Demi-Human Students of Beacon

by Reticent Phoenix

In a Remnant where Humanity and Faunus live alongside Demi-Humans, creatures once thought to only exist in myth and fairy tales. Follow as one such demi-human, an elf, as he tries to get through life in Beacon. Hopefully things don't go too badly for him while he's there.

23. Hearth

Author's Note:

Phew, this is a long one.

Not too much for me to say, unless you want me to make some long-winded excuses on why this took so long to do or fill this with potential spoilers. In this chapter there will be action and a touch of mystery. Ooh, mystery.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

---

Hearth

Grey emerged from the inn she and FFOG had stayed in for the night, and stretched her arms in greeting to the sun that shone brightly above her.

Last night had been among the best sleeps she had in her life, not because her bed had been particularly comfortable, she had slept in better. No, she felt good for another reason completely. That being the good job she and her team had done yesterday.

The task of escorting those supplies to Hearth may have been hard, but as far as she saw things, those long miles had been completely worth it. Good fights were had, fresh air was breathed in, and, more importantly, FFOG had helped the people of Hearth. It was one of the reasons she wished to be a Huntress, to help people, and boy did it feel good.

And the village they had helped turned out to be a nice enough place.

The architecture of the village's buildings were similar in style to those back in Vale, yet were more modest in appearance and rarely more than two storeys tall. Not that it was a bad thing. It could get tiring looking at the same old thing over and over again. The tallest structures here being an old church, a tall watchtower at the centre of the village, and the CCTS Relay Tower.

A winding stream that divided the village in half carried water down from the mountains, providing the settlement with a ready source of water. Plus it made the village even more scenic in Grey's point of view. To the village's south was a forest while to its east were tall hills, both of which Grey would love to explore if she got the chance to. Given her team's job here was done however, she expected her team would be sent to Beacon later in the day.

Around the village was a short stone fence that reached only as high as Grey's waist. Not a very protective structure, except if one wished to use it as cover, but Grey would not tell these people how they should live or build their home.

Turning her focus to searching for her teammates, who had left her asleep in their shared room, the Werewolf's keen eyes were able to spot them all quickly. The settlement was not all that large and comprised entirely of Humans, so it was not as though she were searching for a needle in a haystack.

She could see and hear Friesian talking to a few villagers by the village watchtower. As with almost anyone not used to him, the villagers appeared a little put off by his unique Demi-human trait, yet stuck around and acted cordially to him. Jeremiah was there too, and both he and the Dullahan were talking about some technical or mechanical mumbo-jumbo Grey could not understand for the life of her.

Figuring that her partner was fine, Grey got round to looking for the other two members of FFOG.

The both of them were not hard to find either, and as it turned out, she found them together. Not that much of a surprise Grey had to admit. Faen had found a tree to meditate under, his weapons resting on the ground at each side of him and his helmet laying in front of him. Meanwhile Akagi had chosen to sit beside him with her Scroll out.

No villagers were close to them, or made any sign of a wish to do just that. There were some that, while going about their daily business, kept shooting looks their way, but no one stepped forward to talk with them. She could imagine that was how the both of them liked it.

Knowing where her teammates were and what they were doing, Grey chose to meet up with Friesian and see how he was doing. Friesian noticed her approach, and was swift to raise a hand in greeting to Grey. The villagers looked to Grey as well, and though they tried to remain calm or civil, Grey saw the spark of fear in their eyes flash across them. They excused themselves from Friesian, and made their way to other parts of the village, Jeremiah at least had the decency to wish her a good morning as they passed each other.

Figures. Even all the way out here, Werewolves were not all that welcome. Her last transformation had not been in a while, and she observed no signs of an impending one. So, she and everyone here should be safe for the time being, and if things did change, FFOG had a few plans in place for such an event.

"Morning 'Sleeping Beauty'." The Dullahan cheekily greeted her as he attached his head to its usual spot on his belt. Soon as his head was properly secured, Friesian met eyes with Grey and continued on. "You slept like a rock last night. I tried to wake you up, but Faen said that if you were this asleep, it'd be best to leave you there. 'You need the rest', is what he said."

"Really, eh? Thanks for trying, and remind me to thank Faen as well." Grey chuckled and shook her head at the name Friesian gave her. 'Sleeping Beauty', that sounded like a name straight out of a fairy tale or something of the sort.

"Gotta say, this whole thing's got me thinking. Yeah, that sounds pretty swell. I might have a few new ideas for our sessions of Dark Paths when we get back," Friesian hummed, his lips forming a broad smile. While he might be smiling, Grey could not help but groan in annoyance.

"Seriously? C'mon Friesian, we're still pursuing Lady Morn's murderers and trying to find a cure to the mind-curse that's affecting Ren's character. Mind letting us have a break for maybe a session or two before you throw us into another burning house?" She was not joking around with the 'burning house' remark, Friesian had thrown their party into a burning house in a past session, and Grey wanted no repeat of that incident.

"Pffft, I gave you all a break from crazy action for three sessions straight. It's time you all got a chance to stretch your legs about... uh, I mean your characters do. We're getting a lot of that recently ourselves," Friesian spun his finger around as the Dullahan addressed her complaints of his actions as the Gamemaster. What the gesture was meant to mean escaped Grey, with her guessing it to be another quirky habit Kingdomers did.

Well, whatever that gesture of his was all about, there was no point in dwelling on it. Friesian would do what he felt like, and it was up to the rest of him to put up with any weirdness that came of it.

Taking a moment, the both of them looked around and surveyed the village, watching the villagers go about their daily business. She had been to villages similar to this one, and it always amazed her how they could live this far from the protection of the big cities or towns. It was admirable how well these people had forged a life of their own here. Not everyone might agree with her, but that was her opinion, and in no way was it changing soon.

"Anyway, Friesian, mind telling me what you and the villagers were talking about just then? I heard parts of your chat, but I'd like to hear more," the Werewolf inquired as she and Friesian watched a few children play together on the street.

"Not much, just what life's like here and some stuff they could do about the truck they're using for supply runs to Vale and back. While we were on the ride to here, I suspected the truck..." Friesian started to list off a bunch of problems he believed the vehicle had, which just went in one of Grey's ears and out another.

She really, really had no idea what her partner was talking about.

"Okay then," was all Grey could utter soon as Friesian finished. "Anything else interesting you learnt about this place? Anything not pertaining to motor vehicles or the like?"

"Eh, not much I'll say. There was this one thing about a Cyclops living in the village ten years ago, a blacksmith in fact, who worked in their forge for forty years before passing away. Probably the only other Demi-human apart from us who's ever been here as far as the village reckons." Friesian pointed a thumb over to where the village's smithy was located, but it was the mention of a Cyclops that interested Grey more.

"A Cyclops, huh? Geez this region of Vale is full of all kinds of surprises," Grey whistled loudly. First it had been a Troll living under a bridge, now these villagers were saying a Cyclops worked their forge for a good long while. What next, there was a bunch of Dwarf miners living in the woods nearby?

If that were true somehow, then Grey would eat her own sandals.

A couple more topics were discussed by Grey and Friesian, none all that special or worth mentioning. Exhausting their conversation topics and tired of standing in the shadow of Hearth's watchtower, Grey and Friesian walked away from it and aimed straight for their two other teammates. Both Elf and Kitsune were still where Grey last saw them, and neither were up to anything exciting.

Well, with what Friesian had learnt about the village, things should liven up for those two soon as they got together. Depending on how long the team had until the Academy picked them up, they might have time to explore the surrounding area. It would be better than just standing around and chatting all the time.

"Faen. Akagi. How are you doing?" Grey greeted her two teammates once they were close enough to the duo.

"Fine," Faen replied, his eyes still closed shut. It was as Faen spoke that she heard something off in his voice, grave even, the kind that preludes the coming of bad news. If those instincts were correct, her hopes for a peaceful start to the day had been thrown out the window.

"Same here. The Academy's been notified of our success, and will send an airship to pick us up sometime later today." The Kitsune added as she tapped the screen of her Scroll a couple times, bringing up some online news article by the looks of it. The same thing that was going on with Faen could be heard in her voice as well. "Also we missed quite the party back in Vale."

"You mean JNPR and SSSN's party? Did they post embarrassing pictures or something? If so I'd like to have a see for myself what they got up to while we've been away." Friesian asked the Kitsune, and while he said it as a sort of joke, Grey heard a tinge of worry in his words. At least she was not the only one who thought there was something amiss here.

"Perhaps that might have be preferable," Akagi ominously remarked. The Kitsune proceeded to turn her Scroll and presented it to both Grey and Friesian so they might see. The headline of the news article Akagi had been brought up nearly making Grey's eyes pop out of their sockets.

'Grimm Invade Vale Through Mountain Glenn Tunnel!'

"What the feck?!" Friesian swore loudly the moment he read it, beating Grey to the punch. It was for the best he do it though, for if Grey had sworn, the surrounding hills would ring with the sound of her chosen profanity.

Swears and all that aside, this was some serious news to the Werewolf, one that required her full attention. So, banishing all other thoughts from her mind, Grey concentrated as her eyes darted over every line in the article so not to miss a single detail.

According to the article an explosion in the centre of Vale opened an old tunnel used to transport goods and people to and from Mountain Glenn, letting numerous Creatures of Grimm into the city. The exact number of civilian casualties was still being counted, but the total number the Council of Vale had released as of the time of the article's writing said there had been at least 73 and counting. Only thanks to the efforts of Huntsmen and Huntsmen-in-Training from Beacon, alongside Atlesian military forces, were the Grimm exterminated and the opening sealed before more damage could be done. In fact, those listed as being first to the scene were none other than Team RWBY.

The events described in the article stated it happened the day after FFOG set off for Hearth, the morning after in fact, so Grey was surprised to learn RWBY were back in Vale so soon. She had believed their mission was supposed to last nearly as long as FFOG's, but they returned in time to be the first to intervene. That was nice to hear, though still very surprising to the Werewolf.

Back to the article, it said an investigation had been launched by the Council of Vale to discover how exactly this had happened, and steps were being taken to prevent it from occurring ever again. Roman Torchwick had been arrested, including many White Fang members, under suspicions of having been involved with the explosion. At the end of the article, it stated that General Ironwood of Atlas would now be in charge of security for the Vytal Festival. The one who had previously held that responsibility being Headmaster Ozpin.

Once she and Friesian had finished reading the news article, Grey shared shocked looks with Friesian, whose face was absolutely aghast at the news.

"Shit. So while we were away keeping Jeremiah and his supplies safe-" Grey began to say, but was interrupted by Faen.

"We had no idea that this could have happened." The tone of Faen's voice was even, his eyes still shut and remained in his meditative pose. In spite of that, Grey still heard the graveness that was present in his voice earlier.

"But how did it happen in the first place? The tunnel to Mountain Glenn was sealed decades ago, and reinforced so much that no Grimm could possibly break into it." Friesian began, his body rubbing the temple of his head. "And an Atlesian being put in charge of protecting the Festival while its in Vale? What the heck's the Council thinking?"

Oh boy, politics.

For her part, Grey decided to avoid making any comment on Ironwood's appointment as to chief of security for the Vytal Festival. In no way did that mean she had no opinions on it, for she too was stunned by the Council of Vale's decision. She simply had no wish to start some endless debate over it as she had seen occur in the past.

Faen and Akagi were of the same mind as it seems for they too refrained from commenting on Ironwood's new position. Akagi was a surprise though, for given her own background Grey assumed her most likely to same something political as well. Oh well, at least it spared Grey from spending minute after minute listening to someone drone on and on about that stuff.

"Forgive my ignorance, but what is Mountain Glenn?" Faen spoke up, posing his question to Friesian as he got out of his meditative pose and got up onto his feet.

Now that Grey thought about it, what in the world was Mountain Glenn? She had seen it mentioned in a few books before, and was mentioned by Jeremiah during their journey here, but Grey did not know the full story behind that place. Wanting answers, she too looked at Friesian, the only one amongst the team who was a Kingdomer and from Vale as well. He displayed knowledge of whatever events transpired there, so he should be able to tell them a thing or two.

Given his track record with history however, Grey felt Faen might have made a poor choice in asking Friesian to explain.

"Uh... that's history, and you know how I am with history, but I'll explain it as best I can." What followed was around twenty minutes of Friesian trying his best to relay his understanding of Mountain Glenn to Grey and the others. It was far more succinct than Grey expected, but after the eighth minute passed, the Dullahan had taken out his Scroll and looked up information on Mountain Glenn for them.

When all was said and FFOG satisfied with what information they were able to learn, the team became silent, as did everything around them. It was as though the entire world had gone still so it might mourn the tragedy that was Mountain Glenn.

An entire city wiped out by the Grimm. A stark reminder of the threat the Creatures of Grimm still posed to all.

Its fall reminded Grey of the post-Great War settlements established outside the Enclaves by Demi-humans seeking a life beyond the homes they had known for generations. Most found life outside the Enclaves tough, but plenty were able to prosper and grow, some becoming towns or cities. Others, however, were less fortunate and were annihilated by the Grimm shortly after their creation.

Any and all settlements lost to Grimm were tragedies regardless of why, when, and where these places fell. Whether they were Enclavean or Kingdomer did no matter. The memory of their existence and loss something the Werewolf did her best to remember, for their memory would fuel her fight against the Grimm.

As FFOG were quietly contemplating the events of Mountain Glenn and Vale, Grey's wolf-ears perked up when she heard a pair of footsteps approaching FFOG from the side.

Facing who was walking towards them, Grey raised a brow when she spotted the Huntsman Bisonte striding towards them with the Mayor of Hearth beside him. The Mayor was unremarkable in regards to his appearance, he was a thin man wearing a wool suit and flat cap over his grey hair. Not a bad man as far as Grey knew, but he seemed a slight bit anxious when they met last night.

"Hey, kids! Need to chat with you," Bisonte gestured them to come over.

Looking at each other for a brief second, FFOG picked up their things and followed after the pair. The Mayor had already expressed his thanks, and that of the village, last night. Their reason for wanting to talk to them could not be that, so what was up?

Together the group made their way into the Mayor's house, which was by no means special when compared to the rest of the village, perhaps its only distinguishing feature on the outside being the icon of a hearth carved onto the front door. The group walked inside and were led to the Mayor's private study. It was spacious enough for them all to stand in, and had no windows through which any private business that needed discussing could be overheard or seen.

Soon as they were inside, the Mayor took a seat on his desk, while Bisonte leaned against a shelf bearing an impressive book collection and took out a cigarette and lighter. The Mayor sent a look of disapproval at Bisonte as he was about to light it. The Huntsman paused for a second, then put both cigarette and lighter away. That out of the way, the group returned to whatever order of business that had drawn them here in the first place.

"Before we begin, I must thank you again for helping Mister Bisonte and Jeremiah bring the supplies to our village." And they were being thanked again for what they had done. It was nice and all, but Grey wished he could have gone straight to the point.

"It is our pleasure and honour to have been of aid," Faen answered for the team. Grey cast a glance at her leader, for he had said those exact same words when they were first thanked for bringing the supplies to Hearth. He really could not be bothered to come up with something else right now?

"That's nice to hear, but I fear I must ask you to help us again." The Mayor did not appear to notice, then again, there were likely more important things on his mind. He took a long moment to consider his next words, or to fully recall what he wished to discuss with them, before speaking again. "The day before you arrived, a man came to our village, wishing to speak to me. While I was reluctant to, the man had an air of danger around him, he came unarmed so I listened to what he had to say."

The mayor paused again, this time leaning over his desk and placing both of his hands on its top. FFOG waited patiently for him to continue, and as they waited Grey noticed the incredible amounts of worry in the mayor's eyes.

"He introduced himself as a member of a recently arrived bandit tribe, and said he came to relay word from his chief." FFOG's eyes widened and they looked at each other in shock once the Mayor had finished his sentence. Bandits were what they wished to talk to them about?

Bandits, marauders, and renegades were a problem in Avalon as well, choosing a lawless existence in the wilds over life in civilised settlements. It had been this way since before the Edicts of Isolation forced the Demi-humans to hide in the Enclaves.

Grey had feared they might run across some Kingdomer bandits on the way to Hearth, and was glad they did not. The Grimm had been enough for her to handle, those Megatherons more so, bandits would have caused them all more trouble and further delayed their arrival to Hearth. However, it looked as though they were going to confront some regardless.

"He... extended his chief's warmest greetings, and expressed a desire for us to engage in a 'mutually beneficial relationship'." The Mayor scoffed when he mentioned that last part, as did Bisonte. "To spare you all time and myself breath, the bandits want to extract tribute from our village in exchange for them leaving us alone. They gave us a grace period of a single day, and will come for their 'due' at sundown today."

Until sundown, it was currently 9:54 in the morning, meaning the village had only around eight hours at least to do anything about this predicament. She would have thought these bandits might instead just attack Hearth, not wait and let them have a chance to defend themselves. It was fortunate for the villagers they did not, what was more fortunate being FFOG and Bisonte's timely arrival.

Hearing that bandits were threatening and planned to exploit these people made Grey's heartbeat quicken and blood boil in anger. She had been looking forward to returning to Beacon, but that could wait if it meant pummelling a few bandits.

"They want food, Lien, precious valuables, and any weapons our village has." The Mayor continued to explain the situation to them, listing the bandits' demands one by one. It seemed to be everything, but the Mayor then rose a single finger and continued to speak. "There was one more demand the bandit pushed hard for, a most... peculiar demand. Old papers and a journal that belonged to Steropes, a Cyclops who lived among us."

"A Cyclops? What precisely are these papers those bandits want?" Odori asked the Mayor. Both Grey and Friesian shared a look, the two of them now remembering their original intent of informing their fellow teammates about this Cyclops before the while matter about Mountain Glenn was brought up.

"I know what the papers they want are, they were personal notes of Steropes, but no one in the village understands what they say. They were written in some foreign language, here have a look for yourselves." The mayor opened up a drawer in his desk and pulled out a leather-bound journal with several papers crammed between its yellowed pages. Opening it for them to see, Grey immediately saw what the Mayor meant when she and FFOG leaned forward to get a closer look.

Grey did not recognise what the script scrawled over each page, not at all helped by how messy the writer's handwriting happened to be. After a few seconds spent trying to recall whether she had seen it or not, the Werewolf leaned back and shook her head. Glancing over to her teammates, she saw Friesian lean back and shrug his shoulders, Odori shook her head, and no trace of recognition could be seen on Faen's face.

Having seen the reactions of the four Demi-humans, the Mayor sighed in disappointment and stashed the journal and papers away. She was sorry to disappoint the old man, but they just did not know what it said.

Perhaps it was written in a language used exclusively in whatever place Steropes had come form? Maybe the writing in the book was a coded language of Steropes' own invention made to hide his most private thoughts and ideas? Whatever it was, the journal was of worth to the bandits, so that meant they cannot be allowed to lay a hand on the book.

"Hearth has had its share of trouble with bandits in the past, but never have any demanded something so specific as this. How they could have known these are here is also something that troubles me." The Mayor continued to speak, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Why did you keep them? Did Steropes not have any next of kin or leave any instructions for what to do with them once he passed away?" Friesian asked the Mayor, a genuine question that the Human also had an answer to.

"Steropes claimed all of his family were deceased, and never expressed any thoughts of starting another quite honestly. Of his possessions, they were distributed to the rest of the village after his passing, with his blacksmithing tools left to our forge. These he left particular instructions for, saying they were to be 'kept safe until they were needed'." Once the Mayor finished speaking, FFOG's minds began to race at the ominous nature of his instructions.

A Cyclops who lived this far away from any major population centre and left some pretty darn cryptic instructions for his untranslatable journal? All this was starting to sound very suspicious to Grey. That there were bandits demanding these papers certainly did nothing to sway Grey's mind away from such a conclusion.

Sketchy though these might all seem, the people of this village needed help. She had no idea how the rest of her team thought of the situation, but no matter what they were Grey was willing to provide her aid to Hearth even if the rest of FFOG would not.

"Back to the subject at hand. I rejected the bandits' demands, and while he did not outright say it, he implied the tribe is more than willing to take what they want by force. Which takes us here," the Mayor

"I believe I understand why you are telling us all this. You wish for us to assist in this matter of yours by helping fight off these bandits for you, am I correct? Faen said, his voice betraying nothing about his inner emotions or thoughts.

"Please, I know you have done our village a great service, but I implore you to help us again. I have full confidence in Mister Bisonte's abilities, but a few extra hands would be of great help," the Mayor pleaded to FFOG. "We are only asking you to stay here at Hearth for a little while longer before the threat of these bandits has passed, or if another Huntsman or two arrives. We put out a call for a Huntsman after that bandit came to us, but so far, you are the only ones to have come."

Considering how secluded Hearth was from the rest of Vale, Grey could admit she was not surprised a Huntsman had not responded to the call yet. A Huntsman might be on their way as they speak, but there was no guarantee they would arrive in time to assist the village.

If it came to it, the burden of protecting Hearth really would fall on FFOG and Bisonte's shoulders alone.

Bisonte was a great shot with that rifle of his, and the confidence the Mayor had for him must exist for a reason, so Grey had no worries about how he handled himself in a fight. Grey was slightly more concerned how the rest of FFOG would do against the bandits, however. They had all fought people before, but those fights were training duels with restrictions and the like. The people they would potentially be fighting were people looking to kill them.

A chilling sense of unease crept up Grey's spine at the thought. Even so, if a fight had to happen she would face it no matter what. Besides, FFOG was a damn good team, and she wast confident that they could protect Hearth from bandits. All they needed was a plan and to set their minds to it.

"Why don't we go to their hideout and flush them out? It must not be too far, and they cannot possibly hope to stand against five Aura-users." Akagi proposed, the aggression in her voice unmissable.

"I tried," Bisonte spoke up from his spot off to the side, "or at least that's what I attempted to do this very morning. Other bandits and the sort set up camps in the area around Hearth, so I searched those first, but there's no sign of anyone so much as passing through. Once we're done here, I'll head out and search the nearby area again."

"Which is where you four come into the equation," the Mayor spoke again. He and Bisonte having obviously gone over this before deciding to talk to FFOG. "While Mister Bisonte is off searching for the bandits again, it is our hope you will remain with us and defend the village in case the fiends attempt to attack the village while Bisonte's away. It would not be the first time bandits reneged on their word."

Well, that was certainly a plan and was far better than nothing.

Grey silently agreed with Akagi's idea that FFOG and Bisonte could find the bandits' hideout and take them out. It would spare the possibility of collateral damage happening to the village, as well as removing the chance of the villagers being caught in the crossfire. Despite that, she understood why the Mayor and Bisonte wished for them to remain at Hearth, and would not openly oppose the idea.

"What will happen if the bandits are not found before sundown? Do we have a plan for that?" Faen said, giving voice to a worry that began to bloom in the minds of FFOG's members. Doubtless the Elf had come up with one or two plans of his own for that proposed eventuality.

"Then we'll have no choice but to defend the village. We will organise things soon as I come back," Bisonte evenly replied to Faen's question.

"But what of you? And the rest of the village?" Grey stepped forth and directed her questions to the Mayor. "It will not be safe to be in the village if the bandits do indeed come for your things. Is there somewhere safe safe you can hide in? Or another settlement not far that the village can go to until we've taken care of the bandits?"

"Do not worry for my life or for those of the other villagers. Beneath the watchtower is a shelter we built where we can hide inside until any threat that attacks the village blows over or is driven off. So if the bandits are not found before sundown, do not worry about our safety," the Mayor responded, trying his best to allay her and FFOG's worries.

Shelter or no, Grey still did not like how close the villagers were still going to be if things did come down to them protecting the village. She wished to argue, but the look in the Mayor's eyes and the tone of his voice told the Werewolf there was no changing of this plan.

Resigned to accepting it despite her misgivings, Grey looked once again to her teammates to see how they had taken this.

Faen's face had taken up an emotionless mask that made reading his thoughts hard, even for Grey. Friesian in contrast did not hide his emotions and appeared somewhat anxious, yet he put on a brave face. Of all them, it was Akagi that surprised Grey, for the Kitsune seemed to her eyes to be excited by the idea of a confrontation with the bandits. In normal occasions Grey would be bouncing on her heels at the thought of a fight, but there was something off about Akagi.

This was a very serious situation, yet Akagi's lips had formed a thin smile. More then that, the Kitsune's five tails were slightly swaying from side to side, and her eyes seemed to gleam with a different kind of battle-lust Grey was not familiar with.

Grey averted her eyes away from Akagi just as her eyes darted towards Grey's direction. She liked and trusted Akagi, but there was something up with her right now that perturbed the Werewolf. Hopefully it was a one time thing.

As it turns out, Grey looked away from the Kitsune in time to see Faen step forward and speak to the Mayor of Hearth and Bisonte.

"Very well then. We will do our best to keep Hearth safe, come what may."

---

Hours had gone by since FFOG met up with the Mayor of Hearth and Bisonte, and the team of four were currently preparing themselves for the potential confrontation they might become a part of.

Deciding to prepare themselves where the road entered the village, the four Demi-humans watched and waited as the populace of the village finished what business they had that needed completing, while also keeping their eyes peeled for any bandits or Grimm. Nothing had happened thus far, even with the rising tension in the village no Grimm came, and that gave Faen time to brood on the burden dropped onto FFOG's shoulders.

This was supposed to have been a simple escort mission, but FFOG had gotten wrapped up in far more than they had expected. The first thing they did upon leaving the Mayor's office was informing the Academy of their present situation, and received an answer shortly after it was sent. An answer from Headmaster Ozpin himself no less.

He congratulated them for completing the mission they had chosen, then cautioned the team on what they were preparing itself to do. No, Ozpin did not try to dissuade them from protecting the village, he simply told them to stay together, listen to Bisonte, and keep an eye out for the airship sent to pick them up. It was due to depart soon, but needed to perform a few detours to provide aid to a few settlements, and would turn up during the evening at the earliest, the middle of the night at the latest.

The Headmaster asured them that their pickup would be informed of their situation and hurry to them as quickly as they could. At first it confused Faen and the others why their pickup would take so long, and even make said detours in the first place. Ozpin informed them of why, and that did nothing to improve their overall mood.

What happened in Vale had caused an upswing in negative emotions among the Kingdom's people, resulting in a light surge of Grimm activity. For obvious reasons, people tended to react poorly to an incident like that, and it had its consequences. One of them being how plenty of settlements in the region, big or small, needed help in clearing the increased number of Grimm in their local area. Nothing too major, but something that needed doing.

Their pickup was not alone in this task. Other Huntsmen operating in the local area were doing their best to reduce the numbers of Grimm, and were doing a good job so far according to the Headmaster.

So, as far as things looked right now, they really would have to deal with this matter by themselves. That was not good, not good at all. Still, his team would endure this trial and emerge triumphant, there could be no other way it could end.

What was more, the village's bandit problem posed a grand opportunity for FFOG.

Grimm were not the only foes Huntsmen faced while performing their duties, for other people could be as much a threat to the Enclaves and Kingdoms as the monsters that regularly besieged them. This would provide FFOG valuable experience in dispatching foes such as bandits, and add to FFOG's reputation. He did not know if any of the current teams in Beacon had done it before, but taking out a bandit tribe would certainly make FFOG stand out from the first-year teams at least.

Not only could this deed earn FFOG some well-deserved recognition, it might increase their chances of qualifying for the Vytal Tournament. There was still no word of who had earned the honour of battling in the Amity Arena, and this might be a prime chance to show why FFOG should receive it. All that FFOG need do is excell and not screw things up here.

Finished sharpening the blades of both Gwaedh and Aglar, and with those thoughts in mind, Faen returned both weapons to their scabbards and focused on his teammates. They all needed to be prepared, so Faen got around to ensuring they all were.

"Odori, how many bullets do you have?" Faen asked his partner, his arms folded over his chest.

"Two full magazines worth is all I have left. Most of what I brought along for this mission was used up on the way here. I'll need to limit my shots," Odori answered him as she began to carefully place her remaining bullets into their magazines. Given the fact they had no idea how many bandits there might be, it was wise of the Kitsune to decide on that course of action.

He had heard stories of various bandit tribes that plagued Remnant like unwashed vermin. According to the stories, both factual and fictional, bandit tribes could be made up of numbers as low as six or high as fifty. Some tales claimed there were tribes a hundred-strong, but those were more often then not inflated for the sake of drama. While the challenge sounded a slight bit enticing, Faen hoped that there would not be many, both for his own sake and the villagers.

"Very well then. Only use your guns when the need is absolutely necessary and when you're certain you shot will find it find its mark," Faen advised to his partner. She nodded in response and carried on with her task, leaving Faen to check up on the rest of his team. "Friesian, your Dust? How much do you still have?"

"I'm out of Fire, spent the last of it on the Megatherons. Used most of my Wind too, but I've still got a good amount of Lightning, Water, Ice, and Rock." The Dullahan tapped a finger on each small container of Dust that he still had. "Should be enough if this bandit tribe isn't too big that is. How about you, boss?"

"I'm nearly out of regular bolts. I have almost all my Dust-infused bolts, so I still have those as options." He replied quickly as he looked out down the road to Hearth. There was still nothing to see apart from the road itself and the surrounding landscape." Grey, how about you?"

"I'm ready and rearing to go," his best friend replied with a single nod of her head. She had no worries regarding ammunition, only whether her weapon's claw-blades were sharp and intact. Good thing then she was very diligent in maintaining them.

If only the same were true for her clothing and a few other things.

"So... what is it we should do about the bandits? I mean, do we capture them or... y'know? Off the buggers?" Friesian asked, prompting the two other members of FFOG to look at him, then at Faen. It was a good question, one they probably should have asked Bisonte before he headed off to find the bandit camp. After a moment spent contemplating the idea, Faen had an answer for the Dullahan.

"Do your best to capture them. Perhaps we can learn why they are interested in Steropes' journal."

Personally Faen did not care what happened to the bandits, but the chance to discover the truth behind the Cyclops' cryptic journal was too enticing to pass up. Though none here understood what it said, something of woeth had to be inside its pages. Why else would the bandits have demanded it from the Mayor of Hearth?

With that thought in mind, Faen looked to Friesian and focused on the walkie-talkie entrusted to him that was hanging on his belt. Bisonte had given the team one while he kept another, so they could communicate over a distance. Unlike Scrolls, these did not require the CCTS to function, though they did need to be in a certain range of each other for them to work properly. Bisonte had regularly asked whether something had happened while he was away, and they replied nothing had.

With the afternoon drawing to a close, Bisonte informed them he found nothing and that he was on his way back to Hearth. That had been about an hour ago, and the Huntsman should nearly be here by now. Two minutes later, Faen spotted him striding down the road to Hearth, his rifle slung over his shoulder.

The rest of FFOG noticed Bisonte's approach and silently waited for the Huntsman to reach the village. Soon as he was close enough for all of FFOG to hear him, the Human spoke to them.

"Couldn't find them. I searched the hills over there and a chunk of the woods south of the village, but didn't find their encampment anywhere." Bisonte gestured a hand over to the woods and the hills east of Hearth as he spoke. "Wherever they've dug themselves in is either too far away or well hidden."

"So that's how it's going to be. We will have to defend the village after all," Odori remarked as she hid her pistols up her sleeves.

"Seems like it," Bisonte sighed as he quickly rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Listen, this here's the plan. I'll set myself up in the village's watchtower, it's a good vantage point where I can see most of the surrounding area. You will sit yourselves over at the village square and wait for me to tell you where the bandits are coming from. Soon as I do, you will head over to the direction I tell you they're coming from and hold them off at the village fence. I will try to take out as many as I can before they reach the fence, maybe they will turn away if I put some bullets in a few of them."

That last part Bisonte said was rather chilling, but it could just work. If enough bandits were felled before they reached the village, they might see this venture as too costly and retreat back to whatever den they crawled out from.

Of course there was the chance that did not work, and the bandits would foolishly press on to the village no matter how many Bisonte cut down. FFOG would hold them off if they managed to reach the fence. These were bandits after all, scum who were of less value than the dirt beneath Faen's boots. The idea of losing to the likes of them was inconceivable to the Elf.

"Anyone have any further questions?" Bisonte asked of FFOG, his eyes flitting to each of them in turn as he waited for one of them to say something. None did, and the Huntsman spoke again. "Alright then. Finish up what preparations you got to do, and then head on over to the square by 6 o'clock. Sundown'll be on us in a few hours, so you'd best be ready."

Acknowledging Bisonte's words FFOG set about making final preparations for the coming confrontation, with Faen believing it best to triple check his equipment before they went to their designated spot. It would most certainly not hurt to do so. The rest of his team had a similar idea, and were checking if they had everything on them in case they missed something they might need later.

Sundown would not be for a few more hours as Bisonte said, over three to be exact, but when it came FFOG would be prepared.

---

The sun neared the horizon and would disappear from sight soon, the sky turning a deep-blue as night began to slowly draw its dark shroud over the land.

From their assigned post, FFOG silently waited for news from Bisonte about any bandits that were approaching the bandits. They had been waiting for nearly an hour now, and anxiously kept glancing towards the descending sun. With the sun now setting, the bandits were due to arrive any minute now to collect their 'tribute' from Hearth.

Instead of tribute, these bandits would face a Huntsman and a full team of Huntsmen-in-Training.

All of Hearth had relocated to the shelter beneath the watchtower and were to remain there until the all-clear signal. About half of the village came to FFOG before entering the shelter, choosing to express their gratitude and wish the four luck. Unnecessary was what the Elf thought of it all, but they had been welcome nonetheless.

During the time FFOG spent watching and waiting for the bandits to come, it struck Faen's that maybe a few words of encouragement to his team might be useful. Faen heard and read leaders tended to make some grand speech meant to motivate their subordinates, and sometimes he heard Ruby and Jaune practising some pre-fight speechs when they thought no one was listening. In his head he tried to think of a few sentences that could embolden his team, yet it proved harder than the Elf thought.

In the end Faen gave up on the attempt, preferring to wait in silence than make himself look like a fool by saying some poorly strung together words. If his team needed inspiring, then he would do so through actions rather than words. A much easier alternative in Faen's eyes, so much easier.

The time was nearing 8pm, and the sun was about to touch the western horizon when the radio Bisonte had given FFOG came to life, and the Huntsmans' voice spoke to them through it.

"Twenty people approaching the village from the forest to the south. Currently see no one else." Knowing the bandits were on their way and where they were coming from, Faen picked up his helm and slipped it over his head before leading his team to the southern part of the village. He was not surprised, for the forest had been one of the most likely directions they approached the village from.

"Twenty? Think that's all of them?" Friesian asked the team as they cut between two houses on their way to the outskirts of the village.

"Let's hope so," Grey replied soon after Friesian finished. "The fewer bandits there are for us to deal with, the quicker our job can be done."

In no time did the team of four Demi-humans break out from the village and ran for the fence. Just as they had crossed half the distance between the village and the fence, the radio crackled to life and Bisonte spoke for a second time.

"Another group of twenty. They are coming down from the hill to the east." Forty in total, and they were approaching the village from two different directions. Faen nearly paused in his tracks and ask if FFOG should split up to deal with the second group, but Bisonte already had a plan to deal with them. "Keep going to the south, I can deal with those in the east. I'll alert you in case a third group turn up."

Faen was sure FFOG could take them all on even if the team were split up, but Bisonte was the Huntsman here, so FFOG had to listen to him. Reaching the fence, the four ducked behind it while peeking their heads over its top to keep an eye out for the incoming bandit group Bisonte told them about. Speaking of the Huntsman, his voice called out to them through the radio for a third time.

"I'll fire a warning shot at both groups. If they don't turn back, then we'll have no choice be to fight them off. Be ready."

No sooner had he finished did the sound of a single gunshot ring out from the watchtower, followed shortly after by a second. The silence that came after hung heavy over the team, the only sound FFOG could hear being the grass and leaves rustling in the light breeze and the sound of nighttime insects. What felt like five minutes passed by, though it might have been less then that in actuality.

"They're still advancing towards Hearth." Bisonte's voice informed them all of a sudden, almost startling the team. "I will start picking them off, mainly the batch coming from the east. Careful, they are far more disciplined than most bandits I've dealt with before."

Disciplined? The scum approaching them were somehow disciplined? How exactly had they reacted to the Huntsman's warning shot?

Sounds of more gunshots began to fill the air as Bisonte opened fire on the bandits from his vantage point. Putting aside his questions, Faen inhaled and exhaled several times in preparation of the coming fight. As he did, Faen rose his hand over his shoulder and pulled Aglar out from its scabbard.

He would try not to kill any of them as FFOG agreed earlier, but that did not mean he would be gentle with the bandits. Every ounce of pain the Demi-humans inflicted on them, be it through punches or non-lethal strikes of their weapon, was deserved no matter what.

"I see them!" Grey told the rest of FFOG, though she quickly hesitated and squinted hard at the direction she pointed out to the rest of FFOG. "They're... not what I expected."

Straining his eyes so that he too might make out the forms of their attackers, Faen was able to spot ninteen humanoids of average-height emerging from the woods and advancing towards the village. One was crumpled on the ground, most likely wounded or killed by Bisonte. In the dim light of dusk and at the distance they currently were at, Faen could not see the bandits in full detail, yet was soon able to the closer they got to Hearth. When at last he did, the Elf knew there was something up with these bandits the second he laid eyes on them.

Each wore essentially the same outfit, which consisted of greenish-grey suits under light-grey hooded capes. All had dark googles worn over their eyes, and dark neck-warmers or bandanas wrapped around their necks and covering their mouths. They also wore toolbelts adorned with several pockets and pieces of professional survival gear.

What was the most glaring thing to Faen were the arms they carried as they advanced towards Hearth. Half of them were armed with dark tactical shields and shortswords, while, more alarmingly to Faen, spears with gun attachments under the speartips.

He knew what those kinds of spears were, and where they could be found. Same went for the shields they carried.

In response to the gunfire being rained down at them, the shield-bearers lined up in front of the rest and extended their shields so they could protect their entire bodies. They had formed a shield-wall, while those who bore spears hid behind them for protection. Any rifle-fire from Bisonte proved incapable of piercing through the shields, only leaving small impact dents on their surface. Protected as they now were, the bandits moved forward again.

"By the gods. Faen, they're using-" Grey started to say, but he interrupted her before she could finish.

"I know," Faen growled as he loaded a magazine of Fire Dust-infused bolts into his wrist-bow. There was no chance in hell his regular bolts would be able to penetrate those shields, but he wanted to see how well these bolts worked against them. Firing at the shield-wall, Faen watched his bolt fly and strike the view-port of one shield. The bolt erupted in a small explosion of flame, yet, had a minimal effect on the shield or its bearer.

In answer to his attack, the spearmen behind the shield-wall peeked out from behind their cover and fired their spear's gun attachments at him and FFOG. Forcing all four of them to take cover.

"How in the hell did they get a hold of Avaloni Spears and those shields?" Grey growled just as a bullet pinged off the top of the stone fence, knocking small bits of rock off of where it struck. Their goal was not to kill, but more likely to suppress FFOG and keep them in place as they advanced.

"Wait, 'Avaloni Spears'? Why in the heck do bandits have kit like that?" Friesian's head questioned the two from its position at his belt while bullets were zipping the air right above the Dullahan's shoulders. "You are sure that's what they got right? My eyes aren't as good as you lot's when in the dark."

"You can ask them your questions once we've beaten every last one of them!" Faen responded to the Werewolf and Dullahan as he peeked his head over the fence, but was forced to retreat it back down when the bandits concentrated fire on him. Behind the fence once again, Faen started to devise a plan to deal with these bandits.

They could brute force their way through the shield-wall by using their sheer strength alone, as Aura-users it was possible. Rushing the shield-wall was a problem though, for the spearmen might score a few hits on FFOG as the team ran at their formation, and those shield-bearers may be harder to overcome than he believed. Faen tossed that plan away after considering its disadvantages, for it lacked imagination and there existed far more intelligent alternatives. Perhaps a pincer movement was the ideal tactic for this battle?

As FFOG's leader tried to come up with a plan, the radio sparked to life again.

"Shit, the hell are those shields made of?" Bisonte's voice growled, yet he kept his frustration in check. "Listen kids, I ain't doing anything to them shields both groups are carrying, and the one to the east is getting too close. It'll have to be your job to deal with the group headed your way, while I personally deal with the other."

Both groups of bandits had these shields? Either these bandits had gotten particularly lucky in one raid, or there was more going on right now?

Looking over to the watchtower, the Elf looked in time to see the silhouette of Bisonte leaping out of the watchtower in the direction of the eastern hills. They had never seen the Huntsman fight in close-quarters before, and Faen was curious how he fought in such situations. Now was not the time for such thoughts however, for there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Stay down, and wait for them to draw close. Soon as they're near, we'll break from cover and encircle them. Let not a single one of them past this fence," Faen commanded his team. He had a plan now, and if they worked together it would go off without a hitch. It was as he started to relay his plan to the rest of FFOG did he then notice something very off about his team, and made it known to the others. "W-Where the bloody hell is Odori?"

All of FFOG were crouched behind the fence, except for their Kitsune team member. It was after he pointed it out that Grey and Friesian marked Odori's absence and joined in on searching for her.

"You don't think she's-" Grey began to say. No sooner had those words left her mouth, they quickly got an idea of where their teammate might be.

Shouts and cries came from the other side of the fence, and when Faen stood up to see the cause, the three members of FFOG were greeted to a sight they already suspected they would find. Odori was among the bandits and had broken their formation, breaking the shield-wall by knocking the shield-bearers down somehow and was now fighting them. He guessed she had used her Semblance to sneak up on them, for it was the only way he imagined how this had happened.

"Fine then," Faen reluctantly growled as he leapt over the fence and charged at the bandits, Aglar in hand. Grey and Friesian followed his lead, sprinting at the bandits with weapons ready.

The bandits, while initially surprised by Odori's sudden assault, recovered quickly and launched a counterattack. The shield-bearers got up and most braced themselves for the moment Faen, Grey, and Friesian clashed with them, though a few tried to encircle Odori. Alongside them several of those with spears attempted the same thing. More gunfire came from their spears, the bullets either whizzing past the Demi-humans, was blocked by them, or pinged off of their Auras.

Their inhuman speed and reflexes, and how they were unharmed after being shot at, alerted the bandits that they were Aura-users. To their credit however, they did not turn and flee immediately. Instead they persisted and tried all the harder to fight the Huntsmen-in-Training off.

As the three drew closer to their foe, a blast of ice soared past Faen and froze most of the bandits' interlocked shields together. Without a doubt Friesian's doing. A smart idea, as with the shields stuck together by ice, the bandits may be forced to abandon their shields and fight them with only swords. If this fight turned out well, Faen needed to remember to congratulate Friesian for thinking of it.

Grey was the first of the three to reach the bandits, sprinting around the hastily raised and now frozen together shield-wall to get at those behind it. More yells and sounds of fighting immediately rising from where his best friend had gone.

Next to reach the bandits , Faen leapt over the shield-wall and those who formed it, and kicked a spearman square in the chest with both his feet. He sent them backwards, crashing into a second bandit. Faen, unfortunately, landed flat on the ground and was immediately set upon by two more bandits, one with a sword and another with a spear.

The spear-wielder thrust his weapon at the Elf's head, yet he moved his head to the side in time, and rolled forward as the second bandit swung his sword where his chest had been. Getting up and turning to face them, the three barely took a step towards each other when another shield-bearing bandit fell to the floor between them. Faen heard the sound of fighting just outside of his field of view, but did not focus on it for now, he had work to do.

The spearman levelled their weapon and shot several bullets at Faen, while the shield-bearer charged forward. That was not all though, for Faen could hear two more running up behind him.

Evading the bullets shot at him by jumping to the right, Faen parried a blow from the shield-bearer in front of him and delivered a swift kick to their left leg, forcing them onto one knee. Turning to confront those who sought to attack him from behind, he sidestepped a thrust from a spear in time, and caught the haft a second before it struck his chest. Before his foe could properly react to Faen's action, he moved forward and punched them in the face with his sword hand.

Pulling the Avaloni Spear from out of the reeling bandits grip, Faen used its haft to block a strike from both the shield-bearer and the second spearman who struck at him in the same time. With a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, Faen fought all who stepped forward to face him. All the while keeping aware of what was happening around him.

Friesian combined his swordsman skills and knowledge of Dust to subdue the bandits, striking them aside with the flat edge of Tenebrous Mantle's sword form or Ice Dust to freeze them in place. Odori kept moving here and there, weaving past attacks and defences to exploit any vulnerabilities that allowed her to knock them onto the ground. Grey took on the more physically imposing, most of them shield-bearers, and pit her strength against theirs.

They were all outnumbered, but numbers like the bandits' could not overcome the advantages FFOG possessed.

Both of Faen's spear-wielding opponents rose their weapons and swung them down at him, yet he stopped them with a timely block with the Avaloni Spear the Elf obtained. The shield-bearer and the third spearman, who took out a combat knife after Faen took his main weapon, charged forward and attempted to attack while he was 'distracted'.

Fully aware of their plan, Faen kept holding the Avaloni spear up, and used Aglar to repeatedly parry the two other bandits' attempts against him. It was easy for the Elf to parry and block every attack they made, their every attempt to deal him harm failing.

Using all of his strength to push to spearman away, the effort was successful and the two were forced back a couple steps, granting Faen an opportunity to do away with the others. Moving his hand down so he held the bottom end of the spear's haft, he swung the weapon horizontally as fast and hard as he could at the two other bandits. Not able to react in time, both bandits were struck across the side of the head with the Avaloni Spear's gun attachment, knocking them senseless to the floor.

Taken aback by how he swiftly dispatched of their comrades, the two spearman were hesitant to engage with Faen again. This hesitation lasted only a second though, and the two attacked Faen once again. Before they clashed, another bandit flew between them and crumpled onto the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Okay, who in the flying hell was throwing these bandits around like this? Oh who the hell was he kidding, the obvious answer was Grey.

Ignoring that little incident, he dropped the Avaloni Spear and charged forward. He leapt over the fallen bandit and sought to close the distance between them, Aglar ready in hand. One thrust their spear forward, the tip aimed for his chest, which Faen dodged easily by running out of the way. The second, seeing where Faen was going, stabbed their spear in the direction he was headed.

Faen foresaw they would try to attempt this, and leapt right over not just the spear but both bandits. Landing right behind the two of them the Elf then crouched low and knocked them off their feet with a quick sweep of Aglar's spear-form. Now downed they were easy prey for Faen, who fell upon them in a couple of seconds.

He struck the gut of one with Aglar's haft with an overhead swing down at them. It knocked the wind out of the bandit, and they let go of their spear to hold their hands over the spot Faen hit him. With his one incapacitated for the time being, the Elf set his sights on the other spearman and swung Aglar horizontally so its haft would strike the side of their head.

The other recovered in time to rise onto one knee and block Faen's spear with their own, holding him in a lock for a second. Unmoved by this, Faen pushed the bandit's spear to the side, leaving their head exposed to attack. Moving swiftly to exploit this opening he created, Faen switched the position of his grip on Aglar, swung it round over his head and deliver a blow to the side of their head as he originally planned to. Enough force had been put behind his strike that the bandit was thrown off their feet and collapsed onto the floor completely unconscious.

With that bandit disposed of Faen returned his attention to the bandit on the floor. They still lay on the floor, yet one of his hands was reaching for his spear. Faen did not allow them to for he swiftly brought his boot down on their hand, pinning it down and bringing his free fist down on their face. That did the trick, and they too joined their comrades in the embrace of unconsciousness.

The last of the bandits he faced finally felled, Faen searched for anyone else that sought to fight him. The sound of movement behind Faen betrayed the approach of another bandit. As he spun around to confront this new foe, he felt a blast of chill air and was surprised to see a bandit frozen in place, their head the only part of their body not covered in ice.

Faen quickly noticed Friesian standing a short distance away, waving a hand at his team leader while the bladed-whip of Tenebrous Mantle was covered in ice crystals with cold steam coming off it. The Elf nodded once at Friesian, wordlessly expressing his gratitude before looking around for a second time. As it turned out, his search for foes was unnecessary, for his team had taken care of all the other bandits.

Five were rendered immobile thanks to Friesian having locked them in ice, each one making a futile effort to struggle against their icy restraints. Grey stood above the unconscious bodies of three more bandits, headbutting one more and dropping them unceremoniously to the ground. Meanwhile, Odori literally stood over two fallen opponents, for her feet were placed on top of their heads.

The five bandits that remained conscious or not incapacitated regrouped and stood defiantly against the team of four Huntsmen-in-Training. Or so it might seem, as the whole lot of them were slowly shuffling away from them and held their weapons far too tightly.

It was... entertaining to see these men and women, no doubt older than FOGG themselves, try to conceal their anxiety. Try to hide their fear of Faen and his team. All that was needed to raise it and maybe force them to surrender would be a simple push, and there was something he knew which could achieve such a result.

"Hurricane," Faen commanded Grey with an almost lazy incline of his head to the bandit group, and it was immediately acted upon.

The wind suddenly began to pick up, sending any loose clothing flapping in the air, until a second later its intensity was dialled up to eleven. Caught completely unprepared by Grey's Semblance, the bandits were thrown completely off their feet and fell several metres away from the group.

Such a demonstration of power finally broke the bandits will to keep on fighting, and they chose to run rather than see what the rest of them could do.

"They're fleeing from us!" Grey grinned as she watched the bandits flee for the cover the cover of the woods. A groan came from the bandit that she had headbutted, and he was even trying to get back up. That little problem was remedied by a quick but strong knock to the bandit's head from Grey's fist, sending him back onto the ground. "Think we should go after them? Hunt 'em down?"

"No," Faen was quick to respond, raising his free hand in a halting gesture. "Our duty is to protect the village, and that shall be what we do. If the bandits work up enough courage to attack Hearth for a second time, then we shall repel them again."

The idea of pursuing the bandit was tempting, yet as Faen had said, their job was to protect Hearth from them. Leaving it just so they might capture five worthless brigands was not a sound idea to the Elf, for it might leave the village open to a third bandit group or the Grimm. As such, while a part of him wished to pursue them, Faen let them go.

"Y'know, I gotta tell you guys, that went far better than I thought it would." Friesian remarked as he snapped his bladed-whip into its sword-form.

True, this little engagement had gone better than Faen initially believed for there was no damage done to the village on their side. In face of that, however, was one blemish that marred their victory. That being his own partner's decision to strike at the bandits without informing him or the others.

While he was about to turn on the spot to face the Kitsune and begin her chastisement, she had plans of her own and sprinted past him. Her apparent target, the bandits that were fleeing from them.

"Odori! Get back over here for-" His words fell on deaf ears, as the Kitsune just kept on running after the bandits without any sign that she had heard him. Clenching his fist, Faen considered what he could do and settled on a course of action he disliked, yet saw no other way to handle it. "Hmph, fine then. Grey, Friesian, you two will stay here to secure these bandits and keep the village safe from any tricks or attacks they might do. Regroup with Bisonte and see how he's doing with the second group if you can. I will bring Odori back here."

"Go get her. We'll take care of things and have it under control by the time the two of you get back." Grey said in a reassuring manner, which was the best he could hope for right now.

Focusing his eyes in the direction Odori and the bandits had gone, Faen saw they had all disappeared into the woods. Not desiring to waste any more time, Faen began to run after them.

In a short amount of time Faen too plunged into the woods south of Hearth, and looked about the place for his teammate. The headstart he unfortunately gave her and the bandits meant they would be a good distance ahead of him, and now Faen was in the woods, he needed to find where they were headed. Focusing on Odori's scent, which mingled with the various smells of the bandits, Faen proceeded further through the trees.

Smell was not the only trail the Elf could follow, for there were visual signs of their passing he could use as well. Granted, there were not many, but he found footprints in the earth belonging to the fleeing bandits and a pursuing Odori that led away from Hearth.

Despite his best efforts not to, Faen lost the trail twice, and had been forced to double back to find it again. It annoyed that he could lose the trail in the first place, but these mistakes were costing him precious time which frustrated him more than the making of such mistakes could. Still, throughout his pursuit Faen kept his eyes peeled for anything that might be amiss.

Though bandits were scum, they were not all fools. One does not survive in the wilds of Remnant without a shred of intelligence after all, and he was prepared for the possibility of traps set by the bandits in response to any pursuit. With the evening steadily growing ever darker, Faen needed to be extra careful in these woods for more than bandits might be prowling beneath these branches.

Around five minutes after having entered the woods, Faen found the body of a bandit. While haste was necessary at this current time, Faen paused his search to quickly inspect the body.

Soon as he was close enough, the Elf smelt blood in the air and saw the bandit had indeed been killed. Kneelingkbeside the body, he saw they had been killed by a swift, clean cut to their throat and a stab to the chest. He was no doctor or expert in anatomy, but from what he saw her death, for it was a female, was not an immediate one. Severe blood loss was his best guess of how she died.

As it turned out, this bandit was facing towards where they had been fleeing from. Several empty shell cases were on the floor next to the bandit, and the leftover smell of gunfire discharge hung in the air. Either this bandit had tried to perform a rearguard action, thought to take a few pot-shots at the pursuing Kitsune, or the entire group attempted to ambush his partner. Whatever had happened did not end well for this bandit, and another when he noticed another dead bandit.

Checking this second bandit, the Elf quickly took note of the multiple stab wounds that decorated the bandit's back. A quick examination later, he guessed that Odori had caught him before repeatedly stabbing her swords into him. The act had been savage, yet Odori ensured her blades slipped between this bandit's ribs.

His partner's hatred of bandits was strong indeed, and while it could be an asset, it was ultimately worthless to him if it made her disobey Faen and behave as recklessly as this. The viciousness of her killswere also of concern to him, bringing certain words to mind, but he set them aside for now. Once they were reunited, he was going to share more than a few strong words with Odori.

Before he left the corpses, the Elf noticed the peculiar shape of the second bandit's legs. For no human leg possessed a shape alike to what he was seeing right now. Struck by a sense of curiosity, Faen had a closer look at them, and what he found stunned him. The bandit was a Demi-human.

A Saytr to be precise. The small goat-like horns sprouting from his forehead and the fur covered pair of goat legs he had being a dead giveaway. Examining the female bandit revealed her to be a Dryad, her skin possessing a tinge of green, her ears ending in slight points, with the skin of the ends of her arms and legs appearing and feeling like tree bark.

Demi-humans wielding Avaloni Spears and targeting a village because of a Cyclops's journal. Something truly was off about all this, and he resolved to find out just what was going on.

Figuring he had lingered long enough among the dead, Faen tried to remember where he was, and continued on his way. He would more thoroughly search their corpses once he had retrieved Odori from her mad pursuit.

Deeper into the woods did the Elf travel, the smells of the individuals he was following now mixing with blood and sweat. The trail had so far been going a southerly direction, and while that remained true, he was now being led towards the hills south-east of Hearth. Along the way he ran into several empty bullet cases on the floor and one more dead bandit after what he estimated to be ten or fifteen minutes in the woods.

Grimly, Faen stopped and knelt down to examine the bandit's corpse. Their wounds matched up with Odori's weapons, and were as brutal as those inflicted on the first two. The spine of the bandit had been severed in half from behind with Divine Omen, causing them to collapse onto the ground. Odori must not have been satisfied with just that though, and instead of leaving them to bleed out on the floor, she went ahead and crushed their neck.

Without saying a word, Faen reached down and turned the bloodied corpse over to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, this bandit too was a Demi-human, a Were-beast in fact. They were not a Werewolf like Grey, instead they were a Werejaguar, an uncommon species of Were-beast.

That one of their kind was all the way here, and in company such as this, raised Faen's concerns even further.

This might just be a band of renegades who forsook the Enclaves so they might prey on the Kingdomers, but something about this felt really off. Steropes the Cylops' journal being the primary cause. When he got back to Hearth he was going to request a second look at the journal again, for there had to be something that explained the bandits' interest in it.

Again, Faen tried to remember where exactly this place was so he might return to it and inspect the body in better detail in the future. It was as he stood up and prepared to resume his pursuit of Odori, did the Elf's ears pick up something closing in on him in the distance. Somethings actually.

Two individuals were closing in on the Elf, the direction of their approach being right in front of him. The pace of those approaching him were deliberately slow and measured, alike to how a predatory beast might try to quietly creep upon its chosen prey. If he were something else, their attempt at stealth might have worked, but he was an Elf and he could only find it laughable.

Rolling his shoulders, Faen drew Aglar out from its sheath on his back and started to walk towards the pair before him. He still had a sufficient enough amount of Aura, so he could take a good number of hits and use some to better close the distance quickly if needed. Yes, that was a sound plan in his eyes.

Yet as he prepared for this new foe, the footsteps of the approaching creatures did not slow, they actually quickened and broke into a sprint, causing Faen to stop and try to get a good look at what he was dealing with. In between the trees he spotted two large shapes, a full head and shoulders taller than him, rushing through the trees and heading straight for Faen. Each one garbed in the same attire as the bandits.

Wasting no time, Faen rose his wrist-bow and fired bolts straight at their heads. The bolts struck, but not the foe's skulls. Instead, the bolts intended for one were blocked by small metal shields strapped to their forearms, while the other use the flat end of a two-handed axe to protect themselves. The small bursts of flame created by those Fire Dust infused bolts not even slowing them down

Seems like these two were not like the chaff he and the other battled back at Hearth.

Crossing the distance in a short amount of time, the foe were just as quick to rain down a furious series of blows against Faen. The one with the two shields continously throwing punches at him while at the same time blocking any attack Faen made. In a similar vein, the opponent with the axe swung their weapon in wide, sweeping arcs that nearly caught him more than once. These were practised warriors, and Faen found himself being gradually forced backwards by their seemingly untiring onslaught.

Narrowly dodging a downwards strike from the axe by jumping aside in time, he was then forced to back away to avoid the backhand which followed afterwards. This left him open however, and was struck at the hip with the pointed end of the second foe's shield. It did no real damage to Faen, his Aura took the brunt of the blow, but it was hard and painful enough that he took a couple stumbling steps to the side.

Not giving Faen time to recover, the Elf's opponents closed in on him like a pair of ravenous sharks on a lone seal. Faen was not hapless though, and defended himself by turning axe blows and evading strikes from the shields.

As he fought, Faen saw an opening in the axeman's defence and exploited it immediately, slashing his enemy's arm with Aglar. His steel struck true, yet, to his surprise, no resistance from an Aura produced shield got in his way. Indeed, the sabre cut through cloth and flesh, with dark-red blood coated the part of Aglar that sliced the arm.

Desperately needing a moment to get a grip of himself and think over how he would handle these opponents, he used his Aura to leap several metres away from his two foes. Much to his relief, the two did not pursue him, instead the shield warrior hurried over to their companion to examine their injury. It had only been a flesh wound, and once that was confirmed, the two returned their focus to Faen.

Faen growled as he watched the two bandits confidentially saunter over to him, the two exuding a premature sense of victory as they stepped towards him. It was now that Faen had a good look at them did he notice features that rose alarm bells in his head. From the sides of their hoods were long horns, and their legs had a distinct inhuman shape more akin to a bovine's with an accompanying tail to boot. Adding two and two together, Faen quickly understood what their kind was, and grew cautious of fighting them.

'Minotaurs.' Faen internally said to himself as he shifted into a defensive stance and glared at the duo of bullish Demi-humans.

Unlike the rest of the bandits, these did not hide their faces and even in the ever-growing dark he could see them. The one with the axe was male with a thick beard, while the one with the two shields was female with dark tattoos decorating the whole left side of her face.

"It's been too long since I heard the crack of brittle Elven bones. I cannot wait to hear yours break, once we've broken that pesky Aura of yours first." Faen heard the male let out a taunting chuckle as he rested his axe on his shoulder. Whether the flesh-wound Faen dealt bothered him did not show.

"Why don't we keep this one? I've never had an Elf before," the female Minotaur added with a predatory tone to her voice. Running the edges of her shields together as she spoke.

Angered and disgusted by the wretches' words, Faen prepared himself to continue the fight. Resolving to be more aggressive against these two foes of, he took a deep breath and began to come up with a plan. Soon as he did, Faen would make sure those smug faces of theirs were gone and that they would be eating dirt.

"Come on, little Elf. Show us your spins and fancy blade work. You'll be ours no matter what you do, just like that foxy friend of yours," the axe-wielding Minotaur confidently tried to goad Faen.

"Hahaha, yes. She was one of the most wily ones we had the pleasure of fighting, largely thanks to that trick of hers. You're one of those Aura-users too, eh? I wonder what yours is," the female Minotaur laughed, her words striking a cord inside of him.

The two had come from the direction Odori and the other bandits' scent-trail led to, so could it be they has indeed run into her? Worse yet, the two's word suggested more than just a run in, but that they defeated his partner. A seed of doubt was planted in his mind by the idea of Odori's defeat at their hands, a seed that began to infect the rest of his mind with doubts of his own chances of victory.

Not only that, but her choice of the wording implied she and her companion were Auraless. That they had been fighting him without activated Auras. If they were strong enough to overwhelm Odori and put him on the backfoot without Aura, what hope did he have against them?

No. These thoughts were cowardly, irrational, and, worse yet, dishonourable.

Why should he doubt victory in the face of two Auraless? Despite their formidable battle prowess, it would take only one well-placed to fell either of them. They caught him by surprise earlier, and they had used it to their advantage at the start of their skirmish. But after having measured their skills as combatants, he would come up on top at the end of this battle.

And, if these two had indeed bested Odori, or played a hand in it at least, honour demanded he defeat them in response to such a grave insult. Just as it was with most matters, Elven codes of honour covered what needed to be done here, and here they demanded blood be shed.

No other options existed for the Elf.

Filled with newfound resolve, with a pinch of wrath in there as well, Faen drew Gwaedh from its sheath and threw himself at the Minotaurs. They expected him to attack, and that once he did, the two could entrap or overpower him as before. However, he would turn such expectations on their head.

First, he swung Gwaedh in an overhead arc at the female Minotaur, and when she raised one shield to block it and used the other to block an expected strike from Aglar, he instead delivered a vicious kick to her exposed stomach. The male performed a vertical swing of his axe at Faen's abdomen, which Faen ducked under and responded to by slashing both swords at his legs. He jumped back in time before Faen's steel could sever his legs, but not fast enough to prevent his lower legs from receiving light cuts.

Having recovered from his prior blow, the female Minotaur let out a roar as she stepped forward, reared her left arm back, and punched it towards him from behind. Aware of what she was doing, Faen dove to the side and shot the last bolt loaded into his wrist-bow at her. She, of coursed, blocked it with the other shield but that had been more of a delaying tactic than an attempt to inflict harm.

A delaying tactic specifically meant to give Faen a precious few seconds to deal with his other opponent.

The male Minotaur came crashing towards Faen, his powerful legs closing the distance between in seconds, and rose his axe over his head. Bringing both of his swords together he blocked the axehead from connecting with his chest, and grunted as he tried to push the Minotaur back. Faen's opponent had the advantage of strength though, and felt himself being pushed backwards once more. They knew it too, the Minotaur before him grinning as he kept pushing his axe against Faen's swords.

Over to the side, the female Minotaur was on the move again and sprang forward to aid her companion. Breaking the blade-lock off in time, Faen swiftly got beside the male and swung Gwaedh down at their right arm. Steel sliced through flesh and bone, and the smell of blood followed shortly after.

Backing away a few steps, Faen saw he had severed the male Minotaur's arm in half around ten centimetres below the elbow. Struck by shock and pain at his limb's dismemberment, the Minotaur howled as he dropped his axe and gripped the bleeding stump.

The attack was reflexive, one performed numerous times against Creatures of Grimm and Aura protected Huntsmen-in-Training. This was the first time he performed it on one who was neither of the two, and its results caused both disgust and dark joy to swell in Faen's heart. He had no time to fully take in his handiwork however, for in answer to the harm done to her companion, the female Minotaur launched herself at him.

Punching and kicking at him, the other Minotaur fought Faen with a new sense of rage at what he had done. Faen was forced backwards a few steps in the face of this vengeance fuelled assault, but Faen turned the tables on her. Both Minotaurs had expended plenty of energy earlier, and the effects were beginning to show now, for the female Minotaur was slowing and he could hear her breath become heavier with every second that passed. Still, she was a fearsome foe, and being too overconfident could lead to his defeat by her hands.

Dodging and weaving out of the way of her attacks, Faen spotted a prime opportunity and took it, stabbing Aglar's blade into the thigh of the Minotaur's left leg. For the second time tonight did his weapons taste blood, and the female Minotaur cried out as Aglar's steel cut through her. She was not completely out of the fight just yet, for she still attempted to land a blow on him despite her injury, and she was not alone.

From the side did the male Minotaur join the fray, still missing a part of his right arm, but joined in regardless of it. Using his still intact left arm, he held his axe and swung the weapon at him.

Now handicapped as they were, fighting them was a far more manageable affair. The male could only use one hand to wield his axe, limiting his combat efficiency, and the constant blood loss would surely be a cause of problems soon. His female companion, while her wound might not be so grievous, it hampered her ability to use that leg. Not only had he stabbed her leg, Faen made sure to twist Aglar's blade while it was lodged in the Minotaur's thigh for the scant two seconds it was there, opening the wound and causing her further pain before pulling back.

His friends and comrades might probably question him on such a deed, and his willingness to go so far as to harm these bandits the way he had. However, Faen found himself not caring about such thoughts. These were bandits after all. Why should he care for their suffering?

Swing after swing did the axe-wielding Minotaur throw at Elf, and though not nearly as mighty as his two-handed strikes, there was still a considerable measure of strength behind them. He must have surely lost a sizeable amount of blood now, enough that it might start to negatively affect his health, but he kept on fighting. The female tried to catch up to them, yet Faen kept leading the male further from her, and that leg of hers prevented the Minotaur from reaching them in time.

Tired of them both, and growing increasingly concerned for Odori's safety, Faen decided to end it all.

Baiting the male into leaving himself exposed, Faen leapt in and thrust Aglar forward. The Minotaur attempted to block him with his other arm, but Faen swatted the ruined arm aside and plunged his sword into the space below his neck. Time seemed to freeze and all Faen could focus on was the face of the Minotaur before him.

Shock, terror, and pain were writ across his face. Their eyes locked with one another, the Minotaur's eyes filling with hatred for the Elf while he simply stared coldly back. A mix of a wheeze and gurgling sound escaped his mouth as blood seeped from his wound, over to the side Faen heard the thud of the Minotaur's axe falling to the floor.

Faen, his face unchanging behind his helmet and mask, pulled Aglar free and kicked the Minotaur away from him. He stumbled backwards, then collapsed forward onto his knees. His only hand covered the wound, but there was nothing he could do. By Faen's best guess, the Minotaur would die in at least a couple minutes or several if he was unlucky.

Turning towards the female Minotaur as he flicked the blood off his shortsword, Faen saw she had been stunned by her companion's fall, to the point she seemed to be ignoring the injury he inflicted on her. Gone was the confidence shown when she taunted him, and Faen found himself relishing how he had destroyed it. With no small amount of smuggness, Faen rose Gwaedh and pointed its tip right at her. Silently promising that she too would share in her companion's fate.

Refusing to surrender to despair, instead choosing to give into rage, the female Minotaur stood tall and grit her teeth. Strapping the shields on her forearms tighter, she began to limp towards the Elf.

A plan to deal with her quickly formed in Faen's head and set about executing. Switching Aglar into its spear-form, Faen launched it at her, aiming it straight at her left collarbone. She blocked it of course by raising her left arm's shield, but the Elf had been counting on it. Tapping into his Aura Faen launched himself at her, shooting forward in a burst of speed he passed the Minotaur and slashed Gwaedh at her exposed side in the split-second chance he had.

Huh, just like in all those movies and shows he and Grey watched.

Not wasting a second, Faen spun and kept Gwaedh at the ready in case either of his foes thought to still keep on fighting. The female Minotaur was on one knee like her companion, her left hand held over the wound he inflicted. He had no idea how badly he injured her, but here was a chance for him to finish this all and return to chasing after Odori.

Faen immediately became alarmed when the female Minotaur turned, her right hand holding onto Aglar's haft, and threw his weapon right at his face. A second was all Faen had to dodge his own spear, and avoid it he did, somehow. Aglar nearly grazed against Faen's cheekguard as he tilted his head to the side in time, but other then that it just flew right past him. Slightly incensed that a bandit dared to lay hands on his sword-spear and use it against him, Faen's hastily walked up to the Minotaur, determined to make her pay for her audacity.

Even after she failed in that attempt to harm him, the female Minotaur tried to strike at him, using her right arm to try and land a blow wherever she could reach. Nothing more than a disdainful kick was needed to knock the arm away, leaving her open to a swift stab straight into the chest, his sabre's blade likely cutting through her heart if he aimed it right.

The Minotaur's face contorted in pain, just as her companion's had when Faen stabbed him. The shock she felt right now giving Faen enough time to withdraw Gwaedh from her, and deliver a hard uppercut with his free arm, knocking her flat on the ground.

Left with a moment to survey his foes, the young Elf was satisfied by what he had done. The male Minotaur was quite literally disarmed and struggling for breath, his airway potentially severed by Faen's strike. He would be of minimal threat. Meanwhile, his female opponent faired little better, and would suffer from significant internal blood loss and the conditions that resulted from it. Again, there was not much else he needed to do about her.

Confident that he could leave them to their fate here, the Elf searched for both the direction Odori had gone and where Aglar had been thrown. Both should not be hard to find.

"Must you really keep allowing your enemies to lay hands on your weapons?" A voice spoke up from behind Faen a short distance away, one he had not anticipated hearing this far out in the wilds.

Shifting his focus to the trees behind him, Faen instantly noticed the silhouette of Yasmin, her carbine in one hand while the other griped Aglar. The Elf-Dracon spun his spear in her hand as she emerged fully into view, pressed its switch and returning Aglar to its shortsword form once she finished.

"Yasmin," he sighed her name loudly. Silently bracing himself for the aggravating experience that was a regular discussion with her.

"You called out for aid. I am here," Yasmin stated as she drew closer to him, flipping Aglar into the air and catching it by the grip. He was not impressed by her antics, and had half a mind to roll his eyes at the Elf-Dracon. Before entertaining such thoughts though, there was something she said that gained his attention.

Faen never recalled calling out to her specifically for aid, only the most desperate of situations would force him to do such a thing. He was about to call her out on this, then it hit him like a speeding lorry. The conversation he had with Headmaster Ozpin earlier today.

The Headmaster stated their pickup was on their way, and would be notified of his team's situation. He also remembered Ozin saying they would most likely arrive at the early hours of the evening, and it was around that time right now. Adding two and two together, Faen quickly came to the conclusion that Yasmin must have been the one sent to fetch FFOG from Hearth.

That meant there was an airship waiting for FFOG back at the village to take them back to Beacon. This knowledge in hand, combined with his wish to know more of what happened at Vale, Faen resolved to finish the business here as swiftly as possible.

While Yasmin walked up to him, the Elf picked up the rustle of clothing and the sound of metal cutting through the wind. Before he could act though, Yasmin rose her carbine and shot a single round at something past Faen's field of vision. Pivoting his head slightly so he might see what the Elf-Dracon shot, Faen saw the male Minotaur drop dead. An entry wound in his forehead, and his axe clattering to the ground beside him.

Colour him impressed, enemies and scum they may have been, these Minotaurs were beyond tenacious. It was nearly enough to make him regret what he had done. Emphasis on nearly.

"So, with this rabble out of the way, mind informing of what has befallen your partner? The rest of your team merely spoke of how she flew after the bandits that ran from battle, and that you went after her." Yasmin asked him as she lowered her carbine and tossed Aglar over to him, which he easily caught.

"I follow her trail still. If not for these distractions," Faen gestured Gwaedh's blade over to both Minotaurs, "I might have reached her by now. Haste is needed now more than ever, and I shall not return to Hearth or Beacon without Odori."

"If that is your wish, I shall not oppose you. However, I shall instead accompany you, for two warriors of our calibre together will make short work of any trouble we run across. Do you not agree?" The white-haired young woman proposed, and Faen knew deep inside there was no way she would accept a refusal.

Loathe though Faen might be to have assistance on this endeavour, especially from Yasmin, but even he could not deny her aid would be of great help. These bandits came from and were going to somewhere, and another blade would be beneficial to have wherever they had gone. Might have helped him deal with the Minotaurs if she got here sooner, saving Faen time and Aura, but that no longer mattered.

Resigned to his situation, Faen determined where it was Odori's trail now led, and followed it with Yasmin by his side. With luck, Fate might be generous tonight, and let them return safely to Hearth with Odori.

---

And there we go, another chapter done.

I will admit I had another idea for how the bandit attack on Hearth would go, but settled on what I wrote after really thinking it through. Again, as I am wont to it seems, I apologise if the action is subpar compared to my previous works or those of other writers. The ones done here are not my favourite, but they will have to suffice.

References and Meanings:

Steropes - The name of one of three Cyclopes from Greek mythology who forged weapons for the Greek gods during their war against the Titans, Zeus's thunderbolt being one such one. Steropes's name apparently meaning 'Lightning' or 'Lightener' in what I assume is Greek or Ancient Greek.

I will see you all when I next see you.