Chapter 9:

Monday

7/13

0900

Verdan leaned back in his chair, hands crossed behind his head. Ah, finally. Classes that I actually need. He was broken out of his happiness by a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see a guy staring down at him, arms crossed. Verdan sat up and placed his hands on the desk, looking up at the stranger. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, you can, buddy. You're in my seat. Move it or lose it," the guy said in a menacing voice. Verdan sat for a second, considering his options. After a moment's thought, he started to get up and apologize, but the guy started laughing and waving his hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it, it's fine. I just felt like messing with you." The stranger sat down in the seat next to Verdan before offering his hand. "Name's Flynn. Flynn Waggoner. You?"

"Verdan Allen," Verdan said, slowly shaking Flynn's hand.

"Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around," Flynn asked.

"Yeah, I'm relatively new here," Verdan said. "I'm temporarily transferring from Shade, Ozpin just felt like being a prankster and putting me in level-one classes."

"Level one?" Flynn asked curiously.

"Oh, sorry. I think you guys call it 'first year'," Verdan clarified. "I'm just used to using the terminology from Shade."

"Ah. Yeah, Ozpin can be a funny man sometimes. Great leader, though. Real inspiring to everyone around here," Flynn explained before looking behind Verdan at the door. "Oh, there's the rest of my team!" Flynn waved them over.

Two girls and a guy picked their way through the chairs to reach the duo. Two of them were unknown to Verdan, but one he recognized, it was Maggie. "Verdan, I'd like to introduce you to my team! Team, introduce yourselves," Flynn commanded.

Maggie gave a quick two-fingered salute. "We've already met each other, Flynn. But for the record, I'm Maggie Abel. Nice to see ya again."

"Hi. I'm," the sole male began to introduce himself before being interrupted.

"Lee Goate?" Verdan asked, reading off Lee's nametag.

"It's Lee Goate!" Lee exclaimed, pronouncing his last name 'go'. "Why does everyone always assume it's 'goat'? I even wear a name tag to fix this problem!"

"Uh, it just says 'Lee Goate'. It doesn't tell us how to pronounce your name," Verdan pointed out confusedly.

"Nonsense!" Lee exclaimed.

"Don't worry about him," Maggie said. "He doesn't like his name, and he's kinda paranoid and neurotic about people pronouncing it properly, so he's taken to wearin' a name tag." She added something on in a stage whisper. "He's kinda paranoid about everything, honestly."

"Hey!" Lee said loudly. "I am not paranoid, I'm just aware of things you guys aren't!"

"Sure, sure," Flynn chuckled. "Anyways, that's Lee and this is R-"

The other girl coughed a loud and obviously fake cough. "Call me R," she said. "I don't like my first name."

"Why? What's your first name?" Verdan asked, eyebrow raised.

"It's Roy," Lee interjected helpfully.

"Thank you ever so much, Lee. I'm going to kill you later," Roy said.

"Hey! If I suffer because of my name, it's only fair you suffer too!" Lee answered defensively.

As the two descended into bickering, Maggie trying to break them up, Flynn addressed Verdan once more. "Anyways, dysfunctional as we may be, this is our team. Team FLMR."

Verdan inclined his head forward, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Team Flamer? Seriously?"

Flynn chuckled ruefully, shaking his head before answering. "Yeah. . . I told you Ozpin was a bit of a strange one. I feel like he was scraping the bottom of the barrel with our name. Hey, you think we're bad, you oughta hear this one. Hey, Coco, get over here!" Flynn called out to a stylish-looking girl across the room.

The girl, Verdan assumed her name was Coco, made her way over to the duo. She lowered her shades – Seriously, who wears shades indoors? Verdan thought – to examine him. After a moment, she restored her sunglasses to their previous position – Why not just take them off? – and looked at Flynn. "Yeah? What do you want, Flynn?"

"I was talking to Verdan here about crappy team names. Tell him yours, Coco," Flynn responded.

Coco rolled her eyes, presumably at least. Verdan couldn't really tell because of the glasses, but he thought he saw some motion behind them. She turned to speak to Verdan. "My team's name is CFVY." She paused to allow Flynn to guffaw for a bit before getting himself under control. "While Flynn here may think it's worse than FLMR, I personally think it's an honor to be named after the headmaster's favorite thing in the world," Coco declared pridefully, raising a hand to her chest.

The teacher walked into the room, calling for everyone to take their seats and prepare for the lesson. Just before Coco walked away, Verdan whispered to both her and Flynn (Maggie was still trying to get Lee and R to quiet down), "It was nice to meet you both."

Monday

7/13

1530

Team RWBY-V (finally, they had all accepted that nickname that Ruby bestowed) was relaxing in their dorm after a day of classes. Blake, Weiss, and Verdan were working diligently at their homework, Ruby was off doing some sort of work on Crescent Rose, and Yang was just being lazy and listening to music.

Verdan dropped his pen on the desk and leaned his chair back, sighing. He had just finished the majority of his homework, minus one or two problems to ask the teachers about. He looked around the room, taking in the personal effects the four girls had brought in, matching them with their owners' personalities. For the most part, there were no surprises. However, there was one odd thing.

"Hey, Weiss?" Verdan asked, summoning the Schnee from her thoughts for a moment. "How come your chess set is on Yang's bookshelf?"

"Although I'm pretty good at chess, that's actually hers," Weiss said.

"Really?" Verdan asked in a surprised tone. He crumpled up a piece of scrap paper and lobbed it at Yang, getting her attention. Yang pulled one out of her ear and leaned up on her elbow, looking down at Verdan from her bed.

"You play chess?" Verdan asked her inquisitively.

Yang nodded, pulling the other earbud out and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, I play chess. I'm not too bad, either. Wanna play?"

Verdan shrugged. "Sure, I'm done with my work."

Yang hopped off her bed and grabbed the box, setting it down on the desk as Verdan scooted over and pulled another chair up. Blake stopped her work and rolled over as the two set out the board and the pieces. "Ladies first, so you can have white," Verdan said.

As uninterested as she seemed, Weiss was actually listening to the chess game with one ear. Chess was one of the few things that could be categorized as "fun" that was encouraged by her father. Granted, it was turned into a chore by the rigorous, repetitive teaching employed by her tutor and it was only encouraged to teach forethought and planning, but it was still something she had found enjoyment in. She was soon able to best nearly everyone she played, although that might have been due to the fact that she was a Schnee and to beat her might not be in her opponents' best interests.

Weiss slowed her pace of completing her homework in order to better focus on the game behind her. She heard a tapping sound that she assumed was Yang moving her first piece, signaling the game's beginning. She heard several more taps, along with a few "hm"s before somebody spoke. "So, where'd you learn to play chess, Verdan?" Yang asked.

"When we were little, my sister and I had a strong tendency to be smartalecy, always trying to outsmart other people. Eventually, our mother sat us down in front of a chess board, gave us a rule book, and said, 'Here. Outsmart each other.'" Weiss heard two taps. "We started playing it and grew to love it. I haven't played it in a while, though." Verdan paused for a moment. "Few of my friends at Umbra liked it, and none of my friends at Shade liked it. What about you?"

Yang chuckled as Weiss heard a tap. "It may surprise you, but I've always been a rowdy girl. After a year or so at Signal, my father stepped in and told me to join some club that was in no way related to fighting." Weiss heard another tap. "I drew names out of a hat and chess club won. After a couple games where I got my butt handed to me, I found that I enjoyed it. Practiced at it and got a lot better."

Weiss heard one more tap before Yang said, "Neat story. Checkmate, by the way." This caught Weiss's attention. Checkmate already? They've only been playing for four or five minutes, and I only heard about twenty moves! She ceased work and spun her chair around to walk to the desk on the other side of the room. Verdan and Blake were standing in disbelief, leaning over the board, closely examining it for any other options. Yang was leaning back in her chair, hands interlaced behind her head, a smug look on her face. Weiss moved to stand between Blake and Verdan's chair, a quick glance confirming her report.

"That is indeed checkmate," Weiss said. "A beautiful one , too."

Verdan sat down, shock plastered across his face. "It would appear I'm not as good as I thought I was."

"Nope!" Yang gloated, popping the 'p' as her sister was known to do.

"Well if that just isn't a blow to my ego," Verdan moaned, dragging his hands down his face.

At that moment, the door flew open and hit the wall, Ruby dashing in with an excited look on her face. "Gear up, ladies and gentleman! We've got a mission!"

"Seriously? Now? It's," Blake checked her scroll. "Three thirty. Why now?"

"I dunno," Ruby said. "I just know that Ozpin said he had a mission for us. He said it shouldn't take too long, though. He said that we're returning to a place Verdan discovered last week." She turned to look at Verdan, expecting some clarification.

Verdan looked up for a moment, thinking, before snapping his fingers. "Ah, the tower! It was an old ruin I discovered on Aldur Island," he said, facing the whole team. "It was an old watchtower from the Great War or so, but what was interesting was some sort of excavation underneath it. That's where I got knocked out and captured." He turned to address Ruby in particular. "My question is, why are we, five trainees, being sent to a hazardous location where someone has already gotten in trouble? Do we even have a teacher going with us?"

"No, no teacher," Ruby said. "Ozpin said this was more of a quick field trip than a hard mission. His reasoning was, lemme see if I can remember. Oh, yes! 'Verdan is free and knows the location of this mysterious faction's work. They are all likely gone by now.' So that's why," Ruby finished.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment. "Doesn't this seem. . . contrived to any of you?" Weiss asked.

"I'm glad you mentioned that, cause I had been thinking that myself," Verdan said. "But it doesn't look like we have much choice. Ah well, I didn't have any big plans for tonight."

"What, no hot dates?" Yang asked. Verdan just rolled his eyes. "Well, if we wanna get home by bedtime, we had better get going!"

A strange look came across Ruby's face, a combination of uncomfortable and apologetic. "About that, Yang. . . You can't, exactly, come." At Yang's shocked and befuddled look, Ruby continued quietly. "You're still not allowed to exert yourself. . ."

Yang frowned as she sat back down on Blake's bed. "Oh yeah. Crap." She sighed. "Well, don't do anything too awesome without me!"

Blake snorted. "Yeah, exploring some old ruins. I'm sorry Yang, we'll just have to be awesome without you," she said in a flat, sarcastic tone. Verdan turned to her with a hurt look.

"Hey, don't diss my interests! I don't call you out on your smut book, do I?" Verdan asked.

Yang cackled as she fell backwards on the bed. "Oh man, even the newbie called it! You can't deny it anymore, Blakey!" Blake's face turned red but she refused to otherwise acknowledge Yang.

"Everyone ready?" Ruby asked. When the other three going on the mission nodded affirmatively, she nodded back. "Very well then. To the armory!" She walked off, finger pointed forward dramatically. Blake, Weiss, and Verdan marched off after her, saying their goodbyes to Yang.

Δ Insert Scene Change Here Δ

The four teenagers hopped onto the transport Professor Goodwitch had directed them towards. Climbing aboard, they noticed they were not the only passengers as they had assumed. "Professor Oobleck," Ruby asked. "Are you going with us?"

"That's Doctor Oobleck!" Oobleck emphatically stated. "And no, I am not. Professor Ozpin has enough faith in you four to allow you to take a short field trip unaccompanied. In addition, the location you will be examining is classified as clear. I have a mission of my own, one that is significantly more dangerous."

"Is your mission classified, or can you tell us what you're doing?" Verdan asked.

"I'm to be surveying Mountain Glenn, examining Grimm activity and seeing if we can perhaps reclaim and recycle some of the materials used in construction," Oobleck said.

"What about your classes?" Weiss asked. "Or will you be back tomorrow?"

"No, this mission will likely take several days. I have secured a substitute to take over my classes for the duration of my mission!" Oobleck answered.

As Oobleck finished explaining his mission, a pilot ran up and hopped onto the craft. "Everyone onboard and ready?" he asked. Receiving affirmative nods from his five passengers, the pilot ducked into the cockpit. "Strap up ladies, and gentleman! I like to fly fast!" He punched several buttons, igniting the engines and causing the transport to jump up.

Δ Insert Scene Change Here Δ

The engines cycled down, allowing the transport to hover approximately ten feet above the surface of the ground. The back hatch opened, revealing what looked to have once been a plaza surrounded by shops, before it was abandoned and reclaimed by the wilderness. Rubble was everywhere, as were cracks with grass growing in them.

The four members of RWBY-V's expedition leaned out of their seats, craning their necks to get a glimpse of this forgotten land out the back. Oobleck unlatched his harness, standing up and grabbing his thermos and a rucksack. "Good luck on your mission girls! And guy," he added remembering Verdan's presence. He jumped off the back ramp, landing on the ground and running towards a building. The back hatch closed as the engines spun up once again.

"You four are going to Aldur Island, correct?" the pilot called out, looking back at them. Ruby nodded, confirming his query. The pilot punched a series of buttons before grabbing the stick, pointing the transport towards their next direction.

Δ Insert Scene Change Here Δ

The pilot set the transport down on the field beside the ancient tower. "Last stop, everybody out before I dump you in the ocean!" When his four passengers gave him seriously freaked-out looks, he laughed a bit. "I'm kidding, I'd never drop a passenger in the ocean. Call me when you're ready to get picked up."

"Alright, Verdan. You're the only one that's been here before, so you get to show us where to go," Ruby said. "Lead the way!"

"Alright, come here," Verdan said, waving his hand for them to follow him as he walked toward the tower. "I know this thing doesn't look too impressive, but it's actually pretty old. In fact, this isn't even the entire tower we're looking at here. At least twenty or thirty feet are below ground."

"Then why is there a door here?" Weiss asked, pausing before the entrance.

Verdan froze midstep. He then finished stepping and pivoted to face Weiss, finger raised into the air and mouth open, ready to explain. After waiting like that for several moments, he dropped his hand and closed his mouth. "Y'know, I don't really know. Let's just assume someone renovated it since it was half-buried?"

"That's your best explanation?" Blake asked skeptically.

"Yes. Yes it is. You got a problem with that? My dad's the archaeologist, I just enjoy it as a hobby," Verdan complained. "You got a better explanation, lay it on me." He gave a slight glare at each of them, daring them to speak up. None of them did (although Weiss did roll her eyes), and he led them through the archway opening into the base of the tower.

"Okay, so over here is where the ladder was last time," Verdan said as he pried open the trap door. "Eeeeeexcept now there's no ladder."

"Really? We didn't notice," Weiss said. "So what now, Ruby?"

"Uuuhhhhhh. . ." Ruby trailed off, thinking hard. She glanced around the room, before a solution presented itself to her. "Blake, how long is the ribbon on Gambol Shroud?"

"I have about thirty meters, why?" Blake asked.

"Where do you keep thirty meters of ribbon on you?" Verdan asked in amazement.

Ruby and Blake both ignored him as Ruby explained her plan. "Your ribbon is rated to hold up to 225 kilograms, right?" At Blake's confirming nod, Ruby finished her explanation. "Alright, shift it into in kusarigama form, then we'll jab it into the crack between two stones in the floor. Verdan'll magnetize it in place and we'll use the ribbon to rappel down the shaft. Will you be okay with just your sheath, Blake?"

Blake nodded. "I'll make it work."

"I am simultaneously proud and terrified of you and this plan," Weiss said.

"Aw, don't be like that! It'll be awesome!" Ruby cheered as she nudged Weiss in the side forcefully.

Blake and Verdan quickly moved to execute Ruby's plan, firmly embedding Gambol Shroud into the crack between two flagstones and running the ribbon down into the hole in the floor. "Now, who goes first?" Verdan asked.

". . . Did anyone bring a flashlight?" Ruby asked, just realizing a possible flaw in her plan.

"I got you, Ruby," Verdan said. He pulled his flashlight attachment out of one of his pockets, attaching it to the front of his rifle and turning it on. "I take point?" he asked. Nobody else volunteered, so he went to the hole and crouched down, grabbing the ribbon. "I'll let you girls know when I'm down and it's clear." Verdan jumped down the whole, the ribbon hissing as it slipped through his glove.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake crouched down by the hole, looking in as the beam of light coming from Verdan's rifle slid lower and lower, before finally stopping. It swung around several times before stopping and turning up to face them. "All clear down here! Come down when you're ready!"

The three girls slid down the ribbon, one after the other, until they all had reached the bottom of the chasm. Verdan held his rifle in one hand, pointing out with the flashlight a pile of rocks. "That was the entrance into the tunnel last time I was here. Must have collapsed it when they bailed."

Weiss walked closer to the pile, crouching down to examine it. "Verdan, don't you have earth Dust crystals?"

"Aye, I've got a few. Why?"

"Could I have one?" Weiss asked, extending a hand backwards. Verdan looked through his bag, pulling out a brown crystal and placing it in Weiss's outstretched hand. Weiss poked at a spot with Myrtenaster for a bit, before sliding the Dust crystal into place in the hole she just made. She stood up and walked backwards to the other side of the room, beckoning the others to follow her lead. "Stand clear, everyone." She waved her hand and created a glyph underneath the rock pile, the edge just barely visible. With a ringing noise, the Earth Dust activated, shattering the boulders into a pile of gravel and sand, the four teenagers shielding their faces from any flying debris with their arms. "And that is that," Weiss said proudly.

"Wow! That was amazing, Weiss!" Ruby cried out in awe.

"Thank you," Weiss said.

"Pretty good work," Verdan said as he moved forward and began scooping some of the gravel away, Ruby quickly following suit. Together, the duo made quick work of the blockade and managed to scoop enough of the debris away to uncover the tunnel. "Here, you two go first, since Ruby and I did the hard work and all," Verdan said sarcastically, gesturing for Weiss and Blake to enter the tunnel. They did as suggested, although Blake at least had the decency to look sheepish about it.

All the equipment that Verdan had seen in his previous foray had disappeared, leaving an empty, dark tunnel. "Oh! I'm an idiot!" Verdan exclaimed, looking through his satchel. He pulled out several clear Dust crystals, activating them and handing them off to the other three.

"You just now remembered you had Light Dust? Way to go," Weiss said quietly.

The four teenagers walked through the tunnel, looking around at the walls for anything interesting. After several meters and one corner, the walls of the tunnel changed. Instead of being dirt that had been excavated, it was instead large stone blocks. It twisted and turned several more times before opening up into a massive cavern. The roof wasn't much higher than the ceiling, but it appeared to be the same stone material as the tunnel, only with several spaces in them where all that remained was dirt. There appeared to have once been steps down to the floor that was many meters below them, but they looked to have crumbled into a pile of wood and stone. The only thing they could access was a walkway extending along the wall to their right.

Verdan looked down over the edge, shining his flashlight at the floor. "Well, I guess this is the end of the line. We'd have to come back with proper caving equipment to explore this ruin any further."

"Not exactly," Blake corrected. She pointed along the walkway. "I'm pretty sure there's a doorway that way." She led the other three to what she saw, which was indeed a doorway. It opened into a room with what appeared to have been at one point two windows, which now were merely portals allowing dirt into the room, mounds of dirt forming below and piling up towards each window. There were piles of rotting wood and fabric in areas of the room, intimating that this was a bedroom or another, similar, type of living space.

"Well this was a waste," Ruby said dejectedly. Blake and Weiss nodded along with her, as Verdan trained the flashlight beam on the walls and junk piles, using the more focused beam than the light Dust offered to give the room a closer look.

"Hey, Blake," Verdan called out just as the other three started to leave the room. Blake turned back to look at him. "Is it just me, or does that block look like it's a lighter color than the others, and like there's no mortar around it?"

Blake walked closer to the block, using her superior vision to see if Verdan was right. "No, it's not just you. It does look out of place, slightly. Perhaps I've been reading too much, but do you think it might be a secret compartment of sorts?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking. Hey, you two wanna help us pull this out?" Verdan asked Ruby and Weiss. They nodded their assent and walked over. "On the count of three: one, two three!" The four teen strained as they slowly pulled the block out and set it on the floor, careful not to drop it on their toes. Weiss held up her light Dust to illuminate the space behind where the block once sat.

"It's a book of some kind," Ruby said. "It looks really really worn out, though. Uh. . . Verdan, you know some archeology stuff, you deal with this."

Verdan acquiesced, reaching in and carefully lifting up the book and setting it on the floor. "This thing looks ancient. Look, the cover's broken off; we can see the front page." Verdan carefully pulled the front cover off. He turned on his Scroll flashlight, and the four teens leaned in to examine the page.

Well, you're probably wondering why I'm writing with pen and paper, rather than in a computer like I have been. Father recommended I start writing my diary by hand, he suspects the military will appropriate our computers any day now.

He's worried. He tries to hide it at home, but I can see through it. The Infected grow more prevalent, they attack the fort weekly now. Father's hard-pressed to keep us secure while also protecting trading caravans leaving and arriving. I keep telling him I want to be a guard, but he tells me I'm too young. I think he just wants to keep "his precious little girl" safe. Fah! I'm fifteen, I want to help!

Well, I have to go now. The candle's burnt about all I'm willing to burn tonight, and as you know, our electricity is reserved for the most important tasks only. I'll write tomorrow, good night!

Verdan looked up at the three girls. "It looks like there's a date at the top, but it's smudged and unreadable."

Ruby spoke up. "This is really cool, and kinda creepy, but we need to get back. We weren't supposed to be out here very long. Let's get moving."

Verdan nodded. "Right, right. You girls go on up, let me get a couple pics of this and I'll be up." The three girls left as Verdan opened up the camera app, snapping several photos of the journal (with and without cover) before putting it back in its secret nook, using magnetism to lift the block back into place.

When Verdan climbed back up to the "ground" floor of the tower, Ruby was on her Scroll, speaking to (he assumed) the transport pilot. Blake helped pull him out of the hole just as Ruby hung up and walked back to them. "Alright, transport'll be here in about twenty minutes. Until then, we just gotta wait here."

They all stood in silence for a moment before someone broke it. "Okay, was it just me or was that journal entry insanely freaky?" Weiss asked. The other three all spoke over each other, voicing their own agreement. "What was that about whatever she called the Infected?"

"I don't know, but think of how old that thing must be! It sounds like it's describing the fallout from some cataclysmic world-changing event. Remant's been in decent condition for thousands of years, though," Verdan pointed out.

They walked out of the tower, standing in the clearing near the edge of the forest. "That complex must have been the fort the girl mentioned in her diary," Blake pointed out.

"Imagine how big it must ha- Look out!" Weiss cried out, pointing behind the rest of the group's backs. The bunch scattered as a Beowulf jumped out of the woods, snarling.

While the three girls managed to get out of the way, drawing their weapons in the process, Verdan was not so lucky. The Beowulf was able to knock him down and back. Verdan struggled to breathe, the wind knocked out of him by the two impacts. With a savage cry of triumph, the Beowulf leaped at its downed prey as Verdan tried to recover. Thankfully, everything turned out well, as Blake jumped over him and intercepted the Beowulf, using her two blades to scissor its head off.

Blake straightened up as she and Weiss turned to survey the rest of the woods, watching to see if the Beowulf had any friends. Ruby, meanwhile, helped Verdan up as he coughed, trying to even out his breathing rhythm again. "Thanks. . . Blaze. . ." Verdan said, standing up and releasing Ruby.

Blake's bow twitched in acknowledgment. Ruby, however, looked at Verdan confusedly. "Hey Verdan, who's Blaze?"

Verdan shook his head, not looking at her. "I said 'Blake', Ruby."

Ruby shook her head. "No, I was right beside you. You clearly said, 'Thanks Blaze'."

"I did not. You misheard me. Leave it."

"Are you sure? Cause I was pretty sure-"

"Ruby Rose, you infuriating, high pitched, little girl! Leave me alone about it!" Verdan walked off, going back into the tower.

Weiss and Blake looked at Ruby, who looked very hurt about the incident. "I was just curious. . ." she said quietly.

By the time the transport arrived, Verdan had still not come out of the tower. He only came out after the ramp had lowered and was the last to board the jet. The entire trip back to Beacon, he did not speak to Ruby, Weiss, or Blake. He just slouched in his seat, arms crossed, legs extended, and head tilted back.

When the jet landed back at Beacon, Verdan made no move to get off, remaining in his seat as the other three got off. The only thing he did was retract his legs to allow them to walk past him. However, just as Ruby started walking down the ramp, he sat up and spoke up. "Ruby, hold up a minute." Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all turned back, Ruby waving the other two to go on.

Verdan stood up and walked to Ruby. "Look, I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier." He sighed and nodded. "You were right. I did say 'Blaze' and not 'Blake'. Blaze is, she's my teammate."

A look of dawning comprehension spread across Ruby's face as she realized what that meant, followed by a look of horror as she realized what she brought up. "Oh no, Verdan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, I was just curious what you said! I'm so, so, sorry, please forgive me, I-" Verdan cut her off by putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Ruby, it's okay. I've started to make peace with what happened. Maybe I'll even feel like talking to you guys about it soon, but for right now I'd rather you not ask any questions. We good?" Ruby nodded and sniffled, water in the corners of her eyes. Verdan smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, Ruby. I'm not mad at you now."

Δ Insert Scene Change Here Δ

Wednesday

7/15

1647

"Are you certain?" Ozpin asked Oobleck worriedly, setting his coffee cup down and interlocking his fingers.

Oobleck nodded. "One-hundred percent certain, yes! As you know, It has been a hobby of mine to keep a record of Grimm activity in the areas around Vale, far more detailed than the council's record. Since I started my project, I have never seen these levels of Grimm activity anywhere around the kingdom, let alone Mountain Glenn. Cross-checking with the council's record, although more vague, says that this level of activity has not been seen in decades."

"This is indeed worrying. Thank you, Doctor. This has been a great help," Ozpin said before looking off to the side in thought.

"It was my pleasure to help," Oobleck said before speeding into the elevator.

Ozpin spun his chair around, standing up to look out the windows in the direction of Mountain Glenn. "To see such levels of Grimm activity when there is no corresponding spike in negativity. What could have spurred this?" He reached behind him for his coffee cup, taking several sips. "We shall have to deal with this immediately."

AN: Well, this is late. Really late. At this point, my goal of getting through my own events and the events of Vol. 3 before Vol. 4 debuts is pretty much shot, unless it's releasing in October or November, in which case I might get a chance.

In addition to this chapter, I've also uploaded a new version of the original chapter. Again. At first, I forgot Sun went to Haven and not Shade, so it seemed odd for him to not recognize Verdan at the beginning. To fix that, I edited the first chapter and posted a new version. Then later I remembered that he did not go to Shade, so I've edited it again and it will be fixed by the time you read this.

My timeline is all screwed up now, in terms of school vs. vacation. I originally planned for the school year to start in January, then to have a break in June/July, then to have the break between years be part of October, then November and December. I think I've messed that schedule up some, so let's just handwave any and all school scheduling. Deal?

Hey, I'm gonna need some people to populate Beacon some, and possibly Shade as well, so if you wanna send me some OC names and basic descriptions, feel free. I won't be using them for any major roles, so you don't need to give a novel about them. Just their name, weapon, semblance, and basic personality. Also, they must follow the color rule.

So, there's something fishy about Mountain Glenn, eh? I wonder what might have caused that?

I always forget stuff I wanna put in these. Maybe I should start writing the notes before I write the chapters? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, and I'd love it if you left me a review. See you next time! Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ!