King: Hello there everybody! Okay, first things first. This is actually a piece I completed a while ago. It was never released in its entirety and I wanted to at least get the rest in. So enjoy!
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It was another day in the classrooms of Beacon Academy. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long sat in their seats, waiting for Professor Port to arrive. He was normally early to his class; but today, he was nowhere to be seen.
"What do you think is taking him?" Yang asked.
"Maybe he got sick and had to stay home." Ruby replied.
"Alright. I'm cool with no class today."
"Will you two be quiet?" Weiss said, annoyed. "If he was sick, they would send a substitute."
Almost on que, the door opened and the substitute in question walked in. He had blue hair and mirrored sunglasses. His white button-up shirt was covered by a formal vest that was half orange and half black. He stood at Professor Port's desk. "My name is Professor Justinian. I'll be acting as your substitute while Professor Port is out."
Yang and Ruby seemed a bit disappointed about having to have class. Weiss was prepared to take notes. Blake didn't seem effected in the slightest. The majority of the class just seemed confused. After all, their 'substitute teacher' didn't seem much older than most of them.
Justinian looked around the classroom. "You all doubt me… That's fine. Now, for a bit of background. Professor Port is known for telling outrageous stories about himself to teach you about the Grimm. I'm going to tell you a story too outrageous to believe. But rest assured, this is a true story."
The class was restless. Most of the students were just uninterested, others were waiting for the story, and some didn't seem to care. Team RWBY perfectly represented the class attitude.
Justinian sighed. He threw up a red cloth to catch the class' attention. He then drew a cutlass and hooked the cloth on the sword's blade. He stuck the blade into Professor Port's desk. The cloth unveiled, revealing it had been a flag. "Everyone paying attention now?"
The class had quieted. Everyone watched the flag and tried to think what he was going to tell them. Why the flag? What does it mean?
Justinian had their attention. "Good. Now, I'm going to tell you about a man that singlehandedly held the fate of the four Kingdoms in his hands. A king of the seas, lord of the oceans, and master of the tides. He was a man without kingdom and without fear. A pirate that refused to die. David 'Azure-eye' Jones…" The flag unfurled at the mention of the name. It was a solid red background and in its center was a blue rose pattern." …Captain of the Azure Rose."
"Now then…" Justinian looked over the classroom. "…for those of you who don't know, the Azure Rose is said to be a ghost ship. The only person who has ever set foot onto the vessel is Azure Eye. No one is truly certain where the name of the ship originates from. Many believe it to be a reference of the symbol on his flag. However, there is no evidence able to prove or dismiss this. There is little anyone truly knows about Azure Eye's ship.
The class had started to drift. Many tried to pay attention, but their minds would drift off. One such student was the 15 year old with silver eyes. "This is boring," she whispered.
"Quiet, Ruby." Weiss whispered back.
Ruby sighed. "But he said he was going to teach us about a pirate, not a ship…"
"Miss Rose," Justinian had halted class and was turned toward Ruby. "If you're quite done…"
"I'm sorry."
Justinian turned back to his lesson. "Now, you are all waiting for me to tell you about a monster. That Azure Eye was a being who killed all those in his way and crippled the kingdoms. While it's true he held the kingdoms in his hand, he did not kill. Azure Eye merely crippled the ship and took its cargo. Despite this, he took from the richest, most powerful families of the age and often from the kingdoms themselves. He was a man, but far from human. It's said that, the one time he was captured, he was scheduled to be executed. A death by hanging. It's said that after hanging for ten minutes: he laughed, cut himself down from the gallows, and declared, 'I cannot be killed by such weaklings.' He then cut his way through soldiers and back to his ship."
A hand in the back of the class raised. "Excuse me, sir."
"Yes…" Justinian looked at the seating chart at his desk. "Miss Sustrai."
"I read that his ship wrecked not far from the Vale docks. Is that true?"
"There is a wreckage on the shore near the docks, but it is difficult to tell whether it is the Azure Rose or another vessel. That said, none of you are to approach that wreckage. It's been deemed too dangerous for even experienced huntsmen and huntresses to approach. I'm I understood?"
The class all agreed, but some had ideas in their heads about the ship and how to get there. They only had one thing stopping them.
Justinian could see the excitement in some of the students' eyes. "I said, no one is to approach that wreckage. Am. I. Understood?" His tone of speech hammered it home. Do not go near the ship. "Let's continue. There are many people who told stories of their encounters with Azure Eye. He was described as a young man with the aura of a man who knew he would not die. It's believed he was pierced through the heart, shot in the head, beaten with a piece of scrap metal, and lived."
A murmur of disbelief grew in the students. Only one continued to look on with excited eyes, Miss Ruby Rose.
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King: So... what'd you think? Chapter one... What? Did you think this was it? Oh ye of little faith... This is only the beginning.