RWBY Watches Grimm May Cry: Grimm Never Cry

Chapter 10: A "Small" Roadblock

"We're in the endgame, now!" Ruby cheered, bouncing excitedly in her seat. "All Jaune has to do is cross back over that lake, then he and Summer can get out of that place!"

"And with the Lagartodile neutralized, the probability of Jaune traversing the lake unopposed is exponentially high!" Penny added, a large smile on her face. Blake, however, looked less excited.

"It can't possibly be that simple, can it?" she asked Weiss. "I mean, those villagers wouldn't just leave the church unguarded, right?"

"No, they definitely would not," the heiress replied, shaking her head. "And Roman said that the villagers obtained more Grimm. I imagine those will make an appearance at some point, as well."

"Well, in any case, we're about to find out," Nora told the group, as the lights began to dim. "Come on, Fearless Leader! It's time to show those creeps what you're made of!"

The episode began with Jaune trudging through the marsh he had been forced to traverse on the way to the lake a couple episodes ago. The Huntsman had his shotgun in hand, his blue eyes scanning the raised platforms and the wetland surrounding them for any signs of a potential ambush. Much to his surprise, though, there wasn't a villager to be seen. There was even a complete lack of Grimm, which was not as comforting as it should be.

"Where is everybody?" Jaune demanded, eyes darting to his left and right. "If the villagers have some sort of nighttime congregation, I could understand that. But no Grimm? Not even a few Beoeolves serving as watch dogs?"

"Yes, that is certainly peculiar," Ozpin said with a hum. "As I said earlier, the Creatures of Grimm become more active at night. The fact that not even a Ravagers has appeared to attack a Jaune suggests that the Church of Salem has more control over Grimm than we first thought."

"But nobody can just control Grimm!" Pyrrha pointed out. "Even the Atlas Titans had to make them into androids first before they could command them to attack Adam!"

"Either someone in this cult has a very specific Semblance, or they've gotten their hands on a Relic," Cinder declared. "Those are the only other possible methods a person could control Grimm."

Though no villagers or Grimm ever revealed themselves, Jaune still looked uneasy the entirety of the time he waded through the marsh. Once he was back on dry land again, he looked up the pathway of the hill he had hiked down several hours earlier, scanning the top for any enemies. Once again, though, there were no hostiles to be seen. Unnerved, but still determined, the Huntsman began his trek back up the hill, shotgun firmly out in front of him. Halfway up, he paused, waiting for the sound of a giant boulder tumbling down the path like the one that he had been forced to run from earlier. Besides the crickets chirping, though, there was no other noise to disturb the nighttime ambience. Frowning, Jaune continued to make his way up to the top of the hill.

"What's with Jaune?" Coco demanded, confused. "It's almost like he wants to have to fight a bunch of villagers..."

"Don't forget, the kid's been fighting those creeps all day," Torchwick reminded her, lighting another cigar. "He's come to expect an attack from them at any moment. For them to just start leaving him alone for long stretches of time has got to be making the kid antsy."

Finally, Jaune arrived at the top of the hill, where the walled mining camp looked imposingly in front of him. Eyes narrowed, the Huntsman put away his shotgun, drawing Ebony and Ivory instead.

"There has to be an ambush waiting for me in there," he muttered to himself. Steeling himself, Jaune marched into the mining camp, and systematically checked each of the small shacks, checking for any occupants. Much to his confusion, though, there was not a living soul to be seen. "Okay, seriously! What gives?!" The Huntsman demanded. "These villagers couldn't possibly have thrown in the towel, could they?"