times 2."
"Jaune, what are you rambling on about?" Yang cocked her brow.
Jaune shrugged. "I don't know. But those sound like stats for monsters in a roleplaying game," he replied.
"How is that supposed to help?" Weiss questioned.
"The Monstrous Nightmare," Peter continued.
"Firepower 15," Jaune said, becoming more giddy with each new statistic.
"The Terrible Terror.
"Attack 8, venom 12."
"Can you stop that?!" Peter shouted, rolling his eyes. "And the Gronckle."
"Jaw strength 8," Jaune whispered to Oscar.
"At least he's polite to Oscar," Ren pointed out.
"Thanks, Jaune," Oscar smiled gratefully.
Jaune smiled back. "No problem."
Cardin stepped forward. "Wait, aren't you gonna teach us first?!" he questioned in alarm.
Peter just grinned. "I believe in learning on the job," he said as he pulled a lever, raising the beam sealing the last door.
A Gronckle barged out of from the door, charging toward the recruits.
"Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead!" Peter instructed from offscreen.
The kids scrambled in all directions as the Gronckle clumsily flew across the area and smashed into the opposite wall, falling onto its side.
"Oh, they're fighting one of those chubby dragons," Marrow said. "It's impressive that they've captured live dragons for training."
"This takes me all the way back to Professor Port's class when pitted Weiss against the Boarbatusk," Ruby reminisced on brighter days.
Yang nodded. "Yeah. But this seems even more dangerous."
"At least he isn't spouting any wild stories here," Blake said gratefully.
"What's the first thing you'll need?" Port tested the recruits.
"A doctor?" Oscar said sarcastically.
"Plus 5 speed?" Jaune guessed.
"A shield," Ruby answered correctly.
"Shields. Go!" Peter confirmed.
The recruits ran for the wooden shields scattered around the arena.
"Good answer," Clover said, feeling Ruby would perform well.
"Indeed. Since they have no aura, shield would always be good to have," Winter agreed.
"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield! Peter continued with his lesson "If you must choose between a sword or a shield, take the shield!"
Oscar struggled with his shield, so Peter quickly helped him lift it before shoving him back into the fray.
Ren and Nora fought over another shield.
"Let go of my shield!" Ren demanded.
"There's like a million shields!" Nora retorted.
"Really? You two are having a sibling quarrel at a time like this," Weiss scoffed.
"Come on, guys. Pay attention to your training," Elm said loudly.
"Take that one. It has a flower... girls like flowers," Ren gestured to another shield.
Insulted, Nora yanked the shield away and hit Ren on the head with it. "Oops, this one has blood on it," she said sarcastically.
Everyone laughed or winced at Nora smacking Ren with the shield.
Nora couldn't help but snicker while Ren sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.
The siblings were about to continue their tug of war when the Gronkle fired a blast at them, knocking them down and destroying the shield.
"Ren, Nora! You're out!" Peter shouted.
"What?!" Ren and Nora both asked in a daze.
"Seriously, guys. We have no aura here. Be careful," Jaune warned, thankful Nora and Ren were unharmed.
"They have shields though. That helps," Ruby reminded.
"True, but dragons can easily destroy shields with their fire breath," Harriet countered. "After that, you're defenseless."
"Shields are good for another thing: Noise!" Peter informed. "Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim!"
Heeding Peters advice, Ruby, Oscar, and Cardin began banging their weapons against their shields, confusing the Gronckle as it grunted and shook its head.
From the Gronkles point of view, the teens looked blurry. The shield hammering was working as they surrounded the dragon.
"All right. Now you guys are getting somewhere," Yang grinned.
"That was a good strategy. That also works on certain Grimm," Maria nodded in agreement with Peter's teaching.
"Actually, it can work on anyone. Distracting sounds can make you lose focus and give your opponent a window of opportunity to strike," Ironwood expanded on Maria's words.
"All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"
"Five?" Cardin guessed.
"No, six!" Jaune answered confidently.
"Correct, six!" Peter barked. "That's one for each of you!"
Jaune proudly raised his arms in celebration while the Gronckle circled around him.
"Uh-oh," Jaune muttered, his eyes widening.
"Jaune! Look out!" Ren warned.
"He's right behind you!" Ruby shouted.
Th Gronckle blasted the distracted Jaune's shield out of his hand.
"Jaune, out!" Peter announced while Jaune ran off screaming.
"Ugh! Now fearless leader is out too," Nora groaned.
Meanwhile, Oscar was hiding behind a shield rack prepped against the wall.
Peter noticed. "Oscar, get in there!" he bellowed.
Oscar began to inch out, but a Gronckle blast forced him back behind cover.
"Oscar's not doing so good," Jaune frowned.
"On the other hand, that's four blasts. Only two left," Marrow said, having kept count.
Blake nodded. "After that, it'll be easier for them to defeat it," she added.
Meanwhile, Ruby prepared to dodge the dragons next blast while Cardin stood behind her.
"I moved into my parents' basement. Come by sometime and work out," Cardin said flirtatiously. "You look like you work out."
Ignoring Cardin, Ruby jumped and rolled to the side while the Gronckles final blast the distracted Cardin's shield, sending him flying onto his back.
"Cardin! You're done!" Peter shouted.
"What an idiot," Nora scoffed, shaking her head.
Yang gripped her armrests. "Was that creep just flirting with my sister?!" she snarled.
"Gross," Weiss and Blake cringed in unison.
Ruby got to her feet beside Oscar, who tried badly to look tough and cool.
"So, it's just you and me, huh?" Oscar
Ruby didn't even look at him. "Nope, just you," she said before rolling again.
Not a second later, another fire blast struck Oscar's shield, knocking it off and leaving him vulnerable.
"One shot left!"
Panicking, Oscar chased after his shield as it rolled across the ring. The movement attracted the Gronckles attention and started pursuing him.
"Oscar!" Peter cried out.
"Look out! He's right behind you!" Ruby cried in alarm.
"Get out of there!" Ren added loudly.
The Gronckle dove straight toward Oscar, pinning him against the wall. It opened its toothy mouth wide, ready to fire point blank.
Luckily, Peter jumped in and hooked the Gronckle's mouth just in time, then yanked its head back, causing it to fire its last blast against the stone wall directly above Oscar.
"And that's six," Peter deadpanned as he wrestled with the Gronckle.
Team ORNJ and RWBY all sighed with relief that Oscar survived.
"You're one lucky kid having Peter and Ozma watching your back," Harriet remarked.
"Do you think any recruits have died during training?" Oscar asked hesitantly.
Ozpin paused before answering. "The same has happened to huntsman and huntresses in training, so unfortunately, I would say yes," he admitted.
"Jeez. Viking kids have it pretty rough," Elm said sympathetically.
"Go back to bed, you overgrown sausage!" Peter shouted as he swung the Gronckle around and back into its pen.
"You'll get another chance, don't you worry," Peter said as he locked the Gronkle's cell door behind him and turned to the recruits."
The recruits, sans Oscar, all re-assembled, winded from training.
Remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill," Peter warned, leaning down to lock eyes with Oscar before hoisting him up.
Peter hoisted Oscar to his feet and walked off. Oscar looked to his side to see a smoldering hole in the stone arena wall as he pondered Peter's words.
"Well, that wasn't a very good first day," Oscar sagged in his seat. "I'd be dead if Peter didn't step in."
Ruby patted Oscar on the shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Oscar. It was your first day of training. You'll get better," she encouraged.
"Yeah. And honestly, we weren't doing all that great either," Nora tried to cheer Oscar up. [1]
Cut to later in the day at Raven's Point.
"So... why didn't you?" Oscar asked aloud as he examined a discarded bola, revealing he was back to where the Night Fury crashed.
"Huh. Now that he mentions it, why didn't the Night Fury kill him?" Marrow scratched his head.
"I was wondering the same thing," Elm said, cupping her chin. "It looks like Peter was wrong in that case."
Penny tapped her cheek. "Hmmmmm," she hummed, an idea forming in her head.
Dropping the bola, Oscar stood up and curiously walked in the direction the Night Fury flew off. He slipped into a rocky crevice and followed it to a beautiful spring nestled in the center of a cove.
"Well, this was stupid," Oscar muttered to himself.
Then Oscar spotted a few small, black scales lying on the ground. He knelt down and picked them up, studying them.
"Dragon scales. Perhaps they're from the bola ropes chafing it's hide," Vine theorized.
"Or molting. Dragons are reptiles after all," Blake suggested.
Suddenly, the Night Fury flew right past him. Oscar gasped and fell back, watching as the angry dragon tried to climb over the rocky cove walls, flapping and growling.
"Aah!" half the audience gasped or jumped in their seats.
"Curses! I hate it when that happens," Maria clutched her chest as she calmed down.
"Me too," Nora grumbled.
"But why is it still there? I thought it flew away," Jaune questioned.
The dragon was unsuccessful in escaping, and it peeled off the wall and flew awkwardly to the other side of the cove, landing roughly.
Oscar grinned excitedly to see the Night Fury again. He jumped down to a rocky ledge and watched the frustrated dragon as it leaped into the air, beating its wings furiously as it tried to scale the walls. Again, it fell and rolled across the ground.
Weiss tilted her head. "What's the matter with it? Why isn't it flying away?"
"I don't think it can," Penny said with a saddened expression.
"What do you mean, Penny?" Winter asked the android.
Seizing his chance, Oscar pulled out a leather-bound book and flipped to a blank page. He quickly drew a sketch of the dragon as it continued its futile escape efforts, screeching and roaring with aggravation.
Oscar squinted his eyes. "Why don't you just fly away?" he questioned softly.
On the ground, the Night Fury irritably struck the ground with a fire blast. Just then, Oscar spotted the problem and erased one of the dragon's tail fins in his sketch. The Night Fury tried to escape one last time before it crashed to the ground at the waters edge.
The tired Night Fury perked up as it spotted a fish in the pond. Hungry, the dragon snapped at the fish, but came up empty.
"It can't fly straight with its tail fin damaged. Like an aircraft," Penny pointed out.
"So, it's stuck there. Poor thing," Ruby said with pity.
Up above, Oscar lowered his gaze in sympathy for the crippled dragon. Unfortunately, he dropped his pencil in the process. It bounced into the cove with a distinctive tink tink tink sound.
The alert Night Fury heard the sound and looked up, spotting Oscar with its angry green eyes. The two of them shared another unflinching stare.
The audience went rigid at the tense scene.
"Please don't kill me," Oscar babbled in a high voice.
Cut to later that night at the great hall. A storm could be heard brewing in the distance. Oscar stepped in through the huge doors, rattling them as entered.
Relieved at Oscar's safety, the audience simmered down.
"Again, it spared him. But why?" Ironwood asked, not understanding.
"I could be wrong, but perhaps it's in exchange for Oscar sparing it's life earlier," Vine suggested.
"Yeah, maybe. Some animals can show gratitude," Clover nodded slowly.
"All right, where did Ruby go wrong in the ring today?" Peter asked offscreen.
"I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy," Ruby answered.
At the far end of the hall, the recruits were all seated at a table eating dinner with Peter standing nearby.
"It threw off my reverse tumble," Ruby went on.
"Yeah, we noticed," Nora said sarcastically.
"No, no, you were great. That was so "Ruby."," Cardin complimented.
Ruby and Yang both looked disgusted and angry again at Cardin's flirting.
"He can't take a hint, can he?" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I can't say I was any different with you back at Beacon," Jaune lamented his mistake.
"It's all right, Jaune. You've changed since then," Weiss assured her friend.
"She's right. You have to be tough on yourselves," Peter advised.
Oscar approached the table with a plate of food while everyone turned their attention to him distastefully. Cardin even smirked and shifted across the bench, refusing to let Oscar sit down.
"Let him sit down, you jackass," Jaune spat at the screen.
"Yeah. It's not like you did any better during training," Nora
"Where did Oscar go wrong?" Peter questioned.
"Uhh…he showed up?" Ren guessed.
"He didn't get eaten?" Nora joined it.
"He's never where he should be," Ruby answered correctly.
"Thank you, Ruby," Peter said.
Ignoring them, Oscar sat down at an opposite table to eat.
Peter than held up a large book. "You need to live and breathe this stuff. The dragon manual," he said, dropping the book in the middle of the table. "Everything we know about every dragon we know of."
"Oh. That's handy. If Oscar can't learn to fight dragons in the arena he can learn it from the book instead," Penny said positively.
"Indeed. We had similar books at Beacon concerning the Grimm," Blake remembered.
Peter squinted his eyes at the sound of thunder roaring outside. Then rain was heard pouring down.
"No attacks tonight. Study up," Peter ordered before walking off.
"Wait, you mean read?" Ren asked incredulously.
"While we're still alive?" Nora shared Ren's sentiments.
"Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Cardin shouted, pounding on the table.
"Of course, a lout like him would say that," Winter sneered.
"Reading is good for young minds to learn and grow," Ozpin said approvingly. "Just like with huntsman and huntresses, you can't learn everything from training."
"I've read it seven times. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And there's this other one-" Jaune began to geek out again.
"Yeah. That sounds great," Ren sarcastically cut Jaune off. "There was a chance I'd read it."
"But now…" Nora drawled with a roll of her eyes.
Cardin stood up. "You guys read. I'll go kill stuff," he said before walking off.
The other recruits followed Cardin out of the hall,
"Another one has spines like trees," Jaune went on.
Oscar got up and approached Ruby. "So I guess we'll share?
"Read it," Ruby said indifferently as she shoved the book toward Oscar and left the table.
"Oh, come on, other me," Ruby said in disbelief. "You'd rather spend time around Cardin instead of studying with Oscar?"
"All mine, then. Wow. So, OK, I'll see you..."
The hall door slammed shut offscreen as Ruby exited.
"...tomorrow," Oscar finished with a sigh.
"Hey, if they don't want to learn, it's their loss," Blake said with a shrug.
"Yeah. Oscar's studying will give him an advantage over them," Weiss believed.
"I'm a bit surprised they even have such a book," Vine remarked. "Vikings seem to rely more on brute force than books."
Around Oscar, several adult Vikings were drinking or eating while he prepared to read the book. Outside, the storm continued as thunderclaps lightly shook the hall.
A bit later, entire hall was now empty and dark, except for a few candles Oscar had lit on the table. He sat down, opened the book, and began to read.
The first page showed a drawing of a portly dragon with two sets of wings, spikes along its body, a long tail, and a gaping circular mouth.
"Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class. Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight," Oscar read the entire text.
"Ooooh! That sounds like an awesome dragon," Nora said with interest.
"I hope we get to see even more dragon types than the first five in the beginning," Yang said eagerly.
"Personally, I'd like a copy of that book, even if dragons don't exist in our own reality..." Blake said before looking grim. "Except for the one at Beacon…"
Oscar turned the page to another dragon illustration. It was very slender with wide, spiky wings.
"Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor-sharp wings that can slice through full-grown trees. Extremely dangerous. kill on sight."
Oscar began to flip quickly through the pages, searching for the Night Fury, skimming aloud as he went.
"Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous. Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. kill on sight."
"A dragon that sprays acid instead of fire?" Marrow said uneasily. "Is anyone else reminded of the aliens from that?"
Nods abounded from everybody in response to Marrow's question.
Outside, a loud thunderclap, followed by a lightning flash rumbled outside, startling Oscar. He waited a few moments before he continued reading
"Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Bone Knapper. Whispering Death."
The drawings gradually became more frightening. The Skrill was, the Bone Knapper was, and the Whispering Death had a spherical head, a gaping mouth with multiple rows of teeth, and a long serpentine bodies covered with spikes and with no limbs.
"Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out. Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. kill on sight. kill on sight.
The audience became increasingly disturbed or frightened as the list of dragons went on.
"Geez. All those names and killing methods sure are freaky," Qrow muttered.
"And the pictures are pretty scary too," Nora shivered at the Whispering Death.
"How many dragon species do you think there are?" Oscar asked curiously.
Maria shrugged. "There could be dozens. Just like with the Grimm," she said with a sip of tea.
"And the Vikings must have been fighting them for ages if they've identified so many species," Winter said with reverence.
Finally, Oscar found the page he was searching for. It was almost completely blank and had no dragon illustration.
"Night Fury. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: Hide and pray it does not find you," Oscar ominously read the sparse text on the Night Fury.
Oscar pulls his sketchbook out of his vest and flipped to his drawing of the Night Fury he shot down. He set it down over the book's blank page and considers it.
"That's actually a very good description," Clover agreed.
"I still think it's cute," Weiss repeated. "At least compared to the other dragons." [2]
"Oscar could contribute to the book of dragons since he's encountered one and lived to tell the tale. If he could prove it, he would certainly gain the respect of the rest of the tribe" Ozpin suggested an alternative goal for Oscar.
"Maybe. In fact, I could probably contribute more by studying dragons. Like a zoologist," Oscar suggested for his counterpart.
Fade to the next day. The billowing sail of Ozma's ship could be seen, a drawing of a sword running through a dragon painted on it in red. The camera zoomed out to reveal two more ships full of armed Vikings sailing across the sea.
Ozma himself was glossing over the nautical map, his gazed fixed on the uncharted corner, swirling in mist and full of dragons.
"I can almost smell them," Ozma said softly. "They're close."
Ozma turned his gaze to a massive, thick cloud of gloomy mist stretching from the sky above to the sea below.
Everybody was mesmerized by the sheer size of the misty cloud.
"Whoa…" Jaune breathed out.
The three ships drifted alongside the mist, just skirting the border, searching for an opening. The crewmen all became nervous, aware of Ozma's plan.
"Steady," Ozma assured his men.
The camera zoomed out to reveal a trio of massive rocky pinnacles overlooking the comparatively tiny ships.
Ozma squinted his eyes. "Take us in," he ordered.
"Hard to port. For Helheim's Gate," the helmsman said as he steered the ship towards the mist.
"Hard to port!"
"Steady!" Ozma bellowed.
"They're going to sail into that thing?" Harriet questioned Ozma's choice.
"Ozma knew it would be a risky journey. He did say that he might not come back," Qrow reminded, knowing such was the brutal reality of war.
"Be careful dad…uh…I mean…Ozma," Oscar stammered, eliciting a few snickers.
Slowly, the first two ships entered the fog and disappeared. Then there was silence.
Then, suddenly, there were bright flashes, illuminating the silhouette of a Monstrous Nightmare. A tumultuous mixture of roaring and shouting.
A few people flinched or gasped in surprise.
"I wouldn't sweat it. Ozma is a tough as nails dragon killer," Yang assured with confidence in Ozma. "He'll make it."
"I sure hope so. I wouldn't want other me to lose his father," Oscar said worriedly.
Elm thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I've been wondering: what happened to Oscar's mother?" she asked. [3]
Everybody appeared pensive from Elms question, but nobody could give an answer.
Sudden cut back to Oscar at the dragon pit with a shield and axe in hand.
"Hey, you know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies," Oscar babbled. "Is there another book, or a sequel? Maybe a Night Fury pamphlet?"
Suddenly, a fire blast severed the head from Oscar's axe, leaving a smoldering hole behind him. He yelped and took off running.
"Focus, Oscar! You're not even trying!" Peter criticized from offscreen.
"Peter is right, Oscar. You must focus on the matter at hand,"
Oscar took off running, revealing that he was inside a maze. A Deadly Nadder pursued him, leaping from wall post to wall post.
"Today it's all about attack!" Peter continued. "Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter!"
The Nadder spotted Jaune and fired a flurry of barbs from it's tail. Jaune screamed and raised his shield, narrowly blocking the attack.
"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Jaune shouted as he kept running.
"So am I. The counterparts here don't look any older than fifteen years old," Clover said disapprovingly. [4]
"So what? We weren't that much older when we attended Beacon," Yang reasoned.
"And Ruby was fifteen when she attended Beacon," Jaune added before chowing on some popcorn.
"But we had years of training in advance, plus auras and semblances," Ren reminded.
"Ren is right. These kids went from firefighters to dragon slayers in training overnight," Harriet
"Well, since the Vikings refuse to evacuate Burk, they need to train the next generation of Dragon slayers as quickly as possible," Ozpin justified his past-selves counterpart, but deep down he didn't fully approve.
Up above, Peter was hanging and watching the recruit's performance from the mesh hanging over the maze.
"Look for its blind spot! Every dragon has one," Peter advised as he picked his teeth. "Find it, hide in it and strike!"
Down below, Ren and Nora turned a corner...and stopped dead in their tracks as they came face to face with the Nadder. Luckily, thanks to the dragon's poor eyesight, it couldn't see them as they stuck outside its peripheral vision.
"Do you ever bathe?" Nora said in disgust as she and Ren were too close for comfort.
"If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot," Ren snarked. back
"How about I give you one?!" Nora snarled as she and Ren began to shove each other.
"No, no, don't do that right now!" Ren facepalmed. "And yes, I do bathe!"
Unfortunately, the sudden movement and noise gave them away. The Nadder growled and unleashed a gust of fire, sending the siblings running off.
Peter had a hand against his cheek. "Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot, not so much," he said dryly.
"Oh, now he tells us?" Nora groaned, rolling her eyes.
Down below, Oscar stopped beneath Peter while Cardin and Ruby rushed past.
"Hey, so, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Oscar asked.
Peter rubbed his temple. "No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" he shouted impatiently.
"I know, I know, but hypothetically-" Oscar rambled on.
"Oscar!" Ruby whispered offscreen.
Oscar turned and saw Ruby and Cardin hugging the wall.
"Get down," Ruby whispered.
"Seriously, Oscar. Now isn't the time to be asking questions!" Clover said sternly.
"Pay attention before you get yourself killed," Harriet shared her leaders' sentiments.
Just around the corner, the Nadder crept toward the three recruits.
Ruby and Cardin quickly rolled past the Nadders field of vision. Unfortunately, the shield weighed Oscar down as he tried to roll, stopping right in front of the Nadder.
"Stupid heavy shield," Oscar grumbled, cursing his counterparts string bean build.
The Nodder spotted Oscar, and lunged forward, just barely missing him. Then it hopped atop the maze wall and dropped down in front of Ruby and Cardin, the latter swiftly pushing the former behind him.
"Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this," Cardin said boldly.
"Hey!" Ruby protested.
Cardin threw his axe at the Nadder…and missed horribly. Ruby glared at the boy for his ineptitude.
"Nice throw, kid," Maria snarked.
"Yeah. You really took care of it," Blake muttered with equal sarcasm.
"And don't call me babe, creep," Ruby said in disgust.
"The sun was in my eyes, Ruby," Cardin said defensively.
Ruby groaned and ran off with Cardin right behind her, narrowly dodging the Nadder as it breathed fire at them.
Elm snorted. "The sun was in your eyes?"
"Oh please, that's the oldest excuse in the book," Marrow said dismissively.
"What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that but I don't have time!" Cardin rambled on with his excuses as the Nadder chased him and Ruby.
Cardin ducked into a different corridor as the Nadder focused on Ruby, the girl barely dodged the angry dragon as it rammed into a maze wall, knocking it down. Soon, the entire maze began to fall apart as the Nadder swiftly leapt from wall to wall in pursuit of Ruby as she nimbly evaded.
"Oh man. He's really pissed off now," Jaune noted the Nadder's rage.
"But look at Ruby go. She's got the speed and reflexes of a cat," Qrow complimented his niece.
"Be careful sis," Yang whispered as she became tense.
As the maze fell apart and the other recruits ran past him in a panic, Oscar began to absent-mindedly start asking Peter about Night Fury's again.
"Has anyone ever seen one napping?"
"Oscar!" Peter warned loudly.
"Come on, other me! Keep your head in the game," Oscar shouted as his counterpart.
"You know, Ruby was right. He's not where he's supposed to be," Qrow shared other-Ruby's earlier input.
Oscar spun around to see the maze walls falling like dominos toward him. Ruby climbed atop one as it toppled over, came flying and screaming through the dust and landed on top of him, laying him out and tangling their limbs together while the Nadder rushed past them.
Ren and Nora watched the scene in the background with amusement.
"Love on the battlefield," Ren teased.
"She could do better," Nora said with disdain.
Oscar and Ruby both turned as red as the latter's cloak at the scene and alternate Ren's line, while a few people, namely Yang, wondered if the two would indeed become a couple. [5]
The Nadder turned around and stalked toward back toward the pair.
"Let me... Why don't you?" Oscar sputtered as he tried to untangle himself from Ruby.
Ruby untangled herself and tried to pull her axe from Oscar's shield, which was attached to his arm. She planted her foot on Oscar's torso and to yank the axe free, still embedded into the shield.
Just as the Nadder reached her, Ruby swung the axe and shield, striking the dragon right in the face. It whimpered and scurried away in defeat.
"Well done, Ruby," Peter congratulated from offscreen.
The audience clapped and cheered for Ruby's victory.
"Thanks for the save," Oscar appreciated Ruby's help.
"Great job, sis. You'll make an awesome Viking," Yang praised her sisters performance.
"Awww, but it sounded sad," Nora cooed with sympathy.
Tired and frustrated, Ruby turned to Oscar, still on the ground. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" she asked angrily. "Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on."
Ruby stormed off, leaving a stung Oscar on the ground.
Oscar looked hurt and hung his head in shame and embarrassment while Ruby felt a surge of anger towards her counterpart's harshness, even if she did have a point.
"I really hope he doesn't side with the dragons over the Vikings," Marrow fretted.
"No way. Oscar would never betray his own people like that," Nora doubted strongly.
Author's Points
[1]- I said something along these lines during my first viewing. Out of all the recruits, Astrid/Ruby was the only one doing a good job. Fishlegs was babbling about stats, Snotlout was flirting with Astrid, and the twins were fighting over a shield.
[2]- Most people share your opinion, Weiss. Including me. Toothless reminds me of my pet bearded dragons (RIP). They were adorable
[3]- That's a good question. But that's another story for another day, assuming I adapt the sequel.
[4]- I was going for this. All of the RWBY counterparts here have been aged down to 15. As Oscar said, Vikings are too stubborn to leave Berk, so the kids have to be trained and ready as soon as possible.
[5]- Oh, you haven't seen nothing yet. Having watched both of the sequels, I can attest to that.