Outskirts of the Kingdom of Vale - Outside of an Abandoned Stone Building
(Link's POV)
It has taken me a while to calm down-! Oh who am I kidding? There's no point in lying, there is absolutely NOTHING to be calm about... But I do wipe my tears away because I can't let anyone see what I'm going through right now. Not Doctor Oobleck, Weiss, Blake, Yang, especially Ruby. Maybe Zwei because I like dogs and he cannot speak or tell anyone that I was bawling my eyes out. I was right to overthink and overreact when I did because look at what happened? I was proven right. Ruby and I were awkward and clearly not prepared to enter a relationship, but that does not mean that we had to simply give up without even trying. Anyway, aside from hiding my emotions, this was also an attempt to shut out... 'the demon' as I should just refer to him as since he doesn't have a name, more like does not want to tell me his name, which I know isn't true; a person can forget everything about themselves, they will always have a name. I had to make sure the tears stopped coming, despite how sad and angry I was and STILL am, I cannot let 'him' emerge, not ever again and especially not in front of my friends. IF they are still my friends, that is, I'm sure their loyalty will lean towards their team leader as opposed to someone they kind of know a short amount of time. Suppressing emotion may not be healthy, but it's all I know in order to get rid of these powerful, yet evil golden eyes. How can the color gold be so evil? I always imagine it as majestic and belonging to a princess or a hero who saves the world, none of those are me. I'm nowhere close to royalty and I am nowhere near the level to be considered a 'hero' either. Professor Ozpin did say this demon and I are almost merged together. He also said:
"Your soul and heart counter its evil and it doesn't change you as a person but it arises when you are angry or experiencing something traumatic."
Words like that from a wise man such as him certainly only solidifies that I need to suppress emotions when it's time to get angry or sad. As I sit here, in the same spot to keep watch over an entire group of huntresses, Ruby and Yang's corgi, and a professional huntsman all on my own, I cannot help but wonder, what would everyone else think about this situation? If Ruby or I were to say anything, that is. There's nothing or nobody more that I would like to hear from right now than Yang, Blake, even Weiss for that matter, but regardless of whether I want to hear from them or not, I find myself unable to hear anybody. Everyone was promptly cleared out of my head. And I mean EVERYONE, including 'him', I can't hear the demon inside of me. The voice that haunts me every single day, even that despicable monster was blocked out... Perhaps I should be grateful? At any rate, this is all so difficult to progress. Ruby practically-! No! Not practically, she did break things off before we even went anywhere, we went to a dance, fought an evil woman, kissed at the end of the night and that was it. But why? Did I do something wrong? Is there something wrong with me that she does not like? The problem could possibly be physical? I know my mentality is not the best, but I never thought it would cost me something so precious, is it that? Who knows? While I ponder the future and my friendship with Ruby Rose, I let out an audible sigh. Not caring in the slightest if I have awakened anybody, which does not make a difference either way, because I can hear Yang, Weiss and Blake talking about-! What are they talking about? Who knows... Should I even care? Because at this time, I do but I shouldn't. There are so many thoughts in my head too, well there are always many thoughts in my head, today it happens to be worse than ever before. Why must this world always forsake me, in any chance it gets? I do not even remember the first fourteen years of my life. A horrible man I labeled my 'father' burned down the thing I remember being my home. I was separated from my 'mother' and 'brother', two special people whose faces I don't even remember. Caught a lucky break with that magical girl who saved me and after that... It just kept going downhill. Any time I did something nice for myself or stumbled upon a new place I thought I could call home, it was all DESTROYED!
"Enough is enough."
When did I say that out loud? Maybe I am losing my mind but anyway. Doctor Oobleck asked everyone except me and I think Ruby why we wanted to be huntsmen or huntresses. Regardless of whether he did or did he not ask Ruby is irrelevant I suppose, everyone has an idea of why she wanted to be one. I did not even know what the wrong huntsman or huntress was when I set off on my own journey alone, so one could say I was forced into this lifestyle. Then again, that would be a complete lie because I've never decisive about my life at all, I tried exploring and traveling on my own, joined a group, left said group, was taken in by a village, left said village, traveled alone, felt like a change in my life was necessary and here I am at Beacon. It isn't as simple as that but... If I do in depth with my past right now, this 'demon' will most definitely come out and wreak havoc on all that Grimm below us. Why do I want to be a huntsman? To finally have some purpose in life and finally do the right thing. I've fallen in with the wrong people, I've stumbled across some really good people, unfortunately the good people did not stick around while the bad people did, it's time I change that, for good. This is my life and nobody dictates what I do with it, I chose to enroll in Beacon Academy and this is where I want to be, this place is going to help me become stronger, faster, wiser, and more; I need this, to protect those who I love, even if my life is on the line, plus saving other people in the progress would be an added bonus. After all, nobody needs to die an unnecessary death
"I need to get out of here."
I do not remember even thinking of those words, let alone saying them out loud. That has to be a sign, I need to leave and go somewhere to be completely isolated from everyone else. They will be fine, we're high enough to where Grimm won't find or attack and I already cleared out all the Grimm inside the building. G-get up damn it! Some space from everyone and everything is crucial right now. As much as I try to block out the memories, it does not work as well as blocking out sound. What Ruby and I said to each other, last night sharing our first kiss, spending the night together, getting the best sleep of my life, and then this morning we could not stop being affectionate while still being awkward and-! Never mind. Was it all for nothing? Why would she just want to break it off? I understood her words but... I think she took Doctor Oobleck's words that were about himself, and applied those to herself in the worst way. All I can do now while sitting in this same spot is stare out into the sky and look at the shattered moon, why is it shattered? Maybe it's a tender moon that breaks easily, which my heart can relate to at this current point. However, I know deep inside my heart that my feelings for Ruby won't simply fade away as if they were never there but it sure seems her feelings for me have. Wait! What am I saying?! Of course they haven't! She was hesitant and her main reason for not pursuing things is the fear of one of us dying for the other putting more of a burden on said other person... Which I think is a ridiculous reason, dating or not, if she's ever in danger I will be there to save her, no matter what happens to me. Could it be that she knows this and only said all of that to spare my feelings? At this point, I don't know and it's driving me insane thinking about it! Ruby did say she could never fathom the idea of being interested in a boy countless times. Looks like she was right and stuck to her word.
Silence...
Followed by more silence...
At last I can hear again, which means that 'blocking' of sound was not my own doing... Strange. I can now hear the faint sounds of stealthy Beowolves walking along the destroyed streets of his abandoned rundown city. What do I do now? What happens from here? Will Ruby and I still be friends? Will the rest of her team remain my friend? Even with a team like JNPR or Sun and Neptune, will this negative decision cause them to pick sides and abandon me? Will I have anybody left? Better to stop letting it consume my thoughts and to disconnect from the world for a bit, time to go.
THUMP!
I get up, my stomp on the stone floor underneath us alerts Blake, Weiss, and Yang, they all ask me if something is wrong or if I am tired, but receive no answer from me. They get the alternative answer instead, a head nod from me, but it isn't for it; rather for one of the three girls to take my place and keep watch. Blake asks me if I'm tired again, Weiss asks if I'm okay... I can sense sincerity in her eyes and tone, but nevertheless it is Yang who understands that I'm not interested in talking and returns the nod, then stands up and takes my place. I promptly walk away, past Zwei, the girls, and Doctor Oobleck, who isn't fully visible to me but he's a floor above us, I see his leg and boot. Never once do I glance at Ruby either, she conveniently has her back turned to me. If I had to place a bet, she was definitely awake but that's none of my business. When I am out of their sight, a sigh of relief escapes my mouth and then while walking, I reach for the canteen on my belt, next to my bag of projectiles and swiftly remove it. With some double checking-! No! Triple checking behind me to make sure I wasn't followed, the coast is clear. It feels like I've only walked for about thirty seconds but I find myself on the other side of the current floor we are on and what I notice is a perfectly shaped corner full of shade, away from the beautiful moonlight. As much as I enjoy looking at the moon, that isn't what I need right now; sitting down in the dark corner, I open the canteen that thankfully nobody has asked me about. Next is bringing it up to my nose, the strong smell inside makes my nose recoil and scrunch, which to me is a good sign because although it may not taste good in the slightest, it is what I need. I shut my eyes, raise the open canteen in the air and think about what-! More like who I am drinking for
"In memory of you, old friend. I might be missing a majority of my memories but I will never forget meeting you over a year old. You, along with your family and people deserved better than what this cruel world gave you."
The canteen touches my lips in mere seconds following those words, and now it is time to drink my sorrows away and pass out for hours. Finally, I get to sleep in peace...
3rd Person POV
It has been a couple of few hours since Link walked away without saying a word to anybody or giving any notice of his whereabouts, throughout this time Blake and Weiss sit up and worry, Yang watches out for the group and Ruby is indeed awake but pretending to be asleep
"Weiss..." Blake mumbles. "You saw that look on his face, right?"
"I sure did." Weiss nods. "I'm sure he thought he fooled us but something's wrong with him."
"He's probably fine." Yang sighs. "It's Link, he's strong, whatever happened is not going to keep him down forever."
"I suppose you're right." Blake nods
"Hey Blake, Weiss, not to just abruptly change the topic but, it's been on my mind all day." Yang continues gazing down at the grimm roaming the streets. "Why do you think Doctor Oobleck asked us about being a Huntress? What do you think he was trying to say?"
"Maybe he was just curious." Blake nods
"Really?" Yang smirks. "I don't imagine you'd really settle on something so simple-!"
"No." She shrugs
"Figures." The blonde huntress rolls her eyes. "Weiss?"
"I think what he meant was..." Weiss sighs. "When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think and I'm not stupid either. 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 and nobody bats an eye, except those who are affected."
"That's putting it lightly." Blake frowns. "Sorry, the anger is not aimed at you."
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. There's a lot of work to do and I haven't even gotten started because I'm here, training, studying, and aspiring to be the best huntress in the world." Weiss reaches for her rapier 'Myrtenaster' and grips the handle tightly. "If I take a job in Atlas, it will not change anything. I'm not going to copy my sister but I'm carving my own path the way she did. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it. It's not only because I'm next in line to take over the company, it's to do the right thing for everyone in the world. From the people living cushy in Atlas to the faunus whose lives have been ruined because of my father's action. I will change my family's legacy for the better."
"Wow." Blake mumbles, she looks at Weiss in the eyes and smiles, "All my life, I've had to fight for what I thought was right. Before I enrolled at Beacon, I had a partner named Adam Taurus. 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." The cat faunus turns to Weiss. "I haven't spoken to you or Link about this and I probably should have but I'm accepting it more and more. The move you did earlier that you picked from Link... That's a main part of Adam's semblance."
"WHAT?!" Weiss' eyes widened. "Why would Link use such a move? And how does he know about it?"
"I'm not sure about your second question, those are questions I have been wanting to ask him myself. As for why he uses it? Because he..." Blake smirks. "Link made it his own move. He doesn't use it to kill in cold blood and he actually has life in his eyes and a smile on his face when he uses it. I also think it's sweet that you've learned something from him."
"HMPH! The move is very effective, that is all." Weiss crosses her arms. "What happened next with Adam? Did you two get into a big dispute over his 'perfect future' idea?"
"Not exactly." Blake sighs. "I ran away from him and joined Beacon Academy because I knew that huntsmen and huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. They always fight for good and all I've wanted is to be respected and seen as a person, I figured it would be easier with the title of huntress. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I-! No... How can I undo so many years of hate and crime that I committed?"
"Come, you're Blake." Yang turns to her and smirks. "Even if we never met, I'm sure you would've figured it out within months after you graduated. You're not one to back down from a challenge, after all."
"Are you kidding?" Blake's eyes well up. "But I do back down, all the time! When you all learned I was a faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! Luckily Sun was there to talk me down and convince me to stick around. Or how about when I realized my oldest partner had become a monster? You guessed it! I ran! Even my semblance is a slap in the face and I hate it! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. Do you know what means, Yang? Weiss? It's an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!"
"I'm sorry, Blake." Yang sighs. "But, at least you and Weiss have something that drives you. I've just kind of always, 'gone with the flow' as the saying goes, ya know? And that's fine, I mean, it's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I do want to be a Huntress of course, but not really because I want to be a hero, I want the adventure."
"Why not just hop on that contraption of yours and challenge everyone to a race?" Weiss chuckles
"I'm serious..." Yang lowers her head. "I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. Being a Huntress... Happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. Ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being a hero, helping people, saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. This was long before our uncle Qrow trained her to be the amazing warrior she is now, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."
"Well-!"
"I can sense something like that from Link too." Yang interrupts Weiss without hesitation and opens her mouth to continue. "He's not exactly like Ruby and I won't speak for him, but as unmotivated as he seems at times, his loyalty isn't to books, rankings, or a social standing, it's to us. Are you guys aware of that?"
"Yes." Blake nods as she sits up. "He cares about Ruby, you, me, Weiss, Pyrrha, Velvet, Coco, everyone really. If a catastrophe happened next week and Beacon was under attack, Link would be at our dorm to make sure we're okay before he's even sure if he's okay."
"Speak for yourselves." Weiss rolls her eyes and also sits up. "He doesn't care about me."
"Maybe he would if you stop being such a jerk to him!" Blake snaps. "Because I'm sure he thinks you don't care about him either."
"She's right." Yang glares at Weiss. "Out of all our friends, you're the meanest to Link, everybody can tell."
"Grrr..." Weiss grumbles to herself before shaking her head. "Regardless of Ruby and Link already knowing what they want to do and why they do this, it's obvious why? They're ambitious the way anyone without a perception of reality would be. They're both still just kids."
"Weiss..." Blake sighs. "Ruby is only two years younger and Link is only one year younger, we're all 'kids' still."
"Not anymore guys." Yang shakes her head. "I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!"
"It's the life we chose." Blake nods. "If anyone wants to back out at any point, they absolutely can and nobody would fault them."
"Maybe they should be! It's a job." Weiss looks and leans closer to Ruby when she sees her leader's leg twitch. "We all had this romanticized vision of being a huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people we love and everybody else who cannot protect themselves! Whatever we want, will have to come second."
"Y-yeah..." Ruby whispers quietly, not aware that Weiss is inches away from her
"AHA!" Weiss grabs Ruby by her ear and pulls on it with force. "I KNEW YOU WERE AWAKE!"
"OW OW OW!" Ruby cries out. "L-let go!"
"Not until you tell us why you've been pretending to be asleep!"
"Weiss." Blakes shakes her head. "Let her go, she already has to answer us anyway."
"Fine." Weiss loosens and releases her pinching grip. "Talk."
"O-okay okay!" Ruby sits up but the grand reveal comes next when she turns around and reveals her puffy eyes
"Where is he?!" Yang pounds her fists together. "To think I just praised that son of a-!"
"NO!" Ruby shakes her head. "Link didn't make me cry, this is all my fault. The reason he's gone and I'm here with a broken heart is because of me."
"Well then." Weiss narrows her eyes. "Speak. What did you do?"
"I think Link wanted to have a talk about 'us' and under better circumstances he was going to say he had feelings for me and maybe we should date but we didn't even get to that stage. I said it wouldn't be a good idea."
"WHAT?"
"HUH?"
"WHY?!"
"Okay maybe we should continue this discussion another time, heh." Ruby shamefully scratches her head. "I..."
The leader of team RWBY proceeds to tell them about her earlier conversation with Link, omitting some details here and there but still getting her point across nonetheless, that she felt it would be best for her and Link to not pursue anything romantic, despite their obvious chemistry. Although, Ruby chooses not to voice her immediate regret
"You've done some idiotic things but that might top everything." Weiss crosses her arms and casts a judgmental look on her leader
"B-but you were one talking about boys being no good-!"
"Not the same!" Weiss shakes her head. "I said there are too many boys who desire my attention, affection, and the perks of my last and ONLY my last name. I'm not looking for a boyfriend anyway but if I was, I want him to like and want to be with me... For me."
"Umm, your point?" Ruby scratches her head again
"This what I mean by you being just a kid, no common sense at-!"
"Relax, Weiss." Yang sighs. "Sis, she's saying you had wrapped around your finger who likes you for who you are. Not just your appearance, reputation, weapons, anything redundant like that. Link likes you and I know you like him. Nobody said you guys have to rush into a relationship, I think you and Link were on the opposite ends on what to do. He perhaps tried to rush things and you definitely moved too quickly to end things. Talk to him again, I'm sure you guys can figure something out."
"I don't know, Yang." Ruby sighs and lies back down. "Relationships, boyfriends, love, it's not something I considered when I got accepted two years earlier than I should have for my dream school!"
"That's life, sis." Yang giggles. "We can't plan every step on the way, some of us don't plan at all!"
"Yang is right." Blake smiles warmly. "What you and Link have is unique, you're both immature nerds who care about people a lot. You don't have to rush into anything or separate and sever bonds, no matter what happens with you two next, you'll still be the best of friends."
"I... really like that." Ruby turns over, back away from her team. "Thanks everybody."
"You better know what you're doing, Ruby." Weiss earnestly says. "Not that I have a lot of nice things to say about Link but I do know about living in regret, it's not very nice to endure. Especially if he moves on to someone else one day and you're still harboring feelings for him."
"Hmmm..." Ruby stores Weiss' words in her head and thinks on them carefully as she drifts off to sleep, the rest of her team follows suit shortly after, with the exception of Yang
...
...
...
Hours Later
Blake, Weiss and Ruby are fast asleep, Yang is keeping watching while struggling to keep her eyes open, Zwei was asleep until suddenly, he wakes up, stands up, and wakes up Ruby in the process
"U-ugh.."
Ruby groggily opens her eyes and slowly lifts her head off her pillow, which is partially wet from drool and tears. The huntress notices Zwei is awake and alert on all fours, scanning the area, something is on his mind
"Huh? Z-zwei it's late and we're all on little sleep... Go back to bed." Ruby yawns before her eyes shoot open wide when Zwei abruptly runs off, "Zwei?! ZWEI!" Ruby calls out and sighs
The girl rises up to her feet, grabs her sniper rifle-scythe Crescent Rose, and looks around. Blake and Weiss were asleep, Yang was on watch duty... But Link was nowhere to be found and Professor Oobleck is fast above them, meaning she cannot bring anyone with her as backup
"L-link...? Are you around?" Ruby whispers carefully before she ultimately shakes her head in defeat, "Gotta find zwei." She speaks firmly and quickly runs off after her pet. "Where did he run off to?" The huntress says to herself, thinking about both Zwei and Link in the process
Elsewhere: Moments Later
Link's eyes widen as he writhes around in panic, then realizes it's nothing and must have been a bad dream, he sighs in relief. However, the boy experiences something different as he leans forward and holds his stomach, experiencing some form of 'pain' whilst his breathing increases.
"W-what the hell?" Link takes deeper breaths to help with the accelerated breathing but continues holding onto his stomach. "Bad alcohol? No, that would be too convenient, something's not right."
The one person team struggles to stand and dust himself off, having still been in his same corner he retreated to earlier. He yawns and walks into the light, realizing it is still dark outside. Link sighs and proceeds to sit back down in the darkness, opting to 'enjoy' the peace and quiet, not caring if he was followed by team RWBY, Professor Oobleck or if there were grimm around. All he wants right now is to be alone, and to finally accept the reality of his situation
"Phew!" Link exhales calmly and briskly, which helps with his earlier troubles, "I feel... A little better now." He smiles weakly but only for it to fade quickly, "Maybe it was for the best that she ends any chance of us being together. When she first said those words, I thought she was being completely selfish and only thinking about herself. But now, I can see now why she'd want to 'break it off' before it got any more serious, she's looking out for herself and me as well. We're still young after all... Oh who am I kidding? This is probably some sort of coping."
The gloomy look on Link's face suddenly changes into a slight smile
"Despite the fact that she may dislike me and I may dislike her now, both of us are at odds and all that. I do still like her, a lot; I never want to see her get hurt. She may not be my girlfriend, hell she may not even be my friend anymore, but she's still a special person, and I'll never let someone special to me die... Not anymore at least!" Link nods and slowly gets back up, feeling wobbly physically with drowsy eyes from the alcohol he consumed at a rapid speed, he decides to make his way back to the team, professor and corgi, where he will most likely receive a scolding for abandoning the group
The walk back takes longer than the first time he made the stroll, Link hopes everyone is still asleep, but to his dismay sees everyone awake and on their feet. Within seconds of him being back in sight, Professor Oobleck, Yang, Weiss and Blake tall turn and look at Link whilst Zwei whines in sadness
"Umm..." Link shakes his head and rubs his eyes, hoping to clear up his vision, "H-hey guys, what's going on?" He stops thinking about what reason or excuse to give about where he was when the huntsman in training notices that his friends and professional huntsman are concerned with another situation, the disappearance of Ruby Rose
"Ruby is gone." Yang says in a cold and angry tone, similar to the one Link used on her earlier when the former took over keeping watch
"W-whaaaat?" Link's eyes widened, his fists balled up, "W-where is she? How l-long has she b-been gone?" He stutters
"We don't know. Zwei just arrived." Yang frowns. "Where have you been? Why do you sound weird?"
"Nooooo reason." Link shrugs
"Have you-!" Weiss opens her mouth but silences herself immediately. "He looks like he's gotten sleep... It's his speech! Did something happen to him? He's never stuttered or slurred his words before. Was he drinking?!"
"No matter where you were, Mister Link, we are glad that you decided to come back, just in time. We will need all your strength now." Professor Oobleck pushes up his glasses, speaking with a more serious tone than ever heard from him, "Ruby might be in trouble. Grab your weapons girls and boy! Miss Rose may be in trouble." The professional huntsman says nothing more and lead the way outside
In reality, it is Zwei who lead the way, as he was evidently the last one with Ruby, and luckily for the group of five, the location Ruby was last spotted at is 'just around the corner' as Ruby and her dog did not travel far. Upon seeing a giant hole in the ground along with Crescent Rose on the floor like a piece of trash, Link's anger which was already brewing, now multiplies and Professor Oobleck's strategy is working as he 'intended', although it was not his doing that makes the blonde boy angry
"Right there." Link taps Yang on the shoulder and point at Crescent Rose
"Good vision, look guys!" Yang calls out. "It's Ruby's scythe!"
"Oh no." Blake sighs. "W-where's Ruby?"
"Do you think she fell?" Weiss approaches the hole in the middle of the street and glances into it while being careful of the her footing
"FELL?!" Oobleck rushes over and stands inches away from a plummet down this big hole
"Down there..." Weiss points at the hole
"Oh my..." Oobleck looks down and then the professor freaks everyone out by panicking and pacing back and forth. "Of course... of course! of course! OF COURSE!"
"What is it?!" Blake shouts
"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck sprints circles around Link, Weiss, Yang and Blake
"Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang exclaims
"Mountain Glenn! Yes!" Oobleck gets in Yang's face first,"An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm!" He slides over to Blake to spout facts at her next. "Previously home to thousands of people!" The man zooms over to Yang again, "Working people commuting to the city, the main city!" The Beacon Professor moves to Link. "Developed a subway system to the inner city!" He moves and shifts over to Weiss, at last addressing everyone once, "Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter!" Oobleck moves over to Blake. "City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find?
Professor Oobleck pauses for a slight second, then crouches down to face Zwei at eye level
"The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!" Oobleck politely taps on Zwei's nose and receives a lick to the finger in return
"DOC!" Yang shouts in frustration. "What are you saying?"
Oobleck springs back up to his feet and grabs Yang by the shoulders
"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!" Oobleck yells back
"They've been working in caves?" Blake questions
"No, no, you see... Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation of course. The city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! This was meant to be completed as soon as possible. Sadly, without the many natural barriers, Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start!"
(I l-lost track of w-what the 'Doctor' is saying, can he g-get on with it s-so we can get d-down there and save R-ruby already?) Link frowns
"As the end of this experiment drew near, the citizens of this territory made one last attempt at survival." Oobleck nods. "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!"
The older huntsman turns around and now looks down into the deep hole that Ruby fell into
"S-so... It's an underground village?" Yang asks. "That's where Ruby is right now?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. It was supposed to be a safe haven of sorts. Until... An explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, one filled with subterranean Grimm that wiped out any survivors of that explosion. After this, the Kingdom officially accepted defeat and sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb."
Upon hearing the horror and danger that could be inside this hole, along with knowing that Ruby could be dead right at this moment while they waste time talking. Link could not contain his anger anymore, he is desperate to get down there and let his inner demon rampage, but he is able to suppress it yet again
(Ruby is down there, defenseless...)
"If Ruby is down there..."
Professor Oobleck speaks as both he and Link draw their weapons, with Link happily grabbing his sword and shield while Oobleck reaches and unveils his thermos is not just any regular thermos, but a weapon called 'Antiquity's Roast' that is more of a long metal club
"We must find her."
Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Link all nod in unison, meanwhile Zwei barks in excitement
"C-can I fight now?" Link narrows his eyes at Professor Oobleck, not because he is angry but it is his vision. "Or do you want me to back you up again?"
"No no, that won't be necessary anymore... So yes." Oobleck nods. "Show me why Professor Ozpin chose you to be in your own team."
"RIGHT!"
Link, with an uncharacteristic grin, does not hesitate and immediately jumps down. The plummets down and lands on his feet, immediately getting an entire view of the underground 'village' that Professor Oobleck points out. However, before he takes in the entire sight of the destroyed village, a loud metal door opens behind him
"Freeze!" Two White Fang soldiers emerge from the blinding light of the door and aim their guns at Link
"...Hm?" Link blinks rapidly, completely unfazed by their warning, he then turns around and reaches for his sword. "You two will not walk away from this if you keep aiming those at me."
"Big talk from a kid who doesn't even have his weapons out!" One of soldiers shouts
"One more move and you die!" The second soldier barks
"Hmph!" Link smiles. "I won't take you guys out. After all, you've got more problems than just me."
"Huh?"
Both of the soldiers follow Link's eyes as they trail upwards and into the hole that was first created by Ruby not too long ago. In comes Yang and Blake, they both land, dash forward, and make quick work of the White Fang soldiers; Yang with one punch to the head and Blake with a direct slash 'through' the other soldier, who both fall over immediately
"Thanks." Link snickers. "I figured you two could take those easily as a warm up."
"No problem!" Yang nods back. "We knew you could take them buuut at the same time, we can't let you have all the glory."
"Right now isn't the time to brag!" Weiss claims whilst dropping down in her own way, using multiple black glyphs to slow herself down, rather than plummeting down like Yang, Blake and Link, "Ruby could be in serious danger!" She turns to Link angrily. "I thought at least you were going to be serious!"
"Miss Schnee is right." Oobleck's voice is broadly echoing in the underground environment as he is already next to all four of the students he is mentoring. Despite the fact that nobody witnesses how he or Zwei made it down there. "Right now our priorities should be on finding Ruby."
"I can definitely do that." Link frowns and walks towards the edge of the platform they stand on, now taking in the full view of the underground city. "And take out a bunch of White Fang scum in the process."
"Link?" Yang walks towards him. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Yes I am." Link nods as he lets out a sigh, "Let's go." He gives Yang and the rest of the group a thumbs up before dropping down yet again
"Oh come on!" Weiss groans. "There are stairs directly to our right, ya know!?"
"Too late." Yang winks and drops down as well, trailing behind Link
"Sense of urgency, right?" Blake shrugs and follows the pair
"Professor?" Weiss asks. "Please tell me you-!"
"DOCTOR!" Oobleck cuts her off. "But they are correct Miss Schnee, we do not have the time for stairs, come along Miss Schnee!" The huntsman, with Zwei on perched on his shoulders, leaps off as well
"Fine!" Weiss rolls her eyes and reluctantly follows them
Moments later
"Intruders!"
A single White Fang soldier shouts to alert the rest of his crew about the unwelcome guests while multiple soldiers shoot at the ground with their guns, what was the cause? Yang and Link running side by side and leading the charge and working cohesively with the latter running ahead when bullets from the soldiers are fired to block them with his shield and deflecting bullets with precise sword slashes. When the soldiers are done firing and realize they need to reload, they panic and hurriedly do that to the best of their abilities. This is where Yang comes into the picture, she follows up by leaping above Link, dashing forward and almost punching the life out of the faunus henchmen; each soldier meets the fate of eating a simple but effective combination attack: jab, jab, straight right hand, and an uppercut. Perfect fluid punches and never missing a beat with any of the repeated combinations
"Give me my sister back!" Yang's frustration builds up as well, the girl begins to put more power in each punch, soon only needing one single punch to incapacitate soldiers as opposed to an entire combination of punches, "YAHHH!" She continues with her flurry and mixes things up by activating her shotgun gauntlets 'Ember Celica' and blasting fiery shotgun shells in every direction possible. Most shots hit her targets, other shots fly off course, hit and damage the already abandoned and worn down buildings, causing one to partially fall apart, the falling debris finally scares the remaining soldiers, who finally begin to retreat and live to see another day
"I'll lead the way now, children!" Professor Oobleck wields his club and sprints forward, but another person somehow outsprints him, Link
"Not until I contribute! I didn't just come down here to keep backing you all up!"
Link dashes forward, catching up with the White Fang soldiers in no time, but rather than jump high in the air and get behind them predictably, he surprises the soldiers by getting as close as he can, digging his heels into the ground and then pushing off his feet and disappears from their sights
FLASH!
"WHAT?"
"Where'd he go?!"
"WHERE IS HE?"
"Maybe he backed off?!"
(Not quite!) Link smirks as he appears behind a pack of eight soldiers with empty guns, initially they all jump in shock but recover fast and soon quickly circle around the Beacon student. Unfortunately for them, the more they close in on Link, especially by surrounding him in a circle, the worse their chances of dodging his next attack are. Without needing to get into a stance or loading up his arms, legs, or body for maximum power, the one person team just smirks. He focuses carefully, his eyes flash gold for a few seconds and in those couple of seconds, Link rapidly in a circle, hitting all of the soldiers in front of him with not one, not two, not three, but four spinning slashes that completely shreds their clothing in the midsection area and brutally cuts them there as well
"No fair, he's that fast too?! Why haven't we seen that speed before?" Weiss raises an eyebrow as she and the rest of the group run and soon catch up to Link
"Because it's not something he can freely do, otherwise he would use it all the time." Blake nods. "We've seen that speed scarcely but yes he's definitely getting faster, that's for sure."
"OVER THERE!" Yang points at Ruby, who was forcefully sat down right behind Roman Torchwick. "She looks okay!"
"That's great news." Link mumbles and notices Ruby plotting something
That something is Ruby, taking advantage of the distractions caused by her team, friend, and professional huntsman to try and escape. She leaps in the air and jumps on Torchwick's shoulders, pulls his hat down and over his eyes to blind him, then bounces off him and flees towards her friends
"SOMEBODY KILL HER!" Torchwick shouts as he fires flares from his cane while four soldiers behind him fire off their guns
Though it seems impossible at first, Ruby is able to dodge all the bullets without the use of her semblance as well, feeling it could be risky and make herself a bigger target. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees more White Fang soldiers in front of her and to her sides with guns drawn and aimed right for her
"Damn!" Ruby raises her arms to cover her head, anticipating shots to come her way soon
BLAST!
Before the soldiers would fire their guns, it was multiple explosions that saved Ruby, from her entire team and the rest of her squad. Yang's shotgun blasts, Link with his bow-double crossbow-rifle and having the red dust selected, which is the most destructive dust. Blake fires shots with the pistol version of her blade 'Gambol Shroud', Weiss summons a white glyph and shoots ice shards with her rapier 'Myrtenaster', and lastly Professor Oobleck shows what his club can do by displaying its flamethrower feature and blasting fireballs, all of these efforts shut down Torchwick's attempts to kill Ruby and wipe out the rest of the soldiers in the process
"Yang!" Ruby cries tears of joy
"Ruby!" Yang shouts with happiness, she wraps her arms around her sister and swings her around
"Are you okay?" Weiss asks
"Y-yeah! I'm fine! But listen!" Ruby swiftly wipes away her tears. "Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there in the trains."
"What?!" Blake says with anger, promptly returning Crescent Rose back to its rightful owner
"Yeah, he's got Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars! I saw them when I was being dragged further down this place."
"That's ridiculous!" Oobleck speaks up. "These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead end. So unless these criminals in for a suicide mission... Where could they possibly be going?!"
Suddenly, a loud screeching speaker can be heard, the voice broadcaster was none other than Roman Torchwick
"Get to your places, we are leaving now!"
Right as Torchwick said the final words, the train starts up and begins moving towards the tunnels
"Well it looks and sounds like they're going SOMEWHERE." Yang sets her sights on the train
"We need backup! Now! Ooh! I'll call Jaune." Ruby is quickly to reach for her scroll, but a hand prevents her from grabbing it
"I already tried calling Pyrrha, there's no signal." Link shakes his head and takes off, sprinting for the train himself. "We have to stop it ourselves!"
"Hmph!" Ruby frowns and blushes in embarrassment, showing clear jealousy that Link is a step ahead of her
"So what do we do now?! We know the train is starting, but what can we realistically do?" Weiss asks but her words fall on deaf ears with Blake, who is already sprinting right behind Link, "O-okay!" She gives up on communicating and follows the cat faunus and one person team
"We have two options!" Oobleck shouts. "Number one, we walk away and report this back at Beacon and the authorities of the City of Vale, or number two-!"
"Grrr..." Ruby watches Link lead part of HER squad with ease, which makes her cut Oobleck off completely in return. "We're stopping that train!"
The leader of team RWBY growls and chases after Link, Blake, and Weiss. With Yang, Professor Oobleck and Zwei trailing right behind her. The group of seven huntsmen, huntresses and corgi chase the train, with the secret hideout they suspected would be here exposed, all they can do now is try their best to stop Roman Torchwick and his demented plans
(9/29/17) Pulled down and edited - The ending is WAY different then what the original chapter 16 provided, why was it changed? 2 reasons. #1 - A reviewer(Lostandforgotten) said this chapter was a bit rushed, that reviewer was right, this one and chapter 15 were rushed because I was going back to school soon so I wanted to get something out, but then I ended up not posting anymore anyway so these rushed chapters were for nothing, hence why they're the most edited. Reason #2 - Link's inner demon fully emerging or even taking over Link briefly is a special reveal that should be saved for a special character, it should be for someone personal to Link, and to be honest, Torchwick is the worst candidate lol. He's not technically after anyone personally, so I'm saving Link's inner demon emerging for someone else, who? You'll find out soon; Minor details were fixed too xD
