Underneath The Shattered Moon [RWBY X OC]

Chapter 12

Ruby’s POV

The sight of that axe-blunderbuss weapon, the one they called Crescent Rose, drew my gaze immediately. It sat proudly on the classroom’s front desk, a testament to the kind of hero I wanted to be. My eyes swept over the Grimm displayed behind Professor Port – a morbid but fascinating menagerie of monsters. There was the King Taijitu, a monstrous, serpentine dragon, its glistening scales catching the light. The Death Stalker, a creature of pure shadows, seemed to ooze from the cage, its glowing eyes an unsettling contrast to its dark form. Beowolfs, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and even the hulking Ursa – they were all there, each a symbol of the dangers we were meant to face.

“Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night!” Port boomed, his voice booming through the room. “Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!”

He punctuated this last bit with a chuckle that died instantly in the face of the dead silence. I felt a flicker of amusement at the failed attempt at humor. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though. Port, with his outdated style and penchant for theatrics, was more of a caricature of a huntsman than an actual one.

My gaze flitted to my teammates, each reacting to Port's introduction in their own way. Blake and Yang were sitting up straight, their faces focused on the professor. Aebelle, fresh from her own world, looked wide-eyed, taking in everything with a mixture of awe and suspicion. Weiss, predictably, was scribbling furiously in her notebook, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Me? I was propped against my hand, head drooping low. The lecture was a bit too much for me this early in the morning, and I was drifting in and out of sleep. Port's voice, now droning on about the dangers of the world, was no match for the blissful oblivion of slumber.

Then, Port’s voice rose again, piercing my mental fog. “A true Huntsman must be honorable!” he announced with a flourish, that annoying wink aimed at Yang making her groan in annoyance.

But I was already awake, my mind now as sharp as a newly honed blade. I quickly drew a piece of paper out of my notebook, and without a second thought, began to sketch. My pencil moved with swift, sure strokes, capturing Port's absurd physique, the exaggerated puff of his chest, and the way his face contorted with the effort of projecting his booming voice.

I made the eyes a little too large, the nose a bit too pointy, and added a few strategically placed lines for "stink" emanating from his body. Beneath it all, in bold, I scrawled, "Professor Poop."

My teammates couldn’t help but erupt into laughter. Aebelle laughed the loudest, her eyes crinkling with amusement. Blake couldn’t help but grin, while Yang shook her head but still let out a chuckle. Even Weiss looked mildly amused, though she quickly masked it with a frown.