Chapter 8: Buzzkiller
(Courier Six PoV)
Several weeks had passed since Six found himself as a new hand in the repair center of Beacon Academy. Saying that he was on edge was an understatement. He had taken the last med-x he owned three days ago. To put it simply he was in pain and a lot of it. The only thing that distracted him was when he was working on something.
As Ozpin had said, the craftsmen were more than happy with a new addition as it meant that their workload went down and they had a new guy to order around for the first couple days. It was all in good humor of course. Six just tolerated it, although begrudgingly.
To him, the payoff was worth it. The elements that were used in the construction of the armor and weapons of Remnant were majoritively the same between here and Earth. The only difference being that most of the materials here could be infused with Dust. Doing so essentially doubled, maybe even tripled the metal's attributes. What did this mean for Six exactly? Well, he currently had the biggest grin plastered on his face since he first took the seat as the ruler of Vegas.
Six let his clammy hands run over the creation he had been working on in his spare time. It was as magnificent a weapon as he had ever made, especially so since he wasn't melting down car bumpers for metal.
The Super Sledge.
But not just any super sledge, this was THE super sledge. By far the most advanced version that Six had ever created. The kinetic energy storage capabilities of the hammer had been enhanced with Dust containers. So not only would this thing knock his enemies flying, but they would also be set alight by whatever type of Dust Six decided to load up. Through some observation, he also learned that the Dust itself also had many of its own characteristics. He theorized that this new weapon, when utilized correctly, would be able to cause localized mini-earthquakes. Basically speaking, he could hit things really hard. He could already see himself smashing a Grimm's mask to pieces. Picking up his masterpiece, he twirled it in his hand, its design making it lightweight and versatile. With practiced movements he swung the weapon back and forth in mock battle.
Some of the other craftsmen saw Six's weapon as only half complete. After all there was no ranged version. But that was where the Courier disagreed. Adding a ranged component to a melee weapon made it too complex with too many mechanisms. The beauty of his new creation was that it was three times as deadly and could still be repaired with the simplest of tools. For a survivalist like him, that was the most important thing.
Just as Six started imagining beating down hordes of feral ghouls, the head craftsman found his way into the room.
"Hey Six, we're openin' up shop in a moment. Head on out there. Station-"
"Station Six, yeah, I get it," Courier finished the joke, not able to keep the sharp edge from his voice. His new 'boss' did not like to vary his material.
The man watched as Six laid his weapon back down and walked over to it, giving it a once over.
"Well, as you said, it certainly is a fine piece a work. Ol' Ozpin was right that you pick things up quickly." The weapon was now put back on the table as he eyed it over. He glanced over to the corner where a tarp covered a another one of Six's works in progress. "What about that one there? Have you stopped workin' on her?" As the man began reaching for the covered weapon, Six grabbed his wrist.
"No, it's uh, still a work in progress. I'm just a little hesitant because its ammunition is a little volatile to say the least," Six said, releasing his grip on the man's hand. Even if they didn't have the ammo the only one he trusted with a weapon like that was himself. It was created as a last resort if the Courier ever felt like that kind of power was necessary.
"You want to talk about volatile, ask me about the time we accidently stored five whole crates of fire Dust next to the blast furnace. Never seen an explosion so-"
Hearing enough stories from Professor Port to last a lifetime, Six knew where this was going. He decided to preemptively stop the man with a raised hand. "Maybe another time."
The older man just grumbled to himself.
"Alright. Alright. Just get your butt out there before the lines start getting too long."
Six nodded and reached over for his dirtied working apron. Pressing a few switches on his Pipboy, he scanned the sledgehammer for inventory storage. A minute later the weapon dematerialized and was registered for quick use. His boss stood in the doorway and gestured toward the work stations. Six rolled his eyes but walked toward Station Six.
Waiting at the desk was something that added a little extra character to Six's personal workshop. Rex was laying down patiently as always, waiting for his comrade's appearance. His ears perked up as the dog picked up the scent of his long-time companion and he angled his muzzle slightly in his direction.
"Another five hours of demands Rex. Hope you're up for it." Six seated himself behind the desk and awaited the few students who would hope to approach his idleness he tapped his hands against the desk, trying to alleviate his pain through the repeated movement.
It didn't help.
*Bark*
Rex easily picked up on his fraying nerves. He lumbered over and offered a few licks to his other hand that was clenched tightly on his seat.
As it turns out there were only a few teenagers willing to trust 'the new guy' with their precious weapons. At any other time Six would have been delighted to be left alone. But without any distractions he could only focus on the wanting, the needing of a med-x or super stimpack. Six spent his free time trying to read up on crafting components but focus was eluding him.
While he was nose deep in a chapter regarding Dust combination, he failed to notice that someone had approached the workbench. It wasn't until she cleared her throat that Six blearily looked up to see the B of team RWBY standing in front of him. Blake Belladonna.
(Blake PoV)
Blake had mixed feelings after the first couple months of attending Beacon Academy.
For the first time in a long time, she felt like she belonged somewhere. Somewhere that wasn't the White Fang anyway. Her teammates were encouraging and welcoming to anything she had to say and she was pretty sure that Ruby trusted her without fail.
And yet none of them really knew a thing about her.
There were numerous times where she wanted to say something. To tell them the truth. But the fear of their reaction always made her keep her silence. They had just fought the White Fang a few weeks ago, how could they accept someone who used to be a member? It would be impossible for them to understand.
However there was a more pressing matter as she walked down into the weapon center. During the last sparring session she had been paired up against Cardin Winchester. While she was able to beat the boy easily, he was able to land a hit on her weapon which damaged Gambol Shroud's switching mechanism. It would be an easy fix for the workers in Beacon's weapon center. As the doors of the elevator opened she frowned seeing that the lines looked like they would have at least an hour wait. She hated wasting Saturday mornings.
It would seem that luck was on her side though, as a familiar face fast-walked his way to a seat behind a worktable. One with no line at that. Deciding to take the risk she strut herself over to his workbench.
Her friendly greeting died on her lips as she got closer to Six. Something was obviously very wrong with him. His brow was damp with sweat and he was a fidgeting mess. He massaged his temple while concentrating on a book that was on his desk. It looked like his hand was about to crush the armrest it was clamped down on. Deciding she needed to at least get his attention, she cleared her throat.
No reaction.
She tried again a little louder and this time he turned towards her. As she caught sight of her face she knew that there was something truly wrong with Courier. His sandy brown hair was disheveled and his face was paler than she had ever seen. His dull eyes looked like they could barely focus on what was in front of him.
"Well look who it is. First customer of the day. What do we got?" Six stood up and circled the desk reaching out his hands for her weapon.
Instead of handing it over she stared at him with concerned eyes.
"Is everything okay Six? You look a little strange."
Six let out a snort from his nostrils and switched from friendly to annoyed in an instant.
"I'm fine. Now are you going to show me what's broken or not?" She noticed that he was bobbing on his feet while waiting on her response.
Blake had grown up outside the cities. She had seen all kinds of people, especially as a member of the early White Fang. She had seen enough to have an idea of what might be wrong with the usually snarky and sarcastic Six that they all had grown to know and...tolerate. Sweating, twitching, short temper, combined with what she remembered seeing in the airship lead her to believe one thing.
Courier Six was an addict, and one that was suffering from withdrawal at this very moment. The only question now was what she was going to do about it. Under normal circumstances she would just keep to herself and worry about her own problems, which she had plenty of, but the man in front of her was obviously only in the early stages of his symptoms. They would only get worse if he didn't receive help.
While she was contemplating all this Six's impatience was mounting.
"Are you going to give me your damn weapon or just waste my time," he growled and slammed his fist on the workbench to emphasize his frustration.
Thinking on her feet, Blake confronted the man on his sickness, hoping that it would be the right decision.
"Six...you look terrible. It's obvious that you're sick. You should go to the infirmary." She tentatively reached out her hand offering her support.
It was slapped away.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?! If you're just gonna hold up the line then step aside. I have more important things to do than cater to you." Six's pain induced fury only seemed to deepen as he began clenching his fists on either side of his body.
Blake scowled as her helpful gesture was rejected. She started her way back towards the door to the elevators that would take her back to the main campus.
"Fine then. If you won't willingly get help then we'll just have to make you," she muttered as the elevator doors closed in front of her.
(Courier Six PoV)
"What the hell does she know anyway? They're all just a bunch of spoiled brats. No one fixed my weapon when I was out in the wastes. They should be thanking me, not patronizing me!" Six paced around his desk angrily as he spouted off his thoughts to Rex.
*Bark*Bark*
"Oh get off your high horse. You think you're so much much better than me?"
*Bark*
"Calm down? I am fucking calm. You calm down!" The shouting match could now be heard over the hum of the students and they were beginning to look on, some with concerned, other confused expressions.
The master craftsman hurried over to station six to confront the man about his outrageous behavior.
"What in Dusts name are you doin' boy? First off you haven't got a soul askin' for your help and now you're standing there yelling at your dog. Have you gone mad?" He charged straight up to Six while he demanded his answers.
The Courier was silent as he received the insults from the newcomer of the argument. He turned his head slowly when he responded.
"I'm feeling just fucking great...I'm taking a break." And without even waiting for a response Six marched over to his private workroom and shut the door, leaving Rex and his boss dumbfounded.
Six paced back and forth in his room, grasping at the ends of his hair. There was so much pain. If he just had a single med he'd be able to relax but that was the problem with being on another planet. There wasn't any more. And to top things off, he can't even just walk in and demand pain relievers from the local doctor because then they are going to want to know why. Six growled in frustration. Why wasn't there a burned out hospital when he needed one?
Six scanned through his inventory on his Pipboy. Maybe he missed a dose. Unlikely, but it could happen right? He had to believe there was something in there that could help him. He dialed into his chems and searched through the list for anything to make the pain go away. Then his eyes landed on a very particular chem.
Slasher.
Now, Six didn't know much about chems other than the standard stuff used for healing, but from his dealings with the Great Khans Six knew that there was med-x in Slasher. The only drawback was that it came with a full on dose of Psycho as well. The Courier took the drug out of his inventory and weighed it in his hand. Did he really need it that much? Was he really so desperate that we would resort to something like this? Just as he began to think about his options, a mind searing headache began to amass behind his eyes, and it all but made the decision for him.
He plunged the needle into his arm, and let the chemical flow through his veins.
(RWBY PoV)
"Are you sure Blake? I mean Six seemed totally fine when I saw him a couple days ago," Ruby asked as she led her team behind Blake as they made their way back toward the weapon center.
"All the signs point toward withdrawal. I'm positive. I even saw him inject himself with something when we went out looking for Rex. I just didn't think anything of it until now." Blake inwardly berated herself for not making a connection sooner. She knew that Six was an adult but maybe if she had just said something he wouldn't be in this situation. It was just another time that she decided keeping silent would be better.
"Either way it'll be fine. He doesn't even have aura remember? We'll just carry him to the nurse if we have to and that'll be the end of it. We'll be back to slacking off in no time," Yang added confidently as she strode up closer to her partner.
"I knew getting involved with a ruffian like him would only lead to trouble. If he's a drug addict who knows what kind of messes he could be involved in." Weiss shook her head disapprovingly as they continued their march.
"But my Dad told me that people who are addicted to drugs are as sick as anyone else. They just need some extra help getting back on track. I'm sure that Six is a good person who just got a little mixed up," Ruby asserted optimistically. "Anyway it doesn't matter what his circumstances are. Huntresses help people and Six needs help."
As the girls neared the elevators that would take them down to the crafting center they could see many students rushing out of the stairwell and getting as far away from the area as they could.
"Well that can't be good," Yang dryly remarked before the four girls made their way down several flights of steps. As they finally reached the waiting hall they saw that the room had become a mess, with workbenches tossed on all sides of the room. Blake heard Rex barking from behind a closed door where the private work stations were and in front of her they spotted Courier Six kicking on a door on the opposite side. Most likely where the craftsmen had fled to.
"Six! What are you doing?!" Ruby yelled out to the man she considered a friend. The Courier turned and she could immediately tell that Six was not in his right mind. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, and his muscles looked like they were pulled taut, ready to explode with action. He was wearing his full combat outfit with the exception of his helmet. In his hands he held some type of hammer. If Six didn't look like he was about to use it she would have wanted to get all the details she could about its design.
The worst of all however was the aura that Six was giving off. It screamed of only one thing.
Lethality.
The Courier looked her up and down, seeming to focus on her outfit more than anything else. After he was done he just barked out with a condescending laugh.
"Another fucking group of Assassins huh? Didn't anyone tell you what happened to the last ones!"
That caused the girls to pass around a few confused looks. They had no idea what he was talking about.
"Six, its us. Team RWBY, we helped you find Rex remember?" Ruby once again tried to appeal to Six as he began to circle the four girls, holding his hammer low.
"No more talk slaver! It's time you get what's coming to you." Six readied his hammer and menacingly stalked forward.
Ruby was about to try once more before she was pulled away by Yang who was now standing in front of her, Ember Celica at the ready.
"Six isn't there right now sis. He must be hallucinating or something."
The leader nodded as she contemplated Yang's words. She had already come up with a plan of action.
"Okay guys, don't use any dust rounds on him, he doesn't have aura. We should try immobilize him over everything else."
"One frozen mailman coming right up," Weiss said as she raised Myrtenaster vertically in front of her. She visualized the glyph she needed and sent it Six's way. Confident the fight was over she lowered her weapon.
Only to be left astonished as Six used his warhammer to smash the glyph as it appeared in front of him. Now he was closing the distance at an incredible speed as she scrambled to bring her rapier back up in defence.
"Say hi to your buddies in hell," came Six's frenzied yell as he pulled the hammer back, ready to smash through Weiss's flimsy resistance. However the blow never reached the white haired girl as Yang had jumped in between them and grabbed the hammer's base in a test of strength against the older man.
Believing that her aura gave her the advantage she pushed hard to try and get Six to retreat, only to have her eyes widen in surprise when the man didn't even budge.
"You think you're stronger than me? I'm Courier fucking Six," he spat as he struggled against her. Yang felt her muscles strain as she had to take her first step backwards to try and brace against the sudden incredible strength Six was displaying.
Just as she began to slide backwards, a boot slammed into her abdomen and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. Six raised the sledge high, ready to bring it down on the blonde brawler's head and send her to oblivion.
Luckily Yang had a red and black themed speedster looking out for her. Ruby was able to use her semblance in time to save her sister from the initial attack but the resulting shockwave of the hammer sent the two flying into a nearby wall. The ground shattered as the hammer landed and created a crater the size of man. Six lifted the hammer again and trudged toward them for a second attack, only to be stopped by a black band wrapping around his arm.
"Six you need to calm down. We just want to help you." Blake tightened her grip on her weapon as she did her best to hold the wasteland warrior at bay.
The Courier showed no sign that he even registered the words as he took hold of Gambol Shroud's band and pulled hard enough to swing Blake around and into Weiss who was about to send another ice glyph his way. The resulting collision took them to about the same spot where the two sisters were still recovering.
"I must have really done a number on you guys if this is the best you could send," Six taunted as he sauntered up to the downed girls. However just as they were about to start round two Six seemed to freeze mid-stride.
"That will be quite enough Six. You have caused more than enough damage due to your recklessness." Professor Goodwitch had arrived, most likely hearing of the situation from one of the panicked students. She held her wand out as she pointed it at Six to keep him from moving.
Or so she thought.
She found herself amazed as the Courier took a single slow step. Followed by another, and then another, all while under the effects of her semblance. He had to be exerting an incredible amount of force to even raise an arm under her "spell" let alone begin walking.
Six struggled with every step and he was breathing heavily. His voice was tight as he spoke.
"Like...I'd...die...here!"
In fact Professor Goodwitch was so shocked that the man was able to move that she had ignored the fact that he had almost made it halfway to her. She redoubled the effect of her attack and once again he was unmoving. Again however he struggled until his foot slowly begin to glide forward.
At least up until his body became encased in ice.
The small iceberg encompassed all four of his limbs, cutting off any movement from the man and any attempt to free himself with the use of his weapon.
"You...bitch," Six uttered through a clenched jaw.
The girls of team RWBY took this time to dust themselves off and run over to their teacher hoping to explain the situation.
"Umm I know this looks bad but Six is actually really sick. There's no way he would do this if he was thinking straight." Ruby, ever the optimist, tried to defend the Courier even after he had almost killed her sister. She just couldn't believe that Six was a bad person after getting to know him over the last few weeks.
"Ruby it is obvious that he is a danger to himself and to others right now. We should let Professor Goodwitch handle things from here." Weiss tried to be a voice of reason for her partner while she sheathed her sword.
Blake just looked at Six sympathetically as he did all he could to free himself from the block of ice. Sure he could be a sarcastic moron sometimes but she was sure that all of them had grown somewhat accustomed to the man who had come to their room a few days a week to tell them the adventures of The Wanderer. She knew that if it was up to Professor Goodwitch Six would be kicked out of Beacon in a heartbeat. The girls could only hope that Ozpin had some mercy left for the young man.
(Courier Six PoV)
The first thing that Six heard was a systematic beeping. Beeping usually meant bombs and bombs usually meant explosions. So as soon as he registered the sound his eyes shot open and he bolted upright.
Only to feel an intense ache all over his body.
"Ahhh...what the hell?" Six looked around himself. He was on a bed in the infirmary of Beacon Academy. He could now see that the beeping was coming from a heart rate monitor that was hooked up to his chest. His muscles burned as they struggled to keep him seated so he opted to lay back down and stare at the ceiling until someone came and told him what happened.
It didn't take long until Six's favorite headmaster showed up, cane in hand and stood at the foot of his bed. A quick glance told the Courier that the man was wearing a rare frown on his features. That wasn't a good sign.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I did something really stupid." Six hoped that by admitting he was in the wrong he could squeeze out some compassion from the gray haired man. He couldn't tell if it worked or not.
"You would be correct about that Courier. Not only did you hide the fact that you were addicted to a foreign substance but you also endangered my students and staff by taking some kind of hallucinogen-adrenaline combination. For someone who goes around complaining that he can make his own decisions, you have yet to show me any good ones."
Six didn't bother to protest, since there was nothing but truth in his statement. The memory of taking the Slasher had come back to him. It was reckless but it just hurt so damn much. He would have been willing to do anything to just get it to-
It suddenly hit Six that he was feeling absolutely nothing right now. Well, he did feel the extreme ache of all of his muscles from the use of the dangerous chem but what was missing was the unmistakable pain he had been living in for the past three years.
"What did you do to me," Six asked, in awe of the absence of his usual affliction.
Ozpin sighed as he walked around and sat down in a chair that was adjacent to the bed. He indicated a red back that was hanging next to him.
"After we transported you back here we tested your blood to try and see what was wrong with you. The amount of toxins and contaminants we found were astounding. Suffice to say, we have river water that was less toxic than your own blood." Ozpin took a moment to smile at his own joke before continuing. "We began blood transfusions immediately. I understand that it was a risk considering your situation but if nothing was done then you would assuredly have died within a year."
The Courier just laid on his back contemplating the man's words. Had he really gotten so bad? He knew med-x was just a pain killer but he didn't think blood could be permanently toxified from all the critters he fought. He guessed it just goes to show that Cazadores can still fuck you even after you killed them. That goes for all the other venomous beasts as well.
Once again, he found himself saved by mysterious headmaster of Beacon Academy.
"Alright well, you've got me now. You've saved my life twice while I've just sat on my ass. I owe you more than a favor Ozpin." Six sighed as he realized the situation he was in. "Am I getting the boot or not?"
"I'm afraid the only person you've managed to hurt is yourself Six. It is going to take a while to build up any sort of reputation with the student body at this rate."
…
…
…
"You've got to be shitting me. You still want me here?" Six couldn't help but be a little incredulous.
"Well, I would be lying if there weren't more than a few people who want you as far away from the school as possible, but you had one very adamant defender pleading your case for you Courier."
Six brought a hand to his head and rubbed his eyes while letting out a breath.
"Let me guess. Short, runs really fast, sort of reminds you of a lost puppy if she is left in a crowd of strangers…"
A small chuckle came from Ozpin's throat.
"You would indeed be correct. Although I might argue that Miss Rose is getting much better at interacting with her peers."
Great. Just great. Why doesn't he just hand out favors to everybody at this point. Obviously he is incapable of taking care of himself so why don't we just cut out the middle man. The Courier found himself missing the Mojave where things were simpler. Kill enemy, eat, sleep, repeat. Ah the good old days.
"Alright fine. When can I leave this bed?"
Ozpin looked over to a nearby wall clock before answering.
"It would appear that the transfusion should be finished within the hour. Your muscles were over strained but if you truly feel up to it you may leave as soon as it is done.
Six just nodded and let the silence hang between them. It lasted for a few minutes before Ozpin broke it.
"Do you not trust me Six?"
The wastelander was caught off guard at the sudden question.
"I don't know. Does it really matter?"
Ozpin stood up so that he could make contact with Six's eyes.
"Six, I will not pretend to understand the world you claim to come from. If the scars on your body and the state of your blood is of any indication then I'm sure you have seen your fair share of terrors. But you are not alone any more Six. I openly offered to help you in any way I could but you didn't even bother sharing your addiction with me. You have friends here and yet you have yet to let them help you in any real way."
Friends. Six had friends once. Arcade, Veronica, Boone, Cassidy, Raul and Lily. He could still see their faces looking toward him at the head of the dining table of the presidential suite. But that was before he decided he was going to rule New Vegas. And with every step he took closer to his goal they took one step away.
"I guess it's been awhile since I've had anyone besides a dog that I called a friend."
Ozpin put on a solemn expression as he rested a hand Six's shoulder.
"I assure you that if you just looked a little harder, you would find a few people who would happily give you that title. It is just up to you to do the same." Ozpin's scroll chimed, indicating a message. He lifted his hand to pull out the device. After reading it he put it away and addressed Six again. "I'm afraid our time will be cut short here. If it wasn't obvious you have the next few weeks off from the workshop. If you ever need to talk again, please don't hesitate to contact me." With that he laid down a blank scroll next to the bed for Six to take. He left the room without another word.
(Team RWBY PoV)
"Do you think he's okay? They haven't told us how he's doing or anything!" Ruby paced back and forth in her room, grasping her red scarf tightly as she wore a hole in the ground.
"Don't sweat it sis. Ozpin said that he would be alright. There's nothing to worry about. But on a side note did anyone else notice how strong he was? I was giving it my all and he wasn't even using aura. Makes me wonder if he was actually holding back the whole time. I might need to go a few rounds with him just to make sure." Yang smiled cracked her knuckles, already imagining the rematch she was going to have with the older man.
"I can't believe you still want to associate with him. We won't be able to become the top team at the school if we have to keep cleaning up after someone else." Weiss voiced her own thoughts as she finished filing her nails.
Ruby frowned at her partner's feelings on the matter. Looking for someone to support her, she turned to Blake.
"What do you think Blake? You're the who told us he needed help after all."
The dark haired girl considered her answer before responding, never taking her eyes off the book she was reading.
"As far as I'm concerned Six just made a bad choice. We've all done it before but Six's just happened to be a little more...violent than usual. He shouldn't be punished for the rest of his life for making one wrong decision," Blake answered, letting a little of her own situation bleed through.
A familiar knock came from the door and interrupted their discussion. As it slowly opened they saw the slumped form of Courier Six standing in the doorway, using the door frame as a support.
"Hey...mind if I come in?"
Ruby was ecstatic at the sight of the Courier.
"Six you're okay!...You are okay right," she added a little more tentatively.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
"Yeah, actually better than I've been in a long time. And I also get to keep my room thanks to you so uh, thanks I guess." He finished with by scratching the back of his head awkwardly and looking away from the beaming smile the huntress in training was showing him. "If you ever need, or want my help with anything…"
The leader of Ruby just laughed.
"Yeah I got it I think."
"Good. And you Blake, thank you as well...for coming back after I treated you harshly. And I guess I should apologize to you guys too...damnit I'm not used to this…"
Luckily it was Yang who swooped over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Hey buddy no problem, but just so you know, I'm onto you. You're stronger than you let on, which means we are going to have a one on one again to see if you can even the odds." Yang's grin was always biggest when she was talking about a fight.
"You're going to have to give me a few days then. I don't think I'm exactly ready to go twelve rounds right this moment. Anyway I've said what I came to say. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
The girls said goodnight as he left their room for the night.
"See? He's not so bad Weiss. How many drug addicts come back to apologize like that?" Ruby crossed her arms as she felt that her point had been proven.
(Courier Six PoV)
The awkward part was over at least, although he was positive that they were going to want extra long portions of the Wanderer's story for the next few days. He was okay with that though. He owed them that much.
Six headed back toward his dorm room where he had been told Rex awaited him. Luckily Rex was quick to forgive after being bribed with some salisbury steak so hopefully he could avoid an argument. Six just sighed to himself.
Friendship. He wasn't sure he was ready to step into that again. But Ozpin hadn't steered him wrong yet and if that's what he was saying to focus on then he was going to do it.
Friends listen to each other's advice after all.
Six let a small smile play across his features from his own cleverness and dragged his feet toward the door to his room.
But unknown to him, as he continued walking, one of the smaller scars located on his back glowed before vanishing silently, leaving new, unmarked flesh behind.
(The Wanderer's Tale)
Goodsprings was just like any other rinky-dink town in the middle of the desert. It was hot, dry, the food tasted like sand and things were constantly in need of fixing. That being said it was remarkable how self sufficient the townspeople were. They had their own farms and well for nutrition and more than a few of them knew how to handle themselves in case trouble showed its ugly face.
The Wanderer woke up from his near death ordeal in the home of Doc Mitchell, the resident medicine practitioner of the town. You could imagine how messed up he was after taking a bullet to the brain.
The doctor never told Wanderer how long it took him to heal but it was long enough that he left an imprint in the bed he was lying in. Anyway the doctor patched him up, good as knew but wanted to make do a bunch of psychological tests on him, make sure he wasn't brain dead or something.
Well, Wanderer passed with flying colors, not that he could fail such a thing in the first place but it didn't matter. Mitchell gave him back his belongings and set him on his way out the door.
It was after talking to the resident bar owner that Wanderer learned of a problem of some nearby ne'er-do-wells who were threatening the kind folk that had patched him up. Now Wanderer couldn't remember anything passed that night in the cemetery but if the pistol holster he had on his hip was anything to go by, he knew how to use a weapon.
So with some convincing, the charismatic, handsome, and resourceful Wanderer managed to convince the town folk to stand up for themselves and to show these bandits that they were willing to protect their peaceful life in the middle of nowhere.
And so, when they came back, ready to do more than just make a few threats, the residents of Goodsprings were ready to face them down.
This was the first choice that Wanderer had made since his second life began. It was clear cut, good versus bad. On one side, the people who had taken him in and saved him, and the other, murderers, thieves, and worse. Looking back, the Wanderer realized that he would desperately miss such an easy choice.
Hello again everybody and happy Friday. I managed to dish out another chapter in good time so let's hope that trend continues. So in this chapter I may have taken a few artistic liberties with the actual affect that Slasher has on people since I couldn't really find much about it. In any case I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the characters grow a little bit in this chapter. And as you can see I've added a little blurb at the end of this chapter called The Wanderer's Tale. The purpose of it is to hear the story that Six is telling Team RWBY and also gain a little insight into Six's background. Please tell me in the reviews whether you would like this to continue as a little extra at the end of each chapter.
Now I know that things are still early on in the story but I don't want anyone to think that this is story about Six hanging around Beacon everyday. Things will start to heat up soon I can promise you that.
As always please tell me your thoughts, good bad or ugly. Favorites and follows are amazing but I really get inspired to write the most when I get to hear how you guys and gals feel the story is progressing. In any case, have a good weekend everyone and I hope you enjoyed!
-TMDF
