Chapter 34: It's Time To Go Now

"So you want me to help you find and get to these three people, but you wanna be the one to kill them?" Mud asked. She brought a forkful of mashed potatoes to her mouth, chewing for a moment before swallowing. "Must be personal or something. Who are these guys? You got names?"

"No names. No faces. I don't know what they look like or where they are."

"So you're looking for three guys, but you have no idea what they look like, who they are, or if they're even on the same continent as us?" Mud asked as a frown came over her face. "That's a pretty fucking tall order. What's stopping me from going around and asking everyone else here about the girl in this picture? I doubt you're the only one who's seen her."

"I think I am. She didn't pass through here," Lin said. "And I am willing to pay a lot for your help with this."

"How much?"

"I have a stash of Lien that I've built over the years. Lots of jobs. Been living on necessities. Not much spent. If you help me, it's yours."

"I said, how much? I need numbers."

"I haven't counted. Probably a few hundred thousand."

"Damn. Maybe I will take you up on this," Mud muttered, thinking for a moment as she looked down at the picture of the girl she had been asking about. "But that doesn't make the job itself any easier. You got any leads? Anything at all? Otherwise, I'm looking for three grains of sand in the desert."

"I know one thing. They were part of a band of marauders called the Blood Stalkers. Probably their leaders," Lin explained. She paused for a moment. Brought up memories. "They wore masks. Masks that looked like Death Stalkers. That's why I don't know their faces."

"Alright. That's something at least," Mud muttered, shaking her head. "Anything else? Genders? Weapons? Skin tones? Attitudes? Anything that could help?"

"At least one male. At least one female. I don't remember anything else."

"Hm. Not much to go off. Guess I'll search around for these Blood Stalkers, see if anything comes up," Mud said as she turned towards Lin. "You got a scroll?"

"No."

"Ugh. Then... meet me here later today. Let's say... five hours from now. If things go smoothly, I should have info on your Blood Stalker tribe. Enough to get you to them," Mud said, polishing off her plate and standing up. "Sit tight until then. Or do whatever, I don't care. Just be here in five hours."

"Okay," Lin said, watching as Mud left the pub. Then, she went back to her own lunch. It was getting cold. She thought about the construction job she had seen in the bounty office earlier. She considered it. The pay wasn't as good as most combat jobs. But it still paid. And she didn't have anything else lined up for the afternoon. Plus, physical labor was still strength training, if nothing else.

Lin polished off her plate and headed out.

Lin's muscles were sore as she entered the pub. The afternoon of construction work had left her somewhat tired. Nothing that a meal and a quick rest couldn't fix. She sat down by the counter and looked around. Mud hadn't arrived yet. It was near their meeting time. Probably. Lin didn't have a scroll. She couldn't check the time.

"Lin?"

Lin turned to see a tall man standing behind her. He had fairly dark skin, a poncho over his shoulders, and a bandana wrapped around the top of his head. He only had his right arm, as his left arm was cut off at the shoulder, with a Mistral-style katana sheathed by his waist below where it would have been.

Lin recognized him. He was the sheriff of Saguaro. She nodded towards him.

"I heard you took the job to clear out the mines uproad. A passing mercenary reported the mine owner to me. She told me that two Shade students died there; apparently, the amount of Grimm there should have warranted a call for a team of Huntsmen instead of just getting a group of mercenaries," the sheriff explained. He sighed. "I'll deal with that later. But for now, I'm glad to see that you're safe."

"Mhm." Lin paused for a moment. "Tell your wife thanks. For the food."

"Oh, she gave you something earlier?"

"Your son did. This morning. Said it was from her."

"I see. I'll tell her that," the sheriff said, looking around the pub. "Are you still living in that shack on the edge of town? I could arrange something better for you, something affordable. A place with running water, at least."

"I'm fine. My place is fine. Besides, I doubt I'll be staying for much longer."

"Why? Are you leaving Saguaro?"

"Probably."

"When?"

"Depends. Likely tonight."

"For what?"

"Something that I need to do."

"I... see," the sheriff said. "Will you be coming back?"

"I don't know."

"I see." The sheriff paused for a moment. Looked down at his sword. Looked back up. "Well, good luck on what it is that you need to do, then. And stay safe out there. I want to see you alive after it's done."

"Mhm."

As the sheriff made his way out of the pub, Lin noticed Mud pushing open the doors and stepping in. Her head turned towards the sheriff for a moment before looking back forward as she came over and took a seat next to Lin.

"Saw you talking to the sheriff," Mud said. "You know the guy?"

"I came into town a few years ago. He helped me get on my feet. Set me up with a place to stay. Helped me a lot when I needed it. Sometimes gave me advice. Sometimes food. Sometimes a little extra cash. Not sure why."

"Could be he's just like that? Some generous guys out there."

"Maybe. He's got a wife and kid. They're nice too. Made me breakfast this morning."

"Guess they take after him," Mud said, placing her scroll down on the counter. "Anyways, it took a bit of looking, but I got us a lead."

"What is it?"

"Got reports of a gang of bandits roaming the desert a day or two from here. They're flying the flag of a red Death Stalker and wear masks that look like a Death Stalker's face. There's a bounty on whoever can take them down. Sound familiar?"

"Probably the Blood Stalkers."

"I'd bet they are. Managed to get us a ride out of town with a local merchant, as long as we protect their stuff along the way. They leave in about an hour, so we got time to get ourselves something to eat before we head out. I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet?"

"No."

The two ordered food. One last meal before they hit the road.

The truck rumbled down the desert road. The sun was starting to set. Shadows were cast across the desert by the smallest rocks and cacti, lengthening as the sun went lower and lower. But the air was still warm. It wouldn't get cooler until later that night, when the sun had already set. Probably in about four hours or so.

A clicking sound from across the back of the truck. Lin looked up. Mud was checking her rifle. Pulling at some parts. Lin didn't know exactly what. She didn't know what kind of rifle it was. She didn't know how it worked. She didn't know much about guns. Hadn't ever really used them.

"Quiet today," Mud muttered, raising her head and looking around. The two girls were sitting in the back of a pickup truck, which was stocked with various crates and containers. Lin wasn't sure what was inside. Didn't care much, either. All she cared about was getting closer to the Blood Stalkers. Getting closer to her goal.

Lin balled her fists tight. She had been working towards this for so long. Training for this for so long. It felt odd that she was finally on her way to doing this.

Was she strong enough?

Had all that training been worth it?

"Hey."

"Hm?" Lin looked up at Mud.

"Why do you want these guys dead? And why do it yourself?" Mud asked, her gaze still scanning over the desert. "Kinda curious. Don't answer me if you don't wanna."

Lin stayed silent. She looked back down. A minute passed. Nothing went through her mind.

"Revenge."

"Huh. Guess it's a personal thing."

Lin nodded. The rest of the ride was quiet as the truck rumbled down the desert road.

A/N: And that's chapter 34! Our duo sets out in search of their targets. A pretty short chapter, but there'll be more to come.

Thanks to Zeowolf9 for the review! As for how Lin's semblance works, most of its mechanics are shown off in the previous chapter, but here's a quick explanation in case anything is unclear. Basically, when Lin hits things and deals damage with her attacks, she accumulates energy within her body. This energy can be used to power up her attacks. It's kind of like the opposite of Yang's semblance in a way, since Lin gains power by dishing out damage rather than taking it, although Lin's semblance is actively used to power up individual attacks rather than being a passive strength boost like Yang's.

Anyways, thanks for reading! If you've got anything to say, please leave a review, and have a nice day!