A.N: Yeah, I know, I'm still working on WoD's next chapter. But, considering this is stuff I've planned since nearly the start of Wild Hunt, I've been on something of a tear as far as Wild Hunt content goes. You know how you get on a roll, in the zone, or whatever you want to call it? Yeah, that. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter though.
Chapter 39: Wrath of the Gunslinger
Atlesian Specialist Kelly Kay was a very simple man. He knew what he liked, and he knew what he disliked. He did not smoke, but he occasionally enjoyed a nice stiff drink. He enjoyed spicy food, but despised bitter food. He loved being the center of attention, and hated it when people looked down on him.
Right now though, he was listening to something he really did not like. Praise for that blasted devil of a man, Hansel Kobalt. And it was infuriating.
"You heard the news, right? The one who took down the killer that had been prowling the streets of Atlas at night? It was Hansel Kobalt." One Atlas soldier said to a friend of his.
"No kidding?" His friend responded. "I was trying to figure out who did that monster in. I've got a little sister that I've had to constantly either escort home myself or get some help from friends if my shift was running late. I was worried sick that guy would target her."
"Yeah, and my parents are old." The first soldier shrugged. "The guy was targeting prostitutes, but I was always worried he would eventually move onto other kinds of targets. And my folks are prime targets because of how vulnerable they are."
"So Hansel Kobalt took him down? Do you know any more details than that?"
"Nah, all I know is that the MPs closed the case shortly after he and a student he was protecting from the guy were brought in for questioning." The first soldier responded before adding. "But, honestly, does it really matter at this point?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? The important thing is that a monster is off the streets permanently, right? Your little sister can walk the streets safely, so can my parents."
The second soldier could not argue with that. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He admitted. "Whether the guy is a demon or not, you have to give credit where credit is due. Hansel Kobalt really did us a service in taking him out."
"Yeah, maybe I should offer to buy him a drink next time I see him."
Kelly stiffened at this. His face turned red with anger at that. The idea of offering a proverbial olive branch to Hansel Kobalt was like spitting in the face of every victim of the Tragedy of the Flames.
"Don't joke about that stuff man, you're still as scared of him as I am. Besides, he was just doing his job. Best to just count our blessings that Jack the Ripper is gone for good and move on with our lives."
"Yeah, you're right." The first soldier sighed. "And I seriously doubt he drinks. Also, after that little blow-up he apparently had at the general and a few of our scientists, he'd probably still just as soon punch us if we try to say hello."
"Yeah…"
"And that would be because he's just as dangerous to the world as Jack the Ripper. He is nothing more than the Blue Demon, after all." Kelly made his presence known with a very stern and angry statement.
The two soldiers almost leapt into the air, startled by Kelly's sudden presence.
"Sp-Specialist Kay," the second soldier frantically stammered.
"We were...we were just talking out of our asses, we swear." The first soldier already had an excuse ready, knowing that any talk about the Kobalts was a sore subject that was a surefire way to anger Kelly Kay.
"Might I remind you both of the tragedies that damned family inflicted on Remnant." Kelly glared at the two soldiers. "Praising him is just sickening."
"That may be true Kay...but even so, you at least have to appreciate that he got rid of someone who was a danger to everyone in Atlas, like my sister." The first soldier looked at his friend like he was crazy for defending Hansel in front of Kelly.
"I don't have to do anything." Kelly insistently responded.
Kelly did not give either man a chance to respond. He simply stormed past them both with a deep scowl on his face. Kelly wandered aimlessly through the halls of Atlas. He quickly found himself listening to more praise for Hansel from the rank and file. All were grateful that Hansel had gotten rid of a very dangerous man, him being a 'demon' notwithstanding.
Kelly was at his breaking point now. In his eyes, he had been forced to put up with so much these past few days. He had to put up with Hansel being allowed to roam freely around the academy, only supervised by Winter Schnee. Hansel being allowed access to critical information regarding new experiments and technology. And now he was being treated as some sort of savior for killing a serial killer.
These people, they were all idiots as far as Kelly was concerned. None of them saw the bigger picture like he did. None of them did, and that was a major problem in Kelly's eyes.
And the bigger picture was quite simple. Everything led back to Hansel Kobalt. He was the reason for all this stupidity. And as long as he was allowed to just roam freely (as if his family did not commit mass murder across Remnant) things would not be 100% okay again.
Justice is only served when it becomes impossible for a crime to be committed again, in Kelly's opinion. Anything else in between was basically putting a bandage over an open wound to slow the bleeding.
The Kobalt Family is practically non-existent at this point. Most of its members are dead. The bleeding that resulted from the Tragedy of the Flames was slowed because of that.
However, justice had not truly been served. It would only be served until Hansel was out of the picture in some way. Did that mean he had to die? Well, it would be preferable, but Kelly was a soldier. He was not a murderer like Hansel and his despicable family.
Of course, there were other ways to remove someone from this game of life that the world of Remnant played. And it was time Kelly put one of them into action.
No more of this bullshit, he vowed inwardly, if no one else is going to deal with this problem, then I guess it falls to me. Well, I guess that's to be expected. As usual, I'm the one who sees the bigger picture here.
I'm going to run that bastard out of Atlas and out of the public eye forever!
And with that vow, Kelly set a plan into motion that would take Thursday and Friday at Atlas Academy by storm.
For Hansel Kobalt, Thursday actually started very well. A surprising fact, considering the dangerous and highly stressful night he had before. Winter had texted him early in the morning the measurements of every single Atlesian Scientist (namely height and weight) to help him in his search. Hansel was still going with the theory that the perpetrator could only mimic faces. Not like Jack the Ripper had done last night with a randomized illusion. And Winter, to her credit, had delivered. She even gave him Bud Brunswick's measurements so that he had a base to compare to. Overall, it was a good start to the day for the normally cynical Huntsman.
While enjoying a nice breakfast in the teacher's lounge, his scroll vibrated in his pocket. Raising a curious eyebrow, Hansel took out his scroll and saw a number he was not familiar with. However, he was familiar with the name within the message that was put on display.
"It's Pietro. Good news! I managed to unscramble that hacked footage the night of the theft."
Hansel's eyes widened. Was he finally catching a break in this investigation? His scroll vibrated in his hand and an attached file came to the forefront of his screen. Hansel quickly typed in a reply.
"This is going to be incredibly helpful, doctor. Thank you."
Pietro was quick to respond. "Happy to help. I don't like the idea of one of my own being a traitor, but for everyone else's sake, I'm ready to do my part. Fair warning, the video's kinda grizzly, but I guess it's nothing you're not used to."
Good man. Hansel mused sincerely before getting back on track. I need to watch the video. If I'm right, this will allow me to narrow down my list of suspects.
With that, Hansel opened the attached file and the video almost immediately started to play. Things started off normally enough. Private Eerie, the murder victim, had arrived first and was pacing around, waiting for who Hansel could only assume to be Bud Brunswick...or rather, the person imitating Bud Brunswick.
Eventually, the fake Brunswick arrived with a blank expression on his face. Eerie gave him a look of irritation. "You're late, Brunswick. That ain't like you at all." Eerie had said to the fake harshly.
The fake Brunswick did not respond. Eerie's expression turned confused. "Brunswick?"
The fake advanced on Eerie. Eerie went from confused to concerned. He must have thought he had offended him. "Brunswick...hey, Bud, I'm sorry man. I had a bad day, I didn't mean to take it out on you like that."
The fake was in front of Eerie. "Seriously man, I'm sorry. You forgive me?" Eerie sounded so sincere.
Hansel's eyes widened. In a flash, a streak of silver shot out and swiped across Eerie's throat, ripping him open and leaving him to bleed out. Eerie gurgled and gasped weakly as he collapsed to the ground. The fake Brunswick dispassionately passed his victim and quickly entered a combination to get into Atlas' vault.
Shit, the angle's off. I can't see which code they typed. Hansel frowned before his expression turned severe.
That said...he is definitely not 5 feet and 9 inches. Hansel noted. He's taller than that, I can tell from this footage.
He was at least 6 feet tall. And there were only two people who were around 6 feet tall that were in Hansel's list of suspects. And Agravain Mahogany was not one of them. Mahogany was only 5 feet and 9 inches like Brunswick had been.
That left Trypan Moon and Glen White, the only scientists around 6 feet. That left them as the only two suspects…
The day started out pretty well for Ruby Rose as well. This was a surprise for her after the night she had. Perhaps it was because she felt safe, deep down, knowing that Jack the Ripper was dead and was never going to torment her again. That knowledge might have been why Ruby had slept soundly that night. Or perhaps it was also just because of how tired she was?
Either way, as frightening as the night had been, Ruby knew she could not afford to dwell on it. Atlas Academy's resident drill sergeant had come to her team's room to ask if she needed a day off on account of what happened last night.
"Maybe I should rest up." Ruby had responded. "But...I also don't want to be a victim again if I get attacked like that again."
"It was scary...but I'm fine. My professor saved me after all. So, I'll come to class. Thank you for your concern."
And now, Ruby was back in Professor Jin Tzu's military history and tactics class. Tzu began his lesson by gesturing to the board behind him, which read: "Soul Classes."
"Today, on account of Team RWBY's fight with Team GLDN, we will be having a refresher on the concept of Soul Classes."
There were a few grumbles among the Atlas students. "Now, now, this kind of knowledge can save your life in the field." Tzu shook his head, a bit disappointed in their response. "Furthermore, with other recent events, such as the Vytal Festival, I believe now is as good a time as any to remind you why Soul Classes exist in the first place."
The events of last night still weighed heavily on Ruby. So, her first way to get it off her mind was to immerse herself in a completely different subject. "Professor Tzu!" She raised her hand eagerly. "A question!"
"Yes, Ms. Rose."
"What are Soul Classes?" Ruby asked, making no effort to hide that she really did not know them at all.
Tzu's expression became unreadable while all the Atlas kids looked at her like a second head had grown from her shoulder. Ruby could not help but pout when she heard one of the students whisper: "How did she manage to beat up Gra so badly?"
"Er...Soul Classes are a very basic subject, Ms. Rose." Tzu noted. "If you don't mind me asking, how can you not know about them?"
"Well, I've heard the term used, I just don't know anything else." Ruby admitted. "They're like...the ranking system for Huntsmen when it comes to strength, right?"
"Not just Huntsmen, but Grimm as well." Tzu corrected. "And that kind of information is important, so why don't you know it already?"
"Well...I just kinda figured it wasn't that important." Ruby sheepishly admitted. "After all, in the field, rankings don't matter that much, right? I mean, when you're fighting to survive and protect people, isn't it just a matter of winning and losing at that point?"
Tzu let out a light sigh. "I admire your simple approach, Ms. Rose, along with your determination to win and preserve life." He acknowledged. "However, dismissing the ranking system entirely is a surefire way to get yourself killed in the field."
"Okay...expand please?"
"Well, first of all, the concept of 'Soul Classes' was first proposed by the famous Dr. Osten." Tzu explained.
Huh...kinda sounds like Professor Ozpin. Ruby mused inwardly.
Far away, at Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin sneezed and dropped his mug of cocoa, much to his distress…
"Dr. Osten proposed Soul Classes as a theory that a 'ranking system' would actually improve the mortality rate of Huntsmen." Tzu revealed. "And he was correct. Soul Classes gave us the ability to assign the correct Huntsman to the correct job based on the level of threat within the job, or the Huntsman's ranking. This knowledge indeed improved the mortality rate. Not only that, but it better organized the Huntsman system as a whole."
"First thing's first, a Huntsman's 'Soul Class' is determined by a few factors." Tzu began. "First, and most importantly, their level of Aura. Also, physical abilities are kept in mind. Furthermore, the kingdoms work with the media to keep feats of strength recorded as well, namely what Huntsman can accomplish with their Semblances. There are plenty of other ways to record a Huntsman's Soul Class, but those are the three most important factors."
"Now then, let's get into the layout of Soul Classes." Tzu continued. "The layout itself is quite simple. There are 5 ranks in the Soul Class system: D-Class, C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class."
"Typically, D-Class fighters are rookie Huntsmen, like you students. They're the beginners of the world. In fact, just about every D-Class fighter is a student. Now of course, there are exceptions to this because there are truly exceptional students out there, like Pyrrha Nikos."
"C-Class fighters, meanwhile, are typically new professionals, or lazy fools who are content with just being good. However, they can still hold their own in fights"
"B-Class fighters are when we start to get into incredible feats." Tzu revealed. "B-Class Huntsmen are typically capable of leveling entire city blocks, and maybe even small towns or villages, depending on the destructive power they possess. Once a Huntsman gets into B-Class, this is where they start separating themselves from the 'good' and into the category of 'great.' Many famous Huntsmen are B-Class and higher."
"Let me put it this way, if 75% of Huntsmen in the world are D and C-Class, 15% are B-Class."
Ruby then remembered how Hansel had classified himself as B-Class. Yeah, that makes sense. She remembered all the feats she had seen him perform since knowing him.
"A-Class Fighters are rarer. They make up 9% of the Huntsman in the world." Tzu revealed. "They are capable of bringing down and even destroying entire towns and even cities. Even if they don't have the destructive power to turn those places of residents into craters, they basically have the stamina to basically fight an entire city's population. Well known A-Class fighters are our very own General Ironwood and Specialist Winter Schnee, along with the roguish Qrow Branwen."
Uncle Qrow is that amazing? I mean, I knew he was awesome, but he actually has the skills to fight through an entire city's population if he had to? Ruby noted.
"However, A-Class Fighters in particular need one major talent. They need to have the ability to sense S-Class level threats and then respond accordingly, whether it is containing the problem or retreating and calling in for an S-Class response." Tzu explained. "The reason for that is because while the Grimm lack Aura, ancient Grimm that have grown in strength overtime possess an extraordinarily dark and malevolent presence that A-Class Fighters must not only be able to sense, but also be able to flee from. Unfortunately, dark presences such as this can overwhelm lesser fighters of lesser ranks."
"And that brings me to the final rank: S-Class." Tzu's expression turned serious. "They make up basically 1% of Huntsmen. And right now, there are only 10 individuals who are currently classified as S-Class."
"Only 10?" Ruby's eyes widened.
Tzu nodded. "To be recognized as S-Class, you need to reach a particular level and strength of Aura and then prove your strength against S-Class level threat, whether it's another S-Class rogue fighter, or an ancient Grimm. Due to the danger behind the latter, only 10 have managed to attempt and pass such."
"And these 10 people are?"
"The Ten Legends, the ten strongest people in all of Remnant." Tzu revealed. "Ten people who have the power to level entire cities and even an entire kingdom if they so desired."
"That's not possible!" Blake protested. "One person could not bring an entire kingdom to its knees!"
Tzu shook his head. "I'm afraid it is quite possible, but it does not happen because the system we have in place prevents it."
"For starters, the kingdoms require S-Class Huntsmen to limit their power in populated areas. We only see an S-Class fighter at its best in a non-populated area. Probably for the best. An S-Class Huntsman fighting with all their strength will change the entire geography of an area. And if two S-Class ranked fighters went head to head, it is a guarantee that one or both will die in the fight."
"We also keep our S-Class Huntsmen by having multiple S-Class ranks in each kingdom."
"We do?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"That we do," Tzu nodded, "the Kingdom of Atlas and Mistral have two S-Class Huntsmen each. Meanwhile, Vacuo and Vale have three each. And those ten, of course, make up the Ten Legends. And from there, we rank them from 10 to 1."
"You would actually know rank ten and rank one, Ms. Rose." Tzu revealed. "Rank 10 is the Holy Witch of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch."
Team RWBY's mouths all dropped open in disbelief. They knew that Beacon's resident disciplinarian was powerful, but S-Class?
"And Rank 1 of course is the famed Wizard of Remnant, your headmaster, Professor Ozpin." Tzu reminded them. "Honestly, I still can't believe that even after all their planning and what they did to our army, that woman had the reckless abandon to attack Beacon and Vale when Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin protect it."
"No kidding," Yang muttered, "I'm glad they're on our side."
"Who's the third S-Class from Vale?" Ruby asked curiously.
"The eldest of the S-Class Huntsmen and the longest serving Huntsman right now. 'Saint' Georgios Fos, the mighty paladin and the seventh ranked Legend of Remnant. He used to be ranked much higher, but with each passing year, it seems age is catching up to him and he drops in rank as a result. And yet the great Saint refuses to retire."
"You can drop in rank?" Ruby was really growing more and more interested with everything Tzu was saying.
"Every year, Huntsmen are asked to come to Huntsmen guilds or bureaus to gauge their levels of power to see if they are able to go up in rank." Tzu explained.
"What about the other S-Class Huntsmen? The other Legends?" Weiss inquired.
"Well, at rank 9, we have the Winter Hermit, Klaus Rot, who is the reason why not a single Grimm has managed to ever reach Atlas or Mantle. Rank 8 is the enigmatic Alibaba Dhahab of Vacuo. Rank 6 is Artemis Fengari of Mistral, the peerless marksman. Rank 5 is Anastasia Serebro, who still holds nearly every academy record and basically ran off to do her own thing afterwards. Rank 4 is Vacuo's Headmaster, Theodore, a man who's only ever known to have lost to the three people ranked above him. Rank 3 is the Monk King of Mistral, Li Jin, the man who has to limit his power more than any of the other legends. And that brings us to Rank 2, the second strongest person known to the world right now. Vacuo's Hope, Bethany Bluebell, a woman known to be capable of healing any kind of injury. A power like that makes her a nearly unstoppable juggernaut."
"So we have ten incredibly powerful people and the Grimm still exist?" Weiss was surprised, remembering the situation at Mountain Glenn.
We have ten incredibly powerful people and Salem still exists? Ruby added inwardly. How powerful is she?
"Well, have you ever considered that perhaps the Grimm situation could be much worse?" Tzu countered. "Think about it, before Dr. Osten, the mortality rate of Huntsmen was incredibly high. And because of that, Huntsmen were failing constantly to reach their full potential."
"Then you have to keep in mind that Remnant has been in utter chaos for the longest time until the Great War." Tzu continued. "You children, the world may not be perfect, but you were all born in a time of relative peace. And yes, I understand that after the Vytal Festival, it seems insensitive for me to say this. But remember...you can always reach back into history and find a far worse period."
"Grimm attacks and destruction from Grimm were far more frequent. Powerful Huntsmen like the Ten Legends have cut those kinds of incidents down by half."
"But places like Mountain Glenn…" Weiss began
"Are still left un-reclaimed," Tzu acknowledged, "blame that on the fact that the Ten Legends, and even many A-Class Huntsmen, are subjected to more government oversight than anyone else. It is a waste of resources to constantly ask S-Class Huntsmen to do everything for us, when there are ancient Grimm that still lurk across Remnant. Ancient Grimm that require S-Class Huntsmen to fight against. That is the role the Ten Legends typically play. Though individuals closely involved with the government like Professors Theodore, Goodwitch and Ozpin, are given a bit more leeway for the roles they choose."
"The system still isn't perfect, but the reality is it is rightfully considered a massive waste of resources to have S-Class Huntsmen handle lower-class problems when there are actual S-Class problems they could be focusing on. Remember, only 1% of the Huntsmen in the world are considered capable of such feats. And even A-Class Huntsmen are small in size, only 9%."
"You could certainly assign some to reclaim lost cities, but then what? Humanity does not have the population crisis that requires reclaiming lost territory. It makes no sense to ask what is basically a limited resource to risk its existence for no real reason other than a symbolic gesture."
"I believe I have said this before, but right now, we win by surviving. You cannot jump to the final step of a complete victory and skip other steps in the process." Tzu reminded them. "It's not a perfect system, but through the efforts we've already undertaken, we are slowly building ourselves back up to a point where we CAN achieve total victory."
"Do not discount the efforts of those who came before you, that, to me, is the most important lesson that you can learn before you become professionals. You do that, and you risk everything that has been built being destroyed and then we're all back to square one." Tzu gave Ruby and the rest of Team RWBY a serious expression. "Remember that as the next generation, you stand on the shoulders of giants. Giants who certainly made mistakes along the way, but giants who also paved the way for you to improve on their efforts in the future."
And with that, class continued. Ruby found herself drifting in and out of attention though. Tzu had given her a lot to think about.
Lunch soon came around. While Team RWBY made their way to their chosen table, Hansel Kobalt was on the way to the cafeteria as well, sending a quick message on his scroll. It was to Dr. Polendina.
"If you can, get into contact with Robyn Hill. Tell her that Blanche has been given justice."
Right, Hansel had to tie up that loose end…
Hansel was soon in the cafeteria, he saw Team RWBY enjoying their lunch. His expression softened slightly when he noticed how relaxed Ruby seemed. It seemed she was trying to move past the events of last night.
Still, he had to make sure…
He made his way to the table. "Hey," he called out, getting their attention.
Yang's face lit up. "Yo, Teach!" She waved.
Hansel took a seat across from the four of them. "What brings you to our table, Professor?" Weiss inquired.
"I thought I should check in, see how you were all doing after last night." Hansel admitted, turning particularly to Ruby. "You okay?"
"I'm feeling better." Ruby replied. "And...don't worry, I'm telling the truth."
"That's surprising," Hansel acknowledged, "most people are a bit shaken after an attempt on their life."
"Well...maybe it's knowing that he can't hurt me anymore that I feel a bit better." Ruby shrugged, offering Hansel a small smile.
Hansel grimaced. That smile was a lie though. He could tell that Ruby was still a bit uncomfortable with how freely he killed villainous individuals. "And besides," Ruby continued, "I'm going to be a Huntress, right? It's an occupation hazard and all that jazz."
Hansel sighed. "That's ultimately your call to make, I guess." He conceded. "I do expect you four to know your limits, physical, mental and emotional."
"Just...keep that in mind and don't push yourself too hard. You're no good to anyone dead, after all."
"Inspiring as always, Professor." Blake sarcastically noted, smiling lightly and showing she had become a lot more comfortable with Hansel since the fight with Dollie.
"Enough about that, if you say you're fine though, I won't push it." Hansel promised. "How are your classes? I take it things have gone back to normal after your fights with Team GLDN?"
"We were actually just talking about classes." Weiss replied. "Professor Tzu gave us a long lecture about Soul Classes."
"Oh? I take it one of you didn't know enough about it and that warranted a lecture?" Hansel eyed Ruby who whistled innocently and looked away.
"Well, to be fair to Ruby," Ruby gazed at her sister with a look of betrayal that she would rat her out so easily, "Dr. Tzu gave us a completely different perspective on the Soul Classes system and why it even exists. So it was kind of enlightening."
"I certainly never really appreciated how organized the Huntsman system was until that lecture." Weiss admitted.
"I just wish I could see the S-Class Huntsmen a bit more involved in Remnant." Blake sighed. "How many people have died that they could've saved?"
"There are other Huntsmen in the world as well, and we do our best to assign them to missions and areas that fit their skill-level." Hansel reminded Blake.
"And I'm sure Tzu explained this to you, but there are Ancient Grimm that are either sleeping or roaming other areas. How many would die if S-Class Huntsmen weren't hunting them out of existence?" Hansel inquired.
Blake fell silent at this. "I mean, the best solution would be to get to S-Class ourselves, right?" Yang inquired.
"You heard what Professor Tzu said, Yang." Weiss spoke up. "Only 1% could be classified as S-Class. Statistically speaking, it's nearly impossible to reach that level in our lifetimes."
Ruby's face fell at this. She had seen Ozpin and Glynda in action and they were incredible AND were holding back. And there were eight others at their level. Ten people in total who far surpassed her uncle, and she thought he was the gold standard of Huntsmen.
"It does seem like quite the mountain to climb." Ruby noted, remembering what she apparently had to do. Fight a monster of a woman that these S-Class people apparently had not defeated yet. This revelation was making Ruby truly understand the difficulty of her journey now.
Hansel noticed Ruby's expression and sighed. Perhaps it was time to bare his soul a bit again? "Well, I think you all need to keep this in mind, The Soul Class was not just to improve mortality rates or better organize Huntsmen, which I'm sure Tzu explained to you all."
Hansel's eyes never left Ruby's. "The Soul Class system was also designed to encourage Huntsmen to constantly improve and grow. This system of strength, power levels, or whatever, it gives us goals to strive for. People need goals in life, especially when our goals can help us survive."
"So in other words, don't be discouraged just because you're not S-Class or you don't feel like you could ever reach that level." Hansel told them. "The system exists to encourage people to 'level up', and they can level up with enough hard work."
"No offense, Professor, when you talk about hard work, coming from you, that kinda seems hollow. I mean, you're a freaking prodigy. Everything comes easy for you as a Huntsman, right?" Blake inquired.
Hansel shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. If I'm a prodigy of anything, it's hard work."
"For starters," Hansel revealed, "the truth is, I was a very sick kid. I could barely hold a sword, run, or even throw a punch."
Team RWBY all looked at Hansel in disbelief, remembering the feats of strength they saw him pull off. "No." They all denied.
"Yes," Hansel nodded, "and I overcame that through what some health experts refer to as the strenuous lifestyle, the idea that rigorous exercise and hard work can overcome health issues. Professor Ozpin put me through the wringer after I committed to that lifestyle."
"Also," Hansel created a small black fireball on his finger, "this Semblance is one of the hardest to control in existence. If I'm not careful, I can seriously injure myself. You cannot even begin to imagine the kind of training I had to undergo to get this power under control."
Team RWBY looked at Hansel in amazement. "The point is, don't be discouraged just because the four of you are likely classified as D-Class fighters. And don't be discouraged by the fact that the Ten Legends seem out of reach. At the end of the day, you have control over how far you go as Huntresses because at the end of the day, how hard you work in cultivating any latent talent you might have will decide that."
The girls all looked at each other and nodded in agreement one by one. Then, an oily and smooth voice spoke up, ruining the moment entirely. "Look at you, acting like a normal teacher."
The quintet turned to see Kelly Kay holding a bottle of whiskey in one hand. "But what exactly is there about you that is normal?" Kelly's sing-song tone of voice was completely betrayed by his words. "No, what right do you have to act normally, hm?"
Ruby and company immediately looked uncomfortable from Kelly's words and behavior while Hansel just frowned. "You kill Jack the Ripper, you lead your precious students to victory over Team GLDN, you must feel like you're on top of the world right now, huh?"
"Of course not," Hansel responded, "Jack almost killed one of my students and I still haven't accomplished my real objective."
Kelly narrowed his eyes. "Don't. Lie to me." He growled. "No normal human being doesn't feel some semblance of pleasure from what you've been accomplishing."
Kelly then laughed loudly. His antics were beginning to attract attention from everyone else in the cafeteria. "Oh, but wait, you're not normal. Right, Blue Demon?"
Kelly uncapped the bottle of whiskey. Blake, Weiss and Yang all stiffened. They did not like where this was going. Ruby's gripped her skirt tightly, lowering her face to hide her rapidly growing glare at Kelly. After the events of last night, the last thing she needed to hear right now was some guy talking to the professor like that.
Kelly then walked over to Hansel. "You don't have the right." He dropped the pleasant facade and glared at Hansel. "Not after what your family has done. Remember, Kobalt, your existence is a crime against the people of Remnant. It is a constant reminder of what we all lost in the fires."
And with that, Kelly poured the whiskey all over Hansel's head. Hansel barely flinched while Yang, Blake and Weiss' eyes all widened. Ruby's grip tightened. She bit her lip to restrain herself from speaking.
"And besides, everyone's talking like you're some kind of hero and a hell of a teacher because of the past couple of events. Even if I acknowledge you killed Jack, how can you possibly be a good teacher? You taught these brats to ignore 'bullies' after all. Are you leading by example or something?"
While Ruby physically restrained herself from acting, Yang, Blake and Weiss just gaped in disbelief. Who in the world did this guy think he was? Who in the world just walked up to someone and started harassing them like this?
"I just poured alcohol on you. You're going to smell like booze for the rest of the day now." Kelly taunted, leaning in close to Hansel's face. "What are you going to do about it?"
Hansel responded by rising from his seat. Yang, Blake and Weiss looked at him, wondering if he was going to deck him for that. Hansel then took a deep breath and spoke. "Fine," he said, "you don't have to like me. That's fine."
Kelly's eyes widened. "You don't like me, and that's clearly not going to change." Hansel noted. "But that doesn't change the fact we're on the same team here. You fight for the people of Atlas, and I fight to make sure everyone in Remnant lives another day. We're all on the same team."
"So I'm not going to fight you, Kay, no matter how much you want me to." Hansel promised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wash this whiskey off of me."
With that, Hansel left a stunned cafeteria. When Hansel was finally gone, Kelly got over his shock and scowled. He spat on the ground where Hansel had been. "Looks like he's as pathetic as he is a monster." He said derisively.
Ruby's eyes shot wide open with rage. Professor Kobalt was not pathetic. Not at all! "Bah, what a fucking waste of time." Kelly left the cafeteria next.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Yang finally managed to speak up. "What the hell." She said in disbelief. "What the actual hell? What was that guy's problem?"
"That's...that's inexcusable!" Weiss exclaimed in frustration. "The professor is nothing of the sort!"
"You're right," Blake nodded, "we need to report this. The whole point of this mission is to foster better relationships between our kingdoms and he's ruining all of it."
"Don't you agree, Ruby?" Blake looked over her shoulder, only to see Ruby was gone. "Ruby?"
"What the...where did she go?" Yang immediately freaked out. Last time Ruby was gone, she almost died.
Weiss' eyes widened, immediately realizing what could have very well happened. And the very thought of it frightened her. "Oh no! I think she went after that Specialist!"
Meanwhile, Kelly Kay was storming through the halls of Atlas, a look of furious disappointment on his face. "What a damn pain." He scowled. "He seemed like he had a temper, so what the hell?"
Kelly's expression then shifted into one of smug satisfaction. "Well, I suppose I can live with just humiliating him today. I've got a few more days to provoke him into a fight."
"HEY YOU!" A furious girl's voice rang out in the halls.
Kelly looked over his shoulder to see Ruby storming towards him. "One of Kobalt's brats? The hell do you want?" Kelly demanded.
As Ruby confronted Kelly, Hansel was in the middle of washing off the whiskey Kelly had poured onto him. "I guess I'm going to have to big the hotel to let me use their laundromat or something...or maybe I can have Winter point me to the academy's laundromat?" He mused, blissfully unaware that Ruby had snapped and had gone after Kelly.
"What is wrong with you?" Ruby demanded.
"Me?" Kelly decided to play dumb.
Ruby, however, was having none of it. "Don't give me that! You know what I'm talking about? Where do you get off treating Professor Kobalt like that?"
"I have every right, brat." Kelly narrowed his eyes. "Where do you get off trying to tell me what to do? You do realize you're talking to a superior, right?"
"I don't see any superiors here." Ruby countered. "Just a grown man acting like a school bully, and it makes me sick!"
"Che, the hell did he do to you to make you into his cheerleader, huh?" Kelly looked disgusted.
Ruby was as red as her namesake from the anger she felt. Meanwhile, Hansel was leaving the washroom he had been cleaning himself up in. "What a waste of whiskey, too." He muttered. "Qrow would probably weep if he saw that."
Then Hansel heard the faint sound of someone yelling. "The hell?"
"I'm not his cheerleader, I'm his student, so I think I'm way more familiar with the kind of person he is than you are!" Ruby pointed out.
"You sure about that?" Kelly countered. "You don't seem unintelligent, so you must know about the Tragedy."
"I do, but he had nothing to do with it!" Ruby yelled. "He wasn't even alive!"
"Perhaps, but how long before he causes a tragedy like that, hmm?" Kelly inquired. "Do you even know what it means to be cursed? And he's cursed, just like the rest of that despicable family. Cursed to one day become a monster just like all of them and cause another tragedy. You say you know him, but can you honestly say he isn't a monster?"
Ruby almost did respond, but the memory of Hansel brutally killing Jack the Ripper last night flashed before her. The words were caught in her throat. Kelly's smile turned wicked. "That's what I thought."
Hansel was curiously making his way to the source of all the yelling. That voice was a bit too familiar for his liking. His eyes widened when he heard who it was clearly.
Ruby found her courage and managed to speak in Hansel's defense once more. "Professor Kobalt's rough around the edges, demands a lot of people and can seem very cold and detached." Ruby would acknowledge that much. "But have you ever once considered that maybe he's like that because of people like you?"
Kelly narrowed his eyes. Hansel let out a light gasp at what Ruby said next. "He's also kind and gentle!" Ruby exclaimed. "He cares about my teammates and me, and the people of Remnant! The fact that he actually fights for Remnant as a Huntsman after everything he's been through should tell you the kind of person he is!"
Kelly's hand balled into a fist. Hansel turned a corner and saw Ruby Rose dead ahead, red-faced and glaring at Kelly. Team RWBY frantically arrived as well, having followed Ruby's voice. They all saw what was about to happen next.
"He's a good man!" Ruby declared. "And that's more than anyone can say about a bully like you!"
Nobody saw what happened next, but they did see the aftermath…
Kelly's arm swiped to the side. Ruby's head whipped to the left as she fell to the ground. Kelly's face contorted into an angry sneer. "Damn brat! You don't talk to me like that!" He screamed.
Yang, Blake and Weiss' eyes widened in horror when they saw Ruby clutching her face. He hit her. Kelly hit her. "Ruby!" Blake and Weiss yelled while Yang's eyes turned red with rage.
He's dead! Yang's hair started to light up in flames.
However, one person moved faster than everyone else. Kelly was suddenly slammed against the nearest wall. Someone was grabbing him by his shirt. Kelly grunted from the impact. He was briefly disoriented, his vision turned blurry. He then quickly managed to reorient himself, allowing him to see his assailant.
Hansel Kobalt was staring daggers at him. The combat professor then spoke in a low and deadly tone of voice.
"You hit the kid, I hit you."
Kelly was briefly taken aback by Hansel's anger before smirking. "Oh, so we're finally doing this?"
Meanwhile, Weiss ran over to check Ruby while Blake held Yang back from helping Hansel just mangle Kelly. "You threw the first punch, Kay." Hansel reminded him. "And that punch wasn't even against me. I'm used to people treating me like shit, but you don't go after someone else over me!"
"That's enough, both of you!"
Hansel and Kelly turned to see Winter Schnee walking towards them, flanked by a few Atlesian guards. "Both of you, compose yourselves now!" Winter demanded. "You're both professionals, act like it!"
Hansel glared at Kelly and let go of him. Kelly brushed himself off. Winter saw Ruby being comforted by Weiss and glared at Kelly as well. "What is the meaning of this, Kay?" She demanded.
Kelly scoffed and looked away. Winter narrowed her eyes. "Kay," she growled, "might I remind you that I could easily report you to General Ironwood for this?"
Hansel frowned. "And what exactly is that going to accomplish?"
Winter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Whatever he does to Kay, it won't stick. Guys like this...the only way to put an end to their bullshit is to have them get it out of their system." Hansel noted, staring derisively at Kelly, who glared hatefully at him.
"So what are you proposing?" Winter inquired.
"A one on one match between the two of us." Hansel offered. "Tomorrow in the arena. If he hates me that much, then let's get it all out of his system. Besides, if it happens in the arena, we can settle things in a sanctioned match."
Kelly shoved Hansel away. "Fine by me," he said, "you can't complain about anything that happens in the arena."
Kelly began to walk past Winter. "Kay!" Winter yelled. "You do realize what you've almost done, right? Have you forgotten what we're trying to accomplish here?"
Kelly ignored Winter and continued to address Hansel. "I hope you're ready to be humiliated, Kobalt. Your rep means nothing to the Gunslinger!"
Kelly continued to walk away from everyone. "Kay! Kay, don't ignore me!" Winter yelled.
"Just ignore him, Winter." Hansel sighed. "Like I said, just punishing the guy for how he feels won't accomplish anything in the long-run. If he wants to fight that badly, then it's best to get it out of his system."
Winter scowled but relented. "You realize I still need to report this to General Ironwood, right?"
"I know, but please have Ironwood postpone any sort of punishment until after the match."
"You really want this fight to happen, huh?"
"If this guy hates me that much, he needs to get it all out of his system." Hansel claimed. "Maybe it would be better if Ironwood just punished him, but with the position Atlas is in, favoritism towards someone from Beacon won't help. I'm trying to meet people in the middle here, so I need you to trust me."
Hansel then turned and walked over to Ruby. He knelt down to her. Winter watched this happen and sighed. You say that, but something tells me you also want to fight him in a sanctioned match over him striking Ruby. She noted.
"You alright?" He asked.
Ruby nodded. "Nothing my Aura can't protect me from." She tried to put on a tough face for Hansel.
Hansel sighed. "What were you thinking?" He lightly chided. "Running your mouth off to someone of higher rank could get you into serious trouble, you know."
Ruby looked down in frustration. "I couldn't stand it," she said, "the way he was talking about you...the way he was treating you. It was so frustrating!"
"Why?" Hansel raised an eyebrow. "You weren't the one he was running his mouth at."
"How can you expect me to be quiet when I know nothing he says is true?" Ruby demanded. "You're nothing like that! Someone had to speak up!"
Hansel shook his head. "That's not your call to make. My reputation is my battle to fight, not yours."
Ruby looked at Hansel in betrayal for that statement. Hansel grimaced slightly and sighed. Even if that was true, he could not deny what he was about to say.
"But...what you said...I didn't hate it." He admitted. "It's...well, it's not very often I hear someone call me a good man...and I can't say I hated that."
Ruby's expression softened at that statement. "You gonna be okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," Ruby nodded, "My Aura kept it from leaving a mark."
"Good," Hansel nodded, "honestly, you cause so much trouble…"
Ruby blushed in embarrassment at that statement. Hansel rose up and turned to Winter. "Could you please let Ironwood know what is happening?" He asked. "And again, make sure he doesn't punish Kay until after the match."
Winter sighed. "I still don't agree with this, but I'll trust your judgement on this, Hansel." She relented. "Just...be careful."
"You think I'll lose?"
"With how much he hates you, he'll make you work for it." Winter claimed. "Kay's an ass but he's strong. His reputation as the Gunslinger is quite well-earned."
Hansel nodded. "If you don't mind then, I'll be going out to prepare for my match tomorrow. There's not much else I can do now that I've narrowed down my suspect list to two people."
Hansel then leaned into Winter's ear. "Do me a favor, keep looking into that stuff about Black Ops Specialists here. That might be the lead I'm looking for to pin the culprit down. Normally I'd suggest tailing whoever it is, but if I'm right and this person is former black ops, they'd catch onto that pretty quickly."
Winter stiffened for a moment and nodded. "Understood," she said.
"As for you four, do me a favor and keep a low profile for the next couple of days, alright." Hansel addressed Team RWBY. "I know you all mean well, but please, for me, don't pick any more fights, no matter how justified you feel."
"We'll keep that in mind, sir." Blake promised.
With that, the rest of the day went on with no further incidents. Word spread quickly about Hansel Kobalt's upcoming battle with Kelly Kay. It soon became the talk of the school, much to Ironwood's frustration. Charlie Magnolia, in particular, was a major spreader of this knowledge due to his excitement of the upcoming battle. He liked Hansel, considering he was Weiss' teacher. So of course he was excited.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, however, the spreading of this knowledge gave the Crooked Man a very wicked idea to remove a major thorn in his side.
At the end of the day, Hansel Kobalt was walking the streets of Atlas, thinking about his upcoming match with Kelly Kay. The streets of Atlas were quiet this evening. Which was fine with him because he needed to be alone with his thoughts after a day spent on the outskirts of Mantle training and meditating.
Last night showed me I still don't have myself under control mentally and emotionally. If I lose control against this guy, no matter how justified it would be, I'd only hurt myself and Professor Ozpin. He mused.
Nearby, children were eagerly grabbing red balloons from a lanky man dressed like a court jester with white makeup adorning his face. His jester's outfit was a multitude of colors. He had a very happy smile as he gave the children red balloons. "Thank you, Mr. Clown!" The children all said in unison.
"Of course, of course!" The clown giddily responded. "But I should thank you, after all. Your smiling faces make a wonderful payment!"
The clown then noticed Hansel. "Oh dear, speaking of smiles, that's quite the frown!"
"Run along, children, I have work to do!" The clown then bounced happily towards Hansel while the children waved goodbye and returned to their parents.
Hansel did not notice the clown coming near him. "Hey, Mister! Mister! Come on, let's turn that frown upside down!" The clown requested.
Hansel froze and looked at the clown in bewilderment. "A...clown?"
"That's me! I'm Farben the Clown!" Farben introduced himself. "And I'm here to turn your day from rain clouds to sunshine with a happy, happy rainbow!"
"O...kay...listen, Farben, I appreciate the thought but I doubt you could cheer me up." Hansel walked past Farben.
"Oh dear, don't count out the humor of a clown so easily, Mister!" Farben bounced back in front of Hansel. He looked to be in deep thought for a moment. "Oh, I know! Do you know what would cheer you up?"
"...Okay, I'll bite, what?" Hansel deadpanned.
"A nice joke!" Farben's smile became brighter.
"What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?"
Hansel raised an eyebrow in confusion at Farben's 'joke'. "That's...not a joke, it's a riddle." Hansel corrected. "A famous one at that. Anyway, the answer is man. He walks on four legs at the 'beginning' as a baby, two in the 'middle' as an adult male, and three legs with a cane at the 'end' of his 'day'."
Farben laughed. "Oh that's where you're wrong, my friend!" He explained. "The riddle becomes a joke if you change the answer to something unexpected."
"The real answer is a baby through the entire day." Farben's smile never left his face during what came next. "He walks on four legs in the morning, you chop off his legs so that he can crawl on his hands in the afternoon, and then you give him a cane to hobble about in the evening."
Hansel's eyes widened in horror. He glared in disgust at Farben. "That's horrible!" He exclaimed. "How can you joke about something like that?"
Farben laughed as he casually strolled past Hansel. "Easy," he replied.
Hansel felt a chill run down his spine at Farben's next words. "It's not my baby."
Hansel felt bile at the back of his throat while Farben just bounced away happily, laughing all the while.
"...What the actual fuck is wrong with clowns?" Hansel muttered before turning his attention back to Kelly Kay.
And while the Crooked Man made moves of his own, Gray Jackal did the same, deciding they too could take advantage of this upcoming battle between Hansel and Kelly.
On the outskirts of Mantle at night, three masked individuals draped in heavy winter coats to obscure their forms, identities and even weapons approached a single, hulking behemoth. He wore a mask with a diamond carved into the forehead. A golden crown adorned his head.
"Comrades," the King of Diamonds said to them, "have you steeled your resolve for tonight?"
The three masked individuals all nodded in unison. The King of Diamonds smirked. "Then let us begin!"
A.N: So a creepy clown with a sick sense of humor that hands out RED balloons to children just randomly shows up to cheer up Hansel with a bad joke. Yeah, he's not suspicious at all.
What can I say, I'm about as subtle as a punch to the face.
Meanwhile, King of Diamonds sets his own plan into motion. However, we are actually in the home stretch of the Atlas Investigation Arc, which is great because this was starting to feel like Namek/Hueco Mundo for me.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter all the same. I'll see you all next time.