Grimm Hills

It was a long walk from Vale to this remote settlement on the northern shore of Sanus, but for Tanner, it was well worth the journey to here. The air was pure with a couple buildings sprinkled around the area with more frames ready to be finished.

"Did you honestly follow me all the way to here?" Covers asked Tanner even though she was sure of the answer she would get.

"No" Tanner jokingly mocked her "I have my own reason for heading out to here."

"Whatever you say toothpick," Covers stated as she started to walk away from him.

But right at that moment Tanner just stood there looking around trying to figure where he should begin looking around. Though as he looked around his gaze seemed to settle on a small house off to the side of the village. This house seemed to be older than the rest of the other buildings, the base of the building was built with stone but it transited to a normal wooden building. There was either a moss or a vine growing on one of the walls. But at the same time, it looked like it was built alongside the rest of the other buildings.

And as he looked on there was Covers walking right towards this building as if it was a part of her normal routine. This intrigued Tanner so against his better judgment he decided to follow her to this building.

As Covers neared the house a larger man who was tending a garden in front of the house turned towards her, "Kore!" the man bellowed out as he hugged her and spun her around. Afterwards, he let her down and gave her a kiss right on her forehead, "How are is my little goddess?"

"I am doing fine father." the newly named Kore silently giggled "How are the crops doing?"

"Ah, they are doing better now that you are back here." The man said in his booming voice. "And who is this man that has followed you here." At this moment Kore quickly spun her head around to see Tanner standing there.

"That's a nice name you have," Tanner jokingly mocked her, "Kore, it's got a nice ring to it."

"Toothpick…" Kore said in a lower voice as she headed towards him and once she was close to him she through a ferocious left hook that hit Tanner square in the jaw.

"Ouch," Tanner said as he rubbed the spot where he was struck "I'm pretty positive I have had softer hits from a King Taijitu."

"What do you think you're doing here?" She asked in a lowered voice.

"I thought I could help you out with your Grimm issue," Tanner stated still rubbing the spot where he was hit. "But after that welcome, I am unsure now."

"You wish to help us?" Kore's father asked in his booming before he burst out laughing "HAHAHA, what could such a skinny child do to help us?"

"Well, it so happens that this skinny child is also a Huntsmen." Tanner quickly declared but to his disappointment this was only met by even louder laughter from Kore's father.

"uhh, why is he laughing?" Tanner quickly asked Kore with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Why do think." Kore quickly retorted with her voice slightly raised. "It's because that is a nothing more than Cow dung!"

After a few seconds of Kore's father loud laughter, he stopped as he wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes "I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time… Ah, thank you, Child." He said as he proceeded to sit down on the front step to their house. "But really there is no way you are a huntsman their child you just don't look the part."

"Oh, really?" Tanner asked "Then what does a Huntsman look like to you two then," He asked both Kore and her father.

With that, he could feel Kore's father looking over him but after a few minutes, he just slumped back. "Fine." He admitted, "I will admit, I don't know what a Huntsman looks like but you don't have that presence of someone who thinks their better than the rest of us."

But before Tanner could get his word in he was cut off by Kore "OK you two stop it," she quickly exclaimed. "Listen, Toothpick, I don't know how you haven't noticed yet but Huntsman aren't exactly in our good books." She calmly explained, "So just do us a favour and leave us alone, alright."

Tanner slowly started to understand what he got himself into but once again before he could say anything he was cut off. But this time not by anyone around him but by someone screaming from the other buildings. "Alright then." Tanner said as he turned around to head to the other buildings "If you won't take me for my word I guess I will have to show you then." He declared as he ran off towards the village.

As Tanner was running off towards the village Kore just looked back towards her father but this wasn't a look of concern more like a look of asking for permission. Within a couple seconds her father acknowledged by giving her a quick nod along with two words "Grap it."

Once Tanner had arrived at the outcrop buildings he started to look around for either the person who had attracted him there or what had caused them to scream. Though the answer to that question was quickly answered. There rampaging in-between the buildings was a hoard of Grimm, more precisely a hoard of Creep destroying everything around them.

"Creep, Huh?" Tanner said as he stood at the end of the path, "And here I thought I was going to have a challenge." He said as he pulled out his scroll and started to swipe through it as he walked towards them.

As Tanner was looking through his scroll one of the Creeps caught sight of him and quickly charged towards him letting out a bastille roar. This caused Tanner to quickly look up towards the charging beast. As the beast neared him, it lunged towards Tanner with its maw wide open. Once it had gotten close to him, Tanner leapt over the Creep causing it to land hard behind him.

Once Tanner landed on his feet he turned to get a look of the stunned Creep. "Come on," Tanner said as he let out a sigh before he looked back down at his scroll. "Oh that's a perfect song, you know what for a dump mindless monster you actually helped me choose a good fight sing for this occasion." With that Tanner tapped the selected song causing it to play out of the headphones he had wrapped around his head along with two speakers he had on his belt.

Though as Tanner did that, the Creep that had lunged at him earlier started to get back up and still in a dazed once again lunged towards Tanner. But this time Tanner flipped over the Creep with his foot leading his arc. Once he was over the creature as if he was in sync with the music, he brought his foot down right over it only to have it sail over the creature. However, a pressure wave formed from his foot shooting towards the Creep at intense speeds impacting it instantly causing it to evaporate into the air. Once he landed he turned his sight back towards where the rest of the Creeps were, only to see the rest of them glaring at him.

"Guess the fun is only getting started, eh?" Tanner declared as he got into something more akin to a brawler stance ass the music started to die down. At that moment the rest of the Creeps charged towards him in what could be described as a wave of death.

As the Creeps were barreling down towards him just when the song peaked back up he threw out a wide punch across the area. "Let's do this!" he yelled out as his punch flew through the air as another pressure wave erupted from his arm. This pressure wave flew a good few feet before it struck the Creep in the front lines pushing them backwards. However, the Creeps that were behind the front line merely climbed over their fellow beasts still charging towards Tanner.

As the leader of the pack got closer to Tanner it lunged towards him. However, Tanner was ready for it so he threw out a huge frontal kick out towards them once they got close enough. This kick landed square to the face of the Creep which Tanner then pushed it down to the ground. Afterwards, Tanner jumped into the air using both the Creep he had under his foot for leverage and another pressure wave he generated with his foot to help send him skyward. Once he reached the apex of his leap Tanner looked back down at the hoard of Creeps below him.

"Well, that's definitely more then what I thought there were," Tanner said as he looked down at the hoard that awaited him to come back down. "Well, I guess I really have to stop playing around."

After stating this Tanner Grabbed both of his weapons that made up Basscutter with the blades still wrapped up in their cloth. However shortly after he drew out his weapons they started to expand form a guard over the top of Tanner's forearm. Allowing the blades of both weapons to become more in line with the rest of his arm.

But before he could unwrap the blades, one of the Creep from down below climbed up onto the roof of one of the buildings close by. Then Creep leapt straight up to Tanner with its maw wide open. As soon as the Creep got close to him, Tanner did a quick corkscrew backhanding the Creep first with his left hand. Closing its jaws of the Creep and deflecting the attack past him.

Then while he had his right hand in the air he flicked his wrist unlatching a clasp that caused the cloth strand to unfurl from around the blade. But instead of falling down to the ground, the cloth strand was still attached to it causing it to ripple through the air. But, with the blade, "unsheathed" Tanner kept rolling through his corkscrew plunging the blade into the Creeps necks causing it to evaporate instantly.

Before he fell back down to remaining Grimm that awaited him, he redirected himself by using some pressure waves to land on one of the roofs so he could stand above the hoard. Though as he fell he flicked his left hand unravelling the cloth "sheath" of the other blade.

Once Tanner landed on the roof of the house two of the Creeps jumped on top to join him. After Tanner took a quick glance to his sides then with a smile on his face he quickly crossed arms causing the cloth strands to propel out and wrapped around the Creeps necks. Once the strands were tight enough around their necks Tanner pulled them towards him. And with one clean motion, he stabbed one through the chest then stabbed the other through the jaw by using an uppercut motion.

Once the Creeps started to evaporate Tanner made a mad dash across the rooftops. As he did he shifted his weapons causing the blades to fold back reviling an SMG barrel extending outwards that was hidden inside of the blades. Then with a pull of the triggers, Tanner unleashed a barrage of bullets into the hoard of Creep causing a good majority of them to evaporate.

Then after Tanner had managed to thin out the heard he rushed into the remaining group. Tanner then proceeded to attack the remaining stragglers by punching and slicing through the remaining hoard. And if they were out of range of his blades Tanner would either throw out his cloth strands to pull them closer or he would simply fire off a couple rounds towards them.

After he dispatched the last of the Grimm Tanner took a look around making sure there were no more of them around him. Then when he was satisfied that everything was taking care he stopped the playback of his music and turned around then proceeded to leave the village. But before he could take two steps a Creep burst from the ground lunging towards Tanner causing him to turn around to face it.

But before he could react to defend himself he heard a shot go off and within the same breath, the Creep that attacked was blasted back. Tanner quickly turned towards the ally he had heard the shot come from. To see Kore standing in front of him holding a shotgun pointed right towards him.

"Could you… point that somewhere else?" Tanner asked.

"You're welcome" Kore quickly retorted.

"How long were you here?" Tanner inquired as he started to look around to try and figure out where she was before.

"Long enough," Kore admitted

"Did I managed to change opinion?" Tanner asked once again though this time with a smirk on his face.

"A little I will admit that," Kore quickly answered "I guess you are a huntsman but don't think I have changed my opinion on Huntsman. Most of you huntsman are shallow and greedy people but I guess there are some who don't fit the model after all." After she said that she started to walk off but before she got too far she turned around a stared back towards Tanner. "Why don't come back up to the house I think we could give you a meal."

With that Kore started to walk away again then after a few seconds, Tanner started to follow behind her as he started to wrap up Basscutter.