Captaindrake123: Alright, this took longer than I wanted it to. Been busy lately, but here it is!

Chapter 5: Don't Get Comfortable

I woke up to be met with the full force of a migraine once again.

'Ugh! Fuck!' I grit my teeth as I held my head 'It's as if somebody reached in and started drilling holes in my brain!'

Why did it hurt so damn much!?

Something tickled at the back of my brain, a memory…

"You're giving me fucking answers damn it!" My voice from last night came to the forefront of my mind.

... I remember now.

I sighed tiredly, finally managing to ignore my splitting headache for the moment. Looking at the clock on the table to my right.

6:03 A.M.

I realized I had slept through the entire damn night.

I don't even remember going to sleep, all I can recall is trying to coerce information out of that force in my head, and then it's nothing but a blank.

"Holy shit…" I muttered, it was around six when I came in.

Apparently, I slept a whole twelve hours.

While I can't object to the rest my body needs, the thought of how long I had slept disturbed me-

Red.

I noticed something in the corner of my eye right as I turned my head, something dripped-wait, my nose…

I reached up to my face and touched my nose, feeling something wet was on it, and then brought it up to my line of vision to see it clearly.

My blood ran cold the moment I laid eyes on said red liquid, my hands stilled and my eyes stuck on the red substance.

"...I'm...bleeding?" It was a nosebleed. How did I not notice it?

It wasn't ordinary, I just knew it, there was no fucking way this didn't have something to do with what happened last night.

Shoving the sheets off my bed, I stood up on my feet and hurriedly walked towards the bathroom. I opened the door and flicked on the lights, turning towards the mirror to see my own reflection.

My nose was bloody, it wasn't too bad, but it was enough to freak me out a little. Red liquid oozed out from my nostrils and left red lines down to my lips. I also seemed a little paler, my face was whiter than I would normally expect from seeing myself in the mirror.

'Oh my fucking universe, it did a number on me' I thought, a sense of dread filling my chest.

Turning on the faucet, I went to wash my face, scrubbing against my nose and splashing water on my eyes to wake me up a little more. I checked to see if I was still bleeding, thankfully it seems it was fine, probably stopped sometime during the night and the last of it dripped out when I sat up.

But I was still worried "...I thought they were just headaches, bad ones, but…" It seemed like it could do a lot more than that.

The headache was starting to go away, but I kept staring at myself in the mirror.

"...alright, new rule, don't do that unless I absolutely have to" I decided, if it could hurt me like this then it wasn't worth it to try again.

I think I'm okay, think being the keyword and I'd believe it if I didn't feel my own heart rate picking up in speed.

Thump. Thump. Thump...

"Ha…" I took a deep breath to calm myself "I'm okay…" I muttered, trying to convince myself that I believed it.

Whatever this Remnant Knowledge thing was, it can hurt me. I'm not sure if it's just when I forced it to answer my questions, or if it can also just...hurt me whenever it wished it.

Whatever put this thing in my head might have my life in their hands.

Thump!Thump!Thump!...

My heart raced faster 'No! Calm down!' I told myself sternly 'I don't know any of that, this is all just guesswork…'

Fuck, my thoughts are jumbled and getting paranoid, and my breathing picking up, I need to calm down.

THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP…!

But a small voice in the back of my head just wouldn't shut up! 'What if something is just watching me up there, holding a hand over a button, ready to end my life in an instant-!?'

SMACK!

My left cheek hurt, and my right hand's skin stung from hitting something too hard.

"...ha...phew" I breathed in and out from, in my nose and out the mouth, the pain in my cheek grounding me back to reality "Ha...phew…" My heart began to slow down, and my eyes less frantic.

Alright, now I think I'm okay…as okay as I can be, anyway.

I looked back in the mirror, seeing a red hand mark on my cheek, still taking deep breaths but slowly going back to a normal breathing pattern.

"Alright, time to get ready for the day" I told myself after a minute of getting myself together, I needed something to do.

So I filed those paranoid thoughts in the 'Don't think about it' box, and went to put my dirty clothes in the washing machine before going to take a shower.

It's gonna be a long day.

Walking out of the hotel, I tugged at the collar of my newly cleaned jacket, the feeling of it around my torso giving a sense of comfort.

My mother sometimes commented on the fact that I wore it almost all the time, saying it was like a 'security blanket', I'd argue that I wore it because it had zip-up pockets. But in this case, I'd have to agree with her, its familiarity made me feel more assured of myself.

I still had a few hours until my shift started, but after barely avoiding a panic attack this morning I decided that I needed to walk around for a bit, and maybe get some breakfast. Do anything to relieve this feeling of...of...I dunno, terror?

Maybe not terror, but at least uneasy. I probably should be terrified, but I don't have the luxury of it.

'I have an employee's discount at Patch Delight' I think to myself, adjusting the backpack on my shoulders. It wasn't as heavy as before, most of what was in it being back at the hotel room, and now only carrying the uniform for my job in case I lose track of time and need to get to my shift quickly.

'They should be open soon' My stomach grumbled '...not soon enough, apparently'

Barely anyone was out, being that it was still fairly early, so I was alone on the sidewalk. The silence was calming.

'Maybe I can start searching for an apartment' I think to myself 'But the library won't open until twelve, so I can't use a computer to look up anything'

That was a bust.

But I needed to do something, keep my mind busy, working, and thinking. And when I remembered the familiar weight of my phone in my jacket, I remembered the voice log I made the other day.

Sighing, I unzipped one of my jacket pockets and took out my iPhone, turning it on.

'Battery is at fifty percent, great' I thought sarcastically, wondering if I could even recharge my phone on this world's power grid, or if it would just blow up from the attempt.

I don't even know how this world's electrical systems work, it seems similar, but I know for certain that it can't be entirely the same since it runs on a completely different resource. I'm probably gonna need to make something to charge it myself...

Moving my thumb over the screen, I went to Voice Memos and hit the record button, holding the phone up next to my mouth.

"Explorer's log, August 16th, 7:32 A.M." I spoke, continuing to walk "It's my fourth day on Remnant, and I finally have a place to sleep at a place called Hotel Ivory"

"I have gotten a job at a place called Patch Delight, a small restaurant" I glanced at a person walking by me in the opposite direction, and waited until she passed before speaking again "I'm getting myself a stable income and plan to look for an apartment, then I can get to work as to figure out how I got here"

The memory of what happened last night resurfaced, and I let out a bit of a shaky breath "...I also forgot to mention something the last time I recorded, about the Remnant Knowledge"

"Ever since I got here I've been having strange moments where I...know something I shouldn't" I'm trying to figure out how to explain it without me sounding crazy "Its as if I had known something about this world all along, but I know that I didn't before, its the strangest feeling"

"Something in my head is supplying me information, and it's probably the reason as to why I'm here...I'm not sure how or why, it's mostly random in what information it relays to me" I paused " I did discover that I can force it to give me specific information, but…"

A memory of blood dripping from my nose flashes through my mind, and I currently feel a small headache.

"It hurts me" I stated "When I tried to force information out, I got it, but it...hurt me, I feel disoriented and unaware of my surroundings, and I feel like something is drilling into my brain, and last night I had passed out and slept for twelve hours from an attempt, and had a bloody nose when I woke up"

"I don't know what this means, of whether or not it only hurt because I myself was doing it, or…if the Remnant Knowledge could hurt me whenever it wished" I let out another shaky breath.

I have no idea what this thing in my head is or why it is there. There are a lot of theories I can come up with as to what its there for, none of them good.

It's really fucking terrifying if you think about it.

But I remembered something from last night that helped deter those thoughts "I remember when I was forcing it to answer my questions last night, it didn't seem to have any answers as to why I was here, as if it didn't know itself"

"It frustrated the hell out of me, but...if it didn't know why I was here, that suggests that it wasn't the direct cause as to how I came to be here" While frustrating as to still not have answers, it was also relieving in the sense that the Remnant Knowledge didn't seem to have plans for me being part of an alien experiment or something.

I'm already on another planet, it was certainly possible. For all I know a Grey alien decided to do this for shits and giggles.

"But I can't be sure of anything at this point, there's still so much I don't know, about this world and this thing in my head, I need to learn as much as possible as I get myself settled in before I can rule out anything" I checked the time, Patch Delight is gonna open in ten minutes.

"Now I guess all I have to do is get by the entire week to get my paycheck and find and apartment, see how that goes"

End log.

Putting away the phone, I started walking towards Patch Delight. By the time I got there they were just opening, I see a familiar head of green moving through the window, flipping the sign to signify they were open for business.

I raised an eyebrow 'Olive's here? I didn't see her in the schedule for the morning shift'

"Oh, hey Drake" Olive greeted me as I walked in-and then abruptly yawned "ahh…"

Not surprised she's tired, she worked a lot yesterday from what I could tell "Are you covering for someone's shift?" I asked in curiosity, that was the most likely explanation.

She nodded a bit tiredly "Yep, got a call early this morning, apparently Roux's wife had to be rushed to the hospital, she's there right now" Olive smiled "They're having a baby, I'm so happy for them"

Huh, gay marriage is okay here too then, that's cool "I'll have to congratulate her "I paused "...well after I meet her, that is"

"Oh, yeah, you two haven't met yet" Olive realized, moving over to the counter "You'll meet everyone here soon enough" She sighed, shaking her head as if to say 'what can you do?' "I was the only one available to take her place, considering your new and don't know how to get prep done yet, she woke me up really early and said she had to get to the hospital..."

"And you couldn't say no" I summed up. How could you if the person on the other line's spouse was in labor?

"Pretty much!" She laughed it off "Anyway, I'm guessing you're here to order?"

"Taking advantage of my employee's discount" I joked lightly, walking over to a table.

She laughed again "Who doesn't? I can take your order now if you're ready" Olive pulled out a pen and a notebook to get my order

I proceeded to tell her what it was, a serving of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. She wrote it down and told me it would be ready soon before she left.

And as I waited, I took the time to think.

'...even if I plan to figure out how I got here after getting an apartment, where do I start?'

The warehouse?

'It's probably still being watched by police, I couldn't get close even if I wanted to right now' I thought bitterly, scowling a little 'What other leads do I have?'

The Remnant Knowledge was a bust, it didn't even know why I was here. And I'm not too keen on trying to force information out of it again.

Pale face, blood dripping from my nose…

I unconsciously shivered, I didn't want to remember those fears right now. There was enough to deal with already.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. Was there anything I could do at this point?

'I feel like I'm not trying hard enough-but what else can I do? What else is there to think about? I collected information to help understand the world I'm in, I successfully found a job and a place to sleep, and got enough food and water to sustain myself, am I missing anything important?'

My mind kept going through them like a checklist, over and over, making sure I didn't accidentally forget something important.

Obviously, there was still stuff to be done, like collecting more information about the world and its inhabitance, but what could I do right now that could help? Am I forgetting anything?

Maybe I should start thinking about where I need to start looking for anomalies-

My ears picked up footsteps, and as if by instinct, my stomach realized my food was ready and growled.

And not a moment after, Olive showed up with a tray of a full-course breakfast "Here you go, do you need anything else? More water?"

'Food now, think later' I told her that I was fine, and after she left I proceeded to dig in, enjoying the taste of the pancakes, they tasted just like the ones on Earth.

My whole family liked pancakes, I could remember the times when my mother made some for me, setting up plates at the counter for us to take. Sometimes there was arguing between them on taking one too many...

'I hope you're all doing okay' I think to myself, smiling a little at the memory.

And after eating the entire plate, I had relaxed a little. Maybe it was the hunger being satisfied, or just the reminder of home, but I felt calmer and more clear-headed.

'I'm doing fine' I got up out of my seat, raising my hand for the check 'It's not like I'm in danger or anything, I can relax a little'

After paying the check, I asked Olive if I could come in the back with her so she could show me more of what the preparations are like, and since the restaurant was still pretty empty she accepted.

'There's no need to rush things, I just need to think and do this carefully and I'll be fine'

After having spoken with Olive one last time and thanked her for the service, telling her to give my compliments to the chef in the back, I had left the restaurant and began aimlessly walking again. Still having some time to kill before my shift starts, I decided to head to one of the Dust shops that Ruby had shown me.

My curiosity was what mainly lead to it, the idea of a whole new resource powering the planet- much less one that seemed to be like magic- piqued my interest.

I wasn't gonna buy any of it, but I wanted to get a good look at it.

'This world really is a lot like mine' I thought as I glanced at some of the cars driving by 'Even with the faunus and this Dust stuff, it's a lot like Earth…'

I just couldn't wrap my head around it, everything I know tells me that alien life wouldn't look like a human's. There are actually not a lot of differences that would really clash with our own ideals- except maybe gun control.

Yet here it is.

'Is there a common ancestry between us?' That would be the most likely explanation, some other alien race came to Earth, picked up some humans, and then dropped them here...or is it the other way around? Maybe it's neither.

Even in this situation I can't help but be fascinated by it. A large part of me wanted to explore it for everything it held-

"Ugh…"

I paused from my musings at hearing a loud groan 'What was that?', looking around, I didn't see anyone on the sidewalk except a few people going around the corner of the street…

"It hurts…" That came from my right- I snapped my head to the source of the voice, it was close.

Hesitantly walking closer, I realized it was coming from an alleyway 'Is someone injured?' I could hear more groaning, it was feminine, and once my eyes roamed the area I could see someone by a couple of garbage cans, crouching and grunting in pain with their back against a wall.

After finding the source, I hesitated 'Should...should I do something?' I feel like a horrible person even asking that question, but it is not unwarranted 'Why is this person in an alleyway? Shouldn't she be calling for help?'

It was suspicious on that front, but it could also just be a fact that she was assaulted here and couldn't call for help. She might not be able to move.

But that leaves another question: Is the attacker still around?

My eyes roamed the alleyway, it wasn't that big, and there were a few garbage cans and boxes, but no signs of other people 'It looks like there's no one else here…'

"Someone…" My head turned back to the woman-girl, she sounded young. There were some cuts on her arms I could visibly see, having them wrapped around her legs as she buried her face in them "...please…"

My heart clenched at how weak she sounded 'Can't... someone else help her?'

How many other people walked past her?

'Damn it conscience!' I bit the inside of my cheek, an internal war of self-preservation and compassion once again raging in my mind...and it seems the ladder already won, because I began stepping into the alleyway.

'I don't know the extent of her injuries, if I leave her here and look for someone else to help she might not make it' I still had an unsettling feeling in my gut, but I couldn't ignore her.

She didn't even look up as I approached, as if not realizing I'm here. I adjusted my posture to appear as non-threatening as possible, keeping my hands in front of me where she can clearly see them.

"Mam?" Her shoulders tensed, but she didn't look up. I crouched in front of her, hesitant to touch in fear I might hurt her more, I pursed my lips as I thought of what to say "You're going to be okay, I can help you" I said softly, trying to calm her down.

I saw a few more scratches, but nothing else that suggests serious injuries, her face was still covered by her knees and her orange hair 'They could be under her clothes' I reminded myself "I need to know how bad it is, can I walk you to a hospital? I can carry you if I have to"

"N-No…" She muttered quietly, still keeping her head down "I-It hurts too much…"

'Damn' I thought, biting the inside of my cheek again as I glanced out of the alleyway "Alright, I don't have a ph- scroll so I need to find someone who does" I stood up "I'll be right back-!"

"No!" Before I could move I felt a hand put a tight grip on my wrist, I looked down to see it was hers. It was... strong.

'What…?' Something was wrong, if she was that weak she shouldn't be able to have a grip like this, and her voice sounded normal compared to before...

I looked down at her, seeing she finally looked up from her knees with gold eyes…and then she gave a toothy smile.

My heart dropped to my stomach at the sight of her fangs.

The sound of metal hitting the ground along with footsteps behind me made me realize what was about to happen, my brain raced as I willed my body to move-!

I felt someone grab the back of my jacket, I quickly snapped my wrist out of the girl's grip-!

Too late, I can feel the familiar sensation of cold metal against the front of my neck.

"Don't move" A masculine and young voice growled behind me "You know how much it smells in that garbage can?" He directed the question at the girl.

"Suck it up big baby, we got the guy" She retorted, flicking her hair back a little.

"What do you want?" I immediately asked, the fact that they haven't killed me yet means they want something from me "Money? You can just take my wallet"

It was better than my life, but I had a dark feeling that money wasn't what they wanted.

And my fears came true when the girl laughed a little "Your money? We're not muggers, we're freedom fighters"

'Terrorists' My mind translated, there was no other name for them.

These two are part of the White Fang.

They are with the same people who tried to kill me when I first got here.

But how did they know I was gonna be here!? Did they follow me!? Why!?

"What do you want?" I asked again, already having a vague idea as my mind sought for reasons.

"Did you seriously think you could just walk out of our base like nothing happened?" The guy behind me questioned, proving my assumption correct. They're here because of my appearance at their warehouse, taking out one of their men.

My hands were on his arms, if I could just find an opening…

"We've been keeping an eye on you" The girl stated, grinding my mind to a halt "Helping out a troubled girl? Knew you couldn't resist helping another one" She grinned toothily again, the fangs unsettling me "We'll probably get a promotion for this"

They were watching me that long?! But who-

"Now go cheer her up"

Deer antlers.

That ice cream vendor?

It could have been, but then again it could've been anyone with animal appendages. Any faunus I walked by could have been watching me. In the back of my mind something was shouting at me that wasn't right, that it was wrong to judge an entire species like that. But it was overwhelmed by the fear, the paranoia of knowing that they are watching me.

"Let's get him into the car" My blood ran cold when she said that "Get this human back to base for questioning"

'They're going to kidnap me!' Who knows what they'll do, they may torture me for whatever information they think I have.

"C'mon" The man behind me nudged me forward, his partner walked ahead of us and lead the way.

I can't let them put me in that car, I'm as good as dead if I do.

I have to escape.

Now.

My eyes narrowed, running scenarios in my head. I needed an opening, just a moment where the knife isn't on my neck, even if it was just less than a centimeter away. I can't wait, I need to make one.

I purposely stumbled a little, pretending to trip on one of the soup cans that were on the ground, it made him shift the positioning of his arm.

"I don't know anything" I began to talk, I need to distract them "I don't even know how I got there" That was all true, I don't know anything about that warehouse other than-

"Shut up human" The man behind me grunted, shoving me forward.

He pushed harder on my left shoulder, I leaned back to my right side...

The moment I felt the knife leaving the littlest distance from my skin, my left hand was on top of his grip on the blade's handle and I pulled the knife towards my chest-"HEY!"

When a man has a knife to your neck, and you have no other options, you look for a chance to pull it down and put the flat end of it to your chest, effectively hugging it so he can't use it.

Then I crouched as far as I could in this struggle-"UGH!" I elbowed him in the nuts as hard as I could!

I hear a clang hit the ground, it was the knife, he lost his grip "You little…!" The girl began to pull something from behind her- a weapon.

I quickly took advantage of his pain, grabbing the arm with the knife, and twisted myself around his body "Y-AH!" I pushed up on his arm in a joint lock behind his back, I then pushed on said arm hard enough to throw him into the vampire girl.

She grunted as he slammed into her, dropping her weapon-a gun, it dropped to the ground as they crashed into some trash cans.

"AH! I-It hurts!" The man-he had goat horns and black hair, his blue eyes wide in pain as he held his arm, and considering how hard I pushed on that arm in a way it wasn't supposed to, I'm not surprised.

My eyes landed on the gun, I ran towards it, the girl was running towards it too, and so I lunged for the weapon.

Our bodies slammed together as we both had our hands on the weapon "Let go!" She shouted, as if I was stupid enough to listen, and I grunted as I kicked out at her and tried to tear it away.

"Ah!" I grunted as she kneed me in the gut, but my grip held strong, and I raised the gun above us and rammed my shoulder into her, right into the wall.

The gun was out of her hands, but it wasn't in mine either. It dropped out of both of our grasp, but I quickly decided that it was better that no one had the gun than her having the gun, and kicked it away with my feet.

"Human bastard, screw bringing you in!" Her hands went behind her again under the cloth, and I heard the distinct sound of a blade being unsheathed before quickly jumping back, her knife hit the air "I'll kill you!"

'Shit!' I moved to the right, deeper into the alley as she made another swipe at me, the other guy was still on the ground holding his likely dislocated arm.

She wasn't giving me any chances and kept swiping her knife towards me as I jumped back or quickly moved out of the way, keeping my arms spread and in front of my body, I need to disarm her but it was hard to make an opening without much space in this alley-

"Ah!" I held my right wrist, the bottom of it was cut, it wasn't too deep but it was bleeding a little, blood streams running down my arm and splattering on the ground.

'Running out of room!' I realized, seeing a wall next to me out of the corner of my vision-

The vampire girl held up the blade to her mouth and then did something I'd never expected, she licked the blood on it, staring at me right in the eye as she did so "Huh...I never tasted this before"

Shivers surged down my spine. It disturbed me to my very core, she really is a fucking vampire…

But that terror was overwhelmed by something else, a feeling of being...done with this. This is bullshit! One moment I'm just minding my fucking business and then I have to deal with this shit!

I just tried to help someone! Fucking damn it I'm not dying to this bullshit!

As she came closer, I feel myself bump lightly into a metal garbage can-'Wait, perfect!' My hand snatched the top lid as she came for me, and I used the lid to deflect the knife away like a shield, and then thrust it forward to bash it into her skull!

The girl grunted as her head flew back, I see a trickle of blood flowing down from her forehead, I don't allow her the luxury of recovering as I quickly grabbed the garbage can itself and tossed it down towards her legs.

"Y-You little-! AH!" I kicked the can into her legs, the garbage spilling out everywhere, and she was forced off her feet and fell onto her back.

"RAHHH!" My head whipped to the source of the battle cry, the goat-horned guy seemed to finally get up.

I simply sidestepped to the left, letting him miss completely, and then kicked his abdomen as he ran "AH!" He coughed out spit, I then pulled back a fist and decked him across the jaw!

He wildly swung his good arm at me, but I ducked and punched him in the jaw again "Ah! You fucking-GUH!" I didn't give him a chance to speak, I threw fist after fist: Hitting his nose, ribs, temples, and solar plexus. He could hardly keep up with me with his injured arm.

It was so one-sided that he raised his arms over his head, desperately trying to block my hits, and I decided to end it by jumping up and sending a kick to his head. It knocked him backward off his feet and his back into the wall, his goat horns scraping against the surface behind him "Ah...!"

My heart is pumping, my breathing fast paced-my hands actually hurt from how hard I punched that guy.

Adrenaline is running through my system as I turned my way toward the girl. She's heading for the gun!

'Like hell!' She didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting to that gun before I got to her.

I tackled her into the wall "I'll kill you!" She shouted, I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I pulled her to face me "GAH!" I punched her in the face, and then slammed a fist into her gut, forcing the air out of her lungs.

She was doubled over and coughing, trying to catch her breath "Ugh...fucking damn it…UGH!"

The frustration of the past few days burst out in the form of my fist, punching her into the wall, I then grabbed her collar and dragged her over "RAH!" I threw her at her friend, and she slammed into him again, ruining any progress he made at getting up.

For a moment, I took a good look around me...and at myself, my ruffled clothes and the cut on my wrist, along with a few new bruises.

This was what I got for trying to be a decent fucking person.

"Look! The weirdo is getting mad!"

"Think you can beat us!?"

"Y-Your supposed to be the nerd! GAH!"

It was no different from Earth.

"Leave me the hell alone!" I shouted at them, absolutely livid, tightening my fists as I walked forward "Get out of here!" I can't turn them in for the police lest they mention my involvement with the White Fang, and I'm not gonna kill them, so it was best that they just leave with their tails tucked between their legs.

They actually flinched and began scrambling to get away, untangling their mess of limbs from each other.

"Daisy, let's go…!" The man shouted, frantic.

"Tch…!" The girl grits her teeth angrily as she and her friend got up and started running, exiting the alleyway as fast as they could with their injuries.

I just watched them go, my chest rising and falling quickly "Ha…ha..." I tried to relax my breathing, holding my bleeding wrist 'Fucking damn it…'

I was nearly kidnapped by fucking terrorists.

"I think I'm starting to hate this planet…" I muttered to myself tiredly.

It was enough that I had animal people shooting me when I first got here, and now their fucking watching me. And no doubt after kicking their asses I'm on the shitlist of the terrorist organization for a species who hate humans-

'Wait…' My mind ground to a halt, something clicked.

I'm not sure what it was that did it, maybe it was the cliché sounding alien threats in movies and TV shows that those terrorists shouted at me as we fought, and how I was reminded of where I arrived here on this planet in the first place…

But pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together in my mind, I arrived here...in a White Fang warehouse.

I am being followed and watched and was apparently ordered to be brought back in alive-even if in the end they decided to kill me, it didn't change their original goal-by White Fang operatives.

The vampire girl held up the blade to her mouth and then did something I'd never expected, she licked the blood on it, staring at me right in the eye as she did so "Huh...I never tasted this before"

Did she...know?

My eyes snapped open wide, and my legs were already in motion!

A chance for answers! And it is getting away!

A chance to get home!

My family, my pets, my house, my life- everything!

"-GAH!" Something yanked on my neck, my shirt was being pulled back. Someone is pulling on my collar!

I turned my head angrily, expecting to see another terrorist trying to sneak up on me- "Oi kid!" An old human man with grey hair was what I was met with, glaring at me angrily as he pointed behind himself toward the alley "I thought it was a bunch of cats, but it looks like you're the one causing trouble! Look at what you did back there!"

"Let me go! They're getting away!" I shouted, squirming to get out of his grip off me, to catch up to them, my only lead home!

"If you think you're getting away without cleaning-!"

I made to elbow the old man to escape- SCREEE!

But I immediately stopped at the sound of screeching tires, seeing a black car driving away and gaining speed. "Damn teenage drivers!" The old man shouted in annoyance.

.

.

.

They got away.

My only lead to a way home, and I just let them get away.

But my apparent despair didn't deter an angry old man "Alright kid!" He turned me around and pointed towards the mess that was made of that alley "You are not going anywhere until you pick up all this trash!"

What he said was baffling in my current state of mind, I tried to protest "But I didn't-"

His glaring shut me up, his stern expression not having any excuses "Someone is cleaning this up! And it's not gonna be me! Now get to picking up the trash!"

I ended up picking up the trash, but thankfully the old man was at least kind enough to give me a bandage and some disinfectant for the cut on my wrist.

But since the smell of garbage lingered on me, I had to head back to the hotel and take another shower. I threw my clothes in the washing machine and just got to scrubbing, and had decided to just put on my work uniform as the time for my shift was getting close.

My body was just going through the motions the whole time, the pain from the cut didn't even register as my mind was constantly thinking. My body moving without the need for much thought, I kept replaying what happened in my mind.

'They've been watching me' I grab my work cap and place it on my head, tying my apron around my waist 'And I nearly got kidnapped'

It was...laughable how quickly everything changed, in just a moment, everything had turned upside down on my head.

I pulled on my shoes 'But I have a lead' There was no way to confirm it right now, but it all added up with what I've dealt with so far. Somehow, someway, the White Fang is responsible for my being here.

Somehow that made it all the more eye-opening as to my situation. Was it on purpose? An accident? Did they plan this? What were they going to do with me if they did?

I had no answers to these questions, but it led to the decision I made to hide some throwing knives on my person, an arm-attached sheath with three throwing knives pushed up to my upper arm.

I pulled my sleeve down, covering it to conceal from anyone else's sight 'I got too complacent in my stay on this world, there is still so much I don't know'

Even if it was only for a short time, I had forgotten that this world had just as many dangers as it did wonders.

I don't know if somewhere along the way I just decided that everything would be easy, or if it was just a subconscious thing, but I got cocky, feeling secure. That no one could see me as anything other than one of them. I thought that the only thing I had to worry about was the things in my own head.

But that's changed, I now have reason to believe a terrorist organization knows I'm an alien. That they are spying on me, keeping tabs on my whereabouts.

I can't just walk around freely, I need to take precautions, maybe even make weapons.

But as I walked out of the hotel, I couldn't help but consider a sliver of hope.

'If the White Fang really did bring me here...then it's only a matter of time before someone tries to kidnap me again'

While this would normally be a bad thing, it leaves an opportunity for me 'If I could get the drop on them, I could question them' I could figure out what happened.

Did I expect it to be that simple? No, there's no way a bunch of grunts would know about something as important as the secret to traveling to other worlds, but information is information. They likely heard something from someone about it, and it could lead me to somewhere where I could find answers.

It was risky, but it was the only semblance of an idea I had on how to find a way back to Earth.

Plans are already forming in my head, from making smoke bombs to tasers, I came up with endless ideas on how to incapacitate someone. It bubbled up excitement in me as much as it made me nervous...because even though it's dangerous, even though it is one hell of a shot in the dark, it was something.

I finally had something to work with!

There was a flicker of hope that I can find my way out of this mess, and I was gonna hold onto it no matter what.

After all, I'm gonna need everything I can get if I'm gonna pull it off.

'Time to look extra smiley today at work, more tips means more money to spend on ways to make this plan work' I thought determinedly, already thinking of what I needed to make different items that could help me. I may not be able to make anything until I get an apartment, but I can get the supplies needed to make them as soon as I can.

While the euphoric feeling of finally having a lead was somewhat dampened by the knowledge that I may be watched even now, and that I can't do anything with that knowledge for the moment, the fact that I have an actual goal felt like I had made some sort of progress. Perhaps it was only marginal, barely a step above ground, but my head wasn't quite as buried in the sand anymore.

Approaching the restaurant, I kindly held open a door for a woman and her child, I politely accepted her thanks as I then came in myself, ready to work.

It had gotten more packed since earlier, and I see Olive talking to someone in front of me-"Drake!" She suddenly called to me, and I stood to attention "We're having some trouble, would you clock in a little early-?"

"DRAKE!?"

I winced at the sudden high-pitched shout, wondering why someone shouted my name-but then was surprised at the sight of the familiar person. A short, fifteen-year-old girl with red-tipped black hair facing me... the red hooded huntress-in-training I met my second day on Remnant

Her widened silver eyes met my hazel ones.

A familiar sensation that I hadn't felt all day settled over my mind 'Silver eyes are inherited from a line of special warriors who could kill Grimm from a single look in an instant'

'Oh, now you start talking' I thought in annoyance, having enjoyed the silence of the Remnant Knowledge while it lasted.

Captaindrake123: Alright, next chapter things get a little more interesting. I'm sure most of you have noticed how I'm taking time setting everything up, showing how it all affects Drake mentally and how he goes about surviving this world.

Its somewhat difficult, but I feel it's important to establish exactly what's happening in this period of time, a lot of other authors kinda just skip the actual beginning to get to the plot quicker-which is not necessarily bad all the time, but it can make it so the story lacks details and can leave for gaping holes later on.

Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the fight scene. Gives you a little bit more of a glimpse of what our protagonist has dealt with before.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review, the next one will be out soon!

...ah, silly me, one more thing before I go. Enjoy the omake.

Omake: Discipline

The forests of the island of Patch were large and numerous, a beautiful lush of green swept off the land. Tree branches swinging from the wind, the sun was setting and the chirps of crickets began to echo.

Many dangers lurk in the forest, some being that of large animals, but a more prominent threat was that of the Grimm, the creatures of darkness that have no other desire than the carnage and destruction of humanity.

But sometimes...the greatest monster was man itself, or something in between.

Tents were set up in a secluded area in the forest, men walking about and taking shifts to watch out for any dangers to their camp.

In one of the said tents to their camp, there stood two White Fang members in front of their leader, one with orange hair and golden eyes, and the other with black hair and blue eyes, his arm was noticeably hung in a sling.

Both were bruised, beaten, and ashamed.

"Tell me you two..." The man in front of them walked around them, his height taller than the both of them, hands behind his back, his voice filled with annoyance "What was the order I gave regarding the human we were watching?"

"..." They both stayed silent, only standing straight to attention.

The man shook his head, his black White Fang mask worn proudly on his face, his hand combed through his jet black hair as he gave a sigh "Answer the question"

"...to leave the target alone" The goat faunus stated "Only observe"

"Yes, very good, I see you have a decent memory" He walked towards his desk "So that means you didn't just forget those orders when you ran off after him"

The air was tense, and neither of the two spoke up.

"So that means you purposefully disregarded orders from your commander" He stated, picking up a pen from his table, acting like it was something interesting. Moving it around in his fingers, giving a clear line of sight to the two officers of it.

"But sir!" The girl with fangs protested "We had him-!"

"And then you lost him" He interrupted, shutting her up in an instant without even raising his voice, he set the pen down and turned to face them "He bested you"

"He got the drop on us sir-"

"After you had a knife to his throat" That made the goat faunus click his mouth shut "and he still beat you, and worst of all, he let you go"

That made the girl's nose curl up in anger.

"Surely you must have noticed it, he could have killed you two, or just knock you out and turn you into the authorities, but no, he let you get away" The commander looked right into her eyes, unblinking "Because in his eyes, you weren't a threat anymore"

He suddenly turned away, walking around them "And of course you weren't!" He suddenly shouted, making them tense up as he looked them over "He took out Banesaw! So what I'm wondering is what was going through your heads that could possibly make you think you stood a chance!"

"If I had my aura unlocked I could've beaten him!" The girl shouted back "If you could just unlock it-!"

"You jeopardize our operation on this island..." Walking up to her face once more, he glared into her nervous golden eyes "You disobey orders, made the human aware of our surveillance on him, and yet you still demand something of me?"

"..."Her voice was caught in her throat, unable to refute his words.

"No, you cannot even follow orders properly, you are undisciplined, I will not waste time and resources on you" The commander sighed in both frustration and exhaustion "The only reason I am not punishing the two of you right now is because you are still well-trained fighters and can still be useful, we need every faunus we can get"

"But this stops here" He ordered firmly, glaring at them with piercing eyes, seeing right through them "You will not attempt to capture him again, or disobey any other orders, otherwise..."

Bang!

A pistol had been whipped out so fast the two didn't even see it, a bullet hole clear on the entrance of the tent, and a clear scrape on the girl's cheek as blood leaked out of it and dripped down to her chin.

He still held up the gun "I have no use for you" He finished, slowly putting it away back into its holster on his hip "Am I understood?"

Both were shocked still, the girl, still having some fight left in her eyes, opened her mouth to speak "I-"

"Am I understood!?" He repeated, louder and deeper, in an unrelenting voice that commanded respect.

Any marginal will to argue that is left was utterly crushed "Y-Yes Commander Blanc" They both answered, standing up straighter and hearing to his authority.

"Good, your to report to the infiltration team ready to initiate a rescue for Banesaw in the hospital immediately" He ordered, "Feel grateful that I spare you of punishment, do not make me regret it...otherwise, I will have to correct that mistake" He finished ominously.

The threat was not lost on them, and the two promptly began to walk out of the tent, the girl took one last bitter glance at her commander before gritting her teeth, her friend patting her shoulder to calm her down.

Once they left, the White Fang Commander turned back to the table, took a seat, and pulled out a yellow envelope, opening it up and pouring out the contents onto the table.

Photographs, they were of all different places and events, but the same person was in the center of it all.

He picked one up, a picture of two combatants on top of a roof: A White Fang Lieutenant stumbling forward, getting slashed on the back from a brown-haired human boy with a green knife, wearing a red backpack and a black and orange jacket with a strange symbol on its front right side.

This single human had turned their heads upside down, causing a chain of events that led to the Patch Police Force now being aware of their presence.

A bright flash of white light, and then a boy with a fire in his eyes. Even from just looking at the photo he could see the fires of determination in the human's glare. The utter defiance and calculative gaze as he fought what was clearly a stronger opponent.

"Drake Joseph..." Blanc muttered, setting down the photo with the others, ones of the same boy walking about town with a cautious gaze and hanging out with a red hooded huntress in training.

For now, they would just watch and observe.

He smirked "A very strange name, there's something special about you, and I intend to use it"

After all, a good commander knows when to exploit an opportunity, especially one as mysterious and game-changing as this one.