Breathe Chapter 49: Mentor

Walking down the long winding hallway with her team in tow, Ruby scrunched her nose as she examined her Scroll, making sure she was heading in the right direction.

“You sure we’re going the right way this time, Rubes?” Yang asked, peeking over her shoulder to see her Scroll.

“Yes… No… Maybe?” Ruby said helplessly.

Beacon was a lot larger than Signal… At least five times larger, so it was easy to get lost when they were still fairly new… It didn’t help that this was dumped on them at the last minute. They hadn’t even given her any time, just a, ‘The Headmaster requests your presence in the Amphitheatre after class.’

If they’d just given her a little more time, then she could have backtracked and found the quickest route to the Amphitheatre, but since they hadn’t, well… It wasn’t her fault that she got lost.

“Let’s hope that we find it soon,” Weiss huffed. “I don’t plan on being in any more trouble than I already am.”

“We still have plenty of time,” Blake droned. “Besides, we don’t even know what this is about. Don’t just assume that we’re in trouble.”

Raising an eyebrow, Weiss shot a quick glance Yang’s way. “I very much doubt that we aren’t. We might not have started the fight with Team ACRN, but we were involved in it.”

Ruby winced at that.

Right… Yang had thrown a few punches when the fights spilled over to their table and although she hid it well, Blake did trip Cardin and got a few of her own hits it. Team ACRN had been punished for the whole thing and were stuck serving detentions after class every day until… She didn’t actually know when. Maybe a few weeks later? It couldn’t be longer than a month, right?

What she did know was that they came back exhausted muttering about having to listen to Professor Port’s lectures while attempting to move a boulder? She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant and she didn’t want to find out.

Beacon had been awesome so far and she didn’t want to ruin that. If she didn’t have free time, then how was she supposed to service Crescent Rose or come up with cool team attacks or even study so she wouldn’t be behind?

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Yang idly commented. “I mean, I’ve done way worse in the past and it never ended badly. Since we didn’t start the thing, we’ll probably get off with a slap on the wrist… Maybe spend an hour being lectured. After that, we’re in the clear.”

“It shouldn’t be necessary,” Weiss complained, before sighing. “I can’t help but think this whole thing could have easily been avoided,” She said, glancing at Ruby.

“Yeah, well we didn’t, so there’s no point in complaining about it,” Yang replied.

Rounding a corner, Ruby looked up from her Scroll and came to a stop when she saw the entrance to the Amphitheatre. “We’re here.” There was however one slight issue. The doors to the Amphitheatre had been sealed shut.  “This is the right place… Right?”

“We were told to head to the Amphitheatre after class and Beacon only has one,” Blake replied. “Unless the teachers got it wrong, this is the place.”

Ruby stepped closer to the door. “Maybe if we just…” It automatically slid open.

“I guess that answers that,” Yang hummed. Grabbing Ruby’s shoulders, she steered her towards the door. “Leaders first.”

Wanting to argue, Ruby’s attention was drawn elsewhere when she heard the sound of a gun going off coming from within the room. No longer needing to be pushed, she headed through the reinforced door into the Amphitheatre with her team following closely behind.

They didn’t get far before they were forced to stop due to the room currently being in use.

“Wait, isn’t that…” Yang began.

“Winter,” Weiss whispered excitedly.

“I was going to say Pyrrha,” Yang replied. “But yeah, sure. Winter’s there too.”

Not really paying attention to what Yang and Weiss were talking about, Ruby’s entire attention was focused on the fight taking place in front of her… Although it was a bit difficult to make out everything that was going on due to the sheer speed and ferocity of the spar.

Winter moved with the practiced grace of a fully trained huntress. Ducking under Pyrrha’s blade, she brought her blade up and landed a clean hit to Pyrrha’s gut. There was little, if any wasted movement at all. To Ruby’s eyes, it almost appeared cold… Not the way Winter was acting, but the way she was moving… If that made any sense.

Pyrrha on the other hand was completely opposite. Taking the blow to her stomach, Pyrrha barely reacted to it at all as she continued to fight. Grinning excitedly, she lashed out with her shield, taking Winter by surprise, before rapidly bringing her blade down only for it to bounce off Winter’s blade.

She didn’t stop there. Pyrrha continued to attack Winter with a ferocity that Ruby hadn’t thought she’d been capable of in the short time she’d known her.

The way they fought was violent, fast and far above any of them was currently capable of. If Ruby didn’t know better, she would have thought that they were truly fighting to the death.

“Man, Pyrrha must have seriously been holding back the last time we sparred,” Yang commented, equally as amazed by the fight they were witnessing. “I don’t think I can even follow half of what’s going on here.”

Weiss hummed her agreement, before turning towards the blonde. “Wait, when did you and Pyrrha spar?”

“Back at that camp,” Yang replied, tapping her finger to her chin. “Actually, now that I think about it. The first time we ever fought was literally the day we met you.” She grinned. “You remember that day, right?”

“Of course,” Weiss said, letting out a huff of air. “I was organizing the workers and we went to see Coal and Winter in the cab…”

“The cabin,” Yang finished for her, enjoying how the Schnee heiress blushed. “You remember that just as well as I do, right? How Coal was on top of…”

“Shhh,” Ruby interrupted. “The fight’s about to come to an end. You can talk about whatever it was that happened later.”

Winter and Pyrrha separated. Standing several meters apart, both breathed deeply, clearly on their last leg. Moving in a way that was reminiscent of Coal, they both took a stance, Winter holding a blade in each hand while Pyrrha spread out, giving herself more stability.

Almost as if they’d been given the same signal, both suddenly disappeared in a blur of speed and a flurry of movement. Passing one another by, they appeared where the other had been standing, both unmoving as the match had come to an end.

Aura flickering, Winter sheathed her sword, sweat dripping down her face as she breathed heavily while Pyrrha, equally exhausted, stood triumphant, beaming brightly at her victory.

“That was so cool,” Ruby cheered excitedly. “They were so fast and the way they stood at the end … It was almost like something out of a comic book.”

“They were fairly fast,” Blake nodded.

“Winter… Lost?” Weiss asked, not quite believing what she’d witnessed.

“Yeah,” Yang muttered. “Isn’t she some kind of top of the line Huntress from Atlas?”

“I believe the word you are looking for is Specialist, Ms. Xiao Long,” Ozpin piped in from the stands above them. “I see that you’ve managed to arrive not a moment too soon. Please, come in. There is much to discuss.”

Looking among each other, the four girls made their way into the Amphitheatre. Having even less of a clue on what this was about now that they’d just witnessed the spar.

…Breathe…

“Towel? I asked, holding out a pair of towels towards Pyrrha and Winter. The duo took them, giving a short thanks in return.

Pyrrha had done surprisingly well… Not that it wasn’t expected. She’d been growing progressively stronger while learning Total Concentration Breathing. Learning Flame Breathing on top of that only made her all the stronger for it. I’d expected it to take a bit longer, but she’d surprised me... She’d beaten Winter, one of Atlas’ finest in a spar.

It hadn’t been a tie like the majority of the times before where she had a little more Aura than Winter. It had been a full blown victory with Pyrrha coming out as the winner.

Winter hadn’t been slacking either. The two of them had truly given it their all. If they worked together, I couldn’t see very many Grimm giving them any problems. Once they mastered Total Concentration Constant, they’d have a decent shot at taking down the entire Ace-Ops team together.

“I see that they’re here,” Winter noted, glancing towards Team RWBY. “Would you like any assistance in explaining your offer to them?”

I gave it a moment of thought before shaking my head… “No, that’s fine. I’ve got this,” I replied. “You two cool off and get some rest. I’ll handle things with Team RWBY.”

Taking a short breath, I glanced over Pyrrha and Winter one last time, before heading towards the bleachers where Team RWBY stood, talking with Ozpin. From the sounds of it, he was trying to explain how different Kingdoms trained their Huntsmen to the team.

“So what would count as a Specialist for Vale or Mistral?” Ruby asked.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Rose, Vale doesn’t have Specialists. The rank of specialist is used to denote a Huntsman or Huntress that has joined the Atlesian Military,” Ozpin explained, seeing the questioning look on her face, he continued. “If a Huntsman from another Kingdom joined Atlas and became part of their military, then they would be a Specialist, yes. There are no other ranks outside of the military for Huntsmen.”

“That seems kinda unfair,” Ruby muttered under her breath.

“Sooo… Was that all you called us here for today, because I feel like I’ve learned a lot?” Yang asked. “Too much in fact.”

“Actually,” I called out, approaching the stands. “You’re here today because I asked Ozpin to organize a meeting between us. By the way, congratulations on passing initiation, Team RWBY.”

“Ah, thank you,” Ruby replied. “We’re honored that you’re honored that we passed… I feel like I somehow got that wrong.”

Yes… Yes she did and her entire team knew it as well. I wasn’t even sure where she was going with that.

“It’s good to see you again. I trust that you’ve had a pleasant time since we last saw each other,” Weiss said, ignoring Ruby’s blunder.

Memories of a spider from hell and Winter experimenting with said spider that she could now summon came to mind.

“It’s been interesting,” I replied, suppressing a shudder. “I’m glad you made it to Beacon, Weiss.”

A smile crossed Weiss’ face before she turned away.

“So, you think you could clue us in on what this is all about?” Yang asked. “Cause I’m drawing a blank.”

Ozpin hadn’t told them yet? I’d have thought he would at least give them a hint about what we were doing here today. Come to think of it, they were still in their uniforms… He just told them to head here after class, didn’t he?

“I called your team here today to make you all an informed offer,” I explained. “Ozpin and I were talking and he’s agreed to let me mentor a team at Beacon. Not much will change. You’ll still go to class and study, but you’ll also get to train with me and I’ll be the one to take you on missions.”

“You want to…” Ruby began.

“We accept,” Weiss interrupted.

“But I was just…”

“We can’t not accept this, Ruby,” Weiss argued. “The chance to learn from someone like Coal only comes once in a lifetime.”

“Actually, I’d prefer it if you heard everything I had to say before accepting,” I interjected. “There are a few things that I’d rather you need to know first.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What things?”

“Well… Training with me could be dangerous,” I said, glancing at Ozpin. “I do have some enemies that want to see me dead… Hazel Rainart being one of them. There will come a point where he decides to attack and you could potentially be caught in the crossfire.”

Weiss and Blake both seemed to accept my answer. From the looks of it, Ruby and Yang realized the other one that I was referring to.

Salem.

“That’s a legitimate worry, but the pros still outweigh the cons,” Weiss replied. “My answer remains the same.”

“You’ll also have to keep what I teach you to yourselves,” I added. “It ties in with the nature of my Semblance. Only a handful of people on Remnant know how it works… Maria Calavera, General Ironwood, Ozpin, Glynda, Pyrrha and Winter… And after today, the four of you.”

I purposefully left Oscar out. If Ozpin found out about him, he’d insist on having him brought here… Or at the very least having someone check in on him… Hell, even I wanted to check in on him, but knew that would only draw unnecessary attention to him.

“Well, I’m in,” Yang answered. “I’ve already got an idea on what you’re talking about and why you’d want to keep it a secret.”

Ruby tilted her head to the side. “You do?” Seeing Yang point at her feet, her eyes lit up in understanding. “Oh right… Never mind. You’ve already helped me out with my eyes, so I’m in too.”

“I’ve already said that my answer remains the same,” Weiss added. “This is hardly a deal breaker.”

Crossing her arms, Blake sighed. “Keeping quiet about what we learn seems a little needless, but everyone’s entitled to their own secrets,” She said, her eyes meeting mine. “Everyone has their own reasons for doing the things they do. I’ll join as well.”

Blake seemed a little wary, but that was understandable. We’d only met a single time back when she worked as a barista… She had no real reason to trust me… Unlike Ruby, Weiss and Yang, all of whom I’d known for a while.

I was going to need to diffuse the ticking bomb that was her hidden heritage of being a Faunus and former member of the White Fang. There was no reason to let that go off. Unfortunately that was easier said than done.

“Then it’s official,” Ozpin announced. “From this point forward, Team RWBY will be mentored by Coal Calavera. I’ll update the rosters for when missions become available.”

“So what super cool thing are we going to learn first?” Ruby eagerly asked, bouncing on her heels. “How to move faster? Cool weapon tricks? How to do those cool moves you used when you fought that Ancient Grimm?”

“I’ll be showing you how to breathe properly,” I replied, taking the wind out of Ruby’s sails.

“But we already know how to breathe.” Ruby took a deep breath. “See, I’m doing it now.”

“The first technique I developed when I unlocked my Semblance was Total Concentration Breathing,” I explained, pointing towards the monitors where Pyrrha and Winter’s Aura was displayed, filling far faster than should be possible for them. “It’s the first thing I taught Pyrrha and Winter.”

“It’s… Regenerating faster,” Weiss commented. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Hold on. That’s one of your techniques?” Yang asked, shooting me a bewildered look. “I thought you were referring to those other things, like moving faster or hardening your body.”

“Those are some other things I’ve learnt along the way,” I replied. “My Semblance is nothing more than the ability to quantify what I learn. All the strength and power that I have has been earned through months upon months of blood, sweat and tears.”

“If that’s the case then why keep it hidden?” Blake asked. “This could revolutionize the world.”

“Because there would be more than a few out there that would abuse it. Revolution never comes without spilled blood,” I sighed. “Hazel and his group, various bandit tribes, the White Fang. All of them would see this as nothing more than a means to an end. Killing innocent people. I don’t want to unleash that upon the world.”

“Pandora’s box,” Ruby muttered softly. “Once it’s out, there’s no putting it back in.”

“That is an apt metaphor, Ms. Rose,” Ozpin hummed. “What you need to understand, Ms. Belladonna, is that while there are those that would use this power for good, there are plenty that would use it for evil purposes. Take Aura for instance. Plenty use it to fend off Grimm, but some use it to oppress the weak and take what they want. Perhaps there will come a time when Coal’s technique is widespread and common knowledge, but before that happens there will be a vast difference between those that can use it and those that can’t.”

“This is a lot to take in,” Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But I do understand where you’re coming from. There are some out there that… If given the opportunity, would use something like this to hurt others out of spiteful means.”

She was referring to Adam if I’m not mistaken. That’s good… It meant that she somewhat understood just how dangerous it would be if the White Fang learned Total Concentration Breathing.

It was a bit of a delicate situation, but I felt I could trust them with it. Ruby and Yang already knew about Salem and understood the value of keeping things quiet while Weiss would keep it a secret on principle alone.

Blake was a bit more difficult, having had more than a few negative influences in her life, but she wanted to be a Huntress to change all that. It was a bit of a risk trusting her, especially since I’d only met her twice, but that would change with time.

“So, how do we get started?” Yang asked, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

“Well…”

…Breathe…

Returning to his office, Ozpin sat down behind his desk and pushed the sealed box that had only just arrived today to the side, making some room.

Coal’s proposal to Team RWBY had gone fairly well… Smoothly even. Not that he thought it would go terribly wrong. Blake Belladonna had been a bit of a wild card, what with her being a former member of the White Fang, but in the end, she’d proven herself to be a fairly intelligent young lady.

Although… She did remind him of a former student that he’d once trusted… One that he’d granted power to and been betrayed by. Although he knew they were completely different situations, he couldn’t help but draw parallels between Blake and Raven with him and Coal being in a similar position.

It was more than a little uncanny, now that he was viewing it from an outside perspective and led to an uncomfortable line of thought that he immediately dismissed. Ms. Belladonna deserved to be judged on the choices she made, not the paranoia he was feeling.

While the similarities were there, so too were the differences. Instead of worrying about what might be, he’d focus on what is and what he could do to positively influence the outcome.

Removing the tape from the box, he reached inside and pulled a single ingot out. As per Coal’s request, he’d gotten in contact with the man in Argus and obtained the metal he was looking for, but now that he had it here in his palm, it seemed incredibly mundane.

Throughout his incredibly long life, he’d handled a number of arcane artifacts but this metal that was apparently important felt as normal as they come. There wasn’t even a drop of magic in them, but then… Perhaps that was the secret.

Perhaps its mundane nature made it somehow unique. The secret in understanding its potential likely laid in a breathing technique.

Holding the metal close, Ozpin closed his eyes and attempted to get a feel for the metal. Several moments passed before… Nothing. Perhaps he was doing it wrong. Attempting it again, he focused his entire attention on the ingot and…

“Hey Ozpin, I…” Catching sight of Ozpin clutching a piece of metal to his chest, Qrow froze. “…Bad time?”

“No,” Ozpin answered, placing the ingot back inside the box before resealing it. “I was merely attempting something that didn’t quite pan out.”

“I could come back later,” Qrow suggested. “Give you more time to cuddle that… Whatever it is. I’m not judging.”

“That’s quite alright, Qrow,” Ozpin hummed. “Now, what brings you here?”

“I just got back from my little mission,” Qrow replied. “Been searching for any of Salem’s ilk… It’s a little tough when I only know the identity of one member.”

Grabbing his flask, Qrow proceeded to down its contents.

“I see… Then you’ve found something?”

“Yeah, a whole lot of nothing,” He muttered. “It’s quiet… A little too quiet if you ask me. I’ve been meeting up with a few contacts and there’s only been one that’s seen anything suspicious. Apparently Hazel passed through some town a while ago and kidnapped some upcoming gangster… No idea why either. He just knocked him out and took him with him… In broad daylight too.”

“He likely took him for one of Salem’s experiments and is currently laying low due to his newfound notoriety,” Ozpin mused. “It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to wait for Salem to make the next move.”

“Yeah, I figured we’d be doing that,” Qrow sighed. Shaking his flask he scowled at it. “Damn thing needs another refill. So how have things been here? Anything exciting happen while I was gone? Raven hasn’t been giving you any trouble?”

“No more than usual,” Ozpin replied. “Quite the opposite in fact. Now that Coal’s here, she’s refusing to come out of her room and has been avoiding the staff.”

“Heh,” Qrow chuckled. “That’s definitely worth keeping him around.”

“I quite agree,” Ozpin hummed. “It’s one of the many things that made having him on as a part of the staff worth it.”

Attempting to get the last few drops from his flask, Qrow froze for the second time today. “Come again?”

“He’s agreed to mentor a team here,” Ozpin continued, not paying any mind to Qrow’s growing dread. “Team RWBY led by one of your nieces.”

“Ozpin, what the hell?!”

…Breathe…

“You’re a damn bastard, James, you know that,” Jacques growled. “All this red tape and wasted time for what? Absolutely nothing, that’s what! Do you realize how much money you’ve cost me with all of this stalling?”

“I’ll repeat my question,” Ironwood said calmly, holding out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Scowling, Jacques shook his hand. “Yes.”

“Excellent,” Ironwood replied. Releasing Jacques hand, he resisted the urge to immediately clean his own. “Then I’ll get everything in order on my end and release the restrictions on your new mine.”

“If that’s all, I think I’ll be taking my leave, general,” Jacques said, glowering at him.

It was unfortunate that it had come to this, but Jacques had left him with no other option. Jacques had been solely focused on opening a new mine that he didn’t see what was right in front of him.

The Grimm spawning pit that had been discovered was a treasure-trove of information that could end up helping all of humanity in the future… Potentially helping to wipe out the Ancient Grimm once and for all.

This research wasn’t exactly something he could trust with anyone else… He couldn’t even ask Ozpin for advice because someone could potentially be listening in on their conversation through the CCT. Who knows what Salem would do if she caught wind of what he was trying to do here.

So he’d decided to do the smart thing and keep it quiet… At least for now. He’d be informing Ozpin of any potential progress he’d made the moment he met with him in person.

Until then… He’d share the land with Jacques, providing extra security to the mine while he has his own facility built in secret… Strictly off the books. It was the best he could do right now. He just hoped that this wouldn’t somehow backfire.