Oryx lifted a man off his feet and choked him till he passed out before dismissively dropping him to the ground, next to his knocked-out compatriot. This was the 3rd White Fang group that he'd found this week after Ozpin had him patrol the city due to the dust robbery at the docks. Oryx considered it a waste of his time but still followed the order, making him miss half of his Spring break. However, it allowed him to piece together what was transpiring in the city; the suspicious increase of White Fang members in the town was obviously a prelude to something bigger. All he had to do was find out what.
After tying the two men up and reporting their location to the authorities, He decided that it was enough for one night and called it a day as the sun rose past the horizon. Oryx reached Beacon shortly after, and following a quick bath, he headed down to the auditorium. He figured that he'd be alone with the students visiting their parents, or that's at least that's what he thought would happen, which made the presence of Pyrrha rather unexpected. She seemed to be practicing and was so engrossed with her training that she was unaware of his entry.
"I'm quite surprised. Shouldn't all first-year students be with their families?" Oryx asked, drawing her attention.
"Oh! I didn't expect anyone else to be here. If you're planning to use the auditorium, I'll get out of your way." Pyrrha replied, wiping sweat off her forehead.
"No, you can stay. But you didn't answer my question."
"I should be home dining with my family and playing with my sisters, but when I got there, there was a sense of unfulfillment. I didn't feel comfortable with how little progress I've made towards being a huntsman. Sure I knew how to fight, but knowing how to fight and survive are two different things. My parents understood, so they called Ozpin, and he allowed me to come back," Pyrrha explained.
"Interesting," Oryx commented.
"Huh?" Pyrrha responded, unsure what was interesting about what she told him.
"You remind me of my sister and her unwavering conviction to grow stronger." Oryx stated as he bent down to sit, unconsciously frowning at the thought of his family.
"What was she like?" Pyrrha asked as she sat in turn, hoping to get more information on Oryx. Unlike professor Port, Oryx rarely shared anything regarding his past. The only records about him are his graduation papers, nothing about his exploits as a huntsman or his hometown, which made everyone want to find out even more.
"She was… a warrior and a fine one at that. Like you, she strove to be the best, though I can't say you shared her reasons." Oryx divulged at which point Pyrrha noticed the look on his face.
"We don't have to talk about it if it's too personal." Pyrrha insisted.
"No. It's fine. There is never a need to fear one's past." Oryx stated.
"So, what were her reasons for training?" Pyrrha asked.
"The place we grew up was hostile to all life. We happened to live in a village near the dwelling of the larger variations of Grimm. If you'd lived to become an adult, then you were considered one of the lucky ones, and if you didn't. Well then, you simply didn't; they would shed no tears for you." Oryx told, twisting the parts of the story he deemed necessary.
Pyrrha gasped and unconsciously covered her mouth; she was taken aback by the cruel conditions her professor lived in.
"You need not fret, child; we came from a harsh place and as such grew stronger from it. However, you can take solace in knowing that the place no longer exists." Oryx comforted. It drew a bitter taste in his mouth to sugarcoat his past to make it comfortable, but his situation called for just that.
"What happened to it?"
"A cataclysmic event destroyed it. It was either a tsunami or an earthquake, details about it are spotty as my sisters, and I weren't there." Oryx explained.
"Oh," Pyrrha responded. "Compared to yours, my life must be like a princess in a tower." Pyrrha chucked at her joke, but Oryx could tell that the story had upset her. Oryx slowly got up and stretched his hand towards Pyrrha, who accepted it with a sad face.
"Pyrrha, everyone's past defines their character, and I believe that every trial, both big and small, is meant to lead a person to who they will become in the future, their final shape." Oryx insinuated.
"Their final shape?" Pyrrha asked.
"The finality of being. The point at which a creature triumphs above others and claims their right to existence, for some say existence is the struggle to exist." Oryx ranted though most of it flew over Pyrrha's head.
Noticing her confusion on the subject, Oryx chuckled to himself and got on to why he stood them both up.
"The only way to truly improve, to truly learn what you will do under pressure against an opponent both physically stronger and more experienced than you, is to face such a threat yourself. Since we could both use the training and have two weeks off, you'll be training with me every day until school resumes. If you're up for it." Oryx offered.
Pyrrha took a second to think about her answer before replying to Oryx. "I think I'll take you up on your offer."
"Good," Oryx said as he quickly punched in her direction, the girl instinctually raising her arms to prevent her face from receiving the shock that her aura wouldn't have protected against. At first, she was stunned, but it only took her a second to retaliate, drawing both her shield and sword in defense as Oryx immediately closed the gap between them.
Oryx relentlessly assaulted her blow after blow, giving no room for her to return a hit. She could only deflect his arm, letting it slide off her blade before having to repeat the move once again. That was until she finally managed to parry his blow, and following this, went for a stab. However, Oryx kicked her right in the gut, knocking her off her feet and a couple of yards back.
Before she rose back to her feet, Oryx had already raised his fist to her chin.
"And that's the match. Every time you're in a similar position, where if you didn't have your aura and your enemy caught you as I have, it is considered a loss on your part." Oryx stated as Pyrrha got back up.
"So, do you know what your problem was in this battle?" Oryx asked, fully intent on still teaching her.
"My lack of physical strength hindered me," Pyrrha answered, to which Oryx shook his head in disagreement.
"Strength isn't one of your problems; your weapon doesn't rely on it; you lack something that nearly all huntsman have: Killer instinct. Many times have I seen you slow down your attacks or ignore an opening in favor of reducing the harm to your fellow students. That kind of thinking is holding you back; it slows you down and gives your enemy an advantage. While it won't immediately happen, you'll eventually try to take the safer attacks when fighting Grimm instead of ending the fight earlier." Oryx explained.
"For the next week, I'll implant the mindset of a killer in you. Grimm deserves no compassion, and neither do those you call your enemies."
Pyrrha's training was brutal.
On the first day, Oryx woke her up at 6 o'clock for what he called a 'light jog,' which consisted of them taking a 5-mile run into the Emerald Forest while the sun was still rising. Oryx frequently disappeared into the forest only to emerge a couple of minutes later with heavier breaths than before. After they returned to the school, Oryx had her shower up and ate lightly before meeting him in the auditorium, where they sparred for hours on end, with little to no rest in between matches. Pyrrha had noticed while sparring that her teacher refused to bring out his weapon, and when she asked him about it, he said that when he considered her an opponent worth the effort, he'd unsheathed the blade. A sentence which he stuck to, only dodging and blocking her blows with his hands and legs.
Oryx also had Pyrrha study both Grimm and human anatomy, which according to his words, 'One should always know his enemy better than they know themselves. He specifically made her study the pressure points on humans and pointed out the most effective ways of disabling the Grimm without even having to kill them. This continued for three days until one afternoon; Oryx took her so deep within the Emerald Forest that the trees blocked most, if not all, of the sunlight from the sky. He gave her a knife before completely disappearing. Pyrrha was worried for a second before she calmed herself down. Oryx probably wanted her to survive in the forest for the night, and while the forest wasn't an ideal location to stay, Oryx thought she could manage it; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought her down here.
And she did just that. She caught game from a nearby river using the knife and cooked it above a makeshift fire. Which eliminated hunger and thirst from her list of concerns, and thirst was no longer a concern, but she still knew of The Grimm's more dangerous threat. And she was made even more aware of them when she heard a howl in the woods. Nevertheless, using mud and keeping her emotions contained, she avoided the beast and its pack. Oryx appeared at the end of the week and flashed the tiniest hint of approval; whether he did it knowingly or not, Pyrrha would accept it as praise.
After giving her one day of rest, Oryx took her down to a cafe to explain what he was doing when he wasn't watching her in the woods.
"The White Fang numbers have been growing in the city little by little ever since the dock incident. While you stayed in the forest, I tracked down a number of their bases and dismantled their operations. Though I couldn't understand what they were planning, their groups operate so that no one truly has information about the other groups and their true objectives. However, using a... different source of persuasion, I managed to acquire a bit of information." Oryx explained as he looked around the cafe.
"They told me that a man came by and handed them coordinates before disappearing without a trace. They also said that they overheard him talking about his favorite diner while the man was leaving. Hence why we're here." Oryx disclosed to Pyrrha.
"What about the coordinates?" Pyrrha asked.
"Futile, whatever business they were doing therefor, has long since been concluded. And from what the White Fang told me about their hazy recollections, I can conclude that their memories were likely altered by a semblance, making them useless.
"I get all that, but that does explain why I'm here." Pyrrha responded.
"What is a huntsman's primary job?" Oryx asked, replying with another question.
"Well, I guess I'd have to say that it's to protect people." Pyrrha answered.
"Yes. And from what? The creatures of Grimm are not Remnant's only threat. A threat is a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger, and the White Fang fills that role perfectly. As a huntsman, your job is to protect Remnant's people from threats, even if that threat is the people themselves. As for why you're here, you will be tracking down the man we're looking for." Oryx declared. Pyrrha was taken aback as she processed what Oryx said, but she knew that there was truth to what Oryx was saying.
"Now, back to the matter at hand. I leave the job of finding the man up to you. But I have a question, how do people normally react to racist insults." Oryx questioned. Pyrrha was at first puzzled as to why that had relevance to the matter, but several seconds of silence allowed her to make the connection. She turned to Oryx to protest her complaints about the idea, but it was already too late.
"Those damnable White Fang, yesterday they attacked another shipment of dust, driving the prices up even more than before. Those mutts should know their place. If we humans can't do our Oum-given right of keeping them in line, then we are no better than the beasts who are at our doorsteps." Oryx blurted. The volume of his voice was just quiet enough to seem like it came from an actual conversation but loud enough to be heard by nearly everyone.
Pyrrha slank down into her seat, her face flush with embarrassment. She noticed the people's stares, ones of disgust, anger, and confusion; all focused on her and Oryx, though from the look of his face, he seemed not to mind their stares. Pyrrha managed to notice a man looking at them throughout all the humiliation. Taking by itself, the man looked like any other that you'd find on the street, but compared to the crowd at the diner, he stuck out like a soar thumb. His muscles hinted at his weight-building habits or the exercise that came with his job. He was clearly a Faunus, as his facial expression was a lot angrier than the others in the crowd; his tail only provided further evidence to the claim. Those two facts weren't much, but when Pyrrha saw the holstered weapon in his suit along with the three colorless and symmetrical slashes on the hilt of the said weapon, she knew that the man was the White Fang member that they were looking for
Pyrrha looked back toward Oryx and found him looking at her. He raised his head and stared directly at the man, who figured out why Oryx commented on his race once Oryx stood up. He tried to get up and run, but Oryx was already on him. Pyrrha quickly found the man she'd seen earlier with his head pinned to a table and the man's arm pulled back by Oryx. Pyrrha promptly rushed to the side of her teacher, who was questioning the man.
"Hey! This is harassment!" The man shouted, but it fell on deaf ears as Oryx only pushed the man's head against the table harder.
"Quiet! I haven't the time for your games. I am here for information on the White Fang's affairs, and you will provide knowledge." Oryx ordered. The man attempted to raise his head, and Oryx slammed it back down onto the table, cracking the ceramic. The man's aura took the damage, but the message was sent.
"Now, what is the White Fang doing within the city?" Oryx demand. Even though Pyrrha's teacher pressed his face against the table, the man cursed and spat in response to Oryx's question, which caused Oryx to apply the bare minimum amount of pressure to the man's hand leading to a sharp snap that emanated from the body part. The man screamed in pain as the tip of his finger was broken.
Pyrrha gasped and reached to stop Oryx, but a quick glance from him dissuaded her. The teacher she'd gotten to know more of for the past week, the teacher who seemed to care about his student's progress, all but seemed to be a facade. She wanted to stop him but, when he'd looked at her, she felt a fear that nearly choked her.
"The human hand has over 27 bones, 3 of them in the fingers. Every 10 seconds is now another bone." Oryx stated, breaking another bone to enforce his rule. The man screamed once again; this time, a tear formed at the edge of his eyes.
"Alright, I'll tell you!" The man cried. "I don't know what we're planning. Wait, wait, wait!" The man started, but Oryx was dissatisfied and began to apply pressure onto the next finger.
"Wait! God damn it, just wait!" The man begged just before Oryx broke another bone, causing him to convulse with pain.
"Supplies!" The man managed to blurt out. Pyrrha noticed that Oryx's grip on the man's fingers lighted at the word.
"Continue." Oryx allowed. The man needed no further incentives and told them the truth about his task.
"The White Fang is being refitted with new supplies, stolen from a train meant for the Atlas military. My job was to tell them where the shipment was and where it was supposed to be moved." The man revealed.
"Then tell me where the weapons are stored," Oryx demanded, pressing the man's face even harder against the table.
I don't know! I just deliver the papers; I'm not allowed to look at them myself." The man explained. Oryx could hear the distinct sound of police sirens in the distance. It wouldn't be long before they arrived, and dealing with them would be a waste of time.
"Come now, Pyrrha, the authorities will handle him. We must report what we've learned to Ozpin." Oryx called out as he began to leave the diner.
*break*
"Oryx, you can't keep doing this; Ironwood is already growing suspicious of the recent White Fang activity. If he investigates even further, he'll no doubt learn of that fact that you're outside of prison, and that could spell all sorts of trouble." Ozpin said as he looked through the police report.
"Ironwood discovering my existence isn't my concern, dealing with Salem is, and the White Fangs operations have been questionable for a while now. First, they start stealing dust, then the Fang gain access to several Bullwings, and now they're suddenly being resupplied with military-grade equipment, it almost looks like they're preparing for war." Oryx surmised.
"I see your point; the Faunus are quickly becoming a problem; if they attacked, the damage that they could do to the city would be- "
"Think past that, Ozpin," Oryx interrupted. "Who-besides the White Fang- has the most to gain from Vale's destruction, who else knows about the threat you possess, and who else would aim to destroy Vale when Vacuo and Mistral are open targets. Salem fits all three categories." Oryx explained.
The Ozpin understood Oryx's deductions. And while Oryx didn't know of it, the Fall Maiden was in a comatose state, leaving her and the relics open for the taking. All the Queen needed to do was claim the rest of her powers and open the vault doors.
"However, that relies on the fact that- "
Oryx once again cut off Ozpin. "That the White Fang was coerced into joining Salem and her forces, yes, and from what I've seen, it seems they already accepted the offer, if it even was one. However, it wouldn't be hard to convince them to attack Vale. Beasts kill to either eat or to protect but just give Humanity, and I guess in this case Faunus the means, and they will destroy their kin, for no other reason than they can. They may make up whatever excuse that they can but, that is the truth, and that is the difference between Man and Beast." Oryx nearly monologues on about and would have continued to do so if not for the chime of the elevator door.
Glynda stepped out from beyond the door, making her way towards Ozpin's desk. Oryx knew she wasn't expecting him because as soon as she turned his way, she yelled.
"You! Do you have any idea of the trouble you've caused?" Glynda rhetorically asked. She was further peeved by Oryx's blatantly disregard for her as he left the tower.
"We'll continue our talk some other time, but muse over what has been said today," Oryx told, the door closing just after the words escaped his mouth.
After leaving the tower, Oryx walked around the campus; his chat with Ozpin revealed several details about the man. One such being that he overlooked certain aspects, favoring the bigger picture over the smaller pieces.
Oryx neared the auditorium and found Pyrrha sitting down on the steps; she seemed to be deep in thought as she remained unaware of his presence until he nearly passed her. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak, but no words escaped her lips. She buried her head back into her knees and kept quiet. That was until Oryx talked to her.
"As a huntsman, we must prioritize the needs of the many over that of the few. The man held information that I, no, we needed as protectors of the people." Oryx stated. He began to walk away when Pyrrha responded to his words.
"But that doesn't justify the need for that level of interrogation."
"Maybe, maybe not. But as huntsmen, you don't always have the luxury of morality. You do as the situation demands. Now you can continue to whine about it, or you can change it." Oryx declared, surprising Pyrrha.
"Change it? I thought you said it was necessary?" Pyrrha questioned. Oryx nodded his head and agreed. "It is, but that doesn't mean you have to like it. If something disgusts you, you change it. Complaining about it and doing nothing is even worse than being ignorant to the issue." Oryx advised as he beckoned Pyrrha to follow, which she reluctantly did.
"My philosophy is that to make something unbreakable; you have to break it first." Oryx continued while passing through the doors of the auditorium
"You seem to have a lot of philosophies." Pyrrha light-heartedly joked.
"When you reach my age, you tend to have a different outlook on life. Years pass by like leaves falling from a- "Oryx stopped himself when he noticed that Pyrrha was gone.
His confusion lasted up until he heard the whistling of an object through the air. He instinctively reached for his sword only to remember that he'd forgotten to pick it up he was leaving his room to see Ozpin. He instead turned and caught the object, which turned out to be Pyrrha's shield, which meant that she was his attacker. Out of the corner of his eye, Oryx caught a glimpse of the girl behind him, her sword already in a path arced towards him.
Oryx quickly used the shield as a weapon and sliced upward, blocking the sword and allowing him to attack. Oryx followed up by again using the shield and cutting downwards, forcing Pyrrha to defend herself. It took using her semblance, her aura, and her natural strength to prevent Oryx's attack from falling on her. It was then she realized how much her teacher had been holding back, both against the 1st years and her.
Pyrrha pushed the shield to her side, throwing off Oryx's balance and allowing her to spin and strike his ankle. Oryx retaliated by backhanding her to his side and throwing her shield back at her. She recovered quickly enough to deflect the shield but was not prepared for Oryx to smash his fist into her stomach and follow up by striking her face.
"Good, you've learned how not only to take a hit but to deliver one, and your use of the surprise attack would have surprised even a regular huntsman. Your potential is becoming even clearer now." Oryx praised as he stretched his arms.
"As a reward for your hard work. I will take our sessions more seriously than before, and just this once, I'll allow you to see my semblance." Oryx stated. Pyrrha couldn't hide her intrigue about Oryx's semblance. She'd never seen him once make use of it, and while he said that he only used it against worthy opponents, she had more than once speculated that Oryx was simply lying about whether he had a semblance or not.
Oryx tapped into the darkness, and as he did, the room began to cool down, its temperature continually dropping, to the point where Pyrrha noticed her aura flaring up. She looked at Oryx's hands as something was forming in them; it resembled ice but had a deep blue look to it. However, she didn't have time to admire the crystal as it began growing and changing into a replica of Oryx's blade.
"Your real training begins now."