Shadows of War (RWBY X TITANFALL) Act 2: A Phantom Adversary

Chapter XVI: Breach & Clear

Matt POV

The sound of Roxy and Zwei barking woke some of us up. When Yang and I tried to calm the two down, I saw that Roxy had Nathan's R-201 and noticed my helmet's visor blinking the emergency signal. Confused, I got up and went to the second floor, believing that he could've dosed off and accidentally pressed it, but he wasn't anywhere. The other thing that gave us more questions was that Ruby wasn't in her sleeping bag. 

Blake: *grudgingly* "What's going on?"

Carsen: "Nathan and Ruby have gone missing or gone on patrol."

Andi: "Or went to find some can to take a piss somewhere. I'm going back to sleep." *snores*

Oobleck: "Not the case, Ms. Echo. Based on how the dogs act, that could mean they may be in trouble."

Andi: "Just five more minutes..."

Xander: "I'd rather get back to sleep, too, Andi, but we need to check on our friends."

She groaned as she tossed a pillow at him and grabbed her gear as I grabbed my helmet and Nathan's CAR. We followed the dogs to a hole in the middle of the street and their weapons lying there. Further inspection of the scene in front of us had proved they tried to climb out via the wall where a hole is now.

Oobleck: "Oh my... Of course... Of course, of course, of course!"

Eclipse: "What is it?"

Oobleck: "How could I be so stupid?!"

Carsen: "Doc, will you start making sense here?"

Oobleck: "Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people, commuting to the city, the main city. They developed a subway system in the inner city. Grimm attacks increase! Population in danger, desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels, and what do they find?! The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

Yang: "Doc, what are you saying?"

Oobleck: "My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network! We're looking for AN UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!"

Eclipse: "You think?"

Blake: "What, they've been working in caves?"

Me: "No, no. Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for as long as possible because of aggressive perimeter defense systems and unique transportation. What Oobleck was getting at was that this place developed some elaborate transportation system to carry the residents away from the territory to the main Kingdom. But Mountain Glenn was doomed from the beginning without Vale's natural barriers. *I walked to the hole and looked down* I've got my hands on everything I could find on the Expansion, and the reports weren't pretty. The end drew near for them, and the people made the last Hail Mary play for survival. They built an entire city under us in the massive caves they had already cleared in the subway development. Cutting themselves off from the surface in the process."

Petro, Yang, Ambrose, and Eclipse: "An underground village?"

Me: "In a matter of speaking. It's more of a haven. Until..."

Oobleck: "An explosion opened the mouth of another cavern... filled with subterranean Grimm."

Me: "The expansion became the largest tomb in Remnant's recent history. I won't be letting this haunted place harbor two more ghosts. *to Reyes* Tech, are you there?"

Reyes: *com* "I'm here."

Me: "I need you to go down there and scout ahead. Alert us if you find anything."