Out by the landing platforms in front of the school, Team RWBY can only look in shock, fear, and worry as they find out that the Huntsman they are supposed to be shadowing is Dr. Oobleck. And none of them are excited about that fact.

Weiss: "Professor Oobleck?" She questioned, still reeling from the sight in front of her.

Oobleck: "Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, Team RWBY, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission." He explained, talking extremely fast as he paced back and forth in front of them while ignoring their shocked expressions. "I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations, rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And..." He paused, raising his left finger in the air, and then zoomed up to Weiss' face. "It's DOCTOR Oobleck." He corrected her. "I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!" He zoomed away from her face.

Weiss: "Uh..." She was unsure of what to say as she looked at Blake, who looked back.

Oobleck: "Come now, children! According to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind... schedule!" He exclaimed before zipping off towards the Bullhead, leaving a trail of dust behind him as he traveled at speeds that made Ruby and (YN) seem slow.

Ruby: "Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oobleck-" She started off positive and upbeat before suddenly becoming depressed halfway through. "okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse." She admitted as everyone hanged their heads in displeasure.

(YN): "Yeah, a lot worse." He added in, and the girls nodded in agreement.

Nora: "Save the world?!" She exclaimed. Turning around, the girls and (YN) saw Team JNPR  approaching. "You're going on world saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad! Maybe a little hungry?" She cried dramatically, her stomach grumbling. "That last one's not your fault, though, Ren..." Ren responded by simply crossing his arms and turned away.

Jaune: "Sounds exciting. Where you going?" He asked.

Ruby: "Oh, just outside the kingdom..." She replied.

Nora: "Hey! So are we!" She smiled beamingly.

Pyrrha: "Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." She explained, putting her hands on her hips.

(YN): "That's sounds cool." He commented musingly. "When are you leaving?"

Ren: "We set out tomorrow." He answered calmly with his neutral look. 

Neptune: "Then you can party with us tonight!" He offered as he and Sun join the two teams. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner city detective stuff. We get junior badges." He looking cool, which made Jaune look on in awe with stars in his eyes.

(YN): "Nice." He commented.

Sun: "We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk." He explained. "So, we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... normal."

Ruby: "Well-" She began to speak when Oobleck appeared from the airship.

Oobleck: "Four minutes, Team RWBY!" He called out before he went back inside, making Ruby cringe and everyone else looked back, smiling awkwardly at them.

Ruby: "Well, uh... Wish us luck!" She told them, throwing a thumbs-up.

And with that, everyone went their separate ways, with Oobleck starting up the Bullhead's engines as Team RWBY walked towards the airship.

|—————————|—————————|

A short while later, they, along with Oobleck, are inside the Bullhead, holding onto cables hanging above them as the airship flies over a forested region in the southeast section outside the kingdom.

Yang: "I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." She spoke to Oobleck.

Oobleck: "I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles." He claimed.

Ruby: "Like the mushroom?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion as she scratched her head.

Blake: "Those are truffles." She corrected, leaning in to Ruby.

Ruby: "Like the sprout?" She asked again, still scratching her head in befuddlement.

Yang: "Those are Brussels." She corrected, leaning in to Ruby.

(YN): "Doctor Oobleck may look like typical history teacher, but you should never judge a book by its cover." He elaborated. "A Huntsman is a Huntsman, no matter what they look like."

Oobleck: "Exactly, Mr. Braveheart!" He agreed. "And besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!" He continued.

Weiss: "What does history have to do with this?" She asked.

Oobleck: "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl!" He exclaimed, turning sharply on Weiss. "Why, history is the backbone of our very society! AND THE LIVER! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."

Weiss: "And that means..?" She asked confused.

Oobleck: "The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, BUT, it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!" He stated.

(YN): "Mountain Glenn." He answered, making Oobleck and Weiss look at him.

Yang: "That's right! It was an expansion of Vale..." She added, then made a sad frown. "but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."

Oobleck: "Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder." He followed up.

Blake: "And a likely place for a hideout." She finished.

Oobleck: "Precisely!" He smiled, fixing his glasses.

|—————————|—————————|

Eventually, they reach the abandoned city of Mountain Glenn, with its destroyed buildings and streets still standing, but with a complete loss of life in the area. The airship hovered over the ground, low enough for everyone to jump off without risk of injury. Everyone aside from Oobleck land and draw out their weapons in case they run into an unwelcome welcome party. Oobleck just drinks his thermos as the airship flies away to safety since it will not be needed for some time. They look around the area, seeing the emptiness of the former city, where the only sound is the wind breezing by them.

Oobleck: "Team RWBY! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntresses and a Huntsman has begun!" He informed them. "From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" He asked, to which they all nodded before he noticed Ruby's backpack. "Ruby!" He yelled, making her flinch back. "I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school." He reminded her.

Ruby: "But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet." She countered, making a half-truth. "So I didn't."

Oobleck: "She's not wrong." He muttered to himself, hand on his chin, while everyone else just gives him a deadpan look. "Very well, Ruby, leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return." He commanded.

Ruby: "But I, well uh-" She stammered.

Oobleck: "Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-" He is interrupted when Zwei popped his head out of the bag. The rest of the team leaned over to see this event as (YN) sighed, planting a hand in his face.

(YN): "Busted..." He muttered lowly.

Ruby: "Get back in the bag." She whispered to Zwei through the side of her mouth. Zwei merely barked in response.

Oobleck: "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... a dog?" He questioned, glaring down at Ruby.

Ruby: "I, uh..." She stuttered, stepping back.

Oobleck: "GENIUS!" He exclaimed, backing away with an arm up.

(YN): "Eh?" He uttered in confusion.

Everyone just look at Ruby, who gave a confused shrug of her shoulders, until Oobleck zoomed by, taking Zwei, and making Ruby spin and tumbled to the ground.

Oobleck: "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" He shouted quickly while spinning and holding Zwei high in the air. Zwei barked happily in his hands.

Ruby was stunned by the unexpected reaction from Oobleck for a moment.

Ruby: "I'm a genius!" She beamed, feeling proud of herself, while everyone else just hunches over or facepalmed. Except (YN), he just chuckled.

Blake: "So, what are your orders, Doctor?" She inquired.

Oobleck: "Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" He grinned, suddenly letting go of Zwei, suspended in the air for less than a second before dropping down, to put his hands behind his back for a serious pose. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."

The girls and (YN) were all confused at the redundancy of his words.

Ruby: "Uh, what?" She asked after a second.

Oobleck: "Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment." He stated.

Yang: "WHAT?!" She shouted as they all look behind them.

Far behind them is a lone Beowolf, sniffing the ground as if it is searching for something. Immediately, they pulled out their weapons, ready to kill it.

Oobleck: "Stop!" He ordered them.

Blake: "Huh?" She lowered her weapon like everyone else and listened.

Oobleck: "There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area." He explained as they looked back at the Beowolf. "The most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred." He listed the negative emotions. "All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

Ruby: "So... What now?" She asked.

Oobleck: "We wait. We track." He answered. "If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

Yang: "How long do we wait?" She asked, hands on her hips.

Oobleck: "It's uncertain." He answered, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought about it for a moment. "Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months - and there's the whole pack." He interrupted himself as the rest of the Beowolf pack join the first one.

(YN): "Well, that was fast." He remarked.

Weiss: "What?" She spoke in disbelief, just as the pack turned to face the group.

Oobleck: "And now they've seen us." He continued calmly, stating the obvious.

Weiss: "What?!" She exclaimed, louder.

Oobleck: "AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" He repeated, right into Weiss' right ear.

Ruby: "I take it tracking them is out of the question?" She assumed.

Oobleck: "An accurate assumption, yes." He stated.

Yang: "What's the plan, then?" She questioned as the group turned to Oobleck, just as the Beowolves started charging at them.

Oobleck: "Show me what you're capable of." He responded simply.

Ruby: "Cover your ears, Zwei!" She told Zwei as she stabs her scythe into the ground, preparing to fire while Zwei covered his ears with his paws.

As the pack of Beowolves charge forth, Yang runs at one of them, and throws a right punch to its head that kills it, and then started running away as a few other Beowolves start chasing her. However, three Beowolves stop to face Blake, who has her back to them.

As they get close, Blake narrowed her eyes and begins to draw her sword. When one Beowolf attacks her from behind with its claw, Blake uses her Semblance to jump up above it, avoiding the attack, and simultaneously slicing the Beowolf in half. When she landed in her feet, her swords now drawn, she makes two upward slashes at another Beowolf while flipping into the air before using her Semblance again to propel her at the second Beowolf and slice it in half as well, and then cuts a third Beowolf in half with a downward slash, before flipping in the air and landing on her feet.

Blake then looked back to see Weiss running from a group of Beowolves. One attacks her, but she spins over him while landing some strikes on it with her rapier, killing it, before she then flipped over another Beowolf, dealing a few killing blows on that one. She lands on the ground and then skates over the ground like she is ice-skating, and makes a quick series of slash attacks that cut right through five more Beowolves.

(YN) walked towards another group of Beowolves, who started running at him. He then channeled his magical energy into his sword, and performed a series of rapid slashes, releasing energy crescents that kills all but one of the attacking Beowolves. The last Beowolf continued to run at (YN) and lunges at him when it gets close. However, (YN) just land an uppercut to its jaw with his shield, then spins around, transforming his shield into cannon form, and fired a charge laser bolt through the midsection, killing it.

He then looked back to see more Beowolves running at Ruby. Ruby is firing her sniper scythe, killing a few of them while Zwei just runs in circles next to her. At one point, Ruby pulled her scythe out of the ground, aiming it behind her, and pulls the trigger. The high recoil shoots her towards one Beowolf that jumped at her, but she sliced it in half when it got close. After that, the area is clear and they regroup with Oobleck.

Ruby: "Heh. Piece of cake!" She smirked to Oobleck, feeling confident as she lifted her scythe.

Oobleck: "Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many." He reminded her. "Shall we continue?" They all agreed and continued on their way.

|—————————|—————————|

As they move on, Dr. Oobleck is studying a set of plant growth in one spot while Ruby, Blake, and (YN) cut through four more Beowolves around him. As he stands in the center and drinks his thermos, he looked to see the girls and (YN) catching their breaths.

Oobleck: "Excellent work, Team RWBY!" He praised as they are surrounded by the disintegrating bodies of Grimm. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!"

Ruby holstered her scythe back on her back as she and the others regroup and begin to follow him.

Yang: "Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a 'pro Huntsman' in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?"

Oobleck: "Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity!" He rebuked lightly, looking back at Yang over his shoulder. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination! Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it." He reminded her. "I do hope you understand that."

Yang: "Well, yeah..." She retorted, trying to sound more resolute with her answer. "O-Of course!"

Oobleck: "Hmm..." He hummed, remaining unconvinced.

|—————————|—————————|

As they continue to search the area and slay more Grimm, Oobleck decided to inquire as to their own reasons for being here.

Oobleck: "Tell me, Yang, Why did you choose this line of work?" He questioned her.

Yang: "Huh?" She turned to Oobleck as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, to fight monsters and save-"

Oobleck: "No, that is WHAT you do. I want to know WHY you do it." He clarified the question, cutting her off. "The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress." Yang paused to think about her answer.

Yang: "The honest reason?" She repeated, looking down at her feet before looking back to Oobleck. "I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better." She responded. "It's a win win, y'know?"

Oobleck: "I see." He replied, though he still looked like he's questioning her answer.

|—————————|—————————|

Next, Oobleck is sitting on a high windowsill of a building, writing down notes in his journal while Weiss, a story below him, was fighting off Beowolves.

Oobleck: "And you, Miss Schnee?" He asked Weiss in question as she sent a Beowolf flying backwards. "A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So... why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?" Weiss stabs a Beowolf, killing it, before retracting her rapier.

Weiss: "It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold." She started as she walked up to Oobleck. "Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty." She answered.

Oobleck: "Interesting." He replied with a quick nod, questioning her answer as well before jumping off the ledge.

|—————————|—————————|

Next is Blake. Blake sliced through an old wooden door in half, making it fall and releases several small Nevermores out of the building. Blake backflipped out of the way, and turning her weapon into chain scythe form, fires the pistol nine times into the air, making several dead Nevermores fall to the ground. Sheathing her blade, Blake walked up to the entrance as Oobleck looked inside, examining the doorway.

Oobleck: "And what about you, Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

Blake: "There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing." She answered. "Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it."

Oobleck: "Very well. How?" He inquired.

Blake: "I, Uh..." She tried to speak, but cannot find the answer and hangs her head before looking back at him.

Oobleck: "Hmm." He hummed at her answer, not quite satisfied with it, before zooming away while Blake just hangs her head.

|—————————|—————————|

A few minutes later, Oobleck walked up to Ruby and (YN), but he sees Ruby using her scythe in the most practical fashion and lifting a whole turkey on the sharp end of her scythe to tease a jumping and flipping Zwei with. That is, until (YN) spotted Oobleck watching.

(YN): "Uh, Ruby?" He tapped her shoulder to get her attention, and Ruby immediately noticed Oobleck watching, quickly sheathing her scythe.

Ruby: "Sorry!" She quickly apologized. "Uh... Are we ready to keep going?"

Oobleck: "Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon." He pointed out as he looked up at the sky, noticing the sun was starting to set. He threw his bag over to Yang without looking. "You three, set up camp in that building." He instructed to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... creatures." He turned to face the three girls before gesturing to himself with his thumb. "Your leaders and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, you two." He urged, and started walking away with Ruby, Zwei, and (YN) in tow.

The three girls each look at Ruby and (YN), knowing what they'll be asked before they left to set up camp as instructed.

|—————————|—————————|

Ruby's group turn around the corner of a building and look out to see a wide forested region below the ruin, and in the midst of it, a line of giant elephants with primarily black bodies, with giant, white tusks and a white and red patch on their foreheads, marching through the trees. Like most Grimm, they have bony, white protrusions on their bodies, with a massive row of them going down their spines.

Ruby: "Whaa... What is that?" She asked in awe. "It looks awesome!"

Oobleck: "That, my dear girl, is a Grimm." He stated.

(YN): "A Goliath." He identified correctly as they watched the heard go by.

Oobleck: "Correct!" He nodded, seemingly to be impressed by his knowledge. Ruby stared at the Grimm herd in awe before pulling out her scythe.

Ruby: "Let's kill it." She decided, her scythe now ready in its sniper rifle mode.

Oobleck: "I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size." He warned her. "(YN)'s blaster cannon on the other hand would fair better, although with the whole pack there, I wouldn't recommend attacking them."

Ruby: "But... What if it attacks us?" She asked, concerned.

(YN): "They won't." He answered.

Oobleck: "(YN) is once again correct, Ruby." He agreed with him. "Those Goliaths are not concerned with us. Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtedly lived hundreds of years, and in that time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they have done one important thing." He explained. "They've learned. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength, we make up for in will, and that killing one human will only bring more."

One of the Goliaths swiveled its thick neck to look at the figures watching their procession, eyes glowing as fiery red as any other Grimm.

Ruby: "Then why are they still so close to the city?" She asked. "What are they doing?"

(YN): "They're waiting..." He answered as the Goliath that is watching them turned its head forward again and moves on with the herd.

Oobleck: "Precisely, (YN)!" He praised. "You seem to have a bit of knowledge with these creatures. Have you run into them before?"

(YN): "I have, during my training and read books about them before I came to Beacon." He claimed. "I faced a lot of these Grimm."

Oobleck: "Hmm." He hummed in amusement before turning around and walking away.

Ruby watched Oobleck for a moment, then turned back to the Goliath herd, and then puts her weapon away and she and (YN) join him.

Ruby: "Doctor Oobleck?" She called to him.

Oobleck: "Hmm?" He hummed in response, looking back at her.

Ruby: "I was wondering..." She began to speak.

Oobleck: "Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" He guessed as he turned to Ruby and (YN).

Ruby: "A-Actually, I was wondering... Why did YOU want to become a Huntsman?" She asked, curious.

Oobleck: "Look around and tell me what you see." He gestured to their surroundings.

Ruby: "Lots of old buildings, uh, empty streets..." She observed, looking around her.

Oobleck: "(YN), what do you see?" He inquired, turning to (YN).

(YN): "Destruction. Deaths that could've been prevented..." He responded solemnly, looking around him.

Oobleck: "Once again you are correct!" He praised. "I see lives that could have been saved." He began as he continued walking with Ruby and (YN) beside him and Zwei at their heels. "As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a MUCH larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity, an opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger."

(YN): "So you took the roll as a teacher?" He quizzed.

Oobleck: "Precisely." He nodded, then came to a stop and turned to Ruby and (YN) again. "I am a Huntsman, Ruby, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." He finished his explanation before walking away back to camp.

|—————————|—————————|

Back at the abandoned building, Weiss, Blake, and Yang did as Oobleck instructed them to, having built a small campfire in the center of the room while huddling around it. Though, none of the girls seemed all that happy with themselves at the moment, either disappointed at their lack of results so far or just deep in thought.

Yang: "I can't believe we didn't find anything..." She complained, standing around the fire.

Blake: "We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time." She pointed out, crouching on the ground near the fire. "I guess we can't always have luck on our side."

Weiss: "That's not what I meant." She blurted out suddenly.

Blake: "Huh?" She hummed in confusion.

Weiss: "Earlier, about... upholding the legacy." She mentioned her reason for becoming a Huntress. "There's more to it than that."

Yang: "Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know."  She replied, feeling unsure of herself.

Blake: "I don't know, either." She admitted before standing up. "I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time." She added, unsure of her reasons as well.

Yang: "Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here." She stated. Though, she was a little unsure about that. "Right?"

The girls merely stare in silence at the fire until Ruby, (YN), Oobleck, and Zwei return.

Oobleck: "Ah, wonderful!" He exclaimed, quickly zooming into the room. "A textbook campfire!" He brought his hands to the fire.

Ruby: "Fire!" She gasped in awe before sitting down next to the flames alongside Zwei to warm up. "So... warm..." (YN) chuckled before joining her and wrapped an arm around her left shoulder. She jumped at his action before relaxing into it.

Oobleck: "Very good!" He praised, popping up next to them. "Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"

Ruby: "Yo." She answered simply, lifting her left arm while still looking into the fire.

Oobleck quickly rushed off as (YN) released Ruby to allow her to get up, and she, along with Zwei, started walking to her lookout point.

Yang: "Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress?" She asked as Ruby stopped and look at her. "I mean... what did you tell him?"

Ruby: "Hmm..." She hummed in thought and shook her head. "No, he didn't." She replied. "Weird. Oh, well, good night, guys!" And without a second carefree thought, she continued on her way.

Yang looked back down at the fire, disappointed at the lack of an answer. (YN), however, shook his head at this as he set his mat down next to the wall, and laid down on it.

A few minutes later, Blake was similarly troubled as she unrolled a mat to sleep on. Weiss, having already unrolled her own mat, tried to lie down but fails to sleep. And Yang half-heartedly ate her dinner of bread rolls.

A moment later, the three girls laid on their bags set up around the fire like a triangle with their weapons within arm reach. They were still having trouble falling asleep as they still have trouble thinking about why they want to become Huntresses. (YN), however, was still up, staring at the fire in deep thought.

Meanwhile, Ruby sat in a vacant windowsill, looking out at the empty streets below until Zwei walked up to her, whining a little after hearing Beowolves howling off in the distance. Zwei weeped at the noise, and Ruby petted his back in an attempt to calm him, which seemed to be working.

Ruby: "Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow." She assured as she comforts him and they look out into the night in silence.

(YN): "Let's hope so." He muttered under his breath, agreeing with Ruby when he heard her before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

To Be Continued...