"You want me to do what?" Rock said.

It was the middle of the day when his scroll rang, and when he answered it he found that it was that detective he met before. Normally he'd hang up whenever a cop called him, but adjusting to a new life meant doing things he wasn't used to.

"Like I said, I want you to bring in a bounty for me. He's got some charges pending but he skipped his court date. I figure since you owe me a solid you'd be more than happy to take care of it for me."

"What about that other thing?"

"I'm busy with that, which is why I'm asking you for this. You'll be fine, you're a hunter. Call me when you get it done, kid."

The line went dead. Rock looked at the file he had been sent.
"He wasn't kidding about this guy. Priors for possession, assault, and a couple domestics too. He put two girlfriends in the hospital and another OD'd. He got her hooked on the shit he was slinging and then got her killed. That's fucked up."

"Want us to come with you?" Giallo asked.

Rock shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm used to hunting down assholes. It'll be just like back home."

Rock left the school,and a few minutes later was in the city looking for his target. But first, he needed supplies. A manhunt couldn't be conducted on an empty stomach, after all. With that in mind, he went the usual route and stopped at his usual spot. He heard the ringing of a bell when he walked into store, along with the familiar sounds of airy string music being played over a worn out speaker system. He went around the store gathering supplies.

Still no sour patch he thought. Setting aside his disappointment, he brought his items to the counter. Instead of the old woman he was used to, a much younger woman was working the register. She looked only a few years older than Rock.

"Find everything okay?" she asked.

Rock nodded, continuing to observe the woman. Something about her looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out what.

The woman chuckled softly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Rock, would you?"

Rock fought the urge to bolt from the store. "Yeah. Why?"

"My grandma talks about you all the time. She says you come in hear almost every day and always get the same things. I just thought it was interesting is all."

Rock relaxed slightly. "Oh. I didn't think that she thought of me that much."

"Are you kidding me? She talks all the time about how you helped her with this problem or that. I was wondering why she didn't just have you on full time."

"I had a different job at the time. So you're her granddaughter?"

The woman nodded. "Yep. I help run the register a couple days a week. The pay's decent, and I get to meet all kinds of interesting people."

Rock frowned. "This is a rough part of town. Are you sure you should be working here?"

The woman laughed. "You don't have to worry. The worst I get is the odd drunk or two. But, I do appreciate your concern."

Rock paid for his items and went to leave.

"Come back soon," the woman said.

Rock left the store and went to look at his scroll again. He had no idea who this person was or where to find him. In truth, he hadn't the slightest idea where he would even start. Then an idea came to him. He was looking for a criminal, so maybe the biggest criminal he knew would be a good place to start.

And that was how he wound up at his old boss' club. It was still the middle of the day so it wasn't officially open, but he hoped that Junior would at least be willing to talk to him.

But when he approached the building something made him pause. He saw the shattered and boarded up windows, and noticed the bullet holes in the wooden door. Shaking his head he pushed the doors open and stepped in side, and saw that the club looked like a bomb went off inside. The dance floor had multiple craters in it, the lights were destroyed, and the elaborate speaker setup looked like someone was thrown through it. Standing behind the bar yelling at a henchman was Junior. His right arm was in a cast and his neck was in a brace.

"The fuck happened here?" Rock asked.

"Had a rowdy customer while back, so the club is closed until further notice."

Rock suppressed a laugh. "You let someone whoop your ass like that and they're still breathing? You're slipping, boss."

"Why are you here?" Junior snapped.

Rock pulled out his scroll and showed him the picture of the suspect. "You know this guy?"

"Of course I do. Dwayne Carver, runs the Black Knuckles. They move product for me through the city. Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm looking to arrest him," Rock replied.

Junior snorted. "You working for the cops? I guess that whole turning your life around thing wasn't just talk." The large man pulled out his scroll and pushed a button. Rock's scroll pinged as a message popped up on the screen. "That's his last known address. If you're looking to take him in, don't hold back. I heard he was a Beacon student."

Hearing that made Rock pause. After a moment, he went to leave. "Thanks, boss. You take care."

As Rock was leaving, he thought of whoever had done that to the club. They had to be strong to beat Junior, and Rock couldn't wait to meet them.

But the task at hand came first, and to that end Rock traveled to the address he had been given. He stepped out into the street to flag down a cab. As a car pulled over he opened the door and fell into the back seat.

"Can you take me to this address?" he asked the driver.

The driver nodded and drove off. Rock stared out the window watching the city go by as he went down the highway. He saw the city of Vale disappear into the background as he listened to the rumble of the engine. A short drive later he was near his destination.

Rock could tell that this wasn't Vale. All the buildings he could see were boarded up and covered with graffiti. The streets were filled with garbage and the air smelled like a pungent mix of crack smoke and urine.

He noticed a few people standing on a corner. Each one wore a black bandanna somewhere on their body, and the bulges in their clothes could only be handguns. Rock knew he was in the right place. The only question was how to approach the situation.

Then again, charging straight ahead worked so far.

But as he approached the men, Rock noticed something was wrong. These hard, armed men were jumpy, constantly looking over their shoulder, tightly wound. They were afraid of something. Rock felt a nagging feeling deep in his stomach. Whatever it was that could frighten men like this was something he didn't want anything to do with.

Shaking the feeling off, Rock walked up to the group of men.

"What's brackin?"

One of the men glared at Rock. "The fuck you want?"

"I'm looking for your boy, Dwayne. Know where I can find him?"

The three men all drew their guns. One pressed the barrel against Rock's head.

"Who the fuck are you?" one man barked.

Rock grasped the gun barrel and squeezed until it splintered in his grasp. He turned towards the others. "If you don't put those guns away they're going up your ass. What the hell has got you guys so jumpy?"

The men exchanged a look. After a moment, they put their guns away.

One man wipe the sweat from his face. "Some cocksucker put a hit out on our boss. We thought it was the typical bullshit, some other set or some shit like that. But then this hitter shows up, takes out ten of us like it was nothing."

"This is getting to be a headache. Who is this hitter?"

"Man I don't know. No one's seen the motherfucker and kept breathing. No one even knows what he looks like."

Rock suddenly felt a familiar sinking feeling. Something like this had happened in the past, and it didn't end well that time either.

Sons of bitches set me up.

The sound of a window breaking shattered his concentration. He looked up and saw someone plummeting from the top floor of the seven story building. Rock recognized him as Dwayne Carver from the file he was sent. The rumors of him being a huntsman seemed to be true, since falling from such a height didn't seem to bother him at all. He sprang to his feet and sprinted down the block.

"God dammit," Rock complained, running after him.

Rock could tell that the man he was chasing was a Hunter, the man was fast and wasn't slowing down no matter how hard he ran. The man weaved through the crowds and traffic without missing a beat, disappearing into an alleyway on the other side of the street. Rock followed, and the two found themselves in an alley blocked off by a high concrete wall. The man tried to jump over, but Rock grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back down.

The man kicked up at Rock and struck him square on the chin. Scrambling to his feet, his fists flew wildly at Rock.

Rock blinked. The man's fists were so light, and so slow. Compared to everyone else he'd fought, it was like getting hit by a child. There was no way this person was a Huntsman.

One punch was all Rock needed to shatter Dwayne's aura. He went limp as all strength left his body.

"Ready to calm the fuck down?" Rock said.

"What do you want?" Dwayne shouted.

"I wanna take your stupid ass to jail. Must be outta your fuckin' mind making me chase you all this way."

"Wait, you're not with him?"

Rock raised an eyebrow. "You mean the guy trying to kill you? No, I'm not. I can't imagine why a nice guy like you would have a contract out on him. Make any new enemies lately?"

"Shit no. my whole crew's been laying low since that Torchwick cat rolled in. Then one day one of my guys rolls up to the spot talking about there's ten racks on my head. Next thing I know this hitter shows up. He took out half my crew in a month, then today he comes into my crib looking to kill my ass."

"Well, you can relax now. I'm not some hit man, I'm a Huntsman student. You might as well come with me, if someone's really out to kill you then jail is the safest place there is."

A shadow fell across the alley. Rock felt a chill and turned to see what had caused it. It was just a man, but looking at him made Rock feel the kind of fear that he hadn't felt since he was a child.

Rock's mind raced. His eyes pored over every detail about this man, trying to take up as much information as he could. He saw his long, white hair, his large, muscular arms and legs, his lack of shoes, the blood spattered over his clothes and dripping from his hands. Then there were his eyes. There was something wrong with them. They shone with an unnatural light.

The unknown man took a step forward. The shackles around his wrists and ankles clinked as he walked.

Rock threw the first punch. It was a desperate strike thrown with everything he had. The man caught the blow in his hand. He let Rock's fist go, and then he just waited. He observed Rock, wanting to see what he would do next. Rock attacked again and again, but all of it was swatted aside like he was moving in slow motion. The man's vacant expression never changed once.

The man stepped in and held his fist an inch from Rock's chest. When he spoke, it was with a voice that sounded like an open grave.

"You fail."

The next blow was so fast that Rock didn't even see it. He felt the crushing impact, and then everything went black.

XxX

Rock heard the sounds of a heart monitor, along with the steady hiss of a breathing machine. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar white walls of Beacon's infirmary.

He tried to say something but felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"I wouldn't try talking yet, you got wrecked," he heard Giallo say.

Rock saw his teammates sitting around his bed. It took him a few moments to remember what had happened, and when he did he felt a chill go through his body.

"How in the world are you alive?" Lucia asked.

"Gee, thanks for the concern. Dick."

Giallo shook his head. "No, he has a point. The doctors said it looked like you got hit by a bus. What the hell happened?"

"Well, I found who I was looking for. Problem was someone else did too. That punch, it was like a bomb. I've never felt anything like it before. I gotta find out who that guy is."

"Alright," Giallo replied. "You've got a few broken ribs so you're gonna be spending the night in here. Make sure you rest up."

Rock laid back in his bed. "Fine by me. I'm gonna see if I can get a nurse to give me a sponge bath."

Giallo chuckled. "Whatever, man. I'm gonna go back to the dorm. Let me know if you need anything."

Alone in the room, Rock played back the day's events in his mind. He tried to visualize the attack that hit him. The way the man moved, it was clear he was a master. He picked the best attack for the situation and put Rock down with maximum efficiency.

That last punch was a work of art. It was like something out of a comic book.

The words the man had said echoed in his mind. The man was just testing him, and Rock failed.

Rock found himself awash in an unfamiliar emotion. Something had changed within him. This loss only motivated him. He hungered for a chance to fight that man again, when he was strong enough to defeat him.

XxX

What set Cotton off was how quiet everything was. There were no ringing phones, no clacking keys, no people talking, nothing at all. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. But that wasn't what had him on edge at the moment, it was the man sitting on the other side of his desk.

Ozpin's face was a blank, his hands wrapped around the handle of his cane. He looked completely relaxed even as his power radiated from his body.

Cotton had heard rumors of Ozpin's exploits as a Huntsman, but looking at the man now he knew for certain that they were all true. He didn't need to brag or boast about his strength, it spoke for itself.

"So," Ozpin began, "might I ask what you were thinking? Did you think I wouldn't find out what you had done?"

Cotton felt needles in the back of his neck. "I was thinking I had ten murders to solve and I needed to break this case. I know you Academy people have more important things to worry about, but us regular folks live here too."

The barb was immature, he knew, but his frustration had gnawed away at his better judgment. He was expecting a bit of blowback, but he hadn't expected this to explode in his face so badly. Whoever the killer was, they had found who they were looking for. They also found six other people, including three women who were wholly unrelated to the target. The apartment where they found the bodies looked like a Grimm attack. Blood and body parts were scattered all over. Then there was what happened to Carver. The people on the scene said it looked like he'd been torn in half. The thought that a human could do that to another human shook him to the core.

Ozpin ignored the taunt. "I see. Well, luckily for you the case broke in your favor."

Cotton grinned. "Yeah, he's one of yours, which makes it not my problem anymore."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed, the apprehension of rogue hunters does fall within the purview of the Association, but there is another matter that we must address. You used a student of mine as bait. He could have been killed, in fact he very nearly lost his life today."

"I thought you hunters trained for that."

"We Huntsmen are always prepared to die, but we do it knowing that our sacrifice will not be in vain. But, did Rock even know about this other assailant? Did you send knowingly send him into the jaws of death just to further your own ends with him none the wiser?"

Ozpin was quiet for a moment. "I would be within my rights to have you brought before a court, but I will relent. I wouldn't want it to appear as though the Association is interfering with the police. However, in the future, if for whatever reason you think to use one of my students as an asset in your investigation, I would strongly advise you to reconsider."

XxX

It took quite a bit of assurance for the nurse to let Rock leave the infirmary, but once he was out he immediately went to the training field to continue his practicing. He tried to remember everything he learned at the dojo. The proper stance, proper footwork, everything had to be second nature. He attacked and attacked until it felt right, combining the basics of what he had learned with the foundation he had built up over his life.

"So that's how you do it," he said to himself.

He felt his aura flowing through his body. He imagined guiding it along his fist and letting it go. With his next punch, a wave of red energy escaped from his fist.

Rock tentatively flexed his fingers. The pain was gone. He attacked again and again, losing himself in the bliss of discovering a new technique. Unfortunately he was so excited that he didn't notice how quickly he was depleting his aura. He suddenly didn't even have enough energy to keep standing. He fell to the floor in a pool of sweat. He started to laugh.

"It is good to see you in high spirits," Alder said.

Rock looked up and saw the elderly professor looking down at him with a slight grin. It was the most expressive Rock had ever seen the old man.

"Hey, gramps. You don't have any teacher stuff to do?"

"I heard about your mishap in the city, but it seems my concern was unwarranted. It would take quite a bit to fell you, I imagine."

"Yeah, I'm used to getting beat up."

Rock got back up and resumed his fight against the air. With every second that passed moving got easier. He could feel the lesson Nigel tried to teach him imprinting itself onto his body. The difference between how he fought before and now was like night and day. It was a miracle he lasted so long fighting like he did in the past.

"You've certainly improved," Alder remarked. "Why do you wish to become stronger?"

"So I can kill my mom," Rock replied casually.

"Is that the only reason?"

"Do I need a real reason?"

"I suppose not. I will leave you to your training. Make sure to go to bed on time, I expect to see you in class tomorrow morning."

"See ya, gramps. Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something. The guy who ran the Black Knuckles, I heard he was a Beacon student. Is that true?"

Alder thought for a moment. "Yes, I do recall such a student. He was at the bottom of his class, and dropped out before the end of his first year."

XxX

Sitting alone in his office, Ozpin looked over the file the coroner's office sent him. While the crime had made the news, very few people knew the details. If word had gotten out that an assassin with Huntsman's training was loose in Vale, the fallout would be unprecedented. On top of that, the state of the murders were also covered up. Most people wouldn't believe that a human being was capable of doing what the killer had done to another human being. Just looking at the preliminary report turned Ozpin's stomach.

Male A: blood loss due to severed carotid artery

Male B: suffocation. Jawbone protruded into windpipe

Male C: traumatic cranial injury

Female A: lungs perforated by broken ribs

Female B: blood loss due to severed limbs

Male D: blood loss due to impalement

Male E: protrusion of nasal bone into brain cavity

Male F: Decapitation

Male G: blood loss due to severing of arm

Male H: suffocation due to broken neck

Male I :crushed rib-cage

Ozpin closed the file and put his scroll away. He placed his head in his hands and let out a sigh.

"Gin, what happened to you?"

AN: hey, sorry for the wait. With this, Rock and Gin have encountered each other for the first time. It certainly won't be the last. Their rivalry is a big part of what inspired me to write this fic, and I can't wait to show it to you.

If you enjoyed the chapter feel free to drop a review, or don't it's whatever.