Inception Of A Grimm Soul - Chapter 2.1 (Patreon)

After combat class ended, Cobalt found himself making his way to the dining hall with a smile on his lips. It wasn't often he got to cut loose a bit even here at Beacon Academy.

In the month he'd been at the academy, not once had he fought anyone strong enough to push him to the point where he needed to use aura augmentation, or generally really use his aura at all.

Today was the first time he'd been matched up with someone within the top ten, and it wasn't like he'd need his aura to dismantle Winchester. Schnee, no Weiss, she'd earned his respect enough for her to refer to her by name, it may have been due to his own hubris for the most part, but she'd surprised him with that little gravity trick, and while he could have broken out without his aura, it would have taken a little bit to do so.

She really was quite amazing, leagues above most of the scrubs at this academy even with her massive lack of experience when fighting.

He'd love to get her to train with him for a bit, that gravity trick would make for a great way to enhance the difficulty of his training and get even stronger!

He walked into the dining hall, ignoring the heated stare of his former 'teammates' at one of the tables across the hall, or the pissed whispers calling him 'arrogant' and other such nonsense.

He'd agree with them about it being arrogance, if he couldn't back it up. And honestly, he was glad to be be running solo at this point. It wasn't even that he kicked up a fuss about his teammates being weaklings on the level of Arc, he could have trained them into something useful, probably. But, they just outright didn't like being led by someone younger than them, and he wasn't going to take their gripes and whispered insults, if they had problems with him they could bring it up to his face or fuck off.

And thus a fight broke out in their dorm room a week into the semester, and he'd kicked their asses like the scrubs they were, he'd even let them throw the first attack as a curtesy. Professor Ozpin was thankfully understanding, and moved him to a different dorm room, and as such Team Steam led by Cobalt Stone was was no longer a team of Beacon Academy.

He made his way over to where the food display counter was, located at the far end of the dining hall. He looked over the great selection of food with an eager grin. If there was one thing he definitely loved about Beacon Academy, it was the food. They went all in on providing the best food, cooked by top tier professionals to give the students the best nutrition for building their bodies up.

'Hmm, let's see, chicken, salmon, choices choices.' he eyed the food options behind the display case. He tended to eat a protein heavy diet because he focused mostly on building and strengthening his muscles. Ah screw it, he grabbed both, and some side vegetables for variety. He honestly didn't mind what he ate, as long as it was edible, he would like it. After all, you couldn't really be picky when you're digging through trash cans for food, now can you?

The cook gave him his plate of food on a tray, alongside his usual protein shake, vanilla flavour and he sat down at the edge of the closest table, sitting his tray on the table and beginning to dig in.

Cobalt was hankering for a good munch. Beacon's classes were very, very different compared to other schools. Classes started at eight in the morning, and lasted until noon. Then another four hours before letting out at five in the afternoon for dinner.

Nine hour school days all said and told counting lunch. But, unlike other students there were only two classes per day at Beacon. Each class lasted four hours. A general class for four hours and then four hour long combat classes.

Monday was Grimm Studies with Port, Tuesday was History with Oobleck. Wednesday was general studies with Peach such as mathematics, Thursday was Military Strategy with Port, Friday was Stealth, Security and Survival with Greene and Saturday was Weapon Crafting and Upkeep with Mulberry.

Honestly, most of it was easy enough to deal with. But, Cobalt had never properly went to school growing up, so he ended up having to spend a lot of time in the library to keep his grades up in Oobleck and Peach's classes.

Once he enjoyed and finished his meal, Cobalt would take an hour or two to study in the library, let his food digest and then he'd go do a light training session in the student gym for three or so hours, before hitting the sack.

He was just halfway through his dinner when he noticed the audible noise throughout the dining hall had dipped massively. He paused mid bite, a bit of salmon on his fork and looked around, everyone around him had their eyes directed to near the dining hall entrance, and there were various mutters going about.

"That's sick."

"Disgraceful."

"Heh, stupid animal."

"Somebody needs to do something."

Huffing in annoyance, Cobalt placed his fork down on his plate and cast an eye down to what everyone was looking at.

"Please stop," a girl pleaded, "That hurts." She was familiar. A pretty brown haired girl with rabbit ears. The faunus girl who was in Cobalt's history classes with Doctor Oobleck, he vaguely remembered the professor saying that the girl had gotten injured the previous year protecting a village on a mission and ended up failing her history exam, so she needed to repeat the first year history classes and catch up.

Velvet something or other was her name. He'd remembered her name mostly because of her good looks, and her delicious thighs and ass that stretched out her red school skirt nicely.

"Heh, I told you they were real!" Winchester, the one tugging on her ears crowed with a vicious laugh.

"What a freak!" green mohawk sniggered, while halberd boy and Bronzewedgie cheered Winchester on.

Not one person got up, despite the mess of them muttering about it and staring on.

"Simply atrocious," a familiar voice echoed lightly, in his ears, a voice he only took the time to remember because of who it belonged to and the challenge she may provide, "I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha Nikos spat.

"He's not the only one." Belladona commented in disgust, looking away.

"It must be hard to be a faunus." Xiao Long hummed, leaning on her face on one hand.

'Are they fucking kidding?' Cobalt shook his head. Were they hunters in training or not? If they didn't fucking like it, why were they just looking away from it?

Cobalt hated idiots that preached bullshit but expected others to do something about what they didn't like. He'd lost count of the many adults he'd come across as a child, who'd made all those boo hoo remarks about him, talked about how sad his situation was, but never did anything about it and expected someone else to help him.

They were the worst types of people.

His mood soured, Cobalt stood up and began making his way down towards the group of idiots and the bunny girl.

As he did, people whom he passed, who had previously been looking away turned back to take in the sight, even as others went completely silent.

He caught sight of Team RWBY and JNPR sitting together as usual eyeing him intently, but he ignored them.

"Oi, dipshit," Cobalt called out as he reached within a few feet of the group, drawing their eyes to him, "Let go of her ears."

"Huh?" The ginger haired Winchester went wide eyed at the interruption before narrowing his gaze angrily on the younger boy interrupting his fun, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to you little shit!?"

Little? Cobalt was six feet tall, little he was not.

His twin coloured eyes narrowed, this weak idiot should know his place already and jumped to obey his words, "Sorry, looks like not only are you a fucking weakling, you're also an utter retard that can't process what he hears properly," Cobalt snorted at him, "I almost feel sorry for your parents, imagine having such a fuck up failure for a son, really it's a wonder they didn't drown you in the kitchen sink as a baby."

The massive teen gaped at Cobalt for a moment, before fury overtook him and he stood up, yanking Velvet's ears harder, "You've got a death wish you little prick!" he snarled and yanked again, taking out his anger on the girl he had in his grip, "I'm gonna smash your stupid little face in until its unrecognizable nerd!" he jerked his head at his teammates as he threatened Cobalt, and they began pulling their weapons out, all except Bronzewedgie or whatever his name was, who hesitated, clearly remembering how easily Cobalt had slapped him around earlier that day.

Cobalt didn't even bat an eye, walking forward towards them, "Heh, what are you gonna do you little pissant?" Cardin continued, yanking on Velvet's ears once more to taunt the boy, "You're really gonna regret mouthing of to your be-"

That was as far as he got before a fist was in his face, lifting him bodily into the air despite his sheer body size and the heavy weight of his armour. His aura was almost too late to absorb the damage, and he slammed into the wall besides the entrance to the dining hall, cratering it lightly before falling flat on his face, groaning in pain.

As amazing as aura was, it didn't make you immune to damage or pain, and it could only absorb so much.

There was silence, all eyes were on him, and near everyone was gaping at him. Cobalt, now standing beside Velvet, his arm around her waist and fist outstretched from where he pulled her out of Cardin's grip a the same time he smashed his punch into the massive ginger boys face turned a glare towards the other three members of Team Cardinal across the table, halberd boy with his halberd in hand and mohawk holding a pair dust cartridge daggers, all three of them though were staring at him with horrified wide eyes.

"If I see you fucking idiots doing something like this again, or you fucking bother me again when I'm eating, I'm gonna cut off your hands and shove them up your pansy asses, got it?" he snarled at them.

"Y-yeah, s-sorry man!" Bronzewedgie literally bowed in fear before grabbing his two idiots teammates and rushing to grab their leader. It took two of them to help Winchester up, his face bruised and his nose broken even through his aura and drag him out of the dining hall.

Cobalt watched them go before snorting and turning back to the girl who's waist he had an arm around. "You alright?" he asked.

"Y-yes thank you," she absently nodded, rubbing at her sore ears, and her eyes staring a bit wide eyed at open dining entrance where Team Retard had disappeared through, "..You saved me."

It was hardly worth being called saved in Cobalt's opinion to be honest, "No problem," he shrugged, "Literally, I could beat those idiots with my arms tied behind my back and a blindfold on."

A light smile spread across her face, "S-still thank you anyway," she said, "I'm Velvet by the way, Velvet Scarlatina."

"I know," Cobalt shrugged, "Though nice to meet you I guess."

"You do?" she blinked.

"I usually make sure to remember the names of really cute girls." he turned his smirk on her and winked, giving her waist a little squeeze.

Her face flushed, and her long brown bunny ears flopped down in embarrassment as she realised what position they were in, "O-oh, uhm, thanks?" she floundered for a response, and gentle stepped out of his grip, it took her a moment to regain her composure, "Really, I mean it. Not many would do what you did." Velvet added, casting a glance around her, at the assembled lemmings who were just watching on.

"They're weaklings who'd rather just stand by and let someone with real strength handle the issues," Cobalt brushed it off, "They're all weaklings, and I'm strong, that's all. Though, the thing I'm wondering is why you didn't just kick his ass yourself? You're a huntress in training right? If you actually managed to pass the first year combat classes, you should be a decent fighter and Winchester is a trashy fighter."

Her ears flopped even lower and she looked to the ground, "...It's my team," she replied lowly, "They're great, but they've gotten into a lot of trouble for sticking up for me over the last year, my leader Coco almost got expelled once. I don't want to cause any more problems for them. My team is like family, if they got expelled, I'll go with them. But...the same is true for them. I don't want me being part of the team being why they left a school like this."

Hmm, he supposed he could get where she was coming from. It wasn't that she was a cowardly weakling taking the bullying because she was too much of a loser to fight back. It was because her team was choosing her over themselves, and she was doing the same right back. It was idiotic honestly, but he could respect that idiocy at the very least.

"Fair enough," Cobalt replied, and promptly spun on his feet and faced the majority of the dining hall looking on at the scene he had caused, "Alright you weaklings. I'm only gonna say this once, so you better fucking listen. If I catch any of you bullying a faunus for racist bullshit in here, not just cute Velvet here, I'm gonna start bullying you, I don't give a fuck what the professors say. And if I get expelled because of any of you? Well.." in plain view of everyone, he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers together.

His shadow surged out from beneath him, and a second later, a massive dark form rose up from his shadow, and a second later that form became a towering Alpha Beowolf, "This is Mike, my semblance lets me make whatever I kill into my minion," he grinned ferally at them all, even as screams of fear and panicked expressions shot onto many a face, "So, lemme make this clear. If I get expelled because any of you force my hand, then you're gonna be Mike's dinner, and then you're gonna be my minion once you're dead, got it!?"

"Y-yes!" a lot of idiots actually stuttered out in terror. Fucking pansies.

This may have been a stupid move. But honestly, Cobalt didn't like this pansy bullshit he saw all around him. And if he didn't like something, well he'd make sure it didn't bother him again as best he could.

He didn't care if he made these standby lemmings his enemies. If they were content to stand around like that, they weren't worth his time in the first place.

Cobalt gave them all a nod, before clicking his fingers and dismissing Mike, retrieving the aura he'd used to summon him back. "There you go, that should take care of that," he turned back to Velvet and smiled at the girl who was staring at him wide eyed and gobsmacked him, "If anyone bothers you, let me know cute stuff." he patted her on the back and made his way out of the dining hall. Those idiots had ruined his appetite, may as well just go study now.