Chapter 1 – The name's Tangery

"How old are you, boy?"

The Salesman asked while he looked at me. What? Why did he ask me that? Was I too young for him to buy a piece of the most expensive steel from Solitas? It was just a piece of steel, one of the rarest metals in Remnant, but seriously, it didn't have anything dangerous on it. No trigger, no blade, heck, not even a sharp edge. Of course, it was way too expensive for the most people around here, but still, I had the money with me already. It was on my credit card.

"I am seventeen years old. Why? Is there a problem?"

I replied. The salesman leaned himself against his market stand and carefully inspected me. He was strong, muscular, and had a full beard which was looking like it covered his whole face. It was market day, which meant that he just built up his stand in front of his actual store. I saw a lot of different stuff on his stand and inside his store.

"That's a young age for someone who tries to buy steel. First, do you even have money, and second, what do you want to do with it?"

I looked at him with the most serious expression I could do.

"Listen, I don't want to casue any trouble, but I really need this kind of steel, I desperately need it for something very important, okay?"

"Really. What's your name?"

Well, at least now I knew that he just wanted to mess with me. He most certainly didn't know who he was talking to. I lifted my hand up so he could see my ring. I wore a black ring with silver outline. The huge T couldn't be overlooked. It stood for my last name.

Tangery. The salesman wasn't naive, but this ring couldn't be out there twice. To make it short, my family, a bunch of criminals, screwed with the wrong people and we got attacked. I came from the continent Sanus, and we lived on the opposite site from the Kingdom of Vale. The largest settlement there and the diamond of Sanus.

The attack and my escape were two weeks ago now. I was wanted for crimes I never committed, and I had to be careful. I always wanted to become a Huntsman, not a criminal. The only thing I did was to take a lot of money from my family and the ring and escape. Since that I tried to forget my past. It wasn't always easy to pretend to be a different person, to pretend that you are just a normal guy as anyone else.

But now I stood in front of that salesman and I needed the steel really badly. So, I didn't see any other way to obtain it. I spoke a bit quieter and said the following words.

"I am Darkin Tangery, the son of Sang Yiriel Tangery. You should know us, right? And don't jump to conclusions; I am only here to get myself some steel. So please."

The salesman stared at me in horror. I was fucked. He knew exactly who I was. And he knew the things that were told about me and my family. The man shouted for help and ran in to his store, closing the door behind him.

I stood there now, with my arm stretched out and baffled. I formed a fist and lowered my arm. Then I went off. That really did just happen, are you kidding me? My goal was even further away from me than before.

I needed to repair my weapon; it got damaged on my escape. And that was the reason why I chose the steel from the salesman. It had the best quality and was by far the best choice I could find.

"Well, not that way then."

I said to myself. I carefully looked around. I stood in the middle of the street. There were a lot of people around, every one of them trying to buy things from the merchants. And all of that occurred in this terrible harbor. I hated this city since I arrived there, and there wasn't even a good explanation for that, too. Maybe I wasn't used to have so many people around me.

And it could also be that I was the only damn one here who was wearing expensive clothing, so everyone stared at me. A cropped black leather jacket which I wore loose. Silver embellishments decorated the whole jacket, and the right side got modified with a great slice of yellow dust, which allowed me to shoot lightning at my enemies if I wanted to.

I sewed it into the clothing so I could use it in fights. It proved its worthiness already, in a lot of fights. I wore yellow trousers and a dark gray waist coat, covering my bright yellow shirt. My bang yellow scabbard normally hung down from its belt on my left waist.

But my beloved sword got damaged, so there was no point in taking it with me. But I had my knife with me, my secondary weapon. Its little scabbard was strapped on my right leg. I looked around in the street.

My surroundings were not clear for me for a second. Everywhere colors, banners, people who purchased stuff. The warm air coaxed, this entire story started in the middle of the summer, forty one years after the Great War.

The sun shined bright on the windows which reflected the light into my face. I turned around and ran directly into a soldier. I got knocked back, but I stiffened and stared at him. There were five of them. White soldiers. Atlasian soldiers, all the way down here from their continent Solitas, or to define that, Atlas. They tracked me down to this city. I slowly looked up and into his face, but it was covered by the black visor which was in front of his helmet. He looked down at me. Their emblems told me that they were just normal soldiers, no elite fighters or something like that.

"Hey, aren't you the young Tangery?"

I bent down a little. My left hand laid flat on my left chest, while I held my right hand behind my back. I smiled very provoking and said friendly.

"They don't call me the young Tangery, but okay, if you want to call me like that,

it is okay, too. I actually am Darkin Tangery. It is nice to meet you."

I stood upright again and held both of my hands behind my back. I angled my head to my right and asked.

"Why, is there a problem, or can I help you with something, Atlas Soldiers?"

I always had been a little irrational in some moments, mostly in which I was forced to think fast and precisely of what my next move should be. And they knew who I was so or so, in that case, it was useless to try and pretend like it was a misunderstanding.

"We know who you are. We arrest you in the name of many important families, the court a nd in the name of the royal army."

"Nice try, really."

I pointed a finger at myself.

"But the young Tangery needs to go, and I won't go to a prom, so I don't need a plus one. Or, a plus five in this case."

The soldier grinned at me confidently. He laid his hand on the holster of his gun.

"Pathetic till the end, huh?"

I winked. I didn't want to continue this conversation. It was a pure waste of time. This situation had to end in a fight. I did not have to fight before or to kill. I also wanted to be able to prove my innocence in the future. Murders weren't an option. I closed my eyes.

"My father always said that I can take care of myself,

so I don't need people watching over me."

With a strong jump, I escaped from the soldiers. I landed on one of the banners which were hanging over the street. The soldiers were surprised. I bowed again and said loudly.

"I wish you all a good day."

The people and soldiers stood under me. Some wanted to take photos with their scrolls. The soldiers aimed their weapons at me and shot. I ran over the metal pole of the banner and escaped the soldiers. I jumped and landed on a flat roof. I unrolled myself and looked around. A brick chimney had attracted my attention.

I climbed up the chimney and crouched as soon as I was on top of it. I saw my hideout from up there. It wasn't possible to rent a hotel room, I was still wanted by a lot of people, and there was a lot of money set as a bounty on my head. And my name was known well at the moment; therefore, I had to be as careful as I was able to.

My hideout stood only a few hundred meters away. I could have reached it without having the need to use the streets. I jumped down onto the roof and jogged into the direction of my destination, until I heard a voice behind me.

"Stop, Tangery. You are arrested."

I turned around and stared in the face of the soldier behind me. He also carried a helmet and his visor was folded down. He pulled a sword. It was one of those anti riot swords. It wasn't Sharp. He pointed a finger at me.

"I wanted to kill a Tangery for a long time now. Too bad I wasn't present at the raid."

I lowered my head and fixed my look at his weapon.

"Let me clarify this. You want to threaten me with your petite plastic sword?"

I leaned back. I sank down a little and held my left hand in front of me. My right hand walked down my right leg to my secondary weapon on my right thigh. It was a long knife. Its blade appeared flat black and had been well sharpened.

The grip was wrapped up in yellow noble materials. Close to the end of the blade was a golden ornament. I pulled it slowly out of the scabbard. The metallic scratch sounded.

"My fighting style was taught me by my father, and I haven't been bad in my practicing.

I hope you have heard of his abilities."

"We will see, very soon."

The soldier said. He stormed at me. He was strong, big and heavy. His walk generated vibrations on the roof. I felt how I stepped back and waited for the right moment. I thought about a way to perfectly hit him.

I was quick and agile. Small. Compared to him I was weak, but I got something that he didn't have. I had a Semblance.

The soldier rushed towards me and lifted his sword with all his strength. He wanted to strike it at me, but I ducked and unrolled myself. Its blade hit in the ground and caused the one area of the roof to rip. He turned his in my direction. I got up and made a somersault in his direction. I turned my body to the right and stretched out my right arm.

The blade of my knife struck the helmet and caused it to nearly rip apart. The soldier tripped backwards. I landed where he stood before. He laid his hand on his helmet and stared at me. He hit after me, but a skillful back flip brought me out of his reach. I landed and pushed off.

"You are a coward. Fight me like a man."

The soldier shouted at me. He had definitely no fun anymore.

"Then we have something in common. I still need to consider what I do the rest of the day."

I ran backwards. After few steps I stopped and felt another chimney behind me. I was used in my abilities. It was time to use my Semblance. I went into attack position. I positioned myself at the chimney, with one foot being based at the chimney. I held my knife in front of my face. My left hand formed waves in the direction of the soldier. A black veil of shade and darkness pulled a track of shades across the roof.

I ran. The shade wrapped around me. I remembered where the soldier stood. He could not see me. I jumped. It was important to remember where he stood. I turned forwards and gave him a strong kick against his breast armor. He was surprised and stumbled back. He fell over the edge of the roof.

Following the noises, I was sure that he fell into a fruit stand. I heard clattering and breaking wood. I turned around and began to run to my hideout. I jumped over the narrow streets, about obstacles on the roofs, just as these would be tears in the ground. Soon I reached my hideout. To hide my primary entrance, I had covered a big window with some curtains. I climbed in the attic and closed the window.

My hideout was an abandoned bookshop. The equipment had come down, but the large part of the books was still there. I walked around in the attic. I walked past a bed which was placed there. Some cardboard moving boxes stood in between. A full wardrobe came next. The previous inhabitants of the house had it quite in a great hurry. I ran past a pile of tins and drinks. Though I was no Tangery anymore, but by the monetary heap on which my family sat, I did not need to beg. I reached for a bottle of lemonade and sat down before my impromptu workbench. I have simply tipped over a cupboard and got myself some tools.

On the cupboard laid Destiny's Sun. It was my weapon of choice. A sword, equipped with some very useful functions. It was a dust-Grey bladed sword with decorations. The grip was wrapped in yellow wool.

A special sign of the sword was the mechanism of the gun. It sat between the blade and grip. The magazine was located inside the hilt of the sword. The magazine could be simply pulled out. The whole mechanism was protected by a silver-gray guard. And this was the trouble maker.

The guard got damaged.

I reflected a bullet when I escaped from the raid, however, the bullet got stuck in the guard. Since then I did not use my weapon anymore, because I feared that it could become worse. And this was the reason why I needed the steel from the salesman.

I had to repair my sword. And, perhaps, I would also exchange a part of the blade; I would simply exchange it with that indestructible steel. I opened the bottle of lemonade and took a swallow. I set down the bottle and supported myself on the workbench.

I had to get that steel. Maybe the salesman had a secret which I could use to my advantage. But where could I get such information? I needed to find a place which was full of information and stories. A place that was visited by the people who could know those things. I looked out of the window.

The light which shined through the glass spread warmth in the attic. A place where rumors walked around faster than a waitress. This harbor just had to have a good spot for stories, I mean, it was a place where a lot of people arrived and went off. I knew where I had to look. A bar.

I wandered through the streets. It was dark. The moon threw its soft light at the streets and the windows. I thought that it would be more likely to find the right people to talk to at night time, rather than on the middle of the day.

I needed gangsters, bad people. The people everybody else feared. And I knew how to find the right one, and I also knew how to talk to such people. I lowered my head and pressed the door to the bar open. First rule, I must not look at a man directly, they could get upset by that alone. Do not stare at somebody directly. No grimaces. I simply had to mind my own business. I looked around carefully. Everywhere were dangerous people.

I saw some people which may have fitted into my pattern. I saw somebody who had his hood deep in his face. Welder's glasses covered his eyes. He talked with a man who sat in front of him. I saw how he pulled his jacket to the side and pointed at a lot of weapons.

No. This man was a killer, no candidate for me. My stare wandered to a pool table. Some people played there, listening to the pretty sounds of hard guitar riffs and deep drums. I liked that kind of music, too. A woman danced in between those guys, probably for the man who sat on a chair and drank beer.

The only information I could get from them would be their names, and even that would have led to a brawl. At least two dozen of people sat everywhere in that bar. Everybody played cards, talked or waited for applications. My look wandered to the bar. A barkeeper with a noble mustache wiped the dark brown wooden bar with a piece of cloth. A little further on the left sat a man who looked quite drunk. It seemed almost thus as if he fell of the chair at any second. Nevertheless, one guest attracted my attention. He did not fit in at all. I was too pensive for a few seconds and stared exactly in the direction of the bar.

The door shut with a loud bang. All people in that bar looked to me. Everybody stared at the fine young man, in good clothes and a sword on the hip. I had taken it with me actually, but only for the deterrence. The bang-yellow scabbard from my sword hung straight across my back. I carried the sword almost vertically with the grip pointing upwards. I had built the device of the fixture so that it allowed me to carry it in different positions.

I nodded once and went to the counter. The people in the bar devoted themselves again to their activities. I arrived at the counter and said.

"One glass of water, please."

The barkeeper looked at me and asked forcing.

"Ain't you old enough to drink some real stuff?"

I took out my metal case with cigarettes and replied simply.

"Yeah, but I also don't want to be drunk at the morning already."

The barkeeper smiled greedy and prepared a glass of water for me. I tapped against my steel cigarette box and took out a cigarette, which I then placed in the corner of my mouth.

"Don't you know that smoking kills, boy?"

I stared at the entrance of the bar.

"It surely is better than getting attacked by a Grimm, right?"

The barkeeper nodded and put the glass of water on the counter. A little bit of water got spilled onto the dark brown wood. A creature of Grimm. Surely there existed nothing more frightening than a monster like that.

"A quite interesting point. I need to ask you something. If you had to pick one word to describe yourself, which one would you pick?"

The man next to me asked.

He wore glasses and had dark brown hair with some gray highlights. He was wearing a black suit. A gray jacket and black trousers.

His eyes were pale blue. He stared at his cup of tea.

I lit the cigarette and breathed in. Then I pressed a small button on my steel box. A small and very sharp blade shot out of the box. For emergencies. I smiled.

"Unpredictable. That is the best description for me."

"Interesting. An efficient word, yet without any real meaning, no real message which is clear to the man spoken to. However, it is only a seem to a person which is deceptive. As long as the described person acts to accomplish the descriptions resemble. And there are enough possibilities which are suited for exactly that."

He took another sip of his tea, then he stared at me through his glasses. They reflected the light in the bar. I sat down and leaned my body against the counter.

"And what did you want to accomplish with that question? You know what I think of myself, why is that so important to you?"

"What if I told you about my plans? I bet you don't know who I am. Why would you believe me, and why would you even trust me?"

"Well, I have to disappoint you, sir; I don't have the slightest clue who you are. Who are you anyways?"

The man smiled eerily.

"It doesn't matter who I am, and it definitely doesn't change anything for now. Let us say I am a man who is interested in you."

"Interested in me?"

I repeated wondering. My cigarette wandered around in my mouth. Again, I looked around carefully. All the people were still minding their own business. I winked and stared at the man.

"Why the heck would you have interest in me? You don't even know me.

Or are you from the military?"

"I wouldn't call me a man from the military, you see, I have a great knowledge of people and families alike. And only one look at you tells me that you originate from the Tangery family. Probably Darkin Tangery. I must say, it is an honor to meet you in person."

I stared at him. There was no way he could have known for sure. But I remembered the reason in the same second in which he revealed it.

"Your clothing, Darkin. Am I allowed to call you like that?"

"No, there is no need for that. Call me the way you want. I don't like my last name anyways."

"Of course. Well, Darkin."

He moved closer to the counter and folded his hands. He looked at me resolutely.

"Let us talk. I know exactly what you have planned, and you need help."

"What do you conceal from me? Who are you?"

"The army is nothing compared to me and the faction I work for. It is not from meaning, too, at least for now. Listen closely. The trader is corrupt, and guess how he got that steel. He got it on unlawful ways. Of course, that does not justify your plans, but what is really legal in this world? Nothing. Be careful however."

"Believe me. I am careful enough. I have not been arrested yet."

"That seems legit. Though, I wouldn't recommend being loud. The soldiers and city guards are very present there. Especially at night time."

He took a final sip of his cup of tea. Then he stood up.

"But I don't think that it will be such a hard thing to pull off for you, you are very clever. If you want to talk to me again sometime, you will find me here."

He took his walking cane and walked past me. I turned around.

"Wait. I still don't know your name. How should I call you?"

"Greystep."

The mysterious man responded. He didn't turn around; instead he walked straight for the door.

"Mister Greystep. That is enough."

Then he opened the door and went out. I looked after him. Then I turned around to the bar. This man was quite interesting. If only I knew who he really was. But as he said, I would figure it out soon enough.

For now, I had to repair my sword. I drank the remaining water, then I put it the empty glass on the counter. I stood up and laid down some coins for the barkeeper. The barkeeper took the money and counted it. I walked towards the entrance.

"Wait, young man. You paid too much."

"Change is for you; keep it for the good service. Later."

I opened the door and went out. It was nearly as warm outside as it was in the bar, even though the streets were dark. I looked around in the alleyway. I found no trace of Greystep. He simply vanished. The street was completely empty, except for some lonely people who sat around and were drunk.

Either that or they were on their way to their homes or destinations.

I decided to walk home and prepare for a homicide. I had to get the steel. So there was only one way for me.

Darkness everywhere. It was pierced by the light of street lamps or houses sometimes. Nearly everyone in the town was asleep. It was exactly midnight. I sat between a few trees and waited for some guards to pass by. I figured that it would be best if I waited for the next guards to pass by, to gain more time. And really, two city guards walked around. They had a conversation going on as they passed me.

"Of course. They deliver nothing but discord to us all, and we cannot use that here at all. Imagine how many Grimm attacks could get us."

The other guard shook his head.

"The soldiers act thus as if they were the best ones around here. Have you seen them how they walk around? You see us, pals? We are player, look at us."

"Don't talk that loud. None of them shall hear that. They are only after the Tangery anyway. We must keep the order around here. This does not concern us at all."

"However, is it not dangerous, to have the son of Sang Tangery here? What does he want here?"

"I have no idea. Maybe he is only on travel."

The guards left the street. I waited for a few seconds, then I went out of my cover. I looked around but saw nobody around. Perfect. I snuck to the store and took a look inside through the windows. Darkness.

The steel was nowhere to be found. I took my credit card out and opened the door with it. Actually, I didn't expect the door to open that easily.

I silently walked inside the store and closed the door.

"Huh. There is a lot more stuff in here than I expected. Now where is that steel?"

I said to myself. There were swords, decorations, kitchen accessories, and a lot of different stuff. Antiques, weapons, maps, books, furniture and tools. I stared at the shelves. Everywhere were figures made out of metal or wood. Some medals laid around in the cupboard. Forty one years ago was the last day of the Great War.

There was no bigger conflict in the history of mankind. But a special piece in the whole store got my attention. It was a shield. It hung on the wall. The symbol on it seemed to me quite famously. I stared at my shoulder.

It was the same symbol. The symbol of my family. And because the salesman probably collected antiques from all around the world, then this could mean only one thing. It had to be either a shield belonging to one of our soldiers, or it came directly out of my family. I stepped closer. The shield was black; the borders were outlined with gold. The families' symbol was silver. I stared at it and shook my head.

It was probably a shield of my family, but I did not know from whom. At the moment where I wanted to withdraw my stare and to continue my search; it got bright in the store.

I turned around and saw the trader. I laid my hand on my sword. The trader held a gun in his hand.

"What are you doing here? The store is closed. Above all, for you."

"Why? Am I not welcome because of my name?"

"Certainly. I never want to make a deal with a Tangery again."

He pointed at the shield. I had a suspicion what he meant with that.

"I spent my whole life time with serving the Tangery family, buying and selling shit, for some obvious reason. I crossed the borders with important trophies and artifacts, only for your family. But since the recent events... I see that you think you're the next in line for the families' inheritance. You know, the ring. Isn't your sister the rightful inheritance?"

I looked at my hand. It sat on the swords grip. The ring. I stared right into his eyes. The shop owner still aimed his pistol at me.

"Yes. She would have been, but the raid on our family got me to the conclusion that it wouldn't be necessary anymore. There is no Tangery anymore, I bet."

"Oh, trust me. There are more survivors than you think."

I looked around in the small shop. The decorations. The symbols and artifacts everywhere around me. I was curious.

"What is this place? It ain't just an ordinary shop, is it?"

"You are damn right, boy. It was a small spy like access point once, prepared and managed for the undercover soldiers and spies, all of them belonging to your family. I was one of them. I kept this place looking like a shop for all sorts of goodies,

but everything was just a cover up. Sadly though."

The man lifted his gun up. He aimed the pistol at my head now.

"You are not going to tell anybody of this, and you won't get away from here. I bet you bring a lot of money with you, according to all of those soldiers. And even if you defend yourself, your head will probably bring me a lot of honoring and stuff. And it would be a great opportunity to point a middle finger at your family. What is it going to be, kid?"

I pulled my unfinished sword out of its scabbard. Just an inch. I held the sword a bit more downwards and crouched a little. Then I said.

"None of these options. Unfortunately for you, I always have a plan C. Every time, everywhere I go. But, since this situation hasn't escalated yet,

why did you abandon your loyalty to my family?"

"Why? That's because I always hated you all. I was forced to do this stupid job over and over again. And sometimes a person changes. I have decided that this is what I want to do. To finally be free."

I tried everything I could to get out of this mess.

"I have nothing against your opinion, and I don't resemble my family either. Especially not the things they did. So why don't you just let me leave,

and I swear we will never meet again."

"I don't want to. I will spend your bounty with pleasure."

"Then I am sorry."

Then the fight started. The man pulled the trigger and the bullet made its way towards me. I was prepared though. Within one smooth move I pulled out my sword and cut through the air in front of me. The bullet struck the blade of my sword and was cut in half. One half of the bullet struck into the wall, the other one went into the shield. The man was obviously surprised by that, and that gave me an advantage for my next move. I made a three sixty on my left foot, the other leg angled and held up.

I wielded my sword and held it in front of me. I did a little movement with my hand and the sword was in my primary position. The tip of the blade was pointed in the direction of the man. I prepared myself for the next step. I had to use my Semblance, without the man noticing it.

He continued talking.

"I see. You can fight. But every second you waste, the more people will be attracted by the noise we make. Give up now. It doesn't make sense to fight."

I grinned. I let my fingers snap. A black shadowy line of dust and smoke appeared between us. Then I jumped in the air, wielded my sword and rushed down at the man. He had lost me because of my semblance.

I struck down at the shop owner. He saw me in the last second and made a swift move to the side. My sword cut the table behind him in half. The loud crashing was surely heard by someone somewhere in town.

I unrolled myself and turned around. The man turned to me and held his weapon at me again. I ducked, and the next shot missed me again. It destroyed one of the big windows of the shop. Again I tried to injure him. And it nearly worked.

I held my sword in a straight line and aimed it at the man. I thrust it and got him. I cut him at his hip but had used way too much energy on that leap. The man used his opportunity and punched me. My Aura prevented me to get hurt badly, but I still stumbled into a shelf and fell down.

My sword slid over the ground and kept lying next to a showcase full of daggers and short swords. The shop owner put his hand around my neck and pushed me against the wall. I couldn't get any breath.

I struggled and tried to get out of his grip. He laughed as he saw me struggling like that. I hastily looked around and tried to find a way to free myself. My vision slowly blurred. But I saw something. I punched him in his face. I just noticed that he had a scar going across his left eye. It obviously hurt him a lot, because he let go of me. I fell to the ground again, but I got breath again.

The man stumbled backwards and held his free hand over the scar.

"Son of a... My eye."

He shouted.

"You won't just give up, fine. We will do it the hard way."

I breathed heavily. I stood up but wobbled. The shop owner aimed his pistol at me again. I didn't have my weapons. My knife slipped out, too. The only thing I had now was my semblance, but I felt too exhausted from the choking to use it again right now.

I leaned my body against the wall behind me and stared at the gun. I suddenly felt something behind me. It was the shield. It hung behind me. I instantly got an idea. I grabbed it with both my hands. The man didn't notice it. He was way too fixed on killing me. I tried to concentrate again.

"You really want to liven this place up, huh?"

I said, still a bit stammering. I tried to calm down, but my adrenaline was way too high for that to work.

"You just destroyed the whole shop. We both did, see it the way you like.

But I am getting tired of this shit."

"You and me both, kid. Prepare to die. Say goodbye."

He answered smiling, still heavily breathing. I giggled. The man became a bit impatient.

"You're still not shitting bricks. That is interesting indeed.

Again, it reminds me how much I hate you Tangerys."

I made the first move. I didn't let go of the shield. Instead I turned around as fast as I could. I used the wall behind me to push myself off with speed, still holding on to the shield. I let go of it in the middle of my move.

The shield cut through the air with immense speed. It hit the man's gun out of his hand and crashed into the shop counter. The shield was then stopped by the showcase behind the counter. I heard a loud noise; something very massive and heavy fell on the ground. The steel bar.

I started to run towards the man. He looked towards me. He prepared to take a swing at me. He thought I would attack with a jump again, but I decided to slide over the ground towards him and give him a blow to the knee. It worked. He kneeled and cried out.

It surely was a lot of pain. I stood up and stared at the cash register which got knocked down by the shield. The man stared at me, he was in rage.

"You dumb little boy!"

"You're welcome."

I said unemotionally. I walked around the counter to find what I needed. The steel. I picked it up and stuffed it into the pocket inside of my jacket. Then I walked towards my weapons to collect them. I walked pass the man without looking at him. I let some money fall on the ground in front of him. He stared at it and then giggled.

"Really? Now you mock me for losing a battle?"

"Nope. I am paying for the steel. The destruction of your shop is your fault. Next time you should listen to your customer. This could have been avoided, you know."

I said and bent down. I took my sword and my knife and put them back into their scabbards. I took a last look at the shop owner. He was doubling over in pain. The former spy and cooperator for my family. I turned around and walked out of the store. It was time to go; otherwise this place would be swarming with soldiers.

I opened the door and walked out, then I ran towards my hideout. I wanted to avoid any encounters with soldiers or the police. The darkness was my cover. I ran past the soldiers and the police who were on their way to the shop. I smiled. I got it. I held the steel in my hand. I finally got what I needed.

"Huh!"

I breathed out and thrust my sword into a shelf. The unused furniture worked as a good target. I kept my pose for a second while I held the sword upside down in the direction of the wall. My eyes stared directly over the sharp and thin blade.

A few holes in the roof let the sunlight pass through, the stripes of sunlight were filled with little particles of dust. I moved towards my starting position. It was a piece of carpet which laid on the floor. I used it to mark a point, from where I would start attacking the furniture. My look wandered over to the rope which was hanging from the ceiling.

I concentrated, jumped at it and spun. I hit the rope with the blade and it fell to the ground. Then I wielded the sword around and swung it again. The hat stand which I had placed there was cut into two pieces. I pulled the sword back to me and held it up, next to my head. I did it. I repaired my sword. It took me a long time, though.

I went asleep when I arrived at my hideout last night. I needed rest if I wanted to visit Greystep again. I instantly went to work and repaired my beloved sword after I woke up. I called it Destiny's Sun by the way. It was a part of me, it was brave, loyal and I really loved it. It was the most important thing I possessed.

Of course, it was just a sword, a weapon like every other, but it was something very special to me.

I built it by myself. Well, with the help of my father though. Back then, when things were better between us. Nowadays? I didn't even want to see him.

"Well, Destiny?"

I asked my sword.

"How do you feel, now that you are healed again? I bet you like it. If only you could talk."

I smiled. I slid the sword into its scabbard again. Finally, it was ready to fight for me again. I looked around. The furniture which was cut in half laid around all over the floor. My next task was to get a clue what I could do with my spare time on that day. Maybe I would give the inn another try. Maybe there was this mister Greystep again. It was interesting to talk to him. Well, what could possibly go wrong? I went to the table and picked up my jacket and my belt. I had all kinds of different things on it.

Three little pouches. A small chain was strapped around the belt. The pouches were filled with all kinds of stuff. A few useful things to pick locks. A map of Mistral, especially for the coast area. A lighter. Next to the pouches was a little ammunition bag. It wasn't much bigger than the two three pouches.

I kept my ammunition and the dust for my weapon in there. My sword had the ability to switch between a sword and a gun. All I had to do was to bend the grip of my sword with a little bit of strength. It would trigger a mechanism which would pull the long blade inside the guard and extend the pistol and the barrel on top of the sword. And it would also extend the magazine of the gun.

I used normal bullets, but I could let the bullets be soaked with dust, using a mechanism including a small tank of liquid dust above the barrel. Next to the ammunition bag were the pouches for my spare magazines.

I carried two of them at the moment. To be concise, I was prepared for every situation which could occur.

I put on the belt and walked towards the door. I put on my jacket and opened the window. I climbed out and closed it again. I walked across the roof. I was on my way towards the bar again, but I needed to see something. I made a little turn and went to the location of the shop, and the shootout last night. I carefully looked at the street below me. There were a lot of barriers all over the place. A lot of people looked at the scenery.

Many people, which didn't understand why something like that would happen in their neighborhood. A few officers stood around and tried to get a clue what happened there. I shook my head and continued traveling to the bar. I was presented a little surprise when I arrived there. It wasn't filled with bandits.

It was completely empty to be honest. Not one guy was there. Except for the barkeeper. Again, he stood behind the counter, and again he was cleaning it. I let the door close itself and walked through the bar.

I looked around, without moving my head. The chairs, the tables, the pool table. Everything was empty. It was dark, too. Some of the lights on the ceiling weren't running. I arrived at the counter and asked.

"Hey there. What happened here? Where are all the people?"

"Nothing happened. It is the middle of the day. They are all minding their own business

right now. A glass of water?"

"Would be nice."

"Coming right up."

I sat down. The barkeeper filled the glass of water and put it on the counter. This time not spilling any of it. I heard how the door was opened slowly. The one who opened it was obviously careful, for some reason.

I didn't like this at all. I slowly let my hand wandering towards my swords hilt. I felt the pointy pommel. I grabbed the grip and stood up. I hastily turned around and bent the grip of my sword. The transformation began, and my sword shape shifted into a gun in less than two seconds. I aimed at the person which came into the bar. It was dark, and the man walked in the shadows. I didn't recognize him at first, but then he said.

"Hello Darkin Tangery. Don't be afraid, it's me."

I quickly loosened the stiffness in my arm and held the gun down. I said.

"It is good to see you, sir. I was afraid that this would be a trap."

"You can trust me." He answered casually.

I bent the grip again, and the sword transformed into its previous formation again. I put my sword into its scabbard again.

"After all, you just pulled off your little homicide. A pretty interesting, yet worrying outcome. What did happen there?"

He walked towards me.

I took out my box again and lit up a cigarette.

"Sounds you already saw it."

"Of course. The whole city talks about that incident. Shots fired and everything."

I took a breath and stared at the wall. I leaned myself against the counter.

"He apparently wanted me to tear up the whole store back there. I couldn't influence him to just sell me the damn steel. And then he attacked. Or it was me, I don't know anymore.

It went off quickly."

"I see."

Greystep said peacefully. He arrived at the counter and nodded to the barkeeper. He served him a cup of tea. I took another breath of my cigarette, but this time I kept the cigarette between my lips. The smoke was like a cover in front of my face.

"You had no choice; I knew it all the time, somehow. However, the man who was running the store vanished. He isn't here anymore."

"Really?"

I asked surprised.

"Where did he go to?"

"Who knows?"

Greystep said simply. He took a sip of his tea.

"There are many places he could have gone too.

But to find him in the next weeks… impossible."

We both were silent for a short time. Then I broke the silence with a question which would change everything for me.

"And what now?"

I asked slowly. Greystep looked at me with an asking expression, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was playing with me.

"What do you have in mind?"

"You see, the first we met, you said that it wouldn't be necessary to really know you for the moment. I think that it is time that you reveal who you really are."

He smiled. He pointed at the wall which I was facing.

"Do you know in which direction you are looking right now?"

"Nah. Tell me."

"Have you ever heard of a place called

Haven Academy?"

"Haven?"

I repeated. I thought about that for a second.

"Isn't that one of those schools which are supposed to train huntsmen and huntresses?"

"Ten points for you, Darkin. I am a teacher over there. I am on a little vacation right now, to recruit people like you. You get the bigger picture?"

"You want me to join the school, don't you?"

Greystep nodded.

"You are smart. I can get you a place over there. We still need young people, and I see that you are very talented. You have the ability to control your movement, your Semblance, probably your Aura, too. And I heard that you are a talented fighter. All these things are perfect requirements for a Huntsman. Now, are you interested?"

"Sure am. I would love to, but there is one little problem. I cannot join the school. I am being wanted by some soldiers and the police. And a few authorities want to see me dead. Or at least in prison."

"Don't worry about that, Darkin. I can make agreements, I can settle all that. All I need from you is your answer. Do you want to join Haven academy? Do you want to become a Huntsman? Are you willing to protect the people of Remnant from the creatures of Grimm?"

This was a great offer. I would lose my bounty, I could finally move on in my life. And I could do something good for humanity. I could defeat the monsters of Grimm which were a pretty damn problem. And most importantly: I finally could leave my past behind. I turned around to Greystep and asked.

"Where do I need to sign?"

"I like you."

Greystep said. He gave the barkeeper money and addressed me.

"This one is on me. Come with me. I probably have to give you the details."

"Of course. And you must answer me a question then."

"I will do that."

He answered. We stepped out of the bar and walked through the street. It wasn't crowded.

"Tell me, Greystep. You want to help me, you can bring me in,

and you can take the bounty off my head. What do you want from me then?"

"What? A man must do what he can do protect humanity. If that means that I shall help you, then I'm in. you see, there is no need to pay me back yet. Now, listen carefully. You can get your belongings, everything you need, and I will meet you at your hideout.

It's the abandoned book store, right?"

"What? How did you know that?"

"I have my sources. And there aren't many good places to vanish in this city. I will see you then. Until then, Darkin Tangery."

"Yeah. Later. And thank you."

He went off. He held his walking stick in his hand. He didn't need it to walk.

"Huh. That is the way Huntsmen cover up their weapons. Interesting."

I wondered loudly. I shook my head and went back to my hideout. It was time to get my stuff.