Chapter 22: Ruined Kingdom (4)

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This is fanfiction, so the familiar characters you see belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

'Thought,'

—Line Breaker—

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Volume 1 - Chapter 22: Ruined Kingdom (4)

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"So? What did Ozpin say, Glynda?" asked Oobleck as he noticed his colleague who ended the call on her scroll.

"…"

"So?"

"…He said we should continue this mission since the difficulty can temper those children." Said Glynda with difficulty.

"Oi, I know Ozpin means well, but our situation is a little different now." Exclaimed Port in surprise, and he didn't expect that order from their Headmaster.

"We don't know the danger inside the Kingdom anymore! I won't be surprised if we find a titan inside those walls."

"Now, now, calm down, my friend. Ozpin must have a plan if he sends those kids and us inside that Kingdom. I'm right about that, Glynda." Said Oobleck as he patted his friend's shoulder in reassurance.

"Sorry, I lost my temper a little. Sorry for cutting you, Glynda." Said Port as he calmed down from his outburst thanks to his friend.

"No, it's okay. I understand your worry too. I was the same as you when I heard about Ozpin's order, and Oobleck is right since Ozpin will be sending reinforcement. He is sending Qrow and Najenda."

"Oh. I didn't expect those two to come with us. I never thought Qrow would come to babysit those kids."

"Will Beacon be okay with Najenda outside of school?" asked Oobleck worryingly.

"It should be fine since she left Beacon to her second in command." Said Glynda with a frown.

"…Ah, that kid, huh."

"…"

'It should be fine since Ozpin is still in Beacon, right…?' thought the trio with worry all written on their face.

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"Are we continuing the expedition, professor?" asked the surprised Lancelot as he heard the decision from Glynda.

"I know you have some doubt, but headmaster Ozpin said it would be a tremendous challenge for those first-year, and he will send some reinforcement for our expedition. We currently have no information inside that ruined Kingdom, but we can probably find a titan-level Grimm inside.

Lancelot and Gran licked their dry lips as they heard about the Titan-level Grimm. Those types of Grimm are no joke, and they are powerful Grimm that evolved long ago with numerous Grimms under their command.

Those Titan Grimms can quickly destroy a city like Vale if they are not careful, and to think they could encounter one in this expedition is simply wild for them. They were still huntsman-in-training at Beacon, and they couldn't help but feel speechless when they thought even more about it.

"…Are we not retreating?" asked Gran once more as he hoped it was a fever dream.

"No, by order of Headmaster Ozpin. We are going inside that Kingdom." Replied Glynda with a straight face.

"…"

"…"

"Now, we are only second-year students… How can it be so hard suddenly." Sighed Lancelot with fatigue.

"Yeah, no kidding…."

"The professor will support and actively participate in this fight if we encounter a Titan Grimm, student Lancelot and Student Gran. We won't let our students face that kind of beast alone." Said Port with a laugh as he patted both of their shoulders.

"That's a relief, I guess."

"When would they join us?" asked Gran with a wry smile.

"From what Ozpin said, they should arrive tomorrow." Said Glynda as she looked at her scroll. Gran and Lancelot exchanged glances as they finally heard a piece of great news after all this madness.

"So are we gonna wait for them, or we go deeper?" asked Lancelot as he asked his teammates to move with the help of his scroll.

"We should be fine for now if we don't poke too deep inside the Kingdom, and we aren't that far either. So we might as well reach the mission and edge near the entrance." He replied, Port, as he looked at his colleague to see if they approved his plan.

Glynda and Oobleck nodded in accord. The plan was alright, and the students could get more experience in this way without exposing them to too much danger.

"I see. I already texted Percival to call the group, and they should arrive soon."

"That's fine, and I'll scout the area before they arrive." Said Port as he left the party, not before taking Oobleck with him.

"Do you need me?"

"Yeah, It would definitively be safer with you with me."

"That's fair. Well, then, let's go before the students arrive."

Oobleck and Port strode toward the forest under the eye of Glynda, Lancelot and Gran.

The trio exchanged looks with a tacit understanding as they waited and surveyed their surroundings.

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"It looks like everyone is here. Then let's walk forward." Said Glynda after she made sure everyone was within the group.

Port and Oobleck had just returned after their scouting, and their report was outstanding in Gran, Glynda and Lancelot's ears.

They didn't find anything too dangerous or suspicious during their run. They can now go forward with ease.

"We should be by the Kingdom in an hour from now. So it's time to depart." Said Glynda as she led the way forward, followed by Port and Oobleck.

Gran looked at Lancelot, who shrugged In response as they returned to their team. They should return to turn post and guard behind the group.

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The group continued walking for another hour as they intended to reach the ruined Kingdom today. It was a pretty arduous journey for many students as they met many powerful Grimms on their way.

"Hey! Look at that massive wall in front of us! I'm sure that's the Kingdom!" exclaimed Nord Snow as he tapped Sergil Vert's shoulder in excitement.

He was pretty tired from all this walking since yesterday. He only wanted to hunt some Grimms right now!

"Now, now, calm down, Nord. It is impressive to see a kingdom surrounded by walls, and the quality is outstanding! After all these years, only some part of the wall declined." Said Sergil with some emotion.

"It's a shame such a kingdom fell years ago. I wonder how Remnant of today would be if they were still there." Said Thor as he felt the mighty appearance of this empire.

Ulysse shook his head at his friend's words. "There is no use thinking about it, Thor. We should get prepared for the danger inside."

"…You are a correct old friend, and I shouldn't dwell in this kingdom's past." Said Thor as he left such a question away from his mind.

"Mmmh? Sergil is there something wrong?" asked Ulysse went he saw his friend who was in deep thought.

Sergil licked his dry lips as he came back from his thought. He glanced at Ulysse as he pointed with his chin his concern.

Ulysse followed with his line of sight as he discovered the shocking discovery. His face darkened as he knew why Sergil became troubled all of a sudden.

They saw a deep and huge claw mark on the wall, which was impressive and terrifying for those two.

"Well, I'll be damned. Is there such a mighty beast inside that Kingdom?" shouted Nord in surprise as he noticed his two friends' weird state.

"So we might face such an impressive beast inside? Then we should definitively kill it! In the name of Thor Thunder, member of team NU-"shouted Thor with excitement, not before getting interrupted by Nord for his disturbing shouting.

"Yeah, no, don't do that."

"Ah, sorry, friend. I was a little excited."

"No kidding."

They weren't the only ones, as many students discovered the mark left by a beast on the wall. Many students panicked under such sight.

"Mom! That's so scary! There won't be such a beast here, right?!?"

"I feel like throwing up right now…."

"Eww… don't get close to me!"

The senior group also became concerned by this mark on the Kingdom's wall.

"Hey, Lancelot." Asked Gran with a stern face.

"Yes?" replied Lancelot, as he knew what his friend wanted to say.

"The last time we came here, that mark was not here, right?"

"…"

"No…It was not." Replied Lancelot with difficulty as he swallowed his saliva.

"That confirms the professor's worry."

"A Titan-level Grimm is currently residing inside those walls."