The Witch Hunt of Mineral Town
Chapter 1: Assigned to the Hunt
A/N: If you haven't already figured from the title and intro, this is a cross-over. I am attempting to create the story of a young witch hunter, by the name of Robin. She has the power of the Craft to use fire at her free will. Well, Robin has been assigned to hunt down a witch who is rumored to be living in Mineral Town. Who is the witch?
A few legal disclaimers before I begin. These will apply throughout the entire fic. I do not own either Harvest Moon: Back to Nature or Witch Hunter Robin, the sources of inspiration for this fic. That means that I cannot be held legally responsible for using their characters. Also, the rating that is posted on the directory is only a rounded rating. There is no 14A, which is what I intend this fic to be. If anyone is bothered by violence, death, some "bad" language, romance, slight sexual references, the use of magic, or witches; grow up. Just kidding, but seriously; don't say I didn't warn you.
One last thing. My fans may be a little disappointed that the HM aspect of this fic takes the back seat. I highly recommend that anyone who has never seen WHR to see at least one episode of this anime. To those who have seen the show, this story takes place during the first ten or so episodes, before the weird betrayals and subplots come into account. Also, it would be year one, Summer in Back to Nature. This story is told through the third person perspective, focusing on Robin. She may appear a little distracted most of the time, but that is how she is portrayed on the anime. That's it and please enjoy, leaving a kind review upon finishing.
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Today was turning out to be just another boring day at the STNJ. Everyone was tired from the previous night's stakeout, which had turned up unsuccessful, yet again. Especially tired was the new hunter that had joined them the previous week. Her head kept nodding forwards, only to jerk up, suddenly awake.
Her name was Robin, or so the boss had told the other hunters. Robin kept mostly to herself, only saying the occasional "Thank you" when she was offered a cup of coffee or tea. She was only fifteen, but had proven to be an essential member to the STNJ during her first hunt.
The other hunters had trapped a witch inside of a warehouse and were closing in for the capture. Little did they know, the witch was prepared for the hunters. He had set up Symbols of the Craft throughout the warehouse. When the hunters walked across these Symbols, the witch gained power over gravity's control on them.
Robin, who had a extensive knowledge of the Craft, added a lines to the circular symbol. This gave her control over the symbols power and was able to turn the witch's power against him. The witch was then subdued and sent off to the Factory, which was a sort of rehabilitation center for the witches. Most facts about the Factory were told on a need to know basis.
"Robin." The boss called from the Briefing Room. "I have an assignment for you."
"Oh…" Robin stated in surprise, being awakened from her latest doze. She delicately stood up from her chair and walked silently towards the Briefing Room. Her long black dress trailed along the ground behind her. She always wore black, the reason: unknown. Her blond hair was tied into two pigtails, one sticking out from either side of her head. A few stray strands were dangling before her blue eyes.
The boss directed Robin to one of the seats and waited for her to sit before beginning his explanation. "The Factory has found the location of a witch, who has yet to realize his powers. We intend to capture this witch before he awakens his powers. This is the village of Mineral Town, a small farming community located to the south of us." An overlay of the town appeared on the computer terminal before Robin.
"Unfortunately, the Factory only provided us with a very vague description of the potential witch. He is described to be a male in his late teens to early twenties. We sorted through the occupants of the town and have narrowed the list to six suspects. Your assignment is to blend in with the other occupants of the town and figure out who exactly the witch is. The local innkeeper has been contacted and has a room ready. You may stay as long as it takes to identify and capture the witch. This should prove to be an easy mission, so I am assigning this to you as a solo operation. If you require backup, Amon will be dispatched immediately." The boss offered.
Amon was the superior among the hunters, having been a hunter for quite some time. Longer than any of the other hunters at least, but that wasn't saying much. Everyone at the STNJ, other than the boss and Amon, were under twenty. The others were the three other hunters, the technical coordinator for the missions, and the boss' assistant.
Robin nodded in understanding as the boss continued his explanation. "Here are the latest available pictures of the six suspects." The screen changed from the town to six pictures of young men. "The first one is Tim. He is a doctor and works at the Clinic. Next, we have Rick. He helps his family run the Poultry Farm. Then, there is Kai. He only is in Mineral Town for the Summer season, so you have limited time with that one. Gray is the grandson of the local blacksmith. He spends most of his free time at the Library. Cliff is a very solitary person, with a past shrouded in mystery. Finally, we have Jack. He stepped in after his grandfather past away to take over the family farm. Be careful around each one of these men. They could all prove to be very dangerous. Any questions?"
A silent shake of the head told the boss all that he needed. "The STNJ has been kind enough to provide you with your very own Vespa to travel around on. The trip to Mineral Town is quite long and we don't have the personnel to spare in driving you there. I hope you don't mind." The boss explained as he led Robin back to the main room.
"No, I don't." Robin stated silently as she walked off towards the elevator. The STNJ was located in a large multi-story building, but the only floor that was actually used was the top one. A single man was always seated at the bottom of the building, guarding the entrance. The STNJ was a very private operation, working in collaboration with local police forces, but were not public knowledge. If the public knew that some people could harness magical powers…
The elevators chimed as it reached the bottom floor. The metal doors slowly opened up, revealing the underground parking lot that housed the vehicles the STNJ used. The guard looked up from the paper that he was reading, spotting Robin as she exited the elevator. "Your Vespa is at the end of the cars." He said, jerking his thumb in the proper direction.
For those who don't know, a Vespa is a type of motorcycle, but for teenagers. I personally wouldn't be caught dead on one of those, but then again, I have my own car. I'm sure that a mo-ped is a great thing for a fifteen year old girl to have in Japan. But, then again, I've been wrong before.
Well anyways, Robin had climbed aboard the Vespa and was staring it up. The machine obviously wasn't in the best of conditions as it stalled numerous times before finally running smoothly. "Good luck out there. Be sure to come back from your mission." The guard wished as he opened the gate, allowing Robin access to the bustling streets of Tokyo.
Robin made a short stop at her apartment to pack for the trip. Who knew how long she would be staying in Mineral Town? Right as she was about to climb onto the Vespa, her STNJ communicator rang. It was essentially a cell phone, but it was equipped with all the tools the hunters used. "Hello?" Robin asked as she brought the phone to her ear.
"Hey Robin," The voice on the other end said. It was Michael, the computer hacker who provided information to the hunters and took care of communications and tactics for the group. "I've sent you a map with directions that will take you to Mineral Town. They should be on your screen as we speak."
Robin looked at the screen of the communicator. "I got them." She stated.
"Good. Well, all of us here wish you good luck. We're all a bit jealous. This would be classified as a vacation for us." Michael said with a small laugh.
A tiny smile crept across Robin's lips. It was a rare thing for her lately, due mostly to the extensive tests that she was put through. Screening to see if she would make an acceptable replacement hunter. The last one met an unfortunate fate during a hunt. "I'll keep in touch." She said, terminating the conversation and starting up the Vespa.
The trip to Mineral Town proved to be a relaxing experience, once outside of the bustling activity that was Tokyo. The huge skyscrapers slowly tapered away to residential apartments, then to family homes, and finally to the open countryside. The directions were very explanatory, so Robin never once ended up lost. There was a portly man, dressed in a red suit, awaiting her as she pulled the Vespa to a stop. This was as close to a parking place as any that she could find out here.
"Welcome to Mineral Town!" The man exclaimed once Robin removed her helmet, placing it on the seat of the Vespa. The girl took a look around her, taking in the beauty of nature. The village could be seen beyond a row of trees.
"It's nice." She whispered as the man led her towards the town.
The man smiled at the comment. "As Mayor, it is my duty to make the town presentable. I think that we've done a good job."
Robin nodded, "I like it."
The Mayor took Robin through a brief tour of the town. They passed by a few villagers, but none were among the list of suspects. Robin even received an evil glare from a couple of the younger ladies. Maybe, they were worried about her becoming a rival of theirs for the heart of the men. Little did they know, Robin was going to be taking one of the men away.
After an hour or so of traveling through the town, the Mayor, who Robin learned was named Thomas, left her at the Inn. She had a fair understanding of the layout of the town already, but she didn't want Thomas to know. Her orders were to blend in as an ordinary person.
Robin pushed open the door to the large building and stepped inside. She looked around, seeing that the place was empty except for the red bearded man behind the counter. The place felt like the interior of a wild western saloon. Robin lugged her bag over to a stool at the counter and sat down. The man behind the counter smiled at her. "You must be Robin. Can I get you anything?" He asked.
"A coffee would be nice." Robin stated. She was beginning to like this place already. Not only was it a very peaceful appearing town, but she also had close access to coffee. Maybe this mission wouldn't be as hard as she had first thought.
Just as the bartender was placing the cup of coffee before her, the doors to the building swung open. In stormed an energetic trio of men. Robin immediately readied herself, bringing her power into waiting. She recognized the men from the suspect's pictures that she had seen earlier. These three were known as Kai, Gray, and Cliff. Cliff and Gray appeared to be following after Kai, for they seemed to be less enthusiastic than their leader.
The group headed to one of the empty tables. "Three beers! They're paying!" Kai called out to the bartender. Only now did he notice Robin seated at the bar. Kai turned to his comrades and whispered, "Hey guy, check out the new meat!"
The other two took one look at Robin and shrugged. She was fairly attractive, but one would have to have a taste for Gothic-like girls to really like her. Kai leaned over the table, "How about another bet? I'll go over there and flirt with her. If she resists my charm, then I'll take beck our previous bet for your Opening Day losses."
"What is she gives in?" Gray asked coldly.
Kai shrugged his shoulders. "You guys won't tell Popuri about the girl back home."
Gray and Cliff looked at each other. They knew that Kai was trying to get them to hide his dark secret. He had let this information slip one night while he was drunk. Finally, they agreed to Kai's terms.
Robin had overheard the entire conversation. She knew Kai's type. He was the kind of guy who had a girl in every town that he visited. She smiled slightly as Kai confidently walked over to her. "Hey beautiful. What's your name?" He asked slyly, a smirk spread across his face. Robin was going to have fun with this one. She said nothing, awaiting his next move.
Kai sat down on the stool next to Robin. He watched intently as she took a sip of her coffee. "Do you like coffee? I love coffee. I've got my own coffee shop down on the beach. Perhaps, you could stop by later and we could share a cup?" He suggested, rocking back on his stool.
Robin focused on the two legs of the stool that remained touching the ground. Two small flickers of flames began eating through the legs. Nobody seemed to notice, until Kai suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground. The flames had vanished as soon as their job was complete. Robin got up from her stool and looked at Kai. "Sorry, I'm not interested."
Kai set his purple bandanna back in place. He looked in amazement at the stool, confusion reigning over him. He quickly returned to his table, where the other two guys were laughing hysterically.
The young lady looked over to the bartender. "Can you direct me to my room?" She asked.
The man nodded his head. "I followed the orders that I was given. You have a room to yourself. It's up the stairs, door on the left." He directed as he came out from behind the counter with the men's order. On the way back he examined the broken chair, shaking his head in disbelief.
Robin climbed the staircase and followed the hall. She found her room and locked the door behind her as she entered. She pulled out her communicator, "The Witch Hunt of Mineral Town has begun."
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A/N: I hope I haven't confused anyone with all the information. Don't ask what STNJ stands for, since I don't know. I've only seen the first seventeen episodes, so I'm not sure about some things. I hope you enjoyed this starting chapter and please review.