72

Chapter 72:

Day 1:

Yang frowned, watching the bullhead that would carry her sister's team to the airport lift off. The idea that her little sister, whom she'd only recently reunited and reconciled with, would be taking a dangerous mission in another Kingdom was a troubling one. Perhaps it was a remnant of the overprotective habits she'd cultivated under their father, but Yang felt uncomfortable at the thought that Ruby would be so far away.

"They'll be fine," said Blake, resting an easy hand on Yang's shoulder. "Your sister certainly knows how to take care of herself. And she'll have the rest of her team with her."

"I guess," said Yang uneasily.

Blake smiled. "Come on," she said. "It's time for us to head out on our own mission."

"Right," said Yang, seeing what remained of their own team, along with Team CPPR, already heading towards a different pad, where another bullhead was waiting to whisk them off to Mountain Glenn. Even from this distance, she could see the lanky figure of her uncle Qrow, along with the figure of Professor Oobleck. Yang had a hard time imagining their quirky History teacher as a hardened Huntsman. However, she supposed that must be a basic requirement to even teach at Beacon.

They were about to head over, when a shout caught their attention.

"Hey!" Sun rushed up to RYNB, Blake in particular, Neptune following in his wake, huffing and panting.

"Sun?" Blake canted her head at the sight of him, though she couldn't keep a small smile from her face.

"I heard you were heading out," explained Sun. "Wanted to get the chance to wish you luck."

Blake's smile widened. "Thanks," she said.

Closing the distance between them, Sun reached out and gently brushed his fingers against Blake's upper arm. "Be careful out there," he said.

"I will," Blake promised. "Thank you."

"What are you guys gonna be doing?" asked Yang, looking between the two boys.

"Well...since going out on the town with you girls..." He was interrupted by a cough from a certain someone. "...and Ren...tends to end up with things exploding, Neptune and I decided to take a mission with the local police."

"We're even getting Junior Detective badges," bragged Neptune, puffing himself up. The others all ignored him.

"Sounds pretty fun," said Nora. "And this from the guy who showed up in Vale, running from the cops."

"What can I say, I like to get to know the people who chase me," said Sun, grinning and throwing a wink at Blake, who blushed.

"It sounds like you'll be having fun," observed Blake. Stepping in closer, she stood on her toes to bring her lips to Sun's cheek, giving him a light peck, before stepping back. "I'll see you, when we get back."

"Looking forward to it," said Sun, who, despite his red face, looked as though he could have died happy, right then and there.

"Ahem..." Ciel's insistent cough drew the group's attention to Team CPPR. Holding up her left arm, Ciel pointed to the screen of her wristwatch.

"...Right," said Blake, blushing harder. She stepped back from Sun. "Goodbye then."

"Yeah...bye," said Sun, waving reluctantly.

"We'll catch'ya later," declared Yang, waving over her shoulder as RYNB and CPPR headed towards the waiting bullhead. Moderating her pace, she fell back to walk next to her partner, giving Blake a cheeky smile.

"What?" asked Blake, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," said Yang. "I guess...I'm a little jealous. He's a real keeper."

Blake's first impulse was to deny that there was anything going on between her and Sun, but then realized it was futile. "I suppose he is," she said, smiling fondly.

The two teams reached the landing pad, where they saw Qrow, already leaning casually up against the side of the bullhead, pulling out his flask and sipping from it. In contrast, Oobleck stood before the aircraft's open bay-doors, straight-backed, with posture that would have done any of the Atlesian students proud. His usual attire was covered by a khaki, button-down safari shirt; over which he wore a tan great-coat; while his unruly hair was covered by the rounded dome of a pith helmet.

"Well then, let us embark quickly," said Oobleck, speaking at his usual rapid clip. "We are burning daylight, people."

"Wouldn't have lost so much time if you'd stopped obsessing over the luggage," grumbled Qrow, pushing away from the hull and stepping aboard.

Oobleck merely growled under his breath, but held his tongue otherwise, instead turning to climb in after Qrow, with RYNB and CPPR following him.

When they had first met with Qrow and Oobleck for their initial briefing, Oobleck had informed them that, since their mission was actually a reconnaissance mission, he would would take care of their packs, wanting to ensure that they were packed light and ready to move, without needing a fixed base of operations. But he had been overruled by Qrow, who'd said the students needed to choose what to bring.

"If they get worn out, 'cause they brought too much crap, it'll just serve 'em right," he'd commented dryly.

It had led to the eight students attending the mission to review what they had packed, and ensure they had brought along only what was absolutely necessary. As Oobleck had explained, they would be spending much of their mission on the move, searching for signs of the White Fang, while fighting Grimm. Because of that, they couldn't afford to be weighed down by their packs. Of course, considering how long the mission was supposed to run, they couldn't afford to stint on the necessities either, particularly things like extra Dust and spare rounds. Everyone had finished making their selections, only able to hope that they'd made the right decisions.

Compared to some of the flights that students would be taking out to their various mission points, the bullhead flight to Mountain Glenn was comparatively brief, so much so that the pilot didn't bother closing the doors.

"Okay, real briefing time," said Qrow, looking to Oobleck. "Doc, what can ya tell us 'bout the place?"

Oobleck grunted, and nodded. "Right, as you all learned in class, Mountain Glenn was the result of an attempt to expand Vale. A tunnel was excavated, connecting the settlement directly to Vale's center, in order to encourage commerce and make migration easier.

"At first, it seemed to be a success. The area chosen for the settlement was known for its cave systems, as well as deep forests, providing plentiful building materials. Thanks to well-situated natural barriers and aggressive perimeter defenses, the settlement thrived for a brief period of time. However, despite this, pressure from the Grimm only continued to mount. The frequency and intensity of their attacks only increased, no matter how often they were repulsed. Ultimately, the settlement was overrun. In an act of desperation, the tunnels between Mountain Glenn and Vale were demolished, in order to keep the Grimm from reaching Vale, trapping a large portion of the populace."

"That's awful!" gasped Nora, her free hand going to cover her mouth, while she steadied herself with her other hand, holding onto the bar running along the ceiling.

"It was a...difficult...decision," said Oobleck forlornly. "No one knows what exactly caused so much pressure from the Grimm. The persistence of their attacks was well beyond what would have been justified by the average level of negativity from the settlement's inhabitants."

"You make it sound as though there's something here that draws the Grimm, besides negativity," observed Piper.

"That may be true," said Oobleck. "After all, the reason Mountain Glenn is subject to so many Search-and-Destroy missions in the first place is because, even though the inhabitants are all dead and gone, the Grimm still continue to congregate. However, what reason they could possibly have to gather here remains unknown."

"And the White Fang are out there in that...somewhere," said Blake, gazing at the forest canopy flashing by below intently.

"That's what we're aiming to find out," said Qrow.

The airship dipped, its curving flight taking them around the forest-covered side of a mountain, Mount Glenn, from which the settlement had taken its name. Coming around the other side, what remained of the settlement itself hove into view. Crumbling skyscrapers stretched upward from from ruined and potholed streets. Here and there, ruined cars could be seen, some crumpled and rusted heaps, many of them sporting parallel rents along their bodies. Weeds sprouted from cracked asphalt, and vines climbed up dilapidated walls.

"This is awful," whispered Yang, her eyes wide. It was one thing to hear and read about fallen settlements, like this one, but another thing entirely to see, with her own eyes, the devastation wrought by the Grimm.

"It is," agreed Oobleck, while Qrow nodded gravely.

Their bullhead swooped down low over an open cul-de-sac, coming into a hover, allowing the students and teachers to disembark.

"So, what is the plan now?" asked Rain, looking around.

"Now we begin our search," said Oobleck. "We are looking for an underground criminal organization, so following the pattern of Grimm activity will give us clues as to their location."

"Cool," said Piper, before pointing down the street. "Looks like there's one now."

True to her words, a Beowolf prowled out from between a pair of buildings. The black-furred, lupine Grimm growled softly, lowering the nose of its white-masked head to the ground, seeming to be looking for something. Shifting its head back and forth, it began to creep along, heading along the street, its movements taking it along perpendicular to the line of sight of the party currently watching it.

"Excellent," said Oobleck. "For now, we follow it."

"And...the rest of them...?" asked Ren, taking a step back as the Beowolf was followed by the rest of its pack, the whole group slowly prowling along. Then...one on the fringes of the group lifted its nose, sniffing the air. With an angry snarl, it turned and looked directly at the two teams and their escorts.

"Looks like they saw us," said Yang. "What's Plan B?"

With a loud howl, the Beowolf signaled the rest of its pack, all of them orienting on the group immediately. Without hesitation, they began to charge forward.

"Now...show us what you can do," said Oobleck simply.

The eight students drew their weapons. The members of RYNB glanced sidelong at their new friends on CPPR. Blake had already seen Penny's wired blades before. But the other students' weapons were an unknown.

Ciel tapped the glowing, blue screen of her watch-face. With a series of rapid clicks, silvery plates unfolded from the steel rim of the watch-face, and the band around her wrist, sliding out and linking together to form a smooth, curved surface, creating a half-gauntlet that covered Ciel's forearm, with more plates completely enclosing her hand, with a rectangular indentation resting just behind where her knuckles were located beneath the gauntlet. From the rounded end of the hand-guard, a long, straight-edged blade extended, her weapon revealing itself to be a pata-sword. Both gauntlet and blade were embellished with the curling lines of gold inlays. The blue screen of her watch-face glowed out from its original location, above her wrist.

Reaching behind herself, Piper withdrew her hands to reveal an octet of black, metal spheres, which she held between the fingers of her hands. Each sphere was about the size of a ping-pong ball. In the face of the approaching Beowolves, she crossed her arms in front of herself, then flung them apart, throwing the spheres into the air. As they took flight, the spheres expanded to the size of tennis balls, leaping towards the incoming Grimm on looping and swooping paths that indicated the presence of independent propulsion for each of them. From within the sleeves of Piper's shirt, wires extended out over the backs of her hands, splitting to run out to the tips of her fingers, almost seeming to merge with the fabric of her gloves.

When Rain had shown up for the mission, he'd had two additions to his outfit. The first was an angular, diamond-shaped shield, resting on his back. Its face was a burnished gray, decorated with a quartet of royal-blue raindrops, while the outer edges were a lighter, silvery-gray. As the Grimm closed, he snapped out his right arm, and the shield slid off his back and down to connect to the second addition, a steel-colored armguard, which held what looked like a reel of some kind of pale-green string or thread. As Rain lifted his arm towards the incoming Beowolves, the tip of the shield pointing out over his hand elongated out, his shield becoming an angular kite-shield, but with Rain wielding it in a way that made it seem more like an oversized katar.

The eight students rushed forward to meet the Beowolf pack. As they did, the howls of the Beowolves were joined by other sounds, the roars of Ursai; and the snarling, barking sounds of angry Creeps. The calls let out by the Beowolves were drawing in Grimm from the surrounding area, making it all the more important that the students got rid of these ones first, before they were simply swamped by sheer numbers.

Yang dove straight in, her gauntlets thundering with each punch she threw, smashing the heads or chests of the Grimm, often with a single hit each. Beside her, Blake danced gracefully amidst the pack, her cleaver-like sheath and black katana flashing out, cutting the monsters down with ease. Ren led with short bursts of shots from his guns, bringing down several Beowolves before they even came into range, then diving into their midst, wielding the blades of his StormFlower with delicate precision. Not far away, Nora charged in headlong, swinging her hammer straight into the body of the first Beowolf she encountered, and sending it flying back through the ranks of its fellows, bowling them over.

Aside from Ren's bullets, the black orbs Piper had launched were the first to meet the enemy. Despite their small size, the eight spheres punched effortlessly through the body of the first Beowolf they encountered, prompting it to collapse. From there, their looping flightpaths spread them throughout the pack, sending them smashing through any impediment before them. Piper followed behind her weapons, the fingers of her hands making delicate, darting movements, almost as though she were playing the keys of a pair of invisible keyboards.

Ciel and Rain were much more straightforward, joining the other students in their charge, they attacked with swift slashes, Rain striking with the sharpened edge of his shield, easily cutting down any Grimm that came his way, while Ciel did the same with her sword. Just past them, Penny spun like a dervish through the ranks of the Grimm, her swords whirling around her body.

Between the eight of them, they quickly made short work of the Beowolf pack. Before they could stop and try to catch their breath though, more Grimm arrived on the scene. Bounding Beowolves charged in alongside lumbering Ursai. Creeps ran like ostriches, or hopped along like grotesque kangaroo parodies. They streamed from every alleyway, rushed down every boulevard, every one of them keen to sink their teeth and claws into the prey that had appeared in their vicinity.

Still, RYNB and CPPR fought with vigor. Ciel tapped the screen of her watch-face, the screen's color switching from blue to red. Red light climbed the length of her sword, making it look as though she'd just pulled it from the forge. Facing a charging Ursa, with a pair of Beowolves following in its wake, she swung out with a wide slash, sending a red crescent of pure heat flashing out, cutting down all three Grimm with one stroke.

Piper danced amid the monsters, her movements graceful and balletic. All the while, her fingers continued a dance of their own, directing her flying orbs though offensive and defensive patterns, their bodies punching holes through attacking Grimm, even smashing through the bone-plate armor of their bodies with ease.

At one point, faced with an enormous Ursa Major bearing down on her, Piper snapped her right hand out to one side. All eight orbs came together, seven forming a line that extended out from the thumb-side of her hand, while the eighth hovered behind her pinky. The black and purple emissions of gravity-Dust flared out from the orbs, congealing and solidifying so that seven ran along the spine of a massive, curved, single-edged blade; looking like a giant, broad-bladed scimitar, while the eighth formed the pommel. Piper stepped into a diagonal swing, aiming upwards, cutting the Ursa Major in two. From there, the orbs split and resumed their independent attacks.

About half of the flying swords Penny was controlling split off, transforming into their gun-modes, sending lances of green energy flying through the ranks of the attacking Grimm, downing them swiftly and efficiently, while Penny continued to direct the rest to cut down anything that came close to her.

Rain had separated from his comrades, fighting his way through the Grimm, until he was well away from the others. It might have seemed that he'd foolishly allowed himself to be isolated. However, it was the best way for him to deploy his weapon. Abruptly, the extended tip of his kite shield retracted, returning the shield to its original diamond-shape. Then, the plates separated four ways, forming four smaller diamonds, a pale-green membrane connecting them to one another. The whole thing lifted away from his right arm, taking to the air, with green threads of string connecting it to the spool on his forearm, Rain manipulating the string with the fingers of both hands.

The kite swooped down, flying in a wide circle around Rain as he spun in place, attacking, not with the shield itself, but with the string. The string slashed all the Grimm in a perfect circle around him in two. A roar drew his attention to an approaching Elder Creep, its back covered with curved plates of bone-armor, giving it the appearance of a living tank. Manipulating the kite-string with deft movements of his fingers, Rain brought it diving down to drive its leading tip straight into the top of the Creep's head. The monster's body lurched forwards and down from the force of impact, and the weight of the weapon itself. But its armor held, and the kite glanced off harmlessly.

Angered, the Creep reared up with a roar. But Rain directed his kite into a swift circle around it, wrapping the string around the Creep several times. From there, he stepped back, while giving the string a mighty pull. At the same time, the kite flew out away from the Creep in the opposite direction, pulling the string taut. The wind-Dust infusing formed a swirling, razor-edged cyclone that carved the Grimm into pieces.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Rain quickly retracted the string, pulling the kite back to his forearm, its plates rejoining together, Rain turning just in time to hold up the shield to deflect a Beowolf's slashing claws, sending him skidding back. As his momentum petered out, he snapped his right arm out, his shield elongating again, so that he could meet the Beowolf with a powerful slash to cut it down.

Qrow leaned casually against a crumbling wall. It might have once been part of a building, but the wall, barely taller than he was, was the only thing left now. Unscrewing the lid of his flask, he took a pull of its contents. "Those Atlesian kids sure have some neat toys," he noted.

Oobleck grunted in acknowledgement, instead inspecting the very wall Qrow was leaning against, running fingers over its surface, before peering to inspect inside a particular crack.

Lowering his flask, Qrow puffed out a sigh. "Well, if the White Fang doesn't know we're here yet, they will soon."

About fifteen more minutes of intense fighting saw the end of the Grimm horde, allowing the students, and their escorts, to resume their investigation. However, that was not the last group of Grimm to harass them. Oftentimes, it seemed they could barely travel a full block, before they were jumped by another Beowolf pack, or dive-bombed by a murder of small Nevermores. Every time, the calls of the attacking Grimm, along with the sounds of the accompanying battle, only served as a beacon to call in more of their kind, making each individual battle feel even longer and more-protracted than it should have.

The sun climbed across the sky, the day growing warm, the warmth uncomfortable with the sheer level of physical exertion the eight students were performing. Only Penny seemed unbothered by the constant battles, remaining as bright and chipper as she had when they'd first met up in the morning. Even Nora's, normally boundless, energy levels were beginning to dwindle.

To make matters worse, the Huntsmen who were supposed to be leading this expedition were seemingly unhelpful. Professor ("Doctor!") Oobleck was often nearby. But he scarcely even threw a glance at the attacking Grimm, unless one came for him directly, in which case, he dispatched it quickly and easily, before turning back to what he had been doing before, which seemed to involve inspecting random pieces of scenery. Qrow, on the other hand, often seemed to straight-up vanish for several minutes at a time, reappearing later, seemingly out of nowhere. In either case, it was clear that neither of them were going to be helping the students with their fighting.

Of course, even as they worked to clear out the obscene numbers of Grimm infesting the empty streets and ruined buildings, the students were still on the lookout for signs of the White Fang. In order to help expedite the process, and reduce their chance of drawing in too many Grimm at once, they split up and spread out. Initially, everyone stuck with their regular partners. However, before long, the two teams were mingling more fully, making partnerships more fluid.

Ren rested a hand on Ciel's shoulder, pulling her back from peering around the corner of a building. A pair of Beowolves had spotted her, and charged. Ciel had been about to step forward to confront them, but had been stopped by Ren's hand. As she was pulled back, she felt a cool sensation wash across her skin. The colors of the world seemed to fade slightly, and her mind was grasped by a strange sense of calm.

The Beowolves barreled right past, running straight down the street without even glancing around the corner, passing Ren and Ciel by, like they hadn't even been there. Once the beasts were far enough away, Ren lifted his hand away, letting out a soft breath, and the world returned to normal. Ciel turned to regard him, one eyebrow rising in interest.

"That's a useful ability," she commented.

"It can be," replied Ren, giving her a slight nod.

The two of them returned to their work, carefully inspecting nearby buildings for signs of anything other than the Grimm. What they'd found was not all that promising. Inspecting a dilapidated storefront had revealed nothing more than the rotted remains of product packaging, the contents having long before been taken by animals. Inspecting a back room had revealed the grisly discovery of a pair of skeletons, their bones scattered, some missing.

However, of anyone other than the remains of the original inhabitants, there had been no sign, so far. Ciel and Ren refused to let that discourage them though. Instead, they used Ren's Semblance to search methodically, avoiding confrontation with the Grimm, allowing their friends to draw the monsters' attention, while they were able to make more thorough searches of the surrounding area.

The two leaders found that they got on well together. Their mutually quiet nature meant that neither felt any kind of obligation to fill in the silence between them, instead contenting themselves with speaking to one another only when necessary.

The sound of beating wings drew Ren's gaze upwards, worrying that another Nevermore was about to stoop on them. However, to his relief, it was nothing more than an ordinary crow, which disappeared past the corner of the building they were crouched beside.

A minute later, a raspy voice spoke up from behind them. "Yo."

The pair turned, weapons at the ready, only to see Qrow standing behind them, arms folded, a smug look on his face. Ren tamped down the impulse to ask the Huntsman how he'd snuck up on the pair of them so easily. Instead, he decided to keep his response professional. "Yes...?"

"Just checkin' up on ya," said Qrow. "Seems like you two have everything well in hand, for now."

"And what have you been doing?" asked Ren.

"Scoutin' out the place," replied Qrow, taking his flask out, "same as you. I figured, with all the ruckus you kids are raising, someone might be curious enough to take a look. Seems like no one's taken the bait yet."

"That makes sense," mused Ciel, realizing what Qrow was getting at.

They were using a Search-and-Destroy mission as cover for their search for the White Fang operation. However, such a mission was, by its very nature, not a quiet one in the least. Such missions were a regular occurrence in Mountain Glenn, so the White Fang would not be overly surprised to see groups of students out on such a mission, particularly during a time when most of the students were taking missions. At the same time, though, they would be fools to not investigate the situation, if only to confirm that things were as they were supposed to be, and that the students weren't in danger of stumbling on them by complete accident.

Realizing that, all Qrow had to do was hang back and remain hidden, and watch for signs of White Fang scouts and sentries. Then, when someone did come to look, all Qrow had to do was follow them back to where they came from.

"We've been searching for evidence of any activity," noted Ren. "It might be that we are in the wrong section of Mountain Glenn right now."

"Well, we've got a couple more days, before crunch time," said Qrow. "We need to make sure we do things right, so we don't want to make it obvious we're looking."

Ren and Ciel nodded. "Is there anything else, Sir?" asked Ciel.

Qrow's eyes narrowed as he stared at them. "Just a little curiosity of mine," he said. "Why do you two want to become Huntsmen?"

"What?" Ren was thrown by the unexpected question. From her own lack of reaction, it seemed Ciel might not know what to think about it either.

"Call it idle curiosity," said Qrow, folding his arms. "But what are you kids doing out here, in the middle of a wrecked settlement, skulking around, looking for terrorists? What is it that gets ya going?"

Ren frowned, looking down.

"It seemed the obvious choice for me," said Ciel simply.

"That so?" asked Qrow.

Ciel retracted her weapon back into its watch-form, standing up straight and folding her arms behind her back, as though she were delivering a military report. "My family has served in the Atlesian military for three generations. However, I will be the first member to enter military service as a Specialist. It is my aspiration to usher in a new standard that those who follow in my footsteps can follow."

"That's...interesting," said Qrow, his expression becoming slightly sour. "You're starting to sound like a certain Ice Queen I know."

"I hold Specialist Schnee in the highest regard," said Ciel simply. "I see her as a figure well worth emulating."

"I'm more bothered by the fact you knew I was talking about her," muttered Qrow.

Ren sighed. "Well...I can't lay claim to that kind of legacy. My father was a hunter."

"So you wanted to tackle more dangerous game?" asked Qrow, raising an eyebrow.

Ren frowned. "No," he said. "When Nora and I were children, our hometown was destroyed by a Grimm."

Ciel snapped her head around to stare at him with wide eyes. "A Grimm?" she asked.

Even if a settlement's defenses were light, the likelihood of a single Grimm bringing an entire one down, unless it was some isolated hamlet of a dozen or so people, was absurd…until said Grimm called in reinforcements. That Ren's story indicated that a single Grimm was fully responsible for the settlement's destruction told her that this was no ordinary Grimm.

Ren nodded gravely. "We had no Huntsmen. My mother died when our house was destroyed, before we could even try to get away. Father..." Ren stared down. "He tried his best.

"I know what it's like to lose everything, to see the people you love be devoured by the monsters. If I can make it so that one less person has to experience that, then I will have fulfilled my ambition."

Qrow smirked at that. "Not bad, kid. The two of you have potential." He began to back off. "I'll leave you to your work."

He backed up, then jumped, kicking off the side of the building to launch himself up farther, before disappearing over the edge of the roof. Ren and Ciel stared after him, wondering what that conversation had been all about.

Then they heard the sound of more approaching Grimm. Ren placed his hand on Ciel's shoulder, and activated his Semblance once more, allowing the two of them to continue.

"Your weapon is very unusual," noted Blake, watching as Rain's kite returned to his arm, before lengthening back into its shield/blade configuration.

"Well, I cannot deny that," Rain admitted. "I have always possessed a fondness for kites. I flew them often, as a child."

Blake smiled at that, wishing she had such childhood memories. Most of her childhood, that she could remember, had been taken up by following her parents along to participate in the protests they'd organized across multiple Kingdoms. There had been little time or opportunity to play, and playing outside carried the risk of becoming a target of human retaliation, part of the reason she had cultivated her habit for reading.

"I can't imagine that it was easy, learning such a weapon," noted Blake.

"That much is true," agreed Rain. "As far as I know, mine is the first weapon of its kind. Therefore, I was required to innovate the technique for its usage."

It was interesting to speak to Team CPPR's sole male member. Rain was polite, both by nature and by speech, often speaking more formally and precisely. It was almost what Blake would have expected of someone with such a high-class upbringing, except that she knew Weiss to be much more at ease speaking casually. Although, perhaps that spoke to the difference between their families. The Schnees were members of the Atlesian upper crust, by virtue of their all-powerful Dust empire. In contrast, Rain was actual nobility.

Rain regarded her carefully, before looking around pointedly, making sure that no Grimm were about to attack them. They were currently situated in a lull, which made it easier to talk. "If I may, Ms. Belladonna, I would like to be blunt with you."

"Blunt?" Blake's ears twitched beneath their bow.

Rain nodded. "I apologize if this is prying. However, it would seem to me that you have a personal stake in this matter. Is that correct?"

Blake's eyes widened fractionally. "What makes you say that?"

"When the topic of the White Fang comes up, I cannot help but notice that you seem more personally invested than the rest." His eyes narrowed. "Do you have a personal grievance with them?"

Averting her eyes, Blake reached across with her left hand to grasp her right forearm nervously. "Th-that's not it," she said, uneasy with Rain's insight.

"I see...my apologies," said Rain simply. It seemed less that he'd swallowed her half-hearted denial, and more that he was too polite to press the issue, when he was seeing it make her so uncomfortable.

"Have you ever dealt with the White Fang?" asked Blake, turning the inquiry around on her temporary partner.

Rain shook his head slightly. "Not truly," he said. "My family has had little to do with...well...anything, of late, least of all politics. Father insists that we are above that, because of our noble stock. However, the truth is that our nobility has no bearing on the world, as it currently stands. I believe that, presently, the White Fang cannot even be bothered to consider the Elric Family." His smile became rueful. "I must admit that I find it something of an amusing irony that their attitude towards us might well have changed, had I actually followed through on Father's ambitions in having me pursue Ms. Schnee."

"That's probably true," agreed Blake, with a wry smile of her own.

"Then, may I propose a question to you both?" asked Oobleck, prompting Blake to jump in surprise, when she realized that he was lounging on a ledge formed by the crumbling upper floor of a nearby building, having apparently heard every word they'd just been saying. Rain snapped his head up to look at the teacher, but his response was otherwise subdued.

"What is it?" Rain asked.

"Why do you wish to be Huntsmen?" asked Oobleck, staring down at them.

"That's easy," said Blake, the answer coming to her lips with almost no forethought. "There's too much injustice in the world. Someone has to do something."

"I see..." said Oobleck, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "How?"

"That's..." Blake's face became vacant, as she pondered the question. "I...I don't know."

"Hmmm..." Oobleck hummed. Then he turned his attention to Rain. "And you, Mr. Elric. I cannot help but notice that it is unusual for someone of your background to take on such a dangerous profession. What prompted you to do so?"

"Well...I simply did not wish to feel superfluous," said Rain, smiling calmly. "I saw no point in clinging to a name and bloodline that served no purpose." He paused, canting his head in thought. "Though...I suppose there are any number of ways I could have chosen to be an active part of the world. As for what made me choose to become a Huntsman in particular..." His cheeks turned slightly pink. "...a friend inspired me. That is all I shall say on the matter."

"Very well then," said Oobleck decisively, jotting something down into his notebook. "Carry on."

With that, he suddenly blurred out of sight, disappearing so fast that they didn't actually see him stand up first.

Blake turned her gaze back to Rain with a sly smile. "A friend, hmmm? Would she happen to be a certain team leader of yours?"

Rain sighed. "I suppose it was obvious," he admitted. Then he chuckled. "Well...there is no point in hiding it, I suppose."

"I think it's sweet," said Blake.

"That is kind of you to say," said Rain, inclining his head politely towards her.

"Your balls are so cool!" said Nora, grinning as she watched the black orbs under Piper's command annihilate another Ursa.

"You need to be more careful with your phrasing," Piper replied, giving Nora a cheeky grin. "There's no telling what people might think, if they heard that out of context."

"Oh, I know exactly what they'd think," said Nora, with a sly grin. "I have the network too, you know."

Piper giggled, her orbs returning to her hands, before she stowed them behind her. "Then should I admire how well you can pound a Grimm?"

"Ew! Gross!" Nora grimaced, sticking out her tongue, prompting a laugh from Piper.

"By the way," said Piper, "you and your partner seem quite close. You wouldn't happen to be...more than that...would you?"

Nora gasped, her eyes going wide. "What? No!" She flailed her hands out in front of her, forcing Piper to take a step back, as one of those hands was still gripping Magnhild. "W-we're together, but not together-together."

"Aww...Why not?" asked Piper, grinning. "I can tell you like him, I mean, like-like him. Surely you've thought of it?"

"I...I have," admitted Nora, her cheeks turning red, while she averted her gaze. "It's just...I've been with Ren for so long, and we just...we're just really good together. But it feels strange to try for something more."

"Maybe you're just nervous," said Piper. "It wouldn't hurt to ask. I think he likes you too."

"M-maybe," said Nora. Desperate to change the subject, she turned the question around on Piper. "Is there anyone in your life?"

"Not at the moment," said Piper, closing her eyes pensively. "I mean, I'm not like Ciel. I don't feel the need to partition romance out of my school-life. But...I just haven't found anyone like that yet." She sighed.

"That's too bad," said Nora.

"Well, it is what it is," said Piper with a shrug. "I'm sure I'll find someone, sooner or later." Truth be told, she had someone in mind…but he was more of a penpal than anything else at the moment. Still, no telling what the future might hold.

"I guess," said Nora.

Piper tapped her chin. "Well, that blonde fellow, Arc, had some appeal to him. Unfortunately, he's attached, isn't he?"

"Yep," agreed Nora.

"Well, plenty of fish in the sea," said Piper with a shrug. "I guess we should move on to the next batch of Grimm, or at least see if we can turn up some clues about those terrorists."

"A wise decision, Ms. Cerny," declared Oobleck, popping up from behind a low wall, making both girls jump and yelp. "As entertaining as gossiping about school relationships can be, it is hardly productive."

Nora glowered at him, but Piper merely tittered, flapping a dismissive hand his way. "You sound just like my dear leader, Doctor. One must seize the little moments when they can."

"An interesting philosophy," said Oobleck, frowning. "And just why is it you seek to become a Huntress, Ms. Cerny? From what I understand about your background, you would normally seem uninterested in it."

Piper lowered her face slightly, her bangs falling forward to obscure her eyes. As she did, her smile stretched slightly, sending a shiver down Nora's spine. There was something...sinister, about her bearing.

"Well...truth be told, I'm not that nice a person, Doctor," said Piper. "I enjoy making weapons...and I enjoy using them. Honestly, watching my little babies punch holes through Grimm, like they're made of tissue paper, is downright thrilling. I have something of a sadistic streak, I'm afraid. I like...breaking things."

"Interesting," said Oobleck.

Piper let out a soft sigh, her normal smile returning. "But it seems I'm possessed of enough self awareness to know I shouldn't be exercising those tendencies on people, at least not willy nilly. I figured being a Huntress would give me...an outlet. If I want to break things, I decided I should take a profession that would give me plenty of things to break."

"I see," said Oobleck, his expression inscrutable. Then his gaze shifted sharply to Nora, giving no indication that what Piper had said bothered him at all. "And you, Ms. Valkyrie?"

"Um...well..." Nora was still rattled by what Piper had revealed. "I...I don't have a huge reason." She sighed. "I never knew my parents. My first memories were of being alone, scrounging for what I could find to get by.

"The town I was in got hit by a Grimm...and that's when I met Ren. He saved me, comforted me, protected me...Without him, I'd be..." She shuddered. "Looking at what Ren did for me back then, I want to be able to do that for other people too."

"Hmm..." Oobleck nodded, his expression indicated that was the kind of answer he'd expected. "Very good. Carry on." And, with that, he vanished.

Nora turned a worried look at Piper, who returned the look forlornly. "And now you see the other reason I'm not all that eager to find a partner in the romantic sense."

"You mean you..." Nora swallowed nervously.

Piper held up her hands in a placating gesture. "No! No! Don't get me wrong. It isn't as though I have some kind of impulse that I'm constantly trying to rein in. You needn't worry about me losing control and attacking someone, or something like that. I just worry...I mean, it's hard for me to imagine most potential romantic partners fully accepting me, once they learn of my...tendencies." She sighed. "I hold out hope, though." There was one person she had in mind, a friend from back home, but she didn't generally talk about their relationship with others outside her team.

"Okay," said Nora, knowing that that wary feeling wouldn't be going away anytime soon, regardless of what Piper told her.

With the explosive sound of its discharge, Ember Celica blasted a Creep, blowing its head into dust, and sending the rest of its body sailing down the street. It disintegrated a few seconds later. Behind her, Penny pulled her swords back, having just finished carving an entire pack of Beowolves into hash. Yang was panting, her hair matted and tangled, everything soaked through with sweat. In contrast, Penny looked as fresh and chipper as a daisy.

"Seriously..." gasped Yang, in between pants, "...where...do you...get...all that energy."

"Um..." Penny turned around, smiling sheepishly, and scratching her cheek nervously. "I don't know. Hic!"

"Right..." said Yang skeptically. She took a moment to let her breathing calm, while keeping a sharp ear out for signs of the next Grimm attack. Fortunately, she knew that, even if she missed those signs, Penny was likely to pick them up. In fact, the curly-haired girl seemed to have an almost preternatural awareness of their surroundings, including the presence of any hostiles. She'd already saved Yang and the others from walking straight into three different ambushes during the course of the day. It was almost as though she was equipped with radar or something.

A loud caw tore through the intense silence that had followed the death of the last remaining Grimm. Its sudden blaring making Yang yelp and jump. She immediately fell into a defensive stance, looking up and around frantically, looking for the Nevermore she was sure was about to dive-bomb her.

However, Penny gave no sign that she'd detected any Grimm. Instead, she merely glanced curiously in the direction of the sound, with Yang following the line of her eyes. A black bird, a raven, had perched atop a listing lamppost, which had somehow remained standing in the years since the settlement had fallen. Yang had to take a second look, just to confirm that the raven was indeed a raven, and not a small Nevermore. But it only had two eyes, and there was no sign of the white mask that Grimm normally sported. Finally, she allowed herself to relax a little.

Despite that, there was still something about the bird that unnerved her. Penny's attention had already wandered elsewhere. But Yang couldn't help but feel that something was...off. She could've sworn the bird was staring right back at her. Sure, it cocked its head in those sharp, jerky movements birds were known for, but the line of its eyesight didn't seem to be changing. Yang frowned, her eyes narrowing. She took a curious step closer.

"Yo."

Yang jumped again, with a sharp shriek, the sound apparently startling the raven into flight with an angry caw. Turning around, Yang caught her breath at the sight of her uncle, now standing beside Penny. Strangely, he seemed to have been looking up at the raven as well. However, his gaze swiftly dipped back down to her.

"Geez, Uncle Qrow, you trying to give me a heart-attack?" asked Yang, giving him a rueful grin.

"It'd be a pretty sad day, when you got hit with one of those, just because somebody got the drop on ya," drawled Qrow.

Yang rested her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Find anything?" she asked.

Qrow smirked. "It took a lot of searching around, but I finally managed to find a clue." Raising his hand, he held up a small, familiar-looking object.

"A bullet casing?" Yang walked up and held out her hand, allowing Qrow to drop the item in question into it. "A recent one," she added.

Finding a spent casing in the middle of a fallen settlement wasn't so strange. Several Huntsmen and Huntresses had supposedly given their lives to the defense of Mountain Glenn, before it had fallen. So it was only natural that the remnants of such a battle would still be lying around, here and there. However, those casings were likely just as worn and corroded by exposure to the elements.

This one displayed the telltale scorch marks of discharge, but no immediate signs of rust. It hadn't been lying around for long.

"There's definitely someone out here," noted Qrow.

"It could be from someone taking an earlier Search-and-Destroy mission," said Yang.

"That is not likely," said Penny, coming closer, and examining the casing with her own eyes. "The signs indicate that this casing was discharged less than a week ago. There have been no such missions that recently."

"Uh...How do you know that?" asked Yang, staring at Penny in shock.

"Um..Well...I-Hic!-I do a lot of research," said Penny.

"Riiiiight..." deadpanned Yang. Given Penny's evasive behavior, she figured it was better not to press the issue.

"Well, with that, we've made some progress," said Qrow, taking the casing back. "We know that someone's out here. Odds are it's the White Fang."

"Where did you find this?" asked Yang.

"A little to the south of here," said Qrow. "I figured they might be that way." He glanced up. "Sun's getting a little low, so it's best to call it a day. We'll find a place to make camp and settle in for the night. You kids have been working pretty hard."

"Music to my ears," said Yang, stretching and grinning.

She and Penny fell into step alongside Qrow. As they walked, Qrow glanced sidelong at his niece. "Firecracker...?"

"Yeah?" Yang glanced back at him, uncertain of what to make of Qrow's tone.

"I've been wonderin'," he said. "You wanted to become a Huntress to look for Ruby, right?"

"That's about the size of it," said Yang, before sighing and shrugging. "I guess it was a pretty silly idea. I mean, Ruby survived by an insane streak of luck. So it would've taken luck just as insane for me to find any trace of her." She frowned. "But I couldn't help but stick to it. I was frustrated, and I felt like I was the only one who still wanted to find her." She turned a glare on Qrow. "Particularly because a certain someone neglected to tell us she was still alive."

Penny walked along, keeping slightly behind them, feeling as though she was listening to something that was better kept private. Ruby had given her the rundown on what had happened though, so Penny at least knew what they were talking about.

"Well...I ain't about to apologize for that," said Qrow frankly, shrugging. "You know as well as I do that wouldn't do any good now."

"Right," said Yang. "Ruby's here now. She's alive, and she's happy. That's enough for me."

"Good to know, Firecracker," said Qrow, sinking his hands into his pockets. "But I guess the big question I have now is...if you've got what ya wanted out of this, then...why are you still here?"

"Huh?" Yang blinked.

"Why are you still at Beacon, training?" pressed Qrow. "Why are ya still tryin' to become a Huntress, if the one thing ya wanted to do is already done?"

"Well..." Yang frowned, staring down at his feet. "I...I haven't thought all that much about it. Aside from finding Ruby, it's mostly been for selfish reasons..."

She remembered her early days of training, back when Ruby had still been at home. She'd been excited at the prospect of becoming a Huntress, of going out and having adventures. She was a thrill-seeker at heart. She'd imagined going off on wild adventures, getting wrapped up in all kinds of insane situations, never knowing what the next day might bring. If she happened to help people while she was at it, so much the better. It had been a win-win situation, as far as she was concerned.

Ruby's flight had changed things. Yang's priority had shifted to finding Ruby, following her trail, and bringing her home. And then Ruby had been there, at Beacon, and Yang's main goal had been met. But, in the subsequent weeks of struggling to reconnect with her sister, and getting a firsthand taste of the resentment Ruby held for her, Yang had come to realize something about her original ambitions.

Now, when Yang looked back on her old reasons for wanting to become a Huntress, all she could feel was disgust, with a heaping side of self-loathing. She'd only ever wanted to become a Huntress for reasons of selfish self-gratification. She'd go off, having all kinds of adventures and fun, while Ruby would be stuck at home, safe, but forever stifled under Taiyang's thumb. And Yang...the old Yang...would have been perfectly fine with that. But meeting Ruby again, reconnecting her, seeing firsthand Ruby's own reasons for becoming a Huntress, seeing that powerful conviction to be a hero, to help others, to do whatever it took to protect people, had made Yang take a close look at herself. And she hadn't been happy with what she'd seen.

So why was she still here, still at Beacon, still training to become a Huntress? Her old reason of finding Ruby was now moot. Her reason before that was insufficient.

"I...I don't know," said Yang, frowning. "I guess, right now...I'm just going with the flow...I suppose. I mean, I've already put this much work into it now, so...it would just suck to turn aside now, just because I don't know why."

She glanced at her hands. "I guess...if I had to give a reason...I'd still say it's for Ruby, but not in the same way as before. Now that I know her, now that we're sisters again, and I've seen how incredibly determined she is to become a Huntress, I'd say I want to be there for her, to do what I can to support her.

"Ruby's so amazing. She wants to be the old-school kind of hero, the one who goes out and helps people, rescuing them from the darkness, and never asking a single thing in return. I want to help her be that hero, to hold her up as best I can, and make up for all those years I spent trying to hold her back. I want to be there for her now, because I failed her before."

Qrow's expression sobered, ironically for him, and he reached out and gently grasped Yang's shoulder. "You weren't the only one, Firecracker. We all failed Ruby, back then, some worse than others; Tai worst of all, of course. That ain't a burden you need to bear alone. But still..." He gave her a warm smile, something that was a genuine rarity for a man like him. "...I'm glad you're there for her now. I know she is too."

"Yeah," said Yang, smiling warmly, looking down at her feet.

Penny followed behind them, listening silently. Father told me people are complicated. I guess this is what he meant.

They continued on, meeting up with the others, picking out their campsite, and hashing out their plan for the next day.

Crouched in the shadows that concealed a significant portion of a building's upper floor, Ilia muffled a gasp as she stared down at the gathering of students and Huntsmen, who made their way into another building, one that looked somewhat structurally sound. At the moment, Ilia's skin was pitch-black, allowing her to blend into the shadows around her.

Ilia's heart lurched at the sight of the familiar group arrayed down before her. She could easily recognize her old friend's team. She even recognized the orange-haired girl that had fought alongside Blake at the docks, though the strange girl's three teammates were unfamiliar faces, as were the Huntsmen who had accompanied the whole group. But that hardly mattered.

Blake was here, in Mountain Glenn. A feeling of hope arose, unbidden, in Ilia's chest. This was her chance, a chance to put a stop to the madness that Adam Taurus had roped the Vale branch into, a chance to stop him from setting back years of progress. These people were here, and before the crucial time. Ilia couldn't afford to let it go past.

She knew this might mean an end to her own tenure in the White Fang. Even if it had been for the right reasons, she suspected that even Sienna Khan, who had sent her to Vale out of mistrust in Adam in the first place, would not forgive such an outright betrayal of the organization. But still, there was no way she could allow this insanity to go through. If Blake was here, then, maybe, Ilia could get her to listen.

Of course, Ilia was unaware that she herself was being watched. A short ways behind her, a certain other person crouched, watching through mismatched eyes, veiled by light and shadow, waiting silently...