Gray Fringes Ch. 10: An Important Lesson
Richard woke up to the sound of heavy knocking on his door. He got up and quickly put his uniform on before answering the door. He was surprised to see professor Goodwitch in front of the door with a scowl on her face.
"Professor Goodwitch what are you doing here at my dorm?"
"I'm just here to remind you of your meeting with Professor Ozpin after classes tonight. Just in case you forgot due to your antics last night."
"Understood ma'am I'll head over there at 8 o'clock sharp. Thank you."
"Have a nice day Richard and please try to refrain from getting yourself killed."
As Goodwitch turned to leave the rest of team RWBY looked out of there door confused that Goodwitch was in the dorms.
"What was that about Richard?" Yang asked.
"Goodwitch was just reminding me that Ozpin wanted to talk to me tonight."
"Why would Ozpin want to speak with you? You think it's about that fight last night?" Blake asked.
"It could be about that or it might be something else. Is it against the rules to defend an innocent man?"
"I don't know if there is a rule against that but they certainly don't accept students dying in the streets of Vale." Weiss replied.
"This White Fang problem will only get worse if we don't do anything soon." Richard said.
"Yeah but I don't know if Ozpin would agree with you on that one Richard. The thing that matters to him the most to him is how well we slay monsters and I don't know if he understands how far the White Fang are willing to go." Yang replied.
"I'll talk to him and show him how dangerous the White Fang really are then. We need to be ready for their next move."
"That begs the question though. What will they do next?" Weiss asked nervously.
"I don't know Weiss but we can't underestimate the boldness of our enemy. We have no idea how far they are willing to go. One thing is certain though, they want us out of the picture."
"The only things we can do right now are train and prepare ourselves for their next move whatever it is." Blake said.
"I guess but I just can't shake the feeling that something big is going to happen soon." Richard replied.
"Maybe you should talk to Ozpin about it tonight then." Ruby suggested.
"I will now let's get to class."
They all walked into Professor Oobleck's history class and took their seats right as the bell rang.
"Good morning class. Today we will be discussing the origin and history of the White Fang." Oobleck said as he sped franticly through the classroom.
"Why do we have to study the White Fang? All they are is a radical group of terrorist. They aren't capable of doing any real damage." Cardin complained
"You should be wary of history Mr. Winchester for if you fail to learn from it then you are destined to repeat it." Oobleck responded ominously.
"I don't see how we could ever manage to repeat the insanity these psychopaths do each day."
"Even if you don't make their mistakes you should be wary of any foe. Overconfidence has been the downfall of many heroes stronger than you Mr. Winchester. Now if there aren't any more interruptions let's move on with class."
Oobleck proceeded to go around the room explaining the origins of the White Fang movement and its dark turn and plunge into violent revolution. The bell rang as Oobleck finished explaining the different types of White Fang terror tactics.
"Ok class I want a detailed paper on the latest White Fang attacks by next Tuesday and remember history forgotten is destined to repeat itself."
Next was Professor Port's Grimm Studies class. Richard walked in and quickly found a seat towards the back behind Yang and Blake.
"Honor, Chivalry, loyalty and a true devotion to those around you. These are the characteristics that define a true hunter or huntress." Port began as class started. "Why these specific traits you might ask? The best teammates display each of these traits and embody a selfless role model. Each team cannot function without these traits and a team that cannot do this cannot hope to stand against the creatures of Grimm or any foe for that matter. Our soul is what separates us from the monstrosities we fight, always remember that. To be a hunter you must never be willing to lower yourself to the tactics of the Grimm. To preserve your humanity you need to be fearless against your foes and tactful at all times. Anger is what drives our prey and rules their actions. You cannot let anger overwhelm you no matter what you've lost. You have to be stronger than your foe both physically and mentally and to never underestimate the tenacity of your enemy. Remember this class the creatures of Grimm will show you no mercy and it may be very easy to tell yourself not to show any mercy as well but take heed that mindset is a trap that could lead to a life of merciless retribution and a loss of your humanity. In this world we live in we must always remember that sometimes the end result is not worth the means it took to achieve it and to never fall into the trap of blindly seeking vengeance. Have a good afternoon everyone and remember this lesson for it may be the difference between success and failure." Port finished as the bell for lunch rang.
As his friends grabbed their lunch and found a table near the back of the lunchroom Richard sat down in the farthest seat and began stare out at the school grounds lost in thought. He suddenly saw a movement in one of the bushes and a glint that he could have sworn looked like the sun reflecting off of a metal object. He began to look closer at the surrounding bushes but was interrupted by Yang shouting.
"Richard hello you there. What are you looking at anyway?"
"What oh yeah it was nothing I was just thinking to myself."
"Okay well we were just talking about Port's lecture and were asking you what you thought about it."
"He may be right about being a loyal teammate but I don't see how you can stay alive when you let your foe live to fight another day."
"If we can't preserve our humanity and be willing to show our enemies our goodness then how are we any better than them." Ruby replied.
"I hope that thinking doesn't get you killed Ruby but I know they would have to go through me to get to you. The one thing that did stick out to me was his lecture on vengeance. It is a dangerous trap to fall into being consumed by anger and vengeance."
"Once you've fallen into that trap it becomes nearly impossible to escape." Blake said looking down at her meal.
"It's a tough lesson to learn but we all need to learn it someday anyway how have everyone been coming along with training."
"It's just the usual running swimming and punching the crap out of every dummy I can get a hold of." Yang replied.
"Good. Everyone needs to be on their guard I've got a bad feeling that the White Fang might try something against us soon."
The bell rang as lunch ended and the last class of the day began. After class Richard went with the rest of his friends to the dorm to work on the essay Oobleck assigned them.
"It says here on this website that the White Fang are notorious for their head on attacks and brash nature. They won't hesitate to retaliate against their enemies immediately and head on." Yang said. "Richard you know that it is 7:30 right now. Don't you have that meeting with Ozpin?"
"Yeah I should get to that. I'll be back in a little while guys."
As he walked to Ozpin's office Richard could not shake the feeling that he was being followed. He would slightly move his head and look backwards with his peripheral vision but wouldn't notice anything unusual. This continued until he passed the bush he thought he saw move at lunch. He pushed it apart and noticed a pair of prints left by a boot in the soft ground. He immediately took a detour to his locker to pick up his weapon and put his armor on. He walked into Ozpin's office with ten minutes to spare and found him sitting there drinking from his usual glass of coffee.
"Ah Richard, do you know why I called you in here tonight?"
"No sir."
"I'm worried about you Richard. I'm worried that someone who has gone through the last year you've had might turn down a darker path."
"I don't quite understand sir. What do you mean by darker path?"
"I wanted to speak with you regarding the White Fang and from that little incident in front of Dusk till Dawn I have a feeling you haven't moved on from your imprisonment by them."
"They were robbing an innocent man, I had to stop them. The police weren't going to do anything and we were the only ones who could fight them."
"Richard, I invited you to Beacon so you would get away from the White Fang and try to start over but it seems the White Fang aren't finished with you."
"We can't just sit around and do nothing sir. The White Fang are getting stronger each day."
"I never said we wouldn't do anything but tell me Richard why do you fight the White Fang?" Ozpin asked staring directly into Richard's eyes.
"I don't want to see their crimes go unpunished without any justice."
"I can tell when people are hiding something Richard and I know about your past now why are you so eager to fight the White Fang."
"I-I don't want to see them walk away from what they did to me without paying for it."
"You know why this isn't the right path to take Richard. It will only lead to destruction."
"Why is it wrong to attack those who want to kill you professor? Why is it wrong to use a little hatred to drive you to victory? Every time I've fought them my desire to see them pay has given me victory." Richard yelled angrily.
Ozpin just looked at him and calmly said
"Richard, vengeance is like a bright fire in a dry forest. If watched and monitored it can keep you warm and safe and even save your life but neglect it for one second and everything around you will be consumed by flame. It is too easy to lose control of yourself and react on impulse driven by vengeance. Think about those times you have been so angry and spiteful you nearly made a fatal mistake."
Richard backed up a few steps and nearly fell over as he remembered the anger he felt after George died and the time he nearly cut Blake's throat open on the second day of class. Both times he had lost all reason and nearly lost a close friend and teammate.
"You see Richard you can't let that rage fuel you and dictate what you do. You have to be able to throw it aside and trust your own abilities and judgment."
"I'm sorry professor Ozpin thank you for this but I need some time to think."
"Good night Richard and remember that in darkness you can only find more darkness. If you decide to raise your sword in battle do it not as a revenge seeking mercenary but as a warrior seeking to put an end to the darkness."
Richard left the room and headed past the girl's room into his own and immediately fell asleep with a thousand questions swirling in his head.
Across Vale a group of seven ships loaded with men took off from a warehouse on the water heading for Beacon.
"Remember our goal; put an end to this little band of hunters and huntresses by any means necessary." A mysterious voice rang from the shadows inside the lead ship.