Chapter 3
AN: Hey guys here is a new chapter, a longer one this time showing Hanzo getting to know the world a bit and some adventures. As always enjoy reading and feel free to leave a review.
For weeks Hanzo traveled around the frontier coming upon villages akin to the one he had originally helped defend, offering help where ever he could. Some were smaller, some bigger but they were all walled and had town militias defending them from the Grimm incursions. The roads between the settlements were mostly dirt roads with some being made of cobbled stone in case a larger village was nearby. He had few encounters with the Grimm on the road, mostly Beowolves and Ursas trying to ambush him but they were quickly dispatched by Hanzo. One time he had come upon a caravan that was being attacked by a flock of nevermores but with the use of his fire magic and his qunai he took care of them one by one until they were all nothing but mist. The people of the caravan were grateful and offered him a small reward but he declined, not wanting to take from the people that needed it more than he did, considering that he still had the money that Vatras mayor gave to him, he only asked to be pointed in the direction of the next settlement. When he reached his first village he found a notice board with bounties on it, each bounty being a Grimm of some kind, either alone or in a group. In one such village, he took a bounty of a large deathstalker that had made the woods around it its home and was killing anyone who ventured too deep into the forest.
Tracking the thing wasn't hard, his prey being a large multi-legged scorpion. The irony of him hunting a scorpion was not lost on him. Following a trail of prints and destroyed trees, he came upon a cave and for some reason could feel the evil thing inside, it was similar in a way he could feel the demons of Neatherrealm due to his magical connection to it. Venturing inside he stepped on the ground carefully trying to be as silent as possible which was easy for him. As he walked through the cave he noticed something on the floor, bouns, human bouns to be exact, there were few animal ones as well but only a few. He pitied the poor souls who found their end here but there was nothing he could do about it now, apart from killing the creature. As Hanzo continued to venture further inside the cave he finally came upon his target, a giant black scorpion sleeping soundly on the ground. It looked old, with scars and moss covering its body. Hanzo stood to a stop only a few meters away from the monster, the opportunity was perfect, all that will take is one quick blow to the head with his sword. Just as he started pulling his sword out the beast stirred and its red eyes shot open. For a moment Hanzo saw surprise in its eyes before they became filled with hate just like all of the Grimm he had seen thus far. The deathstalkers claw quickly went to crab Hanzo but the Earthrealm warrior quickly jumped back avoiding the attack.
The overgrown scorpion lifted itself up and charged at Hanzo its claws trying to snap him in half but Hanzo expertly avoided them or blocked them with his sword. Looking around he realized that the cave was too narrow for him to continue this fight efficiently, the best way to win this would be to take it outside where he would have more space to move but his opponent would be in the same position then. A risky option but hopefully worth it.
Hanzo avoided one more strike and quickly made a run for the entrance, his bounty right behind him. It tried to stab him with its stinger, only for it to miss as Hanzo sped up even more. Finally, he saw the light at the opening and came out to a small clearing around the cave. Turning around he saw the deathstalker just behind him. It once more tried to kill Hanzo by piercing him with its stinger but the ninja leaped back. Now in the clear light of day he was able to see his opponent fully. There was bone plating around its body just like on any other Grimm, it had a jet-black exoskeleton underneath several large, white, bonelike plates upon its back, which are adorned with red markings. A large golden stinger lay on the end of its tale. Two large pincers were at the front of it which it used as its main weapons. As he took the creature in he noticed its strengths and weaknesses and came up with a plan of action. Not a second after the monster charged again.
Hanzo blocked the pincers with his sword and tanto and just as the large monster was about to strike him with its tail, the Shirai Ryu slid under the best cutting into its less armored underbelly. The monster shrieked in pain as Hanzo stood behind it but it was not over just yet. It might have been hurt but it was still alive and much angrier than before. As be Grimm rushed towards him, Hanzo put the swords away and readied his kunai. At the opportune moment, the grandmaster leaped into the air and threw his kunai at the beast's tail, wrapping the chained weapon around the limb, then he landed at the nearby tree and started to climb up pulling the creature with him. It tried to fight, to get rid of the chain around its tail to no avail and it soon found itself strung up a tree, dangling.
Hasashi tied the other end around the tree and jumped down all the while the Grimm kept trashing itself around. Hanzo knew he could have killed it much faster and easier but he wanted to get a better look at it, he saw its weak points before but he needed to know more. Its underbelly and undersides of its limbs were vulnerable and he knew that with enough force even its bone armor could be crushed. The large golden stinger shined bright, probably using it to lure prey. What truly intrigued him was the feeling he was getting from it. Like all other Grimm, he was soleless, instead of a soul it was filled with anger, hate and desire to destroy but unlike the ones he encountered this one felt older, it felt like some of the older and more powerful Netherrelam demons he had encountered. He could feel dark magic radiating from it, this evil creature was not born, it was created by someone or something, he didn't know who or why but that was the conclusion he got from the feeling.
After some more thinking he finally decided to end its life, Hanzo first cut its many legs, then its tail and once it was left defenseless on the ground he thrust the sword into its head through the eye and into its brain. The remains quickly started to dissipate into black smoke, the only part of it that somehow remained was its stinger. Hanzo proceeded to unwrap the kunai from the tree and took the stinger as proof that he had killed the Grimm back to the village.
Living settlements wasn't the only thing he came across, he had also found villages that had long been overrun with Grimm. A feeling of sadness and pity came to him when he saw the ruins that were once homes to families, stores, schools, dried blood on the stone streets. The homes and allies that were full of life were now nothing more than dark reminders of what happens when the defenders fall and the people are left to their fate. He noted that some homes appeared to have been looted, most likely by scavagers or bandits. Speaking of bandits, he had encountered a group when he reached his first larger village, more like an actual town really.
As he walked through the streets of the town called Aka, he did what had become a habit whenever he came to a populated place, he first bought some supplies from a store or the market, mostly food and water. This time around he found what he was looking for for some time now, an herbalist's shop. Hanzo was a good fighter but he knew that he wasn't invincible, he can get hurt in a fight against the Grimm and if there wasn't a village or someone around to treat his wound he would need to do it himself. Over the years he had learned a lot about herbal medicine and which plant could be used to aid against infection if prepared the right way unless you wish to use it to make poison which can be done as well. His predicament was that even if this world was similar to Earth, it wasn't the same, he had noticed plants that he had never seen before in person or in any book, so the first thing he would need is a book on plants of Remnant and a herbalists shop should have something like that.
Entering the shop with the sound of the ringing of the bell, he found it mostly empty apart from one consumer who was browsing. Looking around he found the cashier and walked up to them.
"Hello sir, what can I do for you today?" the cashier, a middle-aged woman asked.
"I was meaning to ask if you have a book on flora and their uses in medicine," Hanzo answered.
The woman nodded in confirmation "We do, quite a few actually," she said as she walked over to a shelf and pulled out an encyclopedia, handing it to Hanzo. "Very few people take interest in such things so the books mostly just stay on the shelves and gather dust. It's good to see someone taking an interest."
Hanzo didn't initially reply, he first opened the book and went over the first dozen or so pages, looking at the various plants described on the pages and their uses. Some he knew from Earth but others were unfamiliar to him, they were Remnant exclusive. After a brief look moment of familiarizing himself with some of the Remnants flora, he closed the book and looked at the woman.
"I will take it and I will also take the plants needed for lowering a fever, fighting infection and for making tea," the woman nodded enthusiastically and quickly gathering everything Hanzo needed. Before he left the shop he asked the cashier if there was a place where he could find some work. By his look alone she easily guessed what kind of work he meant and pointed him in the direction of the local guild. That was another thing he found interesting, apparently, the huntsmen had guilds scattered around, mostly in larger towns,
After finding the guild which was situated right opposite of the town hall he entered the building, the bell at the door jiggled and the woman at the register greeted him with a smile as he approached her. Looking around he noticed a group of huntsmen resting in the guild's main room which had several tables, chairs, a bar, some decorations which included a statue of an Ursa. As he got to the counter he reverted his attention back to the young woman.
"Hello, what can I do for you sir?" she asked politely.
"I'm looking for some work, I was meaning to ask if there were any bounties available?" Hanzo said.
"Indeed there are, just look at the board over there," the woman said as she pointed at a board in the corner of the room. Hanzo nodded and went over to the board. Staring at the bounty board carefully for a while, few bounties caught his interest. The first one was a pack of Beowolves, the second was an Ursa major and finally and most interestingly a bounty for a group of bandits. Hanzo always had a disdain for the dishonorable lowlives that were bandits, it was one thing to attack when your enemy is least expecting it but completely another to attack defenseless civilians for reason non-other than taking what belongs to them. Instead of using the skills they have to earn what they need, bandits chose to take the easy way out and just take it, usually at the cost of innocent lives. The memory of seeing the bodies of his wife and son laying in pulls of their own blood crossed his mind. Harumi and Satoshi were innocent, they were not guilty of any sin he had committed but that accursed sorcerer Quan Chi killed them nevertheless.
The paper was plucked from the board and he brought it to the counter, where a woman was standing. She had short blond hair with emerald eyes and a pair of fox ears on her head. She looked up from a paper she was singing onto Hanzo and then at the bounty, he had picked. She flinched slightly once she had seen what bounty this newcomer had picked. A bandit tribe had moved into the area months ago and they gave become a great nuisance to the people of the frontier, raiding villages, travelers, caravans, killing or at the very least hold people hostage for ransom. Huntsmen had tried to take care of the problem but few returned and those who did come back badly injured, mostly burned. The best they could do is protect the settlements and not risk going after the raiders.
She looked at the bounty and then at him, an uncertain look plastered on her face. "Are you sure? Huntsmen have tried before and failed."
"I'm certain," Hanzo replied determinedly. "What can you tell me about them?"
"The group moved in five months ago, as far as I know, they are well organized and tend to strike whenever they see their target at being most vulnerable," she answered.
Hanzo took the information in, the bandits were smart and organized. They haven't been here for long but they must have a base somewhere close enough to be able to attack and retreat quickly. "Anything else?"
"I can't tell you the number of them or where exactly they are, the only thing I know for certain is that they are hiding somewhere in the woods."
Hanzo nodded, it was not much to go out off but it's better than nothing. As he was about to leave a gruff voice was heard coming from the side.
"I can tell you more about the bastards," the voice said and Hanzo turned to see a bald man with a nasty burn mark on his face. The man wore dark grey army pants and boots with a blue shirt and a breastplate. He looked at Hanzo as if was sizing him up before he walked over to him. "There are at least thirty of them, perhaps more, they are well-armed and as the little lady said well organized. When I and my team first took the bounty I thought it was going to be easy but they saw us coming and prepared a trap. They picked us off one by one until I was the only one left. Their leader is some kind of a pyromaniac who enjoys using fire of his opponents, that's how I got this after my aura broke," the man said pointing at the scar. "Luckily I managed to get away, the rest of my team had no such luck."
Hanzo looked at the man, he knew the pain of losing those close to you just like this huntsman did. "I have every intention of beating them and avenging your comrades in the process."
"I would advise otherwise. Since that happened I have been stuck here recuperating. I rather not see another suffer such a fate."
A small smirk appeared on Hanzos face. "There is no need to worry about me, fire does not have the same effect on me as it does on other people."
The huntsman stared at Hanzo for a long moment before sighing heavily. "You might find them in a valley northeast of here, at least that's where I encountered them."
Hanzo nodded. "Thank you for the information," he looked at the woman working behind the counter. "I presume some kind of proof is needed?"
"Yes," she said, nodding.
"Then once I'm done I will deliver it to you," Hanzo said and left the guild leaving the huntsman and the woman looking at his back as he left.
"Good luck," the huntsman muttered.
Hanzo followed the road out of the village and towards the forest all the while going in the direction the burned huntsman pointed him into. For an hour he traversed the forest looking for any sign of the bandits with little luck, the only thing he came across so far was a small pack of Beowolves which he dispatched quickly. He patiently walked through the woods, using all of his senses to look for anything that would lead him towards this assigned target. He was just about to pass a large tree when he heard the sound of a branch moving and leaves shuffling. Whatever it was it was high up where the branches were ticker and where one would have to look up to see them. Hanzo knew that Grimm native to this area do not climb trees and that there aren't many animals that are heavy enough to make that kind of a sound. Hanzo then punched the tree hard enough to leave an imprint of his fist which made the tree shake and soon a sound of someone falling and screaming was heard. The ninja caught the falling person by the color of their shirt and brought them close to him. The person in question was a rugged-looking man in his mid-twenties with tattered clothes, dirty blond hair and slight stubble for a beard.
"If you are going to hide you are going to have to do better than that?" Hanzo said.
"Fuck you," the man said angrily.
"Language please," Hanzo said.
"You are a dead man," the bandit said as he tried to stab Hanzo with a knife only for the warrior to grab the man's arm at the wrist and shatter it causing the bandit to scream again.
"Now you can save yourself further pain if you answer few simple questions, if you do you have my word I will not harm you any further," Hanzo said.
The bandit hissed in pain, his good hand holding the broken wrist. "T-That was a mistake pal, what are you waiting for KILL HIM!" the bandit shouted and seconds later his compatriots started jumping down from the trees all with the aid of killing Hanzo. A throwing knife flew through the air, Hanzo immediately noticed this and used the bandit he was holding as a shield, the short blade plunging itself into the man's shoulder which caused him to scream again.
Hanzo looked around and noticed three new opponents, each wearing torn and patched-up clothes and wielding melee weapons. They were simple grunts, not real warriors that much was obvious. He tossed the screaming man into the one with the blades while running towards the one with an ax. The ax wielder tried to slash at Hanzo but the master ninja avoided the attack, with a fast leap made his way behind the attacker and proceeded to rapidly punch the man's beck, breaking both his lower spine and neck. The one with the throwing blades had moved her injured teammate off herself and was trying to get up but Hanzo did not give her the chance, he sent his kunai flying towards her. With a scream of pain, the female bandit was pulled towards Hanzo who with a powerful punch caved in her chest, the broken ribs piercing her lungs. The final bandit tried to lung at her him while his back was turned but the grandmaster sent a kick at the man's chest sending the lowlife flying into a trunk of a tree, on the impact the sound of a spine breaking was heard.
The yellow-clad warrior looked at his handwork, these bandits had little actual skill when it came to combat, his initial deduction that they were just grunts was proven correct. Three of the attacks were dead while the fourth one was alive but bleeding from his shoulder wound. Hanzo walked up to the survivor and pulled him up.
"Where is your camp?" Hanzo demanded.
"Y-You think I will tell you, you killed my friends," the man said fear evident in his voice, the defiance that was there moment ago was almost gone.
"The same fate will below you if you don't," Hanzo said and to prove his point he pushed the knife deeper into the man's shoulder causing him to scream again.
"S-STOP!" the bandit shouted and Hanzo did. "I will tell you just don't kill me," Hanzo did not say a word, he only stared at the man with cold indifference. "You will find the camp a kilometer north of here but only a small portion of the crew is there, most have gone with the boss to raid a village further down the main road."
"You better not be laying."
"I'm not, please just don't kill me," the man pleaded. Hanzo glared at him for a moment before punching him hard enough not to kill him but enough to make sure that he will be unconscious for a long time.
With the information gathered Hanzo decided that making his way to the village was the better option, people will be in danger and they would need help, the camp he will have to take care of later.
Hanzo was laying in the bushes situated on a small hill overlooking the village in peril. He could see that the attack had already happened at that the bandits had overrun the meager force that defended it. As far as he could see most of the surviving villagers were herded into the market where a contingent of raiders was guarding them while the rest of the attackers were busy looting the place. He noticed only a few walking the walls, which was good for him, fewer people guarding the walls means easier entrance for him. It also means they are over confidant and in a fight overconfidence is as good as it means your opponent will underestimate you and only a fool underestimates his opponents.
The grandmaster formulated a plan in his head and then quickly dashed towards the nearest wall, climbing over it and landing smoothly on the other side. A nearby guard would have alerted the others if Hanzo had not thrown a dagger into the man's eye. Stealth was president in this situation so he quickly hid the body and proceeded to move through the alleys of the village. As he moved through the back allies he killed any raider he could find, either killing them as he found them or lured them to him, like he did a wolf Faunus who came over to Hanzo when the ninja got his targets attention by throwing a rock, killing him from behind a corner and dumping his body in a crate.
He continued to move around the village, eliminating the bandits that were too busy steeling to notice him in time. The plan was to take care of them before moving further into the settlement. As Hanzo moved from one street to another he heard a scream, a scream that could only come from a child. For a split second, the memory of Satoshi flashed over his eyes, the memory of his son, a child being killed. His determination to eliminate these foul cutthroats only intensified as he ran to the source of the scream. He found it to be a little girl who had her beck to a back alley wall a look of utter fear on her face as she watched one of the people who attacked her village come closer and closer to her.
"You thought you could escape me, didn't you pipsqueak? Well let me tell you, there is no place to..." the raider spoke as he walked closer to the terrified girl but before he could finish a snapping sound was heard and the man fell to the ground motionless. The scared child who had their eyes closed in fear opened them when she heard something hit the ground only to find her assailant laying on the ground, his empty eyes starring at her and behind him a man dressed in yellow and black with various blades on his body. At first, she thought he could be another of those evil raiders but instead of harming her he lowered himself and looked at her with concern.
"Are you alright, did he harm you?" he asked to which she only shook her head in denial. "We need to get you out of here, where are your parents?"
To the strange man's questions she could not help herself anymore and started crying, the bad people had entered her home, her father tried to fight but he fell to the floor blood coming from his chest, mother followed a moment later. She didn't remember how she got out of the house, only that she did and that she ran until the bad man had caught her.
To Hanzo this was all he needed as an answer, it was obvious what happened to the poor girl's parents is she immediately started crying at the mention of then. He gave her a few moments to cry her sorrows away before he offered her his hand.
"Listen, I need to get you somewhere where you will be safe, at least until I push the bandits out of the village. Is there a place where they won't be able to find you?" The girl shook her head in conformation and pointed at one of the houses near them. Hanzo carefully lifted the either-year-old up and went over to the house. He opened the doors to find no one inside and the house was miraculously intact. He put the child down as he checked the few rooms the house had, they were all empty. Hanzo went back to the main room and knelt down, looking at the girl. "Now, stay here until I or someone else comes for you, understand?" the child nodded and ran to the bedroom. Hanzo only looked at her for a second before he walked outside and continued on with his mission.
He had taken care of a few more raiders but by now they had figured out something was wrong, probably because a number of their comrades were now responding. The Shirai Ryu climbed up on the roof of one of the buildings to get a glimpse of the new situation. The guards were still there watching the hostages but there were fewer of them. He also spotted a short wall to which the hostages were put against, something that should give enough cover to reach them safely. He came up with a plan to make his way to the hostages, able them to free themselves and then create a distraction. With the bandits busy with him the townsfolk will have the opportunity needed to slip away.
"Hey you!" a shout came from behind him. Hanzo looked over his shoulder to find one of the raiders glaring at him. Before the man could call any more of his friends Hanzo jumped down planting his feet into the man's chest with great force, breaking his chest and killing him.
"That was close," he thought. "I need to move faster."
He moved his way around the main market and came behind it, right next to the short wall. He followed its length until he reached the end, peeking from the corner he saw the guards stationed to take care of the prisoners and the hostages, one of who was right in front of him. Hanzo waited patiently until the guards had their backs turned to him and crouching down he moved towards the hostage, a woman.
"Listen carefully," he said in a whisper, the woman straightened when she heard someone whisper behind her, she was terrified enough as it is. "I'm going to cut your bindings and give you the knife, when I detract the guards, release the others and find someplace safe, understood?" The woman did not say anything she just nodded. Hanzo proceeded to cut the ropes and give the woman his knife, quickly moving away afterward.
A man dressed in vibrant red and orange clothes sat in a chair in front I a bar in the middle of the town, his eyes closed and feet placed upon a table. This day was great, they easily took the village, were currently looting the place dry and once they were done he is going to burn this sorry excuse for a town to the ground, he had brought enough fire dust to do it and then some. The only thing that was bugging him was that some of his subordinates were not answering his calls, which wouldn't be the first time, when bandits tend to raid they pay little attention to anything else but still, he is going to have to reprimand them later. The last few months have been great for Oswald and his crew, they were forced to move here but all turned out alright in the end, they got their supplies from the people they robbed and so far no huntsmen had managed to threaten them, one did come close but they were dealt with, well escaped but who cares. Life was good for his tribe. As he was daydreaming about how exciting burning it all down will be, his right-hand man Dorian ran up to him.
"Boss! Boss!" Dorian shouted as he ran up to him.
"What is it?" he asked casually, not opening his eyes.
"Boss, we just found Josh dead in one of the alleys," Dorian said and this picked his interest. Opening his eyes he looked at his subordinate.
"Dead? How?"
"His chest was crushed by something."
"Grimm?" he said. It was a possibility, there is negative emotion there right now but his watchmen had not reported anything. "Could we have missed some of the folk?"
"I don't know but someone or something is here and it's not on our side," just as the boss was about to ask another question a scream was heard. Both men instantly looked for the source and found it to be one of their comrades at the edge of the market who had a blade sticking out of his chest. The blade moved back and the body fell to reveal a man clad in yellow and black gear with swords and knives on his person. Oswald stared at the man before smiling.
"Another heroic huntsman," the boss thought with glee "This is going to be fun, he will make the hero end up like all the others before him."
The yellow-clad man stared at the raiders, he counted fifteen, with the ones that he had killed that makes twenty-three. Tension filled the air as all eyes were directed on Hanzo, raider and hostage alike.
The boss got up from his chair and started walking towards the would-be savior of this soon-to-be pile of burning rubble. "Well, well, well what do we have here?" The orange-haired man said with madly grinning. "Another huntsman desperate to play hero, I would advise you to leave but that would not be any fun."
Hanzo said nothing only glaring at the orange glad man. He knew about his opponent's abilities and by the looks of it, his subordinates were well armed with guns and melee weapons. He also noticed the woman he had untied earlier watching him with hope in her eyes.
"So what it gonna be, are you going to try to take us all on?" the leader asked. Hanzo's response came when he threw two knives at the raiders right behind their leader, hitting them in the head, their lifeless bodies falling down to the ground. He knew he could take them on but there was also a risk of one of them getting lucky while his back was turned, and Hanzo was the man who liked to control the flow of a fight, plus he didn't know which of these people had an aura to protect them, so far encountering only three who themselves had weak ones, so he ran back into one of the allies. In the alleys, he would be able to pick them off and minimize the chances of anyone innocent getting hurt.
"What are you waiting for, AFTER HIM!" Oswald shouted. He along with his ten subordinates ran after their new target, leaving two of their number behind to watch the prisoners. As soon a most of the raiders were out of sight, the woman cut the rope from the man next to her and passed him the knife to do the same to the person next to him, the process went on for a while until enough of them were free. As soon as they were free eight of the villagers attacked their guards suddenly, the raiders being too taken off guard to react properly. With the guards dealt with the people of the village proceeded to leave the market and find a safer place to hold up until their savior deals with the bandits, if he succeeded that is.
Hanzo moved through the ally ways of the village at breathtaking speed, stopping suddenly and taking cover behind a corner, moments later he heard the voices of his pursuers.
"Where is he?" one of them asked.
"Split up and find him," the leader said. The group split in three different directions, three of the bandits going towards where Hanzo was hiding. He heard their footsteps as they got closer to him, his muscles tensed as he readied himself to go on the attack once more. The three were looking around for any sign of their target when a hand shot from behind a corner right into the neck of the female raider on the left, shattering her windpipe. The woman fell to the ground, eyes wide desperately trying to get some air in her lungs. The other two watched in surprise and terror as their comrade died in front of them, they tried to raise their weapons at their assailant but he was faster. Hanzo first shattered the knee of the man in the middle, who screamed as he fell to the ground knee first, being quickly finished off when his neck was snapped with ruthless efficiency. The third bandit swung her blade at the yellow-clad warrior who skillfully avoided it, then threw a punch at the raider's ribs which caused a great amount of pain to erupt in that area. Due to the sudden pain, the weapon fell out of the hands of the raider which Hanzo grabbed as it was falling and stabbed it into the man's chest, ending him.
"Three down, seven to go," he thought. Hanzo only spared the bodies a quick look before he moved in the direction of the next group. He would take care of this one and leave the leader for the end. He found the second group of his would-be pursuers near in front of a shop looking at the windows of the nearby buildings to see if he was in there, hiding. The Shira Ryu ran towards them punching the nearest opponent in the face sending him flying into a nearby window he was just looking at. The sound of glass breaking made the others turn immediately, only to see their target there. Hanzo did not hesitate to continue to the onslaught, immediately throwing a kick at the next man who blocked it with his aura taking the brunt of it. The raider threw his own attack which the grandmaster blocked and sent a punch straight into the man's nose which made him stagger back. A kunai found itself embedded into the next man's head and Hanzo pulled the bandit towards himself and just as it was about to hit him he kicked it back, sending it flying at the raider who was still holding his nose. The final one attacked Hanzo with an ax which he blocked with his sword and pushed the opponent's blade back, sending a slash across her chest but only for her aura to block it. Hanzo avoided the next strike thrown at him, quickly grabbed the hands of his opponent and used his fire magic to burn out her aura. When her shield broke the ninja sent a powerful punch at her head, a punch strong to break her skull on impact and finish her there.
"Seven down, only the leader and three more remains," he thought as he started making his way to where he presumed the bandit leader would be. He found the last of the raiders near the small town's church. As Hanzo stealthily approached the group from one of the rooftops until one of the bandits saw the reflection of their stacker in the window of the church, quickly turning around and shooting at his newfound target. Hanzo avoided the bullets by jumping down onto the street. The eyes of all the brigands were on him.
"Quiet the chase you took us on, but now I believe it is over," the leader said with a grin. Oswald removed his weapon from his beck, a flamethrower. "This is where the fun begins."
The five individuals stared at each other for a tense moment before one of the bandits made the first move, lunging at Hanzo. The veteran warrior sidestepped the attack and sent the man flying with a well-placed kick. Then the next raider attacked swinging their spear at Hanzo, who caught it just below the blade, yanked the spear out of the wielder's hands and plunged it into their gut.
"Not bad, but it's gonna take more than that to save you," the leader said and he and the one remaining raider attack at the same time, the boss of the bandits using the blade that was on the bottom of the flamethrower while his subordinate used a mace. Hanzo quickly pulled out his katana and tonto and blocked the two attacks simultaneously, then used his strength to push the two attackers back. He decided to first focus on the weaker opponent. He sent several powerful slashes at the other man, which did not kill him due to his aura but they did chip at it significantly, lowering it by half. It was then that the leader rejoined the fight slashing at Hanzo. Hanzo jumped back to avoid the strike.
"Don't forget about me," the leader said with a mad grin and continued his assault on Hanzo who avoided or blocked the attacks, one of which came too close to his head. The grandmaster having enough went on the offensive using both his long and short blade to slash at the man in front of him. The bandit leader was decent, he blocked as many of Hanzos strikes as he could but one would always find a way through his defenses and chip at his aura. The orange-clad bandit realized that a close-quarters fight won't work so he pulled back some distance away while ordering his remaining subordinate to attack, who did it although a bit reluctantly. For his effort, after a few quick dodges and parries, the bandit drained his aura and allowed Hanzo to end him with a quick slash to the neck.
"Damn, Dans was a good man, such good help is hard to find these days," the leader said with Hanzo only glaring at the man, with murder in his eyes. "I would love to stick around but I got other places to be so, this is for you," the orange-haired bandit unleashed the torrent of flame from his weapon towards the would-be hero while laughing, only for his laughter to cease when he saw the yellow-clad man casually walk through the flames towards him. He could not see any aura at work so the fool should be baked to a crisp by now but that was not happening, instead, the huntsman was walking through the flames like they did not exist. The orange-haired man enjoyed burning things and people, it always brought a smile to his face but right now he did not feel joy, he felt confusion and terror. When he did it to huntsmen he knew to first take out their aura but this man did not seem to possess any, so how was he not dead?
The flames ceased once Hanzo was a mere meter away from the leader. "How?" the leader asked, his eyes wide, and tone disbelieving.
"I'm immune to fire," Hanzo simply said as he threw a punch strong enough to finally break the other man's aura and knock him out. The Earthrealm warrior gazed at the unmoving bodies, two dead, one alive and…
Hanzo heard movement from behind him and quickly pulled out his tanto and stabbed it into the man's belly pulling the blade upwards allowing his guts to fall out. What Hanzo did not see was a child he had saved hiding behind a corner watching the whole fight. With the last of the raiders dead Hanzo sheeted his tanto and took his sword, aimed it at the unconscious leader's neck and slashed down separating the head from its body.
"A bit messy but it can't be helped," Hanzo thought as he put his sword back and took the flamethrower as proof of the kill, the head would be a bit inappropriate to give the guild girl as proof. As the warrior was making his way back to where the hostages were held he finally noticed the girl, she was staring at him with a combination of fear and awe.
"You should not have seen that," Hanzo said. The child did not respond, she only continued to stare at the warrior who defeated the evil bandits and rescued her village. "Come with me, let's get you back to your people."
The child compiled and started to follow Hanzo as he walked through the streets of the village. When they finally reached the market they found it to be empty apart from the two tied up bandits. Soon people started coming to the market each thanking their savior for rescuing them, Hanzo replied by simply nodding.
"Thank you again, you saved us," the woman who he had freed first said. "How can he repay you?"
"There is no need for any pay, I took a contract to track down these brigands and deal with them, I'm only sorry that I was too late to stop them from attacking your village," Hanzo said and then looked at the small girl who was still staying close to him. "Does she have anyone to take care of her?"
A sad expression crossed the woman's face. "I saw what happened to her parents, I was in the house opposite, apart from them, she had no one but someone in the village will take her, we are a small community but we take care of our own."
"The bandits are all dead, there should not be any more of them," Hanzo said.
"Thank you again for what you did for us and for avenging those who had died," Hanzo nodded and then proceeded to walk towards the gates of the village, he still had the camp to deal with. A child's voice made him stop.
"Who are you?" the child asked. Hanzo looked back at the child and once more the image of Satoshi came to his mind, his son was the same age as this girl when he died. Hanzo knew how the girl feels right now, with her family dying in front of her eyes, something no person should ever see, let alone a little girl. He stared at the child for a moment before he finally answers.
"I'm Hanzo Hasashi," he said and managed to get his mind together before finally walking away from the village.