Author's Note: Dear readers,
Here is the first chapter of my double release week for 'Spectre: B2F'. Just something I'd like to ask you guys: Would you like me to post a Q&A chapter once this story is done? If your interested, can you post your thoughts via the poll on my profile please? Any questions can be PMed to me and I'll post any answers in a final chapter for this story. Questions can be directed towards me or even Spectre if you want.
So without further ado, Chapter V:
Chapter V: Educating Beacon
'All the action will be happening at the front.'
My thoughts of a restful meditation were short lived, as to be expected. Yet again the 'Arch Grimm' taunted me in my dreams as it always did as of late. Like my previous visions, this one was new to me - or at least I think it was. This was the first time where I couldn't see anything, like a veil of black smoke clouded and whirled around me, blinding me. But I could hear just fine; the familiar arctic wind, the popping of my ears… the booming voice that I could never seem to forget.
I glanced at the time on my scroll. 03:47. It was still dark outside, and once again I was the first to wake from the previous day. I never tidied up from the night before either, so the window was still wide open, the wind lapping at the curtains as if not a minute had passed from the events the night before. I moved forward and closed it, relishing in the sudden warmth the room provided. How I managed to rest in such frigid temperatures was beyond me, but I suppose we all surprise ourselves sometimes. With little things to my name and most of my gear in my locker, there wasn't really any unpacking for me to do. When I was ready for my morning run, I checked the time. 03:58. That left me five hours to kill before my first lesson.
"Better get started then," I thought striding towards the door, and slipping into the corridor without a sound.
[Here's to SirDerpsAlotThe7th, Lord of all things Pancake. Thanks for drowning me you glorious bastard. :) ]
04:49. I had completed my lap of academy grounds and checked my weapons locker, making sure that everything was in order for when I needed it. After that I had an early breakfast, this time deciding to mix things up a bit compared to the day before. I concluded that some pancake mix could make things a little sweeter, so I confronted one of the cooks about it.
"You ain't got no pancake mix!" the man replied when I asked him.
"Yes, I know," I replied, "But what I want to know is if you have any pancake mix."
"I got all the pancake mix!" he stated happily, indicating to the mixing bow on the side.
I honestly questioned his sanity at this point. "That's great," I said calmly, "Can I have some of your pancake mix please?"
"Aw hell no!"
I sighed. "Can I know why I can't have any of your pancake mix?"
"Cus you ain't got no pancake miiiiiix!" We looked at each other for a moment. The odd thing was he looked completely serious about the whole thing. I just sighed and walked out, not another word said.
By the time I had finished my breakfast and changed into my uniform I checked the time once more. 05:21. A good three and a half hours to go.
"I'm gonna get bored very quickly if this happens every day…" I thought staring out the window.
With no other viable option in sight, I soon found myself ascending to the roof to watch the sun greet the world. I was sat on a higher part of the roof, completely tranquil, my mind at peace just as it had been at this time on the previous day. Then I heard the door from the stairs open behind me. I turned my head slowly to find Ruby gazing out into the sunrise, just as I was, only she was on at lower point than I was so she didn't see me.
"Morning," I said.
She nearly jumped out of her skin, and span to seek out the mystery voice. She finally looked up at me. "Oh… morning Spectre."
"You're up a bit early aren't you?"
"Yeah… I can't sleep…" She looked like a zombie, for lack of better words.
"Neither can I," I replied dropping down from my perch, "You wanna talk about it?"
"Weeeeeell…" For a moment she seemed to stop mid-sentence. Then: "OK. I just think that being a team leader and all… it's a pretty… big thing…"
"So you're worried?" I finished.
"…Yup."
"Is it also because you're younger than everyone else?"
"…Yup."
"And because there seems to be a lack of cookies here, which apparently you like a lot."
She stared at me blankly.
"That's a bad thing, isn't it?"
"…Double yup."
"Oh you poor thing…" I said sarcastically. She was too tired to care, or even notice for that matter.
After a moment, she made that quite snuffling noise that was her chuckle. "I bet you get things sooooo easy… y'know… not having a team or anything…"
"That's not true," I said placing my hand firmly on her shoulder, "Where I must endure a life of loneliness, you have your teammates by your side at all times. You have people to count on when I don't. Things may seem hard at first, particularly in your case, but I promise you it will all pay off in the end."
There was that blank look again.
"You did understand me, didn't you?"
"…Yup," she nodded clumsily, "In fact, I think that I… I feel kinda… sleepy…"
And with that, she fell forwards, her softly snoring face dug deep into my blazer.
I chuckled quietly to myself. "Come on you, let's get you to bed."
I carried her downstairs and used her scroll to get into her dorm. Briefly looking around, it seemed that no one had been stirred by Ruby's early morning venture. I softly plopped her down on her bed and pulled the duvet over her. It wasn't that neat of a job, but to be caught in this situation would be incredibly awkward. I turned to leave and I froze. Yang was now leaning over and looking in my direction. From what I could make out in the dark, she was pulling that cheeky half smile that I had grown accustomed to.
"Thank you," she mouthed.
I stuck my thumb up and nodded in response, then silently moved back into the corridor, closing the door behind me.
I had been waiting patiently outside the lecture room for quite some time. 08:33… It was only then that Professor Port decided to show up.
"Ah, my first student of the day," he said pompously, "It is nice to see one so eager to learn. What is your name?"
"Spectre, sir," I replied whilst standing up.
"Spectre, eh? Come on in." He opened the door and indicated for me to take a seat. "Anywhere will be fine, but all the action will be happening at the front."
Despite this, I chose a seat at the back next to the door, dumping my things under the desk. I had no notepad or pen, I only needed to listen in closely. I had a habit of remembering things like that, plus chances are I'd already learned whatever this lesson consisted of in the field.
Just as I sat down however, the professor addressed me: "You wouldn't care to give me a hand would you?" He was referring to a pair of iron cages at the bottom of the room. "I only need you to push them into place while I guide you to the right spot," he continued as I walked down to him. Grabbing one of the cages, I began to push it forward. Whatever was inside kicked out and snorted in response.
"Just a little more, and… Perfect! Now on to the other one."
I did just that, this time asking: "Planning to use these Boarbatusks sir?"
"Well done Spectre!" he replied sounding impressed, "You have clearly experienced such a beast before."
"Once or twice," I grunted moving the second cage next to the other one. It gave me the same response as the first as I made my way back round to Port.
"It is rare to have a first year student be so knowledgeable about Grimm from their first few days here," Port continued, "I think it would be good for you to spread that knowledge to your fellow students."
"I don't see why not…"
"Excellent! I won't let you steal all of the spotlight though," he chuckled. It was odd how his moustache moved as he laughed. His belly wasn't exactly still either…
"Now, I would take your seat if I were you; the others will be joining us shortly. Thank you for your help by the way."
"No problem, sir." When I took my seat, I finally had a moment to look at my surroundings. Other than the blunderbuss-axe mounted on the wall, it was more or less your average Grimm Studies room – not that I knew what they were like or anything, but I had a general idea. There was even a golden bust of Port's head near the teacher's desk. It was true that the professor was considered a hero by some, capturing Grimm isn't easy, but I didn't think he would be quite so open about it.
People had started to enter the class now, I didn't see anyone I knew, but I had faith. I glanced at my scroll. 09:02…
"Hurry up, we're going to be late!"
"We are late! C'mon it's just over here." I looked to the door just in time to see Team RWBY rush into the room with Jaune not far behind.
"Morning," I greeted.
They all smiled and waved and said good morning back.
"Ah girls, it's a pleasure for you to join us," Port said accusingly.
Jaune stepped forward cautiously. "Um, sir? I'm actually a boy."
"Hm? Ah yes, how foolish of me. Anyway, take your seats students." The only spaces for them to sit together were at the front, where all the 'action' was. Once they were comfy, Port kicked off the lesson.
"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Ha ha!"
The silence said it all. I think the grasshoppers were amused though.
"Uh… and you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy."
"Nice save…" I thought.
"Now as I was saying," he continued, "Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more but to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsmen. Huntresses." He paused as he attempted to flirt with Yang. I think she laughed it off pretty well, all things considered.
"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world!"
At least he got one kid to cheer for him this time. He quickly sat back down though after he completely embarrassed himself.
"That is what you are training to become. But first – a story. A tale of a young, handsome man. Me!"
Noticing that this story had nothing really to do with Grimm Studies, and how nobody in the room found it interesting, I drifted my eyes down to where my friends were sat. Ruby was scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Somehow I just knew they weren't notes. The reactions when she showed the others supported that thought. They stopped laughing though when Professor Port cleared his throat.
"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my shear tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast held in captivity, and my head held high – celebrated as a hero!" At this, he bowed.
"I don't see how smelling of cabbages can help you capture a Beowolf, but hey…" I thought.
"The moral of the story," he still continued, "A true huntsman must be honourable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated and wise." The funny thing was that Ruby doing the complete opposite of those things and Weiss was having none of it. I silently chuckled to myself.
"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"
"I do sir!" Weiss said, her hand shooting up straight away.
"Well then, let's find out." He pointed towards the first cage. "Step forward and face your opponent!"
After a few moments to prepare, Weiss stood ready to face the Boarbatusk. She stood side on, head up, shoulders back, right foot forward but not that forward, slowing her breathing and waiting for the right time to strike. Naturally her team cheered her on whilst I stayed silent, letting her concentrate.
"Alright, let the match begin!" Professor Port said as let his axe fall, breaking the lock to the monster cage. The door fell forward and the Boarbatusk jetted towards her as fast as its little legs could carry it. Weiss slashed and leaped to the side, both opponents turning to face each other.
"Ha ha! Wasn't expecting that were you?" the professor mocked.
After more supportive shouts from Ruby, they both lunged at each other, meeting in the centre. To her surprise, Weiss got her sword caught in the Boarbatusk's tusks, not too different from what happened to me in the Emerald Forest. The beast tossed the sword aside and knocked Weiss backwards, leaving her defenceless.
"Ho ho! What will you do without your weapon?" Port questioned. I swear if this guy made anymore 'ha ha's or 'ho ho's, he'd be Santa Claus.
The Boarbatusk was already charging again before Weiss could stand. If she rolled a split second later, it would have ended badly. The Grimm bounced off of the wall and onto its back, giving Weiss the time to recover her weapon.
"Weiss go for its belly!" Ruby shouted helpfully to her, "There's no armour under…"
"Stop telling me what to do!" she snapped back at her. Returning her attention to the fight, she witnessed the Boarbatusk's ability to perform a rolling charge first hand as it shot towards her. She countered by deploying a shield glyph to protect herself. The beast hit the glyph like it was a brick wall and bounced to the ground, its underside now exposed. Weiss then finished by using the glyph to eject herself towards her foe, stabbing deep into the soft flesh and slaying it once and for all.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Professor Port praised, "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training!"
She moved back to her seat, tired and deflated. Then Port turned to me.
"Spectre, would you like to test yourself?" The class spun their heads my way, expecting a show. Shrugging, I took Doom out of my bag and moved down to the floor.
"Spectre has had a lot of experience with Grimm before joining the academy. He has agreed to show us a few things."
"I didn't think you'd ask me so soon…" I muttered taking Weiss' position in front of the cage door.
"Whenever you are ready," Port added.
I clicked my neck and limbered up a little. When I was satisfied, I switched into combat mode, and held Doom in a two-handed grip. "Go."
With a curt nod, Port opened the cage. The Boarbatusk looked around the room seeking its target. When it finally spotted me, it grinded it's front hoof against the floor and charged. At the last possible moment, I sidestepped, swinging my sword down on its front legs. It toppled over, landing on its back and using the momentum of my attack, I spun with my sword held high and fired a clean shot into the beast's belly. With a sharp screech, the beast lay still - dead.
"Outstanding!" Professor Port said leading the applause, "If you use those skills consistently, you are going to be a great hunter one day, perhaps even surpassing myself!"
As nice as it was, I couldn't help but feel singled out again. This isn't what I wanted, to be seen as something above… I moved back to my seat.
"Spectre, that was so cool!" I heard Ruby say as I passed. I pretended not to notice. Taking my seat, the professor continued.
"Now that was only one species of Grimm," he said, "There are many others, but there are six common types. We first we have the…"
I'm not ashamed to say that I zoned out at this point; Professor Ports lessons weren't the most entertaining ones out there. It seemed the class agreed with me too.
"Spectre." I blinked behind my visor and looked to address him. "Do you have anything else to add about Grimm species?"
I hesitated for a moment, searching for something to say. Then: goldmine. I walked down to the teacher's desk and found a piece of paper to scribble on. "Has anybody heard of the 'Arch Grimm'?" I asked. The following silence confirmed my suspicions. "It is an ancient species of Grimm that lived from humanity's birth. As its name suggests, it is seen as an alpha or leader among the other Grimm species, using some sort of power to command and rally lesser beasts."
"Ah, you must be referring to the 'Daemon', as it is more commonly known," Professor Port interrupted, "But there have been no reported sightings nor is there any sufficient evidence to prove that one still lives. Hence they are extinct."
"Trust me sir, that isn't true."
"Oh? I suppose you can prove me wrong? Nobody even know what one looks like."
"Then you may want to see this." I gathered my paper and pinned it to the board alongside the other sketches of the common Grimm. There it was, the 'Arch Grimm' as I saw it. Just looking at that sketch gave me a headache… The class stared in wonder, even the professor had raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting…" he muttered.
"There are indeed no recorded images to base this drawing off of," I finished, "Believe me, the 'Arch Grimm' is real." There were mutters from the group now, curious to see the professor lose the debate.
He stroked his moustache in thought before answering. "And you saw this creature in the flesh, yes?"
"That's right."
"Do you have any further evidence?"
I stopped, hesitating before making a decision. I knew I had the footage from Grimm's Respite, it had never left my side since I received it in fact, but I didn't know…
"Yes…" I decided holding up the memory card.