Alternate Grim
Team's RWBY and JNPR were sitting in professor port's classroom. The Vital festival meant less time on classes and more time preparing for matches and enjoying the festivities. But there were still some classes scheduled every now and then and skipping was still unacceptable. The Beacon students cursed the fact that they still had end of the year finals to study for. While those visiting from the other kingdoms had no such worries.
Ruby was sitting with Weiss on her right and Blake on her left with Yang to the left of Blake. Jaun and Ren were sitting in between Pyra and Nora. Nora next to Ren on the left and Pyra Next to Jaun on the right. All the assembled students were waiting for Professor Port to show up and begin the scheduled lesson. But today the class was running 15 minutes late. Ruby had taken the opportunity to read from the comic book in her school bag. Blake would occasionally look away from her regular book to gaze at the colorful pages of intense action and corny dialogue. Even though Blake usually preferred more subdued and intelligent forms of media (aside from the romance books she kept hidden in her suitcase that just barely flew under the label of smut), she had to admit the art design in Ruby's graphic novel was impressive. Yang was on her scroll, looking through a catalogue of motorcycle parts. Weiss was the only member of team RWBY who was annoyed at how late class was going to start today. She had on a frustrated look while she impatiently clicked her nails on the connected desk in front of her. Clearly the most eager in the room for her scholarships worth of education.
On the other side of the classroom Jaune and Pyra were sharing a comic book jaune had borrowed from Ruby before class. Ren was meditating silently in his chair. Nora was sleeping with her head laying on her textbook and snoring softly.
Suddenly the Classroom door opened and in walked not professor Port, but the headmaster Professor Ozpin. Ren quickly placed his hand on Nora's shoulder and shook until she awoke with a loud snort. Pyra snatched the comic book out of Jaunes hand and quickly hid it under the table. Across the classroom Weiss had to tap Ruby on the shoulder to get her attention away from the bright neon colored fight scene in her comic. Blake snapped her book shut before realizing she had forgotten to insert a bookmark and silently cursed herself for having to find the right page later. Yang took one more second to add some new shocks to her cart. Replacements for the ones that had broken after misjudging the velocity for a jump in the emerald forest. All eyes turned to their headmaster as he strolled across the classroom to stand in the center of everyone's view.
"So sorry to interrupt your refined reading, shopping and napping" he said, turning his head to each of the perpetrators of said acts.
Professor Ozpin stood in front of the class in his signature stance, one hand on his cane, and the other holding a cup of coffee. He had the friendly expression and calming aura he was known for. With an underlying sense of power and authority that surrounded him, otherwise invisible to someone unfamiliar with the headmaster of Beacon. Ozpin took a drink from his cup before setting it down on professor Port's desk, moved his cane to stand directly in front of him and placed both hands on top. "As some of you have guessed, today's class on the creatures of Grim will be a little different; and because of that, I will be leading today's class."
At this the mood in the room became more electrified. What kind of new material would they be going over that needed Ozpin to fill in for port? Weiss's hand shot straight up to ask what everyone in class was thinking, but Oz had already started to give the answer.
"And yes, you will be tested on this material during your finals this semester".
Everyone quickly got out their notebooks and pencils to get down what was sure to be a lot of critical notes.
"Please excuse my lateness students, I needed a little extra time to set up the finer details for my lecture." Headmaster Ozpin pushed a button on a remote from his suitcoat pocket and a white sheet descended over the white board as the room darkened. At the back of the class a bright light was cast from a projector, illuminating the projection screen. On it appeared the words CLASSIFIED in big red letters at the top of a long line of legal text. Ozpin paused for a moment before continuing. "Before we begin, you should know that the information you are about to be entrusted with is classified. Repeating what you hear during this class to any civilian, soldier or junior Huntsmen or Huntress who does not have proper security clearance will mean severe legal consequences."
The mood in the room remained charged with excitement but now had an added dose of apprehension. What was missing from this reaction was surprise. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other and for the first time in the last few weeks, they were thinking the same thing. This was why they had to sign those legal forms upon being accepted into Beacon. The papers they'd signed stated that choosing to attend Beacon meant they agreed not to repeat any information they learned marked classified. They also understood the legal ramifications if they chose to break the agreement. Every student in the room (who bothered to read and remember what they had signed) knew what this was about.
Ozpin continued, "You will face criminal charges and be brought before the administration of intelligence. If you are found guilty of leaking classified intel regarding the Creatures of Grim, you will be charged with treason, sedition against the state and attempting to sabotage the implementation of the "IGNORANCE IS SAFETY" act of year 001." Ozpin paused a moment, as if to give the gravity of what he had just said a chance to sink in. "As Grim are attracted to and can even be empowered by negative human emotions, it was decided a strategy of prevention through secrecy was necessary. I'm sure you all remember Dr Oobleck's first lecture on post war remnant, as that will also be tested in the finals."
This last statement got mixed reactions from the class as Ozpin paused to let the full gravity of what he had just said sink in.
"This protocol was put in place within one year after the great wars conclusion in order to protect the public from the Grim. Protection from Grim by preventing unnecessary fear of the Grim. This was done by withholding unnecessary information from the public. Thus, ensuring the average civilian would be spared the horrifying truth of how dangerous the Grim are. In exchange the authorities responsible for protecting the kingdoms would be spared having to calculate another security risk. Now, let us begin."
Professor Ozpin clicked another button and the slide changed to show a new set of text, and a picture of a small hillside that was shaped vaguely like a bear. The slide was titled "The effect of time on Grim:". Then came the rest of the text, "Grim (unlike humans) have no peak of physical and mental function in their "life". There are even Grim in the world who become more powerful and more dangerous as they grow older. Even without powerups a single Grim can become a force to be reckoned with for the most advanced and skilled militaries and Huntsmen. They can grow to immense sizes and possess power well beyond what is legal to share with the general public."
Ozpin lent his own words to the text on the slide as he began to slowly walk over to the front desks and then down the length to the other side. "During your final entrance test you all faced off against the Creatures of Grim in the emerald forest. These were among the youngest and weakest Grim you will ever meet in your careers as Huntsmen and Huntresses. With some exceptions, all the Grim in the forest are killed off by school staff and professional Huntsmen to make room for younger, weaker Grim to test the next group of students. The two most dangerous exceptions were the deathstalker and Nevermore. Both defeated by team's RWBY and JNPR." Ruby decided to discreetly high five each member of her team. Weiss left Her team leader hanging until she finally accepted Ruby wasn't going to give up and lightly tapped her hand against Ruby's. Nora shook Ren by his shoulders in excitement of the past adventure while Pyra and Jaune smiled at each other while the success of their previous battle. "Those particular Grim had reached a point that most of the schools' regulators had called "unacceptably dangerous" for training and testing first year students. I had decided to veto their decision to kill them before you could all be put through your entrance trial. The Ursa shown here, on the other hand is many times more dangerous than anything any of you have faced before." Ozpin pointed the end of his cane to the picture of a hillside.
There were whispers and muffled laughter in class as everyone thought Professor Ozpin had forgotten to show the right slide.
"I'm sure you're all thinking I forgot to show the right slide." Said Professor Ozpin. "But what you see here is not a hill, but a dormant ursa. This monster had been sleeping for decades before waking up and suddenly landing very high on the kingdom of Vales priority list. In fact, Creatures of Grim who have grown large and powerful enough to lay waste to all immediate threats will find themselves with nothing worthwhile to do with their time. And will sometimes fall into a state of prolonged hibernation, until an opportunity arises that they feel is worth getting out of bed for. Such as a challenging enemy to fight, or a high enough potential body count."
Ruby couldn't help but let out a small "whoa" in awe.
Ozpin clicked to another slide, this one with the illustration of an impressively sized Beowulf holding an impaled Huntress at the end of its claws. The picture was surrounded by labels and classification stats. Immediately multiple hands in the room shot up, Professor Ozpin responded without needing to hear the question. "Yes, you can use your scrolls to take pictures of this slide and all other slides with visuals". The room was immediately filled with the sound of scrolls snapping pictures.
Professor Ozpin continued pacing across the classroom (this time further away from the rows of curved desks) as he continued his lecture. "Since you're all familiar with more common Grim and their power levels, we'll be skipping them for now. Before delving further into the effect of time on the creatures of Grim, you should become familiar with the term "Elder Grim". Elder Grim are monsters that have grown to be so old and powerful that they enter a league of their own from more common Grim."
Most of teams RWBY and JNPR already knew enough about Elder Grim to know they were especially bad. Blake had spent a lot of time outside the protection of the kingdoms when she had been part of the White Fang. More so when she had needed to hide from both the authorities and her former comrades. She learned when a rumor of an Elder Grim made its way to a team of Huntresses it always provoked hushed arguments behind closed doors. Blake had been able to catch parts of these private conversations by sneaking close and straining both pairs of ears. They had always involved words like "backup" and "evacuation". Once she heard a particularly sketchy Huntsmen say, "We should demand our pay upfront and get out while we can". Listening to those conversations had always motivated her to run as fast and discreetly as she could in the opposite direction the rumor was coming from.
Ren and Nora had spent most of their lives living on their own. spending enough time outside the kingdoms protection to know an Elder Grim had meant needing to move to another village or taking up work somewhere in the cities.
Yang and Ruby had learned the basics of what Grim Elders were from Tai and Crow. Dad and Uncle Crow had told Ruby and Yang they were way more powerful and dangerous than other Grim. Both told them even after they graduated from Beacon it would be better to avoid them. They should also contact either their father or Uncle Crow immediately if they thought they would be coming into contact with one on a mission. But neither of them had budged when Ruby and Yang had begged to know more.
Weiss's status as a Schnee and her connection to the Atlas military through her older sister Winter meant access to some restricted information. So Weiss knew they were dangerous enough to be important. Grim Elders were always a priority for the Atlas military and the higher ranked specialists. But that was where Weiss's knowledge about Grim Elders came to an end. When she had tried to probe winter for more information, Winter told her that she couldn't risk getting either of them in trouble with Ironwood. When Weiss had tried buttering up her father to get her more info, he had threatened to go back on his promise to let her attend Beacon. He wouldn't let her travel to another kingdom if she was going to "insist on muddying the good relationship her family had with the administration of intelligence."
Pyra's position as a prodigy meant higher ranking Hunters and tournament representatives were always trying to get her to sign contracts for after graduation. They let certain parts about the Grim she wasn't allowed to know slip when she talked with them long enough. They always said Elders where a good reason to choose a career of fighting other Hunters in the arenas instead of Grim out in the field.
Jaune had no previous knowledge about Elder Grim but understood enough of what Ozpin was saying to start feeling nervous.
Oz clicked the remote again. Another slide appeared that showed a picture of four humans (most likely Huntsmen) lying dead on the side of a mountain with a crater that was six feet by six feet at the center of the carnage. Their weapons all looked to be smashed to pieces. There was a short spear with a low caliber machine gun attachment that had been busted into three parts, a hammer with a hand and a half handle combined with a sawed-off shotgun now smashed and deformed and what looked like the remnants of a bow and quiver. The fourth weapon couldn't be found. It looked like whatever killed those Huntsmen had gone to the trouble of breaking their weapons after it killed them. All the bodies were too mutilated by blunt force impacts to be identified. Three bodies lying around the crater and pieces of the fourth one scattered in a ring further out from the others. The remains of the fourth Hunter would've been unnoticeable if they hadn't been labeled in the picture. A long trail of large cloven hooved footprints started from the tree line at the bottom of the pictures view further down from the corpses and went up to where they lay around the crater. Here, rocky ground was covered in dark black spots from explosions and large boulders (roughly Ruby's size) that looked like they had been gouged out of the ground and hurled in every direction. Two of the four bodies were partially covered in said pieces of rock. The trail of footprints continued further up the mountain and almost disappeared into a cave in the rocks. Instead at the very top of the picture's view was the half covered Black furred figure of a Grim that according to the descriptive attachment was approximately 14 ft tall.
The monster was facing outside the cave, was probably staring in the general direction of the camera when the picture was shot. Ruby wasn't sure why that knowledge sent a shiver down her spine, or the slight stirring of primal apprehension towards the Creature of Grim in the picture. Like in an instant she would have to decide to run or fight, or she would die. She had felt the same instinctual feeling of fight or flight around Grim before, but this was way different. The feeling was small, but it cut much deeper than being in the presence of other Grim. Whatever this monster was, it wasn't just a normal Grim.
The top half was cut off by the picture just below the waist, but goat legs and cloven hooves were visible. As well as what could only be described as the bottom halves of meaty reptilian arms that had maces made of bone in place of hands. Professor Ozpin gave everyone time to snap some pictures of the picture before speaking again.
"What you see here is the actions of an Elder. This particular Grim was being surveyed by a scouting drone when it had been attacked by a group of novice Hunters who didn't know what they were dealing with. It was later killed by a group of veteran Hunters who had spent the past two months in intensive training designed specifically for this Elder. But not without losing one of their team members, and not before the monster had slaughtered up to 4 villages 2 days out from Vale by train."
The room was suddenly filled with hushed whispers about the Elder Grim and its trail of carnage. Ruby was sure that what she had learned from her two paternal figures wasn't what inspired her feeling of primal fear when she saw the Grims form.
Yang leaned her head towards Ruby and whispered in an angry tone, "I can't believe that many people died, and we never knew about it. Wouldn't something like this be on the news?"
"It probably was" whispered Blake to the others, "they must've blamed the dead villages on a mixture of average Grim and bandits. And the dead Hunters could've just gone missing."
"What about their families?" Asked Ruby.
"They might have been told the truth" Answered Weiss. "But most likely not the whole truth. And they were probably told not to repeat anything that was restricted."
The slide changed to a minotaur smashing its fist into the flattened chest of a Huntsman. The attached stats stated it to be 7 and a half feet tall. Its face was that of a cow complete with legs, a tail and a set of horns curled above its head before the ends pushed outwards pointed in direction of wherever it was looking. Blood was sprayed out on the floor and the nearby pillars, testifying to the strength of the impact. Nora couldn't help but think the splashes of blood and gore looked like when she had smashed some fruit with a hammer when she was little.
Professor Ozpin continued his foreboding commentary. "If you face a Grim that has lived long enough to become an elder, it could be strong enough to break right through the aura of a freshly graduated Huntsmen, smash your bones to dust and liquify your organs with a single strike."
The headmaster clicked to another slide to show a Palug (a rare feline type Grim) reared up on its two hind legs with its six front legs up in attack position, all 20 12-inch front claws extended. Its mouth was open to reveal two rows of teeth. The outer row outside its mouth was a set of fangs longer than Ruby's forearms, while the inner row was small enough to fit in its mouth. Its stared directly into the camera from behind the signature bone mask. Ruby felt the same feeling as before but this time it was like a thin needle of ice was slowly stabbing into her heart.
Oz began to pace more quickly up and down the length of the classroom while he spoke. "It could be too fast for the eye to see; striking over and over again exhausting your aura and bleeding first your strength, then your life dry before you gain an opening to strike back." The image changed again to show the same Grim standing on all eight legs over the eviscerated body of a Huntress, the slashes in her body made it clear that the Grim had killed her with its claws. "Look at the Palugs claws" said Headmaster Ozpin, pointing with his cane and casting a shadow over the white sheet. "Note the lack of blood." It was true, the monster had struck so quickly the blood didn't have time to cover the curved crescents that protruded from the Grims Paws.
"It could have gained any number of powers making it impossible to predict on first contact." Next came a Geist surrounded with an ominous vortex of green and purple light.
"It could be a bizarre Grim, having gained unprecedented abilities of destruction." The visual for this statement was nothing more than a black void." Suddenly, every one of the students felt a twisting feeling in their gut.
Oz kept on despite the change of mood and with each description Professor Ozpin clicked his remote to show new slides that added terrifying visuals to his already unnerving statements.
"There have been giant Ursa so durable and strong, they shrug off artillery and tank barrages like they're bee stings and reduce whole regiments to red paste and scrap." An Ursa with two heads. It was reared up on its hind legs, both mouths agape in a silent roar. It was surrounded by heavy tanks and self-propelled artillery that had been broken beyond being recognizable without the attached labels. The ursa was big enough to make these machines look like the plastic toys Yang used to carry around when she was little. The slide included close-up pictures of mangled bodies, with a patch of red against the twisted and broken metal here and there.
"There have been Nevermore's large and powerful enough to create wind gusts of immense force, knocking entire fleets of fighters out of the sky, and ripping airships apart with storms of sharpened feathers." A Nevermore that looked big enough to eat the one team RWBY had killed in the emerald forest like an eagle would eat a hummingbird. The Elder was perched atop a mountain next to a grounded Airship that was pin cushioned with feathers that dwarfed the ones the younger Hunters had seen in person. The bird of prey was longer in body shape and seemed almost reptilian the way it was curving its body in the picture, almost like it was part dragon. The Nevermore had two sets of clawed talons instead of one with the second pair closer to the front. Its aesthetic was completed by an extra pair of wings that sprouted from its back.
"Imagine colossal Goliaths mistaken for small mountains rise up and send shockwaves of destructive energy reverberating through the ground causing earthquakes. A single elder goliath can and have destroyed whole settlements just by walking around the perimeter. Not that a single one can't cause plenty of damage with its trunks and tusks." A goliath with two trunks and 2 tusks on either side of its head. Its immense size was proven by how it dwarfed the already large Goliaths walking on either side. The Elder Goliath was at least twice as large as its smaller comrades. "As goliaths grow larger, they develop more frontal appendages for every time they increase by the size of a standard Goliath. I personally have seen one with 13 trunks and 26 tusks."
Ruby couldn't help but think that would be kind of funny to see in person. With a large helping of mortal terror of course.
The silence from the rows of students had become increasingly more profound as Ozpin went on with his lecture. More and more the assembled junior Huntsmen and Huntresses were all feeling apprehension that went deeper than preparing for final exams. It didn't help that Ozpins voice was taking on a more serious and unsettling tone to match his evermore determined expression, while he continued to pace more quickly, adding energy to his words.
Ruby looked to either side of her and could see her friends must not have been feeling much better. Yang was trying to cover her anxiety by looking angry, trying to seem like she wanted to cave in the Elders skulls with Ember Celica. But she was failing. The truth shone in the way her hand was shaking slightly. Blake's usual stoic expression couldn't hide the look in her eyes that betrayed her fear. Ruby knew Blake well enough to also notice the tensing of her muscles meant she was ready to bolt. Weiss somehow looked paler than usual.
Ren felt frustrated and angry. The Nuckelavee must have been one of the Elders. That abomination that had lead the swarm in destroying Kuroyuri. Even with all the resources the kingdoms possessed, after all the progress they'd made; humanity was still limited by the Grim. What would it take to stop things like this from happening again?
Nora wasn't sure what to make of this. Fear had been what motivated Noras mother to leave her. Nora looked over at ren. The boy she had spent most of her life with. And in spite of all that time practically living together, there were times like these. Nora knew when Ren looked this frustrated and hopeless, he might as well be a million miles away from her.
Pyra thought about how her mom and dad had always wanted her to go into a career of fighting coliseum matches instead of Grim. For the longest time she thought it was because her skill made her one of the few candidates who qualified for the prestigious role of a coliseum Huntress. And they just wanted her to have a life of success. Maybe they knew more than she did what that career choice would be protecting her from? Had the talent scouts told them some of this stuff to scare them and steer her away from a life of fighting Grim? Then she turned to Jaun and saw the expression of anxiety and frustration on his face. Before she realized what she was doing she reached out and took his hand in hers.
Jaun would later swear that he could feel the ground coming out from under him. "What am I doing here?" He thought to himself. What did he think he was going to do in a fight against one of those things? He would be just a liability to his friends. Most likely he'd die first or one of them would die protecting him. Jaune felt his heart skip a beat when he realized Pyra would be the one most likely to sacrifice herself to save him. Suddenly jaune felt a hand on his own. He turned to see Pyra was holding his hand in a firm grip. Like she was ready to pull him back from doing something dangerous and stupid. She had that sweet smile that she always wore when she wanted to help him. She had smiled that same way when she first offered to help him train. Suddenly Jaune felt his heart skip another beat. Jaune promised to himself then and there that Pyra would never have to make that decision. Pyra would never have to choose to sacrifice herself for him or for anything else.
Ozpin once again paced over to professor Ports desk to take another drink out of his mug. Then turned to address his students. "Now that we've had a good introduction to some of the classified dangers you will face on land, we will turn to the aquatic world. Specifically, the ocean."
Once again, the slide changed to the silhouettes of ocean dwelling animals in front of an underwater background. Ruby thought it looked like something you'd see at the front entrance of an aquarium.
Ozpin continued his lecture. "There are sharks, leviathans, and whales so large and powerful they made it a necessity for kingdoms to have airship fleets to far surpass naval fleets. A new slide of an old black and white photo of a battleship being crushed in half by an octopus tentacle wrapped three times around it. Next was another black and white picture, this time of a shark tooth. Above the picture a caption read "Tooth from an Isonade photographed before disintegration". Next to the shark tooth was its measurements: "15 feet long from base to tip. 13 feet wide at the crown".
"I'm sure many of you would say that the advantage of airpower would've caused a switch in modern militaries to air-born ships anyway. The truth is that the costs of building, operating, and maintaining these massive airships is so prohibitively expensive, it would negate their advantage over naval vessels if it weren't for the danger of ocean dwelling Grim. Fact is that the ratio of the airships cargo to the energy density of dust makes airships inferior to naval ships when it comes to handling high volumes of heavy cargo. That's true for transporting weapons, soldiers, or commercial goods."
"The reason why sailing ships are so vulnerable to sea monsters is because they standout and attract Grim. Any emotions will alert Grim to your presence, while negative ones will motivate them to attack. Grim being attracted to manmade objects is seldom seen outside extreme circumstances. The more out of place and grandiose a man-made object is, the more likely the Grim will have a desire to destroy it. A foreign piece of metal alloys inexplicably floating on the water filled with foreign materials like explosives and electrical equipment is about as out of place and grandiose as you can get. Add to that the high concentration of people in an environment that is normally a human emotion dead zone, and you essentially have a pulsating Beacon practically begging any nearby sea monsters to come and take a bite. And no matter our advancements in naval firepower, we still have yet to wrest control of even the ocean's surface from these deep sea Grim. Much less the underwater realm they call home."
Ozpin paused. His aura suddenly took on a feeling of dread that everyone in the room could sense. Like he was trying to convey that as concerning as everything they had heard so far was, it was a small thing compared to what was coming next. "While there is so much more to tell you about Elder Grim, we must move on to something much more dangerous. Something that can only be described as cataclysmic.
The next slide was two different pictures. first was an above view of a mountain range that must have been under water. Judging by the low light and kelp mountains peaks. Second was a chain of mountains that rose above the clouds. "The next classification of Grim you will learn about, are Grim Lords. Technically the sea monsters I referenced already far surpass the ranks of Grim elders on land. The reason I mentioned them is because undersea Grim tend to be classified on a completely separate set of categories. As such they are commonly referred to as "sea monsters". But the term Grim Lord is universal. Regardless weather on land, the ocean or in the air, a Grim Lord will always be a Grim Lord. Theoretically, it's possible for Creatures of Grim to grow so colossal they become more landmass than "animal". Grim of mass annihilation lying dormant as geological structures. There are entire undersea mountain ranges that we have confirmed to be dormant sea monsters so large they could submerge entire coastal communities through colossal tidal surges. Mighty leviathans large and powerful enough to make our modern naval fleets look like toys. "On land you will find mountains that from base to peak are dormant Grim Lords whose colossal size is second only to their immense power. From Krakens to World Turtles to Midgard Serpents to Typhons to Dragons. These monsters are truly the ultimate force of destruction in this world. For now, I will spare you the full truth of what these creatures are physically capable of. First because we aren't sure what they can do in the first place. They've been dormant for longer than humanity's oldest writing systems. Second, because what we have learned about these creatures is that the larger and older Grim are, the bigger the reason they need to bother even stirring in their sleep. For now, these creatures have yet to be presented with anything that's worth getting out of bed for. Third is that physical power isn't the most dangerous part of these ancient monsters. Or any other Creature of Grim that's lived long enough to no longer be mindless."
"The greatest potential threat all Grim pose to humanity is their intelligence. There are Grim that become more intelligent as they grow older. And the most dangerous one you could ever meet is the kind that can outthink you. The greatest advantage we have over these monsters is our ability to reason and cooperate. If you allow even a single Grim to outsmart you and your team, then you've already lost. And that is true for any opponent you might face under any circumstances. Killing Grim old enough to threaten cities like vale is the greatest honor any team of Huntsmen and Huntresses could hope to achieve. Killing all Creatures of Grim before their age makes them a threat to all humanity, is the imperative of all Huntsmen and Huntresses."
You could've heard a pin drop in the dead silence that followed Ozpins lecture. As the white sheet went up and the projector went dark, the room brightened, and everyone squinted their eyes to reduce the glare.
Yang knew she would most likely never have to fight one of the Grim Lords, (so long as no one gave them a reason to wake up.) but that still left the Elders. A team of veteran Hunters couldn't kill it without losing one of their own after two months of preparation. And then there were all the people who died while they had to spend time preparing. She didn't know how she would be able to take that. Knowing that people were dying because she had to spend time training to protect them. And then losing one of her best friends. All because they weren't strong enough. And what about the sea monsters?
Blake thought about the size of the shark tooth and couldn't stop her mind from conjuring up a vision of standing on an ocean-going ship. The boat would be filled with people who were depending on her to protect them. She would be staring out at the water and see the soulless eyes of a shark. Its jaws full of multiple rows of teeth open wide, big enough to eat half the ship in one bite. And then she would be filled with terror and despair knowing they were all going to die, and she couldn't do anything. And then there was something else even worse than Sea Monsters.
Weiss wasn't sure what to think about what she had just heard. The reason the world's militaries and Hunters weren't even trying to kill the Grim Lords was because no one wanted to risk waking them up. Even without knowing the full extent of their might, it was clear they were a power beyond anything humanity had to throw at them. Ozpin was right. The only way to protect humanity was to kill the Creatures of Grim before they grew old enough to be beyond any Huntresses power to stop them. The Grim's power would never stop growing because they never reached a physical peak and then declined like people did. But what about the Grim that were already too old and powerful to fight now? What about what Ozpin said about Grim that became smarter as they aged?
At the same time Weiss Blake and Yang looked at their leader. A girl who was two years their junior. Who wasn't even mature enough to start dating yet. They all thought she must be feeling even more overwhelmed than they did. But overwhelmed wasn't the right word to describe how she looked. It wasn't that Ruby didn't seem unaffected. She did look scared but somehow, she also seemed calm.
Ruby was at this time filled with a determined acceptance of the new reality she found herself living in. Ozpin hadn't told them this so they would be scared, but to help them understand what was out there. What they were protecting the people from. Ruby thought about what it would be like to fight Grim that could outsmart them. Team RWBY would think they were the Hunters and the Grim were the prey. They would think they were fighting normal Grim at first then by the time they realized they had played into their claws it would be too late. They would find out they had been the prey just in time to know they were going to die. The last one standing would have watched all her friends die before her. Ruby's determination grew. It swelled within her like fire gaining fresh fuel, like a rose coming into bloom all at once. Ruby decided right then and there, this future was not going to happen. They would all train together with team JNPR and they would be ready when the time came.
Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground in front of him to gain everyone's attention. Ozpin had most certainly been able to tell they were all distracted by the dump load of information he'd given them. And now he needed their minds back in the present. "I'm sure many of you are feeling overwhelmed but rest assured that we have been dealing with all these classes of monsters for a very long time. Despite having to fight against their destructive power our predecessors built the modern society we take for granted today. If any of you need more reassuring, then let me tell you that each and every one of the Elder Grim I have used for visual aids were Hunted down and killed years ago. I also have the pleasure of telling you that Goliath with 13 trunks and 26 tusks was killed by none other than yours truly. Remember that while an Elder Grim is far beyond what any of you are able to fight now, the Huntsmen who do fight and win against these monsters were once not so different from who you are now. Students filled with potential who just barely count as novice Hunters. Do any of you remember my speech from your first day here at Beacon? I still say you are all wasted energy in need of a purpose and that purpose is something you must all decide for yourselves. For better or worse. While learning here you will have to decide if facing an Elder Grim such as these is what you want to aspire to. If not, then there is no shame in that. Just remember that when you decide not to carry a particular responsibility, you are entrusting it to someone else. And you are trusting that person to not abuse the power their position gives them."
Pyra felt torn. She'd been training to fight in official matches for years. But how did she feel about trusting someone else to fight these things for her? She thought of all the carnage they'd seen in those slides. She thought about how it would be years in the future, preparing for her next event when she'd hear about another village being overrun by Grim. Knowing she might have been able to do something about it if she was out there. She thought about Jaune. He wanted to be a warrior, so fighting the Grim was a certainty for him. Ren and Nora were just as certain to do the same. She knew she wouldn't be able to take it knowing her friends were out there fighting these monsters and she wasn't there with them. She decided then and there that she would do what was needed of her to protect humanity and the people she cared about. She would choose to shoulder the responsibility her power came with. No matter the cost.
Ozpin went on. His tone calm but firm. "One of the greatest pains of being a teacher is that we can help our students develop in a way that they never could on their own. Pass on knowledge and skills that we can be proud of. And then watch those students waste it. So many Hunters refuse to take up the noble fight against the Grim. Those who do choose to fight the Grim are often more concerned with lining their pockets than protecting people. Most Hunters, they choose instead to sell themselves out as hired weapons. Some turn to a life of crime and use their gifts to live off others hard work. Others become involved in fanatical movements who offer positions of prestige in exchange for ruthlessness and loyalty. Some focus solely on increasing their power to feed their own pride. Selfishly hording their power and using it to intimidate and control others. Let me ask you this, what is truly more threatening? The monsters who infest our world, or the people who Hunt them? What does it mean if one such Huntsmen or Huntress, becomes your enemy? What does it mean when those strong enough to do battle with the Elders and beyond become monsters themselves? Like I told you when you started, we can teach you, help you grow to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. What you do after that is your decision."
Ruby remembered the Huntress in red who had fought alongside Torchwick the night she met him. She remembered the woman who had snuck into the tower the night of the school dance. She thought about the White Fang and the people who must've orchestrated the plot to attack the city. The enemies they didn't even know about yet. Ruby thought Professor Ozpin sounded just like he did during his introductory speech their first day at Beacon. Distant, like he wasn't really there. In an instant Ozpin seemed to return to them. His expression instantly becoming warm, his voice returning to the chipper tone from the beginning of class.
"Because I don't want my students to worry about lecture notes on top of everything else, all the slides will be publicly available on professor Port's class page tomorrow. The vocal part of my lecture will be uploaded as well in plenty of time to study for this semester's finals. And don't worry about making it to your next class. All other classes have been canceled for today."
As the students in their second year of Beacon filed out of Ports class, they were all sure of one thing. What would be keeping them up tonight wouldn't be the thought of failing the semesters finals.
Teams RWBY and JNPR agreed to hang out after class and spend their newfound free time together. They would have lunch outside on the grounds. Then head to the library for an afternoon of boardgames and comics. And for the rest of the day, they all silently agreed to focus on just goofing off for now. It seemed they all had a stronger appreciation for the time they had to spend on just having fun with each other.
