King Kong: A RWBY Story

Chapter II

An aerial vehicle descended from the sky.

It was a bullhead, an aircraft that could hover, take off, and land vertically.

Ruby and Yang stood, side-by-side, watching through the open door, and gripping the handles on the roof to keep from falling out.

Ruby looked to Yang. She stood with a completely straight face. Ruby couldn't read any emotions on her older sister's face. She couldn't help wondering what she was thinking in that moment. She never understood Yang's need to find her mother, but she also understood that this was because she was never abandoned by her mother. She didn't spend most of her life believing Summer, the incredible parent she was, was her mom, only to find out after she passed away that her real mother abandoned her shortly after birth. The only thing that changed was she now knew Yang was her half-sister, but that never changed how either of them saw each other.

Ruby wanted to say something to her. But the engines were too loud, and Yang clearly was too lost in thought to participate in a conversation. That always seemed to happen whenever Yang thought she was on her way to finding her mother.

The bullhead flew over Beacon Academy. From here, Ruby could see the buildings that held classrooms and dorm-rooms. She could see the amphitheater, which was used to announce big events. At the center of it all was Beacon Tower, a massive, cylindrical structure, which stopped at a cone-shaped top. The pyramid-rooftop was surmounted by a number of green spheres or lights, surrounded by pillars that held the roof up. Ruby assumed those lights were the beacons the academy was named after.

Beacon looked like a kingdom on its own, Beacon Tower itself resembling the tower of a castle. Ruby had always been impressed by the tower. It was everything she'd imagined it would be, and more. Even now, long after she'd first seen it, it filled her with a sense of awe and wonder.

The bullhead slowly descended downwards, and landed carefully on a landing pad. Oobleck climbed out of the vehicle first, and Team RWBY followed him.

Two figures waited at a distance as the engines to the bullhead slowed to a stop.

The first was a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. He had black eyebrows, suggesting that he may have had black hair when he was younger. He wore shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

In one hand, he held a cane, which doubled as a walking stick. Its handle was embellished with a floral pattern and features a large knuckle guard that reached down the bottom of the handle. The larger area at the bottom of the handle contained small gold-colored gears, while the shaft of the cane had a gray-black coloration and was square in shape. In the other hand, he held a mug bearing the Beacon Academy emblem, from which he drank hot cocoa.

This was Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

Standing beside him was Glynda Goodwitch, a teacher working at the school, and Ozpin's closest ally. She was a middle-aged woman that had very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun, with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green, and she wore thin ovular glasses. She had dangling teal earrings that matched the hanging pendant on her collar. She wore a white, long-sleeved, pleated top that had a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings. She wore black boots with bronze heels and a cape that was purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape was stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appeared an emblem of a tiara. In her hand was a thin, black riding crop with a simple black and purple design on the handle.

Oobleck approached them.

"Well?" Ozpin said. "What have you found?"

Oobleck smiled.

"Exactly what I'm looking for . . ."

Oobleck placed his backpack on an empty chair.

Ozpin had brought him to his office, which was near the top of Beacon Tower. It was situated underneath an intricate clockwork mechanism, which was visible through a glass ceiling. The rotating mechanism was underneath the green lights near the top of the tower. The office sat high above the clouds, giving Ozpin a perfect view of the academy.

Oobleck sorted through his backpack, pulling out paper after paper.

"I have found exactly what I spoke to you about," he said. "I told you, he would never send me into something he didn't know for sure was real."

"So the location was real," Ozpin said, "along with the contents inside. How do we know this uncharted island of yours is real?"

Oobleck continued sorting through the papers, as if Ozpin hadn't asked the question at all. He was excited by the mere idea of discovery. He hadn't become a Huntsman for adventure. He was who he was to make sure nobody would be hurt. But in his time as a teacher, he'd longed for that very same discovery that so many of his heroes were known for.

He slapped one piece of paper onto the table, and unfolded it.

"Look here," he said, pointing to what was drawn onto it.

Ozpin lifted the paper, and stared at its drawing. It was a crude map, that appeared as ancient as time itself.

"Everything is exactly as the skipper said it would be," he said, pointing to every detail. "There's a long, sandy peninsula. The only landing place is through this reef. The rest of the shoreline is sheer precipice, hundreds of feet high. And across the base of the peninsula, cutting it off from the rest of the island, is a wall."

Ozpin looked up at Oobleck. "A fascinating fairy tale."

"It is much more than a fairy tale," Oobleck said. "That island is real. A discovery that could change Remnant."

Ozpin set the map down. "Change? Perhaps. But the question to ask is whether or not this change is for the better, or the worse."

"What if it is for the better, and we are missing this opportunity?"

Glynda, who had remained silent the whole time, finally joined the conversation.

"What if it is for the worse, and we are taking a risk?"

"Repeat your story to me, Oobleck," Ozpin said. "You are the one who told me why the natives needed that wall in the first place."

Oobleck frowned. "We are Huntsmen. We can handle whatever threats lay in store for us."

"Bartholomew," Ozpin said, "I appreciate your passion for this. Really, I do. But there is much more for us to worry about at this moment. We can explore this new island when the time is right. But, right now, it is simply not the time or the place."

Oobleck stayed silent. He hadn't been so disappointed in such a long time. He had always believed in Professor Ozpin. The man had never lead him down the wrong path. Of course he understood Ozpin's concern. It was not misplaced. But discovery was right at Oobleck's fingertips, and he couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

"At least allow me to fund an expedition," Oobleck said. "We don't need to sacrifice the school's staff. If you just give me enough lien--"

"I'm sorry, Bartholomew," Ozpin cut him off, "the answer is no. And that is final."

Oobleck was quiet for a moment. He nodded in understanding, packed up his papers into the backpack, and left the office.

Inside the elevator, Oobleck was lost in thought. He couldn't let this opportunity slip up. This was the kind of discovery he'd been seeking his whole life. It was the kind of discovery that would put him in the history books, alongside many other heroes he had looked up to as a child.

He had never betrayed Ozpin before. But this was something he couldn't ignore. It was too big an opportunity. He needed a crew to start an expedition. But, above all, he needed more Huntsmen to go with him. The best group possible, so the staff wouldn't have to join him.

And he knew just the team for the job . . .