by neoraichu
Chapter Nine: Port of Call
"I'm sorry, Alfred," sighed Marilyn, "but it would appear... unseemly... if you accompanied me to class."
"I fail to understand..." began the butler.
"I'm sure that no other student or instructor is being allowed such privileges," she interrupted.
"I see, Mistress," he sighed in defeat.
"Besides," she added as she headed for the door, "someone needs to stay here to make sure all the new furniture is in the right place when it arrives today. It's a delicate task that I can only trust to someone of your taste."
"Thank you, Mistress," he replied as he hid a smile.
"And of course, some groceries must be acquired for the preparation of this weeks' breakfasts and dinners," she continued as she opened the door.
"But of course."
Just before closing the door, she smiled and said, "I don't know what I'd do without you. You've always been like my other father to me."
The door closed as he replied, "and you've been like the daughter I've never had, Mistress."
...
Marilyn showed up several minutes early for Professor Port's class. He looked up and smiled as she walked in, though his mouth was somewhat hard to see under the giant mustache.
He noticed that she had a copy of his memoirs in hand as she walked down to a seat just behind the front row.
"Ah, I see that you have a copy of my memoirs, 'Epic Adventures in Hunting' with you. Are you reading it?"
"I am finished, and it is a very fascinating if not exciting read," she replied.
"So... you have it here..."
"For your autograph, good sir," she mused, "Personally, I would make this book the class' handbook."
He walked up to her after snagging a pen from his desk. Opening the book, he signed inside the front cover as he sighed, "Unfortunately, sweet child, the school does not consider the book a textbook and will not pay for them."
There was a knock at the door. He raised a bushy eyebrow as he walked up and opened it. Behind the door was a brown-shirted delivery man with a large cardboard box on a hand trolley.
"Sign here," he said as he offered his work scroll to Port.
"Funny," he said as he signed, "I don't remember ordering... Goodness."
"Good day, sir," he said as he pushed off the box, turned and left.
He blinked at the Red Baroness as he asked, "Wait... You ordered 500 copies of my memoirs... just for me?!"
"I believe that will cover all classes for this semester," she replied, "Please inform me when you require more."
He cleared his throat with a cough before he said, "Just understand that regardless..."
"I expect no favors from this act, I assure you," she said as she got up and walked up the stairs. Taking the box in both hands, she carried it down the steps to be placed behind his desk (all 1,000 kg of it).
A cage against the wall snarled as she walked by, causing her to glance at the blood red glowing eyes.
"A young Boarbatusk, Professor?" she asked as she put the box down.
"How can you tell..."
"The eye pattern," she replied, "It's pretty much the fingerprint of any Grimm. Of course, it has to be young or otherwise it would not fit in the cage you're holding it in."
"Very perceptive of you," he mused.
"Hunting tutors combined with field experience," she replied as she returned to her seat.
"I'm beginning to wonder why you haven't just skipped this year," he said as he stroked half of his stache.
"I should earn my due as everyone else does," she replied, "That's how Mom and Dad feel as well."
"I... see," he smirked, "Well, I expect nothing less than high marks from you, my dear."
"I shall endeavor not to disappoint you, Professor," she said as she returned to her seat, slipping the newly signed copy of the book into her Semblance.
...
"So Miss von Richthofen," said Port as he ruffled his coat collar, "How would you handle this situation?"
Everyone had a copy of Professor Port's memoirs thought only Rudy was actually bothering to read it in class.
"Well given the nature of the Greater Boarbatusk in that region and their habit of always using the same paths, I would come in after scouting and bury an anti-tank mine for every member of the herd. Then I would come back the next day to dispose of any remaining mines."
'LANDMINES?!' thought every student in class who wasn't napping.
"Considering the Greater Boarbatusk's habit of driving away other animals, that can be a valid tactic when dealing with an infestation of them," he said evenly, "and in case you were out of landmines?"
"In areas where landmine hunting is not allowed," she replied, "I would set up at least four reinforced hunting blinds at least thirty feet off the ground. My primary weapon would be the 13mm Tankgehwehr with subsonic rounds, flash and sound suppressor loaded with semi-jacketed Grimmbane hollow points. The second weapon would be a case of the Panzerfaust Rocket Launchers with High Explosive Fragmentation Warheads."
"For those who don't know," he said as he looked about, "Grimmbane is a toxic blend of Wolvesbane, sea salt and just a touch of powdered silver that's extremely poisonous to the Grimm. It can be purchased in some... shadier hunting supply stores... but the best is always homemade."
"It doesn't do much good on humans either," added Ren.
"Yes, Lie Ren, Wolvesbane is also poisonous to humans," agreed Port.
"No," grumbled Yang as she turned to look at Ruby, "You can't have disposable rocket launchers."
"Aww..." she moaned as she fangirled over the notion of having her own heavy weapon collection.
"Father would have a Cowasaur if you tried."
"Neither of you are any fun," pouted Ruby.
Weiss glared at Ruby over her shoulder like she was some kind of child.
"Now would you be a dear and come down to the floor, Miss von Richthofen?" asked Port.
She got up and walked down to the floor open handed.
"Where is you weapon, my dear?" he asked.
'She must be concealing it under that skirt somewhere,' mused Weiss.
"I'm good, Professor," she said as she faced the cage.
Coming up beside the cage, Port used his hammer to break the door open as a juvenile Boarbatusk rushed out. The Red Baroness didn't even flinch as the monster looked right at her.
"Move before it charges!" called Yang.
The monster charged, but she did not move. Instead, she simply grasp a large curved tusk in one hand and hoisted the 250 kg beast right off the floor. She held it high enough to avoid its hooves and sure it's teeth were rendered useless. This elicited a gasp from most of the class.
"Excellent," said Port, "but now what? You are going to kill the beast, are you not?"
She nodded as she flipped the beast over her body, using it's own weight to snap its neck before crashing into the floor before Port's desk. Several cracks appeared in the floor radiating out from the impact point as the beast came crashing down. A few seconds later, the Grimm was dissolving into smoke.
"Showoff," grumbled Cardin.
"Unorthodox, but acceptable," he replied.
"Actually, you killed a larger Boarbatusk in the same way in Chapter 13 of your memoirs," she answered.
"So I did," he mused as he stroked his mustache, "so I did."
"Oh... sorry about the floor," she said with a slight blush.
"Fear not, my child," he replied, "We have insurance against such incidents. This is an Academy for Hunters, after all."
Ruby was feverishly flipping through her book.
"How did she get leverage over that Grimm?" asked Yang, "Marilyn can't be more than 45 kg dripping wet..."
"A side effect of my Semblance is I can temporarily increase my weight without changing my size by several hundred kilograms," mused Marilyn.
"Oh... that must be useful..."
"It is, at times."
"Ahm that performance reminds of my own first Boarbatusk hunt," mused Port, "Please return to your seat while I tell you more interesting information about my hunts concerning the various forms of Boarbatusks. Back in the day..."
The bell sounded ending class, causing most students to sigh in relief.
"Well, this have to wait until tomorrow," he said as the class began to empty out, "Oh, and Miss von Richthofen?"
She paused from leaving to look back over her shoulder.
"Thank you for the books," he said evenly, "I'm sure the class will like them as much as I did writing it."
She nodded as she walked out.
"Butt kisser," muttered Cardin as he followed her.