Chapter 26:An Explosive Mission

You cut down the final Beowolf surrounding the last relay in the Emerald Forest. Just like the last two relays there are large traps with Grimm stuck inside them and a whole swarm trying to attack the relay. Luckily some simple Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and even a few Ursai, are nothing compared to the combined prowess of you and Dylan. Though "combined prowess" means the two of you killing them in the vicinity of the other, and not killing them as a team. Still, as the final Grimm dissipate into nothingness you and Dylan put away your weapons and approach Professor Port who's working on the relay.

"Hm... seems this one was also tampered with," Port speaks aloud as he disables the device.

"So Beacon has an enemy?" Dylan points out.

"Cool, we're gonna take out a threat before it can even be considered one," you excitedly say.

"Yes, well we'll need someone to identify the symbol first. In the meantime we'll return to Beacon. You two did a marvelous job today – showing the skills of a true Huntsman!"

"If only one of us could have the demeanor of one," Dylan smirks.

"Yeah, if only," you eye him back.

Port laughs with his usual full voice.

"Yet still young, it seems. Now students, the Bullhead should be here shortly. Keep an eye out for any Grimm."

You turn away from Dylan and shrug.

"Alrighty. I'll just imagine a nice warm meal waiting for me when I get back... like a nice steak... like the one Yang took from me," you spitefully say at the painful memory.

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Defeated, robbed, utterly demolished. These are all things one could use to describe Ruby Rose at this moment. She has spent so much time searching for you that she's convinced you're either dead or gone... probably gone. Though if you were actually dead that would be a whole different problem. So the young Ruby Rose makes one last stop to your room to check if you're there. If not, she'll be off to find her team to train some more for the tournament coming up.

Ruby enters the dormitories and skips along to your room. Once she's at the door she's about to knock when the door opens and a woman starts to step out. This woman isn't Weiss, Yang, or Blake, nor is she Ms. Goodwitch. No, this woman is a student who has one specific thing in common with Ruby. That one thing... is that they've both dated you.

Rogue steps out of the room only to bump into the young woman now dating her ex.

"What're you doing here?" They both say at the same time, same pitch, and same level of annoyance.

"I'm seeing my boyfriend! What about you?" Ruby pouts.

"I'm looking for that moron, yet evidently he's not in his room," she says as she crosses her arms, leans on her hip, and looks away from the nuisance in front of her.

"Then how did you get in his room?" Ruby curiously asks.

"He leaves the window open."

"So you break into his room?!"

Rogue shrugs.

"He's too sneaky for his own good. Always hiding away or sleeping when I wanted to see him."

Ruby lets her pout go as she thinks on the woman's words.

"Yeah... he always is sleeping by a tree," she giggles.

Rogue, oddly enough, snickers at this.

"Yeah, always a lazy one."

The two immediately look away from each other when they realize what they were just talking about, giving a loud "hmph."

"Well then I'm going!" Ruby declares.

"Me too," Rogue agrees.

The two walk away from the room... side by side as they're heading to the same location. The entire time they look the opposite way from one another, arms crossed. The awkward tension continues throughout the whole process of getting to the exit of the building. The two even open their own door as they exit. The two then go left and right which results in them bumping into each other immediately. Without saying a word the two step back, connecting eyes with fire in their irises.

"I hope I face you in the tournament!" Ruby threatens.

"Then maybe he'll see you're the wrong option," Rogue smirks.

"Oh why I oughta," Ruby mumbles, ready to go a round right then and there.

Before she can Rogue passes by the cloaked girl and goes on her way.

"He'll leave you, you know. He always does," Rogue says as she gets farther and farther away.

"No he won't!" Ruby shouts, stamping her foot. As she watches Rogue walk away her eyes drift to her feet as she kicks some dust. "He won't..."

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The Bullhead soars over Beacon to reach its intended destination. The roaring sound catches some students attention for a brief moment before the go back to whatever they were doing prior to. The doors open to allow some fresh air to hit you, Dylan, and Port as the three of you eagerly await stepping out of the machine.

"I suggest seeing Dr. Oobleck right away," Port speaks as you get closer to the ground. "He's been researching that symbol and should hopefully have a lead."

"Right," you both respond.

Before the Bullhead touches the ground you and Dylan hop off for a very brief drop. With your hands in your pockets and Dylan's arms crossed you both saunter along to Oobleck's classroom.

"You wanna just leap there?" You offer.

Dylan shrugs.

"Doesn't matter to me. I am enjoying the walk."

You snicker.

"I am too. I wonder where Little Red is, actually. I haven't seen her today."

"She's probably alright. You think she can't survive without you?"

You shrug in an overexaggerated manner.

"Well I don't know, Dylan. Maybe I'd just like to think my girlfriend would like to see me! It's like if you didn't see Blake."

"Blake's not my girlfriend," he quickly shoots down.

"And she won't be if Sun has anything to say about it," you chuckle, attempting to push Dylan's buttons.

"That idiot won't..." Dylan takes a deep breath. "I'm not letting your bait get to me, Slater. My relationship with Blake is none of your business."

You hop in front of Dylan, walking backwards to not waste time.

"Aha! That's where you're wrong, my good friend!" You wag your finger close to his face. "As my friend, I feel like it's my duty to aid you in what surely is a torturous time for your fragile heart."

"You're the bane of my existence."

"So, I, (Y/N) Slater," you dramatically place your hand on your chest. "Will help you, Dylan Brine," you point at him. "With your lady troubles!"

"I would rather ask Port about women than you."

You wave him off as you spin on your heel to face forward. You slow down a bit to allow Dylan to catch up, then walk at his pace.

"Pish posh, you need not worry. As you know, Slater's... well, they Slate. I'm gonna be Slating all over Blake for you."

"That... I don't know whether you're being serious or not anymore," Dylan admits as he finally adopts a confused expression. "And are you using your name as a-"

"Silence!" You snap your hand right in front of his mouth which he quickly pushes away. "You can leave it all in Papa Slater's hands."

"I'll cut off those hands if you don't shut up."

You finally break down in laughter, slapping your knee as you walk.

"Man, you're one of the most entertaining people to talk to, Dylan. Why were we not friends sooner?"

"I tried to kill you."

"Oh... yeah, true," you nod, placing your hands on your hips. You soon shrug then return your hands to your pockets. "Well, we're almost there. Hopefully Oobleck has something for us."

"Something like this could take weeks, Slater. I doubt you and I can finish this within twenty four hours."

"Pfft, you don't know that. We're an efficient team."

"We've never done missions as a team," he corrects.

"Well would you rather start strong?"

Dylan pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I... you make no sense."

"I make perfect sense. You just don't understand my complex thinking."

"'Complex thinking,'" he says in air quotes.

"Extremely complex thinking," you press.

Dylan shakes his head, chuckling.

"You're an idiot," he finishes with a smile.

Your friendly banter continues as you enter the building and head for the classroom. But the moment you enter the building Ruby walks around the corner, swinging her feet as she aimlessly walks around.

"I can't find aaaaaanyone!"

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You and Dylan enter Ooblecks classroom and are immediately confronted by the Doctor.

"Ah, good to see you both!" He spews, taking a sip of his coffee before speeding back to his desk and pointing to his board. A very detailed drawing of the symbol that littered around the relays you protected. "I have identified the symbol and oh how interesting it is! Have either of you heard of Merlot Industries?"

You both shake your head, you being more animated than Dylan. Dr. Oobleck sighs.

"They were a very prominent corporation during the foundation of Mt. Glenn. Dr. Merlot was a brilliant scientist, well known to everyone. His facility-"

His speech becomes faster and faster to the point where you and Dylan simply stand there as he zips to different locations in front of his board as he explains... things. Eventually he rushes up to you too, pushing you to the door.

"Well, to Mt. Glenn! We have to see if there's something at their building!"

"Wha-"

"I..."

"Go! Go! I'll contact you via scroll!" He barely explains as he shoves you out of his room.

Once he slams the door you and Dylan look at each other, both having massive confusion flooding over your faces.

"We're... going to Mt. Glenn?" You ask.

Dylan shrugs.

"I... think? Maybe?"

The door opens only for a loud, "YES!" To be shouted from the Doctor, then the door slams shut. Once again you both are frozen in place, blinking awkwardly.

"Do you wanna just leap there?" You whisper.

"Sure."

Dylan places his hand on your shoulder for the physical connection required for him to accompany you. Once you feel Dylan's hand on your shoulder you close your eyes and open your mind. You see yourself pass over Beacon and fly through the Emerald Forest. Going through the trees you remember, seeing some foot steps in the mud, all these things you see as your mind extends through the world. Once you reach and lock on to a point just outside of Mt. Glenn you open your eyes.

"Lets go."

You and Dylan puff into a shadowy aura, quickly dissipating as you instantly disappear from Beacon Academy. Moments later Ruby traverses through the same hallway you were just in.

"I guess thinking he'd be here is silly. Oh! Maybe the library! At least I could find Blake there!"

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The two of you appear out of thin air on the outskirts of Mt. Glenn. Dylan takes his hand off your shoulder and brushes himself off.

"I still don't like the feeling of that."

You cringe a bit at the travel.

"Yeah... still a little tough on me too. Though nothing like leaping myself and JNPR... but still," you huff. "This isn't close, you know."

"Seems someone's just complaining," he snickers.

You ignore Dylan's words as you look around the area. There's a gate around Mt. Glenn's boundaries though said fence has fallen in many areas from the Grimm attacks. There's a broken sign ahead saying "Welcome to Mt. Glenn!" The sign has holes and claw marks all over it which is more of a representation of the place than it was intended. You both spot the absolutely destroyed buildings that take on the role of scenery. The dust of what's been destroyed covers the grass right outside the entrance and litters the cement that connects everything.

"Do you want to contact Oobleck?" You turn to Dylan.

He nods in response before grabbing his scroll and attempting to contact the doctor. As he does you both begin to enter the desolate city. You can't even hear your footsteps after the first few seconds due to the amount of dust covering the ground. Your shoes imprint themselves in that dust, marking your arrival for any who care to check.

Dylan places his scroll back in his pocket. You look at him for an answer but he only shakes his head at you.

"Nothing. But we're looking for Merlot Industries. I'm sure we can find it."

"Probably one of the taller buildings. Come on, lets get a move one. I'd rather actually explore than just leap all over the place."

"Glad to see you're not relying on your semblance too much," he chuckles, though his eyes are scanning the buildings around him just as yours are.

"Meh, you know... can't get out of shape. If I did then I'd REALLY have Glynda on my butt."

"It seems like most teachers harp on you for something," Dylan points out.

"Meh, I do it on purpose."

You two stop, signaling that you both just heard the same thing. A growl, not a threatening one though. It's definitely a creature of Grimm, which doesn't come as a surprise considering this place was overrun by said creatures. Though as long as you don't cause too much of a ruckus nothing should go wrong. You're here to look for a building, not to hunt down the Grimm in the area.

"Perhaps we should get some high ground," you suggest. "We'll be able to spot the building easier."

Dylan nods.

"Good idea."

He flicks his hands towards the ground, swirling water around your feet until there's enough to lift the two of you into the air and onto the nearest building with an intact rooftop. You two look at the taller buildings to see if there's any indication of what could be Merlot's building. After mere moments Dylan taps your shoulder and points you towards the tallest building in the area that has the same symbol you saw in the Emerald Forest.

"That seems like a good start. Come on!" You shout as you jump off the roof and land on another, then jump to a broken bridge to the left of you.

Dylan follows suite, though he simply uses a water platform to reach your location. Once beside you he starts marching forward. You slide your hands into your pocket with your eyes on the building.

"You know, we didn't really get a lot of intel on what we're actually supposed to do," you bring up.

"I'm well aware. I'll attempt to contact him again," Dylan says as he grabs his scroll once more.

You keep an eye out as Dylan links his scroll's call to yours.

"Students! Have you arrived at Mt. Glenn?" Ooblecks voice shouts without warning, scaring both you and Dylan.

"Ah... yeah... yeah," you whine, rubbing your ears.

"Perfect! I trust you've found the building already. Keep me posted!"

"What if we didn't find it?" You bring up.

"THEN YOU FIND IT!" He urgently shouts, blowing out your ear drums.

The line disconnects so you and Dylan can continue your journey. You rub your ear as you look at Dylan.

"You know... at least Port came with us."

Dylan shrugs.

"I suppose. Come on, lets not waste any time."

You walk along the broken bridge which leads to a dead end ahead of you and an open path to the right. The right does lead to a drained waterway that could be used as an alternate path. You and Dylan share a look, silently asking if either of you want to take the open path. You respond with a snicker and then jump onto the debris. One foot lands on a very thin piece of broken foundation, then spring forward and land beyond all the rubble. Dylan, on the other hand, simply creates a water platform to hover over it. You're already walking without him, eyes locked on the building.

"It's a marvel how the building has stayed intact for so long with all the Grimm around," Dylan speaks.

"Yeah, I guess. The building could be abandoned for all we know."

"Very true."

With the building just ahead, you and Dylan pick up the pace to avoid drawing any unwanted Grimm attention. Luckily you haven't spotted many during your time here, though that could have made this endeavor a little more entertaining. You both reach the courtyard in front of the massive building.

"So do we just walk in the front door?" You suggest, gesturing towards the door.

"Perhaps... I doubt any security systems are active. That would be-"

Suddenly the ground begins to shake violently to the point where you, a trained Huntsman, are struggling to keep on your feet.

"Dylan!"

"I don-"

The ground begins to crack and fall apart, taking you both with it. Your surface crumbles before Dylan's so you disappear from his view.

"Slater!" Dylan shouts before his own ground falls apart.

You flip through the air as you fall but you're fully ready to leap out of there. You look around for Dylan but the only to have your face meet with a large chunk of cement which spins you around as you struggle to remain conscious. You can't stop yourself as you crash into the ground, cement falling around and on you. Your aura protects your bones and organs from receiving any real damage, but you're still in a weakened state. You can still hear pieces of the what is now the ceiling falling onto the ground around you. Your blurry vision makes it hard to see where Dylan is, especially with the dust and debris still falling.

You slowly push yourself up only to realize your feet are completely covered by one block of cement. Once seeing that you let yourself lie there to regain your strength. You rest yourself against the cold ground below you and close your eyes. Your head's pounding from the earlier beating...

"I'm... really comfy..."

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Dylan's eyes slowly open and his head immediately starts hurting. He places a hand against his forehead, closing one eye as he looks around to gain his bearings. He's in some sort of makeshift trainyard.

"Slater! Slater!" He shouts, but the only response he gets is his echoing voice. "Damnit... what the hell happened? That wasn't an earthquake... someone purposely blew the floor." He massages his shoulders one at a time as his body loosens up. "Well... finding that idiot should be my top priority... although considering how many different paths there are... and," he turns around to see a dozen Grimm creeping out from the tunnels ahead. "These things. Lets hope we can meet up," he states as he activates Zephyr Shale.

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Your eyes burst open after what feels like forever. You instantly try to get up but you fall face first in the ground thanks to the cement on your legs.

"Ah... right," you moan, pushing off the ground once more. "How long have I been out? Where am I? Dylan!" You shout, but no response is given. "Figures we'd get separated. Gah... my head feels like it's been used for Yang's training..." You rub your head in a useless attempt to get rid of the pain. "Well, I guess I should get moving. Dylan's probably scared without me. Might be crying a little. Possibly suffering from loneliness," you rant on to yourself.

With your body feeling more or less okay you push your entire body to the left, putting all your strength into your leg to push the wreckage off. The combination of momentum and strength easily overpowers the cement and frees you from its clutches. You finally get onto your feet and begin to stretch your leg from left to right.

"How long was I out?" You mumble to yourself whilst looking to the opening above. "Sun's still up, so that's nice. I could just get out of here but I need to find Dylan first." You look to your belt and see your trusty blade still there. "Alright, I got everything. Lets get going."

You take a few steps forward to an edge that looks over some of the surrounding area. To your surprise there's what looks to be a settlement in the area. Buildings, roads, all these things hidden under the ground.

"So this is what was under Mt. Glenn... sure won't be easy to find Dylan here. Well, might as well get started."

To your left is a makeshift path made entirely of stone. You burst forward off the ledge and land in the middle of that path, then casually begin walking along said path.

"At least there are no Grimm down here."

The deformed structure leads you around the side of the buildings and towards a small staging area for trains. Something that catches your attention is how calm this whole place is. Mt. Glenn was a disaster filled with death and Grimm, so why is it so quiet?

"Huh, so this was where the White Fang were hiding out. Heh... I wish I was here to help Ruby when she was in trouble... then again I wasn't in the best spot myself," you snicker.

Then an idea comes to your head. You pull out your scroll and attempt to turn it on, but your idea is stopped dead in its tracks when you see the cracked, utterly useless scroll.

"Of course it is. I wonder if she'll think I'm intentionally avoiding her. Heh, thankfully Ruby isn't like Yang or Weiss or Rogue. Those girls I can imagine would be livid. Well, Rogue I know from experience."

As you follow the tracks you come across a sealed door. To the right, behind you, is a glowing green button that you noted but didn't tamper with.

"I assume that's for this door. I guess Dylan hasn't come this way if it's closed... or he closed it behind him. Well, might as well open it."

You spin on your heel and approach the button, slamming it with your fist to start up the contraption. The rusted gears turn as the dust powered machine opens the door for you, achieving its function.

You walk through the door and reach an area that raises your brow. There are green glowing crystals around the floor.

"Huh... is this Dust or something?"

As you examine the crystals from a distance you spot a Grimm creeping around the corner. It's a Beowolf, but it's glowing the same green colour as the crystals. You attract your sheath to your hand and ready yourself for whatever this odd looking Grimm has instore for you. The Beowolf growls before rushing at you like any normal one would. You stand your ground until it leaps at you, allowing you to quickly dash underneath it, taking him out in one clean cut. You sheath your blade right after and spin around to look at the Grimm's dead corpse. However, instead of dissipating the body explodes, the shockwave sending you back a few feet and crumbling the small cave you were in. You manage to land smoothly if a little confused.

"What was that? Since when did Grimm explode?" You exclaim.

That outburst attracts the Grimm, evident by a roar coming from further into the city. You hunch forward and sigh, then keep going to find your partner. However something else catches your eye. On the rail a short distance ahead of you is a cart with some sort of device on it. Not only that but the instant you recognize the devices' presence your ears pick up a small beep repeating every two seconds. This piques your curiosity and quietly begs investigation. You casually saunter towards it until a voice shouts from behind.

"Slater! Slater!"

You turn around and see Dylan in the room you just left. He's coming from an entrance on the far right, opposite to you who came from the left. You jog back to the mechanical door and wave towards your partner.

"Heya, water works! I'm over here!" You shout to him.

Dylan hears your pathetic nickname for him and sighs, though half of that sigh is one of relief that he finally found you. Dylan sprints to you as you patiently wait for the Faunus. Once he's only a few feet away he begins to speak.

"Why haven't you answered your scroll?" He scolds. You slip it out of your pocket and show him its damaged state. "Oh... well, that's the best excuse I've heard from you yet. Anyhow, I managed to get into contact with Dr. Oobleck. He wants us to follow these tracks to the end where someone will meet us."

You shrug.

"Alright, but I found something interesting. There was this weird glowing Grimm tha-"

"Green?" He cuts off, to which you nod. "I found some too. Dr. Oobleck suspects they're mutated, but by who he doesn't know."

"Could it be this Merlot guy that did it?" You bring up.

"Oobleck suspected that, but we don't know. But... wait..." Dylan's Faunus ears peer up, finally hearing something interesting. "What's that beeping?"

You turn around and point towards the cart.

"That thing, I think. I was about to take a looksee but you showed up."

Dylan lightly pushes past you as he urgently marches towards the cart. You lazily follow, not thinking anything of it. Dylan examines the device then scans it with his scroll.

"Slater... I think..."

"Boys, bad news," Oobleck cuts in, instantly contacting Dylan at the sight of the scan. "That... is a bomb. A big one at that... someone set it off, you have to dispose of it!"

"Slater, it's a bomb!" Dylan fills you in. "Can you teleport it out of here?"

You approach the bomb and place a hand on your chin.

"I don't think so... if it has any Dust in it my semblance will trigger it. It happened with a small amount that Weiss carries around, so something this big would kill me instantly."

"What? But I have Dust in my weapons!"

You shrug.

"Don't ask me about the science of it. Maybe because they're already infused with your weapon? I haven't had my semblance for very long, Mr. Slip and Slide."

"Damnit... Doctor, what do we do?" Dylan asks, a finger on his ear.

"You'll have to lead the bomb over a chasm and break the railway. DO NOT TOUCH THE BOMB! If you do it could explode right away! The cart is powered by Dust crystals. There should be some nearby! Keep the cart moving! You have less than two minutes!"

You hear that through Dylan's communicator.

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell us that sooner?!" You spastically shout.

"You have no time! Grab the Dust!"

You and Dylan look at each other, quietly deciding which one will go for the Dust. But of course, as missions go, nothing is easy. The howling Grimm you heard earlier finally emerge from all sides. There's a mix of the mutated Grimm and regular ones coming from everywhere.

"You?"

"You?"

"Me?

"You?"

"Us?"

"DYLAN GET THE DUST!" You shriek.

"Right!"

You unsheathe your blade and look around at the incoming Grimm. In reality these Grimm wouldn't be a problem if you maximized your semblance, but having all those Grimm explode around the bomb could detonate it and kill both you and Dylan. You have to be careful with this.

Dylan sprints away from the bomb and approaches a Dust distribution point. He clicks the button to summon the Dust and eagerly waits for the material. Meantime he watches you prepare yourself for this battle. The overwhelming amount of Grimm and Mutated Grimm close in each second as you strategize.

Right, I gotta keep these Grimm away from the bomb. Maybe I can keep them contained in three different areas. But... with that door...

You switch to a reverse grip and sprint towards the Grimm coming from the door. You step through the door rather than running and slam the button. The door slowly begins to close but at the rate it's at the Grimm would break through and render the door pointless. You spin around and release a sonic wave from your blade, knocking back all the first wave Grimm. That wave hits some of the Mutated Grimm, causing them to explode and kill some of the surrounding Grimm. This distracts the Grimm well enough to give the door time to close. You step behind the door and watch it close.

They might break through, but at least this buys me time.

Turn your back to the door and witness all the Grimm still inbound, now far closer to the bomb than before. Thankfully Dylan is just placing the Dust inside of the cart and moving the machinery. He keeps with it and activates Zephyr Shale for his personal protection. He'll deal with anything that gets too close, you'll try your best to keep them far away. You jump into the air and step right infront of the first Ursa. You spin forward, extending your leg to bring the Ursa's head to the ground. You land on that leg and immediately dash to the left, dragging your blade along the Creeps, Boarbatusks, and Beowolves on the front lines. This set of Grimm is directly in the way of the bomb.

"Dylan, can you split these guys up?" You shout to your partner as you flip over an attacking Beowolf then dashing through him, cutting the beast in half.

Dylan acknowledges your command. He moves a few feet ahead of the bomb and faces the wave of Grimm who's focus is all on you. He begins throwing punches towards the crowd in a specific area, blowing away all Grimm in that section. This hits some of the Mutated Grimm, causing them to explode and tear apart some of the normal Grimm.

"Talk about blowing them away," you laugh, flipping over a Boarbatusk's spin and cutting down a Creep.

"Just keep as many busy as you can. I'll take care of any who get too close."

"That was my plan!" You answer, dodging two swipes from a Beowolf.

The second slash you leap back and fall on your upperback, positioning your hands to spring you forward. You launch yourself at the Beowolf feet first, kicking the Grimm into the air. You follow him into the air then swiftly kick him back down into the crowd of Grimm. You then step behind them to sprint throught the crowd with your blade either decapitating them or splitting them in two. Dylan punches a few away until the cart starts beeping. He examines it and sees the fuel is low.

"Already? Piece of junk."

He frantically looks around the room as he hears the sound of Grimm dying and explosions erupting from them. Unfortunately he sees no Dust distributors in the immediate area and the timer is less than two minutes at this point.

"Uh... Slater! We have a problem!" He shouts over the Grimm's noise.

You step beside Dylan, your facial expression asking for the problem.

"It's out of Dust and there's none close by."

You look to the cart as you come up with ideas. Instead of taking the time to truly think on any, however, you decide to go with the easiest solution.

"Then just... kick it!" You yell, slamming your foot into the cart and moving it a few feet.

This shakes the bomb which scares both you and Dylan. He rushes to it and checks the timer.

"THERE'S ONLY THIRTY SECONDS NOW!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"A SOLUTION?"

"I ONLY CREATE PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW THAT!"

Now low on time and completely mixed with fear and stress, you once again choose the easiest solution. You hop to the cart and cut off the wheels.

"Why?!"

Without answering Dylan you grab hold of the cart and lift it over your body, then maneuver completely under it.

"Keep the Grimm occupado!" You command as you begin running down the track.

"But... I... you're an idiot!" Dylan proclaims, firing a blast of air at Grimm coming at you.

You huff and puff as you carry the cart as fast as you can down the tracks.

"Why did I do this to myself," you huff through your teeth.

It doesn't help that there's dozens of Grimm who're dedicated to ripping your head off your body, but your good buddy Dylan is getting them all except for one Grimm in front of you. Having no other options, you bend your knees and jump over the Grimm, your feet grazing over the Beowolf's head. The moment you land and regain your bearings you sprint forward again. There's a large open bulkhead with a chasm below just for this bomb. Though with the time wasted you only have about ten seconds left.

You burst through the chasm and throw the bomb as hard as you can over the edge. It falls and falls for all the time it has left before setting everything below it ablaze. You fall on your butt, panting at a job well done. Dylan strolls to you, having dealt with all the Grimm that were behind you.

"I don't know how you pulled that off."

You shrug, chuckling.

"My super extraordinary muscles that gets all the ladies," you joke.

"Mm, yet the only one you've gotten is the youngest, most easily impressed one."

"Says the one who can't even get with a former terrorist," you remark.

"I am a former terrorist too, you know."

"Yet that still hasn't helped you," you laugh.

Dylan turns away to ignore you and your idiot remarks... but somehow he starts chuckling.

"I suppose you have me on that one, Slater."

With those words coming from Dylan you just start to laugh. It's so contagious that Dylan can't help but follow along.

"We can do good work, you know?" You state.

"Under an inordinate amount of stress and threat of death, yes we can."

"Whatever works, right?"

Dylan snickers.

"I suppose. But come, we should get going before more Grimm show up," he advises as he stands up and heads towards the tunnel.

You sigh as you get to your feet.

"Fine, lets go.

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After traversing the dark and empty railway you manage to finally see sunlight ahead. The fresh air fills your nostrils and a feeling of peace takes over. Both you and Dylan smile at the sight as your walking speed picks up slightly from eagerness. You finally reach the end and arrive in the Forest of Foreverfall. The red trees and overall bright colours give a welcome change to the dark and dreary cave you were just in.

As you're walking Dylan pulls out his scroll and contacts Oobleck.

"Dr. Oobleck, we've made it out of the cave. What should we do now?"

"Ah, you dealt with the bomb. I had full confidence in you all along! Now, wait for the Bullhead with reinforcements. Once they arrive you'll follow the tracks in hopes of finding the source of all this."

His transmission cuts out and you're left alone again. You cross your arms and rest against a nearby tree.

"I wonder who they're sending."

"Perhaps a real Huntsman? This does seem like a serious situation."

"True. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

With you resting against the tree and Dylan simply standing out in the open, time begins to tick by, if ever so slowly. This does give you both some time to relax from your previous endeavor. It wasn't the most strenuous moment you've been in but your muscle were tense and your heart was pounding. You were very close to death because of a man made machine. That's not the way you'd want to go out at all. Granted that's the third time you've teased death during your time at Beacon. If Death is a mistress than you are her bane.

As your mind wanders from topic to topic your ears pick up the sound of a Bullhead. Both you and Dylan look up to see one hovering half a dozen meters above you. The side door opens and two figures jump out. The first one, to your surprise, is your golden boy Dior with his trusty suitcase. The other you don't see right away... but you do see rose pedals littering the ground.

"Oh..."

Immediately a body slams against you, which crushes you between said body and the tree.

"You're okay! Dr. Oobleck told me about the bomb!" Ruby whines as she burries her face into your chest causing you to slightly blush with both Dylan and Dior watching.

"I... yeah... I was fine," you say in a confident manner. Ruby backs off and stands happily in front of you. "I had the Water God looking after m... he was..." You start breathing heavier as you try to contain your laughter. Dylan Brine the Wa..." You devolve into a giggly child, leaning forward and resting your hands against your knees. "Wa... It's not even funny," you shake your head, laughing even harder.

Dylan is annoyed at this petty joke while Ruby and Dior are contracting your contagious laughter with their own giggles. You take a moment to get your bearings, huffing at the two newcomers.

"So what are you doing here?" You ask in a more serious voice.

"We're your reinforcements, (Y/N)," Dior answers.

Ruby excitedly nods as she awaits your response. However your face doesn't become one of joy like she assumed. Instead you look into her eyes with concern. You close your eyes, huff, and turn away.

"No. Go back. Dylan and I can handle this."

"What?" Ruby blurts out.

"Y-You can't be serious?" Dior interjects.

Dylan remains silent, keeping a close eye on your facial tells. He knows why you're saying it, or at least has a hunch as to why. It's still amazes him how you can go from a cocky, laid back idiot to a serious Huntsman in a second... all because of one girl. This isn't about Dior. This is about Ruby.

"It's too dangerous for you both. We can handle this."

Ruby marches up to you, grabs your arm and spins you around to lock her determined eyes with yours.

"You can't just tell me to leave! I'm not some fragile princess! You've seen me fight!"

"You also know that she was right in the thick of the Breach, right?" Dylan casually adds. "She's also the leader of a team."

"Doesn't matter," you strongly say. "This is too dangerous,"

"Oh phooey! It's not and you know it!" Ruby argues. "You're not leaving me out of this!"

You both stare intently at each other for what feels like an eternity for everyone. You're the one to turn and walk away towards the large stone walls blocking your path. You don't say another word and neither does she. Instead, once you're far enough, she stomps her foot on the ground and crosses her arms.

"I'm not weak! I can help!" She mumbles to herself.

Dylan and Dior approach the hooded girl to console her.

"He knows you're not weak, Ruby. He's just scared."

Ruby raises her brow and looks towards the Faunus. She uncrosses her arms and gives the man her full attention.

"What do you mean?"

Dylan looks over at you as you analyze the stone door. Dior notices this too and decides to leave this to Dylan and deal with you. He leaves the two and jogs towards you as you gently drag your fingers along a carving in the door.

"Has it not crossed your mind that he's only wanting you gone because you are more important to him than Dior or myself?"

"Well... I mean-"

"Think on when he fought my sister with Weiss. Aza nearly killed both Weiss and Slater but he sent Weiss away before anything could happen to her. When Harrier betrayed us he sent me away before the battle. He's an idiot who thinks that he can handle things on his own... but he only does that so he knows nobody else will get hurt. He thinks more than I give him credit for, but he uses his heart more than his head. I suppose that's why we're a good team." Dylan sighs as he crosses his arms. "You're coming with us, I'll make sure of that. Just prove that you belong here. Don't whine, don't try to show off, just show him that you don't need protecting."

Ruby smiles with a newfound passion. She nods at the Faunus with a glowing smile.

"Yeah... alright!"

Dylan slowly leads Ruby towards you and Dior.

"You'll need to know a few things. We found some Mutated Grimm..."

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"Do you think you're being a little too harsh on Ruby?" Dior opens up as he comes to a halt behind you.

You look over your shoulder at your friend, shake your head and return the attention to the door.

"She doesn't need to be here."

"She's a Huntress-in-Training, same as you."

"A lot of people are. Doesn't mean we're all equal."

"So you're better than them?"

"No, I..." You breathe through your nose before turning to Dior with a condescending smile. "You know I don't think that, Dior."

He nods.

"I know. In fact I think this is just history repeating itself."

"What?"

"Remember when you began dating Rogue? You're very overprotective, (Y/N)," he chuckles.

"That's because..." You sigh. "I guess there's nothing I can do anyway. She's coming anyway, I can tell Dylan will keep her. Just do me a favour and watch over her, alright?"

Dior bows his head.

"I'll do everything I can. I promise."

With that conversation done Dylan and Ruby join the group.

"So... I-"

"You're coming, don't worry," you cut Ruby off. "Just be careful. I have a feeling that those aren't the only Mutated Grimm we'll find."

"Mutated G-G-Grimm?" Dior repeats with more intrigue than worry.

"Yeah, we'll fill you in. First we just need to pass through the door."

Dylan approaches it and notes the carving near the bottom.

"Perhaps we have to find a-"

You quickly unsheathe Crimson Blaze and cut through the air to send a sonic wave that makes the stone as fragile as butter. The upper half of the door falls back to give you all a way past.

"Nailed it," you say before hopping over the broken door and continuing on.

The rest of the group look at each other and shrug. Ruby jumps over the door and catches up to you so she can at least walk with you before any Grimm interrupt.

"S-So the Mutated Grimm?" Dior repeats to the Faunus beside him.

So there's another step for the Grimm Eclipse Saga. Two more chapters until it ends, a little more stuff, and Volume 3 begins! However... I do have some news for you readers. Crimson Shadow's production is going to be slowing down for the next few months. My other story, Project's Past, is very close to completion and I'm itching to work on it as much as I can to complete it. I hope you all understand. I know this story is more popular and most of you don't care about my Frozen stuff, but that story is really important to me and completing it would be a huge milestone for me personally and for my writing... "career." So I hope you all understand and, I mean the sooner I finish that the sooner I start another story (which could possibly be another RWBY one). So I just hope you all understand.

But I hope you're all enjoying this Saga. I know I'm changing dialogue and events but... I mean where's the fun if I just copy it all? I wanna have fun with this and as long as I'm not making it too far-fetched I should be fine. It's not like you can't google it to see what happens in Grimm Eclipse... though who says it's going to go EXACTLY the same!

Anyway, I'll see you all later! Again, production of this story is going to be slown down so you might not see another chapter until next month. I really can't say. I wanna go PP, PP, CS, repeat. So... we'll have to see.

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