A bloody body was dragged before being thrown into a pile. This process was repeated several more times, each one landing on one another with a wet splat. Several minutes passed by before they were all lit on fire. The scent of burning flesh was heavy in the air but it was ignored quickly. Six just walked away from the burning pile of corpses before he came across the caravan of traders that was being robbed earlier. They thanked him countless times before offering to give him half their supplies, to which he declined. He took as much as he needed, but ultimately left the rest to them. After several minutes of gathering information, the two parties went their separate ways.
The little group of bandits belonged to Raven, which he needed to get rid of soon. His purging of countless bandits struck fear into them, but it also painted a target on his back. An objective marker was placed on his helmet and he began to walk towards it with his DMR out. It was around twenty kilometers away, he started to walk towards it calmly. One of these days he would need a more reliable means of transport, walking was fine certain times, but it was often slow. If he did find a ship, then he would probably take one from Atlas and have the Monitor do something with it or ask if she had one.
Another marker appeared and he saw it was cylindrical shaped, making him tilt his head in curiosity.
"Monitor." He called out.
"Yes?" She detached from his strap and floated in front of him.
"What is the cylindrical shaped marker for?" He asked. A few seconds went by before she perked up.
"Oh! That would be a beacon." She answered.
"The ones that send supplies?" He asked.
"Yes. Any beacon you get up will allow me to deliver supplies to and from its location." She answered.
"What is the risk of other parties getting it?" He asked.
"There are fail safes I have installed in them. If the situation calls for it, I am able to detonate it at the cost of the beacon." She said.
"..." He just walked towards it. It was good to know about the detonation though, he didn't want to know what bandits, Atlas, or Salem could do if either one of those parties was to get their hands on Forerunner technology.
"Is there any other Reclaimer on Remnant?" He asked.
"Not that I'm aware of. After those two buffoons decided to exterminate the previous humans, there have been no sign of any anyone that is even close to becoming a Reclaimer. The Librarian did not touch this world's population like she has done in the past to other Shield Installations as I have been calling them." She answered.
"Shield Installation?" He asked.
"Shield Installation or Shield worlds shelter the inhabitants from the activation of the Halo Array." She answered.
"..." He went silent for the next few minutes as he processed the information before nodding for her to continue as he walked towards the beacon. A dull pinging noise was heard the closer he got to it.
"The Installations or Halos for a simpler term, are a last resort counter measure to the Flood parasite. They served as weapons as well as research facilities." She explained.
"How much damage does it do if it's activated?" He asked.
"Around three radii of the galactic center. Destroying any organic lifeform that is sustenance to the parasite." She answered, making him stumble.
"..." He stopped and stood in place for a minute, fists clenching tightly before releasing shortly after. The two of them were thrown into silence before he was on top of the beacon, spending the next hour and a half digging it up with a sturdy piece of a tree. He tossed the pieces out of the hole it was in before climbing out of it and observing all of them. They were rectangular shaped and hummed to life when he touched them, eventually levitating and configuring. Each piece snapped together like a jigsaw puzzle before eventually floating in place.
It made a warping noise before it started to disintegrate in the air, disappearing from the naked eye. A hum escaped his lips as he looked at his wrist and saw an icon on his TACPAD.
"You are now able to acquire supplies from this location." She chirped. He nodded and swiped through the options, choosing some more rounds, shells, and grenades. The beacon materialized in the air and a light bright blue light appeared, making him shield his eyes from it. He put his arm down when it died down and looked at the ground to see a couple cans of food and some ammunition. A satisfied nod was given from him as he collected his supplies.
She explained to him that the supplies just couldn't be given anywhere, that he needed to first go to one of them before anything. The more he got up, the more locations that were at his disposal.
"I should inform you that the buffoons had created something akin to Forerunner technology." She chimed.
"Explain." He ordered.
"Back before I issued their termination, they had created weakened versions of Forerunner technology in hopes of replicating it. Although, they seemed to not have perfected it before I watch them shrivel up and perish." She chirped. He didn't bother to comment on how jovial she sounded speaking about their deaths.
"Why do you hate them so much?" He asked.
"They were mere fools that were arrogant, spoiled, and completely uncaring of rules and regulations set in place. They created and exterminated without a care in the world, causing countless specimens to go extinct. They had no clue as to what the parasite was capable of and caused a breach, forcing me to purge any trace of it. If I had the choice, I would have cut their bodies open several times over and studied whatever I could before erasing them from existence." She finished darkly.
"..." He just stayed silent for a while.
"..." She went just as silent before calming down.
"About these items they created." He changed the subject.
"There are four of them. Their current whereabouts are sealed somewhere similar to the facilities." She started.
"Do you have a location?" He asked.
"I know of two, the other two I am not aware of." She answered truthfully.
"Where are the first two?" He asked.
"One is here in Mistral, underneath the academy, while the other is in Atlas." She answered.
"What does the one here do?" He asked.
"I don't know, unfortunately. All I know is that they hold vast amounts of power. If possible, I would like for you to try and collect it. You do not have to if you do not want to." She said.
"I'll see what I can do." He said after some thought. Chances were low that he would though, he couldn't spend all his time looking for these things.
"I appreciate it." She said before the two of them were thrown into silence. It was comfortable and he found himself enjoying it more for some reason, maybe it was because he technically had a travelling companion? He didn't know. What a set of troublesome objectives, but it at least kept him busy for the time being.
The rain pelted his hood as he stood at an open stand in one of the settlements. The man sitting on the ground underneath the tent inspected the herb carefully before leaning to his left and grabbing a pouch, filling it with lien cards and tying it together. He handed the pouch to Six, who inspected it before putting it in his bag.
"Rare herbs, indeed. You could make a special type of concoction with these." The man said.
"What does it do?" Six asked.
"You mash it up real good and it creates a fine powder. Stuff stings at the start, but starts to feel good right after. Helps boost recovery if an individual, although you can't move while it works its way into your system. It also makes you real tired so I would advise using it when your fighting." The man advised.
"Do you have the recipe?" Six asked.
"I'll show you, so you best pay attention real good, boy." The older man said. Six nodded and watched carefully before repeating the process. It would take him some time to perfect it, but the older man showed him a technique he used. It turns out the man used to study herbal treatment out in the frontier and tried to come to the city to make it big, only to lose a leg from a Grimm attack. Six knew him from years before and often sought medical knowledge from him, in turn he would eat with the man.
The man himself was quiet, preferring to teach those that actually paid attention. Six was possibly the first person he enjoyed talking to since the Spartan often fed him good stuff and actually got hard to reach herbs.
"Oi, you draw a lot of attention towards yourself, you know that?" The older man asked.
"I'm aware." Six nodded, taking out his mortar and pestle and crafting something.
"Don't grind that too hard, you'll end up turning it to powder instead of paste." The man commented as he recognized what Six was creating.
"Noted." Six replied.
"Word is that a Huntress is looking for someone with a bag and a tattered cloak." The man lowered his voice when a customer stopped by. They left shortly after and he turned back to Six.
"Rogue?" Six asked.
"Possibly, she looked more like a bandit than anything. Threatened some people around these parts regarding information." The man said.
"Did you manage to get her name?" Six asked.
"No, but I did hear she was setting up camp near one of the river areas. Couldn't tell you which though. I'm sure you'll figure that out, won't you?" The old healer snickered.
"..." Six just stayed silent and continued to mix the ingredients together.
"Stoic as a box of rocks, huh?" The man coughed into his hand, making Six look at him. The coughing fit got a bit worse before he sighed when some blood was on his hand.
"How long have you had that?" Six asked the old healer.
"Going on a year... it was about that time, anyways." He sighed.
"You're dying." Six stated. Others would have flinched at the cold tone, but the man just laughed bitterly. He was used to Six's tone in the past and grew used to it whenever he was in Vale.
"We all die, it's about time this old mule kicked the bucket though. I'll head back to Vale and be buried near one of the settlements." The healer laughed.
"..." Six just stared at him.
"Expected a reaction out of you, to be honest." The healer commented.
"That's unfortunate." Six responded.
"Heh, never one to mince words, huh? Anyways, here. Figured you'd do some good with this instead of this old coot." The healer said as he picked up a book and handed it to Six, waiting for the Spartan to take it. It was all his recipes and techniques that he knew, decades worth of information inside.
"Why?" Six asked.
"You're a reliable person in my opinion. Dead men don't have much use for these types of things so I might as well pass it onto the living. Now go on and take it before I change my mind." The old healer said. Six looked at him for a few seconds before reaching out and taking the book, opening it up and looking through the pages before nodding. He shoved it into his bag before standing up and bidding the older man one final farewell.
He wandered around the settlement for the next few hours, trading his goods for more or buying supplies. Ignoring the pelting of the rain, he turned to look over his shoulder when he heard talk about a bandit tribe nearby. His hearing focused on the two individuals standing on the porch of a house, keeping their voices low to avoid attracting attention.
"This is the third caravan in the past two weeks. We need to do something." The first person whispered.
"Like what? Go against Branwen and her tribe, you know what happened to the last person that tried to deal with them. The poor bastard barely came back alive, and even then he's still dealing with the burns." The second person said.
"Then what do you suppose we do? Sit here and let her and her merry band of cutthroats have their way with our supplies. The settlement is at risk of withering away if we don't do something soon." The first person explained.
"Why not move to the city? We're bound to at least make something of ourselves there." The second person suggested.
"I'm not moving to that hellhole. Between the coward of a Headmaster and the council, we're better off staying out here. The Headmaster's cowardly ass isn't sending Huntsmen and Huntresses to help the settlements and the council aren't doing anything about the White Fang." The first person said. Slowly but surely, they started to walk while Six followed them.
He weaved through the crowd of people and kept the two within earshot range, listening to whatever they had on them. After several minutes of trailing, he had to feign looking at an item when they looked his way. The merchant at the stand looked at him strangely before he set the item down and continued to follow the two. They stopped at another location, shielding themselves from the rain while he took cover around a corner. He stayed in that spot for fifteen minutes before the first one gave a location, letting him process and think about it for the next few minutes before leaving.
He weaved his way through the countless bodies, heading towards the edge of the settlement. The sound of thunder rumbling in the distance made some walk faster to seek shelter from the oncoming storm. He would need to do so too, but a nearby cave would suffice until he reached his destination. After years upon years, he would finally get the bandit leader. This time though, she wouldn't escape.
Six didn't usually make mistakes twice.
Ozpin sat in his desk calmly, looking at the news with interest. He was mainly looking at Six's killings, noticing a pattern with each kill. The greater the number, the more bodies were strung up like lambs to the slaughter. His screen wasn't on the news anymore, but more along the lines of Tyrian's mutilated and skinned corpse. Someone to deal with such a dangerous individual needed to be monitored closely.
Unlike others, he didn't view his interest in Six as an obsession, but mere curiosity. The man was an enigma and Ozpin was always one to take interest in the unknown. It was clear that Six had turned the odds in their favor, giving the people hope when Huntsmen and Huntresses couldn't in the last decade or two. He wanted someone like the wolf on his side.
In fact, he needed someone like him on his side. No one really understood his motives when it came to observing Six and his deeds. Despite the brutality the man displayed, it was clear that the people felt safe around him. They felt more safe around someone who barely speaks than Huntsmen and Huntresses. Having someone like him to guide the next generation of students was key to defeating Salem in the long run. Someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty while giving a comforting aura around civilians, and it was clear a group of his students seemed to learn from him.
Although, Ozpin knew in order to get the wolf's attention, he needed to get his hands dirty as well. Some sacrifices needed to be made in order for this to work out in the end. He didn't like cutting ties to the outer settlements, but it was clear that Six stayed longer in that location when he did. In fact, he almost managed to catch him had he not been delayed by a couple of Grimm. He was a day late in his latest meeting with the man and he knew that he was long gone. A shame to be honest.
Over the past several years, he's collected whatever information he could about Six. Getting vague pictures of his figure, his next possible destination, and even some of his more recent accomplices. It seemed a certain outer settlement had a woman that was close to Six, the locals state that whenever he stopped by, she would light up brightly; as if his mere presence gave her energy.
A smirk made its way onto Ozpin's lips as he sent a message to Ironwood regarding this information. A ping on his computer made him beam in delight when the general said he would look more into this woman, giving him whatever information he could on her. While Ironwood wanted Six executed and stripped of whatever he had on him, Ozpin wanted him alive for his skills and knowledge. The two eventually came to an agreement to make a small team that wouldn't fail them if they played their cards correctly.
He shook his head and stood up, going towards the elevator, bringing out a key from the top of his cane. He unlocked a small part underneath all the buttons before opening the panel. A green button was revealed and he pressed it, feeling the elevator jerk a bit before descending. Forty-five seconds later, it stopped and he came across a large corridor. The air was cool and his footsteps seemed to echo whenever he walked, the occasional click of his cane whenever it impacted the ground met his ears. He walked for a few minutes before coming to a room, bringing out another key and unlocking the cell door. Inside was one of his greatest sources of information against Salem.
Cinder Fall.
It took her a while to actually talk, but he broke her in like a shoe. Her frame was thinner than when she first arrived, one of her eyes was gone, her hair was strewn about now, and her eyes seemed a bit dead. Her skin was pale and she was nothing but a shell of her former prideful self.
"Hello, Ms. Fall." He greeted like he had done in the past.
"H-Hello, sir." She muttered, not looking him in the eye as she sat in the chair. A smirk wormed its way onto his face when she addressed him like that; at the start she had done nothing but spit and curse in his face, now she gave him information whenever he asked for it.
"I don't need to do the whole introduction, do I?" He asked.
"No, sir." She shuddered when he went behind her and set his hands on her shoulders.
"Good. Have I told you that the wolf had killed Tyrian?" He asked.
"That's impossible... that psycho can't be killed." She whispered in disbelief.
"Nothing's impossible, my dear. He tortured, mutilated, and skinned his corpse after he murdered a family. I'm sure you were aware that he did these things, weren't you?" He asked and leaned closer.
"Yes." She said quietly, her heart beating quickly when he stayed there for a couple of seconds.
"I'm glad. Now onto Salem, I'm sure she's told you of some of her plans. It would be greatly appreciated if you told me of them." He walked around her.
"I already told you... she didn't really tell me anything until a few weeks before. Ever since I failed to gain the Maiden's powers, I couldn't report back to her. That's when you and Ironwood decided to have fun after that drunk brought me in." She said.
"Spare me the pity party, Ms. Fall. No one is to blame but yourself." He sighed.
"You two had fun, picking on the girl that couldn't even muster up the strength to fight back. She warned me that you had a controlling nature, I just never realized how much..." She said. A small laugh escaped his lips as he turned towards her and gently gripped her ring finger. It was quiet for a few seconds before he suddenly twisted it, creating a snapping noise. A scream broke out from her lips and tears started to pour down her eyes and onto the floor. His hand shot to her mouth and silenced her cries.
"I told you, every time you show some form of defiance, I do something drastic. Your mistress is nothing but a monster at this point, one that needs to be put down sooner or later. You've probably caused pain to countless individuals, so consider this some of your comeuppance." He said.
"..." She stared at him, her heart slamming against her chest as the pain in her finger throbbed. Just as he gripped another finger, his scroll rang loudly and he looked down at it, sighing when he saw it was Glynda. How troublesome the woman was at times. He shot a look towards Cinder and made her look away fearfully before answering it. A sigh escaped his lips once more as he listened and started to walk out of the cell, shutting the door and walking down the hall towards the elevator.
Cinder glared at the door for the next few minutes before her eyes started to water a bit. Her lips wobbled for a few seconds before the dam of emotions broke. A sob escaped her lips and she closed her eyes tightly in her empty cell. It was hell, the situation she was in. That sense of helplessness she had turned to Salem to escape from brought her back into a full circle. The reason she desired power so much was to never have that feeling again. Yet, here she was. That helpless little girl once more. It wasn't fair, none of this was fair in the slightest. Was the universe just out to get her, to make her entire existence a living nightmare?
Her biological parents left her in that shithole, the orphanage caused the root of her problems, and her step family were nothing short of monsters. The one man she trusted and looked up to was killed by her hands. Was her entire reason for existing to be the villain of the story? People like Ozpin were treated like kings even though he was secretly a controlling tyrant that sacrificed countless people to get at her mistress? Both were monsters in the own way, and it was clear that neither one cared about the lesser man. People that struggled to eat and live another day while those two seemed to do whatever it took to destroy one another.
To be honest, she didn't want to join Salem at the start. The woman gave no comforting aura and didn't see her as a person but a tool to be used for the time being; but Cinder didn't have anywhere else to go back then. Salem promised Cinder power should she succeed and back then, that was all that was on her mind. Now though, she either wanted to be saved or death. Her heart and soul yearned for a group of individuals that would hear her side of the story and welcome her into their hearts. Her body wanted to die though, to shrivel up and turn to dust and hope that she was at least forgotten by everyone.
"I'm sorry... Please... I'm sorry... I won't mess up this time... someone... please..." She whispered, her eyes wet and red with tears. She silently begged to whatever deity above would hear her cries and grant her at least something; whether it was finally a loving home or death. She was so hurt and tired that either one sounded like a dream come true. She'd slowly change her ways if it meant being saved.
Was it too much to ask being wanted by someone?
So, hello there everyone. I'm back with another chapter this time around. It's not really anything special, but I feel obligated to at least give you all something rather than lead you all on. I'll just say the reasons I haven't uploaded so much; work, school, and improving myself. Those two have been taking up most of my time and I don't really have all that much time to write. I recently had someone ask me why I'm not uploading so much, it's those reasons right there. I don't dedicate so much to fanfiction simply because it almost cost me last year. I devoted too much time into it and my grades were the cost, which is why I'm destined not to repeat the same mistake. Anyways, let's get onto reviews now. You can skip to the end if you don't want to hear what I have to say to each person.
Legion S010: Yes, I'm taking care of myself more.
CykaBlyatintensifies: That's pretty darn fast.
whatsupman: I'll try to make them good.
Ezylryb: Thank you.
Guest: Hope so too.
SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: Probably
Gunbladez19: Can't guarantee anything with her.
NeoConVAL: Nothing will go down in this one, but the next one will.
Alby199800: Thank you, much obliged.
xXKnow1NosXx: That may be the case.
Malgrath: Yeah, whenever I just stop writing and start again, it always ends up a bit messy. I don't mean to drop the quality, but I'd rather produce something at least decent then rush a bunch of chapters and have them absolute dogshit. I'm actually interested in that story now that you mention it.
Dead344156: He's created a problem. I won't say it's god-like, but it's decent.
psp reader: It's gonna bite them in the ass one day.
Daztegnh: Yeah, life's hard, but I just have to push through it.
retnokusuma2305: Of course I'm not dead, don't plan on dying anytime soon either.
Ser Dorito of Aisle 13: I don't really have a set date on when I get chapters up.
Janny092: I wholeheartedly agree with you on that.
Akin2018: Yes.
Crimson Soldat: It won't end up well for them, no.
MysticMauler: I'm glad too, thank you.
DomR1997: I have a problem with repeating myself, whether it's a word or the same thing. It's how I've always been, but I'll try to work on it in the future.
Guest: Yes.
Jak Fortune: Hello, friend.
Sm0keyPanda: It's just how I am, my apologies.
Czechus: I guess you're right.
Elwais: Thank you.
DannyPhantom619: Thank you, you as well.
ahsoei: I look forward to it too.
Crazzytony: I look forward to writing it.
Guest: Thank you, I'm loving your words.
PhoenixGuy: Who's the king here, because it's looking a lot like you.
KnightOfZaku: I look forward to writing it.
DOOMRAIDER: I enjoyed reading that, it certainly was interesting.
Marcos Geddes: You're welcome.
darkromdemon: She'd probably react poorly.
Hyjaxx: Thank you.
Zone-Meister: They have.
Guest: Love you, platonically.
DarthMiner312: Rip to them.
IncensedBus87: You too.
scottusa1: I'll try my best, laters.
| Yorick |: I'm glad.
Rogue-eL: He really is one day.
Austin: You're welcome, and I'll have to come up with something good for next chapter for their reunion. I didn't want to put it in this chapter because I felt it would have been rushed. I'll probably throw some shade at volume 7 & 8, I don't know.
Las piedras: Thank you.
Ferno16: Alright.
Guest: She found out already.
VGBlackwing: Thank you, always enjoy your reviews.
Guest: I'm sure that's what they meant.
ER-47: I'm glad.
CamoMurf: I'm glad it made you laugh.
Naeco: Uno reverse card, you're awesome.
LunaAnt: They're slowly building up.
Crapbaskets: Thank you.
ADAMU KADOMON: I always enjoy reading your reviews, but I have been fun playing those two games. To be honest, I prefer The Final Countdown for some reason. I haven't watched RWBY since volume 6, but I at least read an overview to know what's going on. As for Ozpin's viewpoints, people have been asking more for that and this chapter is somewhat of an introduction to his point of views. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.
DrackNath: A lot of people have been feeling the same way.
MysticMauler: That actually made me laugh.
Venator MC Studios: It's a habit of mine, but I'm glad I could get that sort of reaction from you.
Bile 1.0: You'll have to wait to find out.
Air of Infinity: Thank you.
Crapbaskets: Yes.
rvbrwby: Probably.
ODSTFRymann: Yeah, I've been taking it easy now. Improving myself while making my relationships with people better.
SpudyPotato: Yes.
Quo: Yes, funny.
Ghostly: That's pretty interesting.
3: Thank you.
djpj7652: Thank you, and it's okay. You discovered it at your own pace.
Seros109: No promises.
Blaze1992: Probably.
sd74: A lot of people have said that.
Alvapensky: I am back.
dantezess: He's a loner by heart, it's just how he is.
CamoMurf: Indeed.
ThunderbladeN: Dully noted.
Snake in my boot: I don't know and I don't care.
Steadysmoke420: Thank you, wouldn't say it's the best though.
Another S.T.A.L.K.E.R: I actually could have gone more brutal with the torture scenes.
linuxnoodle: It motivated me.
G944od: Yeah, I didn't want to fall into the whole trope thing anymore. I wanted to do something different and look where it got me, so that's something at least.
Guest: Ok?
ADAMU KADOMON (again): Yes.
Pro writer that we all like: I have returned.
AnonBryd: Noted
Doom guy retired: He's never joining Ozpin either.
ShinyGiratinaA001: I plan on continuing it, yes.
yangn33: That's certainly interesting, I'll look into it.
Guest: Indeed.
I'd like to thank you all for waiting patiently and sticking with me so far, you guys truly are a blessing. Also, I'd like to point some things out before I go, nothing too serious. First, some of you are asking me to do a how the character react to this and I'm here to tell you, I don't have an opinion. If you do, then at least say where you got the material from. Second, some of you guys need to stop pestering me about updating faster than what I do. I don't mind if you message me every so often to say hey or something, but telling me to write the next chapter isn't going to make it arrive faster. Stop fucking pestering and threatening me, it encourages me to make the rest wait longer.
Third, stop asking me to make Six have a bunch of friends just because, I'm not doing that. If I'm going to give him an ally, then I'll at least have their appearance in the story a few times. I don't do that whole friends are magical bullshit because to me, that's fucking stupid and I'm tired of people messaging me about it.
Also, someone told me that some guy on Wattpad was translating my story. To be honest, if all he's doing is translating and isn't claiming it as his own, then I don't give a shit. Not everyone speaks the same language and that's fine with me. Another thing I want to bring up is I'm not filtering what I say to people anymore; you be a dick to me then I'm going to be a dick even more. I'm tired of people walking all over me and I made a new year's resolution to stop that shit before it gets too bad.
People also don't like the way I write Ozpin, tough tit. I can make tweaks, but I'm not changing the whole character because one person didn't see it as satisfactory. Life ain't fair, grass is green. Oh-fucking-well, toughen up.
Final thing, I promise. Apparently, I have fanart of this story. Neato; I really mean it. Someone messaged two days ago about it and I just got around to looking at it, it looks pretty damn good. I think the artist's name was Alex-kellar? Seems pretty famous around the site and seems like a cool and talented person. The only thing I have to say is the visor is black and Six's armor is a primary black and secondary red. Other than that, it's pretty damn fantastic so you guys should give Alex-kellar a pat on the back and round of applaus for taking the time out of their day to make that.
Anyways, I took enough time out of your guys' day, so I'll see you next time. Goodbye.