Chapter 30

Surrounded by Shadows

The embers to the flame faded as morning came. Each member of the team had taken a turn as lookout in the cold and Yang was just finishing her lonely shift. Luckily it had been an uneventful night with no cause for alarm. It seemed for now their presence had gone largely unnoticed by the city of Grimm.

Unfortunately, they also hadn't seen a single light or any sign of people. If the White Fang were in the city, they were hiding well.

"Wakey, wakey, Weiss-y!" Yang yelled a little too loud for so early in the morning. "We've got rations and Blake-y!"

"Five more minutes," Weiss groaned reflexively, hugging the corgi shaped pillow she'd borrowed from her partner.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago."

"Hmm, what time is it now?"

"Time to get up," she answered, wafting the smell of coffee in front of the heiress.

Weiss' nose twitched at the aroma of the elixir of life, and she sat up gladly taking the cup Yang was holding and brought it to her lips.

"This tastes terrible," she concluded before taking another sip.

"Think of it as expanding your palate," Blake grumbled as she stared into the dark liquid.

"Tastes better with five sugars," Ruby recommended in a hoarse voice.

The team was groggy after a day of slaying monsters and a night of sleep on the hard floor. No one had slept well being in the heart of a city full of Grimm as they were. Every time they'd heard a Beowolf howl, they couldn't help but reach for their weapons.

Even Blake, who had spent countless nights sleeping under the stars and hiding from Grimm had shadows under her eyes. She had volunteered for the longest shift due her night vision and heightened senses being invaluable in their search, but her teammates thought it might've had more to do with her restlessness she'd had since entering the city. The faunus however also knew she wasn't as easily sensed by the Grimm as her friends...

Blake couldn't help but feel that Ozpin had sent them on a wild goose chase. It was impossible that an organization as large as the White Fang could operate in the lost city. Even with all their manpower and weapons, the Grimm were too numerous. Even the most kindhearted faunus would've had trouble staying hidden from the ravenous monsters, meaning an organization full of monsters shouldn't have had a chance.

And er team also didn't have a real plan besides the 'Kill everything!' mantra of their leader. Blake remembered Ruby and Weiss' conversation from only hours before and her stomach began to tie in knots. She hated feeling this way about her leader, especially now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Weiss cringing as she stretched out her legs and bones pop.

"I've never been as sore as I am right now," she complained.

Blake and Ruby nodded and also began stretching. The blonde simply cracked her knuckles a couple of times and popped her neck.

"Six more days of killing Grimm and no sleep." Yang frowned. "I kinda doubt we'll find a sweet place like this again. I'm gonna miss it."

Bones popped and creaked as their muscles began relaxing. Blake arched her back in positions that made the other girls jealous and couldn't help but wish they were a faunus.

"And it only gets harder from here." Ruby grimaced as her body folded in uncomfortable positions. "The Grimm are gonna to realize we're here eventually and start wearing us down."

"I hate camping," Weiss announced emphatically. "I really, really do."

The sisters snickered at the heiress' honesty but nodded. She said what they were all thinking.

"When can we use our ammo and dust?" Yang asked, a little frustration creeping in her voice.

Ruby sighed sympathizing with her. Both of their semblances were physical and took a toll on their bodies, but Yang's was also tied to her emotions. Walking around with red eyes and in a foul mood could wear itself thin after awhile.

"Once we start getting overwhelmed," she said decisively. "I know yesterday was hard on all of us and we wouldn't normally be this tired, but I think in the long run this will be best."

The team nodded reluctantly. They didn't like it, but they knew their leader was right. They still had the element of surprise and all of their ammunition left. The longer they could hold out the easier it'd be when the real war started.

Weiss glanced down at her wrist scroll with her team's aura levels showing. After a night of rest everyone was normal except one particular caped-girl.

'Why does her aura keep fluctuating?'

Weiss remembered what she'd said the night before about fulfilling the mission at any cost. It was her duty to make sure Ruby didn't make good on that promise.

"You need to take it easy on your semblance today," she said addressing her partner. "You're aura needs to recharge and you're not doing your body any favors."

Ruby blew the hair out of her eyes. "I'll be fine."

"No, sis, she's right." Yang gave her younger sister a concerned look. "You just got out of the hospital two days ago and the mission just started yesterday. You can't keep your semblance up like this."

"I'll be fine," Ruby said again.

"Please." Her sister pleaded with puppy eyes. "For me?"

"For Zwei?" The heiress held up the pillow.

"For all of us," Blake deadpanned, trying to keep her frustration from showing.

Ruby threw her arms up. "Fine, you guys win. I'll go easy on the rose petals today. Once we can use ammo and dust again, I'll be using Crescent Rose's recoil more anyway."

The team relaxed at Ruby's promise as well as their victory over their leader. No one said it, but they were secretly worried that the caped-girl was finally reaching her limit. Seven days was a long time in a city full of Grimm, especially while dealing with injuries. They all had two years of experience and physical development over her, in Yang's case nearly three, and she just didn't have the aura recharge they had. There was just so much working against her, and her teammates couldn't help having it hang over their heads.

Blake was wondering if it'd be best for Ruby to stay back and support Weiss. It wasn't ideal for either of them, but Ruby needed her rest. She was about to suggest as much when her partner interrupted.

"So what's the plan for today?" Yang asked, trying to sound optimistic but sounding forced.

Ruby's stomach grumbled in response making her blush.

"Breakfast it is," her sister chuckled.

Yang picked through her large pack and handed each girl a gray package with 'Huntsmen Ration' written on the side, as well as the Schnee Dust Company logo front and center. Blake naturally turned her nose up at it, but accepted her breakfast nonetheless.

"I can't believe you left the food you guys bought, Ruby," snapped the heiress, sounding displeased as she ripped her package open.

She flinched but knew her partner didn't mean any hard feelings. Weiss wasn't the most patient person at the best of times, but she was not a morning person.

Yang and Blake shrugged, not seeming to mind too much. Feeding four people for seven days wasn't easy, and rations were light and also designed to help restore aura and fuel their bodies. Even the drinks they had were specially designed for huntsmen on missions.

"Are we sure Weiss can eat this stuff?" Ruby asked. She couldn't imagine her partner eating anything that didn't have a calorie label or wasn't cooked by a professional chef.

"I'll have you know the grilled chicken I ate last night wasn't terrible," the heiress huffed.

Yang laughed. "So that time you nearly threw up was just an act?"

Weiss narrowed her cold eyes but never directly faced the blonde, always keeping the left side of her face to the shadows.

Ruby pulled a bag of chocolate chip cookies out of her pack to eat with her turkey sandwich. As Weiss had learned, chocolate chip cookies were a part of a balanced breakfast, and she turned away so as not to see her partner use her sleeve as a napkin again.

Blake picked at her tuna sandwich not feeling hungry while Yang gorged herself on a cheeseburger. They may not have been as tasty as what she and Ruby had bought in the city, but being exhausted and hungry as they were, they didn't care.

"If Weiss can survive her own cooking then she can survive this," Yang said with cheese stuck between her teeth.

"Hey!" cried offended the heiress. "My grilled cheese sandwiches weren't that bad."

"So that's what those were," Ruby murmured, happy that the mystery had finally been solved. It had been bugging her for weeks. "The second batch were better."

"Thank you, Ruby."

"-when you figured out the smoke alarm isn't a timer," Yang finished.

"Hmph, I still think that I performed admirably considering it was my first time cooking."

"At least you didn't burn the cookies," Ruby said, suddenly serious.

Weiss nodded clearly pleased with herself while Yang shook her head. "That's because Rubes waited by the oven the entire time and pulled them out five minutes early."

"They were so good," she gushed.

"You're welcome again, Ruby."

"Weiss, I've seen my sister eat cookies off of the floor. Don't take this the wrong way, but there is nothing you could possibly do to stop her from eating them."

"Twenty second rule was still in effect," her sister argued.

Blake raised a brow. "I think you mean five second rule."

Ruby shrugged, either too stubborn to listen or simply didn't care. Sometimes with the caped-girl it was hard to tell...

"What about you?" Weiss pointed an accusatory finger at the blonde.

"Hey, I am a great cook," she protested. "I've been cooking for Ruby, Dad, Zwei, occasionally Qrow when he's not on a liquid diet, and myself for years, and we only got food poisoning twice."

She grinned ear to ear as though she had just won an award, and Ruby seemed to acknowledge her sister's accomplishment. Blake and Weiss however had sworn never eat anything the blonde cooked in the student kitchen ever again. To say the blonde was a bad cook would have been boasting to the point of hyperbole. It was a wonder she hadn't killed them all.

Ruby smiled as she finished the last of her cookies and began licking the chocolate off her fingers. It had been difficult, but she'd rationed her supply down to ten cookies a day. Sacrifices had to be made in the middle of battle, but she was already looking forward to the cookie banquet she'd planned when they returned from the mission. As well as the chocolate induced coma.

Yang let out a massive burp causing her sister to giggle and clap while Weiss scooted away. Blake barely took notice.

"So what's the plan for today?" she asked, her voice sounding raw.

All eyes turned to Ruby who wiped the chocolate off her face, and Weiss once again scooted closer to the faunus.

The sisters were savages...

Blake's eyes darted toward the other side of the room. The faunus was the only one who could see the heiress' face perfectly in the dark, and the scar made her stomach tighten even more.

"Well." Ruby opened her scroll to a map of the city. "We've only cleared the area from where we landed to this apartment complex here."

She pointed at their current location and where they'd started, causing them all to feel a little embarrassed. For all of the pain and soreness they were feeling, they had barely covered any ground in their first day.

Searching an entire city sounded near impossible. All their hopes drooped as did Blake's cat ears.

"I think we should keep moving in a straight line to this school over here." She drew a line to a large group of buildings and a court yard. "It's not far, and we'll be able to use the back alleys to take the Grimm out quietly."

"And maybe the White Fang will want to come out and play," Yang suggested. "The school looks pretty big."

Blake's breath caught at mention of the White Fang. She'd been wondering if she was the only one who remembered why they were on the mission in the first place.

The leader waited for opposition or at least a question, but everyone nodded which comforted her.

"Sounds good to me." Yang cracked her knuckles again. "If nothing else we can at least kill a bunch of Grimm on the way."

"Can we rest just a bit longer?" Weiss moaned. "My feet still hurt."

"Maybe you ought to change shoes, princess."

"And maybe you should keep your ridiculous ideas to yourself," she snapped.

Ruby chuckled as her sister and partner began trading insults with each other. It was all in good fun and she found it comical how many ways they could reword 'blonde bimbo' and 'frigid freak'. Her vocabulary had expanded so much since the two met.

Blake however was less amused. Talk of finding the White Fang ruined what little appetite she'd had, and she threw the tuna fish away. She grabbed her bow and tied it carefully so as not to harm her sensitive ears.

She threw the black and smaller yellow packs over her shoulders and grabbed Gambol Shroud, her shadow taking up most of the room.

"I'll be outside," She announced before storming off.

The team watched her go in silence.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked when she was around the corner.

Yang hurried stuffing her mouth and gathered her gear.

"Not sure, but I'll follow her." The blonde jogged down the hall leaving her sister and Weiss to themselves.

Ruby sighed, disheartened by the team splitting up once again. "I guess we should get moving too..."

"Hold on," Weiss said. "Let me do my makeup first."

Ruby furrowed her brow."You're kidding right?"

Weiss shook her head.

"You realize we share a locker room and sleep in the same room right? We've seen you without makeup before."

The heiress was silent.

Ruby noticed the way her partner tilted her face so that her scar was always facing towards the shadows, and stood up to look but Weiss turned her head.

"Let me see it," she ordered, though not unkindly.

Weiss hesitated and bit her lip before turning to face her. "I'm hideous I know."

It was rare that Ruby ever saw her best friend without makeup over the scar. Weiss normally ran to the bathroom first thing in the morning and occasionally wore a special brand to sleep. Now however, the scar was more pronounced than ever and it was clear just how deep the cut had been.

"It isn't as bad as you make it out to be," Ruby said gently, grabbing her partner's shoulder. and giving it a squeeze "It's a part of who you are."

The heiress turned to her white bag and pulled out a mirror and small kit.

"And who I am can be covered up with enough makeup," she stated firmly, leaving her partner speechless. "I'll be ready in just a moment."

Ruby hesitated but she knew there was no arguing with her. After the talk they'd had last night, she decided to let it go. Weiss deserved at least that much.

"Okay. I understand."

"Oh, and Ruby?" She turned, facing the slightly pink faced girl. "Thank you..."

Once Weiss was ready, she and Ruby met up with their teammates down below having a conversation. Once they saw the pair exit the building, Blake turned away and Yang waved. Weiss could tell something was wrong, but as usual her partner didn't seem to notice.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "Ready like we planned?"

Before anyone could get a word out, Professor Oobleck appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yes, very good!" he exclaimed. "A plan, wonderful! Tell us what your ingenious plan entails, miss Rose!"

The team couldn't help but stiffen at how loud their chaperon was being. It was a wonder the entire city of Grimm hadn't attacked them yet.

"Um, well." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck shyly. "There's a school a couple miles east of here, and I thought it would be a great place to search."

The professor adjusted his glasses and regarded the young girl carefully. Ruby smiled nervously and wondered if she had said something wrong. Her team however did their best to look united and strong.

"Brilliant! I could not have come up with a better plan myself! I shall wait for you there!"

Oobleck took a sip from his thermos and in the blink of an eye, he took off running.

"He's insane," Weiss commented dryly.

"And he's running the wrong way," Blake pointed out.

Ruby sighed in relief that she hadn't been reprimanded.

"Good job, sis." Yang patted her on the back.

"Thanks," she breathed.

Blake shoved past the team going the opposite direction of Oobleck.

"Don't mind her," the blonde covered. "You know how she gets without her alone time with her romance novels."

Weiss shook her head seriously doubting that was it. If Ozpin was right, then the White Fang may very well be hiding out in the old school. Even she was nervous.

"I guess we should follow her." Ruby drew her weapon and Weiss did similar. "We're going to need the element of surprise, so take out as few Grimm as possible."

Her team nodded reluctantly. Moving across that much area without being seen was going to be slow and tedious. They also didn't like leaving so many Grimm alive, as sooner or later they'd be found out and that would just mean even more monsters to slay.

"Are you coming or not?" Blake called back.

The trio glanced at each other.

"Faunus hearing," they concluded.

"Ladybug," The caped-girl ordered into her scroll.

From opposite sides of the street, both Ruby and Blake dashed out of the shadows and struck the small, unsuspecting Beowolf pack. Ruby's scythe cut several Grimm in half with a single mighty swing, while Blake sliced and diced with her katana and cleaver, finding little resistance against the young Beowolves.

The adolescent pack was already spilling roses into the sky and dissipating before they even knew what happened.

"Break," the leader ordered.

Both girls returned to their respective sides of the street into the dark alleys.

"No fair," Yang whined standing beside her slightly out of breath partner. "You and Ruby are getting all the kills."

Before Blake could argue, Weiss jumped in on the team chat.

"That's because they're our fastest fighters, Yang," she chided. "You're slow as dirt and without my glyphs, I'm not much faster."

Blake slapped away the blonde's hand before she could mute the girl.

"We have one more pack to go," Ruby said breathlessly, looking through her scope at the top of an old rickety fire escape. "I'm seeing about three dozen Beowolves by the courtyard, so we'll take them out together."

"Yes!" Yang fist pumped.

"Tell me when you're in position, and be careful. Have your dust and ammo ready just in case."

"Roger," they said together.

Blake and Yang crept through the dark and damp alleys while Ruby and Weiss crawled over rooftops to get a closer look at their prey. Ruby had scouted the Beowolf pack with her sniper rifle, and they stood between them and the school. If the White Fang were in the area, they were keeping a low profile.

Finally, the pair were ready to attack.

"Okay, Ice Flower is in position."

"What took you so long?" Yang laughed.

"Bumblebee is in position," Blake replied, ignoring her partner.

"Alright team." Ruby took a deep breath preparing her semblance. "In five, four, three, two-"

A Beowolf howled and every red eye turned to where the caped-girl and heiress were hiding.

"Uh-oh..." Ruby said wide eyed.

From seemingly nowhere, hundreds of Beowolves appeared out of the shadows and from the school. Many stood well over seven feet and were covered in white armor. They filled the entire courtyard and now Ruby and Weiss had their undivided attention. Ruby was frozen. She hadn't seen this many Beowolves since Patchwork.

The legion of Grimm howled before charging.

"Snap out of it sis!" Yang cried, sensing her sister's fear.

The blonde turned to her partner who nodded.

"Bumblebee!" They threw themselves at the closest Grimm to get their attention.

Yang smirked as she discharged Ember Celica into the jaw of Beowolf, but her mouth fell open when the creature barely budged.

"Uh, Blake." She gulped. "I think they see us."

Blake blind fired into the crowd but her weapon was too weak to cause damage, the older Grimm simply shrugging the bullets off. She switched to her katana and clever covering her partner's exposed back. Yang flared her semblance and this time Ember Celica destroyed the beast's white mask.

"Duck!"

The blonde did as she was told just as Blake swung Gambol Shroud over their heads by the ribbon, creating a perimeter as her partner threw two high grade red ammo clips into her gauntlets. She was going to need something that packed more of a punch, pun intended of course.

The Grimm backed off deciding to surround their meal. Yang and Blake stood back to back with their weapons ready. Sweat rolled off the faunus' brow as she saw the Beowolf Yang had just punched in the face stand back up. These weren't juveniles. They had probably been a part of the fall of the lost city decades ago. They knew how to deal with huntresses...

"Looks like we're going to be winning that bet after all." Yang eyes flashed red as she grinned, seeing the bright side in the sea of darkness.

"If we live that long," Blake muttered.

Above their heads on the other side of the courtyard, Ruby was still frozen while Weiss was panicking.

"Ruby, you have to snap out of it!" she hissed. "Yang and Blake need you! I need you!"

Nothing...

Weiss saw no alternative. Her partner was helpless right now, and her rifle dangled in her hands threatening to fall.

'It's your blood that's red like roses...'

"OOWWW!" The caped-girl howled as it felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepy head." Weiss removed the ice glyph from around Ruby and chambered Myrtenaster. "We've got problems."

"Yang!" Ruby gasped as a Beowolf lunged for her sister's throat only to be blasted in the face with a shotgun shell.

The beast stood back up...

"They can't keep that up forever, Ruby. They need our help."

'Hide under the bed, sweetie. Take this with you. I'll be back, I promise...'

Ruby pulled the hood over her face and took a deep breath. There was calmness to her actions that unsettled her partner, and could feel Ruby's aura radiate off of her as she chambered Crescent Rose.

"Let's go."

The caped-girl and heiress hurled themselves into the fray with little regard for themselves. As the scythe tore through the Beowolves, the heiress stuck to Ruby's back burning through the beasts with her flaming rapier.

Crescent Rose switched to harvest mode so that it's blade extended out, and Weiss instinctively ducked but continued behind her partner. Even with their white armor, the scythe was simply too sharp and it's wielder too skilled to be hindered any more than a moment.

Weiss activated gravity glyphs to slow the Beowolves down, occasionally reversing them into propulsion glyphs to speed themselves up, and together they worked their way to their teammates who were beginning to struggle just to hold their own.

The Beowolves were all over Yang due to her not having any reach with her weapons. She had to get up close and personal with every foe she fell, and that usually meant getting a face full of teeth and claws.

Her eyes were crimson as she cursed every single Grimm that got too close. Blake did her best to cover her partner's back but she wasn't meant for stationary combat. She was the scout of the team, meant for distractions and was good for a few hits before retreating. Surrounded and unable to move was a death sentence for her and Yang, but luckily her teammates knew that.

"Everyone duck!" Ruby cried at the top of her lungs.

Fire glyphs appeared shooting flames above their heads. The torrents of fire pushed the Beowolves back as Ruby and Weiss ran to their sides. The heiress plunged her rapier into the ground causing a red ring to form around them and the flames shot up even higher.

"What took you so long," Blake gasped with red markings on her skin and stains in her clothes.

"Sorry," Ruby apologized, equally as out of breath.

"Welcome to hell," Yang greeted, still snarling at the beasts.

"Hey, guys?" Weiss grimaced. "I can't keep this up forever, so save the chit chat. Reload and please come up with a plan that doesn't involve us getting killed. This is my new favorite jacket, and I just got the chocolate stains out from Ruby's midnight snack."

Everyone nodded and began reloading their weapons while their leader gave out commands.

"Freezerburn. Weiss, cover Yang's back and stick close to it."

"Roger," they said together knowing their parts as they'd practiced them countless times.

Yang was nearly unstoppable in a fight and would draw the most attention, but she needed someone covering her back at all times, which suited Weiss perfectly as a more defensive fighter and the team's support.

Ruby turned her head to Blake. "Ladybug. We've got some room to move around now, so make the most of it, and follow my lead."

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"Ready, Weiss?"

"Don't have much of a choice," the heiress breathed, straining herself. "Running. Out of. Dust..."

The hordes of Grimm leaped through the dwindling flames roaring and snarling.

"Cover her!" Ruby ordered, her partner kneeling down to reload her weapon's dust chambers.

The heiress emptied the cylinders and replaced them with the finest dust crystals her company provided. Even with all of her practice and efficiency, reloading Myrtenaster was a slow process compared to her teammate's weapons. Normally, reloading her weapon in the middle of combat was impossible, but luckily she had her friends beside her who all unloaded their weapons and aura into the hordes.

Myrtenaster's dust chamber spun and ignited in flames.

"Ready!"

"Alright," Ruby nodded. "Ladybug! Freezerburn! Go!"

Yang planted her feet and roared as her semblance fired up. She discharged her gauntlets into every single Beowolf that dared come her way. While Weiss covered her back with ice cold determination, the blonde fought with fiery rage.

The blonde hated Grimm for what they'd done to her friends and family. She'd lost both her mother and Summer to the beasts. Her sister had been traumatized and her father had fallen into depression. She had been raised in a school dedicated to fighting monsters, and had friends who lost loved ones. Thousands had died in the very place she was standing... a school for children...

They all needed to die, and she wanted to be the cause.

Yang let out another string of curses as she felt a claw rake her shoulder. Her semblance began burning even brighter and all she could see was red.

Weiss scorched anything that tried to flank her teammate. While her weapon wasn't the most ideal choice when surrounded by Grimm, the flames helped even the score. Red dust increased her blade's strength and repelled attacks back to themselves, and no monster no matter how vile wanted to feel its sting.

An ice glyph appeared around the pair and Yang didn't even think as she let her aura dispel it, causing a mist to appear around them. Five more light blue glyphs appeared around them all varying in size, and Weiss took a deep breath. A chilling blizzard blew freezing many Grimm where they stood and hovered around the blonde who's burning aura was all too present in her wild mane. Weiss followed as she charged into the fray, using small ice glyphs for cover and her rapier to keep the beasts at bay.

Ruby and Blake in the meantime were a blur on the battlefield. The faunus would attack unsuspecting Grimm then immediately retreat, attacking another and repeating the process. Her weapon was the weakest when it came to raw power, but it was also the most versatile. She could swing her ribbon as a whip one second, attack with katana and/or cleaver the next, or combine her weapons for a heavy two handed strike. And with no need to cover a partner, she could use her shadow to dodge and absorb the beasts' teeth and claws.

Rose petals filled the battlefield as Ruby raced from one end to the other, shooting her rifle to change direction on a dime. Not every Grimm was a clean kill, but Blake followed and would finished the job, watching in awe of how the childlike girl was a blur to her eyes as she mowed through beasts without an aggression she'd never seen from her before.

The battle raged on for what seemed like an eternity to the girls, but finally there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. No longer was there a sea of darkness, now there was a cloud of rose petals blowing through the air and the ground became stained in black while covered in an icy mist.

With a final battle cry, Ruby swung her scythe falling several Beowolves at once. Blake paused as her target burst into rose petals before her very eyes, and Weiss plunged her now flameless rapier into her final Beowolf.

The girls fell to their knees exhausted and their bodies shaking. They all gasped for air as sweat clung to their clothes and poured off their faces while blood trickled from their injuries.

Yang however looked around wildly for another Grimm to destroy. They still needed to pay for what they'd done...

"It's over, Yang," Blake cried with a hoarse voice, wiping her eyes. "It's over."

Hearing her partner's voice snapped the blonde out of her rage, and her eyes returned to lilac. Like the other girls, she fell to her knees overcome with exhaustion as her semblance finally burned off.

Ruby removed her hood and looked up and the sky. Her cross necklace had never felt so heavy.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

Her teammates took inventory of their injuries, not trusting to go by feeling while adrenaline and aura still pumped through their veins, and finally nodded. Ruby sighed with overwhelming relief. Despite their cuts and bruises they'd be alright. She wiped her moist eyes smiling weakly.

Yang coughed due to her mouth being dry. "So that was a th-"

"Don't even say it," Weiss threatened.

"-a thing." her sister finished.

The heiress didn't even have the strength to call her partner a dolt.

"I need a shower," she whined, looking down at her tattered white jacket which was now drenched in sweat, covered in dirt, and stained in her blood.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They were all covered in filth, as well as claw marks and the tar-like substance the Grimm left behind.

"So who won the bet?" Yang also rolled over to her back and stared at the cloudy sky wishing for rain. Maybe that would wipe away her bruises.

"I don't care," Blake muttered. "The bet is stupid. Let's just call it a draw."

*clap* *clap* *clap*

The team looked up to see Professor Oobleck carrying their packs over his shoulder as if they were nothing.

"You left these in the alley and rooftop." He tossed them their packs unfazed by their current appearance.

"Thanks," Yang grumbled.

"If you must know, miss Xiao Long, your sister was in the lead." He grinned. "I have a photographic memory, and I honestly lost count."

Both Yang and Blake closed their eyes feeling deflated while Weiss cheered halfheartedly.

They all reached for their water bottles and water spilled out of their mouths as they tried swallowing as much as quickly as possible. Even Weiss had no problem letting the water run down her chin, and even poured it over her head.

Ruby choked as the water went down the wrong pipe and ended up having a coughing fit.

"Easy there, Rubes."

The caped-girl gave her sister a pained thumbs up when the fit ended. "I'm good."

Yang couldn't help but notice how different her baby sis looked. Dirt was matted in her hair and caked onto her skin. Small cuts and bruises covered her body and her silver eyes were weary. She looked so much like Summer...

"I must say, you four put on a fantastic show," Oobleck remarked.

"Thanks for the help," Yang replied not too kindly.

The professor glanced over and regarded her appearance for a moment.

"I am here to observe your mission, miss Xiao Long. I am not to interfere unless you are no longer capable of finishing your job, or if our true objective is completed."

Yang wanted to argue but knew he was right. This was a test after all. Their mission, not his.

"But if it makes you feel better, I believe the school and playground are now clear."

For the first time the team realized how close to the school they'd been driven. Somehow, a swing set had survived the decades and swung in the wind while a rusted slide looked ready to collapse.

'They're not here,' Blake thought to herself, tightening her fist before loosening it as she looked at her friends.

"Now if you'll excuse me." Oobleck turned towards the school. "I'm rather curious to see what classrooms were like decades ago in the lost city. Good-bye."

The professor sped off leaving them staring at the dust he'd kicked up.

"He needs to watch his mouth," Yang said, running a hand lazily through her hair.

"And you're one to talk," Weiss replied. "I have never heard such foul language in all my life."

The blonde shrugged. "Give me a break, princess, I think I was justified. And besides, I heard some choice words coming out of your mouth too."

Weiss looked appalled and ready to argue, but Yang held up a hand. "But I will admit, I've never heard so many four-letter words sound so classy."

Weiss' face turned red as Ruby and Blake smiled.

"Thanks..." she said at last, her lip twitching and her face now blushing.

The team broke out in laughter as they lay on the ground together exhausted.

Ruby smiled to herself looking up at the sky. She could almost feel her mom smiling down...

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was a long chapter, I'm sorry (you're welcome?). I wanted to show that even the most basic Grimm can be deadly in numbers. Yang and Blake probably wouldn't have made it out alive without Ruby and Weiss. Ruby has the best weapon suited for the job but even she didn't walk away unscathed. I guess it goes without saying that this was a preview of what's to come. I also wanted to have Blake feeling some anxiety in this chapter. We'll be digging more into that soon. Also check out "The Last Jubilee" which I wrote for MonCon, you might like it. I hope you enjoyed this long chapter and I hope it wasn't too much. Thank you everyone for all of the kindness and support. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has made this story possible. God bless)