Too Many Hunters

So I was having a thought one day about the RWBY-verse and I thought "Ya know what, let's see how many hunters we can stick in this universe before it gets out of hand." I don't know how consistent I will be with updating this, and I realize this is rather short, but I'm basically writing as much as my time allows for. So with that said, I hope you enjoy, and please do let me know of any other hunters you would like to see enter this universe. After all, you can never have too many hunters. (Oh yeah. P.S., I do NOT own ANY of the characters being used here)

Characters

Destiny – Cayde-6

Warcraft – Rexxar

Bloodborne – The Hunter (Player Character)

Star Wars – Boba Fett

Van Helsing – Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman version)

Diablo 3 – Valla (Demon Hunter)

Hunter

The title carries different meanings for different people, be it one who stalks their prey, one who pursues, or perhaps one who lies in wait. There are many kinds of hunters across space and time, but they have one common goal: to pursue their prey until it is dead. The how and why are what separates them, and through their hunts we discover who is simply a pursuer, and who is worthy of the title.

Kingdom of Vale: Emerald Forest

The Emerald Forest was unusually quiet on this day, though that is to be expected. With the initiation of the newest generation of huntsmen and huntresses, large quantities of Grimm had been slain. As their numbers had not yet had the chance to replenish in the wake of this hunt, not much could be heard beyond the ambient sounds of small critters. However, this tranquility was not to last.

It began at the ruined temple within the forest. Above the temple, a glowing light appeared and began to grow. The light called out across space and time, searching. This world was soon approaching a crossroads, and it knew that its inhabitants were in dire need of guidance, the kind that could only be provided by those who were most qualified to lead the charge into this fight. Hunters.

The light began to pulse, preparing the way for those it would bring. Then it began its work, summoning those who would fight for this world. One by one, the hunters it had summoned began pouring out of the light, each of them landing with a less than graceful style, given the circumstances.

Six figures stood up, each of them feeling a throbbing in their head. After a series of moans and grumbles, they stood up to get a look at one another. A few moments passed before one of them began to speak.

"Last time I ever let Eris pick the drinks..." he muttered to himself, then turning his head up to address the others, "Anyway, hi. My name is Cayde-6, or just Cayde. Dashing Hunter, talented explorer, and exceptional gambler." he began his next sentence by pointing up at the sky, "Now I don't know about the rest of you, but where I come from, our moon aint quite so broke as that shiny thing up there in the sky."

At his words, they all looked up, with varying degrees of surprise. The tan skinned giant and the green armored man seemed to take it in stride, while the man in the dark hat and the sole female in the group seemed to be taken back by it. Oddest of all of them, however, was the sixth individual who looked up to the moon almost seeming to be relieved, only muttering something about 'paleblood.'

"Anyone else want to kick off this round of introductions?" Cayde asked.

The man with a dark coat and crossbow spoke next, "My name is Gabriel Van Helsing, monster hunter."

Then the woman spoke, "I am Valla, currently the leader of the Demon Hunters of Sanctuary."

The remaining three hesitated to introduce themselves, though each for different reasons. After a time, the giant of a man, if it was indeed a man, uttered single word.

"Rexxar."

Cayde simply nodded, jovial as ever, "Good to meet ya Rexy." If he noticed the low growl that he received in response, he showed no signs of it, instead turning to the remaining 2. "So who might you two be?"

"Boba Fett. Bounty Hunter." The Mandalorian answered, swiftly and concisely. Then all eyes turned to the final member of their group.

The unnamed stranger opened and closed his mouth several times before finally speaking. "I am a Hunter of the Workshop. I have not used my name in a lifetime, and it is mostly forgotten to me now. I do recall a letter though: R."

Cayde, ever the instigator, kept things moving forward, "R it is then, good to meet ya. Now, do any of you know-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut short by another pulse emanating from the light, followed by a voice speaking to them.

"My time is short so I must make this quick. I have brought you all to this realm because you all have earned the title of Hunter. Each of you is unique, with skills forged across a lifetime. Though some of you may walk a dark path, I have brought you all here that you might serve the light."

Boba Fett shuffled awkwardly at the mention of his previous 'dark path.' Not that he regretted the choices he had made in life, but he had always wondered what he might have made of himself if things had turned out differently.

Van Helsing and Valla had a different reaction to that statement. They had each faced their own demons, some quite literally, and that path does not leave one unscathed.

R knew all too well the cost of victory. When the light had pulled him, he had just defeated an infant Old One, and though the thought of victory should have brought him joy, he did not forget the path that led him there. The lady in the clinic, the girl in the window, the people who he "saved" by bringing them to the chapel. His victory was very costly, and would haunt him the rest of his life.

At the mention of the light, Cayde's attention was entirely on the voice. He was one of many who had been brought back by the Traveler to protect humanity. Sure, he was an Exo, but that didn't stop them or the Awoken from having a kinship with the humans of the last city. They would stand together, or die together, that was as simple as it got.

Rexxar, however, was not wholly convinced of his involvement in all this. "Why did you bring me here? Humans generally are not very accepting of my kind."

The light responded almost immediately. "You love the creatures of the wild, do you not?" At that, Rexxar's undivided attention was on the voice as well. "I have brought you here as well because, should you fail, the people of this world are not the only ones who will suffer. Darkness thrives on violence, and if there are no people to hunt, it will go to the next best thing it can find."

THAT got him riled up. If there was one thing Rexxar could not abide, it was those who slaughtered creatures of the wild simply for the sake of killing. Hunting wasn't just a sport, but a cycle. A relationship of give and take, where nothing was taken more than what was needed to survive.

"What Darkness is it that threatens this world?" he asked.

"You shall soon find out. I had hoped to better prepare you for the times ahead, but my power is waning. Be vigilant, the enemy is soulless, fearless, and pitiless. They will stop at nothing to destroy the inhabitants of this world, and they will need you to guide them to victory. May your prey fall swiftly, Hunters."

Once the light had finished speaking, it disappeared into the night, and they were left alone to ponder what had been said.

"So," Cayde said, "What do we do next?"

As if to answer his question, a growl came from the treeline, and each of the hunters stood at the ready, curious to see what foe awaited them. They did not wait long.

The Grimm burst from the treeline, dozens of them surrounding the Hunters. As each of them observed the creatures around them, they were all in agreement on one thing. These things needed to die.

"Well, time to kick it off I suppose," Cayde said casually, before drawing out what appeared to be a golden gun covered in flames. Three loud shots were heard, and the locations which he had shot at burst into flames, destroying his targets and the beasts near them.

The other hunters wasted no time joining the fight after that. Gabriel and Valla unleashed a volley of crossbow bolts against the Grimm, their accuracy working to devastating effect. Boba launched himself into the air to get a better view, firing missiles from his pack towards the more heavily armored enemies. From his vantage point, he beheld a sight that would have awed him as a younger man. Rexxar had leaped into the fray, his dual axes being used to devastating effect on their prey. Finally, the last, nameless member of their band, R, was having his own melee encounter. Amidst the creatures of the darkness, a bone handled scythe was cleaving through the Grimm, each hit seemed to fuel the hunter as he ducked and weaved through the limbs of his prey. Indeed that is all these creatures could be considered at this point, for the hunters were dispatching them with deadly efficiency, and by the time the first rays of sunlight rose over the horizon, the horde of Grimm had been dispatched, and the six hunters stood tall in the glory of their victory.

"And that is how we came to your world." Cayde said, leaning back in a chair in the Cafeteria of Beacon Academy, a crowd of students around him as he wove his tale, omitting certain doom and gloom bits that the light had spoken to them about. No need to go scaring them all just yet. It had been several days since they had arrived, and after a couple of mishaps, what with him being mistaken for an ordinary robot and with Rexxar being given a... less than hospitable reception, they had settled in quite nicely. He was rather enjoying his time here so far, especially that one teacher, Port. He loved some of the stories that man could tell.

Beneath Cayde's smile and cheer though, he was brimming on this inside with a mixture of joy and sadness. Joy that the inhabitants of this world seemed to be so distant and entirely unaffected by the collapse, but sad that they seemed so divided. Cayde might not have liked to take the responsible duties, but even he knew when there was work to be done. The light wasn't kidding, this world needed their help, and in a bad way too. Training these kids to be better fighters, well, that was a good way to start. Especially as they were so enraptured by his stories.

"So let me tell you about the time I fought alongside this big four armed alien on the moon..."