RWBY: The Laidback Hero

Chapter 17: Ultimate Hope

Weiss: Professor Oobleck?

Oobleck is Talking fast, per the norm, as he paces in front of the students.

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...

It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much! 

Weiss looks over at Blake Belladonna, who is equally disturbed.

Weiss: Uh...

Oobleck: Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind!...schedule!

He zips off to the airship

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?

Ruby's team turns around to see Nora and Team JNPR approaching.

Nora: You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren...

Lie 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 Vasilias and Sun Wukong approach the two groups.

We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges.

Jaune is awestruck.

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 to Team GRWBY, who are embarrassed:

Oobleck: Four minutes, children Goes back inside as their friends smile awkwardly at the girls.

Y/n: ugh! Fine I'll break the ice, let's go team! We'll see you guys later okay?

Ruby: Well, uh... Ack! 

Y/n grabs ruby by her good as he's comically dragging her away.

Wish us luck! 

With that, the friends disband, either back to Beacon Academy or towards their mission.

Cut to the airship flying over buildings and streets amid deafening turbines.

Yang: I 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?

Y/n: 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!

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, Y/n, Blake, Oobleck, Weiss, and Ruby 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 Hunters has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand? 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.

Y/n; that, doesn't make any sense, you should have just—

Oobleck: She's not wrong... 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...

Ruby: Get back in the bag.

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! Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!

Ruby: I'm a genius!

Weiss and Yang both facepalm at their grinning leader.

Blake: So, what are your orders, Doctor?

Oobleck: Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it! 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?

Oobleck: Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment.

Yang: What?!

She turns to look like the other girls at the lone Beowolf wandering into the street, joining them in unleashing their weapons.

Oobleck: Stop!

Blake: Huh?

She Lowers her Gambol Shroud like everyone else to listen.

obleck: 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?!

Oobleck: AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!

Ruby: I take it tracking them is out of the question?

Oobleck: An accurate assumption, yes.

Yang: What's the plan, then?

The team turns to their teacher as the creatures close in, black bars converging dramatically over the approaching animals.

Oobleck: Show me what you're capable of.

Ruby: Cover your ears, Zwei!

The dog does so, curling up into a ball.

Black lines race across the screen as a single Beowolf and smiling Yang run towards one another, ending with the blonde 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 hand on her hilt until one of the enemy swipes at her afterimage, the real deal slicing her would-be attacker in half before slashing through another and cutting down on one more.

Behind the Faunus, Weiss runs 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?

Continue they do, as it cuts to Ruby cutting through the change, Blake slicing the previous shift, and a random s***h going to the view of Oobleck rooting through a plant as Grimm parts fall around him. He is center in the faces of tired Huntresses.

Y/n, cutting and dashing through the Grimm. A surviving beast charges from behind as Y/n's Liberator transforms into a long tang boom stick. He turns around and aims down it throat.

Y/n; Groovy..

With a single shot he obliterates the Grim.

Oobleck: Excellent work, Kids! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!

Yang: Huh

As they follow Oobleck, with Ruby sheathing her scythe and beckoning Zwei to follow, she irritably asks

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, 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... O-Of course!

Oobleck: Hmm...

The scene changes to the view of another victory for GRWBY and their mentor amid the noise of fired shots, but switches again to Oobleck and Yang away from the group.

Oobleck: Tell me, Yang: Why did you choose this line of work?

Yang: Huh? 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.

One claw-scratch transition later, Oobleck is sitting on a high windowsill writing in his journal while Weiss and Y/n fight off Beowolves below

Oobleck: And you, Miss Schnee? And Sir Quill Both born into fame and fortune such as yourselves certainly doesn't need the extra work. So... why would you two choose this over a cushy job in Atlas or Vale?

Weiss: It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. unlike Y/n, 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.

Y/n: Rude.. anyway, my Goal is simply to become stronger, the world is full of evil, it's my job as a hunter in training be prepared for the worst. Even if my Name Carries weight in the courts. They don't matter to me, My friends mean much more.

Ice and Gold. Oooh white gold! I like it!

Oobleck: Interesting.

A larger beast turns to them. Larger than most as a smile smirk appeared on Y/n's face.

Y/n: Lady Schnee. Would you assist me on defeating this beast?

Weiss: since you asked so nicely. A Fire and Ice Combination?

Y/n: perfect idea!

Weiss create a ice glyph as it floats in the air. Y/n's Liberator transforms into its boom stick form as sparks fly from the barrel. It fires a incendiary round. As the round flies through Weiss's Glyph. It creates a furious combination. Which hits the grim. freezing it, as it explodes in a flurry of ice and fire.

Y/n: For a Quick Set up that was pretty cool!

Weiss: pathetic.

Later, 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. 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 GRWBY, who each look at their leader, knowing what she'll be asked.

Ruby: Whaaaa... What is that? It looks awesome!

Oobleck: That, my dear girl, is a Grimm.

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: 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. 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.

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...

Blake: 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.

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. Y/n is looking at the sky.

Yang: Y/n? You okay?

Y/n: yeah, I'm fine...I do, but..I don't know if it's the right reason..

Oobleck: Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!

Ruby: Fire! 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 first watch?

Ruby: Yo.

Y/n: I can run the shift with ruby.

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?

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-heatedly eats her dinner of bread rolls. Soon, all three Huntresses are on their backs around the fire, weapons within easy access, wondering why they are there. Y/n is leaning on the wall.

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.