A/N: Hello again~ everyone. I would like to apologize once more for the delay in the monthly updates and I hope that y'all didn't mind it that much.
Remember guys, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me. I won't spoil a major ton with in-detail answers but just enough to peak at your imaginations.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY and honestly I never will lol, also all other references that you'll see belong to their rightful owners. I am by no means a plagiarist, I am merely getting inspiration from them. The events, characters, and firms depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual firms, is purely coincidental
More notes at the end, but until then?
Enjoy!
Location: Beacon Academy
Date: July 1st
Time: 9:15 AM
(Author's POV)
Glynda Aerona Goodwitch. The mighty deputy headmistress and combat instructor of Beacon Academy.
To her close friends and loved ones, they know her as the headstrong woman possessing a virtuous and loving heart. But to those that don't truly know her, especially her enemies and the ever unsuspecting lech, she is known to be cold, strict, and overall intimidating.
And right now, the Witch of Vale was feeling particularly ticked off whilst waiting at the entryway of the headmaster's tower. Judging by the sour look smearing her beautifully aged face, you can tell that she's aggravated, more so than usual. If her furrowed brow and scowl weren't obvious enough, then the way students both old and new quickly finding it better to be far away from her line of sight made it even more telling.
But unbeknownst to the everyone else, the cause of her irritation was due to a certain Headmaster who had recently made quite the questionable decision and had brought forth a huge predicament, both in the literal and metaphorical sense.
"What were you thinking, Ozpin?" Glynda thought. "I understand why we need to keep close tabs on this man but making him a teacher here has to be the most absurd idea you've ever had, yet."
This was the decision that Headmaster Ozpin had made, much to Glynda's dismay and utter disbelief.
"This is a great opportunity for us, Glynda. With another powerful ally on our side, our chances of turning the tide against our enemies have risen. Furthermore, you've seen what he's capable of. Surely you can see the benefits of him teaching the students." Was what he had said to her when she inquired him, in private of course.
And it was true, to an extent. Glynda could understand the logic behind Ozpin's intentions, the benefits of having someone of that caliber on their side. But, that didn't mean she was fully comfortable with it.
"Tobias. I don't even know if that's his real name or not. But what I do know is that man is dangerous. Deadly, even." Glynda continued to ponder. "And to make matters even more worrisome, he made quite the startling first impression on the students."
Startling first impression, indeed. Glynda had imagined a number of scenarios on how the would-be students would react to the presence of Tobias. What she hadn't imagined was the sight of said would-be students scurrying away like frightened kindergarteners. And though she was a tad agitated at seeing Huntsmen and Huntresses in training cowering and trembling, she reasoned that they were still young and would in time learn to conquer fear.
And it was also because it was 'him' that was putting them off.
"Oh, Glynda~! We're here~!" A chirpy voice called from her left. This, in turn, got Glynda out from her pondering and turned towards the direction of the voice.
"Ah, about time." Glynda thought as the one that had called out made their way towards her.
"A good morning to you Zoe, and to you all as well. I'm glad you could all make it on such short notice." Glynda greeted with a warm smile and a polite nod to Zoe and the two other Beacon professors, her earlier look of agitation quickly dashed aside.
"Not to worry Glynda, me and Barty-Warty here were just lounging around when we got your message," Zoe said as she hopped up and hooked her arms around the neck of her significantly taller twin and proceeded to dangle from it, legs kicked up whilst smiling cheekily.
This is Zoe Oobleck, twin sister of Bartholemew Oobleck, Biology teacher and nurse of Beacon Academy. She possesses the same green colored hair as her brother, the difference being her hair was smoother and longer in comparison and was done in a fishtail styled ponytail. She also had the same brown eyes and fair white skin as her twin. Her attire composed of a yellow turtleneck sweater, navy blue textured trousers, a pair of dark hemlock ankle boots, an unbuttoned white lab coat, and adorning her face were her signature thin square-framed glasses.
If one were to surmise Zoe was a gender bent version of her brother, they would technically be correct. Seeing as not only do they share the same blood, but the also share near-identical facial features. However, there were three things that just made these two siblings stand out from one another. The first is their overall attitude. Where Bartholomew was exceedingly hyper only in times concerning history and consuming large amounts of coffee, Zoe was naturally hyper and especially eccentric, even in her sleep, much to Bartholomew's slight annoyance. The second is their height difference. Bartholomew stands at approximately six feet and seven inches whereas Zoe is an entire foot shorter than him. The third reason is the difference in their expertise. Bartholomew has a Ph.D. in History whilst Zoe has a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Physiology.
"Sister, if you would be so kind as to cease dangling from my neck, I would very much appreciate it," Bartholomew said in a calm tone that sounded like this was an everyday occurrence in his life. Well, considering how his sister is, it may just as well be.
This is Bartholomew Oobleck or as he prefers to call himself, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. The esteemed Historian of Beacon Academy.
"Okey dokey Barty-Warty~," Zoe said in a sing-song manner as she relinquished her hold on her brother and moved to stand beside him, all the while humming happily with her smile ever present.
Glynda couldn't stop herself from chuckling gently at witnessing the usual antics of the Oobleck twins. The sight of Huntsmen finding the time to be carefree and relaxed always did bring warmth to her aged heart. The gods know how far in between those instances are in their line of work.
"So Glynda," The portly man with them spoke up. ", might I ask why you've summoned us? You see, I was in the middle of completing a task of great importance-"
"Does it involve a sculpture of you?" Glynda cut off with a small smirk. "Because whenever 'you' say the word important, Peter, it likely involves something over the top like a sculpture of you or a statue of you."
In response to this, the man let a boisterous laugh that lasted a good minute before stopping to catch his breath and wiping a small tear from his eye.
"My oh my, am I truly becoming that predictable nowadays?" Peter replied in his ever ebullient manner.
"Yes." Glynda, Bartholomew, and Zoe replied synchronously, all three of them having various degrees of a smirk on their faces.
Peter merely let out another boisterous laugh at their response.
This is Peter Port, the Professor of Grimm studies at Beacon Academy. Despite his physique and somewhat boastful attitude, he is appraised both by his fellow Huntsmen and students as an exemplary Huntsman. And though some of his claims are true-ish somewhat, Glynda knows that most of his "extravagant adventures" are highly exaggerated. She would know, she handled the three of them when they were still Huntsmen-in-training after all.
"But in all seriousness Miss Glynda, why did you summon us?" Bartholomew asked once Peter had stopped laughing.
The question was an innocent one, brought forth only due to curiosity and the need of wanting to know the truth. But that also meant Glynda had to get back to business, which also meant she had to tackle yet again the headache-inducing dilemma that she begrudgingly must face.
"Well, as shortlived as it was, the reprieve was nice." Glynda thought, her facial features slowly inched into a look of frustration as she let out a tired sigh.
Peter and the Oobleck twins were quick to pick up on the sudden shift of her mood but before any of them could fully contemplate anything, Glynda spoke up.
"Headmaster Ozpin has some..news..he wishes to disclose to us." She said, stiffly.
"Any idea as to what this news is about, Miss Glynda?" Peter asked.
The Oobleck twins looked expectantly at her, awaiting an answer.
Oh, she knew what it was about. And Glynda would be lying if she said she didn't want to tell them now and save them the 'surprise'. But, the professional side of her won out in the end and decided to leave the explanations to Ozpin.
"You'll find out soon enough," Glynda started off as she turned around and pushed open the tower's entryway. ", now come, Ozpin awaits us."
And with that said she made her way through the tower's threshold, followed closely by Peter and the Oobleck twins. Crossing the tower's circular hall, they quickly boarded the elevator that would take them to the top. And as it made its ascent, a number of questions made themselves apparent in the minds of everyone present. For Peter and the Oobleck twins, they were wondering as to what exactly Ozpin had in store for them. Being summoned to a meeting was nothing they hadn't already gone through numerous times but having one in the Headmaster's office was a rare occurrence and usually meant it was about something of importance. Safe to say, because of this fact the three of them were more than anxious as they waited to reach the top. Glynda, on the other hand, wondered what their reactions would be upon seeing Tobias. She was confident that they wouldn't react poorly as most of the new students did, these three were already battle-hardened and had long since learned to tame fear. However, she was anxious to find out just how exactly they'd react to Tobias' presence.
The reason for her curiosity was because she wanted to find out if she wasn't the only one that could feel the..sensation, for lack of a better term, that she felt whenever Tobias was within proximity.
When she had first met the man her heart had actually skipped a beat, as hard as it is to believe. Thankfully she was able to recover from the shock quickly enough and masked her fear as best she could. And it wasn't his overall physical appearance that bothered her, he wasn't hideous looking by any means, though his sheer size and physique did make her wary of him all the more. But it was this sensation radiating from him that daunted Glynda the most. It was unlike anything that she had ever felt from another human or faunus.
It was almost..monstrous like in nature and..frighteningly familiar to her. It reminded Glynda of something, something she had faced in her youth. The idea was absurd to her, and no doubt others would agree but there was no doubt the similar sensation that Tobias invoked upon her.
Primordial Grimm.
A slight shudder ran up Glynda's spine from the remembrance of their name. And it still confused her to no end on just how a single man could adduce the same feeling as that of the ancient monstrosities of darkness.
"Just what are you?" Glynda thought.
Before she could ponder any further, the elevator dinged as it finally reached the Headmaster's office and opened. Once the doors fully opened, the first thing that came into view was Ozpin sitting on his chair behind his desk. The group made their way out of the elevator and towards Ozpin. He looked as calm as ever, with his arms placed on the chair's armrests with a warm and welcoming look on his face. But Glynda noticed something else. Something that she was quite familiar with. There was this look in his eyes, it was the same look he had whenever he went through an argument of some kind.
"Are you all right, Ozpin?" Glynda asked, genuinely worried for the man, as she and the rest of her group stopped two feet from his desk.
A part of her wanted to be professional and wait for him to tell her if something was wrong, but a bigger part of her, the part that had been forged and solidified through years of commandery worried too much for Ozpin's well being to wait.
"Oh, its nothing Glynda, Tobias and I just had a bit of a...talk, as all." He answered, smiling.
At the mention of Tobias' name, Glynda's heart immediately raced as thoughts of what might have happened while she was away played out in her mind, none of them pleasant. The worry must have been evident that Ozpin noticed it and couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
"Calm yourself, Glynda." He said with a reassuring look. " As you can see, I am perfectly well and fine. We did not trade blows, merely words."
Deep words. Glynda could tell that much. About what though, Glynda would inquire later on in private.
"And who is this Tobias fellow you speak of, Ozpin?" Peter asked.
It was then that Glynda noticed that the man in question was nowhere to be seen, well from her line of sight at least. For a moment, she dreadfully thought that he might have left Beacon in a fit. But that line of thought was quickly dashed away.
"That would be me, sir." A gruff voice answered from behind them. A voice that rightfully put Glynda, Peter and the Oobleck twins on edge. It's not everyday someone can sneak behind professional Huntsmen unnoticed, after all.
They quickly turned around to face the direction of the voice. And there at the office's upper catwalk was Tobias, in all his imposing glory, standing nonchalantly with a neutral look on his face.
"By the gods, how did we not sense him there?" Glynda thought surprised whilst she took a quick glance to her left and right to see how Peter and the Oobleck twins were fairing.
Peters bushy brows were raised as high as they could go as his eyes bulged in proportion. A noteworthy feat, considering he's only ever done that 'twice' in all the years that Glynda had known the man. Bartholomew was doing no better, the man's mouth was agape as his eyes widened as well. But Zoe, on the other hand, seemed...ecstatic for some reason. Glynda would have mistaken her shaking as fear if it wasn't for the smile she had that was gradually increasing. And there was also that look in her eyes. The kind of look that had the word excitement written all over it.
But before Glynda could ponder any further, Tobias leaped over the railings and landed a few feet away from them. Surprisingly, there wasn't a loud boom at the point of impact, in fact, there was no sound at all. And even more surprising is that he actually landed using the rand of his boots and bent his knees before hitting the ground. The technique, of course, was nothing new to Glynda. She had already learned, used and taught it throughout the years of her life as a Huntress and teacher.
Which is why she was currently flabbergasted at the sight of Tobias doing it. She knew that technique was useful and if done right, can help in infiltration and escapes by reducing the sound of jumps to mute levels. But, she also knew that not everyone could execute it. This is because mass and weight eventually come to the equation. If the user is bulky and heavy in nature, no matter how perfectly done the technique is, a sound will emanate from their landing. In theory, it could be feasible for larger individuals to perfect this technique and effectively use it, given enough training. However that is just in theory, and as far as Glynda knew, no one with a large body mass has been able to mute their landing. It was just simply too impossible.
"Just..just what in Remnant are you?" Glynda thought, quizzically as Tobias calmly got closer and closer towards them.
Once he was within a meter from them, he stopped and took in a breath. This simple action caused them to inch back a bit sans Zoe who actually inched forward, her now wide smile ever present.
"Hello," Tobias started off with a smile too warm to match the intimidation radiating of from his person. ", I am Tobias Ispolinsikiy Bonifacio. But you may call me Tobias if you wish."
He offered his hand in a greeting gesture. As rude as it may seem, no one made a move to shake it. They're not to blame, after all. The man's hand was just as imposing as the rest of him. To call it meaty would be too much of an understatement. Its muscle and bone knuckle made it seem as if the hand was something made out of steel clad boulders. They feared that if they were to clasp their hand with..that..they would never clasp anything ever again. Even Ozpin, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, was worried about the thought of having to shake that monstrous hand. However, it seems that not everyone was afraid.
"Hellotheresiritisverynicetomeetyou," Zoe said in the near-incomprehensible way she does whenever she gets excited as she dashed towards Tobias and clasped both of her hands on his single outstretched one and 'tried' shaking it as much as she could but only ended up straining her arms to bring Tobias' hand up and down." MynameisZoeOobleckIamverymuchpleasedtomeetyouandmywordthisisactuallyheavierthanIthoughtitwouldbe."
Tobias' face lit up in surprise at the woman's actions and rather strange speech pattern, however, the surprise merely lasted a split second before Tobias let out a short mirthful chuckle and smiling warmly once again. He gently closed his outstretched hand around hers and shook their intertwined hands as softly as he could.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Zoe," Tobias said, the warm smile still present.
Zoe was a bit taken back for a moment, her smile diminishing by a mere fraction. And it wasn't because of the gesture itself per se that surprised her. It was more the gentleness of it all. A trait she thought would be a stark contrast to the man's aspect. Quickly enough, Zoe's full smile returned as she recovered from her surprise before once again addressing Tobias.
"Incredible!Youareabletoactuallykeepupwithme!?Thatisnoeasyfeatmindyou!AllmyfriendsandfamilycanbutthatisbecauseIhavebeenwiththemforyearsandthemwithmesoit'.Howisitthatyouareableto-"
"Miss Zoe." Tobias kindly interrupted whilst raising his free hand in a halt motion. And if whether it was due to fear or indulgence that guided her, Zoe complied and stopped. "Yes, I am able to perceive your words, as incredibly fast as they may be. And though I am honored to know you are this excited to meet me, I ask that you not over exhaust yourself for my sake."
Bartholomew, Peter, Glynda and even Ozpin were surprised with Tobias' words. Though the latter two weren't as surprised seeing as they've already appealed to his gentler side...somewhat. But for the former two, who immediately dubbed the man as imposingly dangerous the moment they laid their eyes on him, needed a little bit more time to process and get their brains working again.
To Tobias, being kind, considerate, and gentle isn't really all that challenging, it practically comes naturally to him, much to the surprise of other people. For as short-lived, as his childhood was he had spent it being taught many lessons by his late parents. His father taught him in the ways of a fighter, a survivor, a..warrior. To be strong, resilient, unyielding, undaunted. And his mother, once a formidable force herself, taught him how to balance strength with tranquility. A lesson Tobias always held in high regard.
"My...oh my my my, " Zoe remarked in her ever-cheery tone. ", such a gentleman you are, Mr. Tobias."
"I aim to be as such Miss Zoe, and please, just call me Tobias," Tobias replied as he retracted his hand.
Zoe let out a small laugh, a pleasing kind of laugh before turning back to face the rest of the group behind her.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Zoe said before dashing quickly behind Bartholomew and pushing him towards Tobias. The man didn't even realize what had transpired until he was looking up towards Tobias' slightly surprised face. "Tobias, this is my twin brother Bartholomew Oobleck but he likes it if you address him with the title of doctor. Barty, meet Tobias. Say hi~!"
Bartholomew still felt wary of the man before him, however, he didn't want to show any untoward disrespect either. So with a deep intake of breath, he straightened his back along with his legs, slapped his hands firmly at his sides, and did a ninety-degree bow.
"A pleasure to meet you, good sir." Bartholomew greeted.
Without missing a beat, Tobias stepped back a pace and imitated the same processes Bartholomew did, with Tobias ending it with the same ninety-degree bow.
"Likewise, Doctor Bartholomew." Tobias greeted back.
Bartholomew stood back up as did Tobias. The return of his greeting was a pleasant shock for Bartholomew. He wouldn't go as far as to say he was no longer wary of him, but for now, he could afford to give Tobias the benefit of the doubt. Somewhat.
"And this," Zoe spoke up with a raised finger before dashing behind Peter and pushing him all the way towards Bartholomew's side, his feet skidding on the floor all the way. ", is my and Barty's best friend, Peter Port. Say hi~, Peter."
Despite the nerve-wracking fear looming within Peter, his pride as a man and a Huntsman allowed him to swallow it down. Or at least that's what he's trying to convince himself with.
"Ho-ho, it's nice to meet you, young man. As the fair dame said, I am Peter Port. The all-around Huntsman of Beacon Academy, if you ever require any aid, any at all, I'm your man." He said in a spunky tone as he placed his fists on his hips whilst maintaining his gaze on Tobias.
For a few seconds, about fifteen to be exact, only silence greeted the room as Tobias gazed back down at Peter, face set in a neutral look and unblinking as he studied him. It may have been seconds in real time, but for Peter, who had the full attention of those seemingly endless gray eyes, it felt like an eternity. The man was already sweating bullets under his attire and his legs were starting to rattle a little, and even if he could not see it for sure, he knew he had a sheen of sweat on his forehead now. Peter feared that if this were to go any longer he might actually keel over. The others, sans Zoe who still looked carefree as usual, tensed as the tension in the air grew thicker and thicker as the milliseconds ticked by. Once the fifteenth second passed, Tobias blinked and smiled warmly at the man. The surrounding tension earlier evaporating in an instant like it was never there in the first place.
"Yes, it is nice to meet you as well, Sir Peter." Said Tobias at last, prompting the addressee to let out an almost inaudible shaky breath as he awkwardly nodded in return.
"Okay then!" Zoe exclaimed cheerily with a clap, seemingly unaffected by the whole ordeal. "Next up we have-"
"We've met already, Zoe." Glynda interrupted the young woman before she could dash behind her.
In response to this Tobias gently nodded in affirmation towards Zoe.
"Well," Ozpin spoke up, grabbing the attention of everyone present. ", with the pleasantries now done, I would like for us to now begin our meeting."
Glynda and Peter moved and stood in rapt attention to the left with the Oobleck twins doing the same to the right whilst Tobias stood at the center, unmoving but focusing his attention on Ozpin all the same. The teachers, bar Zoe for reasons known only to her, were unnerved in having their backs turned to Tobias. Nevertheless, they fought off the slight knot in their stomachs as Ozpin addressed them.
"I'll make this as brief as I can," He started off. ", as you no doubt already know that for the past twenty years the state of Beacon Academy's teaching staff hasn't been..doing so well."
"With all due respect that's quite the understatement there Sir Ozpin," Oobleck commented with his sister and Peter nodding in agreement.
"Be that is it may, the fact that we are understaffed remains the same." Ozpin continued after nodding in understanding at Bartholomew's comment. "We have tried enlisting other Huntsmen into the Academy's ranks but were all..preoccupied..as is."
"So this is your excuse," Glynda remarked mentally putting two and two together as she thought back to the years before.
The Huntsman Academy's had been understaffed for a long while now. Back then there used to be tens of other Huntsmen working alongside them at Beacon, teaching other various studies in the different year levels. They could still remember them. Their faces, their voices, their personalities. The people that they embraced as their colleges, their friends, were gone now. Over twenty years ago a war broke loose. A war that took all of Remnant by surprise. And just as the chaos of that same war started to subside, horde after horde of Grimm sieged the kingdoms. And so desperate were the councils of the four kingdoms to stem the tide, they started deploying every huntsman and huntress they could spare. First, it was the teachers, and once they were stretched too thin the council turned to the students, for which Ozpin alongside a certain Atlesian verbally tried to expunge the idea. Glynda had to actually use her powers that day to restraint Ozpin lest he might have ended up committing cold-blooded murder. But the councils could not be swayed, they executed their orders for which the students had no other choice but to follow. Too many were sent out and too many didn't come back.
In the end, Beacon, Atlas, Shade, and Haven changed themselves due to the amounts of loss they suffered. The four Academies established a new set of rules. Where once in each year there were over a hundred students, now there would only be around forty to fifty. The hundreds of potential students would have to undergo an initiation of sorts so that the academies could siphon out those with the most potential and send home the rest. As cruel as it may be to crush the dreams of the rest, it is better to train tens of exceptionally powerful individuals than having hundreds of spare meat for the councils to do as they please with them.
Glynda was about to speak up when Tobias' voice cut her off before she could.
"By "preoccupied" do you by any chance mean 'dead'?" He said in a tone that surprised Glynda yet again. It was sad in a way, almost as if...mournful. Even Ozpin's master poker face faltered for a moment before resuming its ever unreadable form.
Curiosity and bewilderment. Those were the two major driving forces that made Glynda look behind her to face Tobias. She wanted to know. To know what a man such as he would look like speaking in a voice that did she thought did not befit him. And so that's what she did. She turned to face him. And she almost couldn't believe it.
The man's gray eyes that always seemed to pierce through her every time she looks at them were now dulled, softened. His ruggedly toned face was in an expression Glynda could clearly identify as sympathetic and something else she couldn't make sure.
Tobias, of course, could see Glynda gazing at him but chose to keep his focus on the green-garbed headmaster as he continued.
"It is not that difficult to deduce when your eyes and tone say it all, Ozpin." He said before letting out a slow and deep sigh. "I will not pretend and say "I understand fully" because I do not, not yet at least. But now..now at least I am starting to see why you need me."
He then proceeded to murmur..something..under his breath. It sounded foreign to Glynda and no doubt to the others as well. It was spoken in a language that she had never heard of before. But from what little that could be discerned, the word "hangal" was the most prominent to their hearing. Whatever that word meant was lost to them.
"What exactly does he mean by you needing his help, Ozpin?" Oobleck inquired.
"What I mean Doctor," Tobias answered before Ozpin could come up with a reply. ", is that Headmaster Ozpin here has made me a teacher in this Academy so that I may be of assistance to you and the children."
For Glynda and Ozpin this was nothing to be surprised about. What did surprise the two however was the bluntness of his approach on the matter. No fancy wordplays, no stalling, just straight to the point. For Bartholomew and Peter, they were surprised to know that Tobias would be teaching in the first place and wondered just what exactly he'd be teaching.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Zoe, the ever vibrant woman she is, proclaimed happily as she clapped her hands in quick succession. "It'll be nice having a newcomer here. Don't get me wrong, I love these guys to a fault but it just gets a bit dull to see the same faces every day for years, you know?"
Tobias' simply nodded with a grunt. Whether that was a grunt of confirmation or not was anyone's guess.
"Yes..that is correct." Ozpin started off whilst carefully eyeing Tobias. "As Tobias said I have taken the liberty of making him a teacher here, or to be precise, a deputy assistant teacher for all of you."
Needless to say, the Beacon professors were still taking the time to process the revelation before them. All except for Zoe who was already merrily playing out all the live demonstrations she could perform with Tobias' help.
"Ozpin" Tobias spoke up, his voice bringing the pondering individuals out of their thoughts for now. "Now that they are here, would you mind continuing where you left off on our..discusuon..earlier."
"Ah yes..that" Ozpin responded with a nod.
He kept his eyes on Tobias but from the corner of his vision, he could see Glynda eyeing him for an explanation. And so when it was apparent that no one would move to interject, Ozpin began.
"As I've said to you before, we are in need of assistance regarding the teaching of the students. We've been making due for the past few years but it's been getting harder and harder as of late. I've stepped up multiple times already to assist them in their subjects but my help is not infinite. The life of a headmaster is quite the task already and I am more than ready to bear the responsibilities that come with it, however, being a headmaster and helping in other subject matters has been taxing. I can no longer afford to split my attention as a teacher and a headmaster, as much as it irritates me so. And the damned council breathing down my neck hasn't been all too helpful." He muttered that last part under his breath.
"How exactly did this come to be?" Tobias asked.
When Ozpin didn't respond right away, Tobias decided to elaborate some more.
"This academy is huge, a thousand acres worth of land, give or take. And you told me that you only have forty or so students in all of the four-year levels. So there only about a hundred and sixty or so students in all. You can easily have three times that number and yet you do not. Why?"
As Ozpin was about to answer, Tobias raised his right hand in a stopping gesture and continued.
"And please, do not resort to sugar coating your words. Acting like the dead have not passed is far more of an insult than saying they have. What I want to know is how things ended up this..dire..in the first place. Nothing more, nothing less. "
The professors all took a quick glance at Tobias before looking to Ozpin and awaiting his response. When a few seconds had passed with the gray-haired headmaster eyeing Tobias intently, he let out a weary sigh before answering.
"Two decades ago the entirety of the criminal underworld went up in arms against the four kingdoms. Simultaneously. The attack was so sudden and swift that the councils of each kingdom could only order their huntsmen academies to send every huntsman and huntress they could. I was forced to send all of mine. Glynda here along with Peter and the twins can attest to that."
Tobias eyed each of the people mentioned with an unreadable look. Once he did that, he nodded slowly right after.
"But that's not all." Ozpin picked up once more with another weary sigh. "Even with the forces of all the four academies along with the kingdom's military, the might of the underworld empire proved to be just as strong. And so, in Vale, in Mistral, in Vacuo and in Atlas, the war raged on. The war that lasted only from dusk till dawn."
Ozpin gazed up at the taller man with an intense look. A look that the Beacon professors remember well. It was the same look he had when the crack of dawn showed the aftermath of the war in Vale, with the kingdom nearly all in flames and thousands upon thousands of bodies lay everywhere, lifeless and cold.
"I sent sixty of my people to war and even the ones that had just graduated. People that I came to love and cherish through the years of this life. And only four out of all of them came back."
Glynda, Peter and the twins had their heads bowed as they listened somberly to Ozpin's retelling. They once again felt that weight in their hearts whenever their minds turned to that day twenty years ago. And who wouldn't really? The Vale Huntsman forces totaled up to more than a hundred and sixty combined with the newly graduated huntsmen. And out of all those hundred and sixty only Glynda, Peter, and the twins were left standing.
All the while the four of them were busy flashing back to the past, Ozpin studied Tobias' look. He expected him to silently scoff, to look completely uninterested, to look indifferent to it all. What he got instead was a surprise. The man that Ozpin sensed as a deadly force to be reckoned with, looked absolutely crestfallen. It was, for Ozpin, a sight to behold.
"What an interesting one you are, Tobias." Ozpin thought.
"And unfortunately, it didn't end there." He said, bringing back the four professors to focus. "When the dust just barely started to settle, the Grimm came charging."
"Those monsters of darkness you spoke of?" Tobias asked.
"Yes. The monsters that 'everyone' knows of." Ozpin answered the taller man as he quickly flicked his eyes towards Peter and the twins. And Tobias figured out the message between the lines.
Don't let them know you're not from here.
"All the negativity from the war attracted them. And when they came, they came in hordes." Ozpin continued before Peter and the twins could wonder more on about Tobias question. "With the armies of the kingdoms exhausted and hardly any professional huntsmen left we the headmasters were left with no other choice but to send the students."
"You sent 'children' to war?" Tobias questioned with an edge seeping to his voice.
"As I said we had no other choice." Answered back Ozpin with just as much vindication. "The militaries, even Atlas', were reduced to a heap and the Grimm numbered to the hundreds of thousands and were bent on destroying the kingdoms. If we had done nothing, all of Remnant would have fallen."
Tobias could only clench his teeth tightly underneath his scowl. Of course, he understood their choice. He understood why they needed to do what they did. They needed to fight back or else they would have all died. And for better or worse, those children had the power to fight so they were called to fight. But that didn't mean he was proud of the fact. It was damned times like these that reminded Tobias of a passage that his late mother had imparted to him when he was a child.
"Those with strength are cursed to fight. Whether it is to fight for good or to fight for evil, we who bear strength fight on all the same."
"Damn Mama, when you and Papa told me there was life beyond the stars I did not expect it to be as shitty as ours." Tobias thought wistfully whilst deeply sighing away his scowl.
"How many were there in all?" Tobias asked the Headmaster. "The children I mean. How many did you send?"
Ozpin hesitated for a split seconds before answering.
"All the year levels that were under my command tallied up to the thousand, and the same could be said for the rest of the academies."
"And...how many made it back?" Tobias asked hesitantly but already dreaded the answer.
"One-fourth of my forces made it back. Including these four." Ozpin answered in finality.
"I see," Tobias said simply with eyes downcast.
"And as you've deduced, the academies that were once mighty have been reduced to what it is now. With the councils tasking newly graduated huntsmen to work right after graduation, we haven't been able to hire in new teachers. And thus the lack of staff." He sighed before continuing. "I know that in time the Huntsman academies will return to their former glory, but I'm afraid that with the way things are now, its full restoration is still far away from grasps."
For a whole minute and more, everyone was silent. To the netizens of Remnant, they took this as a time to once again mourn for their fallen. But for the man from another world, he kept quiet in respect for the living and the dead. For he as well was no stranger to death and loss.
"W-well now," Zoe, shakily spoke up with a small sniff as she tried her best to smile for everyone's sake. ", that's enough doom and gloom for today people."
She looked directed her smile to the rest of the Beacon staff, despite the ache in her heart. She then turned towards Tobias and walked up to the giant man, her pleasant smile present none the less. And in an action that not even Tobias expected, she grabbed his left hand with both of hers and clutched them tightly. And when she struggled to bring it up, Tobias raised it for her until it was within Zoe's eye level.
"Tobias." She started off with a giddy laugh. "So sorry you had to hear all of that death N' stuff back there, Ol' Ozpin can be a real downer sometimes let me tell you." She let out another laugh before continuing.
"Listen, I don't know you all that well and neither do you know me well, but I like to believe that we'll get along just fine. Ozpin seems to trusts you, seeing as he actually went as far to tell you that sob story, so I'm willing to go the mile to trust you too."
She let go of his hand with a nod and stepped back. Tobias, enthralled by the young woman's display absentmindedly nodded back. As he did so, Zoe went back to her brother's side and nudged him.
"Come now Barty where are your manners?" She half whispered to him. "Go on and give our new workmate a warm greeting."
Bartholomew hesitated for a few seconds before intaking a huge amount of air through his nose and walked up to Tobias, albeit a bit stiffly.
"Tobias," He started off. ", I expect great things from you, sir. I'll be looking forward to working with you."
"Likewise, Doctor Oobleck," Tobias replied, not wanting to be rude.
"Glyn?" Zoe turned to the deputy headmistress.
"As I've said, we've already been acquainted." She answered simply.
"Peter?" Zoe inquired at the direction of the portly man.
The man himself was still feeling partially queasy from his earlier experience with Tobias, but as usual, his pride gave him the boost to smile and jollily replied.
"Yes, I as well expect great things from you lad. May your years here in Beacon prove to be fruitful."
"Yes," Tobias replied with a small smile. ", I hope so as well."
And for reasons that eluded him, Peter suddenly possessed the bravery to take it even further.
"Splendid! And you know, we should commemorate this occasion with a spar. I'd like to see what you can dish out, young man."
"PETER!" Glynda shrieked on the inside. "Of all the times for your pride to peak, now has to be worst of them."
Glynda was already well aware of Peter's tendencies to show off. She had seen it throughout the years of her teaching. It was something that the man developed due to his upbringing. He had grown up wanting to become a mighty huntsman, and when he did, he made sure to let 'everyone' know. He wasn't arrogant by any means. But whenever his pride would peak it always spelled trouble and an impending headache for Glynda. And right now, she feared that damned pride of his was possibly going to get him severely injured, or worse, killed.
"Peter-" Glynda started off.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Only to be cut short by Ozpin.
The blonde woman snapped her head towards the gray-haired headmaster so fast she ended up feeling a dull pain blooming in her neck. But she ignored the possibility of it being sprained as she focused on glaring at Ozpin. But never the less, the man avoided her ever piercing glare and continued.
"I was already planning on having you show our staff what you can do. Give them a good measure of you for future references."
"Ozpin..." Glynda half whispered half hissed. But the man in question didn't budge an inch.
"Well, what say you, Tobias? Will you fight them?" Ozpin questioned further.
Peter, the twins, and Glynda looked to Tobias for his answer. A few seconds passed before the giant man gave it.
"Sure."
CHAPTER END.
A/N: Now now, before you guys start, yes this is partially a cliff hanger and no I am not deliberately doing this so I can poke fun of you guys. Nope. Definitely not.
Anyways, let's move on to the more serious notes.
First, let's start with my error in chapter four. You guys remember Tobias' dialogue where he lands at Beacon and he talks about knowing the "sea" is south of him due to the smell of it? Well, I'm sorry to say guys but that was not a sea. According to the map of the kingdom of Vale, that huge a* body of water that Beacon Academy is facing is actually a freakin river. So sorry if I got that wrong. I'll make do with it for now and rectify it in future chapters.
Secondly, in this chapter, you've no doubt noticed that the "one day war" that transpired 20 years ago in the world of Remnant isn't an actual historical event that transpired in the show. That is because of the advice my little sis gave to me. It honestly opened my mind to new possibilities. This is how our conversation went [Translated as best as I could:
[Little Sis: "Hey bro, is your fanfic just going to follow the shows CANON storyline?"
[Me: "Yeah, why?"
[Little Sis: "Urgh, but that's going to be so boring!"
[Me: "What makes you say that?"
[Little Sis: "Because it's going to be predictable. Think about it bro, the people who are going to read your fic are no doubt RWBY watchers and are already familiar with the show and its story. So if your fic follows the same path, then it won't matter if the story is seen through the eyes of never before seen character. It'll be just the same as a retelling."
[Me: "So what do you suggest I do?
[Little Sis: "I suggest that you add more storylines to your fic. Ones that are different from the show but don't derive too far from CANON.
[Me: "So just do some add ons to the CANON storyline?
[Little Sis: "Yeah exactly like that."
[Me: "Okay then."
And thus began the horrid rewriting. This chapter was meant to come out two and a half weeks ago but due to the new idea that my little sis had, I decided to scrap the original one and make three more before ultimately choosing this one. It was such a chore to do too. It was somewhere around a mind-boggling (for me) 12k words for the first two and another 10K for the third. And of course, this one being a close 8K. But oh well, what's done is done after all and I must keep on writing.
Thirdly, you've also no doubt noticed the amounts of exposition and background to some of the characters. Yes, the reason for this relates to the reason of having more storylines. And also because we barely know anything solid about Glynda, Peter and Bartholomew so I decided to make a background for them. Oh and speaking of Oobleck, I hope you like the new OC I've added to the fic. Yes, she will be explained in due time and yes she will have a major role in the grand scheme of things.
And yeah, I guess that's it for now.
All right! This has been Chapter five of RWBY: ANEW, I hope you guys enjoyed it and if you guys have anything to say about it feel free to share what's on your mind and comment.
Next chapter estimation: Somewhere around July