Here is the forty-ninth chapter in this story released in accordance with my release schedule for this story. Their first day in Mountain Glenn has come to an end and while eventful and filled with learning experiences, it has been nothing more than extermination work for Weiss and Ruby as they sink into their internship. Now it's time for their second day in the field, will it be more of the same or will it be different? Well let's see as that is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions to answer here there are two guest reviews that need a response so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.

To Guest (guest), thank you for your review and enjoying the latest chapter. Yeah some classic RWBY inspired combat and good chats adapted to what was going on to wrap up Ruby and Weiss's first full day in the field as interns so they're really getting a taste of the Huntress life. White Rose is well underway with its construction and there's a lot more fun to look forward to on that front. Blake would certainly understand Shoji and his experiences and might even respect how he handled them but I'm not sure if that will come up, gotta see how things play out and when it's best for Shoji's revelation about his scars and who will be there for it. Finally, no the Nuckalavee is not one of the 6 as there's been some confusion. The 6 I was referring to were simply the 6 Goliath Grimm strolling across the plain before Ruby, Weiss, and Oobleck that's all, sorry if that wasn't clear. I did reference the Nuckelavee in the last chapter but that was it. I hope this clears that up and do keep reading and enjoying my work.

To Nathan Ramos (guest), thank you for your review and enjoyment of the last chapter. It worked to keep it close to canon with the only big changes being Weiss the sole person asked the question by Oobleck (and to tie into how he asked Ruby it back in chapter 3) and of course Weiss joining in for the chat about Goliath Grimm and their nature. They need a good relationship with Quirk Knights and that relationship will be expanded upon in later chapters so that's something to look forward to. As for your question, in terms of how MHA is ending it's pretty fitting for Deku's story to end it that way so I'm not upset about how it was done and with only 3 chapters left, we are almost at the end of MHA for good. However, it won't work for my story. Your idea is similar to what I've been considering so I will keep it in mind and see what works and thanks to others who've reached out about this story I do expect there to be some notable changes to how MHA ended in this story due to the deep and multiple crossover nature of it. I won't give anything away, and it's years from now regardless (easily 200+ chapters if I had to guess), but for various reasons I'm likely going to extend this story well beyond MHA's end so there's going to be a lot of material to enjoy in the coming years. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.

That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the forty-ninth chapter in Black RWBY Academia.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.

Chapter 49: Unearthing the Enemy

The rest of the night was uneventful after the girls fell asleep following their chat while Ruby continued her watch with Zwei by her side. There wasn't much to do on watch but look out and think about the mission at hand so Ruby spent her time using her scope to note the locations of a few Beowulf Grimm that were out of their cleared area but could be an issue if they prowled too close to their campsite.

As such Ruby kept track of them and how far out they were so that she could hand over the watch to Yang with that knowledge. Other than that, and Zwei relieving himself before going to sleep, Ruby's watch was uneventful and at the end of it she woke Yang and went to sleep where Yang had been sleeping with Zwei now sleeping next to her.

Yang's watch too was uneventful. She had the Beowulf rough locations and distances thanks to Ruby and made sure to keep that in mind though as she lacked a scope like Ruby had she couldn't keep a hard eye on them and instead just looked out and kept her eyes peeled and ears open for them. This wasn't new to Yang so she knew what to do and kept alert and focused as she watched but as with Ruby nothing occurred during her 2 hour watch and she went back to sleep at the end of it after waking Blake up to handle the next 2 hour stint.

This was the dead of night and potentially the most dangerous time, especially if there were bad actors somewhere in Mountain Glenn, so you really needed to pay attention in case something happened. Of them, Blake was best suited to this due to her heteromorph traits enhancing her senses, mainly hearing with her cat hears, better night vision than the others, and a heightened sense smell, so it made sense for her to take this watch.

Blake didn't mind that and her watch went by without issue minus a quick text to her boyfriend that she was doing well and hoping that he was doing well at his work study at Haven, which he was as he was currently on a long range patrol. That was good and Blake was able to hand over to Weiss for the final watch with nothing major to report.

The only thing that Blake noted, and she made sure to pull out a small monocular with a range finder attachment that she carried for such mission and hand it to Weiss, was that she heard a few Beowulf Grimm nearer than expected. While Blake didn't expect them to be an issue as the girls and Oobleck weren't exhibiting negative emotions at the moment it was still prudent to keep an eye on them, which Weiss agreed as she took up her position for the final watch.

Like the others before her, Weiss's watch was uneventful and dull. For her this was both a good learning experience in dealing with how a watch worked. In that vein Weiss made sure to routinely use the monocular that Blake had lent her to scan the area and after a few scans she was able to note a lone Beowulf scout sniffing around on the edge of their cleared zone. That gave Weiss a good sense of what was nearby and she made sure to monitor it in case the pack showed up or it got too close for comfort and she had to do something.

Other than that the watch was monotonous with nothing else to do but monitor the Grimm she'd found so it was also a good test of mental fortitude for Weiss as she had to keep her mind sharp and focused. That was because with nothing else going on Weiss's mind wandered when she wasn't checking the Grimm's position.

Tonight, in her lonesome with nothing but the quite night for company, it wandered back to the conversation she'd had with the older girls about the duties of being a Huntress and the true nature of their job, her own personal romanticized reasons for choosing this path in life, and of course Ruby. Wiess's best friend had the purest reason to be a Huntress, one that Weiss wanted to discuss with Ruby in private some day because it was so Ruby and it reinforced how good Ruby really was, and how wrong Weiss had been about Ruby when they first met.

This of course devolved into a rabbit hole that Weiss didn't want to think about. So far she had been able to avoid it until now because she'd always been so focused on school, homework, training, and of course spending time with Ruby, and her other new friends, that she'd never had the quiet moment to really think about it.

Now, though, as she sat on broken rubble in a hole in a side of a long abandoned building Weiss did have a moment to think about what she'd been ignoring and that thing was of course how she felt about her best friend. It didn't help that Yang had bluntly told Weiss that she really liked Ruby during their fireside chat and now that statement was firmly on Weiss's mind as she watched out for Grimm and with dawn about to break.

There was no doubt in Weiss's mind that she really liked Ruby, she'd said as much to Yang and Blake and what Weiss had said was the truth. Ruby was her best friend and she made Weiss a better person because of how she'd treated Weiss and saw her for who she was rather than her name and what that could bring Ruby so in that sense Weiss hadn't lied.

That said Weiss had held some stuff back, mainly admitting that Ruby was her first real friend. Growing up the way Weiss had and in the circles and lifestyle that that provided her, Weiss had been unable to make friends due to the risk of being exploited for her name or because of the stupid petty games her father played with the other elites of the nation.

So, while Weiss knew people like Noelle, Momo, Mimosa, and Leo growing up they weren't friends to her but rather just acquaintances her own age who she met and socialized with at the functions that all their parents attended. However, that had changed and now Weiss considered Noelle and Momo to be her friends and that was thanks to truly getting to know them in class, being away from her father, and of course Ruby helping her realize what true friendship was. That said Weiss still didn't know Mimosa or Leo well enough yet as they weren't in her class.

Weiss owed this growth to Ruby and her friendship with, and influence on, Weiss. However, the question was, and one that nagged her subconscious and had been nagging there for a while, was what Weiss had said about her friendship with Ruby the full truth or not?

There was no denying that the girls were close, everyone in the class and even those outside it who knew them would attest to that fact, but Weiss had had some strange feelings and sensations when with Ruby that she didn't understand and so as a response had kept pushing down. They were, as Ruby put it, besties after all, so that had to be it and so Weiss had dismissed anything that confused her, like how pretty and attractive she found Ruby to be, as just that. However, now that she was alone with nothing to do but watch for Grimm her mind was free to finally dwell on whether that was truly the case or not.

Naturally, it was not a good idea to go down this rabbit hole and see where it led, and so Weiss's rational side won out by clubbing the thoughts about Ruby that were creeping into her mind back down and reminding her of her duty and role at the moment. She was a U.A. first year on the Huntress track doing her internship where she was learning the responsibilities of her chosen path, the true nature of what it meant to be a Huntress, and gaining experience that she'd never get in the classroom or training ground.

That was her focus and Weiss had to keep her mind clear on that especially as right now she was on watch and couldn't be distracted and allow for a Grimm to slip past her watch and attack them. Ruby, her seniors, and her slightly odd and eccentric internship mentor where here and she'd do her duty and watch out for danger while the slept.

It was that duty, and how Ruby the others had already done their part in this regard, that snapped Weiss's mind back to her task at hand. For the rest of the watch she focused solely on it and kept an eye on the Grimm scout that was sniffing around on the edge of their perimeter as dawn broke and the sun began to rise on another day in the ghost town that was Mountain Glenn.

This renewed vigor allowed Weiss to focus solely on her watch and as such she was able to note that more of the Grimm's pack were now joining it in the break of day. Weiss made sure to keep track of their position and numbers, 14 it seemed, so that when her watch ended and she had to wake the others up she could report in. She did just that starting with Dr. Oobleck.

"Doctor." Weiss said as she used a glyph to raise her up to where he was sleeping in a sitting position against a beam and on another beam above them and speaking loud enough to wake him. "My watch has ended so it's time to get up and moving but we need to be quiet. There's a pack of at least 14 Beowulf Grimm amassing about half a kilometer out of here to the northeast. I don't know our plans but…"

"Good, that's the next sector that we're going to head towards anyway so we can clear start the day off strong." Oobleck said interrupting Weiss as he snapped awake at once which surprised Weiss and she reflexively moved her glyph back a bit. "Let's get a quick, high energy, breakfast and then it's onto another day's work clearing out Grimm and investigating this area for signs of potential criminal activity."

With that Oobleck turned and leapt off the beam to land on the ground as if it was nothing, his move startling Zwei awake and causing him to bark though it was more excitement than panic so between that and Oobleck's actions the other three woke up. Ruby was the freshest having had 6 unbroken hours of sleep but Yang and Blake were used to this kind of thing and were up pretty quickly and already packing up the sleeping mats. Oobleck carried all the supplies and he was already setting up what they needed for breakfast as the older girls finished with the sleeping mats and rekindled the fire.

"Excellent." Oobleck said as he passed over the necessary items to Blake and Yang. "Standard morning rations ladies. Use the water for tea and coffee as well, best not to waste it and we'll all need some pep for the long day ahead of us."

"Yes doctor." Yang said as she pulled out five silver packets while Blake set up the pot and filled it with some of the water that Oobleck had brought though they should find more later that they could purify if need be. "What's the Grimm status? Any nearby?"

"Miss Schnee has identified a pack of 14 to the northeast right where we're going to go as soon as we're done with breakfast so we're starting with a bang." Oobleck said happily as he worked his thermos thing which was clearly a specialty support item and began to pour in his personal coffee for it. "Best to be quick, I want to get to the midpoint of Mountain Glenn by lunch and clear at least 2/3rds of it by the time we make camp for the evening."

Yang and Blake nodded as the water began to boil and Blake put in the packets as they were. Weiss was confused by this and stood by to look at them as she handed Blake back her range finder and opened her mouth to ask about the packs but before she could ask Yang spoke up.

"They're called Meals Ready-to-Eat or MREs for short." Yang explained as Blake prodded them with a long spoon and made sure that the water was evenly heating all 5 packs. "They're based off old military rations used all over the world but these are really simple field examples made for civilian use. Just put the pack in boiling water for a few minutes and it's good to eat. Well, not good but nourishing and full of energy."

"There are kinds that don't need water, just special heating packs or pads." Blake added as she worked. "But these need water and given that it's morning and we need tea or coffee it's best to start with them. I'm sure Dr. Oobleck packed the other kind as well, those will be good for lunch while dinner will be more substantive like it was last night."

"I see, that does make sense." Weiss said thinking on Blake and Yang's explanations as Ruby joined her having taken a moment to open up one of the tins of dog food for Zwei and set it up so that he could happily eat it, along with the can opener and two more tins just in case he wanted more. "We are pressed for time I guess so something easy to make but is high in energy is a necessity."

"There are other types of MREs out there that are environmental specific, we've had some of the cold weather ones in the past, but given this mission it's best to stick to the standard ones." Blake said as she turned back to Oobleck's pack and looked through it. "But you might want to add some condiment to it for taste."

"But this won't be pretty." Yang said as Blake pulled out sachets of soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, wasabi, mustard, and of all things maple syrup. "Or glamourous so not up to the standards of a Schnee."

"Not exactly in a place for that." Weiss pointed out gesturing around them. "So I don't mind. Besides, I'm going to be a Huntress so I have to get used to this kind of stuff."

"That's the spirit Weiss." Ruby said with a smile. "So what are the options? I haven't had MREs since that time we ran out of normal food during a winter storm a few years ago and dad had to break out his emergency rations."

"Pretty standard, only difference seems to be the meat option." Yang said looking at the packs and the labels on them. "One's shredded beef, one's pork sausages, one's tuna…"

"That's mine." Blake said her voice brokering no arguments though none of them were going to stand in the way of Blake and tuna even if it was MRE tuna. "I call it."

"And the other two are chicken." Yang finished while Ruby and Weiss nodded at Blake to show that they didn't mind that she was getting the sole fish option. "Then the rest of it are eggs and rice, all mixed together."

"It's designed to be high in protein and calories to boost for the day." Blake said as she pulled out a pair of tongs and removed a pack to prod it with the spoon and gage how the contents were doing. "Looks like a few more minutes so let's sort out drinks. Weiss, you're a coffee drinker, right?"

"Yes I prefer it to tea." Weiss said with a nod as Blake put the pack back in the water and turned to Oobleck's bag. "And I always have a cup or two in the morning so if that's an option I would appreciate it."

"Well this isn't going to be the best but it's what we got." Blake said as she pulled out a pouch of instant coffee powder that was clearly as generic as you could get and tossed it to Weiss who caught it reflexively as Blake went back and began to pull out plastic mugs. "The tea is about as good as the coffee so we're in the same boat. I'm going to have to swing by that little tea café near campus when we get back as they have Gold Tips Imperial so I can enjoy some of the best tea to celebrate a completed mission."

"Right now I think this is more caffeine than anything else." Weiss said as she looked at the clearly cheap coffee though she did note that Blake really knew her tea and would have to introduce her to Momo someday as she got the feeling that they'd get along well. "Besides, this is the path I chose, I can't complain about the quality of the coffee. Like you I'll just have some of the really good stuff when I get home."

"Is there at least sugar?" Ruby asked. "I prefer hot chocolate but I can made do with coffee."

"Plenty." Blake said as she fished some of them out while Yang took over monitoring the MRE packs. "Those don't take up much space."

"Then I'll go for coffee as well." Ruby said smiling. "But with sugar, and cream."

"Well we've got instant creamer powder." Blake said pulling a few sachets of it out and surprised that Oobleck had brough it. "Supplies being what they are this is the best we got."

"Ok that will do." Ruby said with a sigh. "Just so long as it's nice and sweet."

"Perk up Ruby, this is good practice for the field." Weiss said as Yang declared the packs ready. "And you'll add more than enough sugar for that, you always do."

"True, 5 packs should do." Ruby said perking up and causing Weiss to smile at her reaction as Oobleck came over already halfway through his first thermos of coffee. "Well at a minimum at least."

"Excellent work girls." Oobleck said as Yang began to put the hot packs into the metal mess tins from the night before so that they didn't have to touch them directly. "Eat up while it's hot."

"Yes doctor." Blake said.

"Which do you want Dr. Oobleck?" Yang asked as she laid out the four options, not even Oobleck was going to get between Blake and tuna. "Chicken, beef, or pork sausage?"

"Chicken is fine." Oobleck said taking it and two of the soy sauce packets. "Please finish everything up and meet me outside in 10 minutes. I'll keep an eye on the pack that Miss Schnee identified."

"Not much time so dig in." Yang said as she took the other chicken pack and Blake the tuna one before handing sporks to Weiss and Ruby while Blake opened hers using the handy tab there thus showing the girls how to do it. "We'll let the water cool a little and then sort out drinks to wash this crap down and get the morning going."

Weiss and Ruby just nodded as they took the sporks and then each took a pack with Weiss getting the sausages and Ruby the beef and together they pulled the tabs and the smell of processed, heated food hit their nostrils. To Weiss's slight horror, Ruby added four packs of maple syrup to her stuff and really mixed it in while Weiss opted for the rice vinegar hoping that it would help make the meal to come somewhat palatable.

To say that it was an experience would be an understatement. Weiss didn't have words to describe it as she dug into the strange mix of small sausages, boiled eggs, and white rice that didn't taste of any of that. The rice vinegar helped a bit but the taste was still bad, however it was at least filling and it warmed Weiss up so she ate it as dignified as she could, which wasn't hard next to Ruby and the sweet abomination she'd created, making sure that she got every bite of it.

As Weiss and Ruby ate Yang sorted out drinks while demolishing her own MRE pack with brutal efficiency and relish. In the end all of them except Blake went for coffee while Blake made herself tea, both drinks being made with the water before the older girls used a few thermoses to catch the rest splitting them up into coffee, tea, and energy powder for use later in the day.

It was a rushed and simple meal but Weiss took it all in stride knowing that it was what she was expected to do while on these Huntress missions in the wilderness, or in this case a concrete wasteland, and finished it all, as well as two cups of frankly terrible coffee that even she had to add some sugar to in order to make it drinkable. The others didn't seem too fazed by it and Weiss knew that she had to adapt to such rough conditions so she never complained the entire time and even helped clear up when they were done making sure to learn as much as she could about the process from Blake and Yang as she worked.

"Excellent work girls." Oobleck said returning and collecting his bag as they were finishing packing it back up and heaving it onto his back. "Lunch will be in several hours and we've got a fair bit of ground to cover to get to the center of the settlement so let's hop to it."

The four girls nodded and exited their campsite leaving no trash in their wake and began to move on through the abandoned town once again. Given that they'd just eaten, Oobleck did make sure that they avoided the Grimm pack until they'd digested their meal and then sent them at it once they were ready to fight. With renewed energy the girls made quick work of the 14 Beowulf Grimm and cleared out another sector to start the day.

From there the rest of the morning was uneventful and just like the day before. The girls went from sector to sector under Oobleck's guidance and following his pre-planned path through Mountain Glenn eradicating Grimm as they went while Zwei ran around and did general dog things as he enjoyed the new area he was in, while also helping where he could.

Zwei turned out to be pretty invaluable to them as on two occasions he alerted them to a pack of Beowulf Grimm that were a lot closer than expected and thus prevented them from being ambushed while on a third occasion he found a lone scout that had started to trail them without any of them noticing as it was so far back that only Zwei's senses could pick it up. They took all of the Grimm that Zwei altered them to out as soon as they could and then kept moving on as they pressed deeper and deeper into Mountain Glenn throughout the morning.

The entire time Oobleck noted that the Grimm activity was above normal expected levels so they should find something today or tomorrow that would explain it. Once they did they'd have to be careful as the cause was almost certainly going to be criminal in nature. However, until then they could do as they pleased when it came to eradicating the Grimm that they found because if there were enemies in the area they'd likely want to avoid a pro Huntsman and his students to try and prevent any attention being drawn to them.

Ultimately all that that would do would help Oobleck identify their presence and enable him to call in the Quirk Knights to help eradicate the criminals hiding here. All of that in good time though, first they needed to prove his theory that there were criminals here to begin with.

So far, however, they weren't able to do so. They'd made it first to lunch, which they had in the middle of the settlement in the center of a large intersection and where Weiss and Ruby were instructed on how to prepare a quick MRE lunch. This time it was chemical heating pad cooked meal that was even less appealing than breakfast and washed down with cold coffee, tea, and energy powder drinks, while Oobleck mused over the day so far.

Overall, the day had been great training for them but nothing else as Oobleck's investigation hadn't revealed anything. So, after lunch and relieving themselves in a private area which was a whole new experience for Weiss, they moved on and pressed even deeper into Mountain Glenn with the goal of reaching a place to camp that was in the business sector of the settlement and thus close to some of the potential access points to the underground complex.

That was because Oobleck had deduced that that was the most likely source of criminal activity and so if they could clear out the whole above ground settlement, or at least most of it, by the end of tomorrow they should be able to call in the Quirk Knights who would then storm the subterranean part and flush out any criminals that were hiding there. Based on his observations, the Grimm count here was too high for there to be no humans present but the lack of evidence pointed to one thing and so Oobleck wanted to make sure the whole place was ready for a quick and efficient assault after the internship ended.

Alas, any hope of that happening came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the afternoon. The girls had just gone through two completely clear sectors which was a surprise after fighting Grimm in almost every sector that they'd cleared up to this point and were taking a break for a light, high energy, snack while Oobleck planned out the next move when it happened. Zwei felt the call of nature and wandered off to go do his thing.

Only Ruby noticed this and as there seemed to be no Grimm around to alert Zwei this was confusing to her so she followed the corgi while the others rested, reloaded, and otherwise took a moment to sort some things out while they took a break from the day's work so far. Besides, Ruby didn't expect to go too far as she followed Zwei as he led her a few streets over, the happy dog waddling and sniffing as if looking for something.

"What is it Zwei? Is there something of interest here?" Ruby asked as she followed Zwei into a standard street with overgrown weeds and shrubs and rubble at the bases of the abandoned buildings. "This is…oh."

Ruby was cut off by Zwei stopping at the base of a building that had clearly been under construction when the Grimm attack happened so it was now just a skeletal frame of girders and a foundation. Zwei had stopped because he was now next to one of the vertical girders, ass to Ruby and left leg up as he happily peed on said girder.

"Zwei, this is an abandoned wasteland." Ruby said to her dog as she walked over to him and Zwei finished his business and waddled back to her smiling with his tongue lolling out clearly without a care in the world. "You literally could have done that anywhere; you didn't need to wander several streets away to do it. You…"

Ruby was cut off by a small bark and the sound of something that wasn't a Grimm nearby. Instantly she picked up Zwei and hunkered down while backing up and using a large building's high base for cover right at one of its corners. Once she was down she stuck her head out, still holding Zwei who was also looking his tongue still lolling out, and heard saw what made the noise. The moment Ruby saw it her heart began to race.

Before her were two men who appeared to be in their mid-20s if she had to guess. Both wore the same outfit that comprised of a sleeveless white tunic thing over a black sleeveless vest with the hood on it pulled up over their heads, black pants tucked into black boots with silver metal shin plates, fingerless black gloves that came to their elbows, and white masks covering their upper faces from the nose up thus protecting their identity when combined with the raised hood. Additionally they both carried what looked like rifles in their arms that Ruby did not like the look of.

"I thought that I heard a Beowulf over here." One of the two men said looking around and not noticing Ruby and Zwei before he turned back to his compatriot. "Or something like that, hard to tell but those are the only Grimm that we see around here."

"Probably nothing, we've kept this area clear for a while so it's just the wind blowing through this place or something." The other man said. "Let's just finish our patrol get back to base. This whole ghost town gives me the creeps but it's got it uses to the boss and the High Leader ordered us to assist him."

At that they turned and Ruby saw an emblem on the men's backs that she didn't recognize. It was a red wolf's head, or something like that it was hard to make out fine details this far away from the men, with three red claw lines through it. Quickly, Ruby used her free hand to pull out her phone and shot a quick video of the men as they walked away. She then sent it to the group chat that Yang had set up for them, pinned her location for the others, put Zwei down and then began to follow the men Crescent Rose in rifle form and at the ready in her arms.

As she moved, creeping lightly on her feet while Zwei followed her thankfully staying silent as he clearly sensed that this was something serious, Ruby silently swapped out her magazine. She removed the one that had her special Grimm killing rounds in it, she had a lot of those on her due to the mission, and replaced it with one of her magazines that contained standard human stun rounds.

The Grimm rounds would work of course but they'd be just as lethal on humans as they were on Grimm and Ruby couldn't kill unless in extreme self-defense, and even then she wasn't sure if she could do that. Thankfully, her stun rounds should be more than enough take these guys out providing they didn't have resistance based Quirks.

Regardless, the men were clearly criminal types. Ruby might not the emblem but given the clearly illegal weapons that the men were holding, Ruby quickly identified their general specs and knew that they were lethal, they were up to no good. As such, Ruby figured that she'd follow them and find their hideout before reporting it in.

Then their little group could back away from the area, call in the Quirk Knights and maybe some other Huntsmen to deal with Grimm that would no doubt join in when fighting broke out, and clear out these criminals. This was going to make a great experience story when Ruby got back to class, she was sure of it.

Naturally, Ruby wasn't as good at sneaking as she thought she was and as she snuck up to another building's corner she overshot it and almost fell over, letting go of Crescent Rose in the process. However, thanks to some over the top arm waving, she didn't want to use her Quirk lest it alert the men, she stopped herself from faceplanting into the pavement, caught Crescent Rose before she hit the ground, and pulled back behind a building's corner as originally intended.

Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief as she crouched low, placed Cresent Rose on the ground, and used Zwei as a periscope to look around the building to make sure that the men weren't onto her. She dared not look out herself so Zwei would serve as her eyes.

"Did they notice?" Ruby asked her voice as quiet as she could make it knowing that Zwei would hear. "One quiet bark means yes; no bark means that we're good."

There was no bark and a second later Ruby heard what was clearly the sound of a door being rolled shut. That was odd to say the least so Ruby lowered Zwei, though she continued to hold him, and looked out to see a building ahead and across the street from her. It was like all the others except that there was now a shiny new door in the doorway and any holes had been patched up with crude but tough sheets of metal. This was clearly a base of some sort and Ruby needed to go get the others and bring them here so that Oobleck could confirm what was going on and decide what to do next.

"This is it, the true purpose of this mission." Ruby said quietly to Zwei as she got up and turned to head back to the others smiling at her successful stalking and confirmation that there were criminals using the area as some kind of base. "Let's get them and…"

However, before Ruby could finish there was suddenly a cracking sound under her feet and she looked down in time to see the road that she was standing on spiderweb and then collapse as she and Zwei fell down. With quick reactions born from years of training with a Quirk that allowed for rudimentary flight, Ruby turned away from the collapse, tossed Crescent Rose onto stable ground and grabbed the edge of the broken rubble with her left hand while her right grabbed the scruff of Zwei's neck as he fell past her with a slight bark.

She didn't know how much time she had so with a quick move, Ruby pulled herself up with one hand and used her momentum to toss Zwei out of the hole knowing that he'd be fine with his Quirk and finished the move by grabbing the edge of the broken street with her right hand as well. Despite dangling there, Ruby easily pulled herself up enough to confirm that Zwei was safe and was about to activate her Quirk to get a quick boost upwards that would easily take her out of the hole when there was a rumble again and the rubble she was holding broke and Ruby plunged into the blackness below her.

"Hey, where's Ruby?"

The question was asked by Yang as she finished reloading her gauntlets with her specially made shotgun shells and looked around as she cocked her arms to fully load her latest payload. Weiss instantly got up and did the same, stashing what she'd been working on a pouch on her belt worry in her eyes as she drew Myrtenaster and held it at the ready her head swiveling to confirm Yang's question. Blake didn't move but her ears twitched as she tried to hear what was going on and as she did she heard a rumble noise a few streets over that she didn't like as it didn't sound like it was Grimm related.

"I don't know." Weiss said worry creeping into her voice. "She was just here with the rest of us as we rested. Zwei's missing as well so she might just be with him making sure he's ok, he does wander off when something catches his interest."

"No doubt he's gone exploring and she's with him to make sure he's safe." Yang said agreeing with Weiss's assessment though Weiss was still worried while Blake stood and pulled out her phone her own worry growing. "She'll be…"

"No, I think something bad's happened, I heard something a few seconds ago that didn't sound like a Grimm attack." Blake said as she opened her phone and saw Ruby's message, a video of two men walking away from her with a very familiar emblem to Blake on their backs and a location tag a few blocks over showing that Ruby was probably tailing them. "Ruby might be in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked her worry growing now and not just because Ruby was her best friend. "If it's Grimm she can handle it until we get to her but if it's not then what could it be?"

"Check your phones." Blake said as Oobleck approached them having heard their tones and was now as alert as they were. "Doctor, you were right, there are people here and it's worse than we thought. This goes beyond a standard criminal gang, even the big ones like Torchwick's don't compare to this situation."

"Let me see." Oobleck said as Weiss and Yang checked their own phones, both recognizing the emblem and uniform as well but Oobleck was already on it as his voice got deadly serious. "Grab your weapons girls, Miss Rose is likely in trouble. This is now a rescue and evacuation mission, none of you are equipped to handle anything beyond that."

"How many are we dealing with though." Weiss said keeping Myrtenaster out and to her side as Zwei suddenly ran up to them without Ruby nearby. "And why are the White Fang here at all?"

"Hard to say." Oobleck said pulling out his own phone and sending off a quick report to Ozpin and the leadership of the Coral Peacocks about the situation in Mountain Glenn as they began to move out with Zwei already understanding the situation and leading them towards where Ruby had fallen. "Those looked like scouts on patrol around an entrance to their hideout. Their presence would explain both the rise in Grimm activity in general area and the lack of it in this specific sector of Mountain Glenn. No doubt this is where they have their base, or more likely a usable entrance to the underground where they are likely holed up, so they need to keep it clear of Grimm."

"A lot will depend on why they need to use Mountain Glenn's underground settlement but given what I've heard of the area below ground I'd say we're dealing with a full division and not just a random cell." Blake said as they moved. "Two scouts and the manpower to keep Grimm suppressed when their present would also lead credence to that assessment. The hatred within the White Fang always attracts Grimm to their location, it's part of why the members are trained to pro Huntsman standard and carry weapons specially designed for Grimm because they almost always have to fight Grimm on a daily basis."

"A division is bad then." Weiss said. "I've seen what a cell can do, they've launched several terror attacks, many of them against my father and the Schnee Dust Company, in the past few years with little manpower."

"I certainly won't deny that." Blake said. "But this could be something really big and not just their usual attacks on people like your father Weiss. I've got no clue what it could be or who's behind it, however. I just can't see Sienna sanctioning something like this though."

"Sienna?" Weiss asked. "As in Sienna Khan, their High Leader, since when are you on a first name basis with her."

"Since I grew up in the White Fang." Blake said her tone dark and filled with regret and remorse. "My father founded it remember but back then it was just a heteromorph rights advocacy group and a later a political party. Sienna was one of his closest confidants and a mentor to me in a lot of ways, not as much as Adam was, but it was because of him that I began to support Sienna's faction."

"Blake, you don't have to bring this up." Yang said her tone soft; she knew about this part of Blake's past and with Weiss's family this could be an issue. "You're not that anymore."

"No, Weiss deserves to know before we go in and fight members of the White Fang so that he knows that I will not hesitate to knock them out." Blake said shaking her head. "And that I deeply regret that part of my life. I fell under Adam's sway after seeing how Sienna's style worked better than my fathers. There's no excuse but back then it was tough for heteromorphs and Sienna was the first of us to really command respect from normal humans and she accomplished it through strategic violence so seeing that something was finally working a lot of us followed her. It's why I'm still trying to prove myself to my parents, to make up for what I did in supporting Sienna's coup and the change in the group's direction."

"Oh so that's what you were talking about last night." Weiss said looking at Blake as they moved and saw the tears in the older girl's eyes. "It goes a lot deeper than you let on."

"I came clean to the Principal when I defected from the White Fang and decided to apply to U.A." Blake said remorse still in her voice. "I'd done some bad thing but nothing worse than theft and had information on the workings of the White Fang so I gave evidence on several plots in exchange for a clean slate."

"That was very brave of you Miss Belladonna." Oobleck said seriously as they moved. "I recall the raids a few years ago but didn't realize that you were the one behind the information that we got that prevented several terror attacks."

"It took realizing that the White Fang no longer had regard for human life to realize but I am glad that I could help prevent the loss of innocent lives." Blake said. "And because of that I'm basically a target to the White Fang now as several are in prison because of me but I don't care. I saw the error of my ways and will continue to do whatever I can to make up for it and show my parents that I'm better. I know that the White Fang have targeted your family Weiss and it's no doubt caused issues for you and for that I'm sorry."

"I won't lie, I see them as nothing more than vicious terrorists who wanted to kill me as a little girl simply because I was a Schnee so if I face any I won't hold back." Weiss said a hard edge to her voice as she recalled some of the threats her family had received and at least one attack on her life after a concert she gave in middle school. "But you're not one of them anymore, are you Blake?"

"No I'm not." Blake admitted. "I want equality for heteromorphs and I will fight for that but through my actions as a Huntress who helps people. The White Fang are villains now and it is my duty as a Huntress hero to defeat and arrest them for their crimes."

"Then I don't care about your past." Weiss said the conviction in Blake's voice telling her that Blake was sincere about her beliefs regarding the White Fang these days. "I've not judged you as a heteromorph this entire time just as you've not judged me as a Schnee. You're a good person and besides, Ruby trusts you implicitly so I know that I can as well."

"Thank you, your faith won't be in vein." Blake said glad that Weiss really did trust her, and knowing she had to make it clear to Ruby just how special she was to Weiss seeing as Weiss clearly held Ruby in high regard, but that would come later as they reached the street Ruby had last been in and saw something red up ahead right on the edge of a large hole. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Ruby's scythe." Yang confirmed as they all ran up to it. "Oh no, this isn't good. Ruby would never willingly relinquish her hold on Crescent Rose."

"Ruby." Weiss said her voice low and full of fear and worry as she slowing to a walk as she reached Crescent Rose and walked past the scythe to look down the hole before them but seeing only inky blackness below her. "I think she fell. Likely it took her by surprise so she didn't have time to use Petal Burst to get out of it in time."

"Fell?" Oobleck asked as he was suddenly next to Weiss.

"Down there." Weiss said using her rapier to gesture to the hole.

"Oh my yes that is likely the case." Oobleck said before he turned and began pacing back and forth as the girls and Zwei watched him. "Of course, this is what I expected to find but not like this. The ground must be more unstable than we thought, though what could have caused that is a mystery as there is no evidence of other damage to the road, and Miss Rose hit a bad patch and fell in."

"Fell in?" Weiss asked. "As in…"

"Precisely, the underground settlement." Oobleck said. "It was created for the subway tracks that connected Mountain Glenn to Vale and Hosu. Part of why Mountain Glenn was established here is because there is an extensive cave network in these mountains so it was the perfect location for the subway and over time it was expanded into a full settlement to accommodate the workers both here who commuted to those cities."

"So if it was a full underground settlement then they might have carved it out too close to the above ground one." Weiss said understanding more and looking over the evidence before her. "That, coupled with various natural factors and no maintenance could weaken it in places and explain why Ruby fell."

"That is a logical explanation as the whole underground complex was increased when it was decided to use the caves down there the staging ground for the planned expansion of the network." Oobleck said his chin in his hand as he thought over things. "And it was the first thing area that was overrun when the subterranean Grimm pocket was broached and they flooded into the settlements here. However that was years ago and so between the time that has elapsed with no people here and the presences of a strong enough force to hold back any Grimm that are still around or might show up it would make a great location for a base as no one would think to look down there."

"But you did, right?" Blake asked.

"It was my theory from the start and why we were clearing out the top as I felt that there might be something below." Oobleck said as he came to a stop and nodded at Blake's question. "This confirms it and there will be more than enough space to house a terrorist group like the White Fang as they plan and prepare for whatever they have in store for Japan. Now why they need it is a different question though with the access to Vale and Hosu the smuggling of weapons, incendiaries, drugs, Dust, and other contraband that could aid or fund them there is plenty of logic for them to be here."

"Then what's the plan?" Weiss asked. "Because I'm not leaving without Ruby."

"You are correct Miss Schnee, this is not something that we have the time to call in though I have sent a high priority alert due to who is here so there should be a force of Quirk Knights en route to take over after we're done." Oobleck said while Yang and Blake nodded in agreement with Weiss's determination to not leave without Ruby, that was non-negotiable to all three girls. "This is now officially a rescue mission to get Miss Rose out of there and back to safety. That is our primary focus from now on so gear up girls, and Miss Schnee, I am using my authority as a pro hero to grant you and Miss Rose full authorization to use your Quirks in this situation."

With that Oobleck pulled out his thermos and cocked the handle revealing that it was more than it seemed as it grew into a long two handed weapon with the body of the thermos as the barrel, a staff out the base to hold and a nozzle at the top indicating that it was likely a chemical or incendiary weapon. It was certainly a surprise but then again Oobleck was a fully qualified Huntsman hero so he would know how to use a weapon and it looked like they'd finally see him in action.

That was in the back of their minds, however, as three girls just nodded at their teacher's words, their faces grim as they readied their own weapons, grabbed Ruby's scythe, and Zwei let out a bark as they all turned to the pit. Then, without hesitation, they all leapt in ready to rescue Ruby unaware of what they were about to find hiding under Mountain Glenn.

I think that that's a good place to leave things off for the time being. I had planned on this chapter extending right up to the train leaving and the girls, Oobleck, and Zwei getting on it but between realizing that the whole underground stuff deserved its own chapter and my schedule meaning that soon I'll be out of town and unable to do as much work as usual for the next month (expect the next chapters in all my Black Trio stories to be released in about 5 weeks' time), I decided to break it up once again and give this shorter chapter for y'all to enjoy with the next one coming out as soon as it is ready. That is all that I really have to say about this chapter, however, as it is a simple and straightforward one so I will leave it off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM; your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.

Stringdog