Chapter 4: Professor Hansel Kobalt

Cinder Fall had lost consciousness shortly after her associates fled with her from Beacon. Since then, she had been in and out of consciousness as she recovered from her injuries, rambling furiously in her sleep about how she would kill her enemies for what they had done to her. Ozpin would suffer. The brat in red would suffer. The bastard in blue would suffer. They would all suffer for what they had done.

And now, three days after her failure, Cinder awoke in a dark room on top of a hard table that looked like the kind a cult would conduct rituals on. She tried to lean up, only to wince. She looked down to see that she had been stripped of her usual red dress and was now in her undergarments, giving her a clear view of the scar left to her by Ruby Rose.

At that moment, all of the memories of that night came rushing back. All of the failures came back to her. And it made Cinder furious. Cinder screamed angrily, tossing a fireball into a nearby wall to vent her frustration. She winced once more in pain.

"Do not struggle so much." An authoritative female voice said in the shadows. "You do not want to open your wounds."

Cinder nodded in understanding, recognizing the voice. She looked down at her scar once more and growled in anger. "A slash wound across the chest that will never heal properly," she said in anger, moving her hand up to touch the cheek where Hansel Kobalt had punched her, "I can also still feel the sting of that punch."

"All of our forces driven back." Cinder continued. "And we didn't even achieve any of our objectives!"

"The plan was perfect. We were supposed to succeed with the way things were going but we didn't!" Cinder then turned her attention to an imposing figure in the shadows. "You were wrong, Your Grace! So wrong!"

At that moment, an imposing woman in a black dress stepped out, revealing her nightmarish appearance. A pale, deathly white skin tone with black and red eyes. "No, I wasn't wrong," Salem, the master of all Grimm insisted, "we simply underestimated Ozpin this time around."

Cinder growled in anger. Salem sighed. "You're upset, I know." She said. "And you have every reason to be. You failed, Cinder."

Cinder fell silent. Salem continued to speak. "I must admit, I too underestimated Ozpin this time. It seems he's not…completely inept as a headmaster." Salem chuckled at the thought of that man as a teacher. "Arthur showed me the footage of the students facing off against our forces. I must admit, their bravery is something to be admired."

"But there is one thing I did not get to see in any of those provided videos." Salem noted. "The reason why you were brought here in this state. Your two associates seemed…traumatized by the events that happened."

"So, perhaps you can tell me what happened in their place now that you've awoken, Cinder?" Salem suggested in a tone that left no room for argument.

Cinder immediately started shaking in anger, remembering the two people she now hated the most. "The swordsman in blue," she snarled, "Hansel. He got in my way."

Salem frowned slightly at Cinder's behavior. It appeared that whatever happened had more of an effect on her than she realized.

Then, flames ignited around Cinder's body in anger. "And that brat with the silver eyes," Cinder continued.

Salem's attention was caught by this. "If it weren't for those two, I would've taken the entirety of the Fall Maiden's powers," Cinder claimed, "I would've destroyed Beacon. I would've killed Ozpin! Those two…they ruined everything!"

"Calm yourself, child." Salem ordered Cinder. "Take this failure, and learn from it. In time, you will show Remnant how terrifying your power truly is. Until then, rest and regain your strength under my watchful eye."

"But enough about that," Salem's lips then curled into a twisted smile, "tell me more about this…silver eyed brat you met."

Four days later, normal life resumed for the students of Beacon Academy. Well, whatever was left of the student body.

There had been many who had chosen to drop out after the events a week earlier, that Ruby Rose was shocked at how empty the school now seemed. Besides her team, there were only three other teams she actually recognized. Team JNPR had thankfully chosen to remain a part of Beacon. Also, Team CFVY and shockingly, Team CRDL chose to remain a part of the student body.

The school truly seemed empty to Ruby when she and her teammates entered the assembly hall for an announcement from Professor Ozpin. Half the hall was empty. She still remembered how at the beginning of the year, the school was full of life. She then watched as Professor Ozpin stepped onto the stage. Behind him, were the members of the Beacon Faculty. Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Professor Peter Port, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, Professor Gertrude Peach—oh wow, Professor Peach was here, she's never around—and finally, Professor Hansel Kobalt.

Professor. Hansel. Kobalt. Ruby still could not believe that a guy who looked barely older than her sister would be teaching her. Still, how bad could it be? The guy clearly knew his way around the battlefield. After that night, all the students that chose to remain did. Judging by the look on his face, Ruby could not help but wonder if Hansel himself did not believe it either. He definitely looked uncomfortable in that blue button-up he clearly did not want to wear.

Yang Xiao Long looked like she was about to leap from her seat, charge down to the stage, and beat the living hell out of Hansel. She clearly still held a grudge over what happened. Blake Belladonna was looking at Hansel with newfound fear and respect. Just what kind of monster was this guy to beat Adam Taurus in a fight? Weiss Schnee had a neutral expression on her face, still trying to decide what kind of person this Hansel was after her experience with him in the hospital. None of them knew what Ruby knew. Meanwhile, the rest of the small student body could not help but gaze at Hansel in confusion, trying to figure out why he was there.

Before anyone could ponder Hansel's presence further, Ozpin stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat to speak. Everyone fell silent. "First, I would like to apologize," Ozpin said, "we as teachers, failed to properly prepare you."

Everyone gasped at Ozpin's statement. "No, that's a bit inaccurate," he noted, "I don't think anything could've properly prepared you for the events that took place a week ago."

"Last week, was one of the worst Grimm attacks on our kingdom in recorded history." Ozpin pointed out. "And the chaos and carnage that followed reflected as such."

"We all lost something that night. We lost friends. We lost families. We lost our hope that we can live in peace in spite of the constant danger our world is in."

Ozpin paused to let this sink in. "He should've let me give the speech." Port muttered, a bit put off by the 'doom-and-gloom' beginning.

"Absolutely not," Glynda growled, knowing Port's tendencies when it came to talking.

"However," Ozpin continued, "in place of that lost hope, we have gained a different kind, a hope that this generation of students can truly make a difference in the world."

This caused the crowd to begin murmuring amongst themselves. Ozpin gave them all a smile and continued. "I watched the videos of your actions over this past week." Ozpin revealed. "And looking back at those videos, and looking at all of you today, do you know what I see?"

When none responded, Ozpin continued. "I see students who once upon a time, came to this school with wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. Now I see the exact opposite. I see students ready to devote all their energy to protecting others. And that shall be their purpose. I see students who have chosen their direction to be forward. Always forward, and never backward."

"Students, the woman who perpetrated that horrible event wanted to convince the world that Huntsmen today are incapable of carrying themselves with honor and mercy. I disagree." Ozpin said firmly.

"Because when I look at all of you, I see students who have carried themselves with honor to reassure the people that in spite of the horrible events that have taken place, everything is going to be okay. I see students, who risked their lives to pull civilians to safety when they could have easily left them behind to save themselves."

"You proved that woman wrong," Ozpin told them, "And since you have chosen to remain here at Beacon, it is now up to you to continue to prove her wrong."

"Know that I have the utmost confidence in all of you, because by choosing to continue your education at Beacon, you have taken your next steps into your future. In doing so, you've already demonstrated tremendous courage." Ozpin said. "And now, as your teachers, it is up to us to now properly guide you into your roles."

Ozpin then gestured to Hansel, who still looked incredibly uncomfortable on stage. "And that brings me to something a bit off topic, but very important." Ozpin said. "Students of Beacon, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to your new Combat Professor, Hansel Kobalt."

And with that, everyone but Ruby gasped in shock. "Oh no freaking way," Yang muttered in disbelief.

"But…he's so young." Weiss muttered. Wait…that name…

"He must be something for Professor Ozpin to hire him." Blake muttered.

Hansel heaved a sigh on the stage. Yeah, that was the reaction I expected. He thought, gazing at the looks of disbelief on everyone's faces.

"Now, now, calm yourselves." Ozpin said. "I know Hansel is quite young. In fact, he's young enough to be a second year student here at Beacon. However, he has been working in the field for awhile now as a full-fledged Huntsmen. I can assure you, there are fewer people who understand the heat of battle better than Hansel. As such, there is no one I trust more to teach combat."

"But what about Professor Goodwitch?" A student called out.

"Professor Goodwitch will be focusing on Dust application in an entirely different class, you will be provided new class schedules after this assembly is concluded." Ozpin replied.

Ozpin then gestured for Hansel to join him at the podium. "Is there anything you'd like to say to your new students, Professor Kobalt?" Ozpin inquired.

Hansel wordlessly stepped up to the podium. "Oh he clearly does not want to be here." Jaune Arc muttered, taking note of Hansel's body language (as well as comparing said body language with his own previous displays of awkward frustration).

"Umm, hey," Hansel said into the microphone in a flat tone. He paused for a moment before he continued. "I just want to say…you better be prepared. I'm not going to pull any punches just because you're kids."

Everyone looked at Hansel in disbelief. "So…yeah, be prepared." Hansel told them as he stepped away from podium, clearly not wanting to talk any longer.

Ozpin then cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone again. "Umm…right," he said, "on that note, this assembly is dismissed. Classes are still today, so please pick up your schedules to know what your first class today is."

With that, the student body quickly filed out of the assembly hall. Unfortunately, they were more focused on their new teacher instead of Ozpin's words of encouragement. As the last student, Ozpin gave Hansel a stern glance. "Not pulling any punches just because they're kids?" Ozpin repeated Hansel's "speech" in disbelief.

Hansel shrugged. "What, did you want me to lie and say I was going to take it easy on them?" He asked.

Ozpin tiredly ran his hand through his hair. "Hansel," he said, "these students…I know you mean well, but please don't do anything to scare them off."

Hansel shook his head and walked past Ozpin. "Going full force is the only way I know how." Hansel told Ozpin. "If they can't handle it, they need to go home. They're not doing anyone any favors by staying."

Glynda frowned at her adopted son's behavior. Before she could say anything, however, Hansel dismissed himself and left the assembly room, ready to begin his first lesson. "The poor thing," she lamented, "this is why I didn't want him traveling alone on assignment while he was so young."

"He insisted, Glynda." Ozpin reminded her. "And knowing him, he would have gone regardless. Better to give permission so that you may also support him, then worry when he does it without your knowledge."

"I know, but I think it's hardened him just a bit too much. I'm worried that working alone all this time has numbed him to the concept of opening up to and connecting with people. It's like I'm looking at a kid version of Qrow, minus the alcoholism." Glynda admitted.

Ozpin sighed. "I know, Glynda, I know." He said grimly. "All we can do is try to guide him in his new position."

"How do you think his first day will go?" Glynda asked worriedly.

"Not well," Ozpin admitted, "first days rarely go well for anyone. I still remember my first day as headmaster, I kept spilling hot cocoa all over myself because I was so nervous."

"The important thing is that Hansel sticks with this new job of his." Ozpin insisted. "With our occasional guidance, he will grow into this position. I know he will."

"Well, enough about Hansel," said Glynda, who then pulled out her Scroll to address the next topic. "Here's the updated report on Ms. Nikos' status."

Ozpin nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm listening."

Aside from the usual student Aura readings that one would expect to be recorded on a Beacon faculty member's Scroll, Glynda's Scroll, in particular, was also customized to display heart rate monitoring, blood pressure readings, and plenty of other sorts of relevant reports for measuring stress.

"As agreed upon by the both of us, I've been actively keeping a lookout for any signs of side effects from James'... unconventional machine."

Ozpin could tell that Glynda was barely containing her disgust towards said machine (as well as the broader ethical murkiness it represented), but decided not to press the matter for the time being.

"As of the past few days, Ms. Nikos is as physically fit as ever," continued Glynda, "You'll find out later if the same can be said of her mental health, once we're finished with the long-awaited counseling session you and I have scheduled with her."

"Very well," Ozpin nodded, satisfied with the matter, "as long as Ms. Nikos is well in both manners, I think we can count on her in the upcoming battle ahead. Her dedication to what is right is impressive. James thinks I chose her for the role because of her power, that was merely a small part of it. The real reason was always her admirable ethics. Ms. Nikos is to Team JNPR what Ms. Rose is to Team RWBY, a moral compass that is always pointing north."

"And what about Ms. Rose?"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to ask about Ms. Rose, Glynda." Ozpin gave her a wry smile.

"Don't joke around with me, Professor, I'm just as concerned about Ms. Rose as the rest of us." Glynda admitted. "How has she taken this news?"

"Hard to say," Ozpin admitted, "Qrow said he told her about the legend. He also told me that she seemed ready to accept the responsibility, and opened my door to discuss the matter with her any time she wishes."

"And has she?" Glynda inquired.

"She has not," Ozpin replied, "I believe she's nervous. She may want to accept the responsibility, but she can't hide the fact she's scared. I don't blame her. I'm going to give her as much time as she needs to fully comprehend this new fate of hers, and when she's ready, I'll be ready to tell her as much as I can manage."

Glynda looked worried. "Do we have the luxury of waiting?" She asked.

"Luckily, yes," Ozpin replied, "thankfully, our victory was a major setback for our foes. And thankfully, we also have Hansel to serve as a measuring stick for Ms. Rose and the rest of the students to try and reach."

"I see, so part of your plan was to place Hansel in a position of power that could give the students something to strive for." Glynda realized.

"And the more they push themselves, the greater the chance Ms. Rose has of growing into her new power and responsibility at her own pace." Ozpin revealed the depths of his plan. "I'll wait as long as I have to for Ms. Rose to reach her potential…I refuse to force another into the role she'll have to play before they are ready."

Glynda went pale. "Gods," she muttered, "how cruel is this world, that we need to rely on such an innocent child to survive?"

"She's her mother's daughter, Glynda." Ozpin said with certainty. "Ruby Rose will rise to the occasion."

Speaking of Ruby Rose, the bubbly fifteen year-old excitedly gazed at her class schedule, gleeful at what the first class of the day was. "Awesome!" She cheered. "We've got combat training with Professor Kobalt!"

None of the other members of Team RWBY shared their leader's enthusiasm. Weiss' mind was still elsewhere, thinking about the advice Hansel had for her, regarding her father. Yang was still seething over the fact that someone she already disliked was now going to be her teacher. Blake, however, looked frightened.

Ruby, trying to save face, let out another cheer. "Woohoo," she said, "go Team RWBY…right?"

Ruby finally decided to address their lack of enthusiasm. "Okay, guys, what's wrong?" She asked. "Come on, tell your leader what's wrong."

"What's wrong is that I now have to take directions from a jerk who shot me with a fireball!" Yang complained, throwing a temper tantrum. "There is no justice in this world, Ruby! No justice!"

"He shot you with a fireball?" Ruby was surprised, not hearing about that.

"I think it was his way of saving her from the guy she was attacking." Blake explained. "Honestly, Ruby, I think we're all nervous about this new teacher for a lot of different reasons."

"I know Yang holds a grudge…but I'm honestly scared of the man." Blake admitted.

"Scared?" Ruby was surprised at this. "Come on, Blake, I get that he looks a bit intimidating, but he can't be that bad. He seemed nice enough when I met him in the hospital."

As always, Ruby was quite the optimist. Blake shuddered. "Ruby, you don't know the man that Professor Kobalt took down that night. That man, Adam, is a monster, a monster with tremendous power. And Professor Kobalt survived a fight against him. Yang and I even think that he might've actually won against Adam."

"Yeah, I'm scared, Ruby, I'm scared that we have someone that strong as our teacher now." Blake explained. "I don't know if I can study under someone like that knowing how dangerous he really is."

"And what about you, Weiss?" Ruby asked, having heard the opinions of Blake and Yang, now wanting to hear her best friend's opinion.

Weiss thought it over. "Even if he is powerful, that doesn't translate to teaching ability." Weiss pointed out. "He's young enough to be a student. Are we sure this is the person we want teaching us to fight?"

"Well, I mean it's like making me the leader, right?" Ruby asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby, when you're hired to teach, you're expected to be ready for the position. It's not at all like you being made the leader. Students need to grow into their various roles, like you did. But when hired as a teacher, you're expected to be experienced. Not young enough to be a student at the academy you're teaching at."

Weiss sighed. "I'm just saying," she said, "we shouldn't be so eager to embrace this man as our teacher, regardless of his status as a strong Huntsman. I know Professor Ozpin seems to trust him, but even so, this seems far too asinine."

Ruby took a moment to comprehend the statements from all three of her teammates. She then clapped her hands together. "Okay, team, I hear your words, and I say…" she paused for a moment before declaring. "…we give him a chance anyway!"

How did I know that was coming? The other three members of Team RWBY noted with deadpan expressions.

Yang heaved a sigh. "You're impossible to persuade once you've made up your mind." She pointed out. "Okay, Rubes, I'll give him a shot. Don't expect me to like him though."

"I still think you're being a bit too optimistic…like always." Blake admitted. "But, I suppose we do owe it to at least give him a chance."

Weiss thought back to the advice Hansel gave her in the hospital. "Perhaps…he does have something he can offer us?" She wondered, trying to find the positive in this.

"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheered. "Okay, team meeting over! We don't want to be late!"

With that, Ruby sped off, much to the chagrin of her teammates. "Damn it, Ruby!" Yang yelled at her baby sister. "None of us have speed like you do!"

"I'll save you a seat!" Ruby promised them.

Groaning in frustration at the usual hyperactivity of their leader, the remaining members of Team RWBY ran after her.

Later, inside of the big room that was the classroom for Beacon Academy's combat class, complete with a great big arena for battle. When Ruby arrived, she was surprised to see Team JNRP, Team CRDL, and even Team CFVY. She briefly looked around for a good seat, only to realize the classroom was mostly empty and there were plenty of places for her team to sit.

As the remaining members of Team RWBY ran inside, glaring at Ruby for leaving them behind, Velvet Scarlatina of Team CFVY decided to say hi to her friend. "Hey there, Ruby," the rabbit faunus said to the girl, "nice to see you're up and about."

"Hey, Velvet," Ruby greeted her before noting something that was bothering her, "why's all of Team CFVY here? Shouldn't you guys be with the 2nd years."

Velvet looked a bit grim at that statement. "There's a rumor going around that the students are being compressed into classes regardless of year due to the amount of dropouts after…you know."

"Oh, I see." Ruby said sadly, a bit heartbroken at the thought of so many of her fellow students giving up. Her face then brightened. "Hey, at least we get to spend more time together now, right?"

Velvet smiled. Ruby definitely had a way to brighten things up with her cheerfulness. "Yeah, I guess so." She said, noticing Ruby's teammates. "Umm…they seem mad."

Ruby looked to see her three teammates upon her, glaring at her. "Umm, hey guys." Ruby greeted her friends. "Hey, at least you got some cardio in today, right?"

"Don't. Even." Yang said to her sister as she took her seat with the rest of Team RWBY. "So, where's our new teacher? Shouldn't he be here by now? Class is about to start."

Blake then noticed something in a chair. It was the button up shirt Hansel Kobalt had worn during the assembly. "Guys, that's his shirt." Blake pointed out to them before adding uncomfortably. "And…his pants."

Cardin Winchester's mouth dropped open. "The hell? Is our new professor parading around in his underwear?"

"No, you moron," a new voice spoke up as a door suddenly opened near the arena, "I just hate staying dressed up in formal wear."

At that moment, Hansel Kobalt stepped out with that same flat expression he had during the assembly. He was now dressed in the combat gear he wore underneath his usual blue poncho. It was a blue, skintight shirt that showed off his well-defined upper body and black pants. His trusty katana, Wolf Fang, was sheathed at his hip.

Hansel then stared at his new students for a brief moment before heaving a tired sigh. "So, you guys are it, huh?" He asked.

Wow, hell of a first impression. Everyone except Ruby thought in unison.

Hansel then took what appeared to be cue cards out of his pocket and began to read them, shocking everyone. "Okay, welcome to combat training, my name is Hansel Kobalt and I will be your new teacher…apparently." Hansel read. He then read quietly for a brief moment before he decided to incinerate them. "That was a dumb idea."

Hansel's eyes then met Ruby's. Ruby enthusiastically waved at her new teacher, while Hansel actually fought the urge to glare at her. Blake, however, caught onto his hostility. He seems…very angry about something. Blake noted.

Weiss's eyes then widened. After hearing that name a second time, she had finally remembered where she heard that name from. Her hand shot up, much to the annoyance of Hansel. "What?" He asked.

"Umm, Professor, if you don't mind me asking," Weiss said, "you're name…you wouldn't happen to be a member of the Kobalt Family, correct?"

Hansel narrowed his eyes. "And what's it to you?"

"I'm…I'm just surprised." Weiss admitted. "I honestly thought that family was…well…"

"The Kobalt Family?" Yang looked confused. "Weiss, what's so special about that family?"

"You can't be serious!" Weiss exclaimed. "The Kobalts were famous back in the day! A family that produced brilliant scientists and powerful Huntsmen! Their pedigree is amazing! I was under the impression that family all died out."

"And you're mostly right, as you can see." Hansel noted. "Yes, you're correct. I am part of the Kobalt Family. Truth be told, I'm also the last."

Weiss gasped at the tone of his voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, "I just…I didn't…your name was bothering me so much."

"My name shouldn't matter to you." Hansel pointed out to her. "What matters is my title at the moment: Professor."

"Right, I understand, my apologies, Professor Kobalt."

Hansel nodded, seemingly satisfied with her apology. "Okay," He heaved another sigh, "so, I'm kinda new here. Would someone mind telling me just what Glynda's been teaching you all?"

Everyone gazed at Hansel hesitantly, no one bothering to answer his question. Hansel rolled his eyes at this. "Come on, I don't bite, I cut, there's a difference." He said. "Someone stop sitting around like a damn garden statue and answer the question."

Pyrrha Nikos hesitantly raised her hand. Hansel narrowed his eyes. The new Fall Maiden, he noted, nice to see she stuck around. I'd have to drag her back myself is she didn't.

"Spartan," Hansel called on Pyrrha. Yeah, he did not know her name, nor did he really care, honestly.

"Umm, it's Pyrrha, sir, Pyrrha Nikos." Pyrrha introduced herself.

"Don't care, I'll take time to learn your name later, much later. Now answer the question." Hansel said impatiently. "What has Glynda been teaching you all this past semester?"

Pyrrha was a bit taken aback by how rude Hansel was, but chose to answer the question regardless. "We've been learning to manage our Aura and have undergone basic sparring sessions."

Hansel stared at Pyrrha, making the girl feel uncomfortable. "And?" He asked.

"And?" Pyrrha repeated in confusion.

"Yes, and what else have you learned?" Hansel asked. "That can't be all of it."

Pyrrha looked a bit uncomfortable. "I'm…afraid that is all of it, sir."

Hansel stared at every single student in disbelief. An awkward silence fell over the room. Hansel began to pace across the arena back and forth for a bit before breaking that silence. "So you all spent an entire semester learning something you should've already learned at combat prep schools like Signal Academy?" He sounded exasperated.

"Umm…well, I suppose when you get down to it, yes." Pyrrha said nervously.

"And are there any second and third years who have learned differently at least?" Hansel asked.

Yatsuhashi Daichi of Team CFVY was quick to answer. "We've mainly gone out on various assignments sir, but when we do attend combat training, we're still reminded to properly manage our Aura."

Hansel froze in place for a moment before putting on the biggest, fakest smile in existence. "Well, gee," he said, "then why am I even here? I mean, I'm clearly surrounded by prodigies, geniuses that only come around once in a generation. Students who are already ready to become full fledged Huntsmen."

"He's mocking us, isn't he?" Velvet whispered to her leader and friend, Coco Adel, who nodded in utter disbelief.

"I mean, who cares about Semblance training, or upping the pace of sparring sessions to a more realistic setting?" Hansel wondered, clearly sarcastic now. "No, no, no, Aura management! A basic that kids in combat schools learn right after they design their weapons! That obviously takes priority!"

"Oh, I get it!" Nora Valkyrie declared. "You're making a joke, right?"

Hansel gazed at Nora, took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I am." He said before turning his attention to Ruby. "You, you can confirm Spartan's statement, right?"

Ruby nodded. Hansel heaved a sigh. Waste of my damn time, he thought, trying to keep his anger from bubbling to the surface, I ask for professionals and I get brats who need me to hold their hands instead.

"Okay," Hansel said, "while I do agree that Aura management is important—hell, my own personal fighting style revolves around such—you do not need to spend an entire semester on it when you should've learned it in combat schools."

A few of the students flinched at the sharp tone in Hansel's voice. "Well, to be fair, Professor Kobalt," Jaune spoke up, "we also did a lot of sparring."

"And how many of those sparring sessions did Glynda coach you instead of letting you cut loose and use your own instincts?" Hansel asked. "And don't answer that question, I don't think I'll like the answer."

At that moment, even Ruby was starting to grow uncomfortable in this class. "Okay," Hansel said, "I knew this job was going to be stressful, but it looks like I underestimated just how stressful it would be. Gods forbid I catch a break every once in awhile."

"Now, good news is, you all can take it easy today." Hansel said. "We're going to recreate those sparring sessions. The only difference is, I'm going to keep as quiet as possible and let you fight it out until one of you can't continue."

"Umm, Professor," Blake nervously spoke up, "that seems very unwise. Professor Goodwitch coaches us so much to make sure we don't do too much damage to each other. To remove yourself from the sparring sessions could lead to trouble."

Hansel glared at Blake. "I don't think you understand just yet, Little Bow Peep." Hansel said to her. "I'm in charge now. I get to run my class the way I want to."

"That may be true, sir, but Blake is correct." Weiss defended her teammate. "Without your direct supervision and coaching, someone could get hurt."

Hansel sighed again. "You damn kids still don't get it." He muttered in annoyance.

"Don't get it?" Cardin, to his credit, was not going to let this guy talk down to anyone. "Look pal, we were in real fights! We were all out there in the thick of it during the Vytal Festival!"

"And you survived, congratulations." Hansel applauded. "But tell me, how much of it do you think was attributed to luck?"

Everyone fell silent at this. "You think you've got it all figured out, but you couldn't be further from the truth." Hansel said. "The fact is, sometimes these academies do more harm than good when they coddle students like you. It creates generations of Huntsmen, who don't really understand what it's like to be in constant danger."

"We're training to fight Grimm!" Yang exclaimed. "Of course we know what it's like!"

"No, you really don't." Hansel insisted. "First of all, do you really think you can count on Glynda to constantly coach you through everything once you're out in the real world. Hell no! Once you're out there, all you can rely on is yourself, and whoever you're working with, and that's the best case scenario."

"Now, let's say you go out there and get attacked by Grimm. Oh, but thanks to Aura management training, you manage to last a pretty long time. Congrats, you're one tough nail. But wait, you never learned how to be a proper hammer, and now you're dead, you idiots."

"I have a proper hammer." Nora chirped.

"Shut your damn mouth, Sparky." Hansel told Nora before continuing without missing a beat. "Here are the facts. If that's really all you've learned, then the only reason you're all here today is because of luck, plain and simple. Even if you survived everything that happened in Vytal, I don't think I'm out of left field when I say what happened was a major shock to your system, because you weren't properly prepared for that."

"But state the obvious, you can't rely on luck forever. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I blame you for having to rely on luck. It's like I said, you've all been coddled by academies that have been criticized in the past for being too tough on students. As a result of those criticisms, the standards were lowered. Now, any loser with a weapon can become a Huntsman, but as a result, the quality has gone down. You know what that means? It means that we live in a world of idiots who can't seem to figure out what it takes to stay alive."

"But now, things are going to be different, because I'm teaching this class." Hansel revealed. "Recess is over. From here on out, we're going to find out who among you actually has potential, and who needs to just drop out and stop wasting everyone's time."

Everyone now looked immensely frightened of their new professor. "So I'll say it again, we're going to have you all spar with each other. We've got an even number, so it can be done. I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to sit back, observe, and figure out where you all stand, one by one."

Velvet nervously raised her hand. "What is it, Chappy?" Where in the world did Hansel get that nickname?

"Professor, besides trying to determine our current level of strength, is there anything you want us to take away from these sparring matches?" She inquired.

Hansel grinned. "Well, what do you know, a smart question." He said. "I'll tell you what, if there is something I want you all to take from these matches, it's this."

Everyone paled at Hansel's next sentence. "How do you properly fight your fellow man?"

Everyone then looked at each other, trying to comprehend their professor's words. "Professor," Velvet said again, "you don't really mean to focus on facing off against other people when our enemy are the Grimm, do you?"

"Why should that matter to you, Chappy?" Hansel inquired. "Like I said before, this is my class, so I get to decide how to run it."

"But let me get one thing straight, you're a damn fool if you think Grimm are the biggest monsters in Remnant. You will find that there are plenty of humans and faunus that are far worse than any Grimm."

Hansel gazed out at some of his students. "As I'm sure some of you have realized by now."

"So let me just make something perfectly clear. If you get hurt, that's why we have a medical wing." Hansel reminded them. "I'm not going to hold your hands through these sparring matches. The enemy—regardless of who it is—won't offer you that courtesy either."

"We're training the next generation of Huntsmen at Beacon." Hansel pointed out. "That means, you need to understand the life of a Huntsmen."

"Now, anymore questions?"

Needless to say, the class was too frightened to ask any more questions. "Excellent," Hansel said, "now, first match of the day. White Eyes, Blondie, you're the first match. Get your asses down here."

Fox Alistair calmly got to his feet to walk down to the arena while Yang glared at Hansel, clearly tired of his shit. However, the two joined their teacher in the arena. "Alright, get going." Hansel clapped his hands together. "Chop, chop. Real battles are started by the combatants, not some referee."

And so, for the next few hours, Hansel randomly called down students with nicknames that were quite frankly degrading. Eventually, they reached the final sparring match of the day, Ruby Rose vs. Cardin Winchester.

Cardin hefted his mace onto his shoulder. "Okay, Rose, you better be ready to lose."

I am not going to embarrass myself in front of this psycho. Cardin thought to himself.

Ruby smirked and unleashed Crescent Rose. "Hate to break it to you Cardin, but I'm always ready." She said before quickly adding. "Not to lose, just…you know, ready in general."

Hansel looked at Ruby in disbelief, physically restraining himself from face-palming at the girl. This girl…she just doesn't get it. He concluded.

Needless to say, Hansel was furious that Ruby was the silver eyed student he got. He honestly hated her existence right now. He hated her annoying energy. He hated how damn happy she was. He hated how immature she was. He hated that she was just a damn optimistic brat with no sense of the weight of her responsibility. And most importantly, he hated that she was one of the two reasons he had been forced to come back to Beacon when he had a mission to complete. A mission that was the very reason for his existence at the moment.

Hansel Kobalt despised Ruby Rose. In the few days he had known her, Hansel had already concluded that she was not worth the effort of teaching. And he would never forgive her for making Ozpin think such.

And so, Hansel watched as Ruby decimated Cardin, who clearly stood no chance. He's not exactly worth the effort either. Hansel noted as Cardin was knocked around by Ruby's superior speed.

Then, when Cardin was knocked onto his back, Ruby could not resist celebrating. "Aww yeah!" She declared. "Victory for Ruby Rose!"

Ruby then turned to Hansel. "How was that, Professor?" She asked. "I've got some pretty sick moves, right?"

Hansel gazed at Ruby for a moment before an idea came to mind. "That wasn't much of a challenge, wasn't it?" He inquired, setting his plan into motion.

"Umm…well, I don't want to say anything bad about Cardin." Ruby replied.

"Just because you won doesn't mean Mongo here is completely useless." Hansel referred to the knocked out Cardin. "After all, you're something of a prodigy, are you not?"

Blake's eyes widened, detecting the malice in the tone of Hansel's voice. What is he up to? She wondered.

Ruby blushed in embarrassment. "Aww, well, I wouldn't call myself a prodigy." She admitted.

"Oh, but you are," Hansel pointed out in a disturbingly pleasant tone of voice, "you're fifteen, and you were accepted into Beacon by Professor Ozpin himself. I think it is pretty safe to say you are a prodigy."

"You clearly need more of a challenge," Hansel pointed out, "would you like a challenge?"

"Umm, what did you have in mind?" Ruby inquired.

Hansel's next words made Ruby smile in excitement. "If you're up for it, how about a second sparring match against me? We'll see how strong you really are."

There was a collective gasp amongst the students. Ruby's smile widened in excitement at the thought of really getting a chance to test her skills against a teacher of all people. Hansel, however, had some darker thoughts in mind.

I'm going to roast this damn girl. He thought. I'll run her right out of this school.

A.N: Boy, for all of you who were starting to like Hansel, ha, ha. Brace yourselves, folks, you are in for some shit.