Authors note.
Well, I'm back. I have been writing this chapter since January. This one was a LOT harder than the first two. I got stuck on some of the basics of this chapter, I also had to cut the Grimm fight because I had a hard time writing one with Sally involved. This chapter is more about characterization and plot advancement. Oh, I think I should at least tell you all my inspirations for Umbra's sword techniques: Geralt of Rivia, Kylo Ren and Talion from Shadow of Mordor.
Reviews:
ZENxRaider23: Thanks. He is supposed to enhance the cast later, but right now he is the subject because of Ozpin's interest, he is RWBYs objective. His back story is supposed to be revealed little by little and he will be more than brooding. But, I won't say anymore.
Geraze90: Thanks. He will be more than Edgy and I'll try to make him funny at certain times.
Thank you both for your reviews.
"I don't own any of the series I write FF of. I only own my OC's and my unique aspects added to the story. All credit of Rwby goes to RoosterTeeth."
Chapter 3: On the Trail.
Umbra carried the girl into Lamplight, exhausted from the night he's had. Killing over fifty bandits, saving a girl from Grimm, killing Grimm while running through the woods with her over his left shoulder. He was carrying her like a bride again. As he looked at her face. He felt bad for the girl, Gods know what they did besides torture her. Back at the camp when he first found her, he debated helping her. He wanted to fight the Grimm horde that was approaching.
But that part of him which understood her wouldn't let him carry that burden for the rest of his life. So he rescued her. The Gate opened up for him, the guy on guard was wide eyed. The Swordsman was covered in blood and mud. The man was especially surprised to see a girl in his arms. As Umbra walked into town, it was about 1:00 am. The people that were up were shocked. Some had grins on their faces, knowing that the Defilers will no longer terrorize them. Others had frowns, thinking that some other group will arise in the area.
Umbra walked to a man leaning against a support beam of a building. He was drinking from a flask and looked rugged. He had reddish eyes and wore white shirt with a cape. The man looked interesting but that's besides the point.
"Do you know where the Doctor is?" Umbra asked him. The man looked him and the girl over.
"You both look like you need one." He said with a gruff voice. He pointed to a building down the road. "I think that's it." After he said that, Umbra just rudely walked off. "Well Oz, you've found quite the one, haven't ya." He thought as he took another swig of alcohol. Watching the boy just stride down the road. He pulled out his scroll to make a call.
Umbra approach the Clinic with the girl still unconscious. She seemed so calm in her sleep for someone who's gone through hell. Umbra never really gets good sleep. As he got to the door, noticed that the place was closed yet the lights on inside indicated that the Doctor was still up. With his sword hand, he knocked on the door. In seconds the door opened to reveal the town Doctor. He was startled to see the boy covered in blood and the scarred girl in his hands.
"She needs help." Umbra told the Doctor the obvious.
"Bring her in." The man told the Shadow. As they made their way to the patient room, the Doctor asked him what happened.
"I rescued her from those bandits." The Doctor went wide eyed.
"You killed the Defilers? All by yourself?"
"Yeah." Umbra said like it was a walk in the park. They laid the girl on the bed. "She was in a cage when I found her. Seeing what those monsters did to others, I don't doubt that she suffered." Umbra then decided to stay there for awhile. "Hey mister, can I stay right over here and check myself and wait for that girl to wake up?" The Doctor gave him a smile.
"Only if you're willing to help if I ask for it, Lad." Umbra agreed. He took off his gear in the corner in the room as the doctor check the girl and mended her wounds. Umbra took out some sewing material to repair his coat. It was one of the few things that mattered to him left. Time went by and he cleaned the the blood off and repaired his equipment. The Doctor told him that the girl had several health problems, most of which could be healed. But the scarring, both mental and physical, would be permanent. At this Umbra thought back to the men he killed in that camp. He wished could do it again.
He had he own share of physical and mental scars, perhaps the one that demonstrated it the most is the one across his face. The one he received from Him. How much had he lost in the seventeen years he lived. How many people did he love were dead. It was these thoughts that he fell asleep to.
A Long Time Ago
Fire. Fire enveloped everywhere around him. Blood was in puddles, bodies freshly slain were strung about. The boy had a slash across his face which blood poured profusely from. He held a red sword in his hand. Emerging from the flames was a silhouette of a man holding a Cutlass in his right hand. The boy gripped the sword with both hands and charged. Hell had broke loose.
Lamplight Clinic, the next morning.
Umbra woke up in corner with his head leaning against the wall. He raised up and rubbed his face.
"Another nightmare." He thought, only for another voice to respond.
"Which was it?" The Sword asked. Umbra looked around before he answered. The girl was still asleep.
"It was of our first battle." Umbra replied mentally. The sword only just laughed.
"I remember that day, when that fool awakened your power." The Sword responded. Umbra just brushed his hair to the side and sighed. He hated those memories, but they haunt him all the time.
"Power I never asked for." He told the sword. It laughed in response.
"A lot of things that happen aren't asked for. Like for example, those weaklings at that camp, they didn't ask for you to come and slaughter them. But we did..." Umbra just got up and sneered at the Sword on his back.
"You're just pissy because we didn't kill any Hugh and powerful Grimm." The Sword was angered by that.
"You know that we require both souls and blood of Mortals and the darkness of Grimm, don't you? Or did you forget while rescuing a weak and worthless girl?" This made the Swordsman laugh.
"Yeah, I know because you don't ever shut up about it. You get off killing hundred year old Grimm, I criminals. One is difficult to find, the other abundant. One takes a lot of power and focus, the other just finding the right spot." He walked over to the window, looking out to the beautiful horizon dawn. "Besides, I couldn't leave that girl. She reminded me too much of myself once." The Sword just laughed at his weakness.
"Even now, you try to be the hero." Umbra snapped back.
"Well I'm sorry that your too Edgy for your own good." This made the Sword audible cringe.
"Just stop! I'm done talking, I will not take your dreadful insults!" Umbra just smiled at his companion and weapon's disgust.
"Well, aren't you just the Double Edged Sword?" The Sword just went silent, not willing to deal with such torture. Umbra grinned at his victory. He watched the sunrise and saw it's rays cover the world. Then his cheerful smile turned into a frown. He turned and looked to the girl, she was still fast asleep. It was too early to go get some payment. He would have to wait till an hour or too pasted. He went outside to find that the only people out and about were hard working farmers and miners marching off to work. He went outside the walls and started to to train.
He took the sword from its sheath and began swinging it. He started out with precise swings, then with quick undisciplined slashes. And to finish it off, frenzied berserk slings. He perfected three modes of fighting. One was quick, the second was disciplined and the third insane. From the shadows though, a girl watched him with admiring eyes. It didn't take long for him to realize that someone was there in the bushes.
"Who is out there!?" He demanded. Then a girl he saw yesterday walk forth. It was Sarah. "Oh, you." He said uncaring.
"I just want you to know, you have my thanks. Hell, this town should be rolling out a carpet for what you did." Umbra was surprised that the girl was so enthusiastic about him massercuring those bandits. He just nodded. This encounter was annoying, Umbra didn't really get along with people on a day to day basis. Only during moments of importance or of urgency did he treat people nice. Or if he pitied them.
"Well, you're welcome, I got to go." As he walked away however, she stopped him.
"Wait!" He turned to her. "Is there anything I could do?" This peaked his interest. He walked over and leaned over to her.
"If you see anyone come into this town after I leave, looking for me, call the tavern of the next town north to the mountains. Ok" He told her. Sarah nodded and he went his own way. He went back into town and headed towards the Clinic. As he entered, the Doctor was fast asleep in his chair. He went to that girls room and walked over to her. Apart of him said to end her suffering. The other said to talk to her. After a minute of debating, he decided to wake her up. He shook her fast and hard. She woke up real fast and almost jumped out of her bed. "Easy, it's ok..." He told her. The girl calmed down and wiped the sweat of her scarred forehead.
"Who are you?" She asked tired and scared.
"My name is Umbra. I rescued you from that camp." He said in calm, professional manner. "I just wanted to see if your ok." She looked at him with cold and deranged eyes.
"Your the one who killed all those monsters, are you?" Before he could respond she went wide eyed and had an unsettling smile. "Thank you!" She bellowed fiercely. Umbra was made a little uneasy with the way she was acting.
"Um, no mention it." She then quickly asked him something.
"Did you kill him? Did you kill Dilan?"
"Yeah… What about it?" He examined her and thought. "She's out of her mind, those bastards rattled her brain." She had a face of pure delight at that.
"Thank you!" She says while grabbing Umbra into a hug. He pushes her off. She gives him a look of pure admiration. "I'm Sally." She says with a giggle.
"Shit," He thought, "Those two girls are obsessed with me." Umbra wanted to laugh at the irony of life. He tried to do good deeds only for this to happen. He supposed that those traumatic events and the lack of anyone with any balls to do something to stop that gang had something to do with it. He needed to get out of that piss-poor village, he needed to get on the move to find Him.
"Uh, no mention it miss, just try to live life the best you can. I need to be on my way." This causes the scarred girl to have a depressed look.
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Maybe." He sure hoped to Oum and the other Gods that he did not. "Just try to get rest and later try to move on from what happened and live life, ok?" She nodded.
"Goodbye!" She tells him as he leaves, he just waves back to her as he leaves the Clinic. The Doctor was asleep in his chair and did not notice him walk out, only waking up to the sound of the door bell. He walked out off to the most biggest building in the old town, the Mayor's house. He was going to give him a Visit.
Lamplight Clinic, later that day.
As Sally finishes her story the teens were shocked and confused a little. Goodwitch took all the information in and sorted through it through her head. The Boy helped people, but there had to be more. Ruby, who felt really great sympathy for the girl, went to pat her shoulder but was met with a shudder. "Get away!" Ruby immediately backed off. Sally looked at them all with scorn. "Leave me alone!" She started yelling and convulsing in her bed. Then, the Doctor bursted through the door.
"What's happening!?" Glynda looked to him and spoke.
"One of my students tried to comfort her." The Doctor looked at her with a face that shown annoyance.
"Can you and your Students leave?" He asked with a voice of anger.
"Yes, we will. Thank you for letting us speak to her." Miss Goodwitch gestured to her students to follow her. They left the Doctor to the broken girl and left. The Teens felt saddened by all that they had learnt. They all had their own individual problems but they haven't seen such barbarism that existed that far from the Kingdoms shadow. Walking through the town, blindly following their Professor. They were all directionless.
"What do we do now?" Yang asks raising her hands. Miss Goodwitch looked back to her.
"We're going to visit the Mayor, I need some answers on why this town was held in the grasp of a bunch of criminals and not reported to anyone." Weiss frowned with restrained anger.
"I don't doubt that he made a deal with them." She thought of her father and his "dealings", Ruby looked to her partner.
"That poor old man?" Ruby asked, "He looks like a nice person." Weiss rubbed her hand against her face. She was angry but at the same time full of envy. She would have loved to not realize that good looking people can be rotten on the inside, but growing up in the Atleasian Aristocracy destroys one's innocence.
"Ruby, stop being so naive." She told her, "The man most likely acts good in public but does dastardly things when given the chance." Ruby just rubbed her chin, reflecting on what Weiss said. Blake chips in.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he took bribes from those dead bandits." She points to his house that the group came upon. It was easily the most fancy building in the town. A Victorian three story building will a large porch. It looked relatively new. Miss Goodwitch, went ahead and knocked on the door. In a few seconds, Mayor Quartz answered it with a glass of scotch in hand. He looked nervous and scared, yet still tried to put on a smile.
"Well, how are you folks doing in our fair town?" Glynda answers him with rage.
"I want to know why these bandits that terrorized your town such a long time and why you didn't report it!" She commanded fiercely. He looked completely startled.
"I couldn't, the Defilers would have raided and slaughtered our town!" He said squeakily. The Professor raises an eyebrow.
"How would they know? You could've asked for help and before they knew, there would have been forces here." Her logic broke the man. He tried to slam the door in their face but Miss Goodwitch stopped it from closing. She pulled out her riding crop and hit him across the face with it. He was thrown further in his house and fell on his living room floor. Jaune just was amazed at Goodwitch's strength.
"Whoa." He said as they followed their teacher into the mini mansion. The place's interior was brownish and lit by an fireplace. Fancy decor lined the place with bookshelves. A deer head, a portrait of Mayor Quartz was above the fireplace. Miss Goodwitch approached the downed Mayor with pure furry in her eyes. The Mayor saw her and raised his hands.
"Stop! I have information!" She froze on this.
"About what?" She asked him with spite. He had a slight grin form on his mouth.
"I know where that lad is heading."
Mayor Quartz's home, several hours before.
The Mayor was drinking a glass of scotch while watching a noir film. He was about five when film was invented, that was about sixty years ago. He had lived a good life full of riches and power for most of it, that was until his father's Dust company was ran out of business by the Schnee Dust company. He was broke at age 31 with no good skills in any particular work category, being that he was lazy for most of his youth and didn't listen to his tutors. He spent three years homeless and lost. That was, until he found his true talent, manipulation.
For ten years, he conned people. For five, he freelanced with gangs. After that, he stumbled on Lamplight and saw an opportunity to regain control of the mines nearby that once belonged to his father. Through years of manipulation, he became the town's mayor. When nearing retirement, his town came in contact with the Defilers. They raided, they looted, they raped, they killed. He could have called for help, after all, Lamplight was just over the mountains from Vale. But their leader, Dilan Torchwick, offered him some monthly cash.
How could he refuse? Taking another swig of scotch, he heard a knock at his door. Slowly getting up and walking towards it, he wondered what it could be? A peasant begging for his help? A farmer begging for the guards to rescue his daughter? A Defiler with cash for him? As he opened the door, he saw a scary sight. In front of him was a boy that had a scarred face of steel. He wore an black trench coat with a hood. A chest piece on with a white shirt underneath. Blue jeans with a belt, noticeably with daggers on it. Black boots of Atleasian design. And a sword on his back.
"Hello?" The Mayor asked. The boy looked up at him. Red eyes bore into his soul.
"I'm here for an reward." This confused the Mayor.
"Reward? Why do you deem yourself worthy of a reward?" He said with sarcasm. The boy let out a devilish smile.
"Because I dealt with the bandit problem..." This caused Quartz eyes to widen. "He, he killed the Defilers? All by himself?" The Mayor couldn't believe it.
"What's your proof?" He asked with his eyebrow raised. The boy smirked.
"I killed Dilan the Defiler. My proof is a burnt down Grimm infested fort just a ways out." The boy raised his left hand, "Besides that, I know that there is no way that they didn't bribe you..." With this, the Mayors eyes bulged out of his head.
"H-How dare you!" He said with a cracked voice, "I would never take money from such heathens as them!" He pointed in Umbra's face. "You, you…Hoodlem! I want you out of my-" He fell back after being punched in the gut. Umbra crouched down to him.
"Listen here Old Man, you not that far from Vale, if you really needed help they could come." Pointed in his face now, "You're gonna give me about… Half of that Lien."
"No, that's years worth of money!" The Old man gasped, Umbra's eyes showed absolute seriousness.
"This will be your last day otherwise." He told the Mayor as he pulled out a dagger. Quartz went completely still as the dagger was was right over the heart. "If you fuck with me, I'll plunge this dagger deep into your worthless flesh. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, I'll do what you say!" The Old man said desperately. Umbra grabbed his hand and hoisted him up.
"Now take me to your safe." He commanded. The Con artist Mayor begrudgingly lead him to his office. He went and opened his safe, there was thousands of Lien in it. Umbra grabbed a satchel from his coat and started to grab stacks of lien and toss it in. Mayor Quartz started to reach for a knife he had for years as the Boy was robbing him.
"Don't do it." The Shadow said without even looking at him. The Old Man froze with surprise.
"D-Do what?" He asked. Umbra answered him.
"Grab that weapon your hand was reaching for. It doesn't matter what kind of weapon it is, I meant what I said." The Boy stopped and looked at him."I will kill you." He put his satchel back in his coat. "You're lucky that I'm not going to kill you right now, I don't want to arouse a another bounty just because I killed a old Mayor. In time these people will find out for themselves and crucify you." He started to leave.
"Just know this, if I ever come back here again, and you did something else this bad, I am going to kill you." The boy left the mayor and his house. The Old man looked out his blinds and saw the boy leave his town through the north gate, towards the town Globeflower Hill on the slope of the mountain.
The man sat down at his desk and grabbed a glass of whiskey. Not too soon after he got a call from an important man in Vale, Professor Ozpin.
Mayor Quartz's house, present time.
"Now please! Have mercy for an old man!" Glynda still looked at him in anger.
"I'm going to make sure that you rot in prison the rest of your life!" She froze the man in place with her semblance, earning a terrified look in his eyes. "Students, go get this town's guards." She gestured to the cowering man. "Their going to lock him up and keep him in their jail until we're done chasing this boy. Then he'll go to prison." The two teams compiled and exited the house to find some town guards.
As they walked, Pyrrha expressed her thoughts. "This is just awful. A town ruled over by criminals for years and it's own leader betrayed his people for money." Ren agreed in a calm monotone voice.
"It is horrible, to think of what these people have gone through. But people out here are used to such stuff." He thought about his own childhood in a rural town and frowned. Jaune looked at his friend and voiced his disagreement.
"Ren your talking like this is normal for people."
"It is, people out in most towns by the Kingdoms have problems, but that's mostly with Grimm. People outside the zones of control often have more problems with people to add to the increased threat of Grimm."Ren replied back intelligently.
"But how can people be so cruel?" Ruby asked, butting into the conversation. Blake looked at Ruby and answered her.
"Because some people like to walk on people who can't fight back. Because some people think that their superior to others." Blake clenched her fists. "It's appalling!" She was angry, all her life she has seen the worst of humanity, only recently acknowledging the worst of her race.
"There!" Weiss interrupted their conversation, pointing to the small jail of the town. The teens ran mto it and barged in. Greeting them was a man asleep on his desk. The jail cells were empty and the place looked almost untouched. The guy who was asleep woke up to the sound of the door open and sleepily asked them why are they there.
"What do ye want? I was asleep!" The man who looked to be in his forties asked them.
"We need your help," Yang told him with a smug smile, "We have a criminal that needs apprehending." The guy just sighed.
"I am sorry to tell ya ladies and fellas, we don't really apprehend suspects no more, those Defilers would come and kill us." He laid back on his chair. "All I've done for the last two years is just lay and relay orders to guards to watch for Grimm." The Teens were a little shocked, but not surprised at this point.
"Well...We kinda need you to arrest the Mayor..." Ruby said putting her fingers together. In what could only be described as a millisecond, the man's eyes practically popped open.
"You need me to do what?!!!" He said reinvigorated, seemingly after two years of not able to do anything. Ruby felt even more nervous now.
"We...need you to arrest the mayor..." She said again. The man formed a savage grin on his face.
"Finally, that snake is finally gonna get his just deserts!" He got up practically ran to the door. The two teams just followed him. As he rushed through the town, Jaune asked him a question.
"Uh, Sir?" He said while ran following the man, "Don't you even want to know why we need you to arrest him?" The Cop turned his head as he ran.
"I already have enough." He just kept running until they reached Quartz's house again. The Man burst through the door and lifted his gun. "You're under arrest..." He said as he saw the Old man frozen and a librarian looking woman sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. Ruby entered the house and spoke.
"Miss Goodwitch, we brought a cop!." She shouted. The Professor raised her hand.
"Quiet!" She commanded. Ruby just raised her hands defensively and stepped back. Then the woman looked at the Cop. "Who are you?"
"I'm Sheriff Golden, and I've been waiting for this moment for sooooo loooonnnggg!" He pointed at the frozen Mayor whose face was brimming with fear. "I've been waiting for the moment to bring you in, Mr.Mayor!" He walked forward to the man. "I knew it was you who let the Defilers gain so much power! I knew it was you who had my partner killed!" Sheriff Golden was practically centimeters away from the Mayors face. "You had him killed because he was gonna tell me what he saw-you taking bribes from those savages!" He put his pistol right up to Quartz's chin. "You are responsible for all the murder and rape this town has suffered! I should shoot you where you stand!" His finger reached for the trigger of his pistol.
But suddenly his hand froze and was covered in green aura. "What they hell?!" He couldn't move his right hand to shoot the Old Man.
"That isn't why you were brought here, Sheriff Golden." The Woman was up.
"Who the hell do you think you are!" The Man growled at her.
"I'm Professor Glynda Goodwitch, I'm ordering you to arrest this man." The Sheriff got even more mad.
"Why the hell are you here?!" He said with scorn, "Shouldn't you Huntresses be Kissing the Kingdoms asses?" Immediately, Golden got hit in the face with Glynda's riding crop. Nearly falling over as a result.
"We came here looking for an wanted kid, but instead we found corruption and misery." She pointed at the Mayor, "This man is why those bandits terrorized your town for so long, that is, until that boy killed them." The Sheriff about had man aneurysm.
"W-What?!" He stammered, "Their dead? Why wasn't I informed about this?!" He was shocked.
"You probably should talk to your deputies about that." She said sarcastically. The Sheriffs shocked frown turned into a joyful smile.
"This is the best day of my life!" He said, "All those scum gone and this snake revealed!" He gestured to the frozen Old Man. "Your death would complete it." The Mayor's eyes went wider than a mountain.
"Well, I need you to arrest this man and put him in jail, not kill him." Golden's joyful face turned back into frustrated anger.
"Fine." He said spitefully. "I'll take him to jail, but what are you gonna do?" The Woman rubbed her head from all the aggravation that she's been through.
"After we capture the boy, I'll come back and get him." She pointed to the Mayor. "He going to prison for the rest of his life, I assure you." The Man laughed.
"Do you honestly think that would make anyone in this village happy?" He countered. Glynda face palmed out of all the frustration that has been the two hours they've been there.
"Listen," She said with a stern voice, "I just want to complete my mission, ok?" She pointed to the old man. "Now just do what I say, please." He just looks at her.
"Fine, now please, stop doing your power thing." His hand is unfrozen.
"It's called a Semblance..." She responds as she gets ready to unfreeze the Mayor.
"Whatever." Sheriff Golden says as Quartz is unfrozen. The old Mayor instantly praises Miss Goodwitch for saving him.
"Thank you, thank you professor!" He said sniveling.
"Shut up, you dirty snake!" Golden says as he grabs him and forces him against the wall. He put a pair of handcuffs in him and takes him away. Glynda looks at Ruby and asks her a question.
"Where is everyone else?" She asks frustrated.
"W-Waiting outside." She says, nervous of all that went on before her.
"Then let's go." They exited out of the building to see the rest of the students just standing around. Everyone in the town gives them a concerned look as the Sheriff takes the Mayor off, wondering what that meant. The Huntresses and Huntsmen in training were about to ask some questions but their Professor interrupted them. "We're going to the Inn," She pulled her scroll out and looked at the time, it was 1:26. "We are going to eat Lunch and head out of this village."
"I thought we were gonna stay there tonight?" Asked Yang disappointed. Miss Goodwitch looks to her.
"We still have plenty of hours in the day, that boy left this Town this morning, he should be at the next town towards the mountains now, Globeflower Hill."
"Why would he travel up the mountain?" Asked Ruby curriosly, Weiss and Blake face palmed.
"Ruby, you do know about the mountain passes, right?" Asked Blake. Ruby looked confused.
"There's roads up the mountains?" Weiss answered her.
"Yes you dolt, there is two passes. There used to be three, but the third was destroyed during the Great War." Blake backed her.
"It was blown up as a last resort to keep a Mistralian Army from advancing to Vale." She added. Weiss looked at her with a smile, she resented dealing with Ruby and Yangs stupid acts. In Blake she saw a Ideal teammate: Hard working, Intelligent. Yang and Ruby to her may be tedious to deal with, but Blakes quiet nature was quite nice, she doubted that she would ever cause trouble.
"Hm, that's interesting." Ruby said, rubbing her chin thinking about what happened that day in the Great War.
"Enough talking, let's go." Glynda said, walking away from the Mayor's now vacant home. The two teams followed her.
Lamplights Inn.
John Berry was being the Bartender at the counter of his Bar. His daughter was somewhere else, still mad from earlier. He didn't need her be the waitress right now seeing that his other workers are doing the job. It has been a couple bad years for him, his Wife died five years back from a Grimm attack, his hometown had gone to shit and was ruled by a Bandit who liked rape and murder.
Now that the bandits are dead, everyone is celebrating. The Miners took the day off and sung merry toons and drank alcohol. Children frolicked through the streets, Fathers and Mothers danced in the Square. It was a happier time, but not for him. The boy was still etched into his mind, the brutality and cold indifference to Dar and his men's deaths scared him. He had never met such a person in his life and his sword, that sword rubbed him the wrong way.
And he especially didn't like that his daughter admired him, even though he understood why. He sighed as he put down a mug in front of a miner and filled it up with beer.
"Thanks John!" Said the merry Miner.
"No mention it Bill." He responded, as the Miner drunk his beer, he went back to looking over his Bar and Inn. Then the doors opened and a familiar group of people entered. The Huntress and her pupils walk towards bill. "Hello, here to take my offer?" He greeted, the woman shook her head no.
"No, but I have brought my students here to eat." Miss Goodwitch answered. "We're leaving for Globeflower Hill after we do." Another person heard this from the stairs in the Inn, they walked out the back door without anyone noticing.
"Alright, Tori!" Yelled John. In a second, a woman in her twenties rushed over and stood.
"Yes John?" She asked. He gestured to the nine people standing in the middle of the Inn.
"Find these nine an booth and take their orders." He told her. She went over to them.
"If you would follow me, I'll take you to your seats." They followed her, and proceeded to have a good meal. But outside the Inn, Sarah had her scroll in her hand. She glanced around to she if anyone saw her and called Globeflower Hill's Inn owner, George.
Globeflower Hill's Inn
Umbra sat in a booth and read a old book. It's title was The Rise and Fall of the Ancient Draconian Empire. His satchel was on the table, his hood was on his head. He had a nice uneventful trip towards the mountain, no bandits, no Grimm, no people in distress, no one trying to kill him. It was rather refreshing, to be able to enter an Inn or Bar and not get in a bloodbath. He took a drink from the glass of water he had on the table as well. "Maybe I'll stay here tonight..." He thought. Just as he thought that, the Inn owner, George, scroll rang.
"Who is this?" He asked.
"It's Sarah Berry." Answered the Caller. The Buff mans frown turned into a smile.
"Sarah! What do I owe this grand pleasure!" Bellowed the man.
"George, is their a boy in your Inn wearing a trench coat with a hood and a sword on his back?" He looked at Umbra in his booth, he gritted his teeth.
"Yeah, do you… What to Talk to him?" He asked, a little nervous of the request.
"Yeah, I have something to tell him, it urgent."
"Ok." He was nervous of the boy, he looked like a thug to him. He pondered earlier whether he was an mercenary or an assassin. He got behind the counter and walked over to the reading boy. Umbra was deep into reading until he heard the steps, he instantly looked up, his hand retracted towards his hidden dagger.
"Uh, lad, their is someone wanting to talk with you." George awkwardly said, handing the boy his scroll.
"Ok." The Dark Swordsman said, instead of stabbing the man in the neck, he took the phone. "Hello?"
"Hi, this is Sarah from Lamplight. I remembered what you asked me to do." Umbra's eyes widened when he knew what this meant. "People are looking for you."
"Who?" He asked harshly, his mind came to the Last Legion.
"Hunters." This confused him, were they rouge hunter assassins? Mercenaries? Or did his bounty swell up enough for them to notice?
"Who are they?" He asked.
"The one leading them is an Woman, then the rest are two boys and six girls. They are from one of those academies in the Kingdoms." This confused him more, why were they sent after him? Why would whoever send children to arrest him? Surly they did their research.
"What are they doing now?" He asked.
"Eating at the Tavern, I'm pretty sure they know where you are.They're leaving after the eat." She told him.
"Shit..." He thought, "Well thanks for the information Sarah, I hope your town fares better now. I have to go." He handed the phone back to George and grabbed his book, he put it in his satchel. He took a big drink of his water, took out a Lien and gave it to George as he got up. "Thanks." He told him and then he left in a hurry.
"He left." He told Sarah on the phone.
"Shit, shit and shit!" He mentally screamed, "I can't get a fucking break!" He was fast walking out of the village.
"Well, aren't we in a pickle?" Said the Sword mentally. If the sword was a being that was with him physically, he would give it a death glare.
"Yes, we are." He answered his mental companion as he walked out of the gate.
"So Umbra, do you got a plan?" The Sword asked.
"Well, I've see ways we could do this." He told it, "One we could practically rush up the mountain and try to get to the Pass and lose them on the other side. Or two, we could go up the mountain a little and wait for them." He mentally said, "The first one would be an good idea but, seeing how apparently I've got training Huntresses and Huntsmen after me, it's a bad one."
"Why?" Asked the Sword.
"Because from my knowledge, the closest Huntsman Academy just so happens to be on the other side." He answered. "The second way is simple, but more harder."
"How so?"
"Because, I'll need to fight these kids and try not to kill them. Also to add to that, we can't go to Vale now, we'll have to take the long way to Vauco." He sighed. The Swordsman walked up the rising road, into the forested woods on the mountain.
Lamplight Inn, ten minutes later.
The eight teens had finished their meal, and were with their Professor, about to leave Lamplight. "Man, that was good!" Yang said happy.
"We have to return there sometime Yang, I must have more of their cookies!" Ruby exclaimed loudly. Weiss scoffed them.
"It was mediocre at best, but it wasn't good." She said with a snobby voice. "You two treat it as if it was the finest in the world." Ruby looked at her with fury.
"How dare you insult those delicious cookies!" She screamed with fury, Weiss about jumped of surprise. Ruby grabbed her collar, "If you ever say that again about those blessings, I will show you something to be afraid of." Before anything else, Ruby was forced off her by Glynda's semblance.
"Enough games, we need to go." Said Goodwitch as she came back from paying John. And so, they were off. The Two Teams of Destiny were on the trail of The Dark Swordsman.
Authors Note
Here we are, our Heros are on his tail and the Dark Swordsman knows. What will happen? Find out next time on my Edgy and most likely cringy Fanfic. Also, please review and tell what I did right or wrong. If you like it, please follow or favorite.