It appeared that the directions Archer got from the villagers' a week ago were correct. Reinforcing his vision, he could see the tip of a rather tall building in the distance. Though it wasn't a skyscraper, it was still of a height and make to suggest that it belonged to a city of some kind. After confirming the information, he turned away, stepping off of the tree branch he was standing on and letting gravity take over.
Reinforcing his body, Archer bent his knees and performed a somersault upon impact with the dirt road. After the maneuver was completed, he walked in the direction of the civilization. The path to the city was rather long, but thankfully, he was used to long and quiet hikes through rural areas and the city wasn't even that far.
A sudden rustling in the bushes had caught his attention.
Something was coming.
And something did come.
Reinforcing his body once again, Archer kicked off the ground as he twisted his waist. His push off the ground was enough to level him with the creature he now knew was an Alpha Beowolf, allowing him to deliver the steel-crushing reinforced kick to the creature's neck.
Within a blink of an eye, Archer's steel-tipped boot dug into its flesh, forming a rather grotesque crater on the right side of the creature's face. The armored bone mask shattered and split apart from the force of the kick, shards and bone splinters flying in various directions as the Beowolf was sent into the air.
The creature traveled a short distance before being interrupted by a tree, causing even more damage to the fatally wounded Grimm. Sliding off of the tree, the creature soon broke down into shadowy particles before disappearing all together.
Archer had managed to learn the name of the more wolf-like creatures without rousing suspicion in the villagers. They were called 'Beowolves' and they traveled in packs much like real wolves. Though what he really found interesting was the fact that all creatures of Grimm were attracted to negative emotion.
They came at him in hordes when he arrived.
Archer glanced up at the few remaining Beowolves, only to find them running off at the sight of their leader being demolished so easily.
Keeping his guard raised, Archer kept on walking, several questions surfacing in his mind.
'Just what kind of world is this?'
'What is my goal here?'
'If left to my own devices, what would I do?'
As for the first thought, Archer had a bit of a grasp on the world he resided in. He had masterfully pieced together bits of information gained from different people while maintaining his unknown status. Apparently, this world was overrun by these creatures referred to as the 'Grimm', creatures with overwhelming strength, and an equally overwhelming hatred for mankind.
Mankind however, was not entirely helpless. From what he absorbed from the context of most of his conversations, there were those who dedicated their lives to fighting the Grimm. They were referred to as 'Huntsmen and Huntresses', defenders of humanity and hunters of Grimm.
Which also meant that he didn't have to change his clothes, seeing as he was easily confused for a young Huntsman. Posing as a Huntsman would be dangerous, but he knew when and how to do it. Then again, no one would punish him for wearing bullet proof armor and a holy shroud. Though, it wasn't like anyone would know that his attire served such a purpose.
Regardless, Archer knew better than to trust humanity. He experienced the power of those dark creatures firsthand, and while he'd have to see how strong a Huntsman is to accurately assess the situation, he didn't really need to in order to guess that they were fighting a losing battle.
The fact that the small village called in for a team of Huntsman raised some big questions as well. It also told Archer that Huntsman probably weren't all too common, which also plays a rather big part in the 'losing battle' theory of his.
On another note, there were humanoid lifeforms with animal features which were called the 'Faunus'. Archer had met a few of them in the village, and from them he had learned a lot about their kind. They weren't all that welcome in most places because of the differences between them and humans.
The few faunus he spoke to were surprised to see that he harbored no ill will toward them. Archer had seen this type of discrimination many times before, but it still bothered him at how little it took for people to start hating each other. There was no logic behind any of it. He had long ago stopped questioning this kind of behavior, stuff like this wouldn't change and there was no point in him wasting energy thinking too hard about it.
And that was all he knew about the world he was brought to, which was quite a lot, but still minuscule in the long run.
As for the second thought, he didn't have an answer. He didn't exactly know what he was supposed to do here, if anything. For now, his only objective was to find civilization, an objective he was rather close to completing.
And finally, for the third... He didn't know. Archer never thought that he'd escape the hell that was serving Alaya, constantly forced to kill the people he sought to save, again and again for all of eternity. A question like this one would take a while to answer. But even then, he'd have to be fast, time passed by very fast for someone his age, whatever that was.
He told his younger self something during the grail war... 'I fight for myself.' But even so, he never thought it would come to this. That was if he was actually free, but the topic of his freedom was another thing all together.
Perhaps once he died again, he'd end up back there, on that hill of swords where he'd spend his days awaiting fate's cruel summoning.
Maybe then, his still foolish self would wake up and realize that his freedom was all a dream.
Still walking, Archer abandoned his thoughts at the sound of distorted growling. It turns out that pessimists weren't meant to survive in this world, how lucky of him.
"What's taking so long?!"
Velvet sighed quietly, working this part time job wasn't exactly the best idea she had. As it turned out, few people wanted to visit a cafe that was run by a faunus, nor did they want to be served by one such as herself. She had been subjected to complaints and harassment from various people who held disdain for the faunus.
She would probably stop coming here once she finished up for the week. Being as shy as she was, it was getting pretty difficult to work when people would publicly express their hate for her. Coco would sometimes visit, but that made things worse in her opinion. The only thing worse than getting harassed was having a friend there to see it happen. Not that a friend would stand by, but it was more for their sake that she was worried. Her friends would be sad if they ever found out how often it happened.
Then again, she never got harassed or bullied whenever Coco was around, something she so very innocently attributed to luck. Though, regardless of her worries, she was happy that a friend came by to see her every now and then.
However, Coco was not here today. The cafe was oddly busy and Velvet had to take several orders, hurrying as to not angry the customers. One brown haired customer in particular looked to be pretty rowdy and impatient. Velvet could see him sitting cross-armed at one of the tables, tapping his foot in anticipation.
Finishing up the final cup of coffee, she placed it onto a tray that rested in her other hand. Safely, she made haste to the dining area, her training and semblance allowing her to perfectly utilize the skills of an experienced waitress to keep the tray stable.
Even some of the more experienced employees couldn't even hope to walk the speeds that she was able to. Regardless of the girl's skill and ability, a few of them still watched with worried expressions, silently praying that she wouldn't drop anything, especially with the way that the customers were.
Fortunately, they didn't have a thing to worry about. Leaving the back area, Velvet silently apologized to the brown haired man in her head. His order was not ready and Velvet probably gave him false hope. Resolving herself, she was able to walk past him without feeling too embarrassed.
Or so she thought.
As she reached the midpoint with the intent to pass his booth, she felt something collide with her lower right leg near her ankle. She managed to regain her balance and save herself from going to first base with the hardwood floor, but the same couldn't be said for the coffee.
The tray tipped and flew out of her hand momentarily before she caught the rim, but the coffee wasn't glued to the tray and it decided to prove it to her by flying away from it. The four cups traveled two feet in the air before finding their newest victim.
"I- I..." Velvet took a deep breath, trying not to panic. "I'm so sorry!" She shouted, running over to said victim.
The breakfast drink found its way onto an auburn-red haired and golden eyed man... or boy? He was wearing an armored black combat vest with white accents outlining his muscular form. Scarlet cloth sleeves covered his arms down to the wrists, where it met with a gray gem that rested on the back of his hands.
The same kind of red cloth came in the form of a fauld that hung at the sides and back of his lower body, held in place by a metallic belt buckle. His black pants were not only darkened even further with coffee, but also wrapped in numerous belts that clung to his legs. The pants appeared to be connected to the shoes, which were steel tipped and had medium armor coverage.
He had the appearance and air of a Huntsman, yet he was so young. His age caused Velvet to believe that the boy may have been a huntsman in training, and that was exactly why she would continue cautiously.
A brief silence ensued, cause her already fast heart rate to climb further. "I- I tripped..." The girl spoke almost inaudibly, trying to look away from the boy without appearing to be rude.
The red haired boy looked ahead with apathetic eyes, he didn't seem angry in the sense that most people were expecting.
"Looks like you didn't come here to pick up women." He said, his tone oddly mature for what he looked like.
"H- huh?" Velvet questioned, barely sounding her confusion at the boy's statement.
The boy ignored her. Instead, he stared at the man to her right. "You should apologize."
"Huh?" The brown haired man sounded dumbfounded, giving the boy a look of irritation. "What are you on about, kid? This animal was taking too long with the order, it probably just collapsed from exhaustion. Talk about poor service."
The boy sighed and crossed his arms. "You're the one who chose to come here, you have little reason to complain... unless of course, you're just some pervert who actually wanted to be served sabotaged coffee."
"What was that?!" The man shouted in anger at the suggestion. Standing up from his seat, he stared down at the boy and tried to be as intimidating as possible.
"You could probably be charged with some form of harassment for your current behavior. That is if you stick around long enough." The redhead spoke calmly, seemingly not affected by his simple intimidation strategy. "Then again, anyone with basic thinking ability would get out of here before it came to that. But let's not forget who it is we're talking about here." He added, looking to Velvet as he insulted the delinquent's intelligence.
The man stepped forward, his arm out as he reached for the collar of the boy's red vest. "That's it, ki-!"
"The authorities are on their way!"
The man stopped in his tracks, turning to his left to see a tall woman with short blonde hair holding a phone. She was staring at him with an angry expression, much like most of the people in the cafe. For a moment, the man stood still, his arm still outstretched as he contemplated over whether or not getting revenge was worth going to jail.
After debating with himself and somehow losing, he turning on his heels and dashed out of the cafe, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Once he was gone, Velvet looked back to the boy only to see that he was missing? She jumped slightly at the shock of finding the space he once occupied to be empty.
And then scolded herself internally once she glanced to her right and spotted him. He was now seated in the chair that the harasser had left behind, the sight of his legs being crossed and extended, while his arms were crossed and his eyes closed gave the illusion that he was either sleeping, or very relaxed.
Hesitantly, she stepped closer to him. Out of habit, she approached him carefully, after all, she didn't know why he saved her. For all she knew, he could've hated faunus and only stepped in simply because the guy was annoying him.
"Um... Thank you..." She said, her voice coming out a half whisper. People were now watching the two and she didn't exactly like being the center of attention.
"Don't mention it." He replied.
Usually those words were just another form of 'You're welcome', but something about the way he said it told the rabbit girl that he meant it literally.
Not knowing what else to do, she stood there for a few more moments. He wasn't saying anything else and she found that the only option left was to ask if he wanted a menu. Something was off about this boy, it took Velvet some time to speak with strangers due to her shyness, but it was taking even longer to gather the courage to speak to this one in particular. She felt like she was a kid again, speaking to a busy adult that could scold her at any moment.
Nevertheless, she remained persistent. She looked at the man before speaking and-...!
"The cups..." She whispered to herself, walking closer to his table. "You caught them?" She asked, her initial reluctance was cast away by her distraction.
"Of course." He said, opening an eye to look at her. "It'd be a shame if they fell."
"..." Velvet stood still for a few moments, awkwardly taking in the sight of the safely returned coffee cups before reaching to her side. Pulling a menu out of one of her pockets, she handed it over the the boy. "... If ... if you want anything, just call for me." Grabbing the neatly stacked pile of wet coffee cups and placing them back on the tray, she turned around to return them to the kitchen.
Keeping her head down as she was about to start walking, she saw a familiar set of shoes in front of her. Her cheeks flushing from embarrassment, her head lowered even more. "I'm sorry..." She said.
"It's not your fault, Velvet." The blonde replied, handing a towel to the boy.
Looking back up, Velvet saw the woman from earlier. She was the owner's daughter, someone who looked out for the faunus employees and threatened to kick people out if they went too far, much like the man from earlier. Though, this time, she threatened to call the police. On that note...
"What are you going to tell the police?" Velvet asked. The man had escaped and his appearance was rather generic, there probably wasn't much they could do.
"She didn't call them."
Both Velvet and the woman looked back at the boy.
Bringing his hands together, he closed the menu and handed it back to Velvet. "I'll have a bagel."
The blonde woman took the menu in Velvet's stead, giving the girl a wry smile. "You're lucky, Velvet. I was never popular with boys back in my day."
The bunny girl's eyes widened, her face turning a deep shade of red as she did her best to hide it behind her bangs. "... I'm not popular..."
The woman only winked at Velvet in response before turning back around and leaving the dining area.
"Um..." Velvet stared at the redhead with an expecting expression.
"Archer." He said.
'Archer?' Velvet thought to herself. She silently wondered where he was from, as his name didn't follow the color tradition. "Archer... I have to go now... thank you."
Velvet passed the blonde woman on her way to the kitchen. She could overhear the conversation and couldn't help but glance back at the two out of curiosity.
"Here's your bagel, sir." She said, placing the plate down on the table. She appeared to have something else though. "And a complimentary cup of tea."
Velvet could see Archer staring down at the cup, narrowing his eyes at the liquid inside.
She wondered what might be wrong. After all, it was the special limited addition 'Plum Kelp Tea', brought back by popular demand.
Shrugging, the bunny faunus went back to work in the best mood she's been in all day.
Archer sighed, he had been provided minimal payment from some of the villagers who hadn't suffered much loss. Hunting was difficult in a world filled with apex predators, so he had found a rather cheap cafe and purchased the cheapest item on menu, the bagel, which had been reinforced to increase nourishment.
Unfortunately, he received a thank you in the form of the tea he hated the most. Still, it was more nourishment, so he downed the tea without concentrating on the taste. Afterward, he left the place without anyone noticing. The rabbit faunus would probably be disappointed, but Archer didn't come here to make friends, he came for answers and would get answers.
Standing out of sight from many of the street cameras, he scouted his environment from the rooftops above. He had to figure out what kind of place this was, then he could later find out what kind of issues this world had. Doing so would clear things up for him, he had to know if he was still a Counter Guardian at the moment.
What he found out though, was that this world was oddly similar to his own. There were stores and restaurants, construction sites, apartment complexes, giant clock towers... On that note, he didn't know what the giant tower he spotted in the distance was. It was obviously a multipurpose building, but he only knew one of its functions. Speaking of said function, it told him how late it was getting.
Feeling the fatigue from walking so much, he cursed his younger body and hopped several rooftops to find a way back to the forest. He would sleep in a tree like he had the past seven days. One of these days, he'd have to secure an income, showering in rivers and creeks got tedious after a while.
Reinforcing his body, he hopped and leapt from ledge to ledge at high speeds. With his reinforced senses, he had heard it. The oddly familiar sound of a store alarm going off.
'Looks like robberies are common here too.' He thought, changing his destination.
Old habits die hard.
A/N: I could have made this chapter longer, but if I'm gonna be honest, I didn't FEEL like it.
I always liked this story better than "Earthland's Hero of Justice". It has more POTENTIAL. If you ask me, Dal bit off more than he could chew. WOOPS, Dal never liked getting personal info out there. Oh well, Dal's noT HERE ANYMORE. *Ahem* Excuse me, I got a little riled up there...