King Kong: A RWBY Story

Chapter XIII

The crew was afraid.

Confidence was out of the question now. The sailors, who had once believed they had seen too much to even feel fear anymore, were now running for their lives and screaming. They were now a cowardly shadow of their former selves. Even Jimmy was more terrified than he'd ever been.

Oobleck was frightened for sure, but he had encountered Grimm many times before. He still had Antiquity's Roast, and he could defend himself if necessary. He was more worried about the sailors, who were running so blindly that they were stumbling. Every time one of them fell, he made sure to lift them up.

Weiss was scared, but not nearly as much as everyone else. She was holding Myrtenaster in one hand, and keeping an eye on the forest to look out for Grimm. But she was beginning to grow exhausted. The running was going to drain her aura, and it wouldn't take long for that to happen. Blake was doing the same. But she had the added benefit that, if she lost Gambol Shroud for any reason, she was still holding onto Ember Celica.

It was Ruby Rose, the youngest member of the search party, who felt no fear. She had completely forgotten about the loss of Crescent Rose and her cape. She was in the lead now, using the new momentum of this fearful run to follow the trail faster. She looked to the ground, and she could see a footprint moving in a different direction. She had already picked his trail back up. She swerved to follow the path.

But the sailors behind her stopped for a different reason. Ruby had turned right before she could have run into another creature right in front of her. It only moved after she had turned, and faced the incoming crew.

It wasn't a Grimm, like the last creature. It had a similar body to the four-legged dinosaur they had encountered earlier, only it was lacking the plates on its back, and the spikes on its tail. Its head was much larger. It bore a single horn on the snout, above its nostrils. A pair of much longer, deadlier horns were right above its eyes. To the rear of its skull was a bony frill.

The crew instantly turned to follow Ruby, their screams agitating the horned dinosaur. The reptile charged after them. Its horns were getting dangerously close to one sailor who was slower than the rest.

Oobleck's sleeve caught on an outstretched branch. His eyes widened in horror, and he tugged as hard as he could to free himself. He could hear the horned dinosaur coming closer.

The last sailor tripped over the root of a tree. Oobleck pulled himself free of the branch. He turned around to help, but it was already too late. The dinosaur had caught up to him, and one of its horns spiked through him. Blood spilled everywhere as the unfortunate sailor was gored to death.

Oobleck knew running would get him nowhere. While the dinosaur was distracted by its kill, he leapt behind some bushes, and ducked into his new hiding place.

The horned dinosaur swung its head, sending the corpse of the sailor flailing free of its horn. He landed in a bloody heap on the ground, while the dinosaur continued his chase.

As soon as it had disappeared, Oobleck emerged. He approached the body of the fallen sailor.

He felt the sting of guilt as the realization fully struck. Six men had been killed, and it was all because of him. He had let his ambitions control him. He'd refused to listen to Ozpin, believing he was prepared for everything. He had let his excitement turn him into a fool, and lives were lost as a result.

"I'm sorry . . ."

Yang wasn't sure how long she'd been with Kong.

At this point, she had given up on trying to escape. She had stopped screaming, stopped kicking and struggling. Kong was more strong than even the natives had been.