Dirt & Grit
Chapter 11
Many years later….
The rain outside pounded on the roof, and the windows shook from the vicious storm that raged outside. The girl struggled as quietly as possible in the corner of the abandoned hut they were held up in, the rope binding her wrists and feet digging into her flesh as she tried to shimmy it off without her kidnappers noticing as they sat around the fireplace, throwing in bits of dry wood to keep it going. The young girl stopped moving and breathed in through her nose as she could not through the gag in her mouth; she watched one of the men shift slightly on the stool but continue facing the fire.
"By the Brother's hairy ballsack, it's raining cats and dogs out there." One of the kidnappers said a scruffy-bearded man who wore an eyepatch and bits of scrapped armour.
"You're telling me this keeps up any longer, and the boss is gonna pitch a fit if we don't get back with the girl soon." Another said, a short, stocky, bald man with scars crisscrossing his face and a broken nose that hadn't healed properly.
"Shut it, both of you and pass me another stick. Don't think I can sit out this storm listening to the two of you fucking whine," Grumbled the last one, A skinny rake of a man with a pair of black dog ears that had a piece missing from the left one.
The short one reached off his stool to pick up a pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out, he handed it to the skinny one, who grunted in thanks and lighted it up from a zippo, which he clicked shut while puffing away.
"Still though…" Started the scruffy one who looked around the hut, "Who woulda thought that we'd get lucky enough to find shelter and shit to eat and smoke?" He said while puffing away on his cigarette and using the poker to keep the fire going before leaving the end of it in the fire.
"You think someone was living here?"
"In this shithole? Nah, not for a while. I mean, look at it…it's abandoned."
"Maybe they were just hiding out here for a bit, you know? Same as us and then moved on."
"Or eaten."
"Heh, or that."
"Brothers, kill me now," The skinny one groaned as he rubbed his forehead from irritation. The short one bumped his shoulder as the girl in the corner slowly tried to get the ropes loose but still found no success; her copper eyes narrowed in distress as her situation became more hopeless.
"Ah, come on now, Rusty, what's got your panties in a twist? Thinking about 'ol Ashley back at camp?" The short one moved back to his stall as he chuckled, "I know I am; I've got this itch in my trousers I can't seem to get rid of," He exaggeratedly scratched his crotch, causing Rusty to growl at him as he laughed.
"Lay off him, Cale; dogs just hate the rain 'is all." Said the bearded one, who scratched at his face with his hunting knife before using it as an improvised fork to eat the spam out of its tin.
"All right, all right, whatever you say, Bowie," Cale said, raising his hands before looking over to the girl in the corner who froze at his stare and then smirked, "Say…who is this…lovely little lady again?"
The girl felt like she would throw up from his gaze and unconsciously backed further into the corner to escape it; parts of her curly ginger hair fell to her face in the effort, slightly tickling her nose.
Bowie shrugged, "Dunno, it's some rich Little Lantern nobles niece or something; we just grabbed who the boss told us to grab."
"Was risky, though. We ain't that far away from Vale; they could've called a Hunter on us."
"Nah, Council ain't got enough Huntmen to waste on something like this." Rusty cut in as he stretched his back before putting his cigarette out onto the floor.
"How much are we gonna ransom her then?" Cake asked, still not taking his eyes off the girl who shifted uncomfortably.
"Think it's about…fifty thousand?"
Cale whistled and rubbed his hands before the fire as he licked his lips, looking at the young girl.
"…Did the boss say anything about the state she had to be returned in?"
"Nah, don't think so,"
"Then surely the Boss wouldn't mind if we…sampled the goods, so to say?"
The girl began to breathe heavier as the bald one refused to take his eyes off her as he grinned lecherously, eyeing her up and down. She tried to squirm away further away into the wall but found there was nowhere else to squeeze into.
"…You're a sick bastard Cale," Rusty cut in but made no effort to stop him as Cale stood up, cackling to himself as he began walking over to the girl whose screams were muffled by the gag in her mouth as her eyes widened in fear.
"Think we'll keep that gag in. Don't think I'm in the mood to deal with a screamer tonight," He cackled before he began unbuckling his belt, which he struggled with as the other two kidnappers shook their heads and returned to the fire to warm their hands.
The girl thrashed, wept, and screamed as the kidnapper came closer and closer. She begged anyone to save her, to get her away from these monsters! Anyone at all!
The door slammed open, and everyone turned to see the newest arrival, who stood in the shadow of the doorway and the storm.
They froze at the sight of the giant as he came into the light, standing at a little over six and a half feet with a broad frame to fill it. The man wore brown leather armour with iron armour covering his gloves, boots and chest, and straps holding it all together. The dark brown cloak that seemed to be a shade of black covered his face and the entirety of his back, hiding it from view but not enough to conceal the pouches on his upper arms, waist and a few around his thighs.
The giant of a man strolled further into the hut, hefting a rabbit's carcass over his shoulders as he dropped it onto the ground on the other side of the room from where the girl stared at him with shining, pleading eyes. To say that their first instinct of this man told everyone in the room that he was dangerous was, in fact, correct. He ignored their confused stares and moved over to the front of the fireplace to sit on the empty stool with a grunt warming his hands by the fire.
They sat and stood silently; the kidnappers looked between them as Cale stopped fiddling with his buckle to stand behind Rusty and Bowie, who had now stood up when the man approached them. They looked between each other and the weapons they had compared to the well-armed stranger. They didn't know which one should speak first, and Bowie made to speak.
"Who the fuck – "
"Did you enjoy it?" The stranger's deep voice interrupted as Bowie went silent automatically out of instinct before kicking himself mentally at his cowardice.
"Enjoy what you – "
"I'd guess enjoying free shit you didn't earn would put a smile on anyone's face," The stranger turned to face them, where they noticed dull silver eyes glaring at them as they instinctively swallowed. The stranger reached down to pick up a packet of cigarettes and shook it at them, making a rustling sound.
"It takes some balls to come into a fella's home and rob him of his few enjoyments in life, but I guess that's all you stupid bastards do, isn't it?" The stranger stood up and loomed over them as they genuinely noticed how large he was.
"…You're mad about the cigs?" Cale asked as his hand drifted behind him where his knife was as the other two slowly got ready to stab the stranger.
"I'm also mad at the food you helped yourself to," He nodded over to empty cans of food and bottles of water that had been drained, "So, now my question is, how are you going to earn it back?"
They looked at each other as Rusty slowly circled behind him to get the stranger in the back as the rest spread out. The stranger stood there watching them with a scowl but said nothing further as his eyes followed each of them like a hunter stalking its prey. His silver eyes eventually drifted over to the girl in the corner, who heaved and wept as she watched the stranger about to be murdered.
"…Who's the girl?" The stranger asked as Bowie replied.
"A ransom."
"To who?"
"To some fat Noble who's got more money than sense."
"Bowie!"
"What? We're gonna kill 'im anyway, so why not just tell him for fun?"
Rusty growled as he pulled his knife out, "That's. Not. The. Point! You don't ever go blabbing about what we do to anyone! If the boss – "
"How much?" The stranger cut back in as the three kidnappers turned to look at him.
"Huh?"
"I said, how much?" The stranger growled, making their skin crawl.
"F-f-fifty thousand." Stuttered Cale, whose body was screaming at him to run; he was forced to stay still as the stranger's ever-present scowl stayed on his face holding him there.
"Fifty thousand…that worth dying over?" He asked, voice rumbling at the underlying threat. The atmosphere had become suffocating to the coming violence.
"That a threat?" Bowie replied as he pulled out his knife and pistol, which had rusted from misuse and neglect.
"Why don't you find out?"
They all stared at each other, and the girl in the corner kept her eyes glued to the stranger as the kidnappers swallowed and looked at each other before nodding. Rusty was the first to move, pulling out his short blade to stick it into the stranger's ribs.
*BANG*
…Or at least he would have, as the Faunus now only had a stump where his head was supposed to be as it exploded in a shower of gore. The girl's eye widened as her ears rang, watching the Faunus stumble for a bit before slumping over dead blood and bits of bone dripping onto the wooden floor. The other two kidnappers were stunned as their eyes trailed to the stranger holding a smoking, sawed-off double shotgun wrapped in cloth toward Rusty.
The storm raged outside, and the door gave another violent slam against the wall, startling the other kidnappers as they yelled and charged at the stranger, who, with one swift motion, reached behind his back and pulled out one of the most brutal weapons the young girl had ever seen in her short life.
What was once supposed to have shining silver, iron, and gold, creating the weapon of a true huntsman, had turned into a worn down and barely cared-for tool stained with blood. It looked like an ancient relic of a distant time brought to the present to enact a bloody vengeance, barely holding on.
The stranger squeezed his finger around the trigger in the handle, and the blade's teeth roared to life with a sickening scream. The girl wished she could shut her ears but had to settle for closing her eyes as the shrieks and wails of the kidnappers filled the room, along with the horrible sound of flesh tearing apart.
"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKKK!" Screamed what she assumed was the bearded one before a loud thud was all she heard, and the chainsaw turned into a low growl as the last one whimpered and cried.
"O-o-oh god's p-p-p-please don't kill me! Please!" The short one begged on his hands and knees, his eyes shut and voice trembling, "I-I-I-I was r-r-r-roped into t-t-t-t-this, I swear! I never wanted to – " The stranger's boot stomped onto the back of Cale's skull, crashing him into the ground as he squealed, face red from crying and pleading.
"Shut. Up." The stranger barked, and Cale shut up immediately, "If there is one thing that winds me up, it's people begging. Grow a fucking spine, you pussy."
"Yes! Yes! I'll grow one, I swear; just please let me go. I swear I'll change my life! I'll become a monk, a cop, anything!" He shouted, voice muffled from his mouth, touching the floor.
"Oh, will you now?" The stranger released his foot and walked over to the fireplace, holstering his shotgun as Cale hefted himself backwards, resting on his palms as he leaned back, catching his breath and trying not to slip on Bowie's bisected remains.
The stranger picked up a small piece of firewood, turning it in each direction before being satisfied with its shape and bringing it back over as Cale began hyperventilating. The stranger leaned down.
"Open your mouth."
Cale immediately obeyed, and the stranger shoved the firewood into his mouth as tears streamed down his face.
"You see when I walked in, I assumed something pretty disgusting was going to happen to that girl over there who doesn't look a day over thirteen." Cale sobbed into the wood, "You told me you would change your life. That you would become a monk, but I think you gotta be celibate for that, right? No sex?"
The stranger kicked Cale onto his back and pushed his legs open as he stood over him; Cale could do nothing but shake in fear as he began blacking out from lack of oxygen. The silver eyes of the stranger shined as a savage grin split his face.
"I think I better get you started then!" He shouted as he raised his foot and stomped downwards onto Cales testicles, crushing them instantly. Even though his mouth was muffled, the girl swore she would never forget the noise from him; it was a squealing, bloodcurdling scream that made the girl jump from her corner into the air for a moment before falling back down. Cale's eyes bulged out of their sockets as his mouth began to foam like a dog with rabies, and soon he would pass out from the agony.
The stranger wasn't finished, though, as he returned to the fire and retrieved the poker with a glowing orange tip from being left in the fire. Cale was now unconscious but still twitching from the agony until the stranger grunted and shoved the red hot poker into his cheek, causing Cale to wake up, clutching at his cheek as the stranger leered over him.
"What are you doing falling asleep?"
Cale whimpered at the stranger's cruel gaze as snot poured from his nose, and tears dribbled down his cheeks. The stranger pointed towards the door.
"If you get going now, you might be able to find a temple to take you in." The stranger mocked as Cale looked at the open door battered by the rainstorm and the dreadful darkness waiting out.
The stranger leaned in.
"Go."
Cale scrambled to his feet, crying and heaving as he bolted out of the door running for his life, soon disappearing into the darkness, his cries fainter and fainter. The stranger stood looking at the door for a while before grunting and turning around to look at the carnage.
He walked over to where the cigarette packet had been dropped on the floor; he reached to pick it up and look inside.
"…Greedy bastards," He mumbled as he took one out and put it into his mouth before pulling out his lighter. Flicking it back shut, he blew smoke out before turning to look at the girl cowering in the corner. He walked over as she shook harder and harder before he stopped to crouch in front of her.
She whimpered under her gag and struggled but froze when she saw the stranger's face. Sharp, slightly gaunt features with a light stubble greeted her, and heavy eye bags indicated that the man hadn't slept for a while. What stood out to her the most was his silver eyes, now duller than earlier when he slaughtered her kidnappers.
He raised three fingers before her as he puffed away at his cigarette, making her eyes water from the smoke so close to her.
"I'm gonna untie you and take that gag out, but you're gonna do three things when I do," She nodded her head, eager at the idea of freedom, "One: You ain't gonna scream," She nodded, and he put a finger down, "Two: You ain't gonna run," she nodded, and he put another finger down leaving his index the last one standing, "And three: you ain't gonna speak unless I ask you a question. Got it?" She nodded furiously as he blew out another cloud of smoke before grunting and moving around to untie her binds. Her hands and legs ached with relief as she stretched and moved them around before he moved up and yanked the cloth out of her mouth, allowing her to take in greedy breaths that weren't out of her nose.
"OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU – " She shouted before the stranger scowled.
"Shut up. What did I say?"
Her mouth closed instantly as he stood back up and moved over to where the bodies were. Looking at them now, the girl thought she would be sick as she saw their still bodies in their final moments. The bearded one had half of his face stuck in a silent scream, his head split in half, and the other one didn't even have a head anymore.
She clamped a hand over her face and tried to keep her vomit in but failed as she barfed into her hands and onto the floor until she started dry heaving. The stranger ignored her and moved over to the bodies dragging them out of the house one by one until all that was left was just bits of flesh, organs and bone splattered over the floor, ceiling and walls. She didn't know how long she stood until the stranger closed the door and went to the other side of the room to pick something up. He carried the rabbit's carcass from earlier over to the fireplace to start skinning it.
He glanced over at her before nudging the extra stool out to her, an invitation to come and sit. She walked around on unsteady legs trying not to think of the savagery that had just happened mere moments ago. Plopping herself down, she watched as he yanked the rabbit's tail off and bit its back before yanking its fur off. She thought she would be sick again as he spat out a wad of the rabbit onto the floor.
He then began carving it with a serrated hunting knife that he pulled from his ankle, slicing bits of its meat off its legs and roasting them over the fire. The girl's hands wouldn't stop shaking, and she found herself forcefully pinching her skin to try and stop it. The stranger glanced at her before handing her the other leg on a stick.
"Here. You take this one; my hands are too tired to do it." She took it off of him and stuck it over the fire focusing on it to take her mind off what had happened.
"What's your name?" The stranger asked, and the girl jumped at him, asking her a question.
"Um, i-i-its uh," She coughed into her hands, humiliated at how weak her voice sounded, "…my name is S-Seele." She answered as he grunted.
"W-w-what's your name – "
"Rule three." He replied, sticking three fingers up as she looked back at the rabbit leg roasting.
"O-o-h yeah, s-s-sorry."
They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again.
"How old are you?"
"…fourteen."
He grunted and pulled the rabbit legs away from the fire, examining it for a minute before biting it and chewing with his mouth.
Seele took her leg from the fire and blew on it gently before biting and chewing with her mouth closed.
The stranger continued to face the fire as it reflected off his eyes, cloak still drawn over his head.
"How far away is your village?" He asked, still chewing his food before swallowing.
Seele swallowed her mouthful before speaking.
"…I think it's north of here? It's called Little Lantern, just south of Vale." She turned to him with hope shining in her eyes, "Do you know it?" Seele immediately closed her mouth as she realised she had asked him a question which he responded to by glaring at her from the corner of his eye.
"...Yeah, I know it."
The stranger began peeling off more pieces of the rabbit to cook. They ate silently, and Seele was glad for the distraction as her mind wandered off elsewhere. She thought of the stranger's brutality, she thought of home, she thought of her Auntie worrying about her, and she tried not to think of the dead bodies outside. She glanced to her side to see that the stranger had already finished his food, burped and stood up.
Seele followed him with her eyes as he walked over to the lone bed before reaching under and pulling out a sleeping bag. She wondered if this was his home as he began tearing off the covers on the mattress, which flung dust and other nasty surprises into the air. Laying the sleeping bag on the bed, he returned to the fireplace and sat on the stool.
"Go to bed." He said, and Seele stared at him as though he had grown another head, "You deaf or something? I said go to bed." He stated again, pointing at the sleeping bag he had set up.
She looked back at him, "But where are you going to sleep?"
He scowled at her and held up three fingers again, which she nodded at before standing up and moving over to where the sleeping bag was. Climbing in, she realised how tired she was and began drifting off to sleep as she watched the stranger hunched over on his stool, staring at the fire.
"Why're you helping me?" She couldn't help but ask the stranger. He didn't bother to turn around to look at her.
"Money." He flatly stated, still staring into the fire, "Fifty thousand is enough to get me by for the next year and a bit."
"Oh," She felt oddly disappointed at the answer, "I just thought that you – "
"Go to sleep." He repeated, and she followed his order by closing her eyes.
As she drifted off to sleep, she tried to fight off the mental image of the slaughter until she heard him quietly whisper.
"…Grit. My name is Grit."
"…Thank you…for…*yawn*…saving me…Mr Grit…." Seele whispered back before darkness took her. Her last thoughts were not of the kidnappers, the attempt on her purity by the short one, or the massacre and mutilation she witnessed.
But of how sad Grit's eyes looked as he watched the fire in silence.
"Get up; we're leaving." Seele groggily opened her eyes to see her saviour standing over her with a sack over his shoulder and narrowed eyes. She sat up, and her mouth felt parched as she smacked her lips, and as if he was a mind reader, a flask was shoved in front of her face.
She took it from his hands and greedily gulped it down before he snatched it away.
"H-hey!" She complained as he glared at her shutting her up.
"This is all the water I have, and it's a two-day journey back to your village." He stated a slight growl colouring his words as her mouth zipped shut. "Now hurry up; we're leaving."
She clambered out of her sleeping bag and patted down her sun dress before leaving the house. She froze as she saw the remains of the two kidnappers from yesterday left out in the front of the house to rot.
"O-oh gods, I'm gonna - URF!" She immediately ran outside and threw up all over the damp grass as she remembered how brutally they were killed yesterday and how the last one was mutilated for life. She hunched over for another five minutes before she heard the wet grass crunching behind her, revealing Grit standing there with the sleeping bag slung over his shoulder in its little pouch.
"You gonna be sick every time you see a dead body?"
"I-I-I've seen dead people before, just not like…not like that…." She replied timidly looking at her feet.
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"…My mom."
"Hm," Grit grunted as he walked forward a few steps before turning around to the house, pushing Seele gently behind him as he raised his shotgun at the hut.
"What are you – " Seele began before he opened fire at the house; a breath of fire left the barrel as it engulfed the hut setting it ablaze. Seele stared at Grit, gobsmacked as he holstered his shotgun and turned around to keep walking north.
Seele caught up with him, "Why did you do that? Wasn't that your house?" She shouted in confusion as he lit up another cigarette.
"No? When did I ever say it was my house?" He exhaled smoke, "You think I would live in a shithole like that?"
Seele looked back at the house again before keeping her mouth shut as she followed him, not understanding the man in front of her who walked without a care in the world. Who was he? What was he? They continued walking for a few hours as the questions piled up in her head until she couldn't contain them anymore.
"Are you huntsman?" She questioned as he ducked under a tree branch, Seele following close on his heels. He grumbled something about 'three' but didn't answer her as he stopped to look around.
"…No."
"Oh," She looked down at her feet, ignoring how sore they felt in her shoes, "Are you a mercenary?"
"No."
He must have found what he was looking for as he continued walking. She jogged a bit faster to keep up with his longer strides.
"Are you a – "
"Can you shut up for like fucking minutes?" He cut in angrily, scowling at the young girl who flinched back and muttered a quiet apology to Grit as they passed by a destroyed wagon, all its supplies barely touched.
They walked in silence for a moment while she sniffled and hid her eyes behind her hand. Her feet ached, and she was still so tired, but she was also too scared to tell Grit about that in case he yelled at her again.
Grit glanced over and sighed.
"No. I ain't whatever you think I am; I'm just…wandering around." He said as she looked back up at him, wiping her eyes.
"O-oh," She walked a bit faster to stand beside him, "…Is it fun?"
"No."
"Oh…okay," Seele flinched at his deadpan tone before looking for something to talk about as she avoided the branches and brambles, "I've always wanted to go travelling, but my auntie always said it was too dangerous to go outside the village," She spoke to him as he remained silent, not looking as though he was listening to her, "…After what just happened, I think she's right."
He grunted in response as he pushed another branch out of the way.
"But now I'm thinking that if people like you are out there, then…maybe it won't be so bad?" She tried to smile at him, but he looked back at her with that sullen look which made her falter.
"People like me?"
A tree branch snapped in the distance, and a flock of birds flew from their trees in fear.
"Yeah. Heroes! You saved me, didn't you?"
He laughed harshly, and she felt he didn't find it amusing. He didn't bother to look at her as he began to slow down and withdraw his shotgun.
"Believe me, kid, if there wasn't a bunch of money waiting for me at the end of this, I woulda ditched you in the night." He looked around him, his silver eyes beginning to regain their lustre, "There ain't no such thing as heroes in this world, but if you want to find one…."
The growling of inhuman beasts echoed around them as Seele instinctively hid behind Grit, who reached behind him to pull out his chain sword, which screamed to life. Red eyes peered at them from between the trees; bone-white masks slinked out from the bushes and atop the trees as their hulking shadowy bodies appeared. Blood and flesh dripped from their maws, making their teeth shine.
"…Check their stomachs."
The Beowolves launched themselves at the pair as Seele screamed and Grit snarled as he swung at a Beowolf lunging at him from his front, bisecting it instantly; he then pivoted to his right and fired his shotgun into the legs of another, which collapsed to the ground with a whining snarl. Seele crouched low on the floor while covering her ears, still screaming her lungs out as gunfire, snarls, and chain swords filled the air.
Grit stepped around Seele to slash at another Beowolf, which tried to sneak up on him before getting its arm sliced off. The Beowolf roared in Grit's face before he stuffed his shotgun down its mouth and pulled the trigger, exploding out the back of its throat as it slumped. The legless Beowolf crawled towards Grit, trying to bite at his leg; Grit stomped on its face cracking its mask before growling and stomping again, completely caving its face in as it twitched and groaned until it stilled, disappearing into the smoke.
Seele began to breathe in and out rapidly; she had to get out of here, she thought; she had to get away from here so she didn't die! She just wanted to go home! Her eyes watered as she snivelled before making a break for it when the Grimm were all focused on Grit, who continued slashing, shooting and laughing.
She ran to the left, towards where only a few of the Grimm had come from. She ran for about fifteen seconds before tripping over a tree root that her foot got snagged in as she slammed onto the floor, crying out in pain. She wept and gasped as her ankle was twisted in the wrong direction, and she leaned over to see it. She only had a glance before hearing pants and heavy thuds bounding towards her, a Beowulf salivating at the mouth as it leapt at her with its meaty talons coming to tear her apart.
She couldn't scream or cry for help; she just…froze as the monster came to eat her in one bite. She could only watch as it came closer before jerking back with a squeal and being thrown overhead into the ground. Grit stood above it now, gripping its throat with one hand as his other hand clocked it round its mask with a sickening crack.
"JUST,"
*CRACK*
"FUCKING"
*CRACK*
"DIE!"
Before Grit could land the final blow, the Beowolf launched up with its jaws one final time, snapping it's teeth around Grit's shoulder as his ash-coloured aura flashed. Grit snarled with animalistic rage as his aura disappeared into him, allowing the Beowolf's teeth to sink in but granting Grit the strength for one last punch, going straight through its head and into the dirt below, piercing through the ground.
Seele watched, stunned, as the Grimm's body began disappearing into the air as Grit pulled his arm out of the ground with a grunt. Blood poured from his shoulder, but it didn't bother him as his aura flashed, and he began slowly knitting up the wound as he walked over to a tree where his chain sword had impaled a slowly evaporating Beowolf on it. Yanking it out, the Grimm's half-dissolved corpse slumped to the ground with a heavy thud.
Seele whimpered in pain as she poked her ankle; red and swollen, it felt numb yet ached so much if she even moved it a little. She looked up at Grit's hooded face; most of his features were still unclear as his head swivelled towards her, silver eyes becoming duller as he stomped towards her.
"G-Grit m-m-m-my foot r-r-really hu – " She had no time to finish as Grit hauled her up by her arm, causing her to shout in agony as he forced her to look at him.
"What were the first two rules I told you?" He asked flatly.
Her face bunched up in pain as she cried from being forced to stand on her ankle.
"W-w-what? I-I-I-I-I-I don't – "
"Don't scream," He held one finger up, "And don't run." He held his second finger up before dropping her again, making her gasp in pain.
"If you can't listen to basic instructions, then I'll leave you here as Grimm bait," He walked off to the right before coming back with a stick and chucking it at her, "Use that and hurry up."
He began walking north again but at a much slower pace as Seele pushed herself up, wobbling the whole time. She glared at the retreating back of Grit and thought of hateful and horrid things as he stopped to look at her to make sure she was following her.
"…I hate you," She whispered as he turned his head slightly to look at her.
"What's that?" He asked loudly.
"I said I hate you!" She screamed, "You're rude! You're horrible! You're a brute, and you keep treating me like-like-like crap!"
He had already turned his head back, keeping his face away from her as he continued walking forward. Seele became even more enraged as she felt that he was ignoring her.
"I HATE YOU!"
She paused to take deep shuddering breaths as she gasped from the pain, causing her to double over. Looking up, she saw Grit reaching into one of his pouches to retrieve a tub which he chucked at her, which she missed as it slipped from her fingers and landed on the ground.
"…Rub that on your ankle," He explained as she picked it up, "It'll numb the pain, and then I won't have to listen to you whine the whole time."
She opened it up, and a foul, pungent smell greeted her. Her eyes watered as she scoped her two fingers in and started rubbing them on her ankle.
"I don't care that you hate me," His deep voice cut through the air, "Just don't slow me down."
The pain in her ankle immediately felt relieved; in fact, she would go so far as to say that her entire felt numb to any sort of pain. Pushing herself up, she began hobbling after Grit as he marched north with purpose in his gait.
Seele hated that she couldn't understand this man and knew she didn't want to. Her back shivered in fear as she caught a glimpse of his face and sped after him with her stick.
She didn't think she knew anyone who smiled at the Grimm.
The fire crackled, and the owls hooted in the night as they sat around the campfire, greedily taking in its warmth. Seele sat in the sleeping bag while chewing on some more rabbit that Grit had found, her ankle still aching from the pain. She finished with a quiet burp and added more cream to her leg, relishing in the blissful numbness.
She looked up to see Grit sitting on a fallen tree log, staring into the fire, his dull eyes looking like they were a thousand miles away. He sat puffing away on his last cigarette before he threw the empty packet away with a growl. Weirdly enough, Seele began getting used to the smell and started taking comfort in it; it was…safe in its own way.
She felt frustrated and confused by him; the things he said and the things he did were completely different from each other. He would say cruel and unkind things but then keep her safe by slaying Grimm and bandits, hunting food for them and giving her medicine for her ankle. She curled further into her sleeping bag as she stared at his exposed chin and mouth, noticing that he had a small cut on his upper lip going upwards.
She wondered where he got it, probably from fighting Grimm or other people, she thought. Her mind flashed back to the brutal execution of her kidnappers, their screams of agony ringing through her mind. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep but couldn't.
"Stop moving around; it's pissing me off," His gruff voice cut in, causing her to be still.
"S-sorry." she meekly replied as he continued staring at the fire. She couldn't sleep when she was all jumpy and scared; only one thing always helped, but she was too scared to ask him.
"…me…story…please…" She whispered under her breath, her heart beating crazy. He turned to look at her with what she assumed was a scowl.
"What?"
She decided to find her courage.
"…can you tell me a story, please?" She asked with shining eyes, a silent plea in them. He looked incredulous at her as he continued smoking, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"My…my auntie always read me stories whenever I was scared…whenever I had nightmares of my mom and dad dying…and I…I…It's nothing, don't worry about it; it was a stupid idea anyway." She turned away from him, her face burning in shame and embarrassment.
What's wrong with her? She thought. She had just asked a stranger to read her a bedtime story in the middle of the woods. She couldn't believe how stupid she was, a silly, foolish girl!
"I don't know a lot of…normal fairy tales, so I don't think you'll like them," His voice cut in, a surprising gentleness to it. She turned to look at him; surprise etched into her face as he continued staring into the fire, absently rubbing his right shoulder.
"…That's okay; I like all kinds of stories."
He looked over at her.
"You like reading?" He asked as she nodded.
"Yeah, there isn't much to do at the village, so I just read all the time." She explained as he listened.
He hummed in response while straightening his back slightly.
"If I tell you one, will you go to sleep?" He asked.
She nodded.
"All right then," He cleared his throat as he went back to looking at the fire as he began:
'There was a certain great craftsman, and he was rich. He took to drinking and gambling, and drank away all his wealth, and grew poor, so that he had nothing to eat. He saw a dream, that he should make himself wings; and he made himself wings, and screwed them on, and flew to the Ninth Region, to the emperor's castle, and lighted down And the emperor's son went forth to meet him, and asked him, 'Where do you come from, my man?'
'I come from afar.'
'Sell me your wings.'
'I will.'
'What do you want for them?'
'A thousand gold pieces.'
And he gave him them, and said to him, 'Go home with the wings, and come back in a month's time.'
He flew home, and came back in a month; and the prince said to him, 'Screw the wings on to me…..'
Seele's eyes began to close as she slowly drifted off, his low voice becoming fainter and fainter as she fell asleep, the pain from her ankle becoming duller as the cream began its work. Her eyes shut, and she snuggled deeper into the bag, ignoring the stones and sticks digging into her back. Even with the fire on, it was still cold in the woods, and she struggled a bit longer before a warmth covered her entire body.
She peeked her eyes open to see that Grit was without a cloak, his features still darkened by the fire but noticed that his hair was cut extremely short as he continued murmuring the story. Seele felt comfort in her stomach and finally drifted off to sleep, happy he was watching over her.
She gripped the cloak above the sleeping bag and basked in its warmth.
"T-t-this way! We're only twenty minutes away," Seele shouted ahead of Grit, pointing at the sign;
'Little Lantern'
1 Mile
"Finally," Grit grunted as he readjusted the sleeping bag over his shoulder. He looked at the sign again, reading the one above it as he fiddled with a pouch around his waist.
'Vale'
5 Miles
He spat on the floor and marched past it, following Seele as she hobbled slowly down the beaten path that had sunken from constant travel from the city and into further south of Sanus. Seele seemed to have a burst of energy, eager to get home as soon as possible, talking about everything she would do.
"I can't wait to see Auntie Rochel again! I'm gonna hug her as tight as I can and never let her go! Oh! Then I'm going to go hug Rocko – my dog, in case I forgot to tell you – and play with him every day!" She turned around to Grit, who watched her with that same sullen expression on his face. Seele had accepted that was just his permanent look and not to take it personally. She started to feel shy as Grit walked behind her, looking not at her but the horizon north.
"I…I know you're just doing it for the money, but…." He looked down at her as she twirled the end of her hair, "…Can I show you around the village? My auntie would love to get to know you more." Her ears burned as she waited for his response, her heart hammering in her chest.
He was silent for a moment before he spoke, "…You can show me where the inn is; I'm only staying for one night." His shadowed face betrayed nothing as his lips remained in that firm line. Seele felt disappointed by his answer but would take any victory she could. She felt strange about Grit leaving but didn't want to voice her feelings out loud in case he told her to shut up again.
"…Okay," She said glumly as she continued hobbling, slowly feeling the ache in her ankle again as the medicine began to wear off; she bit her lip to keep her cries in.
Grit's eyes flicked around the woods as they continued walking down the path, finally eager to get over this journey. His feet ached, and he hadn't anything to eat besides wild animals and cigarette smoke, but after he got that reward, he would –
*SNAP*
He unholstered his shotgun and fired off to his left, blowing a hole in the tree in his way and causing the leaves in its branches to fall from the force, blanketing the ground. He glared at the spot before pivoting around him, looking up into the trees and down into the bushes, daring whatever was there to come out.
Seele had already ducked behind Grit, gripping his cloak so hard her knuckles turned white as she began to sweat. She followed his gaze and swallowed.
"W-what is it?... Grimm?" She asked quietly.
Grit reached behind him to pull out his chain sword but didn't turn it on. His scowl deepened as he shouted;
"Stop hiding, you pussies!"
Seele kept watching around them, wondering who he was shouting to; she was about to ask before a slow clapping sound echoed throughout the woods.
"Well done, well done." A smooth voice said above them. They both looked up to see a tall man in leather armour with metal spiked shoulder pads standing on the branch above them. His black ponytail blew in the wind, and his amber eyes watched the pair amusedly as he made himself known.
"From what Cale told me, I assumed that it was one of those barbarians from the Solitas tundra," He sat down on the branch. Grit took notice of the large scar that crossed his temple to his jaw along with his scruffy stubble, "And to be honest, I believed him after the state you left his funbags in."
Grit massaged the trigger on his shotgun but waited for the rest of them to appear as Seele cowered further behind him.
"Am I supposed to know who fucking Cale is?" Grit growled at the strange man. The man ignored him.
"Tsk, tsk, very uncivilised, I would say," Grit noticed more movement out of the corner of his eye to see more men and women coming out from behind trees and into the light as they glared and scowled at him.
He sent it right back.
Seele tugged on his cloak, getting his attention. He looked down into her fear-filled eyes, which brimmed with tears; she didn't know how they would get out of this one.
"Grit…what do we do?" She whispered as he stayed silent.
"Now, usually I would laugh at something like this; I mean, crushing a man's nutsack always get a laugh out of me, but unfortunately, you crossed me personally…." The amber-eyed man continued talking as he paced back and forward on the branch.
"…On my signal, you go as fast as you can," Grit whispered as he counted the number of people around him. It was around twelve, including the Amber-eyed man.
Seele felt her heart clench in fear at the thought of abandoning Grit; there was no way he would survive this.
"…You see, you robbed me," The leader continued saying as he pulled a revolver and a hatchet from each side of his sides, "But I'm gonna let you off easy if you just give me the girl, and I will…only take one of your hands."
"But…but…but," Seele stuttered before being quieted down by a glare from Grit, whose expression said he wasn't in the mood to argue.
Grit gripped his weapons harder as his muscles tightened under his armour.
The leader raised his eyebrow, "So what'll it be? Give me the girl, and you'll – SHIT! – " He leapt off the branch as it exploded beneath him, Grit's shotgun following his form as he fired again, catching him in the air as he flew back.
Grit didn't turn around to face Seele, "RUN!" He shouted as she jumped and began hobbling away as fast as she could before picking herself up into a limping run. A bandit ran out from the tree line, trying to catch her before he slammed into the ground, a weight pinning him beneath. Seele glanced back to see that Grit was standing atop the bandit, who desperately tried to claw his way out before Grit raised his boot and crushed his head with an aura-infused stomp, splattering his brains all over the ground.
Seele swallowed up the rising bile and kept running, snot and tears running down her face as she called back, "I'LL GET HELP! JUST WAIT THERE, GRIT!" She stumbled and tripped a few times but kept pace as she faded into the distance.
The rest of the bandits warily circled Grit as he stepped off the corpse of their comrade, his boots squelching in his remains as he scowled at the rest of them. They looked at one other, waiting for someone to make the first move as Grit revved up his chain sword as it screamed to life.
Scowling at them, he snarled like a beast, challenging whoever was brave enough to come at him. They glanced at one another before coming to the same conclusion; they raised their firearms and began firing at Grit, who charged straight ahead at the nearest bandit, the bullets causing his aura to shimmer while others deflected off the metal on his body.
"OH SHIT, OH FUCK, HE'S GONNA – GAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" The bandit screamed as he was bisected by Grit, who pushed forward roughly as his chain sword caught on his ribs. Yanking his chain sword out, he gripped the bandit's severed torso and used it as a meatshield to protect himself as he charged towards the next bandit, who fired at him with a shotgun while backing away, his shells thudding and tearing away at the body of his former friend.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD, I'M GONNA FUCKING GUT YOU – GAGH!" The air left his body as his friend's pulped torso smashed into him, knocking him to the ground as he struggled to regain his breath. Pushing the body off of him, he had no time to react as he looked up to see a shotgun barrel staring at him.
"Oh shit –"
*BANG*
The bandit's head exploded into mist as Grit holstered his shotgun before turning to cut down the next one. They stopped firing at him, and Grit had no time to wonder why as he blocked a hatchet swing at his head from the leader, who scowled at him and went for his pistol to shoot Grit in the head. Grit intercepted and kicked the gun away before thrusting his hand forward to try and strangle him.
The leader slapped his hand away, and Grit felt his arm sag to his side as he lost all feeling. He was momentarily surprised as the Leader booted him away, breaking their clash as Grit skidded away. The leader spat out a glob of phlegm as he smirked at Grit.
"Fuck me; you are a savage bastard, aren't you?" The leader hissed as he rolled his shoulder while Grit tried forcing sensation back into his deadened arm, "Shame I got to kill you, mate, would have loved to have had a bruiser like you in my band."
Grit sneered, "What, chasing around little girls in the woods? Sorry cunt, but I think I'll pass," The leader stared for a moment before laughing as Grit raised an eyebrow.
"You have no idea who she was, do you?" The leader said, not waiting for an answer, "That was Councilwoman Sunflower's only surviving niece."
"Seele Sunflower."
Grit grunted as he tried forcing his arm to regain mobility.
"There isn't much point in trying to get your arm working again." The leader chimed in as Grit scowled at him while the leader tapped his nose, "It's my semblance, see. Let's me paralyse a body part for a minute each as many times as I want; pretty handy if I say so myself."
The leader watched Grit before slapping his forehead, "Ah, before you die, I might as well introduce myself, Slade Gradient." He bounced on the balls of his feet, "And you are…?"
"Fuck off cunt," Grit spat as he revved his chain sword again.
Slade huffed in amusement as he flipped his hatchet up in the air before catching it, "Well, I'd love to chop you up myself, but I think my boys are owed a little payback wouldn't you say?" Slade slithered back as the rest of the bandits had newfound courage in Grit's temporary disability.
They smirked with glee at the prospect of getting revenge as one bandit strode towards Grit with a spiked hammer.
"Yer gonna pay fer killing Fred you – GAH!" The bandit's words were cut off as Grit kicked him in the balls, causing him to double over before getting decapitated with a single slice from his chain sword. His head bounced on the floor before stopping at the feet of another bandit who looked up to see Grit leaping towards him, one of his arms flopping uselessly behind him as his other arm swung the chain sword at him cutting into his shoulder as he screamed before dropping to the ground with a thud.
Only a handful of them was left, and their morale boost had now disappeared along with their observed chances of survival. One of the bandits backed away, sweating with fear as she looked into Grit's savage eyes.
"F-FUCK THIS. I'M NOT DYING FOR THIS SHIT!" She screamed as she turned to run before a hatchet was planted in her skull, stopping her short; she gasped before falling to the floor with a heavy thud as it withdrew from her head.
Slade sneered at the handful of bandits left, trembling with fear as they now had no way to go between the only two aura users here. It was either death from their boss for running away or being torn apart by the maniac with the chain sword, which had now regained use in his arm.
"Fucking cowards!" Slade shouted at his remaining men, who flinched from his words but found no strength to refute them, "Fine! If you want something done well…." He crouched low, his green aura flashing on his body.
"…Do it yourself," He said before exploding off the ground and clashing weapons with Grit, whose chain sword screamed to life as he revved it again. Their weapons collided, again and again, creating sparks as they tried to go for the killing blow; Slade knew that one decent blow from this guy's chain sword would cause some severe damage, and Grit was avoiding being touched by Slade's hands to prevent paralysis to any of his limbs.
The bandits could only watch in awe as they went at it, a battle between two aura users that wanted each other dead. The only question was;
Who was going to lose?
Settlement of Little Lantern…
"What are we even paying you fucking Hunters for anyway?!" Screamed a middle-aged woman outside of her manor. Curly hair that had gone grey a decade ago bounced in irritation as her copper eyes shined with anger. She wagged her finger at the tall huntsman, taking a swig from his flask, who sighed.
"For the last time, lady, I ain't here to rescue your niece," The huntsmen's red eyes strained from being awake so early, and his head ached from the councilwoman's screaming, "I'm here on a mission from Ozpin to go and look for any Grimm that-"
"Fuck Ozpin, and fuck your god's damned mission!" The councillor screamed back as she jabbed her finger into his chest as he fought the urge to take another swig from his flask. It was way too early to deal with this shit, he thought glumly, "Last time I checked, you Hunters were under our authority of the Vale Council, and if you don't go out there right now, you will find yourself out on your ass without a Lien to your name! Understood?"
The Huntsman sighed aggressively and thought about quickly escaping so he wouldn't have to put up with the councillor's temper. He felt for her; he did, and if he had the time, he would be out there right now looking for Seele Sunflower.
But he didn't have enough time; he never had enough time.
"Are you listening to me right now?" She shouted while clicking her fingers at him.
Should he have that drink?
"Qrow Branwen, I order you to go out and find my niece this instant! Who knows what happened to her by now!"
He took a swig from his flask.
"I don't take orders from you, Councillor Sunflower; I take 'em from Ozpin."
"And I just told you I don't give a fuck about Ozpin or your fucking godforsaken ord-"
"COUNCILLOR! COUNCILLOR!"
Qrow and the councillor turned to look at the approaching guard, who ran screaming with a child on his back. Not just any child, though; it was…
"OH, BY THE BROTHERS, SEELE!" Screamed the councillor, who ran straight at the guard who slowly let her get off as she gently stepped off with her swollen ankle causing her to buckle. She had barely got off before her auntie had swept her up in her arms, squeezing her as tight as she could and peppering her with kisses.
Seele tried to speak but couldn't as her auntie wept and shouted.
"Oh, Seele! I'm so happy you're okay! I don't know what I would have done if you had been hurt!"
"I'm fine, auntie Rochel, but you need to - !"
"I swear I'm never leaving you out of my sight again! From now on, no more adventuring and sightseeing!"
"Auntie Rochel, you need to –"
"We are moving away from and going straight to Vale; we'll leave in the – "
"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Seele screamed, urging her auntie into silence and getting Qrow to stop taking a swig from his flask as he looked at her with raised eyebrows.
She gasped for breath, still winded from running back to the village while pointing towards the exit. Her ankle screamed with pain, and it felt like she was breathing fire into her lungs, but she smothered that down.
"I…help…Mr Grit…Kidnappers….save…" She breathed out before standing up straighter as her auntie looked at her confusedly while Seele began crying.
"Seele darling, what are you saying?" Seele wiped her eyes and swallowed the lump in her front.
"T-t-the man who saved me is fighting my kidnappers right now! He's going to die!" She gripped her aunties shirt, "PLEASE SAVE HIM! PLEASE!"
Her auntie stared, shocked, before nodding and turning to Qrow, who screwed his flask back on.
"You heard her! Go save that man and do something useful for once!" She shouted as she helped Seele sit on the ground, where she wept into her arms.
Qrow rolled his eyes before marching towards the gate, waving his hand behind him, "Yeah, yeah, I'll go save him." He silently hoped this guy would hold out as he picked up the speed, enhancing it with his aura as he cleared the distance, the trees blurring past him as he unsheathed his blade.
Hang on, stranger.
Grit laid on his back with Slade standing over him, hatchet pointed at his face; his limbs had been rendered useless, and he could not fight back. His chain sword was lying beside him, and he couldn't twitch his fingers as much as he tried. Thrashing his head back and forth, he spat at the bandit leader above him, who wiped his bloody face with his other arm so he could see better.
"Got to say, out of all my scraps, you've got to be the most tenacious and stubborn bastard I've had to deal with," He rolled his jaw, getting the clicks out, "But like all the others, I always come out on top." Slade's grin was infuriating as Grit shook with rage, disgusted by the thought that this nobody had gotten the best of him.
"You know what, after all the trouble you caused me, I don't think I'm going to kidnap that little bitch anymore, in fact," He leaned down to Grit's snarling face, which had been fully exposed after losing his cloak, "I think I'm going to skin her and sell it as a rug to some interested buyers." He smirked at Grit, only a few inches away from him, their noses nearly touching.
Grit glared at Slade before his usually dull eyes gained a new demented glint. His aura disappeared and flowed into him as he felt inhuman strength flow into his bones; he couldn't punch anything or kick anything, so he would go for the next best thing as the ringing split his head apart.
Grit launched his head, mouth open and latched onto the middle of Slade's throat, who gasped as he felt teeth puncture his flesh. He barely had moments to react before a sickening tearing sound was heard as Grit pulled away, his mouth covered in blood before spitting it out to the side. Slade's hand tried to stop the blow flow, but he was already dead as torrents of blood poured from the hole in his throat, coating Grit below who spat out any of that got into his mouth as the feelings in his limbs returned as he howled, booting Slade off of him who landed on his back and tried crawling away. He didn't get far enough as he was yanked back by Grit, who stomped on his chest, head and stomach, crushing the bones and organs beneath him in a mindless fury, not realising that Slade had died on the second stomp.
Grit screamed and wailed until Slade's upper body was nothing pulp and smashed bones. Picking up his chain sword Grit squeezed his head as hard as possible between his knuckles as he whispered to himself, gradually getting louder;
"…shut up, shut up, shut up, shUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
The bandits watching could only freeze as Grit turned his maddened gaze over to the few survivors as they emptied their bowels at the sight of him. The shining blood on his face looked far more like warpaint and enhanced the shining madness of his silver eyes as he grinned at them before revving his chain sword.
"STOP THE BELLS RINGING IF YOU CAN! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
All that was heard were the screams of men and women carved up into bits, a horror that only the most demented mind could think of was visited upon those bandits.
When Qrow found the battle site, he assumed that the Grimm had come to wipe them out in the middle of the fight, as that could be the only reason to explain the carnage he witnessed. Bodies were chopped up roughly, heads smashed, and organs pulled out of their stomachs. He only knew a few people sick enough to cause this kind of damage, and they weren't on his side or anyone respectable that is.
It wasn't until closer inspection that he recognised one of the corpses nearly destroyed bodies; Slade Gradient was wanted for counts of rape, murder, kidnapping, robbery and human trafficking. A real piece of shit that had been bothering the kingdoms for the past decade, now done in after a scrap in the woods.
But who did it?
Qrow got his answer as he heard heavy panting and snarling; he looked over to see a tall man hunched over, dripping blood from his back. In this man's hand was a vicious-looking chain sword that tickled the back of Qrows brain as he tried to figure out where he had seen that before.
"Hey!" Qrow called, and the man twitched, "You the crazy bastard that did all this?" The man turned slowly, and Qrow was curious to see what this guy looked like as he turned around. Finally facing him, Qrow thought a ghost had returned to haunt him.
"…Gin?" He whispered in disbelief.
The man growled at the name and revved up his chain sword, silver eyes burning in hatred and rage as he got a better glimpse at Qrow's face.
"Raven? Raven? RavEN? RAVEN? RAVEN! RAVEN! RAVEN!" The crazy bastard began bounding towards Qrow, the chain sword revving it up with a screeching wail, "RAAAAVVVVEEEEENNNN!"
On hearing his sister's name, Qrow groaned and pulled out his scythe while muttering only one thing.
"…It's always fucking Raven."
Beacon Academy, Headmasters Office…
Ozpin sighed as he finished another faculty meeting; even for someone like him, they dragged on too long. Sipping his coffee, he closed out the session and went over more reports that needed to look over or signed off on, especially that new project that he wanted to put forward to the Council; thankfully, he had the other headmasters of the other academies to back him up on it. But he was not looking forward to his proposal at the next Council meeting.
He was about to open up an urgent email from Theodore until a call from Qrow started calling in on the emergency line.
Is he in trouble?
Ozpin accepted the call and waited for it to connect. His eyebrows rose as he saw Qrow nursing a bruise on his cheek and a split lip that was bleeding slightly, at first Qrow thought that he had gotten too drunk at a bar and started a fight, but he dashed that thought as he knew Qrow was too skilful to ever to be harmed in something like that.
"Qrow? What has happened to your face?" Ozpin asked.
Qrow spat out a wad of blood before wiping his mouth with his hand; Ozpin idly noted that Qrow was sitting down and breathing heavily before settling down.
"Well, that's a story I'll tell you in person, but I can show you the cause," Qrow spun his scroll round, and Ozpin thought he would drop his coffee at the sight of the man slumped against a tree, his head lolled back.
"Gin?" Ozpin nearly shouted, unbelieving that someone he had trusted had returned from the dead.
Qrow chuckled, "Yeah, I thought so too until we started fighting; it ain't him in the slightest." Qrow turned back to Ozpin with a question on his lips.
"Does the name Grit mean anything to you? I heard Sunflower's niece say that was his name or something." Qrow asked as Ozpin narrowed his eyes and searched through his memories of years and years.
He finally settled on a name; when Gin had his first child and he came to pay his respects, he remembered the name of that baby…Grit Merrick.
"It can't be…." Ozpin whispered as he stood up and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the man – no, boy's features.
"What is it, Oz? Who is it?" Qrow asked, now standing up and rolling his shoulder to relieve the ache.
"…That's Gin's child Qrow, his boy," Ozpin answered as Qrow's mouth imitated a fish.
"But…But how? I thought Gin and his family died when she sent her attack dog?"
"So, did I Qrow, so did I…." Ozpin cut himself off when he noticed a drawing on Grit's right shoulder.
"Qrow, what's that on his shoulder? His right shoulder?" Qrow walked over to where Grit sat and gave him a light kick, checking to see if he was still awake. When he didn't respond, he tore off the leather from his right shoulder to reveal the tattoo beneath.
Ozpin sighed, and Qrow groaned as they saw the wagon wheel of the Nomads tattooed onto his flesh. They both came to the same conclusion, but Qrow said the answer first.
"Amon," He spat.
Ozpin shook his head as he thought about what to do. He couldn't leave Gin's child out there, he owed him that much, especially after everything, but neither could he risk the council finding out that a Nomad was within the city walls; they were all sadly considered exiled from the kingdoms still.
Unless…
"Qrow," Ozpin's voice cut in, grabbing Qrow's attention, "Suspend your current mission and bring Grit Merrick into the VPD on charges of…oh, I don't know, assaulting a Huntsman."
Qrow rubbed his jaw, "He did assault a Huntsman Oz," He pointed at his face, "Me."
Ozpin rolled his eyes in amusement and sipped his coffee as Qrow sighed and dialled in for a bullhead to pick him up while producing a pair of aura restraints.
"What you got planned this time, Oz? I know what that look in your eye means."
Ozpin laced his fingers forward.
"I think we may potentially buy ourselves more time."
Authors Notes: Wow so it seems like I was full of shit for only keeping it 5-6k words huh? I just couldn't help myself I was on a roll! Anyway not much to say but stay tuned for the next update.
BTW - I will occasionally go back through older chapters and review my grammar until I get brave enough to ask for a beta.
Review Reply:
Rangda: Cheers mate! That was probably one of the coolest reviews I've gotten so far and I'm really happy you are enjoying it! I hope this new chapter with geared up Grit let's you know that he's not that dumb kid anymore and has learnt from his mistakes (at least regarding his physical weaknesses) I also hate Mary Sues and I'm trying really hard for Grit not to fall into that camp. He won't always be a moody and angry man forever! He will happily smile again soon!
