Chapter 48: Bitter Work

The trip back from the eastern coast of Sanus had been decidedly faster due to our renting an airship, something that both Pyrrha and Winter insisted on… Not that we'd have been able to take the train back.

The train had pretty much been totaled. The majority of its windows had been shattered, several pairs of its wheels had been lost and the engine was in the process of breaking down. It was a miracle that it lasted long enough for us to make it through the mountains.

But despite that, the mission had been a complete success, The Grimm that had been plaguing the eastern railroad track had been killed and there had been zero serious injuries while doing it. Winter was actually in the process of writing her report for what transpired between us and the Grimm, spending nearly the entire trip back detailing her report.

Things were a little… Awkward between us with the whole sleeping bag thing. Waking up after several hours of cuddling into my chest wasn't something she had experience with, but she appeared to be taking it in stride.

Pyrrha on the other hand wasn't bothered at all. We'd shared a bed more than a few times and while we had been wearing less clothing this time, it hadn't been an issue for her. In fact, she'd been smiling brightly all morning.

Feeling the airship touch down, I was jolted from my thoughts. It seemed that we'd arrived at Beacon sooner than I thought.

"That was quicker than I thought it would be," Pyrrha mused aloud, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she stood up. "Not that I'm complaining, but was it even necessary for us to go to all the effort of killing that Grimm when it's so much quicker to travel by air?"

"It's not about the travel time, but the amount that can be transported," Winter answered mechanically, looking up at the redhead. "While travel by air is much faster, they're limited by what they can carry. Military equipment and large quantities of Dust would be too heavy for most aircrafts. That's where older methods of transportation come in handy. Cargo ships and Trains are able to transport much larger loads while using only a fraction of the Dust that aircrafts would need to transport the same amount of equipment."

"I see," Pyrrha hummed. "So, unlike the train we have in Argus, this one isn't really intended for civilians."

"I may be wrong, but I don't believe so," Winter replied. "I'd be happy to explain the logistics behind transporting military equipment if you would like to listen."

They'd probably open it up to the public in the future, but there were definitely better methods of transportation available to the average person than taking a train through the mountains.

Pyrrha gave a slightly strained smile, clearly interested, but also not wanting to spend too much time learning about it. "So long as I'm not being a bother."

Stepping off the Bullhead with my bag on my back, I let out a yawn and stretched lightly. "Why don't the two of you go on ahead? I'll let Ozpin know how our mission went."

"If you're sure," Pyrrha hummed. "I could go for some breakfast and a shower."

"Go relax," I smiled. "You deserve a little break after what you did last night."

Fully trained Huntsmen and Huntresses had died to that Spider Grimm, but Pyrrha who'd only just graduated Sanctum and Winter who was a fairly accomplished huntress had been able to face it without injury.

"I will have to decline on your offer," Winter announced. "I've compiled a detailed report for the Grimm we faced and would like to give it in person."

"That's fine too," I hummed.

There wasn't exactly much to do during the day, especially since everyone was occupied with classes right now. The Amphitheater was likely occupied by a later grade, so we couldn't exactly go there and train.

Heading into the Academy, Pyrrha soon split from the group, heading back to our room while Winter and I continued onward to the elevator that would take us directly to Ozpin's office.

Waiting as the elevator slowly ascended, I shot a quick glance towards Winter who stood at my side, her Scroll securely grasped in her hand.

"I'm glad that you decided to come along," I said, watching as the elevator slowly counted up. "There's something that I need to talk to you about before we meet with Ozpin."

"What's this about?"

"Before we left Argus, I mentioned that I was planning on training Weiss," I explained. "I just want to make sure that you're alright with that."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "I'm not quite sure that I understand. You don't need to ask me for permission to train Weiss."

"I know I technically don't, but I value your opinion, Winter," I replied. "She's bound to draw attention to herself." Specifically the Salem kind.

In the Schnee family, Winter was the one that had the closest connection to Weiss. Outside of that, she was a close friend that I trusted. It felt right to make sure she was alright with this.

Eyeing me, Winter gave a soft smile. "I understand. You're worried she'll attract Salem's attention. That is something I myself have worried about, but Salem's always going to be a threat, regardless of if they have your training or not. I'd rather she has the tools to defend herself than not. Thank you for asking what I thought on the matter. I appreciate it."

"No problem," I hummed, glad that she no longer seemed bothered about what transpired last night. "If you ever want to talk about something, I'm here."

I guess that settles it then. All that remained now was to inform Ozpin that I made my decision on the whole mentoring thing.

The elevator dinged as it arrived at the top floor of Beacon… The Headmaster's office. The man himself sat at his desk, looking up from his Scroll.

"You've returned… I trust that the Grimm didn't give you too much trouble" Ozpin noted, glancing between the two of us. "Where is Miss Nikos?"

"Back in our room… Resting," I explained, stepping off the elevator alongside Winter. "It was a… Stressful mission. Did you know the type of Grimm we'd be dealing with was a giant Spider?"

Ozpin's answer would decide the type of ass kicking I'd give him the next time we had a spar.

"Unfortunately not. Few survived the Grimm's attacks and those that did, didn't get a clear look at it," Ozpin replied. "A giant spider you say? I can't imagine that it was pleasant to fight… Especially on a train without much room to move about. It is no wonder why all attempts at killing it failed. It had a massive environmental advantage."

"It was a little more than an environmental advantage," Winter said, stepping forward. "The Spider was intelligent enough to use other Grimm as fodder in order to damage the train, lay traps and even protect itself using scraps from the other trains in order to protect itself. It also might have had the ability to create smaller versions of itself that it could seemingly control."

Holding her hand out towards Ozpin, a small Glyph formed, before materializing a white version of the Spider Grimm we killed.

Twitching, I ignored my instincts to kill it and remained in my spot. Right… I'd almost forgotten that she could do that. Hopefully she wouldn't use it too often.

Throwing her hand up, the materialized Spider flew upward and attached itself to the ceiling where it promptly propelled down, stopping once it was eye level with Ozpin, suspended only by its web.

"As you can see, it's fairly agile and capable of creating its own webbing," Winter continued, increasing the spider's size to that of a cat. "Its webbing is fairly strong, it's capable of keeping a train from moving and can potentially hold the full weight of a train... At least, that's what I believe. I've compiled a list of notes on its mannerisms that I believe could be useful if anyone encounters another Grimm like this one."

Looking down at his Scroll when he heard it buzz, Ozpin gave an appreciated nod. "This should definitely come in handy. There are a number of Grimm that resemble spiders, but I've never encountered one quite like this. It must have been fairly old."

That was probably the case here. While the Grimm had been a menace, it wasn't exactly that strong. It got by on hit and run tactics and only really attacked when Pyrrha lit it up with one of her incendiary rounds. If not for that, then it probably would have continued to try and take us out from the shadows.

The other Huntsmen that attempted to kill it were likely picked off one by one. The lucky ones managed to escape while the others… I'd rather not think about what happened to them.

Damn creepy spiders.

"I'll certainly be going through this a little later today when I have the time to pay it the attention it deserves," Ozpin continued. "Before I get back to my work, however, there is one thing I would like to know. Coal… Have you made a decision on my offer?"

"I have," I nodded. "And I've decided to accept it."

"Excellent," Ozpin hummed. "I'll be sure to add you as a member of the staff."

Coughing lightly, Winter shot me a questioning look.

"Before we left, Ozpin suggested that I mentor a team," I explained shortly.

Understanding lit up in her eyes. "I see. That's why you asked me about Weiss."

"Yeah," I hummed, before turning back to Ozpin. "I do have a condition. Since the team that I choose will inevitably be taking on more dangerous missions, I want to inform them about certain dangerous individuals to be on the lookout for."

Ozpin locked his fingers together. "Salem's existence is hidden for a reason. Informing others of her before getting to know them could potentially be dangerous. You never know who might crack under the pressure."

Like Lionheart. I understood where he was coming from. Ozpin and Lionheart had been friends and trusted allies before Lionheart betrayed him for fear of what Salem could do to him. The same applied to everyone.

"We don't need to inform them immediately… I only want to let them know that there's a bigger threat out there," I replied.

Ruby and Yang already knew about Salem, but Weiss and Blake didn't. Dumping everything on them at once wouldn't do them any good. Weiss would stress needlessly and Blake… She might run off. Easing them into it on the other hand, would go a long way.

"There are other threats outside Salem, the White Fang being one," Ozpin muttered to himself. "So long as Salem isn't brought up immediately, I'll trust your judgment on this."

"Thank you."

Nodding, Ozpin relaxed into his chair. "Now, I do have to ask if you have any team in mind." Bringing up a projection, he cycled through several of them. "If not, might I suggest–"

"Team RWBY," I finished as he landed on the image of the titular four. "That's the one you were going to suggest, right?"

"I was," Ozpin confirmed. "They meet your criteria quite well. Half of the team is aware of Salem and one is related to Winter here. While you haven't gotten to know the final member of the team, she has a good head on her shoulders."

It also helped that Ruby has Silver Eyes. Ozpin was really pushing for Ruby's team… Not that I could blame him. I also wanted to see how strong Ruby would be with Total Concentration Breathing, her Semblance and her eyes.

"When would I be able to start teaching them?"

"It'll take a day to log you on to the system, so you'll officially be able to start mentoring them sometime tomorrow," Ozpin replied. "They will still have class throughout the weekdays, but as for training and missions… That will wholly be up to you."

That was a little soon, but I'd make it work. The thing I was wondering about now was how I was going to manage the missions Ozpin had given us while helping train team RWBY… Unless he intended for them to go with us which was out of the question for now.

He did mention that there wasn't a time frame for completing the missions, so there was that.

"I can see that I've left you with much to think about," Ozpin continued. "But don't fret. Beacon will offer as much assistance as is necessary. I often find that when I'm struggling with something, a few hours of rest can go a long way."

"I think you might be right," I hummed softly.

I had been up all night. Getting a little rest sounded like a good idea.

"Then perhaps we may talk a bit later," Ozpin replied.

"Actually," I began. "There is one other thing that I was curious about. There was a student that I ran into the other day and I wanted to know how they're getting on in Beacon. Jaune Arc."

Ozpin winced. "Ah, yes… Mister Arc."

Why was he saying it that way?

"He isn't… Dead… Right?"

"Nothing like that. Jaune Arc is alive and well," Ozpin replied, dismissing my fears. "It's just… Well, perhaps it would be better if I showed you." Swiping his hand through the hologram, an image of Beacon's cafeteria appeared, before it began to play.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Students filled and took seats at various tables. The new teams filtered in for breakfast while a few of the older ones that'd been there early left. I was even able to see the newly formed team RWBY excitedly talking among each other… Or well, Ruby and Yang were. Blake and Weiss seemed a little more reserved.

Several moments passed before it finally happened. Cardin Winchester got up from his spot and headed straight towards a familiar rabbit Faunus. Grabbing Velvet's ear, he appeared to be saying something before Nora smashed her lunch tray over his head, breaking it.

Jaune and Ren attempted to calm the situations, but things only devolved from there as they were dragged into the fight they attempted to stop which grew in size as they bumped into some of the other teams.

"As you can see, there's nothing that's physically wrong with him, but he along with the rest of his team do have detention for the next few weeks," Ozpin explained. "They'll be spending a few hours after the day concludes listening to and giving pointers for Professor Port's lectures. It might not be fair on the team, but if only one or two are punished, we'd risk alienating them worse than they already are."

In other words, they were trying to get the team to act more like a team by making them suffer through Port's dull lectures. Whether it worked or not remained to be seen, but there was another problem that Ozpin wasn't aware of… Namely Jaune needing extra training and this cutting into that time.

"I think I might have a better idea for them," I said, rubbing my chin. "Something that would help them grow stronger while still counting as punishment."

Ozpin leaned forward, interested. "A different form of training?"

"Something like that," I chuckled. "It's bitter work... It's one of the first forms of training I did… Not that I knew it at the time. It was before I learned Total Concentration Breathing."

…Breathe…

Jaune Arc sighed for what must have been the hundredth time today. He should have been really excited that he'd somehow made it… That he was here in Beacon. He'd spent so long dreaming about the day he'd finally attend Beacon, but that all seemed kind of muted now.

He was going to be a protector… A hero. It should have been awesome and it had been… Up until breakfast. They'd all been happily chatting with one another until Cardin got up saying that he was going to have a little fun before classes started.

It'd all been a blur. Cardin pulled on some girl's ear, Nora smashed her tray against his head and then they'd all been fighting. He wasn't even sure how it happened. The next thing he knew, he was pulled away from his team and given detention… On his first official day in Beacon as a team leader no less.

His team had spent the rest of the day avoiding each other… Well, he had. Cardin had too. Ren and Nora still stuck around each other. And now here they were… Following their professor around the Academy as he searched for where they were going to be spending their detentions.

"Come along students," Professor Port chirped. "I'm certain that I have the correct location this time."

"That's what you said half an hour ago," Cardin moaned. "This better count towards our detention time."

"Ohoho, no… No it doesn't," Their professor hummed cheerfully. "If wandering around the Academy was your detention, then yes, this would count towards it, but I've been told by Headmaster Ozpin that there's something special in store for you."

"Just great," Cardin muttered. "Why am I even here, I wasn't the one that started the fight."

"Perhaps not, but you will still be attending it with your teammates," Port replied. "Think of this as a team building exercise. By the time you come out of it, you'll be better Huntsmen than you were yesterday." Glancing at Nora, Port's moustache twitched. "Erm… Huntress too."

Cardin grumbled while Nora snorted, sounding amused. Ren on the other hand retained his usual, calm attitude, barely reacting.

"It looks like we've finally arrived," Port announced.

Peaking around Port's larger frame, Jaune caught sight of four large boulders resting on the flat grassy area behind Beacon Academy with someone sitting on top of one of them, seemingly waiting for them.

"Wait, is that…" Nora trailed off, seeing the same person.

"As if," Cardin scoffed. "Why would he be here?"

"You're talking a lot for someone in leg breaking distance," Nora snapped.

"It could be a coincidence," Ren interjected, putting himself between Nora and Cardin. "We know that he's in Beacon, so the odds of running into him are fairly high."

Yeah, Jaune wasn't sure why they were acting like that when it was just Coal sitting there. Now if it had been Spruce Willis, he'd understand.

"Now, now students, let's not do anything that adds to your detention" Port said, twirling his moustache. "Mister Calavera, I presume. I don't believe we've officially met."

…Breathe…

"And you're Professor Port," I noted, hopping off the rock. "It's nice to officially meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Port said good naturedly. "And please… Call me Peter."

"Then you can call me Coal," I replied. I shot a quick glance towards Jaune's team. Three of its members were staring at me with varying levels of confusion. "I see you've brought the team."

"Yes," Port hummed. "These are the students. Jaune Arc, Cardin Winchester, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Together they make up team JCRN… Also known as team Acorn."

That… Wasn't how you spelt acorn… Then again, RWBY didn't exactly spell Ruby, so there was that. Ozpin certainly had a unique method for naming teams.

"Um, Professor Port… Why are we here?" Jaune asked. "Does Coal also have detention or is he here to help supervise or something?"

It seemed that Jaune still had no idea who I was.

"What?! I…" Port was at a loss for words and from the looks of it so were the other members of Jaune's team. "I suppose you could say that he's here to help supervise your detention. Perhaps it will be better if I let him explain things."

"Ah, okay," Jaune murmured.

That would probably be for the best. "There's not much to explain. I saw that your team had detention and thought that, instead of spending hours stuck in a classroom, you'd benefit from some training instead."

"Shouldn't we have our weapons then?" Jaune asked.

"You won't need weapons for this type of training," I replied. "The training itself is actually fairly simple in nature. Each of you will pick a boulder and then try to move it. I've already marked the areas where you need to get your boulders to." I pointed to the areas where a pair of sticks had been stabbed into the ground at different distances. "If you can push it all of the way, then you will no longer have detention."

"Hoho, a test of might. Why I might give it a go myself once they've all had their turn," Port chuckled.

Out of the four students, Jaune was the only one that looked worried.

"Heh, easy," Cardin boasted while walking towards one of the boulders.

"Hold on a second," I said, stopping Cardin. "There is a bit of a catch. Once you get your boulder to the halfway point, you'll push it the remainder of the way without using your Aura."

The students and Port froze at that.

"I don't think that's possible," Ren muttered softly.

Not saying anything, I placed my hand against the rock and pushed, shifting it closer to the others before stopping. Pulling my hand back, I glanced at the small scratch I'd gotten, being sure that they all saw my Aura wasn't active, before dusting it off.

"It seems pretty possible to me," I hummed. "If you're able to push that rock all the way to the end, then you'll be able to summon massive amounts of strength while fighting Grimm. Try thinking about why you want to be a Huntsman or Huntress… That should help."

"Heck yeah," Nora cheered as she rushed forward. Choosing a boulder, she planted her hands against it and began to heave, shifting it forward, already making progress.

The other three members of team JCRN followed suit with Cardin making just as much progress as Nora while Ren struggled to shift his boulder a few inches. Jaune on the other hand failed to move his onw.

It was to be expected. Jaune was currently the weakest of his team… That's why this training was perfect for him, the constant strain would force his Aura to grow stronger. Hell, the strain might even force him to unlock his Semblance earlier.

Once he was able to move his boulder to the halfway point, the only thing he'd be lacking in would be skill and that was solved easily enough by sparring.

"That was quite the demonstration, my lad. Tell me, were you really not using Aura when you moved the boulder?" Port asked curiously.

"I wasn't. Moving a rock that size isn't that difficult when you know how," I replied. "When I first started training, I hiked a mile down hill, cut down a small tree and then dragged it back up where I chopped it into firewood, not stopping even when I'd exhausted my Aura. It was hell, but it taught me how to keep pushing forward and pull out strength I didn't know I had."

Back then, I'd been training desperately, constantly worried that I wouldn't be strong enough for what was to come. It was that desperation that helped me push through the worst of my training.

"A manly story if there ever was one," Port hummed, wiping his eye. "Why, with that level of determination it's clear to see how you managed to kill that Ancient Grimm."

Watching as Ren began to push past Jaune, I turned to see both Nora and Cardin standing at the halfway point, unable to push their boulders any further. I doubted that they'd be able to make much progress with it beyond that point today. Right now they were just trying to brute force it, but there was a trick to Repetitive Action.

Much like how a panicked mother was able to lift a car off their child, they needed a reason to summon that strength. They'd get it in time. As for now, however… They had all the time in the world to get used to one another.

I just noticed that I said this chapter would be posted on the 23rd instead of the 24th. That's my bad. Sorry for giving you all the wrong date. As it turns out, I read my calendar wrong and mistakenly thought Sunday was Monday.

In which Coal gets a team to mentor, Winter gets a new summon (From our Nightmares!) and Team ACRN gets a whole lot of detention along with a side of Repetitive Action training. Jaune needs to level up the noodles he calls arms after all.

As the caveman voices in my head say. "Push heavy rock, get strong, sad voice in head go away."

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 53 on the P word website.

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I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 31th of March.
See you all then dudes and dudettes.