RWBY(F) are horrified as they look at their guide for the week.
Weiss: "Professor Oobleck?"
Oobleck: "Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And..." He Zooms upright to Weiss' face. SheIt's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!" He quickly backs away.
Weiss: "Uh..."
Oobleck: "Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind... schedule!" He zips off to the airship docked farther ahead in a second.
F/n: "You know what. I'm going to find out what he drinks every day." He follows Oobleck, leaving his team behind.
Ruby: "Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck- okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse."
Nora: "Save the world?"
They turn around to see Nora and the rest of Team JNPR approaching.
Nora: "You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad!" Her stomach rumbles. "Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren..."
Ren, for his part, simply crosses his arms and turns away.
Jaune: "Sounds exciting. Where ya going?"
Ruby: "Oh, just outside the kingdom..."
Nora: "Hey! So are we!"
Pyrrha: "Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village."
Ren: "We set out tomorrow."
Neptune: "Then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune and Sun approach the two groups. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."
Sun: "We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... normal."
Ruby: "Well-"
Oobleck appears from the airship to call the rest of F/n's team.
Oobleck: "Four minutes, ladies!"
He Goes back inside as F/n holds a cup of coffee, sipping it before he goes Blank and collapses.
Ruby: "Well, uh..." Throws a thumbs-up. "Wish us luck!" With that, the friends disband, either back to Beacon Academy or towards their mission.
~~~
Their airship is flying over buildings and streets amid deafening turbines.
Yang: "Guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter."
Oobleck: "I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."
Ruby: "Like the mushroom?"
Blake: "Those are truffles.
Ruby: "Like the sprout?"
Yang: "Those are Brussels."
Oobleck: "Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!"
Weiss: "What does history have to do with this?"
Oobleck: "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."
Weiss: "And that means..?"
Oobleck: "The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!"
Ruby: "Mountain Glenn."
Yang: "That's right! It was an expansion of Vale... but in the end, it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."
Oobleck: "Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder."
Blake: "And a likely place for a hideout."
Oobleck: "Precisely!"
Ruby then notices someone is missing.
Ruby: "Has anybody seen F/n? He was here like a minute ago."
They hear a knock on the door of the airship. Confused, they open it, letting F/n inside. He calmly sits down as his Team rapidly looks outside the airship and him.
Weiss: "Where were you?"
F/n: "On top of the airship."
They peak outside, seeing claw marks leading up.
Yang: "For what?"
F/n: "Food."
He pulls out a dead bird, Horrifying everyone.
Ruby: "I think I'm going to be sick..." She faints into Yang's arms.
Yang: "You... You..." Her hair lights on fire. YOU KILLED RUBY!!"
F/n: "What?! She just fain--" He doesn't get to finish by her fist.
~~~
The airship comes in over a spot of street amidst the ruined buildings and structures of the ruined area. It hovers right above the ground as Yang, F/n(Who was rubbing his bruised cheek), Blake, Oobleck, Weiss, and Ruby(Still Horrified) all jump out of the craft with weapons drawn before the ship flies away from the destruction.
Oobleck: "Ladies and Gentleman! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntsman and Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" They nod, but he suddenly looks at Ruby, startling her. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school."
Ruby: "But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."
Oobleck: "She's not wrong..." He tells Himself. "Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return."
Ruby: "But I, well uh-"
Oobleck: "Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with..." He Stops as the bag's zipper opens and out pops Zwei's head, causing everyone to stare at the uninvited guest.
F/n turns his weapon to his head, readying to pull the trigger, but Blake stops him.
Blake: "I also want to, but it's not worth it."
Ruby: "Get back in the bag." She whispers to Zwei
Zwei merely barks in response.
Oobleck: "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... a dog?"
Ruby: "I, uh..."
Oobleck: "Genius!" Backs away long enough for Ruby to give a confused shrug before speeding past and snatching the pet away from Ruby, who tumbles to the ground as Oobleck spins Zwei in the air. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" Zwei barks happily in his hands.
Ruby: "I'm a genius!" She proudly states
Weiss and Yang both facepalm at their grinning leader, while F/n and Blake are not happy with Oobleck's response.
F/n: So what now?"
Oobleck: "Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" He suddenly lets go of Zwei, suspended in the air for less than a second before dropping down, to put his hands behind his back for a serious pose. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."
Ruby: "Uh, What?" She's just as confused as her teammates
Oobleck: "Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment."
Yang: "What?!"
They turn towards a lone Beowolf wandering into the street, making them in unleashing their weapons.
Oobleck: "Stop!"
Blake: "Huh?"
They lower their weapons.
Oobleck: "There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."
Ruby: "So... What now?"
Oobleck: "We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."
Blake: "How long do we wait?"
Oobleck: "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."
His sudden realization is true: Five Beowolves are already following the first.
Weiss: "What?"
Oobleck: "And now they've seen us."
Weiss: "What?!" She says louder
Oobleck: "AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" He says right up in Weiss's ear
F/n: "Well? What are we waiting for?!" He takes out his weapon running towards them.
Oobleck: "Now that's the spirit. I would like you girls to help him. Show me what you're capable of!"
Ruby: "Cover your ears, Zwei!" She cocks Crescent Rose, preparing to help F/n as Zwei curls up into a ball.
Yang runs towards the pack of Grimm, knocking it out in one fiery punch as they pass. Several stop chasing after the party girl to focus on Blake, who stands and waits with her hand on her hilt until one of the enemies swipes at her afterimage. She slashes through another and cutting down on one more.
The other Faunus is gunning down the Grimm, as one of them sneaks up behind him. Before it can swipe at him, F/n disappears, confusing the Grimm. It feels something heavy on its back.
F/n: "Close one."
The Grimm looks behind its shoulder to see F/n holding T.G.R(scythe form) before he beheads it. Weiss is running from several black-coated beasts before jumping in the air and taking one down with Myrtenaster. She dashes towards them with rapier held high and slays four of them in a straight line until she stops. A wave of Beowolves are converging on Ruby, but the scythe wielder shoots multiple bullets at the oncoming force... while Zwei is busy chasing his own tail. He stops to watch his owner fire forward and, after a dramatic mid-air stare-off, cut the single remaining Grimm in two.
Ruby: "Heh. Piece of cake!"
Oobleck: "Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?"
~~~
Oobleck is rooting through a plant as Grimm parts fall around him. He is center in the faces of the tired Team.
Oobleck: "Excellent work. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!" They follow him
Yang: "Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a "pro-Huntsman" in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?"
Oobleck: "Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity! Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination! Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."
Yang: "Well, yeah..." She tries to sound more resolute with her answer. "O-Of course!"
F/n: "Well, I kind of do..."
~~~
Amid the noise of fired shots, Oobleck and Yang are away from the group.
Oobleck: "Tell me, Yang: Why did you choose this line of work?"
Yang: "Huh?" Under Oobleck's gaze, she answers "Well, to fight monsters and save-"
Oobleck: "No, that is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."
Yang: "The honest reason? I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"
Oobleck: "I see."
~~~
Oobleck is sitting on a high windowsill writing in his journal while Weiss fights off Beowolves below.
Oobleck: "And you, Miss Schnee? A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So... why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"
Weiss: "It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty."
Oobleck: "Interesting."
~~~
Blake slashes a door down and releases a swarm of small Nevermores from the building, which she back-flips under before she shoots them all with her blade's pistol form.
Oobleck: "And what about you, Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."
Blake: "There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it."
Oobleck: "Very well. How?"
Blake: "I, Uh..."
Oobleck 'Hmm's' to himself, then dashes away, leaving Blake to bow her head in troubled thought.
~~~
F/n is currently shooting down Grimm on top of a building as Oobleck watches.
Oobleck: "And you F/n? Why choose to be a Huntsman?"
F/n: "I chose to be a Huntsman just to find someone."
Oobleck: "And did you find this person?"
F/n: "Yeah. But now I have a new goal..."
Oobleck: "And what's that?"
F/n: "My Prides. My goal is to demolish them." He says with venom in his voice.
Oobleck: "And can you tell me why?" He receives no response. "I guess that is something for me not to ask you about."
~~~
Ruby is using her weapon in the most practical fashion and lifting a whole turkey on the sharp end of her gun to tease a jumping and flipping Zwei with. That is, until she spots her teacher watching, quickly sheathing Crescent Rose.
Ruby: "Sorry! Uh... Are we ready to keep going?"
Oobleck: "Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon." He Throws his bag over to Yang. "You four set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby."
They start walking away from the rest of RWBY(F), who each look at their leader, knowing what she'll be asked.
Oobleck and Ruby round the corner of a building, she sees something, astonishing her.
Ruby: "Whaaaa..." A wide forest is stretching below the ruin, and in the midst of it, a line of giant elephants with the black and white features of animals of darkness marching through the trees. "What is that? It looks awesome!"
Oobleck: "That, my dear girl, is a Grimm."
She stares at the lumbering mass of monsters in amazement and awe before pulling out her gun.
Ruby: "Let's kill it."
Oobleck: "I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size."
Ruby: "But... What if it attacks us?"
Oobleck: "Fret not, Ruby; those Goliaths are not concerned with us. Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see 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 he says this, one Goliath swivels its thick neck to look at the figures watching their procession, eyes glowing as fiery red as any other Grimm.
Ruby: "Then why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"
Oobleck: "Waiting."
As he says this, the Goliath turns its head forward again and moves on with its kin. Oobleck turns around and walks away as well, and Ruby puts away her weapon, not moving.
Ruby: "Doctor Oobleck?"
Oobleck: "Hmm?"
Ruby: "I was wondering..."
Oobleck stops and looks at her.
Oobleck: "Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?"
Ruby: "A-Actually, I was wondering... Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"
Oobleck: "Look around and tell me what you see."
Ruby takes a look around.
Ruby: "Lots of old buildings, uh, empty streets..."
Oobleck: "I see lives that could have been saved." He Continues walking with Ruby beside him and Zwei at their heels. "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 therefore become stronger. I am a Huntsman, Ruby because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." He continues walking.
~~~
Back at the building, the team has done as instructed, building a fire in the center of the room and huddling around it or standing up.
Yang: "I can't believe we didn't find anything..."
F/n: "But we did kill something."
Blake: "Well, we've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side."
Weiss: "That's not what I meant." She goes into another Topic
Blake: "Huh?"
Weiss: "Earlier, about... upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that."
Yang: "Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know."
Blake: "I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."
Yang: "Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?"
The girls merely stare in silence.
F/n: "As he said, We are here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle." They all look at him.
Oobleck then suddenly comes rushing into the room.
Oobleck: "Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!"
Ruby: "Fire!" She comes in behind Oobleck and immediately sits next to the blaze alongside Zwei. "So... warm..."
Oobleck: "Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for the first watch?"
Ruby Lifts an arm while still looking into the fire.
Ruby: "Yo."
Oobleck rushes off, and Ruby gets up to go over to her lookout point.
Yang: "Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?" She asks Ruby
Ruby: "Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!"
Without a second carefree thought, she continues on her way. Yang looks disappointed in the lack of an answer. Blake is similarly troubled as she unrolls her mat, Weiss tries lying down but fails to sleep, Yang half-heartedly eats her dinner of bread rolls, and F/n starts cooking the bird he caught. Soon, the they are on their backs around the fire(with F/n the only one sleeping), weapons within easy access, wondering why they are there... even though F/n told them. Ruby, meanwhile, is sitting in the vacant windowsill of the room as Zwei goes over to her upon hearing the howling of Beowolves. She pets her pooch on the back.
Ruby: "Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow.
Master and pet look out onto the rubble and stare in silence until the scene goes dark and the credits roll."
~~~
Team RWBY:
Team JNPR:
Oobleck:
Zwei:
Sun:
Neptune: