As more years passed and he continued to do what he had in the previous years, he began to question the way the world was run. Atlas for the most part, while it had a military and structure, was so poorly put together it made some insurrectionists cells look like professionals. Mistral and Vacuo were overrun with chaos that it would take countless years to even think about getting it in shape, and Vale was just... in the middle. It had structure and stability but it also had chaos and was in a disarray sometimes. He didn't know. A small amount of hope had festered within him when he received a signal, it wasn't UNSC or from Remnant. It was something else and the signal was patchy but that could be dealt with in the future.
He had become a legend within the frontier, sometimes as a protector and savior while other times he was a ruthless killer. It didn't matter because he left before anyone could actually find him. Completing bounties ranged from eliminating Grimm and bandits to capturing outlaws that had escaped to the frontier. Having them alive was worth more and half the time he had to drag them across the ground with a rope before delivering them to the settlement. Nobody but foolish and suicidal individuals threatened him, he was known to find people with little information and nobody knew how he did it but they didn't ask. When he was in Atlas, he typically avoided the cities but was welcome in some of the settlements. The outer Atlas settlements often provided him with a place to stay during blizzards and offered to give him a room for a week or two but he usually left after a day, onto the next one already. Bounty hunting was an ugly profession sometimes but someone had to do it.
Things changed in the recent years, mostly the White Fang. Their protests became more violent. He didn't care for faunus, didn't care if they had an extra appendage or not but what he did care about was the fact that they were starting to turn their hate onto civilians. There was a bombing recently that had caught his attention and he had looked into it. Some White Fang had managed to infiltrate an apartment complex over in Atlas and set charges inside. That action killed dozens of innocent people and injured countless more. This was a problem that required careful planning and execution. The White Fang got worse in time and he started to treat them like insurrectionists, with cold indifference and merciless elimination.
In the last couple of years he had started hunting them down ruthlessly, making entire camps disappear in a night and striking fear into them. They had created a rumor about him, saying he was the personification of all the humans they had killed, the literal Grim Reaper. No one knew for sure because there was no one left to tell the tale, at least the ones in the camps. From that point on they stayed in the city, they knew if they went out into the frontier then they were on his radar. Very rarely did he enter the city when he tracked them into it and eliminated the cell, only being vaguely caught on the camera. It was how they came across his existence.
It was dusk as he traveled through a field in Vale. His cloak kept his body covered as usual and it looked more tattered due to years of travel but it still held true to him and kept his figure mysterious. This was the closest he's actually been to the city in years and it didn't bother him as much as it should have. Usually whenever he was in a settlement near the city walls, they kept their mouths shut about him. These things often happened when you save a settlement a couple of times or give them breathing room. He hadn't been to a settlement in months and he was nearing one if his map was correct. Though, it always was a good thing to prepare himself if it was destroyed and he would have to move to the next one.
His eyes suddenly flicked forward when he heard a commotion ahead and crouched down in the treeline. He observed three individuals cornering a woman with light brown skin. The male with silver hair and prosthetic legs and a woman with mint green hair and red eyes with a darker complexion were holding down a woman. He equipped his DMR and aimed in at the woman with short black hair and amber eyes. She put on a white glove and aimed it at the woman that was held down before he saw a small beetle Grimm suddenly appear out of the glove. He didn't need to know what it did before he suddenly pulled the trigger twice on his weapon with quick succession and listened to the cracks.
The rounds soared through the air and suddenly impacted the wrist of the woman with amber eyes. Her scream echoed throughout the sky as her hand hung limply by the bone when the DMR rounds impacted it her wrist. Blood gushed out from her wound and she quickly brought her wounded appendage close to her, screaming curses at the one who had managed to harm her. It seemed his personal rounds he crafted paid off, which was fortunate because those were some of his last ones before he had to get more from the old gunsmith in that one settlement he favored. He saw the other two jump off the woman on the ground and fired two more rounds at each one respectively, the girl suddenly had a wound in her leg while the boy managed to maneuver out of the way a bit but still took damage to one of his legs.
Six suddenly burst from the treeline and quickly dashed across the field before skidding onto the road in front of the girl on the ground. His cloak blew to the side a bit before falling over him again and covering his figure while he equipped his shotgun and rushed at the three attackers. He fired a shell at the boy and watched as he quickly rolled out of the way before he parried a strike from the girl. He ducked when she swung her weapon at him before gripping her left arm with his own then slamming his knee into her. The cracking of several ribs and the choking of spit met his ears before he leaned out of the way when the boy swung his leg at him from an angle. He dropped the girl onto the ground them then engaged the boy in close quarters.
He brought up his right forearm and blocked a kick before switching arms when the boy spun around to do the same. His arms slammed down when the boy swung his right leg up but was intercepted by the Spartan. The force of the forearms slamming into his leg made the boy flip forward, which Six took advantage of and gripped his shoulders before slamming his face onto his armored knee. He heard the boy shout in pain before he fell onto his back while clutching his nose. It all happened so fast that he didn't even register the hit until he was on the ground. Six wasted no time and brought his shotgun up to the knee joint of the prosthetic and pulled the trigger, ignoring the loud crack of the shotgun discharge and the tearing of metal before doing the same to the other leg. He slammed his foot onto the boy's chest and broke three of his ribs before pulling out his knife then sinking it into the side of his neck.
A chain wrapped around his throat and tried to yank him down but he responded by wrapping his left arm around it multiple times then thrust down. The green haired girl suddenly found herself flying forward into and her face was suddenly gripped tightly in his left hand. She tried to slam her fists into his forearm but all he did was sweep his left leg behind hers and slam the back of her head onto the ground. Her aura finally gave out and a cry broke her lips before he slammed his fist against the side of her skull. He stood up and grunted when fire Dust impacted his chest as he turned around and skid back a bit. It was powerful and probably was raw but it did take a large portion of his shields down.
The woman with the bleeding wrist that hung loosely at her side breathed harshly as she brandished one of her swords. Her wrist had been cauterized to stop the bleeding but it was evident that her hand wasn't of any use. She quickly rushed up to him and put him on the defensive, swing one of her swords at a quick pace but he blocked with his forearms each time. It was hard for her because she could only use one arm, those rounds he fired at her managed to break her aura and snap the bone like a pencil. If she could just get one lucky strike on him then she could strike his heart and extract the power then leave but he left no openings. Every place she struck at, he would quickly block or parry her attack. Every kick was blocked with either his legs or arms. She couldn't even use her Dust or flip over him because he was three steps ahead of her.
The more energy she put into her attacks, the more she realized that he was tiring her out before he struck. He was the wolf that stalked its prey until it eventually tired itself out and didn't have any more energy to run. She swung downwards then realized her mistake when he moved out of the side then slammed his knee into her nose. Her aura finally shattered like glass and blood shot out of her nose like a geyser before she fell on the ground in agony. This was a mistake, she should have used the other two as bait then tended to herself. Her pride became her downfall within thirty seconds as the monster before her loomed over her. She tried to stand up and run away but he just swept his foot in front of her and shattered her shin bone. The sickening crack was heard from her leg and a bloody scream escaped her lips in the open field. Crawling was her last resort but all he did was loom over her before rearing his hand back and thrusting his knife into her lower back. A sickening noise as it entered and she screamed in agony before he twisted the knife and slammed his fist on the back of her head, rendering her unconscious.
All was quiet for the next several seconds as Six stood up to his full height before sighing out a bit then inspecting the slight scorch marks on his cloak before reaching in his bag then pulling out rope. He tied the woman in front of him up tightly before going to the other two and doing the same before he picked up his shotgun on the ground and put it on his back before turning to the woman that was held hostage. She couldn't do anything but just stare dumbly at him and suddenly blink before scrambling back a bit when he walked in front of her then crouched down.
"Are you injured?" He asked.
"..." She couldn't help but squeak a bit at his sudden question.
"Are you injured?" He repeated.
"Oh! Um... not really." She winced, making him turn his head to look at her back.
"You are lying." He stated flatly.
"O-Okay... I'm just a little hurt." She admitted. He said nothing but just went behind her and pulled the arrow out from her back, ignoring her startled and painful cry.
"You're supposed to warn somebody of when you do that!" She glared at him.
"You would've kept stalling when trying to prepare yourself and wasted time." He countered back calmly. Her glare dissipated and an embarrassed blush grew on her cheeks when she realized he was right, she would've done that. The air was silent as he set his bag down then reached inside before putting disinfectant on her wound, rubbing away any residue that might have accumulated inside then started to bandage it quietly. All she could do was just sit there while he tended to her wound before standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder again. Before she could thank him, somebody quickly rushed up to him and jumped up in the air, their weapon brandished and already in a slicing motion.
Her eyes seemed to bulge out from her sockets when she saw him quickly turn around and bring out his combat knife, flipping it in a reverse grip and block the attack. He skid back about a foot but otherwise remained fine as a gust of air spiraled around them. Six kicked the attacker in his stomach quickly and gave himself some room while he took a combat stance. The attacker recovered and got in a combat stance also before widening his eyes. It was the same man who rejected them years ago, then made himself practically a ghost again when they tried to trail him the second time.
"What did you do to her?!" Qrow pointed his weapon at Six.
"I merely defended her from these three." Six answered calmly as he kept his stance. Qrow narrowed his eyes and looked around at the three unconscious, barely breathing, individuals that were scattered around. He didn't know if he could take this guy to be honest, he'd probably give him a good run for his money since he was experienced but he didn't know if he could win in the end. The guy in front of him had a reputation in the frontier for being nearly unbeatable. When he asked numerous people about him, they claimed they didn't know because they actually didn't know about Six. He was all bite and practically no bark.
"Qrow, stop! He's telling the truth. Look!" The girl behind them suddenly cried out and turned her body to show the patched up wound. Six moved to the side as he watched the other man inspect the girl and make sure she was okay before turning to him.
"Why'd you defend her?" Qrow asked with narrowed eyes.
"She was in danger. Three unknown hostiles were assaulting this woman and about subject her to an unknown Grimm species. I could not let that happen." Six briefed. The other two noticed how his voice never changed once, it was just that cold straight to the point tone this entire time. It was like he was a robot for the most part. It was then when they noticed the other three, all beaten and bloody, one of them possibly dead.
"These the three?" Qrow asked as he walked over to them. He winced when he saw the boy's legs blown off or it looked torn off from his angle.
"Two. The male is deceased." Six stated in the same tone. Qrow looked at the body and felt the pulse... nothing. He found that the neck and been punctured at an angle to where he would bleed out quickly.
"He was pretty much still a kid." Qrow stood up.
"He was threatening a civilian." Six countered.
"He could've been dealt with in a different way." Qrow snapped.
"... I see." Six said after a few seconds of silence before beginning to walk away on the trail. He wanted to get to the settlement soon to replenish his supplies.
"Wait, where are you going?!" The woman shouted as she started to go after him, ignoring Qrow's shouts for her to stay away from him.
"To my destination. My duty to save you has been fulfilled, we are going to head out separate ways." Six answered curtly.
"The least I can do is thank you." She said as she caught up to him.
"You have." He said.
"I mean like, really thank you. If you come with us to the Headmaster's-" She started.
"That is something I cannot do. We go our own ways from now on. Farewell." He said indifferently before walking away. She didn't try to follow him and she didn't know if she wanted to follow him. It seemed like he was one of those wanderer types that only looked out for himself. As she watched him go, Qrow came up next to her and watched the man slowly start to disappear on the trail.
"Who was that?" She asked, turning to see the older Huntsman sigh a bit.
"A local legend, didn't think I'd ever run into him." He answered.
"Who is he?" She asked.
"He's someone you don't want to get on the bad side of. Nobody knows much about him, from what the settlements say is that he randomly pops in the settlement does some bounties on the board then leaves. Doesn't tell anyone his name, where he heads to next, or where he came from." He explained.
"Why?" She asked once more. They began walking down the trail, both of them grabbing the women and carrying them.
"Because nobody knows. I mean that literally, he's an enigma. He's pretty much a ghost most of the time and is able to lose the people who trail him. Heard a rumor a couple of years back about a massive bandit tribe that was wreaking havoc, known to basically pillage and rape before leaving the survivors to the Grimm. Nobody messed with them unless they were trained to and half the time those that went after them died. Fast forward a year or two, they all suddenly went missing." He trailed off.
"... Was he the one who did it?" She asked. A small part of her felt like a little kid, she had heard stories but she just believed that they were Huntsmen and Huntresses boasting about their abilities.
"From what I gathered... yeah. Some of my contacts said he tracked all of them down in a month. He killed them all and brought back the knives as evidence, someone else said they found bodies decaying in the sun, each one scattered away from one another." He said.
"What'd he do?" She asked.
"From my guess, divided them. Took out their highest member then started to pick each one off one by one. While I'd love to keep talking about he legend of the frontiers, promise me one thing, Amber..." He trailed off.
"What?" She turned to him.
"You never pick a fight with him. I mean it too. It doesn't matter if you're a maiden or not. I've heard what he does when he fights people that he can't kill right off the spot. He studies them, breaks them down, and lets them wither themselves down a bit before finishing them off. He knows the best way to kill a person and has done it before, possibly hundreds of times. So promise me one thing... you never ever pick a fight or even attempt to." He said seriously. There was no argument in his tone either.
"If I do?" She shook a bit.
"... You better hope that someone is at least near you or you can outrun him. The latter seems impossible though, there hasn't been a person who's managed to actually run from him if they're his target. Once he has your scent, it's over." He answered grimly. Her enthusiasm to learn about this legend soon turned to a small amount of terror. The story turned from a fairy tale into a horror one in the span of a few seconds. The more Qrow spoke, the darker and more disturbing the tale got. She didn't know why but she felt her heart start to pound into his chest when she was near the man. It was like every single fiber in her being screamed for her to get away from him, that he was a monster underneath that cloak. Something that was progressively worse than the Grimm and it scared her. Even Qrow spoke as if he had fought against a monster.
She couldn't help but look behind them to see if he was watching. Watching them down the darkening sky like some predator watched their prey, observing it carefully and letting the fear fester in their being before finally sinking their jaws into the unlucky victim.
When Six entered the settlement, he immediately went to the gunsmith. The bell above chimed loudly and caught the attention of the man who was sleeping. He woke up and sighed when it was only Six. He was possibly the only customer that he enjoyed making ammo for because he didn't need to brag about what they were for. Plus, he saved his son in the other settlement a few years ago, actions like that go a long way and he valued Six for doing that even though there wasn't a reward. It's one of the reasons why Six had discounts ninety percent of the time, or he would make the rounds and shells for free.
"Oh it's you... thought it was the boss." He chuckled.
"I need more personal rounds. I'm running low and need them before I leave." Six said.
"More? You just came here like four months ago to get more. How often do you use them?" The gunsmith asked.
"..." Six said nothing which made the other man sigh.
"Still as quiet as ever. Anyways, you know the drill after all these years. Do what you do, I'll have these up by tomorrow. How many you want?" The gunsmith asked as he reached to his side and began to drink some water out of his bottle.
"Sixty." Six answered.
"Pfffft!" The gunsmith spit the water from his mouth to the side and started to cough roughly. Six just watched him cough before recovering himself a bit then staring at the Spartan with wide eyes.
"Sixty?! That's three times as much as you usually want! Do you know how long it'll take?" He asked.
"Three to four days." Six answered.
"That was a rhetorical question, ya golem." The gunsmith sighed.
"..." Six just stared at him quietly before going around the store and inspecting some of the items.
"Alright, it'll take me three days to make all these. Just need to remember what you put in there to give them that kick. You're lucky I like you, otherwise you'd be waiting a week." The man pointed at him.
"Thank you." Six said in his normal tone before walking out of the store. He heard the gunsmith say something before he went around the settlement to get supplies. His first stop was the gunsmith so that was out of the way, his next would be the family that he returned Myne to in order to have his cloak tended to, the next stop after that would be the store to get more food, and his final stop would be the guild to get a bounty or two to complete while his ammunition was being crafted. The people of the settlement practically adored him whenever he dropped by, even if it was for a few days or a week they recognized him immediately and always gave him friendly gestures while he just nodded at them.
The walk to the family's house took several minutes considering they were on the poorer side but he eventually made it. Their house was old by the looks of the wood but he didn't mind, there were some spots that had been repaired or replaced indicating they were at least trying to improve their conditions. When he walked up the steps, he knocked on the door three times and the father immediately opened it, widening his eyes before smiling.
"What brings you here? I mean, you're welcome here but you usually stay in the higher end of the settlement." He said.
"My cloak is has taken damage and is in need of repair. I would appreciate it if you are able to tend to it." Six said, straight to the point. His voice never changed from its calm tone. He wasn't cold to civilians as he learned that it often put them at unease and usually wasn't beneficial when he held a conversation with them. Putting them at a state of unease usually meant they wouldn't give him the needed item or favor when he needed it. It was better to have a calm, collected voice as opposed to his cold, defensive one he had when he met a new person. The father picked up on this fairly quickly when he first met the Spartan as did the mother.
"Well come on in. It might be a while... Myne is sick again and we're trying to get some money for her medicine. The stuff is so damn expensive nowadays." The father said quietly. Six nodded then followed the man into the house and took off his cloak, setting it on the table before spreading his contents on it. The family had known him long enough and were kind enough to let him into their home despite his reputation. It took a few years to coax him into their home but this last time he finally accepted. He often helped them if needed as he did with some of the other people at the settlement. Nobody knew his reasons but some speculated that it was to keep him busy when he was denied bounties. The guild girl often chastised him about overworking himself.
He put some herbs on the table and looked around the house before finding something that resembled a pot. Going over to the sink, he put some tap water in the pot and threw in a purification tablet, waiting for it to dissolve before throwing the pot on the stove. Several minutes passed by and the water was boiling before he turned it off and started to mix some herbs together, it wasn't anything special. He took some ginger from his bag and started to grate finely before getting a mug then pouring the ginger into it then the hot water. His ears picked up on a noise and the motion tracker picked up movement behind him and he turned his head to see the mother come out of her room.
"What's this?" She asked as he placed the steaming liquid on the table.
"Ginger tea. This will alleviate and possibly eliminate Myne's fever. Drinking this three to four times a day will assist her and bolster her immune system." He answered.
"I see... thank you." She nodded. Ginger wasn't usually grown close to the settlement and those who went out to retrieve some had to travel for a few hours to get it, and there was always the risk of Grimm attacking. People were scared to go outside the walls but he wasn't. Grimm were mere nuisances to him, people were more dangerous because they were unpredictable. Older Grimm could spend hundreds of years to gain knowledge to become a menace while people with common interests could be a menace from the start. Grimm couldn't teach Grimm but people could teach one another.
"If you have honey or lemon then I feel that she would enjoy it more." He advised. She smiled at him then nodded before taking the steaming mug to the bedroom down the hall and closing the door. Several minutes passed by in silence and he started to make more medicine for the family. This wasn't uncommon for him to do things like this because it gave him something to do and it ensured people survived in the end. This was the logic for his actions. Medicine helps people live longer and him eliminating a threat ensured their survival. He let his thoughts wander for the next several minutes in silence before he made some more medicine then placed it in some glass bottles for the family before putting his things away.
Several more minutes passed by as he waited in silence before the parents came out with their daughter. The mother was holding her in her arms while she slept soundly before the three of them sat down at the table. It was awkward for a minute until the father spoke up.
"We want to thank you for the tea. It seems to be working well." He said.
"As I have stated before, it should help her immune system in the future if she is to keep consuming it." Six stated. The two of them saw bottles on the table that had a cork in the top of it acting as a seal.
"What's all this?" The mother asked.
"It is medicine for you all until you are able to receive proper medical supplies." He answered curtly. A smile seemed to break out on their lips as he explained the six bottles of medicine to them before waiting as the father held onto Myne gently while the mother tended to his cloak. They noticed the way he spoke was always almost straight to the point and didn't really have much of a sense of humor. They could tell he was a soldier but they just thought he hailed form Atlas, to which he immediately denied. It didn't matter to them though, they still welcomed him into their home for all he's done for the community. From what they heard from other travelers, he does these types of things with the other settlements that aren't destroyed. He just helps them if he is in the area. It was impossible to actually get him to stay sometimes but most knew how he wandered around the frontier of the kingdoms aimlessly.
Myne adored him, aside from her dad, Six was her hero when she was finally old enough to comprehend that he did good. She was turning five this year and was usually a happy child when she wasn't bedridden. She always kept the onyx tag around her neck and was always excited to hear that he was in town. There was one time when she drew a picture of her family being attacked by Grimm while her dad and Six were in the front, defeating them. When Six heard about this, he became uncomfortable once more, he didn't know how to react when she was near him and often just used silence to mask his discomfort. By no means did he hate the child or her family, it was more along the lines of he didn't know how to interact with her. Her dream was to become like him when she was older to provide money for her family
Six just listened to them talk about their daily lives in silence, only giving answers when he was asked but for the most part he listened. It seemed just listening to the mother talk while she tended to his cloak made her put more effort into sealing up the tears in it. There was nothing that could be done for the ends since they were just torn from his years of travel and he preferred it that way but he did notice that the tears towards the middles were practically non-existent at this point. When she was finished and held it up to him, to which he inspected for a few seconds and threw it over his shoulders. The tattered look still remained but at least the major tears were sewn shut as he threw the hoodie over his head. He reached around and dug through his bag before taking out some lien before placing it on the table.
"Sir, we can't accept this." The mother said.
"You will. It will give you enough to purchase supplies." He said bluntly before turning around and walking out the door. When he stepped out of the door and closed it behind him, he looked to his left then started to walk down the street for the next several minutes until he reached the store. The shopkeeper waved at him while he returned the gesture before collecting his necessary items and paying for them, throwing them into the bag before walking to the guild to pick up bounties. The atmosphere felt different when he entered it and he immediately noticed that it was only the guild girl and her assistant in the establishment.
A red flag was immediately thrown up because there was usually one or two people at this hour but there was no one but the two receptionists at the desk. He saw them smile at him but it was forced, covered up well enough to fool a regular person but he wasn't fooled. As he stepped closer to them and went up to them, he saw three blips on his motion tracker, the third was between them and was an unknown but he assumed that it was hostile.
"Welcome, sir. " The guild girl smiled forcefully. This was another red flag because she had always called him Six from this point on, only addressing him as sir when there were unknown people in the guild. She hadn't called him sir in years either.
"..." He didn't say anything but just stared at her and the other receptionist before bending down against the counter. His hand brushed against the decorative wood before planting it on a certain spot and knocking a few times to test the sturdiness. Both of them felt their hearts leap into their throats when he suddenly reared his arm back and clenched his fist before sending it forward. His arm penetrated the wood easily and he gripped the unknown by their neck then pulled them out, throwing them into the wall by the door. The person groaned and rubbed their head before standing up and rushing at him with a knife.
He moved to the sides easily before slamming the palm of his hand against their forearm to parry the strike. His leg kicked the side of their knee and made them bend down painfully before he raised his fist and slammed it down onto the top of their head. It was quickly sent plummeting towards the ground and crashed through the floorboard with ease at the amount of force he put into that punch. He had to purposefully hold back in order to avoid killing the attacker but he neutralized them in the span of seconds. Five at most after he ripped them away from the two.
When he turned back to the two, all he saw was them just staring at him dumbly. It was silent as he just stared at them while they did the same for several seconds before he set his bag down and reached inside of it to produce some rope before tying the attacker up tightly. They watched him leave for several minutes before returning and picking his bag up off the ground and stepping up to them.
"Are you injured?" He asked.
"I'm fine, she might not be. Thanks for the save. Well anyways, since you two are here, you can close up the shop." The assistant said to the guild girl as she thanked Six then collected her things before stepping out.
"EH?!" The guild girl cried out suddenly. She fumed in place for a few seconds before huffing and collecting her things. A sudden realization made her look up to see Six there, waiting for her to answer his question and soon heat crept up to her cheeks. She didn't realize how rude she had been up until now.
"I'm sorry! I'm fine. Thank you for saving us." She sighed.
"Why was he holding you two hostage?" He asked.
"He... he was angry at us because we wouldn't give him a reward. We sent a group to deal with a Grimm and only he returned, he didn't seem affected by their deaths and he seemed to have their belongings. When we asked how he dealt with the Grimm, he claimed that it was the others that had did it and he would accept the reward in their name. It's against the guild's rules to take the bounty reward when you did nothing but watch others die for your sake." She clenched her fists tightly.
"I see." He said quietly. It was silent for a while as he just went around and collected the broken wood before putting it in a corner.
"I'm sorry to say this but we're closing right now. You can pick up bounties tomorrow morning." She said to him.
"Understood." He nodded then walked out the door. She walked out shortly after him and locked the door to the guild with a bag in her hand before beginning to walk home, only noticing that he was going out towards the wild.
"Six?" She called out, seeing him stop and look at her. "Where are you going?" She asked.
"I am going to leave then return in the morning." He answered.
"You're not going to the inn?" She asked.
"No." He shook his head. A few thoughts crossed her mind, where did he sleep then if he didn't sleep in the inn? Did he sleep outside the walls?
"Do... do you sleep out in the forest?" She tilted her head.
"Yes." He nodded.
"Are you crazy?! It's incredibly dangerous out there!" She shook her arms frantically before rushing up to him.
"It is no concern to me." He stated. The two stared at one another for several quiet seconds before she sighed and rubbed her face a bit. She was stressed and slightly traumatized from the whole ordeal and she knew she couldn't actually talk to him because all he did was give those emotionless answers, well emotionless was pushing it a bit now since he wasn't as emotionless as before.
"Just... please be careful." She sighed quietly. He observed her for a few seconds before saying something.
"You are stressed." He stated.
"I guess I am. What gave you that impression?" She asked with a small tick mark on her head.
"You are not smiling like before, you're breathing is slightly labored, and you are not as perceptive as you usually are. I presume it is from having to be the one to lock up and being held hostage by an attacker. There is also the possibility that you have been waiting for my arrival and were stressing at the fact that I did not arrive at my usual time, which is in the morning." He briefed. Silence seemed to take over and she couldn't help but blink at what he said. All those things were correct.
"Y-Yeah... you pretty much stated all of my problems." She sighed.
"I see. I apologize if I have caused any discomfort." He apologized. Her eyes widened and she started to flail her arms around a bit at his sudden apology.
"N-No! No. You aren't the reason. It's just I've been stressing these last few weeks and there isn't anyone I can talk to." She said.
"..." He didn't say anything but just nod. It was silent and she coughed in her hand before rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.
"If it's not too much to ask, can you walk me home and let me vent to you a bit." She asked while tapping her fingers together.
"..." He didn't say anything for a few seconds and he just stared at her.
"You don't have to if you don't want to. I know you like to always be on the move and everything-" She started.
"It is fine." He interrupted her.
"It is?" She asked suddenly.
"It is. I am not going to leave until I have completed a bounty and collected my ammunition. Doing something like this is not a problem." He stated.
"... Thank you." She sighed in relief after a few seconds. The two of them walked down the street. Just as she said, she began to vent to him about her stress over the last few months and how it was beginning to wear her down a little bit. It started off small but eventually got to the point where she felt like her life wasn't really meaning anything at this point. She was constantly harassed by some people, threatened, gossiped about, and to top it all off she was lonely to a certain degree. Her roommate was gone half the time which meant she couldn't really talk to her and work was beginning to take a toll on her. True to his word, he just listened to her and let her vent to him about her problems. It gave him a basic idea how to solve her problem if he stopped by again and it was a different experience for the Spartan.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he did value her. She had been nothing but loyal and truthful to him after all these years. While he only visited a couple times a year, she was always the one person to greet him with a genuine smile and give him something to do. She didn't try to recruit him into anything and even stated that his status as an onyx level bounty hunter wouldn't be sent to any of the academies. If anything, she was more worried that he would overwork himself to death and often would be the one to tell him to rest even though he was fine. In reality he was fine because he had fought several days with barely any rest against the Covenant and still keep going. Though... it was nice to see someone care about him. Out of all the people he's encountered over the years, he could say that she was a friend. It took him years to realize what she was. A friend.
Years upon years of holding distrust towards people that he didn't know and the ones he did know made him put up a wall. The wall so tall and thick that not even a glassing could penetrate it. For the first time in years, someone had managed to get close to him. The wall wasn't broken, she hadn't even scratched the surface of it, but she did manage to get close enough to it and build up trust to where she could gain entry to it. That took a massive amount of effort and somehow she had managed to to that. For that reason right there, he respected her.
She could possibly be one of the only people that wasn't a Spartan to get close enough to him that he could call a friend. Civilians, Marines, and even ODST were people that were distant to him, but this woman right here is someone he could call a friend. It was an odd feeling but not an unpleasant one.
Here I am everyone, with another chapter, yes I know so soon. Anyways, you may be wondering why and I'll tell you why, it's my birthday today and I feel like giving you all something in regards plus, I was bored so that's a factor. Now onto reviews because holy shit guys, you wrote a lot. I mean that literally, you guys wrote a lot and it actually fucked me up for like, a day. Here we go...
Sm0keyPanda: That's right.
matthew116: Right now, it's his eleventh year. This chapter is a year before canon so by that time he'll have to start worrying and stepping up his game in getting off planet. I also read that mark IV had the fifteen year fusion reactor and the later versions had longer but I don't know.
DannyPhantom619: Here is some more.
Lord Demolitions: Something will happen soon, don't worry.
daggercloak000: He has.
Arakile: I haven't given it much thought. Maybe? It certainly would be a topic I'd like to poke around with.
shadowless15: Thank you.
sacke110: Ozpin'll get fucked if he tries. Also, thank you for the review.
Josephi: Well, best of luck to you.
Guest: Here it is.
Reader: I'll try to maintain how Six currently is without butchering his character.
The Lone Swordswolf: Yeah, I think by the time I wrote Johnny Topside, I was so sick of that main character joined Beacon trope and I saw that a majority of the Halo crossovers were doing it so I wanted to do something different.
VGBlackwing: Wow, long review. I enjoy it though.
KneegearFakeget: Negative, Six only responds to the UNSC and you're welcome.
tbuck93: Thank you.
Jannne Rolfe Jalandoni: He still does it so he hasn't lost hope yet.
Thankfulclock50: Thank you.
Gundam-Knight-Chris: Neither did I but I got a message in my private messaging saying I basically stole the plot from the Mandalorian so I might as well apologize for those people who get butthurt about me writing something close to that.
Wrath of Vajra: Glad you enjoyed it and I'll try to keep Six's personality up.
Corvus Reborn: Thank you for reviewing.
PhoenixGuy: I wouldn't know where to put him if he was in the story.
Main117: Yeah, had to clear it up for some people.
Rookie059: Exactly.
KnowingEzmend: Yeah, I'm trying to do something about that and here's the next update.
UndeadLord22: There might be something that she does. When Six does find out Qrow is Raven's brother then... nothing can really save him.
dekuton: Thank you. As far as her name, yeah. She plays a significant role in the story which is why I want to give her a name, if she were to be forgotten then yeah I'd just keep her as guild girl and have no problem but I actually want to flesh out her character a bit more in this. As far as the reason why I said what I said about Ozpin in the author's note. I mainly wrote that in the chapter because I just wanted to put Ozpin in character but the author's note was for people that actually believed that Six would join him. Sorry if it confused you and seemed a little contradictory, I just wanted to put Ozpin into character in the story. I agree with you about Six joining Beacon, I seriously doubt that he'd be free of all the people he's killed.
Malgrath: Indeed.
InfernoKnightmare: I like the way you think.
Blaze1992: Hmm... I got nothing to say about that.
sceypt: I got a good chuckle out of that.
DomR1997: Well, happy late birthday to you.
Wolf: I don't know about all that. I'm sure if he would try to eliminate Salem seeing how she's threatening humanity but I do believe that he'd actually want nothing to do with Ozpin.
Firefox24x: Thank you, and I will.
Malgrath: I'm glad I had supplied with that crossover, even if it's not a legitimate one.
darkromdemon: He's not. I stated before that he won't and he will never. Six is strictly loyal to the UNSC, it's practically his life at this point. Everything he does is to ensure that he survives and is able to get off the planet to report it to the UNSC.
DARK31D0U: Thank you, I will try to keep this up. I don't know about the arsenal thing. I might? I don't know, it all depends on the future chapters.
Double2cat: Wow, like that positive vibe, keep it up. Thank you by the way.
scottusa1: Thanks, mate. Laters.
Haloman6494: Equipment is still an iffy. Members, most likely not.
The Baz: Glad you liked it.
isco657721: Glad you enjoyed it. If Salem will try to talk to him, I'd be surprised considering what he did to Cinder. Though, she might still try to.
NobleSixFan: It would be cool. It'd be pretty cool...
Bookslayer: I honestly forgot about that episode. Jesus... you made me feel old for a second. About her being cold to her parents, probably not but she will be influenced by Six in the future.
DashingxRogue: I know I did. It will continue to happen so fear not. Thanks for the review.
Wow, that was a lot. You guys wrote so much that I had to take like a half hour break from that section alone. I'm here to say a few things just in case, one is that I'm sorry if this chapter isn't up to quality like the previous one or the one before that and two, I just wanted to say have a good day everyone.
In other words, onto Six's character. You guys seem to be liking this lone wolf route a lot and I'm here to tell you that I'm not going to be breaking off from it. The part where he considers the guild girl a friend, now before you all jump the gun on this, you all have to consider a few things... it's literally taken him years upon years to get to trust her as a friend. Six had been alone for countless years of nothing but distrust towards others so having at least someone he cares about on Remnant could possibly help him a little bit. He's damaged from all the years of combat and nothing is going to change that but the very least is that he has someone to talk to, even if he only sees her three times a year. He saw Noble Team as comrades that he'd stick his neck out for but he sees the guild girl as a close friend that he'd stick his neck out for also.
To be honest, I'd say this is developing his character a little bit. I mean, it's humanizing him a little bit but not to the point where his entire attitude will change. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not trying to butcher what's going good. Other than that, I don't have much to say other than if this chapter is lacking in quality then I'm sorry and have a wonderful day, everyone. See you guys the next chapter, goodbye.