Author's Note: This chapter was my round two submission. For this round, the prompt was "Knowledge."
Beacon Academy was a surprisingly large school, a fact that Salem had grown to both respect and lament in the few days since initiation. While she still held the belief that it needed more purple to really enhance its beauty, she could respect the school's use of towers, arches, and buttresses. She did enjoy a good buttress, not to mention the well cared for and tended gardens.
Sadly, the sheer scale made scouring it for secret doors quite challenging. She'd already thoroughly checked her room a few times, even going so far as to look under the mattress, just in case. When she hadn't found anything, she had finally heeded the advice of Jinn and Ambrosis and left to explore the school. She had considered searching her office first, but that felt a tad bit too obvious, even for Ozma, and so she had decided to check it at a later time.
The problem was that she simply knew nothing about the school. The academy had been around for only a few decades, but it had served as a royal palace before that, and the owners would have had plenty of time to build all manner of secret chambers and hidden passageways. It was something that Salem knew Ozma would have made effective use of, given that he had plenty of time to explore and figure out the best places to hide something important. Salem was starting from scratch though, and the damn brochures were no help at all, let alone the teacher's handbook!
Given that all of the faculty were under the belief that she had been their Headmistress for a long time, asking them would've arisen suspicion, as it was information that surely the Headmistress of Beacon should know. Ozma had always liked to play things close to his chest, he was wonderfully adept at keeping secrets; it was what made him such a great gift giver, but it came with its fair share of downsides. He might have told Glynda as his second, perhaps even including the other professors, but she very much doubted he would have told them everything. The location of the Maiden and Relic would likely have been one such secret.
Tired and frustrated from her search, Salem sat down on a bench alongside one of the various winding paths. It was meant to allow people a view of the fountain and statue that sat in the center of the courtyard, but all she saw was another potential hiding place. Salem sighed, she was stuck.
"While I am a fan of sight seeing," Jinn said softly from her shoulder. "Wouldn't you prefer to interact with some of the teachers or students?"
"Oooo, this thing says the statue was built out of stone mined from the same quarry as the ruins a few hours from here!" Ambrosis gushed, ignorant of the world around him as he read through the brochures Salem had long since abandoned. "It's meant to bridge the gap between the past and future. That's quite clever!"
Jinn huffed, ignoring Ambrosis as he continued to gush about the methods used to build the school, and poofed out of existence for a moment, before reappearing in front of Salem. "What are you looking for exactly?"
Salem raised an eyebrow, noting that the answer to her question should've been obvious, given that she was apparently the Spirit of the Relic of Knowledge. "The Maiden."
Jinn closed her eyes for a moment before opening them with a sigh. "You're supposed to be playing the part of Headmistress, remember? Not gathering intelligence."
"I can do both, thank you very much." Salem sternly replied. "This is a rare opportunity, and one I can not afford to pass up!"
Learning more about one's enemies was difficult, something that required her to rely heavily on her subordinates due to her former appearance. She simply stood out too much, a fact that was thankfully no longer a problem. Now, she was able to take matters into her own hands. She could go places that had previously required her working through proxy, an opportunity she did not wish to waste.
"Besides," Salem continued. "If anyone could appreciate gathering knowledge, I would have assumed it to be yourself."
"Not like this." Jinn shook her head sadly. "Knowledge should be shared and used for the common good. Not to destroy someone."
Salem's response was cut off by the sound of her scroll making noise.
"Why is it doing that?" She pulled it out of her pocket, examining it carefully.
"You're getting a call," Jinn responded, waiting for Salem to answer. As the tone continued, she sighed. "It's the green button."
"Hello?" Salem answered the scroll cautiously.
"Good morning Ma'am." Glynda's voice carried over the line, causing Salem to pause for just a moment as she thought of whether she had failed to accomplish some task that had been set out by the woman. There hadn't been much for Salem to do since officially assigning the teams, a task made all the more tedious by the fact they all required absurd names. Other than that, she had already finished getting rid of the paperwork that had been brought to her office, so nothing came to mind.
"Good morning Glynda." Salem easily replied once she had concluded she had nothing to worry about.
"I was hoping I might get your assistance with something." Glynda said. "Yesterday, Peter snuck a Grimm into class to… test one of his students. While he has assured me it was a one time offense, it is Peter." She said it like that fact alone should have made her point obvious. "I plan to sit in on some of his lessons today, but was hoping you would be able to take his first class this morning to ensure a trustworthy adult is present as I have a schedule conflict at that time."
Salem hesitated, looking up around the statue that she had yet to search. There were still a great deal of locations she needed to check for the Relic.
"Wouldn't you much rather learn more about the students and staff here?" Jinn asked.
It was true, although Salem didn't want to admit it. She had been struggling to figure out the people here ever since initiation. They had made their choice to fight, to stay in Beacon, and it was one that she didn't fully understand. That thought had been itching at the back of her brain for days now, and now that Jinn had directly asked, she wasn't sure she could simply ignore it any longer.
She needed to know more about these people, perhaps even more so than she desired to learn the location of the Relic. Their motivations, their reasons, for being here. If she knew that… maybe she could change their minds after all. She could get them to leave before things inevitably went back to the way they were, and she had to make Cinder sneak in and steal the Relic.
"I'll head straight there."
The student body was anxious, Salem didn't have to be a Grimm herself to tell that. Oddly enough though, she couldn't tell if it was because of her presence there or the fact that their professor had snuck a Grimm into the school the day prior. Glynda had given her the summarized details in a message to her scroll, and she was relieved to see that there was no mysteriously covered cage in the corner today.
Professor Port stood in front of the classroom, his face an enigma concealed by his mustache, his eyes scanning the students as they entered. Not once did he pay her any mind, as if her standing only a few feet off to the side was hardly an unusual occurrence.
Come to think of it, hadn't Glynda implied that this was somehow expected? Despite being annoyed by Peter's antics, she hadn't seemed at all surprised.
"Welcome students!" Peter called out energetically. "Another fine day it is!" The man chuckled softly, eyes shifting over his shoulder towards her for a brief moment before turning back towards the class. "Unfortunately, there will be no practical lessons today, but that does not mean you should pay any less attention! I will instead be giving a lecture on the nature of Grimm!" Again, the man looked back to her for a moment, before approaching his blackboard.
The class seemed… almost disappointed by that fact. Did they really want to fight a Grimm? Why was that? Were they bloodthirsty, consumed by some kind of desire to kill, just like the Grimm? No, that wasn't likely, it was probably just a teenager thing.
As the professor began his lecture, Salem moved away from the front of the class, allowing the man to draw in the student's full attention as she slowly moved to a seat off towards the side. Sitting down, she looked over the students and their varying levels of uninterest. It was only then that she realized Peter had gone on some side tangent about vegetables.
Salem came to slowly understand the student's disappointment as the man continued on that topic for fifteen more minutes. They didn't necessarily want to fight a Grimm, they just preferred a quick death to a slow agonizing one. This was the man that Glynda had allowed to replace her at the welcoming speech? She dreaded to imagine it, hadn't she said the speech was an hour?
As Peter started to slide into another story, Salem couldn't take any more and moved back towards the front of the class.
"Professor Port, it appears some of your students are struggling to pay attention." Salem said loudly enough to draw everyone's attention back to the classroom. More than a few looked ashamed, either of themselves or their fellow students, clearly expecting her to blame them. Turning towards the man, she lowered her voice. "May I…" What exactly she was asking for she wasn't certain, but even she couldn't sit by and watch such a disaster happen.
"Please, by all means." He held out his hands, not at all seeming to be offended. "It is always difficult to convince the youth to listen to experience!"
"Right." Because that was the problem he was having.
Smiling, Salem turned back towards the class, her eyes roaming over the students for a moment while she quickly worked out a plan in her head.
"What is the purpose of this class?" Salem asked simply.
A single student's hand shot up quickly, a few more slowly joining her a few seconds later.
Salem gestured for the eager girl with white hair to speak. Standing, she spoke confidently. "Headmistress, the purpose of this class is to study the Grimm."
That was what Peter was supposed to be teaching?! That's so important though! He hadn't even remotely stayed on topic! Who had hired this man? Oh, right, Ozma. It suddenly made significantly more sense.
Looking back towards Peter, the man seemed satisfied by the answer, confirming Salem's worst fears.
"That is correct," Salem replied simply. "And why is it important to study the Grimm?"
The same girl's hand shot up, though Salem waited for someone else before choosing. This time picking a boy with spiky hair farther in the back. "So we can kill 'em."
There was a soft murmur around the class as most of the students seemed to nod or agree with him.
"Not entirely incorrect." Salem said. "It is important to understand your enemy if you wish to defeat them." It was something she was attempting to do at this very moment after all. "But it is also equally important to prevent your death." She paused for a moment, hoping it would draw their attention. "Only by studying your enemy can you hope to defeat them, but it is also the best way to be prepared for when they inevitably try to kill you in return."
The class was quiet now, and each student focused solely on her.
"You," Salem pointed towards a blond boy who was sitting towards the front row. "How would you describe the Grimm?"
"Uh," The boy seemed caught off guard, clearly nervous to have been singled out. "Mindless monsters?"
"They are a blank slate, not mindless," She corrected softly, choosing not to comment on his clear lack of certainty with his answer. "That is not the same thing. That is also not what I meant." She turned her eyes towards the class at large. "How would you describe a deer, or a bird, or a fish?"
A hand rose, drawing Salem's eyes to a girl sitting next to the white haired one. Her breath nearly caught in her throat when she saw the girl's silver eyes.
"Are you saying the Grimm are like any other animal?"
It took Salem a moment to register the question, the sheer absurdity of it finally serving to distract her from the Silver Eyed Warrior sitting in front of her.
"Of course they are," Salem said simply, that fact feeling obvious to her. "They have been around as long as humanity, they have organs and a nervous system, they howl and register pain, just like any other animal."
"The Grimm have organs?" Salem heard one student whisper far too loudly to another.
"Of course they have organs!" Salem was frankly shocked. Did they know nothing about the Grimm? Turning towards Peter, she could see that he had pulled out a small notepad and was taking notes at his desk. Turning back towards the class, Salem rubbed softly at the bridge of her nose. "The Grimm can see, they have eyes. They can smell, and make decisions, how would something without a brain do that?"
The class was paying complete attention now, and Salem quickly continued.
"The Grimm move, in order to do so they have to possess muscles and bones. In order for those to function there are certain criteria that must be accounted for," While she hadn't been the one to create the Grimm initially, she had spent millenia experimenting with making her own, and she had long ago learned that creating new life was far from an easy task. "They have to be able to feel their body, to know where their limbs are in order to attack or even walk. They howl, in order to do so, they have to be able to store air and force it out at will." It was an interesting thing to have to explain, one she never truly gave a moment of thought. Nobody had ever asked her how the Grimm worked, so she had never realized people lacked any kind of understanding about them.
"Does that make sense?" Salem turned towards the one she had caught whispering, a blonde haired girl sat next to what was clearly a faunus wearing a ribbon to cover her ears.
"Uh, yeah, I think I get it?" The girl rubbed at the back of her head awkwardly.
She clearly didn't believe her, or she didn't fully understand at the very least. Whatever backwards lessons the school system had been teaching the students had clearly failed them.
The white haired girl from earlier raised her hand once more, and Salem nodded for her to speak.
"Headmistress, you said that the Grimm aren't mindless," She paused for a moment. "Could you elaborate?"
Wonderful, another lie that the government of the Kingdoms was pushing on their citizens. Opening her mouth, Salem was cut off before she could respond.
"The Grimm learn over time," Professor Port quickly added. "The older one is, the more dangerous they become!"
Salem nodded, it seemed that some people at least knew the truth of it.
"The Grimm are a blank slate, as I said earlier." Salem continued. "When freshly born, they lack many of the instincts possessed by other animals, and must learn a great deal that other creatures simply know upon birth. Given time however, they can learn."
"And it is those Grimm you must watch out for the most!" Peter stepped forward back towards the center of the class. "It is for that reason you must be vigilant, and why you must take precautions that might seem unorthodox, such as masking your scent."
Blinking, Salem turned to regard the man. Hadn't that absurd story he'd been spouting earlier been something along those lines? Had there been actual wisdom in those insane ramblings that she simply failed to notice? True or not, she was quick to nod and give him credit if only to save face.
"Exactly."
"But… the Grimm dissolve when they die." A boy from farther up spoke. "There isn't anything else that does that. How is that normal?"
"Well yeah, that's the-" Salem saw Jinn and Ambrosis quickly appeared and shook their heads. Right, magic wasn't widely accepted anymore, was it? The students would likely think she was simply trying to hide her ignorance, never mind that it was the truth. Rolling her eyes, Salem said what was likely expected. "That's the unknown." Unfortunately, she couldn't leave it at that. Not when she knew the truth and they were so eagerly listening. "Is it really so hard to believe though? You girl, what is your ability?" Salem pointed towards the totally-not-a-faunus.
"My Semblance?" The girl waited for Salem to nod before continuing. "I can make temporary clones of myself."
"And you." Salem turned towards the white haired girl.
"My family Semblance allows us to use glyphs for various practical applications, Headmistress." The girl answered proudly.
"How is any of that so different?" Salem asked. It was Magic in all but name, they had simply grown used to it being a matter of fact. "The Grimm may be odd, but they are not unnatural. They are simply designed for exactly one purpose, and they perform quite well in that role." Grimm couldn't disagree, or fail to follow orders. They couldn't think, and thus ruin her plans. They couldn't speak, or laugh, or make art… they were exactly what Salem wanted them to be. Conquers, nothing more.
"That is-" Salem was cut off by a loud ringing.
"That is the bell." Peter sighed, muttering softly to himself. "A shame. They always seem to interrupt the most lively of discussions. We shall continue this tomorrow!"
Has it really already been a full hour already? It felt as though it had only just truly started. The students slowly began to file out, until only the two faculty members remained. Peter turned to her with a ruffle of his mustache. "I must thank you."
"Hmm?" Salem turned towards Peter. "No, actually, I believe I owe you an apology. I seem to have hijacked your lesson."
"Oh, on the contrary!" Peter boomed. "There is still a great deal I have to learn, it seems. I was not aware you were so knowledgeable on the Nature of Grimm."
Salem chuckled awkwardly. "Aw, yes, it's a… new hobby."
"Ah, interesting," Peter rubbed at his chin before nodding. "You must bring me along when you next examine a Grimm specimen. I would most enjoy participating."
"I will keep that in mind." Nodding, Salem slowly moved towards the door in search of Glynda. She had to find a way to get Peter some lessons in public speaking.
Salem made it to Glynda's classroom just as the next class was beginning, the bell ringing as she stepped in to swiftly take her seat. The teacher saw her enter, but otherwise gave no evidence to the class that there was anything out of the ordinary. Unlike Peter, Salem highly doubted that Glynda would spend the class putting them to sleep, and she was right. After only a few brief statements and recounting of the rules, she selected two students to step down into the ring.
The students were third years, assuming the schedule Glynda had sent her was accurate, but Salem hadn't caught the students' names. After a loud shout from Glynda the two launched at one another, weapons clashing together loudly in a pool of sparks. The sudden sound of gunshots caused Salem to flinch as she was unprepared for the noise produced. The bullets hit the ground between one of the fighter's feet, kicking up dust and chipping the floor.
They were using live ammunition for what was supposed to be a spar. Wasn't that dangerous? Surely there were better alternatives, safer ones that wouldn't risk bodily harm.
One fighter's weapon, a hammer with a large spiked head, came crashing into their opponents shoulder, catching them and sending them spinning as they flew several feet through the air. Salem felt her breath hitch for a moment as the student slammed into the ground roughly, only allowing that breath out when the student rolled out of the way of a follow up attack from the hammer. The head crashed down where their opponent's skull had been only a half second before.
Rolling away, the student used the momentum to push themselves off the ground and land in a low crouch, aiming out with a bladed handgun to fire three shots, two struck their targets chest, the third hitting their opponent squarely between the eyes and snapping their head back for a moment. The student with the pistol launched in to try and take advantage of the fact the one with the hammer was backpedaling, but a quick swing of their hammer halted the advance for a moment, buying them the time to get their footing before they were struck.
The one with the pistol used the blade of their weapon to lock the hammer's shaft for a moment as they fired point blank into their opponents chest, the hammer wielder shouting out in pain as a dim energy flared across their body. Grabbing hold of their weapon with a second hand, he yanked up to dislodge his opponent, but the pistol wielder was already retreating, firing at their opponents eyes as they tracked them.
Salem looked towards Glynda, waiting to see if she would step in as the two fighters seemed to only push harder against one another. She never did however, if anything, she almost looked approving. She'd known the woman was scary, but never had she imagined she would be so cold. The combatants, despite their obvious skill, were still children after all. Children that were going after one another with dangerous weapons.
Yet Glynda seemed proud of them. How could she stomach teaching her students, teaching children such violent things?
Salem stood silently as the fight dragged on into its fourth minute, a time frame that felt like an eternity to her watching it. The careful controlled movements of the start had gotten just a little bit more reckless, a little less controlled, and she couldn't bear watching any longer. She excused herself without ever drawing attention. When the fight finally completed, and Glynda looked back for her Headmistress' thoughts, she was nowhere to be seen.
Salem had resumed her walk along the various paths of Beacon, though now with far less intent. Her eyes roamed the school grounds as she walked, and though they were just as critical as earlier that day in their duty, she was no longer looking for hidden passages or Magical Relics, instead, her eyes fell on the students. Some were spending time with friends, joking and laughing as children ought to, but others were hard at work, sparing, training just as hard as any warrior Salem had ever known. She had seen the same earlier that day but paid it no mind as it seemed unimportant. Now, she couldn't help but picture those same students, people barely old enough to be trusted to make their own choices, using those fighting techniques in a battle to the death.
She had always known that people died in her war against Ozma, but there had been a sort of disconnected numbness to it that had allowed her to ignore the reality of it. Being at Beacon made such things difficult however, for wherever she looked she saw smiling and happy faces, contrasted by brutal and violent combat. Her companions, ever present as they were, remained silent as she walked along. They hadn't said anything since Glynda called, simply sitting back and observing as she continued her farce as the Headmistress.
Eventually, it became too much, and she set off on a different path. One away from the training halls and towards… someplace. She didn't have a destination in mind, simply intent on moving as far away from the students as possible. Her journey eventually led her to a small building towards the edge of the campus lined by beds of a familiar flower.
Grimm-Rose was a rare thing, a flower Salem had long thought extinct. A white and black rose that grew exclusively on the coasts of the grimlands when the continent was still somewhat habitable. Her father had gifted it to her once, so long ago now that the memory was distant and vague, yet she was still distinctly able to remember the flower itself.
Her father had gifted it to her as a means to bring the outside world to her, an attempt to please the daughter he loved so much… too much. The flower had long since died out on the Grimmlands proper, the environment twisting as a result of her experimentation and use of the Grimm. She hadn't seen a single one bloom in centuries. Kneeling down, she rubbed her fingers through the petals, a soft smile working its way onto her face.
"Ozma had them planted." Jinn answered Salem's unasked question. "Though it has been several centuries since then. There is a small village along the coast to the north of Vale that still grows them."
Ozma had kept them, saved them, somehow. She had never known…
"Why?" Salem asked quietly. "Why go through all of the trouble?"
"For the same reason anyone does anything." Jinn, the Relic of Knowledge, replied with a somber voice. "Love."
Salem swallowed heavily, looking down at the flower cupped gently in between her hands. She wished she hadn't asked, even if she'd already known the answer.
