121

Chapter 121Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Aaaaaaalright Team RWBYP! We're all locked in for a Search and Destroy type mission! Our location is Mountain Glenn! Which we wanted to check out at some point anyway!" Ruby announced, standing on a milk crate that she'd so conveniently stuffed into her darkspace for situations like this as she pointed dramatically off into the distance (or, rather, the end of the hallway since Ruby was standing in their dorm's front entrance), cape fluttering behind her as she grinned and declared their destination for the entire team to hear. "It's gonna be three whole days of combat and reclaiming land, so be ready for anything and make sure your supplies are all there! We're going out on this trip with… Professor Goodwitch!?"

"Quite. Miss Rose, please stop shouting so loud indoors and get off of that crate. Miss Polendina, please make sure you have an adequate supply of quick-chargers and solar cells. Miss Belladonna… please refrain from bringing any books of a lewd or lascivious nature on this trip. We are supposed to be professionals ," Professor Goodwitch stated as she strode up and immediately commanded attention, adjusting her glasses and snapping her riding crop out to the side as she spoke. "Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee… do clean yourselves up. I can see the lipstick marks."

"Shit!"

"Apologies, ma'am!"

There was an instant mad scramble for a few seconds as everyone cleaned up what they were doing- Ruby blorping her Height Adjustment Device (which, again, was just a milk crate she'd decided to stand on sometimes when she wanted to feel taller) back into her torso while Penny made sure her pack was full of the required supplies to maintain her weapons and body, Blake casually dumping out all of her smut back onto her bed, and Weiss and Blake quickly sponging off the lipstick marks from around their necks… and cheeks… and shoulders… and in Yang's case her chest area. Professor Goodwitch just stared dryly, tapping her fingers on the previously floating suitcase she'd brought with her- a light equipment set capable of being converted into a backpack with ease, with minimal extra weight from the roller components and handle thanks to the lightness of the Dust reinforced aluminum.

She sighed, rolling her eyes at the teenaged antics- really, she supposed it was only to be expected from a bunch of first years partway through their second semester. Honestly, Glynda would have had them on mission duty far earlier, but the amount of shenanigans that they already got up to on a regular basis just by going out into Vale was… frightening. The Docks battle where they'd caught Roman Torchwick and Adam Taurus and an entire platoon of White Fang members, Miss Belladonna's numerous incursions into fighting street level crime, the amount of grimm they killed during classes or just recreationally, that three day grimm hunt where they'd nearly carved an empty path straight to Mountain Glenn… the warehouse fight where Miss Rose had been transformed into a horrifying beast… the CCT Tower break-in during the Dance… 

Well. 

She sighed again as the five girls lined up before her with shining eyes full of eagerness to go out and visit violence upon the enemies of all life on the planet, with Miss Rose very much vibrating in place as she held Crescent Rose cradled in her arms as though it were a baby.

She could see Augury hanging behind Miss Rose's back too, which was… worrying. 

"I take it you're all ready then?" Glynda asked, raising an eyebrow and looking over the group- their combat outfits seemed clean and ready, their packs weren't over-large or heavy, their equipment polished and maintained to an utterly ridiculous level of quality. They certainly seemed ready, and with Miss Rose's weapons expertise it wasn't like they'd run out of bullets any time soon. "Good. Follow me. We'll be taking the Bullhead from Dock 3 all the way out to the outskirts of Mountain Glen. Our landing zone is the partially completed wall surrounding its northwestern side, closest to Vale. The long range scroll frequency we will be using for the duration of this mission is Channel 337, routed directly from the CCT to the central Huntsman dispatch. Distress signals will be a sign to end the mission. I will be overseeing you without helping directly unless the situation is deemed too dangerous not to. I will additionally be grading you all on the metrics of field preparations, fighting ability, teamwork, tactics, and general skill level. I am aware that you all are capable of fighting at a level where most of your yearmates and a good amount of your upper classmates cannot hope to compare in a straight one on one duel, but I assure you that scores in sparring class mean nothing."

Glynda paused, then adjusted her glasses again as she strode down the corridor and lead the five hormonal teenagers behind her towards the elevators- Team RWBYP naturally breaking into two groups without even a single word spoken. Miss Polendina and Miss Rose formed one group, as was expected, and Miss Belladonna, Miss Schnee, and Miss Xiao Long formed the other. Glynda wasn't surprised in the slightest. "I am also aware of how well you handle grimm as a group, so in light of those circumstances I will not intervene unless one of you is about to break your Aura. As long as you are on your feet and still fighting, I will assume you have the situation handled unless you activate a distress beacon, ignite a flare, or your Aura level drops below twenty five percent. Understood?"

A series of nods and minor agreements was her only answer, and Glynda nodded herself as they came upon the elevator at the end of the hall… which Glynda summarily ignored in favor of opening the window to the side- really, a door leading to one of the upper balconies- and strode out onto it before hopping onto the railing and standing there for a moment. "Miss Rose. While we are in the field I expect utmost professionalism from all of you. No distractions in combat, no racing off by yourselves. You will lead your team as you wish through a preset series of obstacles. Our goal is not to clear all of Mountain Glenn, only to establish a large enough foothold that further surveillance can be conducted from a relatively safe base camp. Understood?"

"But what if we want to clear out Mountain Glenn?" Miss Rose asked, raising her hand and tilting her head slightly in a puppyish way. "Also, do we have to stay professional all the time?"

"I expect you to act in a manner that keeps you and your team alive, with high morale, and without any interruptions or interference in mission goals. What you do outside of combat in the safe areas is up to you. As for clearing out all of Mountain Glenn… I'm told Professor Ozpin has told you that it is, indeed, your choice. Do you wish to?" Glynda raised an eyebrow and tried not to look too hard at the leader of Team RWBYP, her choice of white cloak with her hood up making her look far too much like Summer Rose for her liking. 

"Guys, what do you think?" Ruby turned, facing her team and ignoring Professor Goodwitch for now as she looked between the rest of the group. "Should we try?"

"No better time to do it," Blake pointed out, rolling her shoulders and pulling Gambol Shroud from its sheath to check the magazine. "I'm in."

"We were gonna do it at some point anyway. Let's not kid ourselves on that , Rubles," Yang snorted, Ember Celica shifting and clanking ominously as she cocked the shotguns within and grinned wildly. "Those grimm won't know what hit 'em!"

"It seems prudent to do so. I might need a few refills along the way, though," Weiss sighed, brushing her bangs from her face as Myrtenaster rotated beneath her fingers, the dust cartridges spinning about as she held her weapon loosely in her hand. "I hope nothing goes wrong this time…"

"I am combat ready , wishing star!" Penny grinned wide, hands on her hips as she unleashed a few of Floating Array's swords to emphasize her point. "Whatever you want to do, I will back you all the way!"

"Okay. We're doing this then," Ruby nodded, then turned back to Professor Goodwitch with a resolute stare that almost shone silver with the force of her determination, cloak billowing in the wind as rose petals scattered around them all. "We're clearing Mountain Glenn. All of it. No more grimm holding us hostage in the walls of Vale. Not anymore."

Glynda sighed, knowing damn well that the five teenagers before her were going to do it no matter what she said. Oh well. Qrow would be furious later that he hadn't been consulted but… it was Miss Rose's choice. She had brought it up, she said she wanted to do it, and her entire team was there to help.

Nodding, Glynda turned and prepared to leap from the balcony. "Good. Then we'll return in three days, or however long it takes to empty the city. Mission begins now!"

Notes:

Surely, nothing will go wrong here, right?