Guest: "Personally I like the idea of being called the Messenger of the Apocalypse, due to Six being a courier before he got those two bullets to the head." I would really love to know who sent this, because I think it would add more depth and background info for Six.
Six woke to the sound of snapping twigs, the noise alerting him as he aimed his magnum at a patch of bushes, the sound getting closer. Six waited for whatever it was to emerge, eyeing the bushes before a dog trotted out of the bushes, scratches covering its body as it limped towards Six, who had sighed and holstered the gun. The dog sniffed the air, smelling the cooked chicken as it licked its lips.
Six looked at the dog before he picked up a piece of chicken and tossed it to the dog. The dog limped forward and snatched the chicken, backing up from six before it laid down and began tearing into it. 'Poor thing. Probably hasn't eaten for a couple of days.' Six watched the dog, who had just finished its meal, and looked back at him, puffing slightly as it slowly approached Six, who held his hand out for the dog to sniff. The hound sniffed his hand, before limping up to him and laid down, setting its head down on his leg.
Six began petting the pup's head, scratching behind its ear as he inspected the scars, several cut marks passing over its back, as well as several thorns stuck in its back. Six carefully reached for one, grabbing it and slowly pulling it out of the dog's skin, eliciting a small growl from the dog. Six dropped the thorn to the ground, before he reached for another and did the same, making sure to carefully remove the thorn from the dog's back. Six continued this process, pulling the thorns out and placing them down, pulling the final one out as the dog seemed to relax.
"I'll call you Cerberus, and you will be my protector." Six said as his hand glowed a pale blue, before he placed it onto the dog, the wounds pulling themselves together as they healed. Six pulled his hand off the dog before he leaned back and stared at the night sky, thousands of stars filling his vision before he smiled and drifted off to sleep. As Six went to sleep, he could sense he was being watched, but didn't care at the moment. Perched in a tree some distance away, a black raven watched the courier with red eyes as he drifted off to sleep.
Ruby walked down the beaten path, Jaune walking next to her as Ren and Nora followed behind as Jaune looked at the map. "So, if we follow this path, it should take us...nowhere?" Jaune said in confusion as he looked at the map. "Uh, Jaune, the maps upside down." Ruby said, pointing at the map as Jaune chuckled in embarrassment as he turned the map upside down. "Ok, so this path should take us to Shurima, then from there, we can take this road to Isonago, where we can catch a ride to Haven Academy." Jaune said, but had yet to notice his friends stop in their tracks.
Jaune turned around and looked at them, Ruby and Nora's mouth agape, while Ren's eyes were dilated. "Uh, guys? What's wro-" Jaune's jaw dropped as he turned to see what they were looking at. The town of Shuriman was in shambles, houses burnt to the ground, corpses laying everywhere, bullet casings and discarded weapons scattered around the town. Ruby saw some people walk by, discussing something. "Did you see how he fought?" "Yea, those bandits never stood a chance." "Well, I don't think they're going to be bothering us anytime soon."
"Uh, excuse me?" Ruby said, holding up a hand as the villagers stopped and looked at her. "Yes?" The older man said, eyeing the group as he stood in front of the young girl and the woman. "Uh, what exactly happened here?" Ruby asked as she rubbed her arm, looking up at the man. "Well, some stranger rode into town riding a pale horse. Spoke to the bandits, said they 'had no right' about attacking us. Slaughtered most of 'em, but a few got away, including their leader. He left before anyone could thank him." The man explained as the team listened, chills going up their spines as they listened to him.
"D-do you k-know where he went?" Jaune sputtered out, but all he got was a shake of the head from the man. "No, but if I had to guess, you'd want to head east, that's the direction he went in." The man replied, before turning and walking away with his family. "So, you think it's someone working for Cinder?" Nora asked as she stared at her teammates. "I doubt it. If he works for Cinder, I don't think he would have let these people live." Ruby said, looking at her friends, before she looked back at the town, seeing the people pick up the bodies and toss them into a cart.
"Well, the good news is that he helped these people." Jaune said, before he pulled out the map. "But I don't think we're ever going to actually see him..." He trailed off as he examined the map, pointing at the village before figuring out which way west is. "...Because he's headed away from Isonago, and we have a mission to complete." He said, before looking back to the others, before they all nodded their heads, coming to an agreement. "Ok, so let's get going. We got a long walk ahead of us." Jaune said as the group took off down the road, not noticing a crow watching them from a tree. The crow tilted its head before it flew off after the group, trailing behind them as they headed for Haven.
Six rode atop Phantom, Cerberus trotting beside Phantom as she carried Six through the dense forest, sunlight passing through the canopy as they traveled along a worn path. Six was looking down at his Pip-Boy, the 'Quest' tab opened to see his current objectives.
Rootin Tootin, Bandit Shootin
-Completed: Stop the bandit raid
-Optional: Find information about the bandits
-Kill bandit leader and wipe out the rest of the tribe
Six mulled over what to do. On one hand, he could get information on who the bandits are and how to deal with them, but on the other, he could just track them and wipe out their camp. He thought about it for a few seconds, before making up his mind, deciding to get information on the bandits. So, he looked at the map he picked off one of the bandits, opening it and examining it. He trailed a finger over the map, finding different villages and roads that connected them, before he found Shurima. He trailed a finger over the path leading west, before he stopped at a village, the name 'Durioyoi' printed over it.
Six looked back to his Pip-Boy, flicking over to the 'World Map' tab, seeing that it had been updated to the layout of the map. He set a marker to Durioyoi, before folding up the map and placing it into his Pip-Boy. He whistled at Cerberus, who had stopped to sniff some flowers, and pulled Phantom's reins back a little, stopping her. He swung off the saddle and picked up Cerberus before he jumped back up onto Phantom, Cerberus laying in his lap as he tapped the side of Phantom with his boot, causing her rear up and gallop forward, a trail of dust left behind as she ran.
Cerberus's tongue flapped in the wind as Phantom galloped down the road, speeding up as she ran through the woods, the path eventually leading to a clearing that opened out to reveal the gates of a village. Six pulled her reins as he observed the gates, before a voice shouted out "Stop right there!" Six looked to see several men wearing ballistic armor, pointing rifles at him as they watched him carefully. One of the guards looked down at him, eyeing the armor, before he asked, "State your business."
"I'm only here for information." Six replied, staring up at the guards as he patted Cerberus's head.
"What type of information?" The guard asked.
"Information on a group of bandits."
The guard stared at Six for a few seconds, before he turned to another guard, saying, "Alright, let him in." The guard nodded before disappearing from view, but Six could hear gears turning as the gate began lifting up, revealing the inside of the town. Six had Phantom move forward, walking under the gate as it began closing behind them as Six took in the view. A large, metal wall surrounded the entire town, guards positioned on the wall to alert the town of danger. Families laughed as they went about their day, buying items from a market, walking pets, or just wandering about.
"The stables are over near the workshop, you can take your horse there." The guard from earlier spoke out to Six, who turned his head to look at him. He had light brown hair that reached down to his shoulders, and sea green eyes that had a hardened gaze to them. "And you are?" Six asked, dismounting off of Phantom as another guard took her reins and walked her to the stables. "Arthur Kelling. You?" The man replied, holding out a hand as Six shook it. "Most call me Six." Arthur's face shifted in confusion, but he dropped it as he spoke.
"You said you were looking for information on bandits, yes?" He asked, Six nodding his head as he placed Cerberus on the ground, the dog sniffing around him as he looked at his master. "Head over to the Fire Lily, find a man named Fern, tell him Arthur sent you." Arthur answered, looking at Six who held out a few coins. "Thanks." Six said as he walked away, his dog following him as Arthur stared at the coins, seeing the image of a man on it. "Hm, not the strangest thing i've seen." Arthur spoke to himself, before returning to guard duty.
Six walked through the town, watching people pass him as he made his way to the Fire Lily, a bar built right next to the inn. Six opened the door to the bar, the door creaking slightly as the occupants turned to look at him, giving him looks before returning to their business. Six stepped up to the counter, sitting atop one of the stools as a large man stepped in front of him. If Six had to guess, he stood at a towering 6'7, hazel eyes staring down at the Courier, his muscular arms tensed as he leaned against the bar.
"What'll it be?" His voice was deep, but held a cautious tone to it. "Information." The man quirked an eye, before asking, "And what makes you think i'm gonna say anything?"
"If you're Fern, then Arthur sent me." Six responded, staring up at the giant, whose gaze hardened into a glare, before he sighed and leaned down.
"What do you need, partner?"
"I'm looking for information on a group of bandits." Six said, pointing at a bottle of whiskey that sat on the shelf behind Fern, who turned and spotted the bottle.
"You're going to have to give me more than that, there are dozens of bandit groups spread all over Anima." Fern replied, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and two glasses, pouring the liquid into the glasses before passing one to Six, who picked the glass up, but didn't drink. "They were led by a woman, had the ability to make portals-" Fern's body tensed, his eyes scrunching up as Six continued. "-and she wore a white mask that covered her face." The glass in Ferns hand cracked as a scowl spread across his face.
Six looked at the glass in Fern's hand before looking back at him, seeing the anger on the man's face. "You know her." Six said, looking up to the man as he set his drink down. Fern looked at Six, his gaze softening before speaking.
"She attacked a village me and my family were staying in, I tried to keep her men away from my wife, said she'd make a point. Killed my wife and daughter in front of me, told me that I wouldn't get a second chance, and left. I tried to track her down for years, but I gave up eventually. I've spent the rest of my life here." Fern gestured around him, some of the bar patrons raising their glasses to him.
"I'm sorry to hear about that." Six said as he unclasped the front of his mask, barely revealing the bottom of his face as he picked the glass of whiskey up and took a drink. He set the now empty glass down as he placed the mask over his face. Six looked at Fern, who had a quizzical look on his face. "You never show your face, do you?" Fern asked, as Six shook his head and pulled something from his pocket. "Not since I left home, no. Here, for the drink." Six answered, placing a silver coin on the counter, before he stood.
"Where you headed now?" "Next town I come across. Ask around there, see if I can get anything dug up." Six replied to Fern, before he started to walk off, heading towards the door as the dog followed behind him. "Oh, one more thing." Fern said as he picked up the glass, along with the coin, pocketing it. "The tribe you're looking for goes by the name of Branwen." Six looked to Fern, before nodding his head in thanks and walking out the door, leaving the man to his business. "Strange chap." One of the men at the bar said, staring at the door Six had just left through, before going back to sipping his drink.
Six rode out of the town on Phantom, waving to the guards as the gate shut behind him. Lightning flashed across the night sky as Six rode through the rain, looking down at his Pip-Boy, changing over to the 'Radio' tab and selecting a channel labeled: "Old Country Rock."
~I hear that train a-comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since
I don't know when~
Raven shot up from her bed, eyes wide as she frantically looked around her, but saw nothing. She calmed her breathing, her heartbeat slowing down as she rubbed her eyes. She heard the thunder rumble in the distance, the rain beating down on her tent as she lay back and stared at the ceiling. The images of the man that slaughtered her men came to mind as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
~I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a-rollin'
On down to San Antone
Ruby looked out the window of the room she and her team were staying in, raindrops beating against the window as they fell from the sky. Lightning flashed, and Ruby thought she saw a black mask in the window, two glowing red orbs where the eyes were supposed to be. She gasped, moving back a little, before the figure disappeared, the window now empty. Ruby stared at the window for a few seconds before she sighed and walked to her bed, laying down on the mattress before she drifted off to sleep.
~When I was just a baby
My momma told me, "Son
Always be a good boy
Don't ever play with guns"
Qrow stared at the glass of whiskey, a dazed look in his eyes as he thought about the man who attacked his sister. He thought he might have been one of Cinder's subordinates, but the way he spoke made Qrow think otherwise. He had tried to find books about old heroes, ones who delivered justice atop mighty steeds. Most of the books he found told of gunslingers and knights, but he found one that gave an almost perfect description of the man. Qrow looked from his glass to the book that lay open on the table, an image plastered the right page. "This is not good." Qrow spoke to himself as he took a drink from his glass. "Not good at all."
~But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry~
AN: And that's a wrap for chapter two. I'm so sorry for this, but i won't be posting for a few months because i'll be busy in the summer with work and football.