Kingdom of Vale: The Skies of Outer Vale
Professor or as he'd prefer to be called, Doctor Oobleck, accompanied by Link and Team RWBY hang on calmly while standing inside the airship flying over buildings and streets amid the deafening sound of strong wind and the airship engine
"Sorry for doubting you earlier, Doctor Oobleck. I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang is the first one to break the 'silence'
"Worry not, my dear student." Oobleck smiles. "I do admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."
"Huh?" Ruby turns her head in confusion. "Like the mushrooms?"
"Those are truffles." Blake mumbles
"Like the sprout?"
"Those are brussels." Yang smirks
"What is funny, girls?!" Oobleck cups his ear. "I cannot hear you!"
"We were just joking around, Doc." Yang nods. "Okay I believe you. Sorry again, you just come off as someone who hasn't done it in a while."
"That is fair, I do spend most of my days in the classroom doing my absolute best to teach all of you." Oobleck nods. "As well as the classes that came before you and the next generation that will come after you. I believe I make more of an impact teaching hundreds of students at a time than I would defeating Grimm on my own. Besides, with this specific mission that ladies and gentleman are taking part in, given my expertise in the field of history." He drinks out of his thermos. "Additionally, with my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!"
"Ummm..." Weiss scratches her head. "What does history have to do with any of this?"
"What?!" Oobleck's smile fades, his head snaps at Weiss. "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! History is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."
"What does that mean?" Weiss looks to her team and even Link for help, but everyone looks on in confusion
"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!"
"Mountain Glenn." Ruby mumbles
"Oh yeah!" Yang utters. "That's right! It was an expansion of Vale, but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."
"That is correct ladies! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder."
"In other words for a bad guy, a likely place for a hideout." Blake frowns
"Heh." Oobleck smiles as he adjusts his glasses. "Precisely!"
Weiss and Doctor Oobleck continue speaking among themselves, while Blake and Yank break off into their own discussion, leaving Ruby all alone and gives Link the perfect chance to talk to her alone
"Hey." Link leans and nudges Ruby's shoulder. "How are you? Excited?"
"Hi." Ruby smiles back and leans her head on his shoulder. "You bet I'm excited, sorry again for ratting you out. I didn't think Professor Ozpin would jump straight to punishment."
"It's not your fault, you did what you thought was me. Me too, I guess Professor Ozpin doesn't favor me as much as people think he does." Link rolls his eyes
"Oh come on, people don't say that." Ruby nervously laughs. "I think."
"You're too pure for this world." He chuckles. "Maybe I just listen too much and that's how I hear bad things about me."
"Well forget them, I say nothing bad about you. Focus on what I said." Ruby smiles warmly
"That sounds like a great idea." Link nudges her head now as it's leaning on his shoulder. "Psst. So what's its name?"
"Huh?" Ruby chuckles, her hands shaking nervously. "What do you mean?"
"...Okay we're going to play that game." Link shrugs and nods repeatedly. "It's alright, you can tell me about it later."
The one person team giggles as the airship reaches its destination. The landing spot the pilot chooses is right over a spot of a street amidst plenty of destroyed or run down buildings and other structures of the previously inhabited area that is now property of the grimm. It hovers right above the street as Yang, Blake, Weiss, Oobleck, Ruby, and lastly Link all jump out of the craft with their weapons drawn, minus Professor Oobleck. The girls are in battle stances as well, Link simply looks around, not feeling the need to get in a stance as the area looks abandoned and appeared that way before they landed, and Professor Oobleck simply holds his thermos, looking straight ahead. Seconds later, the ship flies away from the destruction and begins its course of returning to Beacon Academy
"Ladies!" Professor Oobleck shouts before looking at Link. "And gentleman. You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as huntsman and huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to work together! Fight like your life depends on it! And do exactly as I say! Do you understand?"
The two different teams comprised of five students in total nod in approval. However, it it doesn't take longer than three seconds for Oobleck to scold someone, when he whips his head at ruby, who of course still has her bag on her back
"RUBY!" Oobleck shouts
"Huh?!" Ruby jumps. "Y-yes, doctor?"
"I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school!"
"But!" Ruby raises her hand, with an index finger in the air. "But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet... So I didn't."
Weiss, Blake, and Yang sigh at their leader's sarcasm and sass, with the former looking down at the cracked cement under their feet
"Hmmm..." Oobleck rubs his chin, "She's not wrong." He nods and smirks at his student's wit. "Very well then, Ruby. You can leave your bag right here and we can pick it up when we return after our mission concludes."
"But I..." Ruby shakes her head." Um..."
"Just do what he says." Weiss frowns
"W-well! I can't!"
"Young lady!" Oobleck blurts out. "What in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-!"
Link sneaks up behind Ruby and unzips her bag with a big grin on his face. Ruby jumps and angrily glares at him but the damage is done when her beloved pet dog Zwei pokes its head out, with a big smile on its face and excited pants
"Wow..." Link mumbles sarcastically. "What's its name Ruby?"
"Shhh..." Ruby whispers. "His name is Zwei, my dad sent him from Patch for Yang and I to look after him for a couple of days."
Zwei continues to pant as it looks around at the new environment around him. Yang's eyes widen, Weiss' eyes light up and Blake looks horrified, Professor Oobleck appears to be neutral about this change
"Zweiii..." Ruby continues whispering as she leans towards Link and Zwei. "Get back in the bag." She desperately pleads
Zwei does nothing of the sort and instead barks at the sight of Link before he continues to turn its head side to side, viewing the area they are now in, which is much different than team RWBY's dorm or Beacon academy
"I knew you had an animal in your bag and wow am I happy that I'm right. Otherwise I would've classified myself as insane." Link slowly closes Ruby's bag back to conceal Zwei
"Let me get this straight." Professor Oobleck broadly speaks. "We are here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... A dog?"
"I-I-I!" Ruby shakes her head
"Genius!." Professor Oobleck speeds past Blake, Yang, Weiss, Link, and Ruby and snatches the pet corgi from Ruby's bag, the latter in return tumbles to the ground as Oobleck spins Zwei in the air. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"
(Can you please walk away? I don't want to hear this buffoon.)
(Why are you even here? Are you always lingering around?) Link frowns
(No, but I sure as hell am not going to tell you how I operate.)
(Yes... Because you yourself don't even know.) He chuckles
Link turns around and subsequently zones out as Professor Oobleck talks more, but he notices something none of the girls, Zwei, or even Oobleck notice, a Beowolf a fair distance away, but luckily only one
(I should warn them but either Weiss is going to shout, Zwei is going to bark, or Yang is going to rush forward and pummel it.)
"What are your first orders, Doctor Oobleck?" Blake asks
"Ah, yes, straight to the chase! I like the enthusiasm, Miss Belladonna!" Oobleck smirks. "As you've been informed by Professor Ozpin, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being right in front of us... Grimm."
"Uhhh, what?" Ruby raises an eyebrow
"Grimm, Miss Rose." Professor Oobleck points out the Beowolf spotted first by Link has gotten closer now. "A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment."
"What?!" Yang shouts as she and the other girls turn to look like at the lone Beowolf wandering around the street
"Yeah it's only one though. I didn't see any others." Link mumbles
"You knew it was there?" Ruby whispers. "Why did you say anything?"
"Because I thought Weiss would scream and alert it, but as it turns out, I was wrong and it was Yang."
"I heard that!" Yang frowns
"Exactly." Link sighs
Yang aims her sights on the grimm and returns to her offensive stance, the rest of her team join her in getting ready for battle and preparing to unleash the power of their weapons
"No! Stop!" Professor Oobleck shakes his head. "You must not attack!"
"Huh?" Blake turns back to her teacher whilst lowering her sword. "Why not?"
"There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity, actions such as: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred."
"I get it, Doctor Oobleck." Link nods. "The Grimm could be here because either they've taken over this area entirely or like Blake said, a likely spot for a hideout, a place even the Grimm are trying to locate."
"Yes." Oobleck drinks out of his thermos. "It could be either of those two reasons, but I have a feeling that all the qualities I just listed are likely being caused by our hidden group, harboring ill intent."
"What do we do now?" Ruby looks at Professor Oobleck for answers. "We can't just wait around, right?"
"On the contrary, we will wait. You see Ruby, we wait... And track it." Oobleck beams. "If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey. Then we take out the grimm and this group's entire operation."
"Well..." Blake speaks up again. "How long do you think we'll be waiting?"
"It's uncertain." Oobleck narrows his eyes on the Beowolf. "Could be hours or days."
"Maybe even a few weeks." Link mumbles, his answer catches everyone's attention "Trust me I've seen a lot of Grimm in a short amount of time. Some Grim can travel alone and remain that way, they don't always stay in packs and-!"
"What? And what?" Weiss asks
Link stops speaking when he notices an entire pack of grimm now, this time he points at it and Ruby turns her head to notice five more Beowolves behind the lone one, followed by even more behind those in the distance
"And there's the whole pack." Oobleck sighs before taking one more swig of coffee
"What?!" Weiss jumps as she, Yang, and Blake notice the grimm last
"And now they've seen us." Oobleck mumbles quietly
"WHAT?!" Weiss shouts, which triggers some of the Beowolves
"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck shouts openly as there is no point to remain subtle anymore
"I guess tracking them is out of the question now?" Ruby nervously chuckles
"An accurate observation, yes Miss Rose."
"So what's the plan then?" Yang, along with the rest of her team and Link turn to look at Oobleck, who stares at the incoming grimm
Oobleck looks at team RWBY and nods at them, but shakes his head at Link and pulls him to the side
"You four... Show me what you're capable of." Oobleck nods again
"Wait what?" Link turns his head in confusion. "But what about-!"
"Do not worry Link, you will get your chance at a later time. Besides, I thought you wanted to see less of the action seeing as how you tried to skip on today's mission?" Oobleck grins and takes a step back. "You can watch alongside me or grovel off to yourself, I do not want to see your skills displayed at this moment."
"Fine, whatever you say." Link rolls his eyes, but smiles warmly at Ruby
"Link." Ruby looks at him, but for some reason ignores his smile. "Cover Zwei's ears for me."
"You got it." Link nods and approaches the adorable corgi, who unfortunately growls at him. "...Never mind."
"Ugh, come on! It's not that hard." Ruby frowns
Link focuses on Yang first as she and the biggest Beowolf run towards one another, ending with the blonde huntress killing it with one punch to the skull with her shotgun gauntlets 'Ember Celica' while running by, the grimm falls limp and shows no signs of moving. She runs away as more run her way, others on the other hand, stop chasing the blonde in order to focus on Blake, who stands and waits with a hand on the handle of her sword 'Gambol Shroud'. One Beowolf sprints at her and swipes furiously, hitting nothing but air when it hits an afterimage. As soon as the afterimage fades, the real huntress backflips over the rapid grimm and slices her grimm opponent in half with a horizontal cut. Next come two more Beowolves but they do not fare any better as Blake allows each one to hit 'her' before appearing in the air and slicing through both of them perfectly in the exact same area, the midsection. Behind the cat faunus is Weiss, who runs from several Beowolves before jumping in the air and taking one down with multiple swings of her rapier 'Myrtenaster'. When she lands gracefully on her feet, the Schnee heiress follows up her attack by getting in a stance familiar to Link: bending knees, the left leg ahead of the right, a slight forward lean and holding her rapier over her shoulder, as if she were ready to unsheathe in from her back.
(What is she doing?) Link smiles and feels flattered at her biggest critic mimicking one of his signature moves. (Let's see what you got, Weiss. Is it the real deal or a fraudulent rip off?)
Weiss closes her eyes, breathes out, opens them, and dashes towards the handful of Beowolves chasing the huntress. Her rapier emerges slowly but powerfully coming over her shoulder and in a wide diagonal swing across her body, zooming past and killing the Beowolves in a straight line and with only one swing required.
(That was the real deal... Good job, Weiss.)
The last young huntress to fight her own wave of Beowolves is Ruby, but she has a much easier time than her teammates as with her weapon 'Crescent Rose' in its scythe forth partially in the ground with the gun barrel aimed in the direct of the grimm, she fires away with multiple bullets at the oncoming force, all the while Zwei is busy chasing his own tail next to his owner. He stops chasing himself to watch Ruby launch herself forward with a shot from her gun-scythe, bringing the scythe over her head mid air. After a dramatic few seconds of the huntress and grimm being mid air and staring at each other, Ruby cuts the single remaining Grimm in two. The entire time team RWBY fight, Link looks on in amazement of the girls while Professor Oobleck scouts the area, soon enough, the team of four girls regroups in front of their huntsman
"Hehe..." Ruby lifts her scythe triumphantly in the air "Piece of cake."
"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue, now?" Oobleck coldly shuts down her cheering and leads the way
"..." Link glances at Professor Oobleck. "Can I lead the way, Doctor?"
"Not yet." Oobleck shakes his head
"Hmph!" Link growls and whips his head to the left in annoyance
"Cheer up, when you fight, it's going to be awesome!" Ruby whispers behind him
"When I deem it fit." Oobleck calls out. "For now I do have a job for you Mister Link?"
"Yes please, what is it?" Link asks eagerly
"Cover me while I scour the area. Team RWBY will cover us from Grimm."
(I'm starting to dislike this guy.) Link frowns and does not respond verbally
The following moments consist of team RWBY taking out many more creatures of grimm, all Beowolves. The four girls become more fatigued and slower as the minutes... and eventually hour passes by. It doesn't get better when Link asks repeatedly for permission to help, only to have his request denied. Watching Ruby slice Beowolves in half, Yang punching the life out of them, Blake baiting the grimm to attack her only to dash behind and backstab them, even Weiss killing grimm with her sharp speed and finesse... it all makes Link envious, but his job was to cover Oobleck, who was picking through grass.
"Excellent work, girls! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!" Oobleck rose and stood tall, still drinking his coffee
Team RWBY does not have the chance to thank Professor Oobleck for the initial compliment as they were all excited but the rest of the sentence shuts down all their happiness
"OH WELL! Moving on!" The man calls out and continues walking
Ruby deactivates Crescent Rose into its resting state, slips it behind her back, and signals Zwei to follow as they walk beside Link, who walks behind Professor Oobleck. Meanwhile Yang, Weiss and Blake hang back, each of them look at one another in disbelief
"Hey, Doc. Ya know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a 'pro huntsman' in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?" Yang asks loudly. "Not to discredit you of course, but you're kind of just watching us fight while you-!"
"Ah but I am in action, Miss Xiao Long!" Oobleck maintains his smile and turns back to talk and walk. "You see, I am scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity"
(He's really pushing it right now. All of his words, while they might be true... are not entirely accurate.) Link shrugs
"Not every mission is filled with terror and heroism." Oobleck turns his attention and places all of it on Yang, with a serious expression. "Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination!"
"Okay..." Yang's passive aggressive tone shifts to one of slight understanding. "I get what you're saying but if we were just going to do all the world ourselves then-!"
"Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it..." Oobleck's brows furrow. "I DO hope you understand that."
"Well yeah..." Yang comes to a complete stand still, looking dumbfounded. "O-of course!"
"Hmm..." Oobleck turns away from the blonde huntress and continues to walk
Oobleck motions Link to lean forward so that Ruby and the rest of her team cannot hear him
"When we're done out here, I want you to find us a place to set up base for the time being." Oobleck requests calmly. "Yes?"
"Are you kidding me Doctor Oobleck?! Why did you even drag me here if-!" Link sighs and stops himself "Yes, I can find us somewhere to sleep for the night after we are done! You can count on me. If you don't mind... I'm going to go find Grimm for team RWBY to slay since I'm not allowed to fight."
Link storms ahead and intends on getting away from the group of five. To everyone's surprise, Zwei whines, barks, and then follows him
"Hey doc..." Yang decides to speak up after exchanging looks with Weiss. "Not that I want to keep questioning your methods but..."
"Yes, Miss Xiao Long?" Oobleck continues walking at his normal pace
"Why aren't you letting Link fight?" Yang asks. "My team and I were not expecting him here. But with him, us, and a pro huntsman like you... this mission should be a piece of cake. Instead, you're not fighting yet and you're also prohibiting Link from fighting, what gives?"
"You must see that it is quite simple Yang, it's not his time. I feel that we are going to run into bigger enemies as in some form of hideout with White Fang soldiers or that Roman Torchwick fellow that Professor Ozpin warned me about. I am ensuring that when the time is right, that's when we will need and receive all of Link's power and skill to prevail. Do not directly blame Professor Ozpin for this regardless, Link needs to experience some form of punishment for what he attempted to pull off. We have had plenty of unmotivated talented students, but Link has been the worst example of unmotivated. He's the only one person team in Beacon history and yet-!"
"He's not making the most of it." Weiss sighs. "He's coasting and accepting mediocrity; when he should be standing above everyone, at least in our year. Pyrrha and Link should be the definitive top two students in our class, but it's only Pyrrha on top alone. Link is a distant second."
"That isn't how Link operates, he doesn't have the ego or character of someone who looks down at anyone. He's kind, he asks about your day rather than how your grades are, he listens and understands you when it feels like nobody else does." Blake shakes her head, dismissing her previous anger at everyone. "The only exception for 'looking down at anyone' applies to Cardin and his team, but they are a bunch of bullies who deserved to be humbled."
"Blake is right." Ruby nods. "Link is happy to be at Beacon and that's all he wants more than anything. His friendships with us, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Coco, Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Sun, and Neptune mean everything to him. Professor Ozpin, Glynda, and General Ironwood mentioned something about his past being unclear during my meeting with them today, but it seems clear to me that Link didn't have a lot of friends before arriving at Beacon."
"I think we have our majority vote then because I'm on team Ruby and Blake." Yang smirks, "Link is never going to have the best grades, he doesn't look at his ranking, and only spars when he's called on or when he wants to cover for someone." She glances at Blake, referring to when the cat faunus was sleep deprived. "I understand that you might want to push him doc, but-!"
"And it seems that my pushing is working like a charm." Oobleck takes yet another sip of his coffee, not worried about running out of his beverage anytime soon clearly. "This punishment is something I am taking a risk on. I am simply pushing Link's anger, that way when it's time for the talented young man to fight evil whether it be Grimm or criminals, they will not be able to handle all of his power."
"Is that a wise idea?" Weiss asks. "What if it backfires?"
"That could possibly happen, Miss Schnee." Professor Oobleck nods. "As I mentioned, it is a risk and as of now it appears to be working, but rest assured that I will not push my luck or do anything over the top to Link. He will have his time to fight alongside us."
The four girls look to one another for potential retorts to Professor Oobleck's words, but nobody speaks up and they simply nod in agreement and trust of their professor's tactic
"Over here!" Link calls out from a short distance around the corner of a building, Zwei's barks confirm the huntsman in trainings words
Professor Oobleck and team RWBY sprint to where Link and the corgi are. Sure enough, they see four Beowolves already charging towards them but with the one person being restricted, all he can do is stand protectively in front of Zwei with balled up hands. Luckily no harm comes their way as the four girls spring into action and easily take down the grimm, the huntresses with swords only requiring once powerful swing, while Yang needs two solid punches to the chest and head
"I'm going to be asking all of you this so do not be alarmed. You first, tell me Yang." Oobleck gazes at Yang. "Why did you choose this line of work?"
"Huh?" Yang shakes her head initially, not understanding the question. "Well, to fight monsters and save the world from-!"
"No no." Oobleck shakes his head. "That is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."
"Okay, you want the honest reason?" Yang shrugs her shoulders. "You might not like it but, I'm a thrill seeking girl. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I can help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win-win for me, other people, and the world, ya know?"
"Very well." Oobleck glances at the remaining four students, eyeing Weiss next. "You're next, Miss Schnee. You were a girl born into fame, wealth, and riches, many would say a young lady such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. Why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas? Considering you are next to inherit your family's business that will continue for generations, I think we'd all like to know."
Weiss contemplates her answer and receives looks from everybody, but especially intense stares from Blake and Link, who have their bad blood with the Schnee Dust Company and Atlas as a whole, respectfully
"It's exactly as you said, Doctor Oobleck." Weiss picks up her head and nods proudly. "I'm a Schnee, I have a legacy of honor to uphold and you're right I could easily be in Atlas right now, doing this line of work as a side job while I work a cushy job. But I didn't want that, once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It's my duty and I know I'm not the nicest person in the world, about anything really. For the longest time, I didn't care what people thought of me but, now that I have a team who went out of their way to understand, love, and support me, it's time for me to stop being so selfish."
(I can respect that. Maybe not every person from Atlas is horrible and selfish, never thought the exception would be Weiss but, the world is a magical place of surprises.)
Before Professor Oobleck proceeds to ask Blake, Ruby, or Link his question, the group moves on and more of the same ensues. Ruby shoots down multiple Beowolves like they were target practice for her. Yang gets a change to work on kicking before ultimately punching their skulls in. Weiss her glyphs semblance to dash forward even fast to slice through grimm with her rapier. They reconvene when Blake opens the door to a small hut that seems to be in decent condition, only for more Nevermore's to emerge from the hut, although they are quickly shot down by the cat faunus. Throughout this time, Professor Oobleck continues exploring the area around them while Link becomes so bored he finds himself playing with Zwei and drawing out his least harmful weapon, a boomerang to throw for the corgi to run and catch it
"Awww." Ruby giggles. "That's so adorable."
"Heh, thanks." Link nods
"I was talking about Zwei but..." Ruby gives an 'approving' nod. "Yeah you're okay."
(Ouch... This morning she was throwing herself at me for goodbye kisses, now she can't even give me a compliment. Maybe this is just Ruby in her huntress killer fight mode.)
"This area is clear." Blake mumbles
"Good, in that case." Oobleck inspects himself to confirm the huntress' words. "What about you, Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose and never hesitate to speak up in class when someone has a shallow or negative opinion about a topic you are so passionate about."
"I could be here all day and night telling you why I became a huntress but, I'll save some time." Blake nods. "There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption, murder... Someone has to stop it!"
"You're absolutely correct, Miss Belladonna. So..." Oobleck raises an eyebrow. "How do we do that?"
"Umm..." Blake looks down, unable to come up with an exact answer. "I... Uh..."
"Hmmm." Oobleck speeds away and leaves Blake in the same spot, looking dejected. "Link, your duty! Time to fulfill it and we'll meet you at the location of your choice!"
"Right." Link rolls his eyes and glances at Ruby. "Your turn to entertain Zwei or do anything else that's more exciting than babysitting a 'doctor' while he explores a destroyed city."
Without waiting for a response, Link walks away angrily, though he allows Zwei to keep his boomerang for extra play time. The annoyed huntsman does not even know what he needs to look for but at this point, getting away from Professor Oobleck and Ruby specifically feels like what's best for him
Relatively Ten to Fifteen Minutes Later: Outside of an Abandoned Stone Building
Team RWBY and Professor Oobleck approach Link, who sits at the 'entrance' of the building, though there are many entrances since the building was never completed but his presence is what makes his mission comrades approach the building in that particular direction
"Brilliant!" Oobleck exclaims proudly as he attempts to look at the way to the top of the building. "This is the perfect place to set up camp!"
"Good to know. Now go clear it out of Grimm, Doctor Oobleck." Link mumbles coldly while Zwei barks at the professor
"...Hm?" Oobleck frowns, but in seconds it turns into a chuckle, "Fair enough, I did tell you not to fight any Grimm. That mistake is my own doing. You three!" Oobleck points at Yang, Blake and Weiss, "I want you three ladies to clear the building of its Grimm with Link watching your backs. Then I want you to set up camp, your leader and I will go secure the perimeter, come Ruby!" He walks away with Ruby in tow and this time Zwei follows them, rather than stay behind with Link
"Good luck Ruby." Link sighs and watches them walk away, wondering why Ruby didn't say anything back to him. (Maybe she didn't hear me.)
"Come on." Yang pats Link on the back of his head. "You heard the doc, back us up." She smirked as the blonde, Blake and Weiss walk inside cautiously
"Oh right." Link smirks, "I lied to him. There's no Grimm inside that building anymore, I wiped them out faster than you guys got here. But I don't mind if you take the credit." He shrugs and followed them
"Of course." Blake shakes her head. "You knew Doctor Oobleck would send us in, so you said that to make him go ahead and do something else, giving yourself more time away from him."
"That's right. I didn't think he'd drag Ruby along but at least I have you guys to keep me company."
"You are a dunce!" Weiss frowns. "That was extremely risky. He could have checked the building himself and then how do you explain the dead Beowolves?"
"I don't." Link throws his hands up in acceptance. "Besides, what's he going to do, send me back to Beacon for disobeying his orders? I wanted to stay in Beacon to begin with. Either way I'm still being punished, at least this way I can help you guys have a secure place to sleep."
"I appreciate your efforts." Yang smiles at him. "Come on, let's find a good spot to start the fire, sleep, and have a good view. If the bad guys come out during the night, one of us will notice them."
"Right." Link smiles
Upon finding a good place to set up 'camp', the three girls and Link quickly settle down, with two of the four students taking action and starting on the campfire for everybody. Another hour passes by, the time and weather both change from brightness and warmth to pitch black darkness and cold, with only the moon lighting up the area they are camping in. Yang and Weiss easily manage to start a fire as they, along with Blake and Link slowly await the return of Ruby, Professor Oobleck and Zwei
(This mission cannot end any sooner. I need Roman Torchwick or the White Fang to speed up the process and expose themselves because this... is getting a bit much.) Link lies down
The conversations coming from Yang, Blake and Weiss flow in one ear and out the other, with Link not listening to much of anything, despite being ask questions, which were also ignored
"Hey!" Yang light kicks Link in the arm. "Link!"
"Yes?" Link opens his eyes, showing the girls he is wide awake. "Is something wrong?"
"More like what's wrong with you? I know you're grumpy in the morning, but it's nighttime and you're still down. You have been all day." Yang raises an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"It's nothing, really." Link shakes his head. "If anything, I'm doing better than I ever have."
"Really? How so?" Weiss asks. "Besides the morning when we visited your dorm, you've come off as miserable all of today."
"Thank you for caring, Weiss." Link nods. "I swear I'm fine though."
"Don't tell me..." Blake says with a weak smile on her face. "When you say 'I'm doing better than I ever have' is it because of-!"
"Me being happier than ever before has nothing to do with Ruby if that's what you're implying... But now that you mention it, that helps too." Link chuckles and sits up
"You're clearly lying."
"Maybe I am lying, Blake." Link sighs. "And you're right Weiss, aside from that little fight with Yang, talking to you guys and spending the morning with Ruby, the rest of my day has sucked. After everything I preached about us first years getting the easy tasks, you guys found a way to get a hard mission and yet I still feel like I haven't contributed at all. I should stop complaining since it's not even a big deal and you guys have it under control but it doesn't feel good to be useless."
"Yeah, I understand what you mean." Yang sighs, "What do you guys think?" She glances at Blake and Weiss, giving them questioning looks and mouthing the words 'should we'
"What?" Link turns around entirely to face the three girls. "Is there something I'm missing out on?"
"N-no? Y-yes. I don't know if it's smart to tell you." Weiss hesitates
"Well you two might be hesitant but I'm not." Blake shakes her head. "Doctor Oobleck is not letting you fight on purpose, he knows it is a good idea to anger you and his intention is for you to channel your anger and preserved energy, then unleash it on the enemy. IF we even find a secret hideout. This entire mission could be a waste of time."
"Please don't tell Doctor Oobleck about what we told you." Weiss looks to him with pleading eyes. "I already don't like that you're in trouble, the rest of us shouldn't get in trouble either."
"Your secret is safe with m-! Wait a second... You don't like that I'm in trouble?" Link leans back in shock. "But you hate me? How did you guys even find out all of this? Did you just ask him?"
"Hate is such a harsh word!" Weiss' watery pleading eyes now slightly narrow. "I would prefer if you said I was someone who mutually disagreed with you at all times."
"Alright then, whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Y-you!" Weiss growls but exhales to calm herself. "Yes, Yang asked Doctor Oobleck and he gladly told us everything. I understand where his head is at with this idea but I do not approve of it either. Having you fight with us now is better for preserving our strength and energy, that way we can all fight together. Besides, it's like you said... I don't imagine it's fine to feel useless and I would've really liked to see you fight some Grimm."
"That reminds me... That was a nice move you did at the start of your guys' never ending fight with all those Beowolves." Link smiles
"Y-you saw that?!" Weiss turns her head away. "Save the critique, I don't want to-!"
"Weiss, your form was perfect and you executed it better than me." Link cuts off her assumptions of what he was going to say. "Relax, we don't always have to be at each other's throats about morals, grades, combat, the list goes on. We can live in peace for one day, technically two days since we had a nice conversation at the dance."
"I agree." Weiss nods formally. "And thank you for the compliments, but you can say the bad too. I still lack power, all I did was slay the Beowolves. I didn't tear through them, you know... The way you would have."
"It's okay, nobody does anything perfectly after a few attempts. I've been practicing that move for a year now and I'm still not doing it perfectly, I need more speed and precision." Link shrugs
"Look at that, you're talking again. Happy Link is back!" Yang cheers and pumps her fist in the air. "I hope he sticks around. Blake is the only one allowed to be gloomy."
"H-hey!" Blake glares at her. "I am not gloomy."
"And I'm always happy." Link glares at Yang too
"Yeah, about that. Before we move on..." Yang looks into Link's eyes. "Is anything else bothering you? I am referring to my sister as well now."
"If I can trust you three and you promise me this information won't get that to her, of course." Link nods. "It's not a big deal and I am more than likely overthinking but... Still."
"Your secret is safe with us." Yang nods back. "Right girls?"
"Why, of course." Weiss follows suit
"Yes, most certainly." Blake repeats after her teammate
"Tell me if I'm crazy but this morning..." Link clears his throat. "Ruby and I couldn't get enough time to spend together earlier today. She had to go talk to Professor's Ozpin and Glynda, plus Ironwood. Then we had a bit of time before the mission started and we hated having to say goodbye. Now that we're here, she doesn't seem interested in talking to me. Maybe it's my bad mood that's pushing her away but the most time we've been to talk today was on the ship."
"Hm, I have an idea." Weiss begins. "Perhaps it is because we are on a mission."
"I thought that too, at first." Link shakes his head. "But when Sun, Neptune and I joined you guys on your mission, it was way more different. Ruby and I split up from Weiss because Penny returned and Ruby was talking to me the entire time."
"Maybe Ruby is thinking about it more than you are." Blake chips in. "You said you and Ruby needed to talk right? It's possible that she hasn't figured out what she wants. I don't think she regrets anything but it's hard to say without hearing it from her directly. What do you think, Yang? She is your sister after all."
"You're right, she is my sister, but we're also two completely different people." Yang rubs her chin. "I'm going to side with Blake. Not that what you're saying is wrong Weiss but, that isn't Ruby. She still has her smile when she's fighting or on a mission, assigned or self assigned."
"What should I do?" Link looks to Yang for help. "I want to talk to her about this but, I also do not want her to feel pressured to talk about it."
"It seems like both you and my sister don't know what you want and that's where you're at right now." Yang changes her sight to the blistering campfire. "Unless, you know what you want already?"
"Hmph." Link smirks. "Yeah I think I do, I want to da-!"
"AH WONDERFUL!" Professor Oobleck's voice cuts through the conversation as he sprints to the four students. "A great place to sleep and a textbook fire!"
"Fire!" Ruby and Zwei sprint in behind the professor, both girl and dog embrace the warm flames. "S-s-s-sooooo warmmmm." She cheerfully mumbles as her hands hover over the fire
"Y-yeah sis, Link made the fire himself, isn't it great?!" Yang winks
"H-huh?" Link is flabbergasted. "But I sw-!"
"He did a great job, didn't he?" Blake cuts off the confused huntsman
(Ohhh, I get what they're doing. They want to see for themselves if what I said about Ruby brushing me off is true.) Link chuckles
"Oh um... Yeah it's great." Ruby mumbles, not even bothering to acknowledge Link, the young huntress sounds completely off
Yang, Blake, and Weiss exchange looks and Link looks down at the ground, somberly
(Oooh... Someone's in trouble, the girl has a problem with you... Don't tell me you're going to cry?)
(Shut up... Why are you even here right now?!) Link growls as this mysterious but now familiar voice
"Very good job on the fire Link!" Oobleck nods excitedly. "I saw the defeated Grimm scattered throughout the building, excellent work, ladies."
The three girls and Link exchange glances, knowing they're being credited for the wrong tasks, but do not speak up to correct the professor
"Alright everybody! Eat your dinners and hurry along to bed."
"Dinners?" Link and Weiss says with eyebrows raised
"Yes! In my bag I packed all of the essentials including meals for every day that we are here." Oobleck drops his bag in front of the five students, then raises a fist. "Something else to resolve right now before we go to sleep is this. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over the rest of us. Any volunteers for first watch?"
"YO!" Link and Ruby raise their hands at the same time
"U-um, okay then, Link can do it." Ruby chuckles
"NONSENSE! You both volunteered so that is that! Brilliant! Goodnight ladies and gentleman!" Oobleck gives everyone one last nod before storming off to find his own place to rest that is still close enough to the students he's looking over
"Why did you just try to back out of keeping watch?" Link glares at Ruby
"Because it makes no sense for the two of us to keep watch. It could just be one of us, while the other sleeps. Duh!" Ruby speaks sternly, "Well, come on, Link." The leader of team RWBY stands up and walks past Link, not grabbing him by the arm or even signaling him to follow
"S-sure thing." Link weakly smiles, looking at the rest of Ruby's teammates and shrugging his shoulders as justification
Link stands himself and walks over to their lookout spot, but Ruby is not even there anymore as she is called back by Yang, who speaks to her along with the rest of the team. Seeing this, the boy chooses to ignore their conversation, deeming that it must be private and for team ears only. Instead he sets up at a convenient spot to look out for the night and grabs his bow as a weapon to hold onto during the night. He follows this up by pushing the button on his bow to transform it into its crossbow state, then its semi-automatic rifle. However, after only a short minute, Link is met with Ruby's company and the latter happily sits next to him, a surprising act. Staring at the moon in the dark sky, they students hear multiple grimm howling in the distance, which makes Zwei run over and cower next to Ruby
"Don't worry, Zwei." Ruby softly pets her beloved pet. "Things will be better tomorrow."
...
...
...
One hour passes by with no sign of a grimm attacks or White Fang activity. Link and Ruby, who were supposed to be the ones on lookout duty... Fell asleep, they completely missed out on Yang, Weiss and Blake's long conversation and even before that they weren't making much of an effort to eavesdrop. Despite their apparent tension, they also happened to fall asleep together, with Ruby leaning her head on Link's shoulder for support, and the young huntsman in training leaning his head on top of Ruby's head. Another hour passes until Link wakes up first and realizes their mistake
"Hey, Ruby? Wake up." He whispers to her and grabs one of her hands with his
"H-hey..." Ruby's eyes widened as now she is awake too, she blushes at her hand being grabbed and held
"Listen, we need to talk." Link cleans his throat. "And if you don't want to talk about 'us' then you can tell me right now and I'll drop this topic."
"O-oh..." Ruby sits up, ending the arrangement of their heads and promptly looks away. "Y-yeah we can talk about 'us' sure, what's on your mind?"
"If this conversation happened at the beginning of the day, I would be happier and eager but now I'm simply concerned." Link sighs and turns to face her. "We went from not being able to get enough time to ourselves and not able to get enough of each other to... Whatever today was. I thought you and Weiss told Professor Ozpin about me because you guys were 'worried' about me."
"But we were worried about you." Ruby continues to look away, refusing to make eye contact
"I believe you. However, logically assigning me to your mission makes perfect sense because I didn't get punished and now we are fighting side by side. Unfortunately today logic did not make sense. You have not been eager to talk to me at all, at times it feels like you went out of your way to dismiss or downright ignore me. Your own team noticed it if you saw the looks on their face when we just last spoke, but-!"
"OKAY" Ruby blurts out, "I get your point, I've been kind of mean to you today. Look, I've thought about us too... Regarding every aspect of our lives as huntsman and huntress or students at Beacon, and while it's all been happy and exciting memories, I don't know, Link." She blushes but does her absolute best to fight it off. "After the talk I had with Doctor Oobleck while we were gone with Zwei, it made me think about my immediate future. It hit me like a ton of bricks and made me realize that our world is a lot more messed up than I thought."
"What do you mean by that?" Link asks
"It means that when I signed up to be a huntress, there was a lot more that came with it than I realized. I've always wanted to be a Huntress. Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about attending Signal and then Beacon, and I did that. I'm living my dreams Link! This is all I've ever wanted, to be a hero just like all the heroes in the fiction and comic books I grew up reading."
"Okay, I understand what you're saying." Link nods
"But learning about the history of this area... learning more about Doctor Oobleck." Ruby stops. "Did you know what was supposed to be what we're using as a base to sleep for the night?"
"N-no?"
"Exactly, nobody knows." Ruby sighs. "There is so much corruption, evil, and destruction spreading across the world and it goes beyond Vale too if we think about how much we have to go through on a weekly basis. Pretty soon it could overtake Vale... I don't know. It's almost like it's right under our noses."
"What exactly did you and Doctor Oobleck talk about, anyway?" Link slides his hand under Ruby's chin and gentle turns her towards him, her blush is still present but on the verge of fading away
"I asked Doctor Oobleck why he became a huntsman. Since he asked everyone except you and Me." Ruby looks Link in the eyes. "He told me that when he sees empty buildings, destroyed cars, run down cities, Grimm infestations, those were lives that could have been saved. He stated that his job is to protect people and even though he is capable of doing it out here like we are, he believes he can make a larger impact as a teacher."
"Right, that's what he told us before the mission started." Link nods.
"Yes." Ruby smiles. "Doctor Oobleck got through to me about how strong knowledge really is. All those classes of his that we slept through or goofed around, we could have made ourselves stronger by listening to him. Then he repeated his first words, when he looks at this wasteland we are slaying Beowolves in, he sees lives that could have been saved, but also sees a positive out of all of this."
"Of course, we're here to find a secret hideout that may or may not be run by Roman Torchwick and the White Fang."
"No no no!" Ruby shakes her head. "Doctor Oobleck sees an opportunity to study this and learn from this tragedy, which will make him stronger and in return make US stronger since we are shadowing him for the week. And his last words were inspirational too. He said 'I am a huntsman and there is nothing else in this world I would rather be.' which sounds like something I would say!"
"Okay, I believe that." Link nods respectfully. "Those are great reasons for becoming a huntsman. Despite how much he's been trying to punish me today, you're right, Ruby. We can learn a lot from just listening to Doctor Oobleck. You clearly have."
"I'm glad you think that." Ruby grins. "Back to my point as well... Look, what I'm trying to get at is that this is a tough job to do. It's my dream job too and now I understand that it's a lot more than 'being a hero and slaying monsters'. We could die doing this, but this is what we signed up for... We're ready to fall protecting one another, right?"
"Definitely." Link smirks. "If anything happens to you, Blake, Weiss, Yang, Zwei, even Doctor Oobleck. You bet I'm going to do everything in my power to save any of you."
"Good. That's why I don't want us to experience something short term..." Ruby spoke, catching Link's full attention. Despite her silver eyes already meeting his dark blue eyes, something feels different. "Only to lose it whether it's due to sacrifice or regret."
"Um... Go on." Link mumbles
"What happened that night... It was unique to me and it's something I will never be able to experience again no matter what happens romantically in my future and I thank you so much for the memories. This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make, I'm sorry Link, but whatever THIS is..." Ruby motions to their locked together hands, which Ruby now pulls away from, "I-it can't continue. You matter too much to me to potentially ruin our friendship for a... Relationship? Something I've never done, a relationship that could fail faster than it ever started. We both need to focus on our duties as huntsmen and huntresses and if you're telling me that we would put our lives on the line for each other... It's going to become more complicated if we're 'together', your decisions will always be in favor of me, even if you harm yourself in the process. I c-can't have you doing that to yourself and..." The young huntress realizes she's done all this talking and still has not heard back from her friend. "Link?"
Silence.
Followed by more silence..
And even more silence...
Link continues to remain silent as to him... Ruby's words cut deeper than any sword slash ever could. Her heart crushing words drag out new feelings. Before he felt joy and excitement, but now he feels anger and sadness taking over him, these feelings culminate into one... And yet despite this, all that comes from Link's mouth is silence
"Link?" Ruby blinks, expecting sadness or shock, but not silence. The huntress also hurts, she feels sadness and anger at herself for ending something that didn't even have the time to flourish, but she did not show these feelings
"..." Link's mouth opens, with the awkward silence finally being broken as Ruby's eyes widen. "Why? Why now of all times? You are throwing it all away, Ruby. And for what? A lot of 'what if' situations. We can be amazing huntsmen and huntresses and still be together. We don't even have to be dating for me to put my life on the line if it means protecting you and no matter what happens between us or whether you do something terrible or I do something horrible, you'll forever have a place in my heart. Now that this conversation which was supposed to be positive is going in this direction. I may as well tell you that... I like you, Ruby. I like you a lot."
"Aw, stop, you're making this harder than it has to be." Ruby shakes her head and places her index fingers on Link's lips. "...I like you too and I'm really sorry. But I feel if we're... Together, it'll only slow us both down. I fear that we will suffer a lot of emotional pain if we try too. Maybe you're right and I'm throwing something special away too early, but I think it is what's best for us both, I'm sorry."
Ruby feels her eyes begin to fill with tears, but she sniffles and regains her composure, being able to push them back. This is the first time she's felt 'heartbreak' when it comes to a relationship, which is something she thought would never occur to her. Seeing as how she was seeking no relationship to begin with upon getting accepted into Beacon. On the other hand, Link balls up his fists and turns his head away from Ruby, the sad young man looks out to the moon and stares intently
"..." Ruby shallows her saliva with a nervous gulp, having immediate regrets about her words and wanting to do more or say more; she extends her hand out to Link "This is wrong, I can't go through with this; I need to apologize and take it all back... LIKE NOW!"
"I understand your decision and I respect it, Ruby. But that doesn't mean I like it, in fact... I hate it." Link shakes his head and mumbles. "I want you... To. Go. Away." He whispers coldly
"W-what...?" Ruby gasps with shock and fear now, just a few seconds ago she witnessed a sad and emotional Link on the verge of breaking down; now it felt as if all Link feels is hatred towards her with his dark tone. "Y-you don't mean that, right?"
"Go, Ruby. I can stay up and watch over you and your team. Just please, leave me alone." Link turns body entirely and effectively turns his back on Ruby completely. "I'm already not allowed to fight Grimm anyway, I can be the permanent lookout while you guys rest and recover for tomorrow."
"L-link..." Ruby whispers and lowers her head in sadness, the tears she had been holding back spill out of her eyes before she quickly wipes them away, refusing to show excess fear and sadness. "O-okay then..."
The young huntress stands up and walks away, but deep down the girl wants to say more. Ruby opens her mouth and wants to say the words 'I'm sorry' as well as a longer and sincere apology regretting everything she just said moments ago. Ultimately, those words are nowhere to be heard as the team RWBY leader sighs dejectedly and heads over to an available soft blanket with a pillow to lie down on, close enough to the fire for warmth
"Sis...?" Yang sits up, as it was now her turn to keep watch. "Ruby?"
"..." Ruby lies does and does not reply with words
"Sis, what's wrong?" Yang looks over to the watch post, the blonde huntress notices Link with his back turned an Zwei trying to grab his attention
"Nothing..." Ruby whispers before burying her face into the pillow. "What did I just do? Did I really jump the gun? I just... Dang it!"
"Alright then... If you say so." Yang stretches her back, shoulders and neck, stands up, and marches towards Link, tapping him on the shoulder in seconds. "You can go rest now along with Ruby. I don't think Doctor Oobleck brought you a blanket and pillow so you can take mine."
"N-no thanks." Link mumbles, with his back still turning and face away from Yang's view. "Take an extra nap if you want, I'm not tired."
"Whoa, all you ever want to do is sleep. Are you sure?" Yang raises an eyebrow. "I mean, you're not wrong, you don't look tired but-!"
"Yes!" Link snaps back. "I'm okay Yang, please go back to sleep and enjoy another nap. I will make sure nothing bad happens."
"What the-!" Yang raises her hands in the air and shakes her head. "Okay then, I'll go. Calm down Link, I was just trying to relieve you of your duties" Yang frowns, backs away and heads back to her previous spot
Link looked back at the moon after hiding it from Yang's view moments ago, the expression on his face is visible now. The anger overshadows the sadness with furrowed brows, narrowed eyes, stiff lips, and lastly... The huntsman in training's golden eyes are revealed, with tears flowing down his face, showcasing that he's hurt as well as angry
(I knew this would only end horribly, but I also knew you wouldn't listen to me, nothing EVER does when you get close to people. All you do is hurt them or they hurt you in return.)
(You know what...? You were right.)
The mysterious evil voice in Link's head does not even respond to these words from him. For it did not expect such a weak answer from the boy who always snaps back at him or at the very least retaliates