Beacon Academy...
General James Ironwood is looking out from the landing docks of Beacon Academy to the city of Vale at night, a few airships hovering over the lit-up buildings. Walking up from behind him is Glynda Goodwitch.
"Trouble sleeping?" Glynda asked.
"Arm was acting up." Ironwood said, looking back, and he's gripping his shoulder with the other hand.
"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." Glynda said, approaching Ironwood all the way to his side, then looks at him concerned. "What's wrong?"
"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just...I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark."
"Don't be ridiculous! You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark."
"That makes it worse!" Ironwood said, laughing humorously. "I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so...passively."
"You're a good person, James." Glynda said, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it." She drops her hand as they stare into the distance together. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering."
Mountain Glenn...
The full moon is shining over the ruined buildings of Mountain Glenn, and a lone Beowolf is searching through the rubble.
"This is just sad." Jared said, placing his hand on top of Ruby's. "Really sad."
"It is." Ruby said, as the Beowolf looks up briefly at her who has it in her red crosshair scope. "All of this land here. How many lives lost."
"Yeah." Jared said, drinking a cup of coffee. "You're right. Five sugars and one cream is not bad."
"Can I get some?" Ruby asked, lowering Crescent Rose and sighs in tiredness at she keeps lookout over the destruction. "Please…"
"Not in front of Zwei. Plus I'm gonna take this shift after you."
The rest of Ruby's team is lying down on their sleeping mats around the fire with weapons nearby, and Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck is higher up, slumped down against the wall next to the hole in the ceiling/floor. The three members of RWBY have their eyes closed, but Yang Xiao Long is the first to stop pretending.
"Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked.
"Yeah." Blake said.
"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"
"Maybe he was just curious."
"You think?"
"No."
"Weiss, are you awake?"
"Of course I'm awake! You two are talking. And I think he...when I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a...moral gray area." Weiss said.
"That's putting it lightly." Blake said.
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."
"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I...how can I undo so many years of hate?"
"I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." Yang said.
"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!" Blake said, angrily.
"At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."
"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss said.
"She's only two years younger. We're all kids." Blake said.
"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" Yang said, annoyed.
"It's the life we chose."
"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second." Weiss said.
The apparently-sleeping Oobleck has a small smile when she finishes.
Yang has taken up watch, allowing for Ruby and Zwei to sleep on the sleeping bag Yang had been lying on, as Jared is lying down on his comfy mattress inside a bigger on the inside tent. Zwei suddenly wakes and stands up, causing Ruby to wake up.
Jared's tent…
"Okay, Zwei was barking." Jared said, hearing Zwei bark, as he is playing Splatoon 2 on his Nintendo Switch, with the console hooked up to the TV. "Roman Torchwick!"
He laid his Nintendo Switch on his bed, as he ran out of the tent, in his pajamas.
Building...
"Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed." Ruby said, when Zwei runs off. "Zwei! Zwei! Ugh!"
Street...
"I heard Zwei from inside my bedroom." Jared said, as he wandered out of the building with Ruby, looking for Zwei. "Zwei!"
"Zwei! Zwei, where are you? Zwei! Huh?" Ruby asked, as she and Jared spotted Zwei urinating on some ruins. "Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!"
"Shit." Jared said, as Zwei barked. "The White Fang."
"What was that?" White Fang Guard 1 asked.
Having heard the WF Guard, Ruby and Jared hide behind some ruins.
"What was what?" White Fang Guard 2 asked.
"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something." White Fang Guard 1 said.
"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps."
As the WF Guards walk away, Ruby, Jared, and Zwei sneak around in the background, following them. They eventually reach a ruined building with a pair of metal doors, and Ruby hides behind a corner with Jared, holding Zwei out to watch them.
"Did they go in yet? One bark means yes." Ruby said, when the sound of the door closing echoes out.
"I think that's good, Little Red." Jared said, hearing Zwei bark once. "Allons-y!"
"Oh! This is it! This is it!" Ruby said, taking out a small scroll and tries to call her teammates. However, the screen says 'Low Signal'. "Aw man! Come on, we gotta get the others!"
"Right." Jared said, as he, Ruby, and Zwei hurry off down the street. "It's been a long time coming, this adventure."
"You've been expecting this." Ruby said, and the asphalt beneath them suddenly sinks before caving in. "Great! Let's really tell them what's going on."
"Ruby!" Jared said, when Ruby grabs onto a ledge and catches Zwei.
"Take care of Zwei." Ruby said, tossing Zwei up out of the hole towards Jared and begins to attempt to pull herself up. "I can't hold on!"
"I'll tell them." Jared said, as the ledge Ruby is holding onto breaks off, and she plummets into a huge cave filled with ruined buildings, far below the surface. "Stay safe, Ruby."
Cavern...
Ruby lands on a building up against a cavern wall, and as she gets up, a nearby door bursts open to reveal two other WF Guards, one of whom is Perry.
"Freeze!" White Fang Guard 1 said.
"Where did she come from?" White Fang Guard 2 asked.
As the WF Guards walk forward, Ruby backs away only to end up on the very edge of the platform.
"You're a long way from home, little girl." White Fang Guard 1 said.
Ruby reaches back for her scythe, only to realize that she doesn't have it. Both guards approach her, and one of them grabs her arm.
"Hey! Hands off!" Ruby said, jerking her arm out of the guard's hand and starts punching him.
It has very little effect, and he punches her in the face hard enough to knock her down.
"The boss is gonna want to see this one…" White Fang Guard 1 said, as he kicked Ruby in the head hard enough to knock her out.
Building...
"Hey Weiss, it's your...Ruby? Hey, where's Ruby and Jared?" Yang asked.
"What?" Oobleck asked.
"Ruby." Jared said, as he comes running into the room with Zwei, with the Corgi barking. "She's…"
"Zwei? Jared?" Yang asked.
"What's going on?" Blake asked.
"Grab your weapons! Your leader may be in trouble." Oobleck said.
Cavern...
Ruby awakes to the two WF Guards who caught her dragging her by both arms through the underground city. All around her, White Fang members are at work, doing various things such as piloting a Paladin to carry large shipping containers. There is a loud sound nearby as one of the White Fang members drops a large device.
"Hey, be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?" White Fang Guard 3 asked.
"Sorry sir!" White Fang Guard 4 said.
"Hey boss! Found something you might want to see!" Perry said.
"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day." Roman said, inside of a rail car.
"Uh, it's a little girl?"
"That would be bad." Roman said, leaning out through the doorway and sees Ruby.
Street...
Zwei and Jared leads Oobleck and Ruby's teammates to the hole that Ruby fell into, and Yang spots Crescent Rose next to the hole.
"Ruby's scythe!" Yang said, shocked.
"Oh no." Blake said.
"Ruby fell." Jared said, picking up Zwei.
"Fell?" Oobleck asked, looking up.
"Down there." Weiss said.
"Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!" Oobleck said, looking down at the hole.
"What is it?" Blake asked.
"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck exclaimed.
"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang asked.
"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!" Oobleck said, happily.
"Doc, what are you saying?"
"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!"
"They've been working in caves?" Blake asked.
"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!" Oobleck said.
"An underground village?" Yang asked.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until...an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby is down there…" Oobleck said, deploying his weapon. "we must find her…"