An ear-piercing alarm broke me out of my sleep.

I scowled, barely suppressing the urge to throw my scroll out the window and go back to sleep. But I couldn't. I had work to do today.

With a yawn, I rubbed my eyes and took my bedsheets off of me, getting off my bed. I went to my bathroom to brush my teeth. While brushing, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked completely awake, even though I'd only gotten 3 hours of sleep – felt the same too.

Give it to Exhaustion Resistance to take care of that for me. I could probably go several days without sleep before feeling even a bit of tiredness. It was useful, in moments like these more than ever.

I headed to my closet and wore a set of casual clothes: shorts and a t-shirt. I also took a set of extra training clothes out of my closet. Had to keep the clothes I wore in public and the clothes I wore while fighting separate.

"Mask, mask," I whispered under my breath, searching through my closet. I'd bought one a few days ago while anonymous to hide my identity. Like hell I would go out as Rory. The problems that would bring.

But now I couldn't find it.

"Mo-" I started, but I caught myself before I could. It was five in the morning – if I called out, I would wake them up. Anyway, she wouldn't know where it was since I hadn't told her.

I searched for a bit longer before I remembered. I looked up and tried to reach for the top shelf of my closet. Too high. I groaned. The troubles of being short were many.

I grabbed a stool from the corner of my room and brought it over to my closet. Standing on it, I tried again, and this time I could see the top of the shelf. There were a bunch of boxes on top, and I grabbed one of them. I opened it up to see if it was the right one – it was.

The mask was plain, simple. It was white with red rings around the eyes – which I had spray painted myself. I never liked overly complicated things, for clothes or otherwise, and that applied to my mask as well.

There was also another part of it. The thing that made it special. I built a voice changer into the mask, to make my voice a lot deeper than it was. Not just because I didn't want to be recognized by my voice, but it would also make my voice sound more intimidating. People wouldn't take me very seriously if I used my fifteen-year-old voice. I wasn't on the taller side of the spectrum either, so I had to do something to make up for it. I mean – short and a fifteen-year-old voice? I wouldn't take myself seriously either.

Then I went to grab my weapons. They were also simple, in a sense, as far as mechashift weapons went. A pair of combat knives that transformed into a pair of handguns.

Nothing Dust related. I tried to implement it into my fighting, but it didn't work out. I didn't like the feel of it.

I checked if I had everything a second time, and nodded to myself when I saw that I did.

I exited my room and made my way downstairs. On the way, I passed Yang and Ruby's rooms. They were still sleeping, obviously, but it was reassuring to actually see it. Just for assurance on my part, I activated my semblance to check and see if my parents were asleep as well. They were. Good.

For a second, I contemplated getting something to eat before leaving, but I decided against it. I could get something on the way if I was feeling hungry.

I opened up my bag and grabbed a notepad.

I'm going to be out all day today.

Don't worry, I'll be back by curfew.

Rory.

I'd already informed my mom that I would be leaving sometime during the weekend. They shouldn't get too suspicious, I hoped. Well, Mom and Dad wouldn't, but Ruby and Yang might.

Whatever. I could just give an explanation when I got back.

I placed the note on the kitchen countertop so they would see it, and headed out the door.

It was dark out – really dark. Nobody was on the streets, and besides a few, there were practically no cars either. Nothing I could do about it, though. The earlier I left, the more time I had to take care of that gang.

My destination was close by, so I didn't need to get a taxi or anything. It was within walking distance.

It took roughly ten minutes to reach the air bus station. I checked the time. 5:43 am. Two more minutes till-

"Air bus to the Agricultural District, Vale, boarding now! I repeat, the air bus to the Agricultural District, Vale, will be boarding now!"

Or it was now.

I boarded the air bus along with the rest of the passengers and sat in the front row. The people filled in, and a middle-aged woman took the seat next to me.

The announcement that the bus would be taking off rang through the speakers. The bus started to lift off the ground and take flight.

This still felt weird for me. Sure, I'd spent fifteen years in this world, but I had spent more time in my previous one. And while the flying busses and all that were pretty commonplace, they still felt weird.

While the bus was flying to the destination, I took out my scroll and went over everything.

It'd been a whole week since we stopped the robbery – since I found out about Aramor's problems. Despite that though, the problems were still persisting.

I'd gotten most of this info from the online user 'trngrass443'. I followed the forums he commented on, and it seemed he was talking about it a lot anonymously.

From what I had gathered, as this last week had passed, the gang members had been getting bolder. Lots of violence, sexual harassment towards women, and general savagery. No rape or murder from what I'd read, but it was very well possible that it was happening, and that trngrass443 just didn't know about it.

I just had to take care of them. The town wasn't particularly popular, but taking care of the gang should help get my name out there.

It probably wouldn't be enough to get anyone important to notice, but it was a good start. For now, I just needed a reputation in Vale. Something I could work with.

These forums didn't have many active members, averaging maybe three to four active people messaging. I thanked my luck that I had been able to find it. I wasn't sure what I would have been doing if I didn't find it, but this was a good way to start out.

It took around an hour and a half for the bus to get to the Agricultural District. Once it arrived, I grabbed everything I had and exited the bus

Thankfully, the town was listed on the online maps, which made things a whole lot easier for me.

As I walked through the Agricultural District, my gaze wandered around. It was beautiful, really. I guess that was expected from the district that had 'agricultural' in it.

I'd only been here once before, but that was like three years ago, and it was only for half a day too. I hadn't gotten a chance to see the place properly either since I was inside a building most of the time.

Now that I was coming here alone, I took this opportunity to marvel at the statues, flower beds, and unique building designs. It was nice to look at.

It took around two hours, give or take, to reach the town by foot. I could have probably saved a lot of time if I got a taxi or something, but it was probably better for me not to have my name recorded while going to Aramor. I had already taken the air bus here, no need to take more risks. Besides, it was nice to look at anyway.

My scroll said I reached, so I looked around, but there was no village in sight. I looked at the scroll one more time just in case, but it gave the same result.

Had I put in the wrong address? I checked my scroll once more, but it said I was at the place.

"Um, excuse me. Do you need help?"

I turned around and saw a guy standing there. He looked to be in his late twenties and had a generous beard.

"Yes, actually. I was looking for a town called Aramor? Grandparents moved there, but it's my first time visiting, so I got lost."

"Oh, you must have followed the map then?"

I nodded.

"The actual town is further to the east. Just walk a bit in that direction," he pointed to my left, "And you should see a pathway start to form. Follow it and you'll reach."

"Oh, I see. Thank you. This helps a lot."

"No problem, kid. Always glad to help."

I gave him a brief smile before I followed his directions. As he had said, a pathway started to form after a minute of walking or so. It was after another minute that I saw a sign that said 'Aramor in 1 mile!' on the side of the road.

Once I reached the town, I realized it was bigger than I thought it would be. 'Backwater' was how trngrass443 had described it, so I thought it would be small enough to where I could see almost half of it by standing on top of a tall hill.

But it was bigger. A lot bigger.

I walked into the town. There were still a good amount of people out. Not a lot, but a good amount. I assumed the gang was giving the city a hard time, and I was probably right, but it wasn't to the point where it was a ghost town, apparently.

That was good, at least.

I saw a store from the corner of my eye and entered it. There was a clerk behind the counter, who said a half-hearted 'welcome' before going back to his scroll. I found the bathroom in the corner of the store and walked inside.

Immediately, my eyes wandered around the room, and I saw a window. Convenient. It was high, but nothing I couldn't reach with a bit of a jump.

Entering one of the stalls, I took out my training clothes from my backpack, and started changing into them. While changing, I had a bit of a realization and thought that this could be traced back to me. But I relaxed when I remembered these were new ones, clothes that my family hadn't seen before. I thanked myself for taking that extra step.

After changing, I placed my old clothes in my backpack, put my weapons in place, and wore my mask.

I jumped up to the window and grabbed the edge of it with my left hand. With my right, I carefully opened it, and pulled myself up, slipping through the window and to the other side.

I threw my backpack onto the top of a tree near the building. I made sure to do so in a way that nobody would, hopefully, be able to see it.

While I walked through the town, I saw people giving me weird looks. I guess that was expected, though. Wearing a mask like this one in public wasn't exactly ideal.

I flickered my semblance as I walked through the town as well, hoping to find some suspicious activity. So far, there was nothing-

My semblance caught something.

There were two men and a woman. The men were well defined and armed. Trained, probably. They were cornering the women, and one of them was whispering something in her ear. One of the guys' hands was also a bit too close to his gun for my liking.

"Bingo," I whispered as I turned to run towards the conflict. It was in an alleyway, away from the main streets. They probably lured her in there.

Right as I was about to reach where the conflict was, I jumped onto one of the buildings and walked on the roof of it. I didn't have to worry about being sneaky – my 'Sneak' skill did that for me.

As I got closer, I could hear their conversation better.

"P-Please don't… I'm married. I have kids," the woman said with a sob.

"Married? Ha! You hear that, man? We hit the jackpot!" the guy who was pinning her against the wall said.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a go when you're done," the other one said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course! I would never leave you out of the fun."

"I'm sure."

The woman was just listening to them, sobbing not so silently. The guy, seemingly annoyed, raised his hand and slapped her.

That was my cue. I grabbed a decent-sized rock from beside me and aimed it at his head.

"You fucking bitch, can you be fucking quiet? I'm trying-"

The rock I threw hit him square in the back of the head.

Skill [Hit LV 9] has become [Hit LV 10]》

It wasn't enough to do much damage to him, but that was fine. I only wanted to distract him. I took that opening and jumped off the room, kicking him in the head as I head. His face met the ground, and I stepped on his head to keep him down.

"Run," I told the woman. She just stood there, confused. Frustrated, I repeated, "Run!"

I saw her flinch at my voice, but it seemed like she got the message, because she immediately turned the other way and ran, muttering a bunch of 'thank god's under her breath.

"Fuck! What the hell?" the other guy yelled, but I ignored him as I felt the guy under me try to get up.

I kicked him in the head, hoping that it would knock him unconscious. Thankfully, three hits to the head were enough, and it did.

From the corner of my vision, I saw the other guy rushing towards me. I activated Thought Acceleration. He had a sword in his hand, and by the looks of it, it could also transform into some kind of gun. Nothing Dust-related though.

Before he could hit his attack on me, I moved closer to him and grabbed the wrist of his sword-arm, aiming a punch to his stomach at the same time. He activated his Aura at the last second, but it shattered upon impact with my fist. Flimsy Aura reserves, I noted.

My fist made contact with his stomach, and doubled over, a bit of saliva getting on my mask. I ignored it.

"W-what the hell?" he asked himself.

"You," I said to him as I stared. "Do you work for the gang that operates in this area?"

"W-what? How do- I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" It was almost convincing, but he gave himself away in the beginning.

"I'll ask again. Do you work for the gang that operates in this area?"

"Fuck you! Who do you think you are!? You're just a fucking kid!" It seemed like what he said 'woke' him up, and he grabbed his sword, thrusting it towards my stomach.

I sidestepped it and punched him in the face. He let out a groan as he fell over. He wasn't unconscious though – I needed him to answer some questions.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not only are your Aura reserves a lot weaker than mine, you're also a lot less skilled than me. A kid."

He didn't say anything, but I saw him grit his teeth from the ground.

"Now this is the last time I'll ask you before I really hurt you. Do you work for the gang that operates in this area?"

"Fuck- I- Fuck- Yes. Yes, all right. I fucking do!" He said, his previous bravado gone. Good, it would be better to get answers out of him this way.

"Good that you're being honest," I said. "Next question. Where is your base? Where the rest of your friends are."

"I can't! The boss'll be pisse-"

"Let me repeat." I took my foot and placed it right over his shin. "Where is your base?"

His eyes widened, and he tried to move his leg away. I didn't let him, though, and I increased the pressure on his leg. He let out a pained groan and stopped trying.

"It- It's at the house."

"Elaborate."

"Southeast of the town. There's a warehouse. We've been using that as our base even since we came to this town. Everyone but a few should be there right now, I think."

"Are you sure? Because if you're lying..." I increased the pressure on his shin.

"No, no! I'm sure! I promise!"

I think I'd seen the warehouse while walking, but it wasn't in range of my semblance at the time. I'd probably have recognized the gang with my semblance if I'd gone closer to the warehouse, but it was always better to get confirmation with an actual gang member this way.

"Are you… going to let me go?"

I took out my knife away from his line of sight.

"Get up," I ordered, ignoring his earlier question.

It seemed like he took that as a 'yes' because his face lit up, and he stood as fast as he could, despite him obviously not being in the shape to do so.

Right as he stood up, I took the butt of my knife and hit him in the back of his head. He fell. I hoped that was enough. I'd put a lot of force in that attack, so he should have lost consciousness. I bent down to check and saw that he was indeed unconscious.

I placed his body next to his friend's. Now, what to do with the bodies? They were still unconscious, but they were also alive. And they would probably stay that way for another hour and thirty minutes at least.

If only I had brought some rope or something similar. I could tie them up and leave them here.

At the end, I decided to leave them where they were. I just hoped I could take care of the rest of them before they woke up.

I gave them one last glance before I jumped on top of the roof of the building again.

Really, Sneak was so useful when it came to things like this. I was literally in plain daylight, and nobody had seen me jumping across the roofs of the buildings yet.

It didn't take me long to spot the warehouse. It was so much bigger compared to the rest of the buildings. It didn't look abandoned like I thought it would. There was stuff in there by the looks of it.

I flickered my semblance on for a second to mark the positions of the gang members before I clutched my head in pain. Fuck. Already?

Well, I had used it a lot while walking through town, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. The duration had gone up since the last level up, but it was still not much. Not enough.

But it was okay, I'd already gotten the general position of the members. There were eight of them; six in the main area drinking, and in a separate room drinking, and the last one walking towards the exit.

I closed in on the warehouse and stood against the wall next to the exit. I waited for around twenty seconds before I heard the door open.

I kicked him in the shins and he fell. Before he could make any sounds, I placed him in a chokehold with my right hand and covered his mouth and nose with my left.

He was caught off guard, but he started to resist almost immediately, punching my arms in an attempt to get me to let go. The effort was in vain though. His attacks were too weak. Fifteen seconds and he was unconscious. I held it for a bit longer so he wouldn't gain unconsciousness too fast.

I took a deep breath. Everything was going well until now; I just had to keep it up. I probably wouldn't be able to beat them all sneakily like I had the ones so far, but I was confident I could beat the rest head-on.

Opening the door, I walked in. Instead of going to take care of the single one first, I went for the group of people first. It was lucky that they were all in one place – I could take them all out at once.

I peeked into the main room where the group of thugs were. They looked like they were having the time of their lives – drinking, partying.

Thankfully, there were no civilians in the area. Nobody that they could take hostage. Nobody that would get hurt from my attack.

I reached into one of my pockets and took out a Dust grenade. Fire Dust. I'd bought three of these a few days ago just in case they would be useful.

Judging by the situation at hand, I think I made the right call.

With my left hand, I put my finder through the rind of the lever mechanism and pulled. I waited a single second before I came from behind cover and threw the grenade in between them.

I didn't look for long, and I immediately went behind cover, creating a shield with my aura. I heard them yell things along the lines of 'a grenade!' and 'activate your Aura!'.

Then the explosion came. A burst of fire that even came through the door I was taking cover behind. I heard their screams of pain, agony. Loud.

Once I was sure the fire was gone, I came from behind my cover. I saw that they were all on the ground, groaning in pain. But it looked like I'd gotten all of them, even with their aura.

The element of surprise was a great one.

Thankfully, none of them had died. Four of them had fainted from what I could see, and the other two were still conscious. But they were obviously not going to be able to fight anytime soon, so I left them.

Quickly, I activated my semblance for a second, ignoring the burst of pain I felt in my head. The last member was running this way to see what had happened.

He opened a door to the room.

I transformed one of my knives into a gun and pointed it at him.

"What happened-" but he stopped talking once he noticed me.

"Don't try anything," I warned. "I've taken care of the rest of your gang. You're the only one left. And trust me, you're not going to win."

"I- I don't-" he paused. "What do you want?"

He didn't have the same bravado as the other members I'd met so far. He seemed like the kind of guy that would comply with his kidnapper's commands in hope that they would let him go.

"Do you have a boss? Someone you report to?" I asked.

"Not really… but there is someone who we report to, yes." He complied immediately.

"Good. I'm letting you go."

His eyes widened, disbelief clear on his face.

"What?"

"I'm letting you go. And you're going to tell your 'boss' or whoever it is that I was the one who beat you guys. That I took all of you down single-handedly, and I only let you go to pass the message. Understand?"

"I… And then you'll let me go," he said with a choked sob.

"That's what I said, isn't it? I don't like repeating myself. Now, do you understand?"

"Yes! I'll tell my boss that you beat us! I'll do it! Just please, let me go."

"Scram."

He ran. I let him. I needed him to pass the message to his boss. I needed my name to be spread.

I walked out of the warehouse and saw that there was a small crowd gathered around the warehouse. They were a good distance away, and some of them had their scrolls out, recording.

"You," I said, singling out someone in the crowd.

"M-me?"

"Yes. Call the police. Tell them that I came and defeated the gang that has been terrorizing your town. They're all already defeated, so they just have to come and put them under custody."

"O-okay!" He took out his scroll and quickly started dialing a number.

I looked through the crowd. There were people muttering to each other – some in disbelief, some in fear, and some in praise. They were thanking me, albeit not directly, but they were thankful towards me. For what I'd done.

I took a deep breath. I'd done it, now I just had to leave. No point lingering around here.

I turned my heel and took off.

AN: Finally, I'm done with this chapter. Lots of action. I don't write much action, so it was a bit slow writing it, but I think I'm happy with the way it came out in the end. There also might be typos and all, but I'll fix them. While it was a bit harder to write, I did enjoy writing it, so I hope you enjoyed it.

Adios!