King Kong: A RWBY Story

Chapter XI

Dawn had made its arrival.

But even when the sun started to rise, the search party didn't notice. The trees above blocked out all of the light, and they were using their scrolls to light the way. It was the sounds of birds chirping that made the crew aware of the daylight.

"You hear those birds?" Blake said.

Oobleck nodded. "It must be daylight."

Ruby paid no attention. She kept walking, staying in the lead. Oobleck stood right beside her, clutching Antiquity's Roast in his hands. Behind them was Weiss and Blake, who were both holding their weapons. Jimmy stayed as close to Oobleck as possible, just in case he asked for a gas bomb.

While Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Oobleck only had grim determination as they walked, the other sailors were much more bright and confident.

Oobleck suddenly sped up, and stopped, looking straight down.

"Look at this!" he said.

The crew rushed up to him, and looked at the ground.

There was a huge footprint.

Weiss gasped as she saw it. "Look at the size of that thing! He must be twenty or twenty-five feet!"

Ruby couldn't care less. It may have been because she was the only one to have actually seen the giant ape that had stolen her sister. Either that, or she cared far more about the direction the footprint was facing.

"We know where he went," she said. "Let's go."

She walked in the direction of the footprint, leaving the crew behind. Oobleck, Weiss, and Blake quickly hurried to catch up with her, and the other sailors followed shortly afterwards.

"I'm better at tracking," Oobleck said to Ruby. "You need to let me take the lead."

"We both will," Ruby said, in the most matter-of-fact tone.

Weiss and Blake shared a concerned glance. They had never seen Ruby like this. Even in the most dire situation, they usually could hear her youth in her voice. But now none of that could be heard. Ruby sounded so grim, and she didn't even say a word the whole time. Either Yang's disappearance had affected her more than they'd initially thought, or whatever she had seen when she peered through the gate had caused this change.

The giant footprints were following a path in the forest. Most thought the path was natural, but Ruby suspected it had been created by a creature in the forest.

Then, Oobleck came to a sudden halt, and raised an arm, gesturing for everyone else to stop with him.

In the distance, at the end of the path, a creature emerged, unlike anything anyone in the crew had seen before. It was large, and heavily built, standing on four legs, thick as tree trunks. Its thin, lizard-like head was low to the ground, while its tail was held high in the air, with two pairs of spikes horizontally at the end. A double row of kite-shaped plates were rising vertically along its arched back.

"What is that thing?" Jimmy said.

Nobody responded. All were transfixed by the unbelievable sight before them. All but Ruby. She supposed she'd been spoiled by the terrifying sight of the beast that had stolen her sister.

"Jimmy," Oobleck whispered, "bring the bombs."

Jimmy turned his back to Oobleck so he could reach the crate strapped to him. Oobleck opened it, and pulled out a gas bomb, and crouched low, preparing to toss the bomb just in case.

"If I need to throw this," he whispered, "everyone duck down and keep your face in the dirt. Don't get up unless I tell you."

The creature was biting into a bush, tearing the plants and munching on them. It turned its head in the direction of the crew, and spotted them. Startled, the creature growled. The crew stepped back. A few raised their weapons and opened fire.

At the sudden sting of the bullets, the reptile turned itself to face its attackers, and charged towards them.

"Hit the dirt!" Oobleck shouted.

Everyone dropped to the ground, while Oobleck tossed the gas bomb. As soon as it hit the ground in front of the creature, the professor dropped to the ground beside Ruby, and held her face to the dirt.

"Don't move!" he said.

They heard the sound of a boom, and the hiss of gas. They could hear the creature struggling to breathe. The ground shook beneath them as the creature collapsed, its breathing slowing.

A full minute had ticked by before anyone spoke.

"We can stand now."

It was Oobleck. He was the expert on the gas bombs, and all trusted his judgement. Everyone stood up carefully, refraining from breathing just in case. When they were certain no gas was left behind, they were comfortable enough to breathe.

But, even with the concern for the gas, nothing could shift their focus from what was right before them.

The reptile was on its side. It wasn't moving at all, except for its slowly heaving chest.

"Is it dead?" Jimmy asked.

Oobleck shook his head. "It's unconscious."

Weiss took a few steps closer to the creature.

"Is this a dinosaur?" she said.

Oobleck sighed, as if he was disappointed in such a question.

"I had my doubts," he said. "But this is definitely a dinosaur."

Ruby had seen a dinosaur movie as a kid. Something about a theme park, and sparing no expense. She'd liked it a lot, and had always wanted to see one in real life. But now that she was seeing one up close, she felt nothing. She could only think of continuing the search for Yang.

But Oobleck was too fascinated to keep moving. "Look at the size of that tail! If I could only bring back one of these alive."

The creature's tail suddenly lifted from the ground, and started to sway. The crew stepped back in panic, but they didn't flee.

"Come on," Ruby said, still unfazed. "We're after Yang. Let's go."

She continued following the path, walking past the creature. Weiss, Blake, Oobleck, and Jimmy followed her without hesitation. The rest of the crew glanced at the swaying tail for a moment, suddenly understanding what they had gotten themselves into. Their bravery was called into question.

But they followed anyway . . .