The late afternoon sun spilled gold across Beacon's stone walkways as the two teams made their way out of the auditorium. The chatter of other students faded behind them, replaced by the hollow clang of boots against metal as the path sloped toward the airship docks.
Ruby walked a step ahead, her cape swaying. "This is so exciting! Our first real mission! Southeast Quadrant, Grimm clearing—it's like, finally we're Huntsmen in training for real!"
Yang grinned, hands folded behind her head. "Try not to jinx it, sis. Last time you got this excited, we ended up fighting White Fang in a warehouse."
Ruby pouted. "That wasn't my fault."
Behind them, Team NOVA moved in their own rhythm. Jiwon kept pace beside Hyunwoo, calm eyes scanning the skies as though weighing the weather. "A week-long mission, deep in Grimm territory..." he murmured. "Most of these students don't realize what that really means."
Hyunwoo didn't answer at first, spear strapped neatly across his back. His gaze flicked between RWBY's chatter and his own teammates before finally speaking. "That's why we're here. To make sure it doesn't spiral out of control."
Jaemin stretched his arms, letting out a laugh. "Or to make sure we finish before they do." He glanced sideways at Yang. "What do you say? First to hit a hundred Grimm wins."
Yang's smirk mirrored his. "You're on, hotshot."
Weiss groaned. "You can't just measure success in numbers. That's reckless."
Jisoo, walking a few steps behind, gave a small chuckle under her breath. "Some things never change. You argue before the fight even starts." She looked toward Blake, who walked in silence. "At least one of you has sense."
Blake's amber eyes flicked to her, unreadable. "Sense or caution—it depends who you ask."
The docks came into view, airships lined neatly like steel birds waiting for flight. Engines thrummed low, their vibrations rumbling beneath the floor. The wind carried the scent of oil and ozone.
Ruby spun around, walking backward so she could face both teams at once. "We're going to do great. I just know it!" Her eyes shone with that stubborn optimism, even as the airship loomed ahead like a reminder of how far from home they were about to fly.
Hyunwoo's hand rose briefly, resting on her head for a moment as he passed. "Keep that energy. You'll need it where we're going."
Ruby blinked, wide-eyed, before grinning even brighter.
Jiwon exhaled softly. "You encourage them too much," he murmured, almost to himself.
"Or maybe," Jisoo said, smirking faintly as she adjusted her strap, "he knows they'll need every bit of it."
The doors to the inner cabin hissed open. Both teams turned toward the sound.
Standing there, leaning on his thermos and speaking just a little too quickly, was a man with a wild look in his eyes.
"Why, hello boys and girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?"
Ruby froze. Weiss's jaw dropped. Yang blinked hard, like her brain had stalled. Blake's ears twitched once, then flattened.
"...Him?" Ruby squeaked.
Dr. Oobleck adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing green in the light. "Yes, me! And might I add what an absolute delight it is to have such energetic students joining me in this grand survey of Grimm activity! The ecosystem out there is fascinating! Grimm migration patterns, settlement encroachment, oh—oh! Did you know their density in Quadrant 5 has quadrupled since last winter? Marvelous! Terrifying! Marvelously terrifying!"
Weiss buried her face in her hands. "This is a nightmare."
Yang muttered, "I was picturing some badass with a giant axe or something..."
Team NOVA, standing behind RWBY, exchanged glances.
Jisoo was the first to speak, her tone dry. "...This is your Huntsman?"
Jaemin let out a low laugh. "Guess we really will be carrying the weight out there."
Jiwon raised a brow, studying Oobleck's jittery movements with a hint of intrigue. "Don't underestimate him," he murmured. "He's eccentric, but he wouldn't be sent if he wasn't capable."
Hyunwoo simply exhaled, watching the man rattle off statistics about Grimm populations at twice the speed of normal conversation. "...This is going to be a long week."
The airship engines roared, lifting them off Beacon's docks, and with Oobleck's voice filling the cabin like a machine gun of words, both teams realized—whether they liked it or not—this was their mentor for the mission.
⸻
The Bullhead rattled as it descended, its back doors opening to reveal a wasteland of broken concrete and twisted steel. The ruins of Mountain Glenn stretched endlessly, a hollow carcass of Vale's ambition.
Inside, the students crowded around Oobleck, who was too busy sipping from his thermos to notice the way the aircraft shuddered in the winds.
"So, Professor," Yang leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "You've been a Huntsman forever, right? Why stick to research instead of—y'know—monster slaying?"
Oobleck blinked at her, then adjusted his glasses, his words firing out like bullets.
"Monster slaying? My dear Miss Xiao Long, fighting Grimm is one aspect of being a Huntsman, but knowledge—knowledge is the true weapon! Why, with enough research, we can predict Grimm migrations, anticipate disasters, and perhaps—someday—eradicate them entirely!"
Yang leaned back, half-impressed, half-overwhelmed. "...Right. Totally what I was gonna say."
Weiss crossed her arms. "And the southeast quadrant? You've studied this place before?"
Oobleck's tone shifted, sharper, though no less quick. "Ah. The southeast quadrant of Vale... home to one of our kingdom's greatest failures. Mountain Glenn. Once a grand expansion project, meant to house tens of thousands of people... and then, the Grimm came. An entire city, swallowed whole."
Yang frowned, remembering the history lessons. "It was supposed to be Vale's shining future... guess not."
Blake's amber eyes flicked to the ruined skyline outside. "...A place like this would make the perfect hideout."
"Indeed, Miss Belladonna," Oobleck confirmed, tapping his foot rapidly. "And that is why we are here."
The Bullhead touched down with a metallic clang. The doors groaned open.
Cold air rushed in, carrying the hollow howl of wind through broken skyscrapers. Team RWBY and Team NOVA stepped out together, weapons ready. Shattered glass crunched beneath their boots. Shadows stretched long across the ruins.
Nothing moved. No Grimm, no people—just the eerie quiet of a dead city.
Oobleck strolled forward, completely unfazed, sipping his coffee.
"Ah, smell that air! Stale, bitter, full of failure. Listen closely now—do as I tell you, and you'll leave this place in one piece. The Grimm are here. They're always here. You just can't see them yet."
Ruby adjusted Crescent Rose on her back, her shoulders tense. The only sound was the whistle of the wind—until Oobleck suddenly turned, pointing at her.
"You. Miss Rose. What's in that backpack? Leave it. We return here, you retrieve it."
Ruby's eyes widened. "What? No way! I—I need it with me!"
Oobleck tilted his head, glasses glinting. "And what, pray tell, could possibly be so important that you insist on dragging it along?"
Before Ruby could answer, her backpack rustled. A pair of floppy ears poked out, followed by a cheerful bark.
Zwei.
Everyone froze.
"...Ruby," Weiss muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You brought the dog."
Yang burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you actually snuck him in!"
Jiwon exhaled, shaking his head. "...Unbelievable."
Jaemin grinned, crouching to scratch behind Zwei's ears. "I like him already."
Jisoo only raised a brow, her calm voice cutting through the laughter. "...A liability in enemy territory."
Hyunwoo, who had been silent until now, glanced at Ruby, then at the little dog wagging its tail happily in the middle of Mountain Glenn's ruins. "...Or a distraction," he muttered. "Let's just hope he doesn't bark at the wrong time."
Ruby hugged Zwei protectively, glaring at everyone. "He's coming with us. That's final."
The wind whistled through broken towers as Zwei sniffed at the cracked pavement, tail wagging furiously. Ruby stood protectively behind him, ready for another round of objections. Instead, Oobleck's eyes lit up behind his glasses.
"Remarkable!" he exclaimed, crouching so fast his mug didn't even spill. "Miss Rose, do you have any idea what you've done? Genius! Sheer, unadulterated genius!"
Ruby blinked. "Uh... what?"
"Dogs, Miss Rose, are the ideal companion for a Huntsman in the field. Acute sense of smell, unmatched hearing, uncanny instincts! Why, many Huntsmen of the past owed their survival to a canine partner."
Ruby's expression flipped instantly into pure smugness. "Ha! See? He's not a liability, he's an asset!" She hugged Zwei to her chest, grinning at her teammates.
Yang chuckled. "Okay, I'll give you that. Maybe you're not totally crazy for sneaking him in."
Weiss muttered under her breath. "...This is absurd."
Before Blake could comment, a low growl rolled through the ruins. Everyone turned. A Beowolf, lean and hungry-looking, stalked into view from between two collapsed buildings.
Weapons snapped open in unison. Crescent Rose unfolded with a click, Weiss' rapier glinted, Yang's gauntlets locked into place, Blake's blades hissed free. NOVA stood just as ready—Hyunwoo with his spear braced against the cracked ground, Jisoo coolly adjusting her stance, Jaemin twirling his weapon with nervous excitement, and Jiwon's calm eyes locked onto the beast.
Ruby whispered, "We can take it."
But Oobleck shot out a hand. "No. Don't."
The students froze.
Oobleck's gaze was sharp, focused. "One Beowolf is never alone. You strike too soon, and you eliminate the trail that leads us to the rest. Watch."
The Beowolf snarled, pacing... then lifted its head, howling into the hollow city.
The response came instantly. Dozens of howls, overlapping, echoing through broken towers until the sound rattled their bones. Dark shapes slinked from alleyways and shattered windows. Red eyes lit up across the ruins, one pair after another.
Ruby's grip on Crescent Rose tightened. "...So much for just one."
Hyunwoo muttered, lowering his stance. "Guess they're not big on subtlety."
"Indeed!" Oobleck raised his voice over the howls, utterly unshaken. "Now, students, we follow them—straight into the den. Search..." He gestured with his thermos like a commander pointing toward battle. "...then destroy."
The Grimm pack lunged forward.
"Go!" Ruby shouted. Crescent Rose's scythe blade sliced through the first Beowolf as NOVA and RWBY surged into the chaos, the ruins of Mountain Glenn shaking once more to the clash of steel and claws.
___
Support my stories on p*treon.com/Jujukaka0 and get early chapters,