Rock followed Nigel as the two traveled through Vale. The streets were just as packed with people as always. Looking around Rock saw a few stores with broken windows overlaid with police tape. Police officers were milling about taking notes on the crime scene. Looking at the signs, all the stores that had been hit were either dust shops or weapon stores.
Must be the Torchwick gang. I wonder what their boss is like? Rock thought.
"So where did you say we were going?" he asked.
Nigel weaved through the crowd, taking extra care not to bump into anyone. "I'm taking you to my master. He helped me get stronger, I'm sure he can help you."
After more walking, they arrived at a small studio with large glass windows. Above the door was a sign that read "Six Paths Karate School".
Walking through the door, they saw a group of children practicing with an older man in a white gi directing them. They moved like well trained fighters, going from stance to stance without missing a beat. They were all quite skilled despite how young they looked. None of them could have been older than ten or eleven.
"Alright," the man said, "that's enough for today. Our next class is on Monday. Remember your training, and always conduct yourselves as warriors."
"Yes, Sensei!" the children shouted in unison.
Nigel waved at the group of children. "Hey, you guys."
One of the kids turned and smiled. "Nigel!"
Immediately Nigel was mobbed by at least a dozen children. They clung to his legs, hung from his arms, and climbed onto his shoulders. He was barely visible beneath the pile.
Nigel laughed as he tried to move with so many children clinging to him. "Hey, you guys. It's good to see you too."
"Where'd you go?" one of the children asked.
"You've been gone for forever!"
"We thought you were dead!"
"Do you have any candy?"
Nigel laughed."Sorry, no candy today. And I didn't die, I enrolled in Beacon. Sorry I haven't been around as much."
The children's eyes went wide.
"You're gonna be a Hunter? That's so cool."
"I wanna be a hunter!"
"Me too!"
The older man loudly cleared his throat. "If you wish to become a Hunter, then do not neglect your training. Now, will you please let go of my student?"
"Yes, sensei," the children responded. They let Nigel go and bowed to him.
Rock suppressed a laugh. "You're pretty popular, huh?"
Nigel scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'm something like an authority figure."
Nigel bowed at the older man. "It's good to see you again, Clay-sensei."
Rock took a closer look at Clay. He certainly didn't look the part, with a bald head, bushy brown beard and glasses. The man looked like a total nerd, which made it clear that he was Nigel's teacher. But Rock knew better than to judge from first impressions. Rock could tell that this man had spent his life training. His hands were thick with callouses, and his face and arms were covered with scars. What he had gone through to reach this point Rock could only imagine.
Clay clapped Nigel on the back. "It's always good to see you, Nigel. What brings you here?"
"Actually, I came to see if you could help my friend, Rock."
Rock's eyes went to the wall of trophies and medals by the door. There were first place trophies for tournaments, festivals, fighting associations, and more. In addition, there were framed newspaper clippings describing heroic deeds performed by the dojo's students, and even a few movie posters. Some of these people Rock even recognized.
"I admit, this is impressive," Rock said.
Clay laughed. "Yep, this school has a storied history. My students have all gone on to do great things, some of them have even gone on to be Huntsmen, like Nigel here."
"That reminds me," Nigel said, "I need to thank you for that letter you wrote for me. I don't think I could have gotten into Beacon without your help."
Rock raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you go to Signal? Why would you have trouble getting into Beacon?"
"Dude, I was only in school for two weeks. I failed every class. If it weren't for the letter of recommendation Clay-sensei wrote I never would have gotten in."
Clay waved him off. "It was nothing. You're one of the best students I've ever had."
Nigel blushed. "Thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask about that. Do you have anyone that could spar against my friend?"
Clay placed a hand on his chin. "Ordinarily I only train students, but for you I'll make an exception. Take this and head upstairs, the adult class should be wrapping up soon."
He went over to a closet and tossed Rock a bundled up gi.
"Go and get changed and then we can get started."
Rock and Nigel climbed up a flight of stairs. Once they arrived at their floor, they made their way to a room near the back of a nearby hallway. Immediately Rock was thrown by the sight before him. The room was filled with men who looked well into their thirties and forties punching and kicking the life out of each other. The air stank of sweat and blood. The grunts and screams of these hardened warriors filled the air as they used their fists to beat each other into submission.
"Yeah, this is more what I was expecting," Rock remarked.
"Um, hi everyone," Nigel said.
Immediately everyone in the room dropped what they were doing to line up and greet Nigel. These were hard looking men, all of them looked like they knew combat, but they all treated this shivering teenager with the utmost respect. Rock didn't understand at all.
One of the men in front bowed. "Hello, sensei. What are you doing here? Is it time for another evaluation?"
Nigel scratched at the back of his head. "You can relax. I'm just here to help out my friend." He gestured towards Rock. "I want you all to spar with him. I'm trying to initiate him into the basics of combat. Please be nice to him."
"Wait?" Rock said. "Why don't I just spar with you, Nigel?"
The room erupted with laughter.
"Trust me, kid, you're not there yet." one man said.
Rock felt a twinge of annoyance. "Fine, so whose ass am I kicking first?"
A large, burly man stepped up. This one looked more up Rock's alley. Huge, knotted muscles, a face covered in scars, and a missing right ear. This was someone who really got down.
"Ferro, you're up first," Nigel said.
Rock started to grin. "Alright, try not to cry when you lose, okay?"
Ferro ignored Rock's jab. "So, how are we doing this, sensei?"
Nigel thought for a moment. "Do it like normal. Three minutes, full contact, no aura."
Ferro threw the first punch. Rock raised his arm to block, but the impact seemed to pass right through his arm and into his head. The blow knocked him off his feet onto his back. Rock's vision swam. That wasn't a normal punch.
Rock rolled out of the way before Ferro's fist crashed into his head. Rock sprang to his feet and decided to attack. He grabbed Ferro's gi and battered his face with punches, but Ferro didn't so much as flinch.
"Man, you're weak," Ferro complained, his voice heavy with disappointment. "Forget not knowing the basics, you're a complete amateur. What does Nigel even see in you?"
Rock ground his teeth. He threw another punch, but then Ferro's fist shot straight into his stomach. It was heavy, much heavier than anything he'd been hit with before. Rock slumped over clutching his abdomen. It felt like someone had stirred up his insides with a fork.
"Had enough yet?" Ferro taunted.
"In your dreams," Rock grunted.
He reared back for a punch when a shrill whistle pierced his ears.
"That's enough," Nigel said. "Everyone switch. Rock, come over here."
Rock wiped the blood off of his face and went to Nigel.
"I have to admit, you did better than I thought you would," Nigel remarked.
"What exactly am I supposed to be learning here?" Rock said.
"If I told you, that'd defeat the purpose. Think, why were Ferro's fists so heavy? Why couldn't you hurt him at all?"
"I wouldn't have come if I knew you were gonna give me homework," Rock grumbled.
Nigel clapped Rock on the back. "Trust me, it's not something I can explain. Just try and see it for yourself."
Rock went back onto the floor and faced his next opponent. This fight went about the same as the last one. None of his attacks could do any real damage, and he couldn't defend himself properly. He grew more and more frustrated, until he had a realization. He observed his opponent: How they moved, the positions of their arms and feet, how their bodies moved when they attacked. He took in every detail that he could. He corrected his posture, positioned his feet properly, and when he punched he punched with his entire body instead of just his arm.
The difference was like night and day. His strikes had more power, he was steadier on his feet, he could feel himself improving with every exchange. It was like he was on a high. He wanted to keep fighting all night.
The shrill whistle brought him back down to the ground.
Nigel could barely contain his excitement. "You did it! I knew you could."
"You're right. I feel different," Rock replied.
"You're using less energy now. Before, you were straining yourself too much and tiring yourself out faster. It's a mistake even expert fighters make. On top of that, you've even got some proper footwork down. You've found your foundation. From here, you can only get stronger."
Rock smiled. "Thanks, man. I appreciate you helping me. So, are we done here?"
"What? Are you stupid or something? You're not leaving until you finish."
Rock turned back towards the waiting group. "You mean I have to spar with all of them? There's like fifty guys here."
Nigel pushed Rock back onto the floor. "Hop to it."
Rock continued his sparring. By the time he was finished, it was already nighttime and he was doused with sweat and struggling for breath.
"Thank you all for helping me today," Nigel said. "Continue to strive for greater heights, and never forget to conduct yourselves as warriors at all times."
"Yes, Sensei!" the men shouted.
As they filed out of the room, Nigel knelt down next to Rock and offered him a bottle of water.
"Great job out there."
Rock dumped the water over his head. "Thanks. Man, this is hard. Did you have to spar against all those guys when you first started?"
Nigel shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. Besides, I didn't spar against those guys, I beat them."
Rock did a double take. "You what?"
Nigel pointed at the black belt tied around his waist. "How do you think I got this?"
After saying goodbye to everyone, Nigel and Rock left the dojo and went back through the streets.
"Thanks, man. I appreciate you looking out for me. You're actually a pretty good teacher."
Nigel grinned. "I would hope so. I want to open my own dojo someday. After I become a Hunter I'll start saving up money."
"That's a nice dream," Rock said. "How'd you even get started with all this anyway?"
Nigel chuckled nervously. "This is kind of embarrassing, but after I almost died I didn't leave my room for months. I was in a really bad way. Some things happened, and then I was introduced to Clay-sensei. I've been his student ever since."
"Good thing you found something you like. A guy like you would end up stealing girls' underwear if you were left by yourself too long."
Nigel frowned. "Gee, thanks. Next time I see you getting beat to death I'll just let them kill you."
Rock nudged Nigel in the side. "Come on, it was a joke. You're a stand up kid, Nigel. You'd at least ask a chick for her panties first."
XxX
Detective Cotton found the chaos of the homicide division oddly relaxing. The endless clacking of keys, the ringing phones, the dozens of conversations all happening at once, and the smell of burnt coffee always helped to put him at ease. He felt like a raft drifting in the ocean.
But peace was merely an illusion, as he was often reminded. Now, with the unit's lieutenant bearing down on him, today was going to be another reminder of how fragile the illusion of peace truly was.
The old, haggard cop stood in front of Cotton's desk. His weathered, scarred face had an uncharacteristically cheery smile on his face. Many words could be used to describe the Lieutenant Marble, but cheerful was not one of them.
Cotton sighed. "Do you need something?"
"Detective Cotton, I was just wondering if you've made any progress on your investigation, because I know a smart, dedicated and might I say quite handsome detective such as yourself wouldn't be lazing around while nineteen murders remain unsolved. I just know that you're on the verge of a breakthrough that will blow this case wide open. Now go on, tell me what you've got."
Cotton looked down at his file. "The investigation is ongoing pending new developments."
The lieutenant's cheery smile fell off of his face, replaced with a vicious scowl. "Well I hope something pends soon, because I just got off the phone with the deputy chief, and he made it very clear that if this case isn't solved in a timely manner then he's going to take a shit all over me, and if he does then I in turn will shit all over you. Either this case falls or I'm going to bury you so deep you'll spend the rest of your career as a fucking crossing guard. Now do your job,"
The lieutenant stormed off. Cotton went back to gazing at crime scene photos. He didn't even need to look up to notice that Detective Salt had slid up behind him.
"Marble's a real ray of sunshine, huh? But it's not that bad, from what the other guys say he'll at least give you a reach around when he fucks you."
Cotton grunted in response.
"So," Salt began, "have you made any progress on that case?"
"Do you think I'm stupid or something? I figured it out three days ago. The dead bangers all belong to the Black Knuckles. They were moving dope, guns, and off market Dust, but after Torchwick rolled into town they started downsizing. These days they do work for whoever'll take em. The killer is probably looking for the gang's boss."
He handed Salt a thick folder. "That is one piece of work. All the shit he's done he's bound to have racked up his share of enemies, and now one of them is looking to take him out."
Salt nodded. "So if we just hang around the boss, our suspect is bound to show himself eventually? But, what are we gonna do when we find them? Anyone capable of all that death isn't just gonna come along quietly."
Cotton laughed. "What makes you think we're gonna bring him in?"
Salt's brow furrowed. "You're not thinking of what I think you are, are you?"
"I think it's time I called those two young lads and update them on our investigation."
"Are you insane? Letting them into a crime scene is one thing, but actively using them in the investigation is all kinds of illegal. We could both go to prison. Not to mention the kind of shit storm we'd be in for if something happened to those kids. Forget the lieutenant, do you really want to get on Ozpin's bad side?"
"If anyone asks, I'll just say that these are exigent circumstances. Besides, they're hunters, they should be used to taking risks."