723Chapter 30
(Beacon)
A week had passed since Ozpin finalized a list of which teams would be accompanied by which professor, as well as their assignment. Beacon and Shade typically did their expeditions at the same time, with Haven and Atlas doing theirs around two weeks or so after. The students of Shade had already taken bullheads back to Vacuo to get their assignments and complete them.
This year was more than a small anomaly however, as it was the first time in over two decades that one of the academies didn't send any of its students for the exchange program. But, while Atlas didn't send any students, they did send a single instructor. The true purpose for her being there would never come to light he hoped, but Weiss's admiration towards her sister unintentionally helped sell the image. Especially with how she constantly trailed behind Winter wherever she went.
Thankfully, these expeditions would give Winter a chance to leave Beacon without raising too many eyebrows so that she could get to work on her true reason for being here. The last half-hour had gone by smoothly with Ozpin and Glynda calling up teams and then announcing what their expedition would be, as well as their instructor. Looking down at his list, he was pleased to see that he was on the last three teams.
"Next up, Team RWBY. Would you four please come up to get the details of your assignment."
Ozpin watched as the girls stood up from their seats and briskly made their way down the steps towards the stage. As they stood there, Ozpin gave a look to Glynda before nodding. The woman stepped forward before speaking.
"Team RWBY, you all will be accompanied by Professor Port. Your expedition will take place out of Patch. Your team will be responsible for tracking down and identifying what has been disturbing the peace around Patch. We suspect it's an older grimm, but there is a possibility that it could be bandits as well. Once you have identified what the cause and nature of these disturbances is, Professor Port will decide if your team is allowed to engage the enemy in combat."
The girls nodded before being excused off the stage, making their way back to the seats.
"Next, team PRVN."
The group made their way down the stairs to stand on stage.
"You all have a courier mission. I'll be accompanying you myself."
To hear that their team would be joined by none other than the Deputy Headmistress herself was surprising, but they limited their reaction to nods. The exception was Nora, who gulped, knowing that any nonsense would be judged with extreme scrutiny by the professor.
"Your mission is simple. You all are to deliver a package from the Headmaster to a residence in a rapidly expanding frontier town named Domremy. In addition to this, you'll be assisting the town by trimming the grimm population in the surrounding area. Plan and pack accordingly as we leave in two hours."
A round of nodded heads was her response as she prepared to call up the last team, but before she could, Ozpin laid his hand on her shoulder.
"I can handle this last one, Glynda. You should go and prepare for your expedition."
The woman looked at him before nodding and making her way off stage.
"Last but not least, will team CRDL join me on stage?"
Cardin, Russel, Dove, and Sky made their way down to the stage before standing across from the headmaster.
"You all will be accompanying Doctor Oobleck to Mt. Glenn. Normally, this is a mission we assign to one of our teams each year with the purpose of reconnaissance. But, I've decided that Mt. Glenn needs a safe haven for any unfortunate soul that should find themselves in the surrounding area. You'll be shadowing the good Doctor for some recon followed by, if the situation permits, marking a suitable location for an outpost. Doctor Oobleck will go over everything with you again during the flight."
Ozpin took a drink of his mug before making a motion to team CRDL that they were dismissed. As team CRDL took their place among the students, Ozpin finished off his hot chocolate before speaking.
"That concludes the assembly. You all have your expeditions, and I expect to see you all again with good news. Be brave, be strong, and be safe."
And with that, the man made his way off stage.
"So, we're shadowing professor Oobleck?"
"Precisely! I hope you young men are ready to fight for your lives?"
As expected, the fast talking nature of the professor caught them off guard.
"Uhhh-"
As Russel went to respond, Oobleck cut him off.
"Normally, packing supplies for this mission wouldn't be necessary, men, seeing as you'd be shadowing a Huntsman on a reconnaissance mission. However, we will be deciding where to establish a base of operations, traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland, and making camp in defendable locations we may stumble upon. As such, I also want to evaluate how you prepare for such a mission. Meet me at the bullhead docks in precisely one hour, on the dot, and pack expecting to be gone for at least a week. I've taken the responsibility of plotting our air course, and will prepare the airship. And…"
The man trailed off as he zoomed right up to Sky.
"It's Doctor. I didn't earn my PhD for fun Mr. Lark, thank you very much! Now, any questions?"
"...Uhhh."
The group shared a look amongst themselves, but before anyone could properly form a thought to respond, Bartholomew seemed to displace himself about five feet back before speaking.
"Exceptional! See you in an hour!"
And with that, the only evidence to support that Oobleck had ever been there in the first place was the faint smell of coffee and dust fuel.
"...You know boys, what I've started to consider normal is scary. Let's just…get back to the room, grab our go-bags and see if we can't get some extra credit for being fast."
The walk back to the dorm took longer than it did for the four to grab their bags and do last minute checks on their gear. Dove and Sky were standing outside the dorm, waiting on their leader and his partner as both were grabbing a few extra things.
Cardin took a key out of his pocket before going to his nightstand and pulling out a box. After unlocking it, he pulled out a rectangular locket, and opened it to see a picture of his little sister and older cousin smiling back at him. He dropped the key and box back into the nightstand before sliding the cord of the locket over his head and tucking it under his armor to keep it safe. Satisfied, the tall ginger looked over at his partner.
Russel was always the one of the team that overprepared, a habit gained from so many years spent outside the kingdom. The only one of his team to not have come from a life of comfort, he didn't have very many possessions before arriving at Beacon and receiving his student stipend. That said, Cardin watched as his mohawked partner added a pair of whetstones to his bag, followed by a first aid kit, back-up dust packs for if anyone's scroll ran out of charge, and a few packs of herbs dried and sealed into pouches. Finally, Russel reached under his pillow and retrieved a four winds pipe before disassembling it and tenderly storing it in his bag.
"So uh…what's with the pipe?"
Russel quickly zipped up his bag before looking at his leader.
"Nothing."
The atmosphere was awkward as Cardin looked for something to say.
"I uh, didn't know you smoked."
"Yeah, problem? Or can we go?"
Seeing his partner's curtness on the matter, Cardin usually would've allowed the conversation to end, but with the expedition happening today?
"Actually, yeah. I think there is a problem- that WE got a problem. And no, it ain't about the pipe."
Cardin tacked on that last bit as he saw Russel's posture become defensive.
"Look, man. We're about to go out on an expedition. Can't this wait until we get back?"
"...Nah, it can't. It's exactly because we're about to do this that we need to talk."
Russel looked over at Cardin before nodding.
"Fine. What is it?"
Cardin took a breath before he spoke.
"I wanna know what your issue is."
"MY issue? Cardin, what're you on about?"
"Every time I try to talk with you, and I mean every single time, you give me the cold shoulder and I wanna know what's up."
Russel looked a bit frustrated as he responded.
"Dude! Do you even realize how little time you spend with their team? And don't even tell me it's not a big deal because you spend almost every day with team CFVY! You only ever remember we exist when they're busy."
"It's not like I'm just wasting time, they're training me!"
"Okay, but what about me, Dove, and Sky?"
"What about y'all?"
Immediately after he said it, Cardin cringed realizing how it came across, and admittedly how it was. Russel gave an annoyed chuckle as he stuck his tongue into his cheek and turned around with his hands in the air for a moment.
"L-Look Russ, that wasn't…I didn't mean it like that."
"It doesn't matter, I-I give up. I just, can't with you right now."
"It's not just that I'm training with them, you know-"
"That Velvet is your girlfriend? Yeah, remind me real quick though: who's your partner?"
Cardin opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself.
"Yeah. Now imagine how the rest of the team feels. You're getting training from team CFVY, that's great. Because of all the bullcrap we pulled earlier in the year, that YOU made us do, no one wants anything to do with us, much less help us. Me, Dove, Sky: we don't have CFVY vouching for us. We only have each other to ask for help."
"Wait, what? If this was such an issue, why didn't you guys come to me about it?"
Russel just took a deep breath before letting it go, choosing to shake his head instead.
"We tried. You blew us off."
Russel watched Cardin thinking about what he was saying before sighing and turning to move towards the door.
"Whatever man, let's just go an-"
Russel was cut off from moving towards the door when Cardin stuck a hand in front of his chest. He looked up to his leader to see the redhead having his own exasperated expression.
"Actually, since we're standing here let me ask you something. You're saying all this stuff about us being a team, about me not being there for the team. And thinking about it…yeah, you have a point. But you know what's insane? That time my team ditched me when an Ursa Major showed up. What kind of shit is that?!"
The mohawked teen took a step back at that as he saw the angered expression his leader was wearing, however Cardin wasn't done.
"Yeah. I thought so. And you know, while that really pissed me off, I was willing to let it go. BUT, since you want to make it seem as if I'm the one ditching someone here, I want to hear what you have to say. Make sense of that to me."
"I-I..That…"
Cardin let a bit of vindictiveness slide in tone as he gave a testing shove to Russel's shoulder.
"Figures. You really thought I was just gonna forget that?"
Russel growled back as he returned a shove to his leader, using both arms due to the size difference.
"You don't get it!"
"Don't I!? How am I supposed to trust you guys when you already left me high and dry once?! 'Cause for all I know, if we come across some grimm, y'all are gonna pull another runner!"
"It's…It's-I…"
Cardin looked down at his partner before his shoulders fell. Seeing that Russel couldn't even explain himself, he instead slung his pack over his shoulder and moved to the door.
"You were right, we should've saved this for when we got back. Just, forget it Russ. We'll look at our options once we get back to Beacon."
The knightly teen opened the door and walked out with Russel lagging behind a second to see Dove and Sky share a strange look as the latter of the two was getting off a scroll call. The teen stashed his scroll away quickly before looking at his leader.
"Well? Are we good to go?"
It was less a question and more a prompt, but instead of answering Cardin just sent a look to each of his teammates individually, before grunting and walking down the hall.
The side doors on either side of the bullhead slid open, revealing Mt. Glenn in all its abandoned, eerie silence. Russel, Dove and Sky stood on one side of the bullhead looking down, and on the other were Cardin and Doctor Oobleck. The bullhead pilot flicked a few switches above head before looking back and yelling over the wind.
"Alright You five! I'm going to do a flyby over one of the taller buildings which is where you'll be departing! I'll be back in seven days to pick you up here, or earlier if any of you ping me for an emergency extract, in which case, you'll have to hold out till I arrive, and then haul ass!"
The students all gave nods as Oobleck walked over and gave the pilot a pat on the shoulder.
"I hope to see you again soon, old Chap!"
"You better be alive when I get back here, Barty! You still owe me that lager!"
The lights above the bullhead turned green as the man did a low flyby over a building, and one by one, Doctor Oobleck and team CRDL leapt from the aircraft a few dozen meters onto the rooftop. The bullhead did a few circles, likely to account for each head, before turning off and flying into the horizon towards Vale.
"Alright men, you still may be students but as of this moment, your first mission as huntsmen has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"
A round of nods answered the man.
"Good. Now then, we left early so we still have some hours of reliable daylight left. Since I'm evaluating your field performance, I'll keep hold of the field marker while you all battle off any grimm that approach."
Russel looked a bit confused and decided to speak up.
"Uhm. Professor-"
"Doctor!"
"...Doctor Oobleck, what does the field marker do?"
"Excellent question Russel! Field markers are essential to hunters all over Remnant. Often, a single huntsman or a team are sent to an area to cull grimm once they've overpopulated an area. While fulfilling this objective, sometimes hunters will be given something to mark a suitable area nearby as a potential base to deal with a possible resurgence of grimm activity in the area after an extermination."
"These bases often serve as a good spot to make camp, as safe as one can be out in the wild really. But truthfully, their primary function is as a last resort. Field outposts are meant to be a defensible area for any unfortunates to hold out while waiting for a rescue, and have saved many lives no doubt. But, these outposts are also never meant to be permanent. They're to be constructed quickly, so that when the grimm inevitably destroy it, nothing of value is lost."
The fast-paced man pulled out a piece of technology from his bag.
"However this new field marker could potentially change all of that. This new field marker is equipped with a signal booster, meaning that if you are nearby, you'll never have to worry about not being able to call for a rescue. On top of that is its most important addition, a shield generator. Should the situation become dire enough, or if you are injured and alone, making it to an outpost equipped with a field marker such as this means a complete safe haven from the grimm."
Bartholomew placed the device back into his bag.
"Think about it, the ability to make permanent outposts that repel the grimm. We could stock these bases with supplies like first aid, food and water. All thanks to this little device, and the only price to pay, should it work as hoped, is it needing to have its dust cylinders changed every so often, depending on use."
The four boys of team CRDL looked surprised at the idea, but nodded after shaking themselves of their shock. Cardin took a step towards the edge of the roof to peek over and examine the streets.
"See anything Mr. Winchester?"
The knightly teen didn't turn to face him as he responded.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Broken buildings and a few beowolves."
The man hummed to himself before nodding and taking a swig of…whatever was in his thermos.
"Alright then, let's make our way down to the street gentlemen."
The building wasn't that tall, so the group was able to clear the building in good time. No major conflicts aside from small batches of baby nevermores. Once they made it to the ground floor, Cardin looked to Doctor Oobleck.
"Well Doctor, what are your orders?"
"We still have plenty of daylight left, and Mt. Glenn is a hub for grimm activity due to the high amount of lingering negativity. We should spend this time wisely and first look for a place to establish shelter, after…grimm."
Cardin looked a bit confused.
"Uh, what?"
"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred meters from us at this very moment."
Sky looked alarmed at this and turned to see a lone beowolf wandering into the street, causing him and the other members of team CRDL to unleash their weapons.
"STOP!"
The four looked back at Doctor Oobleck as they lowered their weapons to listen.
"If we expend all our energy jumping at the first grimm we see the moment we see it, we're going to be fighting a war of attrition that we will inevitably lose. Better to track this specimen, and let it lead us to its pack. That's how a hunter efficiently exterminates grimm."
Cardin looked at the professor as he held his weapon over his shoulder.
"Okay. So, what now? We just wait until?"
"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months-and there's the whole pack."
The team looked back to see that eleven more grimm had stalked around the corner to join the first.
"What?"
Dove's confusion went unacknowledged as Doctor Oobleck continued to state the obvious.
"And now they've seen us."
"What?!"
"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!"
Dove rubbed his ear from the volume Oobleck produced while Russel spoke up.
"So…tracking them is off the table now, right?"
"An accurate assumption, yes."
"So what's the plan then?"
The team turns to their teacher as the grimm began closing in.
"Show me what you're capable of."
(Domremy)
Team PRVN and Glynda Goodwitch had just finished stepping off the bullhead, watching as the aircraft hovered up into the sky before heading back in the direction of Vale.
They weren't sure of what to expect from a frontier town, but Domremy still managed to feel like the complete opposite of any of their expectations.
It looked…sickeningly perfect, like a fantasy picture somewhere it didn't belong.
Domremy is an inland town, but it was far from dry or dreary. There was a large lake neighboring the city with a picturesque mountain in the backdrop. An aqueduct led down from the mountain's flank to somewhere in the town, providing its people with fresh water. As they left the bullhead station and went further into the town however, they felt as though calling Domremy a 'growing frontier town' was not being quite fair.
It was a flourishing city, easily. Vernal looked down the street and noticed something that none of her teammates would. The full trash bins and how quickly they were being replaced and used after. None of the people here looked desperate, all of them living comfortable lives in a city complete with walls.
"This town-no…This city, it reminds me so much of Argus. It might only just be slightly smaller, but…with all of this, I'd never be able to tell."
Vernal watched as kids ran through the street without a care in the world, only paying mind to the occasional vehicle or frequent passerby as the sounds of talking and music were heard. Flyers were being handed out on most street corners, and flags billowed above the city streets between buildings as they'd arrived during some sort of celebration it seemed. Colors were everywhere as people of all ages went in and out of shops, or walked over to street vendors to browse and chat, showing the sense of community the people here shared, and she also noticed how more often than not, people declined meager amounts of change from transactions.
"Wow…This city…it's wonderful."
Ren and Nora agreed with Pyrrha's comment, even Vernal failed to conjure up a pessimistic remark, too caught up in what this place outside the walls of a kingdom managed to provide. Wondering how all of this was possible.
"Well children, welcome to Domremy. Allow me to lay out our schedule."
Vernal and the rest of her team turned to give her their full attention.
"First, we'll be delivering Headmaster Ozpin's package to the city's governing family. After that is complete, I will be securing accommodations for us, and we'll use whatever daylight is left to hunt. We're slated to be here for one week, so we'll use the early mornings to leave the safety of the city's walls for our assignment, where we will hunt until midday. The afternoon will be yours to do as you please each day, unless we're asked to help with any specific grimm hunts. You are not to cause any trouble while we are here, do you understand?"
A round of nods was her response, before she fixed her glasses and began making her way down a road that led up towards the mountain. Team PRVN followed her gaze, and could make out what looked to be a manor. They fell into step behind her, the size of the home becoming more and more apparent as they went away from the city's commercial area.
The change as they grew closer to the manor was simultaneously subtle, and nothing of the sort; graceful. The way the buildings of stores and boutiques faded into being homes as they walked was like a gradient. None of the homes looked shoddy, but some were more modest than others, and this changed with every block as they drew closer to the manor, seeing homes that looked as if they cost a fortune.
Eventually, their sightseeing came to a halt as the group made their way past the open gates of the manor and up the path leading to the front door. As they stood outside the door, team PRVN watched as Ms. Goodwitch adjusted her glasses and gave an irritated sigh before motioning for Pyrrha to step forward as the woman reached out and rang the doorbell.
The group waited for a moment before the door opened to reveal a blonde woman around the age of the deputy headmistress, and though it could definitely be said she was aging gracefully, she had visible age marks near the bridge of her nose.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I've never seen you all around before. Welcome to Domremy. Is there something I can do for all of you?"
Vernal looked over at her teammates and saw them staring at the woman, focused in as if they were trying to find something in her. Glynda shook them from this as she coughed before speaking.
"Yes, we're from Beacon Academy. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and behind me are a team of students whose mission is to deliver a package that your husband."
The woman's face visibly deflated for a second upon hearing 'Beacon', but she schooled her features quickly enough and then nodded.
"Of course. I don't think either of us was aware a package was coming, but luckily Max just got back from speaking in town. Please, come in. I'll take you all to his office."
The woman stepped to the side and gestured for the group to come in, and once they were inside, it became quite clear this was a family home with some history to it. Team PRVN looked at the suits of armor standing ever vigilant throughout the halls they traversed, along with the portraits of ancestors above each.
The sightseeing of the manor was short-lived however, as soon, they all stood outside a set of double doors. The woman entered before motioning for the others to follow her. Moments later, they stood on the other side of a desk, behind which sat a man who could only be described as the poster image of what a huntsman should be. The man finished looking over a paper before tossing it into a shredder and pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked up before speaking.
"Glynda."
"Max."
The blonde woman looked between Glynda and the man.
"Perhaps I should go and get drinks for everyone. I'll bring tea?"
The man gave a nod to his wife, while Glynda motioned for Pyrrha to present the package.
"Ozpin sent this team of students to deliver this package to you, as well as to assist in controlling the grimm population in the surrounding area. I'm simply here to grade their performance."
The large man stood up and accepted the box from Pyrrha. He looked at it before prying the top off with his hand and proceeding to hold it upside down. The mass of metal that clattered upon the table along with the packing straw caused a few eyes to widen.
Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora's breath caught in their throats as they saw Crocea Mors laying on the man's desk. Vernal saw their reactions but didn't know the significance of the blade, while Glynda kept a straight face. The man however, glared at the sword as if remembering a lifetime of memories. The silence that came was tense, as the man continued looking at the weapon before reaching for it.
He freed the blade from its eternal partner, checking it for something, before letting out an exhale and sheathing the blade. A practiced motion and Crocea Mors was now being worn on the hip of its true owner.
"While I didn't want this damned thing returning to me, I suppose there's some irony here. Well, you can run along and tell Ozpin that the kids did their job."
"Not so fast, Max. You should know that we're scheduled to be here assisting with the grimm numbers for the next few days at minimum. Now that Crocea Mors has been returned to where it rightfully belongs, I'd like to secure some accommodations for my students and myself."
The man looked at her before giving an annoyed sigh as he responded.
"Head back to The Footsteps, the main road you crossed to get to the residential district, and the building on the corner closest to the bullhead station is a hotel. They should have enough rooms."
"Lovely. If all goes well, we can be done within the next three days and back in Vale."
"Nothing would please me more."
The animosity between Glynda and Max was tense, and only once Vernal spoke up did their glaring match cease.
"Hey, what's that?"
The large man looked over to see the tan girl by a window, he walked over and saw what she was pointing to. At the foot of the mountain behind Domremy, there was a large glowing opening.
"Ah. That's our city's dust mine. It's what allows Domremy to retain its autonomy. If you think it looks pretty from here, you should…"
The man's words trailed off as he saw the tattoo on Vernal's shoulder and his expression hardened.
"...Be on your way. You all should complete your mission and be on your way."
The change in tone was abrupt, with only Vernal and Glynda catching how Max's eyes lingered on Vernal's ink. His body language shifted to one of defensiveness as he stood in front of the window to stop Vernal from so much as even seeing the mine at the foot of the mountain.
"Come children. Let us be on our way."
"U-Um! Excuse me sir…"
The man turned to look at Pyrrha, and upon getting nothing but silence, she took it as a sign to continue.
"I was wondering since you never introduced yourself…But would you happen to be an Arc?"
The man looked at her curiously before he responded, causing Glynda to pinch the bridge of her nose again.
"I am, but how do you know that?"
"My name is Pyrrha Nikos. I was Jaune's partner."
(Mount Glenn, Evening)
The sun had long since gone away as CRDL fought through the absurd packs of grimm patrolling Mt. Glenn. Cardin had watched throughout the day as Doctor Oobleck pulled aside each of his teammates one by one. Only when Dove returned did he find out that he asked each of them the same question: Why do they want to be huntsmen?
Around the time the sun had begun to set, the group found a suitable building to set up camp in. Russel, Dove, and Sky set to work as Oobleck pulled Cardin aside, taking him just outside and around the corner from the building. The silence as they walked was palpable, and only once they reached a ruined edge of the city facing the setting sun did Cardin speak.
"...What are those things? They look huge."
"That, young man, is a grimm."
Cardin's eyes widened as he looked out in the distance.
"Shouldn't we go kill them?"
"No. I'm afraid neither you, nor any other student, is ready for the challenge a single goliath presents. That, is a pack of them. With the level of training you and your team possess currently, you'd do nothing more than agitate grimm of that size."
"But will it be a threat while we're here?"
"Those grimm are not concerned with us,"
The man glanced at Cardin as if deciding what to say before continuing.
"Cardin, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every grimm is still mindless. You see, those Grimm before you are so powerful, so superior to the grimm you fought, that they've undoubtedly lived hundreds of years, and in that time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they have done one important thing: They've learned. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength, we make up for in will, and that killing one human will only bring more."
As Oobleck said this, one Goliath swiveled its thick neck to look at the figures it sensed, seeing them watching their procession, its eyes glowing a fiery red.
"Then why are they so close to the city? What are they doing?"
"Waiting."
As he said this, the Goliath turned its head forward again and moved on with its kin. The doctor turned around and walked away as well before Cardin slowly fell into step behind him.
"Doctor Oobleck?"
"Hmm?"
"I was wondering…"
"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?"
"Actually, I was wondering: why did you want to become a Huntsman?"
The man's eyes widened for a split second behind his glasses before he inhaled and gestured to the ruins.
"Look around, and tell me what you see."
Cardin looked up and down at the area around him before answering.
"Empty streets, broken buildings, stuff people had to leave behind when trying to evacuate-"
"I see lives."
Cardin looked at his professor as he cut him off, while the man turned around and stood with a seriousness Cardin hadn't experienced yet, as well as a somberness that caught him off guard.
"Young man. I was here. That day, my team and I, who were in our last year of Beacon, were sent here to help with the evacuation alongside other students and full-fledged hunters. The city had discovered a massive grimm horde approaching, and we arrived only a few hours before tragedy struck. People were trampling over each other to make it to the bullheads and trains, some even willing to risk braving the wilderness on foot to escape impending doom, thus causing every single outlet of the city to become clogged."
The man walked further down the street, his eyes not in the present as he was remembered that day.
"The train was arriving late from Vale due to some complication. By the time it arrived, it was too late. People were scared, and only becoming more so as time went on, and eventually, as the grimm could be heard outside the massive walls, panic set in and the grimm began to siege the city. People were stampeding over each other trying to save themselves. And I had to watch as innocent people killed innocent people, trampling over strangers in a vain attempt to survive."
The man looked up at the sky which now had small twinkling lights as he continued.
"By the time we managed to form a perimeter, less than thirty percent of the city's population remained. Every hunter that was alive, and every civilian that we managed to round up was camped in the tunnels that led to Vale, us having collapsed the entrance in the hopes of buying enough time for the train to return. Only, it never did."
The man took off his glasses, revealing narrowed and haunted eyes to his student.
"We knew we couldn't wait forever, and decided to instead walk the tunnels, knowing it was safer than simply waiting for a rescue that may never come. So for hours, we walked, paranoid and in the dark. As we kept going, one of the hunters suddenly collapsed and started sobbing. Apparently, he'd used his semblance on the tunnel entrance, some form of mental alarm, to know once the grimm had breached, and in that moment, he could feel every single grimm in the horde swarming in."
Oobleck's hands had before going slack.
"But, him losing his composure made the civilians do the same. And negativity only strengthens the resolve of the grimm. We ran. We ran, and ran, and ran until finally, we saw why the train hadn't returned. Rubble. A sea of stones blocking our path, with scorch marks lining the walls, floor, and overhead of the tunnel. We had no time to clear the stones, and so me as well as every other hunter made our peace in that moment. We weren't getting out alive."
"We were now exhausted, scared, and in the dark. And within a few hours, the first of the glowing red eyes was upon us as we began to hold out for as long as we could, refusing to die so easily. The fight for survival that followed was…Hell. The hunters who were primarily melee combatants were the front line, and they lasted as long as they could, before eventually their auras were broken and they were ripped apart. As others who stood behind them repelled the grimm, some of the monsters were snatching civilians who were unfortunate enough to be close enough, dragging them into the waiting horde to be slaughtered."
Oobleck leaned against a wall as he seemed to be coming near the conclusion.
"...The fight lasted less than an hour. We were out of supplies, out of munitions, and just as we all huddled together to die as a team, a miracle happened. One of my teammates unlocked her semblance, and suddenly, we were a few mere miles outside Vale, safe. The adrenaline flowing through us had our heads on swivels, but eventually, we realized that there were no grimm around. We each fell to the ground, coming to terms with reality. We were alive, and we failed to save a single person."
"As we sat there, I told my team about the scorch marks I saw along the surfaces of the tunnel, and they realized what I already knew. We were left for dead so as to prevent the grimm from having a direct line into the kingdom. And right then, I watched as something changed in each of them. Roman, Trivia, and Amber…"
The man looked pained as he finished.
"Team BATT died that day. Once we made it back to Vale and subsequently Beacon, we went to inform the headmaster that we were still alive, and immediately, Roman and Trivia had withdrawn from the school. Amber told Ozpin that she was ready to embrace her destiny and live up to what he saw in her. Immediately after, I saw my partner less and less, and by the time we graduated, I was seeing her once every other week if I was fortunate. And eventually…she disappeared."
The man took a shaky breath before returning his large glasses to their perch.
"I see lives that could've been saved. As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and prevent history from ever repeating itself in the future that belongs to you kids."
The man looked at Cardin as he stood up straight before speaking one last time, thoroughly earning the red head's respect.
"I am a Huntsman, Cardin, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be."
The man turned and continued walking back to where the rest of team CRDL was, followed closely by Cardin. As they arrived, camp had already been finished getting put together for the night, and in the center of the camp was the field marker. The good doctor cleared his throat before speaking, his change in tone idly surprising the boy he'd just shared a good chunk of personal history with.
"Good work, men! You all have a functional camp, and have taken the liberty to start dinner for yourselves. Outstanding! Tonight, the four of you will be camping here alone as I do some light patrolling, surveying, and field work relatively nearby. If an emergency arises, all you need to do is launch a flare, and I will drop whatever I'm doing and come to assist. I recommend establishing a watch rotation, and heading to bed, we have plenty of work to do tomorrow!"
The man waved to the boys before disappearing down the stairs of the building and around the corner, leaving the students in a minor state of recovery from his eccentric attitude.
"Well…that happened."
"Yeah…anyways, who wants to take what watch?"
Dove and Sky looked at each other before Dove shrugged.
"I don't care. I'll take whichever. While you all decide, I'm going to go do a check on our equipment and supplies."
He slipped past Cardin as Sky moved to stand near the fire by where Russel was sitting.
"Well, if he doesn't care, I guess I'll take the first watch. Dove, you'll take second, then Russel, and finally Sky. Anyone got any problems with that?"
He got a shake of the head from Sky and a half-attentive no from Dove, but as he looked at Russel, it was clear his partner was ignoring him in favor of staring into the fire.
"Russ, you hear what I-"
"Don't call me that."
The sudden hostility caught everyone off guard as Russel glared into the campfire.
"Only my friends call me that."
Cardin bit out a growl as he responded.
"Really? You wanna do this now?"
The teen looked up from where he was sitting at his leader.
"You're the one that wouldn't let shit lie back in the dorm."
Cardin went to reply, but was cut off as he watched Russel's expression morph into one of horrified shock. All of a sudden, the sound of everything around the large teen went mute as a searing ache came from his gut. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the tip of Dove's weapon, Hallshott, protruding from below his chest. Looking back up, he saw a bit of his blood had made it onto Russel's face. As black began to swim at the edges of his vision, he could just make out the sly grin on Sky's face, and the soundless scream that Russel wore as he fell to the ground.
(A/N)
I'm back quicker than...I have been in a while. Still trying to recapture that old groove where I was uploading weekly/biweekly, but going from an eleven month gap to just a one-monther is pretty neat.
Anyhow, we're getting to the part of the 'Volume' where things start happening, after this arc, we'll have Jaune and Co. going on their mission (heh), and then?
The Dance, and the Vytal.
See y'all soon.
B.J.H.