When the three of them entered the apartment, he set Myne down and let her run towards the kitchen. Maaya just calmly walked behind her while he just spread his cloak out in the living room and sat down. The other two ate before washing up and getting ready for bed. He looked to his right when Myne crawled up onto his lap and sat down, leaning her head back to look up at him. Maaya's voice rang out from one of the bedrooms and he scooped Myne up into his arms, not being bothered by her childish antics, such as toying with his hood.
He entered Myne's room and tugged the blanket down a bit before setting her down, looking around before giving her the stuffed rabbit. Maaya knelt down near one of the outlets and flicked on the nightlight. Just as he was about to leave, Myne sat up and gripped his cloak, making him look down at her.
"Can I hear a story?" She asked.
"... There was once a young girl." He started and knelt down, making her shuffle in place.
"Okay." She nodded.
"She went to bed." He said.
"What else?" She asked.
"That's it. That is the end of the story." He finished. It was quiet for a few seconds as the two of them just stared at one another.
"..." She just blankly stared at him.
"..." He did the same for the next minute in just utter silence.
"That was a terrible story." She puffed her cheeks at him.
"Telling stories is not my forte." He responded.
"Maaya, do you know any good stories?" She asked.
"Just some about the guild members, nothing too special, sweetheart." Maaya waved her hand.
"Are some of them about that spear guy that never leaves you alone?" Myne asked.
"A majority of them are. Some are about Huntsmen and Huntresses." Maaya said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are they all good like people make them seem?" She asked, making both of them look at one another.
"Not all of them. There are those that will use their skills for wrongdoings." He answered.
"Why'd you ask that?" Maaya asked.
"It's what I wanted to be when I grow up..." Myne muttered.
"You don't want to be one anymore?" Maaya asked.
"I want to be more like Six or you to be honest." Myne answered.
"Like us?" Maaya blinked in surprise, her face turned a light shade of red as she fixed her shirt. Nobody had really ever said that to her so it wasn't really something she was used to.
"Why?" He asked, at this point he was genuinely curious.
"Well... Six fights Grimm and bad people while you're super nice to the people you talk to. So I decided that I want to be like the both of you." Myne beamed.
"I think that's a wonderful goal." Maaya smiled. He watched as they both smiled brightly and he swore it had illuminated the room a bit.
"..." He just observed them and watched Myne suddenly hop up on her feet, bouncing on the bed a bit.
"Story time!" She demanded.
"Calm down, then Maaya will tell you a story." He said as he sat her down and brought the blanket over her.
"Why do I have to tell the story?" Maaya asked.
"I don't know any, plus you tell them better." He answered.
"I just think you don't want to say anything." She chewed the inside of her cheek. He just nodded and watched her sigh before climbing onto the bed with Myne and starting a story. It started off slow, but eventually captured the young girl's attention fully. He just waited outside the door and leaned against the wall, listening silently. After fifteen minutes, he looked inside to see Myne sleeping soundly while leaning against Maaya. The older woman just smiled softly and carefully climbed out of the bed, planting a soft kiss on Myne's forehead.
"Goodnight, Myne." She whispered softly and crept out of the room, closing the door shortly after. After giving a sigh of relief, she walked to the living room to see him sitting down doing his usual routine. Albeit, it was slower than usual.
"When I return, would you like to accompany me with a certain task?" He suddenly asked.
"What?" She blinked in surprise.
"When I return, would you like to accompany me with a certain task?" He repeated.
"What task?" She asked.
"I am planning to spread the family's ashes with Myne. It was in the note they had written for me just in case something happened to them. Although... I do not know the location, it was not written in the note." He said.
"It's probably the Mountain of Blessing." She placed her fingers on her chin.
"Mountain of Blessing?" He tilted his head.
"It's... a bit of a journey from here and the other settlements. I think it's about three weeks to a month on foot, and that's if you don't stop. It's described as an area where barely any Grimm reside and people usually find countless valuables there." She answered.
"Why do you all not move there?" He asked.
"That far away from the city would mean we don't receive any supplies or assistance from them. Not to mention, the Grimm on the way are aggressive beyond comprehension at that point. Plus, we already have so much here and we don't want to lose it." She said.
"..." He nodded.
"I would love to accompany you though." She smiled.
"I did promise to take you out to see some of it one day." He said after a few moments of silence.
"Do you know when you're coming back?" She asked.
"I estimate around May." He answered. There was no telling how long he'd be in Mistral; between dealing with the White Fang, finding the facilities, and other tasks, it would take some time.
"Well... do you plan on bringing Ren and Nora along?" She asked.
"If they are in the settlement, yes. Why?" He asked.
"They seem like nice kids and I'd like to get to know them better, plus they didn't look too content with just spending one day with you." She answered.
"That's to be expected of them." He said calmly. A gentle hum was heard from her and she lied down on the couch, flicking through the channels before finally stopping at the news. Both of them looked up to see the news covering a story about children going missing from outer settlements. Some of which found their family members dead in their homes, although the details were vague. A look of worry flashed across her face and he noticed before turning back to his belongings.
Two hours went by and he started to pack up his things, throwing his bag on his shoulder and walking towards the door. As he reached for the handle, there was faint sniffling and it made him stop. He walked towards Myne's room and opened up the door, ignoring her violent flinch. She tried to wipe her tears away with her sleeve but he was already in front of her, dropping down to one knee and staring at her.
She flinched again when he placed both his hands on her cheeks and wiped away the tears. A few hiccups were heard and he took his hands off her cheeks before placing it on his helmet, twisting it and taking it off. It was set on the ground gently and his eyes locked onto hers. His were so distant and jaded that it seemed like she was staring into an abyss. Hers on the other hand was a golden, swirl of emotional turmoil and anguish. Her hands went up to her eyes and tried to rub away the tears in an attempt to hide them.
"I'm okay." She tried to say, but her lips quivered a bit. She could tell he saw through her lie and more tears started to fall; it wasn't uncommon for her to wake up in the middle of the night and cry about her family. While she loved Maaya with all her heart, she wanted her family back but knew that was impossible. They were gone from her life, and nothing would change that.
"You are not okay, Myne. Do not lie to me." He said.
"... I miss them." She said quietly after a minute of silence.
"You are not alone..." He muttered. It was true, besides Noble Team, he did miss the family. It was uncommon for him to grow attached to people, but they had grown on him over the course of a few years. He looked at his TACPAD and noticed the time, sighing quietly when it was time for him to depart. All he did was offer his company to her, seeing how he didn't know how to comfort people all that well.
"Are you leaving?" She asked.
"I am." He nodded.
"Are you coming back?" She asked.
"Not for a while, unfortunately." He answered.
"..." She nodded somberly before perking up and scooting off the bed. He picked up his helmet and put it on before watching her go towards the drawer, shuffling through it haphazardly. Eventually, she found what she was looking for and looked at him. He scooped her up into his left arm and looked at her hands to see a two pictures; one was of Myne and her family while the other one was of her and Maaya. In both she was smiling brightly, like the tragedy never occurred.
"Why are you giving me these?" He asked.
"So you'll know we'll always be with you when you're out there." She said shyly.
"I see... thank you." He nodded then poked her chest. A giggle escaped her lips and he set her down on the bed, putting the blanket over her and waiting until she fell asleep. It was nice to savor moments like these, and he found himself enjoying them bit by bit. A few seconds went by and he walked out of the room, closing the door and heading to the front door. He opened it, but stopped halfway through and slowly closed the door with a soft click. For a minute, he just stood there before closing his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and stepped away from the door.
He'd stay this one time, it was the least he could do for them.
The morning he went to collect his supplies, he managed to meet up with Ren and Nora, with the latter immediately rattling on. He just nodded quietly as the three of them walked to the butcher and he collected his supplies. While they were saddened to hear that he was leaving, he asked them the same thing he asked Maaya. Almost immediately both of them nodded their heads and he saw their eyes light up brightly. He spent the next hour with them before placing his hands on their heads and telling them to improve themselves. His only request was for them to not tell Ozpin about his meeting with them, something they wholeheartedly agreed on.
They ended up telling him how Beacon was beginning to feel more suffocating as time passed. How Ozpin was keeping more tabs on them than anyone else and they felt that it was going to get worse. The more he listened, the more his tolerance for the man was running thin. He felt his hair bristle a bit when they were threatened with expulsion if they were to hold any information against him. If it came to that, he would have no problem having them live in the settlement or the next one.
He bid them farewell and walked out of the settlement, letting the crowd swallow him whole before he disappeared. His thoughts ran a bit as his feet carried him to his next destination. Time seemed to come to a crawl as he made his way to the edge of the kingdom. He had to pull out his map to make sure he was going in the right direction. One of these days he needed to have a more reliable mode of transport. Maybe one of the facilities had something that could be of service to him. Walking proved to be advantageous at certain periods of time, but other times not so much.
The days and nights passed by, and before he knew it, it was early November when he reached the port. He had managed to sneak onto a ship that was headed for Mistral, he couldn't go onto cargo ship like he did in the past. People looked at the tall person in a cloak staring out into the sea blankly, but chose to ignore it. The only time he really moved was to find a secluded space to eat or find out where the bathroom was at.
He found a spot to where he could sit down and listen to the waves crash against the side of the ship. The gentle sway eased the tension in his muscles and he soon found himself fishing through his bag. A hum escaped his lips as he soon found the picture of Myne and Maaya along with the picture book the former had made for him. He simply looked at it for a few minutes before looking at the picture. The sound of boots impacting the deck quickly and approach him made him tense up tightly before standing up.
"Whoa there, easy lad... I didn't mean to startle ya." The captain said.
"..." Six just stared at him, his fingers were curled into a fist and he just observed for a minute before sitting down.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were the only one out here." The captain said uncomfortably.
"..." Six still didn't say anything. All he did was lean forward and put the picture book and picture in the bag.
"Wife and kid?" The captain asked as he sat down on the deck with a loud groan.
"No." Six responded.
"Girlfriend and kid? I understand if you two didn't get married yet. Happened to me and my wife." The man chuckled.
"No..." He just sighed quietly and leaned his head against the wall. While he could understand the man's assumptions, him and Maaya were not in a relationship. Probably never would. He wasn't someone that anybody would want to be with. Relationships were nothing more than a passing thought before it was swept away in the wind. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if all his pistons were firing either. What a strange series of thoughts.
The man rambled on and he just listened, ignoring most of what he was saying; only when the captain said he knew that Six was a stowaway did he actually pay attention to him. He claimed that he couldn't do this too many times and that he had to deal with it enough, which was fine. By the time Six got the facilities up and running, he wouldn't need to take any ship. The rest of the talk was deemed unimportant since the captain went to rambling on about his wife and kids, so at that point he stopped paying attention to him.
As the sky darkened, he stared up at the moon and let his thoughts run for a while. He set his gun next to him and looked around before taking his helmet off and eating silently. The meal was quick and he found himself thoroughly enjoying it before putting his helmet back on and continuing to stare up at the moon once more. Countless stars littered the darkened sky and he eventually found himself drifting off to sleep.
Several hours went by and the sun peeked over the horizon, reflecting off of the visible parts of his armor. He slowly woke up and shook his head before standing up and stretching a bit. There wasn't really a secluded area to where he could do his daily exercise, so he was out of luck for today. The most he could do was wait for the trip to be over and head to the closest facility. He ignored the people that flocked around certain parts of the ship and just stared out on the horizon.
This was the routine for the next few days as the ship sailed peacefully to Mistral. The final day arrived and he saw the port, making him throw his body over the edge and hang onto it. When the ground was close enough, he jumped off the side of the ship and landed, taking off shortly after. He spent the next few hours exploring the city he was in and eventually found a map, leading him to the nearest exit. Ignoring the guards on the way out, he disappeared into the wilderness and started to make his way to the next facility. His pace was quicker than usual and he only stopped when Grimm attacked him, or to gather supplies from a nearby settlement.
Days and nights drifted by and he bent down to swing his bag around, opening it and fishing through it. He brought out a map and looked at it before looking up to see a large cave. Nothing was said as he put the map away and the bag back around his shoulder before walking forward. Thick vines were in the way, but he merely cut them aside and walked inside of the cave. His boots first impacted stone before the eventual transition to that familiar metal was heard and seen. Half an hour of walking went by and he eventually came across another door, but was slightly surprised to see a human skeleton sitting next to it.
They must have found some shelter before perishing shortly after. It didn't matter though, he just shrugged and put the remains to the side and went up to the panel. As soon as his hand made contact with it. It lit up brightly and he watched as the light slowly started to bleed along the walls and around the door. A dull hum met his ears and the door opened up quickly, making him enter it and feel it shut behind him. His boots impacted the metallic ground below and it echoed throughout the halls. This continued for the next several minutes before he came across a large circular platform.
In the middle of it was a panel like the others, and he went to it. Placing both hands on it, he waited several seconds before he grunted in pain and his shields blared loudly. He knelt down and took a few deep breaths as the pain worked its way out of his system before he eventually stood up and looked at his hands. The sound of his undersuit material flexing met his ears and he looked up to see the Monitor hum pleasantly. He watched her beam in delight and zoom around the facility, activating everything and checking to see if it was in working order. She was quite pleased with his cooperation and was forever in his debt.
"Another facility up and running! Well done, Reclaimer!" She beamed brightly.
"What else needs to be done?" He asked, straight to the point.
"Getting the other facility up and running and I should have a decent amount of control over this part of the Installation." She answered.
"...What is your objective at the end of this?" He asked after several seconds of silence.
"To collect data like I was supposed to. I have no intentions of interfering with the inhabitants way of life. Although, should they try to forcefully take anything from me, then I am within my rights to terminate them." She said.
"..." He just stared at her while she did the same.
"If it is of any reassurance, I am not against sharing information depending on the situation." She said.
"Explain." He said.
"If it means they wish to better their understanding of certain things or benefit their state of survival, then it is not a problem for me. Spreading knowledge is something I have always wanted to test. However, if it means they try to forcefully take technology or information to use against me or one another, then I will shut my doors to them or remove them entirely." She said.
"..." He just stared at her some more before nodding silently. There wasn't anything special about this particular facility. He just listened to her ramble on some more for the next several minutes before the two of them came across a large room with several obstacles in the way. On one side of the room, there were targets lined up and the other side had what appeared to be a dummy. She beeped pleasantly and turned to him, nodding her chassis when he stared at her for an explanation.
"I figured this room would be of some use to you. A way for you to enhance your skills should you desire." She said.
"I see..." He nodded before letting his thoughts mull over for the next few minutes. She hovered in the air and let him follow her throughout the rest of the facility, which took a couple of hours. Halfway through, she started to answer some of his questions that he didn't get to answer previously and he was eventually caught up. The two of them went to the teleportation grid and were back at the main facility in Vale. That tug the grid would give him always made him stumble a bit before he regained his composure.
His boots impacted the metallic floor beneath him and it echoed as he walked towards the main atrium for the next several minutes. Looking at the map, he saw a certain section highlighted and hovered over it before zooming in on it. After several long seconds, he zoomed out and stepped away from it before going to the armory. The door divided into three separate segments and opened up to reveal an illuminated room.
A large wall at the end of it had countless Forerunner weapons and he gazed at each one with interest before taking off his cloak and Binary Rifle. He set it on one of the racks that adorned the wall and let his eyes roam. After a few minutes of simply looking, he found one of the smaller pieces of equipment looking rather interesting. He grabbed the handle and held it in his right hand as it snapped and configured before his eyes.
There was a noise behind him and he instantly turned around and aimed the weapon at the noise, only to see it was the Monitor. He relaxed and sighed before clicking the button next to the grip, watching the weapon disassemble before he clicked it again and watched it snap back into place.
"What is this?" He asked.
"That is the Z-110 Boltshot. It is a close-range precision weapon that is able to disintegrate organic material. It's first use came at the end of the first century of the Forerunner-Flood war and has been a reliable weapon since." She explained.
"I see." He nodded quietly before putting it on his hip. She floated next to him as he made his way back to the Mistral facility. A sentinel stopped in front of them and and held out a spherical object for him and the Monitor shot a concentrated beam at it before handing it to him.
"If it is too much to ask, I would like to accompany you on your journey." She said.
"Why?" He asked.
"While I do enjoy keeping the activated facilities up and running, I would like to explore the world alongside you." She answered.
"How will you keep everything in order?" He asked.
"I will simultaneously be here and with you." She said.
"..." He just stared at her for the next few minutes. While he would still like to travel alone, he supposed it didn't bother him too much if she tagged along; so long as she kept her attention elsewhere and not his personal affairs. Although, he didn't really have a personal life he supposed. It would also probably do him some good to have someone else keep an eye on his back whenever he wasn't able to. His staring slightly unnerved her, but he slowly nodded after several more minutes of contemplating the pros and cons of her travelling alongside him.
She beamed and bounced her chassis before he took off his bag and took the spherical device, attaching it to the strap of his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. From what she explained, it was a smaller version of her current chassis. He supposed it wasn't too bad considering she would only respond if he called out to her, and would warn him if something was coming his way from behind.
When he left the facility, he let his feet carry him to the nearest settlement. As he drew closer to it, he noticed that there was smoke in the air and he could see the ashes and embers of several buildings and some were still on fire. Bodies littered the street and he went to some of them, bending down to observe their wounds before looking around to see if anyone was still alive. Several minutes went by and he saw that not a single person was spared from the attack.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he went around looking for whatever caused the attack; it was either Grimm or bandits. The White Fang were a possibility seeing how he eradicated them from Vale, but the chances were low. He went to a body in the middle of it all and set his hand on its shoulder, flipping the corpse over to observe the victim's wounds. They had bled out from a rather large stab wound in their abdomen, he could faintly see their entrails and slowly stood up.
"Monitor." He called out. A few seconds went by and the circular chassis levitated off of his bag strap and floated in front of him.
"I need you to perform a scan on this body. Any traces of Dust inside of it?" He asked. If there was any, then it was either a bandit or a White Fang attack. He was leaning more towards the former though.
"One second." She beeped. Her small chassis hovered over the corpse and scanned it for the next several seconds before turning to look at him.
"There are several amounts of Fire Dust inside of this person's abdominal region and some in their lungs." She answered.
"..." He nodded and walked while she just floated next to him and scanned the bodies when he asked for her to. As he gathered clues, he noticed that supplies from houses were missing and his lips pressed into a thin line when he saw a family of six lying dead in their home. There was nothing he could do for them at this point, their bodies stiff from rigor mortis. Nearly all the bodies in the settlement were like that.
After half an hour, he left the settlement; letting the wind blow his cloak slightly. The Monitor went silent once more as she dangled off the strap of his bag while he just walked to the next settlement. After two days of walking, his gaze hardened considerably when he found this one destroyed as well; this time it was White Fang seeing how there was a few of their bodies on the ground. The attack was still fresh since flames still licked the buildings, but the damage was done at this point. That was with him hearing running towards the current location. He simply arrived too late. Countless civilians were dead and he was sure Grimm were on their way.
Just as he was about to leave though, he heard a painful groan and walked towards the noise. He rounded the corner of a house and saw a White Fang leaning against the wall, holding her wound. She looked at him and widened her eyes before a bitter laugh escaped her lips. It didn't matter if Grimm or her wound would kill her, the literal stuff of nightmares was kneeling in front of her, just watching her die.
"Y-You know, I've always heard that you were nothing but a rumor meant to strike fear into new recruits. Guess you're real though." She coughed out some blood.
"... What happened here?" He asked. A small grin adorned her bloody lips and she sighed quietly.
"Taurus happened. This was supposed to be nothing but a mere snatch and grab of supplies. He found out that this settlement had humans in it and went on a murder spree, some of us didn't agree with what he was doing and tried to go against him. Cut us to ribbons to set an example for those who had thought about double crossing him." She coughed out some more blood. Her vision was starting to get blurry.
"Where is he?" He asked.
"Don't know, that information is meant for the higher-ups. I've heard he usually resides in the city though, I'd look in the more unsavory parts. That's where you'll find people who know more about him." She said quietly.
"..." The sound of Grimm in the distance made him go on alert and she looked to the side.
"I know it's too much to ask, but if you could put me out of my misery, I'd appreciate it." She requested.
"Why?" He asked.
"Getting torn to shreds by Grimm isn't a pretty way to go. Plus, I'm destined to die anyways. You're not going to spare me and it serves as a way for me to be punished." She answered.
"..." He nodded and took out the Boltshot, watching it construct in his hand before aiming it at her and watching as she looked at him.
"I'm glad I died by your hands, demon. I've always thought this is how I'd go out." She grinned.
"..." He just charged it up and let go, watching as she jerked back and slowly started to disintegrate. Her ashes started to float up into the air and disappear into the night sky elegantly. He left and disappeared just in time for a horde of Grimm to arrive, looking around at the carnage before roaming the area. There was nothing he could do for anyone, he arrived too late. He couldn't be everywhere at once.
He had four main objectives now; Get the facility up and running, eliminate the bandits that were causing harm to the settlements, eradicate the White Fang, and deal with Salem's operative. His stay in Mistral was bound to be a long one, so it was best for him to get well acquainted with the Kingdom. Despite him knowing he couldn't do everything. The least he could do was scrub some of the filth away from the Kingdom in order for the innocent people to live comfortably.
It was the least he could do.
Here I am and I'm sorry for going off the radar for the past few months. This chapter is simply meant to be an introduction for the Mistral arc of this story so don't expect anything major to happen as of now. So a lot of people have been worried about me since I'm not doing so well up here in this noggin of mine. I never was quite straight up there, but anyways enough about that. To those who have been patient, thank you for doing so. You guys are fantastic people. To those of you who start shit in the review section, piss off.
Another thing. To the guest that basically told me if I don't get out of my funk, then I should stop writing or better yet, go off and die in the dirt somewhere. Interesting suggestion, too bad it's fucking stupid. I didn't realize you knew so much about me and know my situation in life. Apparently, I'm not allowed to focus on my life without worrying about pleasing you. Guess I'll just go off and die like you suggested.
I think at this point, I'm not going to filter what I say to certain people. You decide to be an asshole to me, then I'll be an even bigger one right back. Hell, I'll treat you all with respect so long as I get some in return. I'm done being overly nice because it's gotten to the point where people start to walk all over me and I'm done with it. So hey, guess this is a sign of me being a man like some people want me to.
Anyways, take it easy guys. I'll see you later.