WARNING!
If you are a reader who likes to feel "Omniscient", and likes to know everything about the story beforehand…prepare to be sorely disappointed. I reveal information as the story progresses, so patience will be necessary!
A/N: Thanks for everyone's support once again!
I understand people feel like I'm putting things off for too long & that some of my chapters seem like an omake, but I don't think so. My chapters have purpose, but the hints are subtle and will be explained later on. My releases are infrequent, so the gap kinda makes everyone impatient. I apologize for that, but there's nothing I can do my dear readers. I'm much too busy with my job and family, so I try the best that I can.
There will also be some crude language in the chapter, so sorry if that bothers you! It is rated M after all…
I won't talk too much and just let everyone get on with the story. Another short chapter, but it is a sign for some important things to come. I hope you guys look forward to it!
Also, I may go back to add more into this chapter in the future
"In Oum I Trust"- Normal Speech
In Oum I Trust-- Normal thought
"In Oum I Trust"- Shared thought/phone/telepathy(link)
*Sigh*- Action
In Oum I Trust- Unique Technique/Semblance
"In Oum I Trust"- Authoritative/powerful/angered speech
In Oum I Trust- Authoritative/powerful/angered Thought
"In Oum I Trust"- Authoritative/powerful/angry Shared thought/phone/telepathy(link)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto, RWBY, the Re: Monster Franchise or any of its characters. I am but a simple man, with a simple desire to write a fanfiction that has been plaguing my mind.
The only thing I own in this story are my theories, original characters, and scenarios that did not exist in the original stories.
Chapter 5: Hunters
-82 years before Canon-
"Ugh…what hit me?" Naruto voiced in a groggy tone.
He was currently laying in a field of red with his back down and stomach exposed to the air. He was rolling a bit in slight ache, as he slowly awakened from his slumber.
The time it took to grasp his surroundings was slow, and he seemed to be more focused on the pain that was attacking his mind. He tried to stand, but failed as he foolishly tumbled to one side, rolling a couple of times before coming to a stop. That short moment of spinning did nothing to aid the pains he was currently feeling, and made him experience a sickening dizziness.
"Gah! Shit, why do I have a splitting headache?!"
He curled into a small, fetal position as he continued to comfort this newfound pain, and reflect on what could have happened.
"Last thing I remembered was seeing an Ursa, and drinking some sap…was it because of that?"
Now that I think about it, Naruto mused as he recalled the familiar feeling that sap gave him, That Sap kind of tasted familiar…
It took a while for him to get his brain functioning adequately to think, but eventually he recovered enough to reach a conclusion. He then released a sigh, slowly coming to the realization of what that sap could've been.
*Sigh*, I should've paid more attention. It started sweet, but burned going down the throat…That right there should've been a strong hint.
Naruto paused to look at his paws which were covered with sticky evidence that he probably consumed more after he blacked out.
So that sap is like liquor to Grimm…Well that really sucks…
Perhaps someone else may have been happy to make this discovery, and even Naruto was still a bit pleased that there was something akin to alcohol for Grimm. After all, it was a good relaxant and was a very 'feel good' drink.
But Naruto's disappointment overwhelmed any prior excitement he had.
When Naruto first saw the sap, he expected it to be a substitute for food, or something along those lines. It would have made a huge difference in his current eating habits, but that was all thrown away once he realized it was a substitute for alcohol.
In fact, Naruto thought it was even more dangerous to consume the red sap.
If this sap was anything like other alcohol, it would cause emotional spikes and mood swings that would become too chaotic to ignore.
While this may not appear detrimental to normal Grimm, Naruto was different. Unlike the average Grimm, Naruto was capable of feeling happy, sad, and angry. It's known that alcohol tends to remove any restraints or control someone has over their emotions, and heightens them to abnormal peaks that could be dangerous to anyone around them.
While things like increased happiness may not be a problem, or maybe even sadness, anger was something else.
Someone who was drunk and angry was not someone you wanted to be around for long. They become unpredictable, and the various mood swings only adds onto their unreasonable behavior. The slightest misstep could prove detrimental to the company they keep around them.
So, why was this bad in the case of Grimm?
It's very simple, actually.
Grimm don't fight like human drunkards, they kill.
So, whatever control Naruto had over his violent, instinctive tendencies would disappear if he overdosed on the red sap.
But what worried Naruto wasn't so much the lack of emotional control. Even if he became unreasonable, he felt like he could still resist his more 'animalistic' tendencies to a comfortable extent.
It was another negative effect that had him worried, one that was more biological than mental.
The Drunchies…
The 'Drunchies', as Naruto put it, is short for the 'Drunken Munchies', meaning that as someone consumes more alcohol, the become hungry.
VERY hungry.
And a hungry Grimm is something Naruto didn't want to become, for the sake of innocent humans.
Naruto released a long breath, slowly recovering from his pained headache, "I'll have to be careful about this sap. It should be fine to have on occasion, but who knows when a normal human will pass by when I'm intoxicated."
Finally breaking away from his reflection, Naruto took a good look at his surroundings to find he was in a different area from before, but was otherwise still in 'Forever Falls' if the crimson shade of nature was anything to go by.
A short distance away, he came upon the sight of his herd of Grimm, which made him smile a bit.
It's a good thing I have these guys around, he thought with a light smile, I don't have to worry much about being attacked. They stayed close by this entire time…these guys sure are loyal.
Naruto's herd saw that he was staring at them, which caused them to…shiver?
Strange, he thought as he tilted his head in confusion, they almost seem afraid of me…did something happen?
As Naruto began to close in on them, he noticed their bodies stiffen, and did nothing to move a muscle. This slight action gave Naruto momentary pause, but he continued his approach anyways. He brushed it off as a strange quirk his herd possessed.
Once close enough, he heard the oldest Grimm of the group speak, "Alpha…are you okay?"
"Other than my fading headache, I'm fine. Why?" Naruto spoke in slight confusion.
Ganesha took in the nonchalant appearance of Naruto, and decided to not comment any further.
He didn't want to be the one to tell Naruto of his actions after he consumed the sap. He himself was also victim to Naruto's harassment, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Karasuba and Pumbaa.
"It's nothing. You just became a bit strange after eating the sap."
Naruto quirked a non-existent brow, "Oh? Did I do anything abnormal?"
Ganesha was silent for a moment as he carefully selected his words, "…You moved and stumbled a lot, and I couldn't understand a lot of your words."
Ganesha revealed some truths while holding back some of the more unsavory comments that would displease his leader. A lot of the references Naruto used were beyond his comprehension anyways, seeing as that knowledge came from another world.
"I see," Naruto spoke with a relieved sigh, glad he didn't do anything too chaotic, "that's good to hear."
He was slightly suspicious about what Ganesha said, but it was probably true that he wouldn't understand a lot of things Naruto would say. He was still in the process of learning, so Naruto couldn't fault him for that.
He then turned in the direction of the Grimm and spoke, "How about you Pumbaa? Did anything happen?"
To reassure himself, he decided to ask another member of his herd, but was left with silence as the said boar continued to remain stiff and stare blankly into space. The eyes looked glossed over, almost as if it were trying to escape to some happy place in its mind.
Seeing this, Naruto lifted his paw gently and poked the side of the boar to get his attention, "You okay big-"
"HAKUNA MATATA!"
Almost as soon as Naruto made contact with the frozen Boarbatusk, it shouted as loud as it could in fear, interrupting Naruto in the process.
Whoa, what the hell?! What's wrong with him? Naruto shouted inwardly in shock at Pumbaa's overreaction.
"Hey, take it easy big guy. Why're you shouting? And what does 'Hakuna Matata' mean?"
Unfortunately for Naruto, Pumbaa didn't hear a word he said. It seemed like the boar completely blocked out his sentence except for the part, 'What does Hakuna Matata mean?'
That sentence seemed to trigger the hidden trauma within Pumbaa's mind once more as he answered, "It means 'No Worries!' For the rest of our days!"
Naruto was taken aback once more as he slowly absorbed this useless information, and decided to comfort the obviously disturbed Boarbatusk. Though he was curious, and impressed, that he was able to speak clearly without pausing, he decided to address the more important issue at hand.
"It's gonna be ok buddy. I don't know what happened, but you'll be fine-"
And as Naruto reached to pat Pumbaa once more on the side to comfort him, it seemed it had the opposite effect and made him back away in slight fear. Its shivering figure was plain to see and it stumbled slightly in its panicked steps.
Pumbaa did the only thing a traumatized being would if they were to see the reason for their phobia standing before them…
*Squeal!* *Squeeeeeal!*
He high-tailed it out of there into the grove of red trees and bushes with a high-pitched cry, leaving a very confused and baffled Naruto.
Well that's not something you see every day…
He then turned to Karasuba who was nearby as well and asked, "So what was wrong with him?"
"Don't wanna Cracker! Don't Wanna Cracker!"
*Caaaaw!*
…And Karasuba proceeded to fly away into the distant horizon, never to be seen or heard from again…for the next couple of hours.
Baffled once more, Naruto could only shake his head at what happened before.
Hah~, why do the Grimm in my herd have to be so strange?
*pant* *pant*
"Hah! Hah!"
Within this forest of red, the Grimm were not the only ones who inhabited it. This was an obvious, yet commonly ignored fact since 'Forever Falls' hardly had any battles occur there. It was a relatively peaceful area that wasn't very good to fight strategically. It was too far out of the way and lacked discrete and tactical positions for bases of operation. It was too bright and held no environmental advantage for the ongoing war.
And currently, we find an average-looking, middle-aged man with dark brown hair. He had one black eye, while the other seemed to be white with a scar running down vertically, alluding to an incident that may have caused him to go blind from that eye.
He appeared to be a hunter from the weathered look on his face, on top of the fact that he carried a large axe for a weapon on his back. It was unique because the end of the pole that was attached to the Axe-head had a revolving chamber for dust application. This type of weapon was clearly more advanced than an average one, showing that this man was no simple figure.
Nothing else stood out from this appearance as his pants were khaki in tone and his top was a sleeveless black muscle shirt that did little to hide his hulking mass of muscle.
*pant* *pant*
"Fuck!" The large man scowled and spoke with heavy irritation, "Damn bastards caught on quick! I don't get paid enough for this shit!"
But all else aside, we now find this man running through the forest nearly out of breath, seemingly running away from someone, or something. This continued for a couple of hours before he finally stopped his movement and rested against a tree.
His chest convulsed in desperation as he continued to gasp and heave for much needed air. His legs trembled in slight soreness, indicating he had been on the run for a long time now.
*pant* *pant*
"Hah…hah…final-fuckin-ly…think I lost 'em…"
"Who exactly did you lose…Wretch."
At the sudden response, the man called 'Wretch' adopted a combative stance in reaction, as he carefully studied his surroundings. His posture and alert form showed that he was well versed and an experienced veteran in combat.
But once he recognized the tone of voice, he relaxed a bit, though heavy irritation could still be seen marring his scarred face.
"Echo," he began as he narrowed his eyes, looking for the other man's figure, "You piece of shit! If you were close, then tell me! Stop tryin' to fuckin' scare me while hiding, you ninja-fetish sonuva bitch!"
A sigh could be heard as the man called 'Echo' dropped down from the branch of a nearby tree.
Echo couldn't be any more different in appearance compared to Wretch, as he was far more thin and youthful in stature. He wore a large black cloak which concealed a simple black shirt and grey pants. His hood was currently over his head, but it did little to hide the small tufts of black hair from protruding.
He skin was pale and had an expression that seemed brooding in nature. His dark, black eyes could be seen with small bags underneath as he sent Wretch a tired frown, "Don't change the subject…who were you running from?"
Wretch released an annoyed grunt as he spat onto the ground, "You know who…those bitches from Vale caught me snoopin' around the place and tried to hunt my ass down."
He then shrugged his shoulders and spoke nonchalantly, "I got away though. Like those damn pansies are gonna do shit to me."
Wretch did nothing to hide his disdain for the Vale folk. Those people were fighting a war, for what? To be 'expressive'? He felt that was pussy talk! He didn't really care much about Mistral or Mantle's beliefs either, though he supposed he liked the idea of continued slavery. Hence the reason why he preferred to work with that side over Vacuo and Vale who were against it.
Echo was silent, but the barely restrained annoyance was visible on his face. He spoke, "…does Vale's King know about you?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the once confident, monstrous man of muscle now had his face paled. He shivered once Vale's King was mentioned.
That man was worthy of becoming a legend and dominated every battlefield he commanded. He alone was a game-changing powerhouse. Not only was his personal strength overwhelming, but his strategies and careful planning was even more monstrous. He always seemed ten steps ahead of Mistral and Mantle, and has been the biggest reason why this war lasted as long as it did. He was an unrelenting thorn in Mistral and Mantle's side over the past decade, and the war was finally starting to see its end.
How it would end was uncertain, but the presence of Vale's King did nothing but make everyone feel uneasy due to his expertise in military strategy and phenomenal individual ability.
In a slightly uneasy voice, Wretch responded, "…Yes."
Echo released a tired sigh hearing this and smacked his hand to his forehead.
"I should've known…well I suppose it's not too bad since you didn't get caught."
Echo noticed as soon as he spoke that Wretch's body seemed to shiver in what seemed to be anxiety. He began to sweat and an audible *gulp* could be heard from his direction, causing Echo to narrow his eyes in mild suspicion.
"Wretch…is there something you'd like to share?"
Silence reigned as Wretch continued to sweat more nervously than before. This began to make Echo a bit more worried.
He snarled at Wretch's current behavior, annoyed with impatience and anxiety of his own.
"Wretch…what happened?"
There were a few more moments of tense silence before Wretch finally broke the quiet moment.
"He…Vale's king…knows about 'The Campaign'…"
"…"
Silence became dominant once more in Forever Falls as the two hunters stared into each other's eyes. Wretch looked pitiable as Echo's once tired looked transformed into something furious!
"Fuck!"
For the first time since Wretch knew him, Echo cussed in anger since he understood the repercussions of the current situation.
"How the hell did they find out?!"
Wretch gained a pissed look on his face as he tried to explain himself, "Don't blame me! They must've known I was suspicious from the start and hacked my scroll!"
"You had a good cover and solid background file. We were thorough with everything!" Echo spoke with narrowed eyes.
He then crossed his arms as he continued, "They must've spotting you sneaking around. You simply suck at infiltration. Don't try to cover your ass, and just admit it."
"Why the hell didn't you take my spot then you ninja-obsessed asshole? Your semblance is much more useful than mine for stealth missions." Wretch argued, feeling humiliated after having his abilities questioned.
Echo paused for a moment, agreeing mentally that his semblance was much more suited for stealth, but he was needed elsewhere. A muscle-head like Wretch had a pretty much useless semblance when it came to intel gathering missions. Unfortunately, the better spies were stationed elsewhere and these two were both partners.
Echo rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I had other priorities. All you had to do was last a few months in Vale and gather intel, but you couldn't even do that."
Wretch did nothing further to explain himself, seeing it was pointless. He knew it was his fault. He was careless in his movements, and his actions were a bit obvious as he searched through Vale's database. Not only did he fail to collect anything, but they even took significant information from him.
Information that could cost them the war if no changes were made.
A dark expression remained stagnant on Echo's face for a few moments, but was soon wiped away as he sighed in disappointment, stress, and many other negative feelings.
"This…is not good," He expressed with a pained expression, "We'll have to tell the higher ups about this, otherwise our campaign in Vacuo...will be bloody."
Wretch gave a terse nod, knowing that his fuck up is probably going to cost him his position, maybe even his life.
He was feeling extremely pissed and needed some sort of release.
That was when he started to feel thunderous footsteps in the distance, and could hear some trees topple as well.
This put a small smirk on his face as he thought, Grimm…and a big one too…talk about perfect timing!
Seeing the smile on Wretch's face, as well as hearing the same thing he was, he knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Wretch…we don't have time for this." Echo said with a shake of his head. "We need to report this as soon as possible."
"Don't have a stick up your ass," He said with a roll of his eyes, "I'll make it quick, and it's not like an hour or two will make any difference. We have plenty of time."
Echo was really starting to get tired of Wretch's attitude towards the situation, but he couldn't really fault the dumb brute. He's always had anger issues, and he was sure that this mess didn't help his current state of mind. He didn't want to hear his bitching the entire trip, so he guessed he could cut the over-sized hunter some slack.
Echo reluctantly gave in and said, "Fine, just don't waste too much time…I know how you get when you fight."
"Bah! Whatever Buzz-killington. I've got some Grimm to slay…and they're close. That's so sweet of 'em, making things easier on me!"
It took no longer than several minutes of sprinting before the two hid behind a tree to observe the unfortunate victims of Wretch's wrath.
When they saw the Grimm in the area, Echo couldn't help but say in surprise, "This is an unusually diverse group…two Boarbatusks, a Nevermore and- is that an Alpha Goliath?!"
Upon careful examination, Echo spotted that the Goliath was much larger than average and had more bone fragments, showing how aged this Grimm really was. In truth, it was his first time seeing one.
Wretch merely licked his lips in excited anticipation and said, "Yeah, to think we would found one out here. Goliath's shouldn't be in these parts, let alone an Alpha Goliath! This is definitely going to be a fun time!"
"Let me handle this on my own, Echo. I need this shit!" He stated before he began to stalk towards the herd of unusual Grimm.
Echo merely shook his head, "By all means, enjoy."
He didn't want to waste his energy on the Grimm, and wanted to see if Wretch would get his ass kicked. He was nowhere near as bloodthirsty as his partner was, and didn't enjoy wasteful activities like this. He decided to only help when it was necessary.
Wretch then leaked a small amount of killing intent that seemed to catch the attention of the Grimm as they stared in his direction with a menacing gaze.
He unfurled the axe from his back, taking a few practice swings in the process. He then rested it on his collarbone, standing with a proud, dominant pose. The Grimm before him seemed like nothing in his eyes, but a moving target to be preyed upon.
"Come on, Bitches," He smiled sinisterly before getting into a battle-ready stance, "Make my day!"
A/N: End of Chapter!
We will be getting some action next chapter! Not the sexual kind…
So, do look forward to it! We are now getting more into the story and development.
I may add more to this chapter in the future, but we will see!
Please leave reviews to help me improve or just to support me! They are the best way to motivate me and to sharpen my writing skills. The biggest room in the world is 'Room for Improvement!' So, help a guy out!
~Stay Cool, but don't Freeze