All was quiet in the ship as Six flew it through the wilderness of Mistral. After dealing with the bounty on his head and claiming it himself, he had too much money for his tastes and decided to let the frontier decide what to do with most of it. There was no reason for him to have all of that when most of his supplies he foraged himself.

The amount he was giving Maaya and the children would keep them afloat and then some. It made up for his lack of presence there, and he did promise her that he'd provide for her and the children. Broken promises always cut into his soul a bit, it's why he didn't make too many of them. Thinking about them made the trip to the academy faster and he glanced at the container that held Yang's severed arm.

Before he could go there though, he needed to stop by a settlement and collect a few things. The locals had an herb that he required for some medicine and he had requested for the seeds to allow him to grow them. There was also a snake that he was after for its venom, for various reasons.

He found an open spot and landed the ship there, collecting his belongings and exiting it. The ship turned invisible and Auspicious floated next to him before she clamped herself on the strap of his bag, simply enjoying the sounds of nature.

Birds chirped and leaves swayed in the wind as the sun shined down upon them while he walked the trail. It was peaceful, but despite it being so, he always remained vigilant. The one time he let his guard down in the past had almost costed him his life. From that point on, he always looked around for threats, and eventually it became second nature to him.

The trail ended and came across a slow moving river, making him bend down and stare at his reflection in the water. He wondered if the UNSC would even take him back at this point. For all they knew, he was dead, another casualty in the Human-Covenant war. Aside from that, he was compromised. He had gotten too close to civilians and it bothered him. There were times when it bothered him that he was the way he is now.

Whenever he was alone and left with his thoughts too long, the darker aspects of his mind questioned why he was still living. He had served his purpose and was meant to be thrown out when his use was up, so why was he still breathing? These thoughts often had him questioning his purpose at this point.

His hand dipped beneath the water and his reflection rippled. Those negative thoughts disappeared as he stared at the water and withdrew his hand from it. Droplets dripped from his hand and he stared at it for several seconds.

Movement in the water made his eyes snap to it before a pair of jaws snapped at him. He backed up and quickly caught the jaws of the alligator. Its head whipped around and he narrowed his eyes before throwing it over him and slamming it on the ground. It rolled onto its legs and tried to dive back into the water, but he gripped its tail and pulled it back.

He stabbed it in the skull and killed it instantly before he began to drag it towards an open area. A trail of blood was seen as he continued to drag it before stopping when he arrived at the ship and set it down. Auspicious popped off his back and simply watched as he began to skin and take the edible parts of the animal.

For the next forty minutes, he carefully skinned, cleaned, and quartered it before safely putting the meat in containers. He started a fire and cooked some of it, seasoning it well and waiting patiently for it to cook over the flames.

"That was quite the show." Auspicious commented.

"It was small, I would have preferred if it was bigger." He responded and rotated the meat.

"Reclaimer, it was eight feet long." She said.

"..." He just grunted and tore into the meat when it finished cooking. Out of all the animals he's killed and eaten, alligator and crocodile meat were his favorite. The more he's thought about it, he's killed just about every single dangerous animal out there for either meat or their fur. Needless killing wasn't necessary and there were a few times in the past where he's gotten into it with poachers.

He cooked all of it and ate it as well before standing up and putting everything away. She watched as he started to go back out and bopped up and down in confusion.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm getting another one." He answered.

"Why?" She asked.

"I want more meat and it's for later." He said and she watched him disappear.

For the next hour, she just went around and started to scan the various plants and small critters she could sneak up on. A single shot was heard in the distance and she saw him drag an even bigger alligator by its tail. This one was fifteen feet long and he wasted no time in skinning it, cleaning it, then taking its meat and teeth.

To her, he was such a strange individual and there were times he was more like an animal than a person. He was more in touch with the wild than he dared to admit and it was probably why he always stuck to the outer settlements so often. There was a strange sense of peace that filled his body whenever he was out here.

During his times in the city, he was always more violent. He was like a cornered, wild animal that snapped at anything that tried to touch it. While he was alert and focused in an urban environment, there was a sense of malice that filled his soul whenever he was in there. It was a sign that the more violent aspects of his character were showing.

Once he was done with everything, he grabbed her and attached her to the strap of his bag before heading out again. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before opening his eyes and looking around the area. The soil compressed a bit with each step he took as he looked around for the snake. His ears constantly listened for the faint sound of it and he eventually found it underneath a rock.

It stared at him and he bent down before doing the same, slapping the ground slightly several times to get it to strike. When it struck quickly, his hand whipped around its head and he squeezed. It wrapped its body around his arm but he paid it no mind and carried it back to the ship. Once he got the venom, he'd let it go and find another one later.

The walk back to the ship didn't take long, but he walked into it and went to the lower section where he kept his weapons. He went to a small counter and grabbed a jar with a thin layer of wrap on the top, coaxing the snake into biting it. He watched as the venom was injected through the wrapping and then dripped into the jar. Once he got a good amount, he stored it with several other jars of venom and went outside, letting the snake go.

So for the next eight hours, he went out and found the same species of snake before milking its venom and letting it go. By the time he was finished, he had an entire jar full of venom just like the others and he labeled it before locking it away.

Antivenom was something not a lot of people in the frontier had access to, mainly due to the fact that trying to capture the snake was a difficult task. This would just lessen their burdens at least a little bit.

"You have no idea how much this will help. How did you even get this much?" A pharmacist asked as she stared at the small jar that was set on the counter. There was enough in there to last for a while.

"I spent a while collecting it." Six answered as he stared at the woman.

"Well, in any case, thank you. A lot of people can get treated now that we have this." She held up the jar and nodded in appreciation.

"You're welcome." He responded then purchased some medical supplies. He bid the woman a farewell before exiting out of the pharmacy and into the settlement. The people went about their day for the most part and he didn't even bother to interfere with it.

This was one of the settlements that was fairly large and needed vehicles to get around, it only recently started to grow in recent years. More people moved out into the frontier, even before his horrifying wave of violence he unleashed in the city a few months ago. Mistral city was a practically lawless half the time and people saw that moving out into the wild gave them a better chance than the urban environment.

He let his thoughts wander as he walked along the sidewalk and stopped at a street, waiting for the crosswalk to give them the right away. There was a group of people that stood next to him, people of all ages and from both species meshed together. A single mother with two children, a group of teenagers glued to their devices, and several elderly people heading off to their destinations.

A few of them unintentionally got closer to him and he scooted to away from them a bit. His antisocial attitude would never leave him unfortunately, it was both a blessing and a curse at certain times. It was a mixed baggage and he honestly wished his damaged mind would pick a side one day.

The two children started to play and run around, seemingly ignoring their mother's requests before accidentally knocking the bag of groceries out of her hand. They ran through the crowd while she bent down to put the groceries back in the paper bag while ushering them to come back to her. Nobody tried to stop them as they were too absorbed in their own worlds or simply judged.

He just stared ahead blankly as the two ran circles around him, occasionally bumping into his hand a couple times. Due to the amount of times the children climbed over him, he wasn't as bothered by it as much as he initially thought. That didn't mean he didn't have some type of negative opinion though. These children in front of him were unruly, undisciplined, and loud.

At that age, he knew better or else his instructors would give him severe punishments. They weren't raising children back in Beta company, they were raising weapons, and they didn't want their weapons to act like fools. He had to remember that this wasn't the UNSC though, that the children in front of him were just kids. They had no idea of the terrible place the universe was, how merciless it was.

The boy in front of him laughed as he stopped circling around him and started to rush into the road. Six's eyes snapped to the truck that was approaching quickly and his hand shot out. Like a viper, his hand snatched the back of the boy's collar and tugged him back onto the sidewalk, just as soon as the vehicle sped by.

His eyes followed the vehicle down the street before he held onto the boy's collar. Everyone looked at him and he let go of the boy's collar when he felt their stares before calmly walking down the street. He could hear the mother scold her children for running off and nearly getting themselves killed. A few teenagers brought up their scrolls to record him as he disappeared around the corner and entered another shop.

The shop itself was quite small and his helmet blocked out the smell of spices inside. All along the walls were jars containing different spices and he looked at them, reading the contents carefully. He reached up and grabbed a small jar and observed it, twisting it in his hands before grabbing a few more of the same one and walking up to the counter.

He paid for the spices and put them in his bag before slinging it back over his shoulder and exiting the building. The sky was grey and he looked up when he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. People rushed by him when the rain started to fall and he went up to town's square and looked at the bounty board. Only the most dangerous bounty was available and he picked it, frowning when it requested a license.

Auspicious popped off the bag of his strap and hacked into the terminal, uploading the whereabouts of the Grimm to him before clamping herself back onto his bag. He didn't even care about the rewards, he just needed to know the locations and necessary information about the Grimm.

A rare type of Grimm called a Mimic that could replicate people's voices. Even though Grimm didn't need any nourishment, this type consumed the throats of their victims to copy their voices. The older they got, the more voices they seemed acquire and countless people perished from this specific one. From what he read on the TACPAD, it was close to twenty years old.

He spent the next several minutes reading the information in the open before putting his arm down and walking back towards the ship. Lightning struck in the distance and he ignored it before continuing forward. As he got closer to the gate of the settlement, he stopped when he heard whispers.

Several people quickly went around the corner when he turned in their direction before looking at the spot for a few moments then turning away. His footsteps were quiet against the pavement and he turned around again when the whispers could be heard once more. Turning back around, he eventually got out of the settlement and started to wander back into the wild.

The rain pelted down on him and he simply walked along a cobblestone path for the next several minutes. Faint noises were heard and his eyes flicked to his motion tracker, seeing several blips appear on it. He continued walking until he reached a fork in the road and stopped, standing still as a statue while waiting patiently for one of them to approach.

"Reclaimer, they are teenagers." Auspicious said privately to him.

"..." He subtly nodded and just stood in place for the next few minutes before looking at the spot they were located at. One of them quickly darted behind a tree and he gave a deadpan expression before walking along the left trail.

As he walked, he heard the branches in the trees rustle around as they tried to quietly follow him, but were failing miserably. He swiped a rock off the side of the trail and rotated it in between his fingers before placing it on his thumb. Using his index finger, he flicked it at one of them and managed to hit them in the shoulder, making them curse out loud.

There was an audible thump as they fell out of the tree and landed on the ground roughly. He just stood there as they all revealed themselves and went to check on their companion.

"What the hell?" The one on the ground exclaimed.

"..." He just looked at them. Some were human while others were Faunus, but all of them wore cloaks over their shoulders. It must be this new group running around, either impersonating him or it being part of their custom for the village. He had a feeling it was the former since nobody in the settlement seemed to wear cloaks.

"Not even an apology-" They started.

"Why are you following me?" He asked calmly and they shut up instantly. It was silent and none of them really expected him to talk, much less sound so distant.

"Well, we wanted to see if you were the real deal." One of them answered, twisting his thumbs slightly. His glasses slid a bit from the bridge of his nose due to the rain while his hood was up.

"You should go home before you catch an illness." He told them all and turned back around. The sound of footsteps following him made him turn around to see them still following him. Just like the settlements back in Vale, these people were keen on following him around.

"We want you to train us." Another one said.

"No." He responded instantly, making them freeze for a second.

"W-What? Why?" The first one asked.

"I don't have students nor do I take any. You are better off learning from your instructors." He answered evenly, his tone never raising nor lowering. If he ever did take people underneath his belt, they would be right after Ren and Nora. Those two would be the first ones he trained before anyone else.

"No one else will train us. We've been learning on our own for the most part-" Another one stopped when thunder rumbled and he flinched when lightning struck behind Six, briefly giving him a more ominous appearance.

"Go home. Your home needs you more than I do. It is too dangerous for children such as yourselves to be out here with no formal training or information." He said.

While they might have been insulted by his words, he felt that he was doing them a favor. They were willing to throw their lives away in the pursuit of glory, to become legends of their own. Six didn't want these teenagers to die because they wanted to become famous in their own way.

"So you're just going to deny us?" Another one asked.

"Yes." He answered instantly.

"Some legend you are. Who are you to deny us after we risked so much to get a chance to speak with you?" She stomped. They all flinched when he was suddenly in front of them, and now that he was, his metaphorical aura made their knees shake.

"Someone who knows how twisted and cruel this world is. There is nothing honorable about the road you wish to travel on; the only thing you will find is pain, loss, and sorrow later on down the line. Stop living this fantasy and go home." He said coldly. His tone made them falter but they steeled themselves and stared at him defiantly, making his eyes narrow.

"We can't turn back now. Our homes were destroyed and we don't have anywhere else to go. Mistral made sure of that before you started your violent purge." One of them said.

"..." He just stared at them and shook his head before turning away. They were young, foolish kids that didn't have any idea how twisted Remnant actually was. Although they heard about his deeds, he was the one who constantly saw humanity's darker aspects. The pillaging, raping, torture, extortion, murdering, and whatever else clung to the foundation of this world.

Six had seen it all.

"So where are we supposed to go?" The leader asked.

"There is an outer settlement in Vale, located near the Canyon of Retribution. They will have a place for you all to stay for the time being. That's if you manage to earn your keep there." Six answered after several moments of silence. He knew that these kids weren't going to divert off the path they had set their minds to, and he didn't care anymore.

"Are you taking us there?" Another one asked.

"No." He responded and took the map from one of them. They watched as he drew a safe route for them before leading it to the location of the settlement. It wasn't the one Maaya and the children stayed at, and he rarely visited that settlement, but it was safe enough for this little group to live in.

After he gave them the map back, he didn't say anything else and started to walk away. They just watched him start to disappear down the trail before they crowded around the map and looked at it. Out of all the kingdoms, Vale's frontier was probably the safest and they knew it was their best chance.

The swamp seemed to lose some of its color the deeper one went, and it got to the point where it was nothing but a dull environment in the middle. It was silent with the exception of the occasional fauna moving around and falling of dead twigs. A frog croaked on a fallen branch before darting into the water when it heard a small noise.

Crickets chirped in the distance and all other insects could be heard buzzing around, looking for food or something to continue their species one way or another.

Water suddenly flew through the air as a humanoid Grimm with a crocodilian head roared while Six was on its back, stabbing it repeatedly in the neck. It dove underneath the water again and started to roll around to shake him off, managing to do so but he ripped a chunk of its torso off in the process.

Due to its nature, it was faster in the water and clamped its jaws around his torso. His shields steadily dropped and he put his hands on its jaws before prying them apart slowly. It grabbed his hands and forced them away, making him frown underneath his helmet before he managed to wiggle one of his hands free and break four of its fingers violently.

A muffled crack underneath the water was heard and its mouth opened up to roar in agony. Water splashed around as the two fought underneath the waves and it tried to clamp its jaws around him again. He managed to swim out of the way before looking around and finding a sharp piece of destroyed Bullhead, making his way towards it and letting his body sink down and stood in front of it.

It circled around him before stopping in front of him and darting towards him. He patiently waited until it got close enough before suddenly moving to his right when it opened is mouth again. A visceral, muffled squelch was heard as the sharp metal pierced its skull, causing it to burst out the other side. Its neck bent and a crack was heard before it went limp suddenly.

He just stared at its body float around before slowly disappearing, but he didn't waste any time and pried it off the piece of metal. It barely took any strength to push it away and watch it sink into the muddy ground of the body of water they were in.

The door to the sunken Bullhead was pried open and he ended up ripping the door off before pushing it to the side and swimming inside. Walking on the bottom was a more appropriate term since he sunk like a rock. He got inside and looked around, the water swishing with each movement he made and he went up to the pilot's seat to see two skeletons at the controls.

He looked at the small compartment and grabbed an item before heading outside. Mud kicked up with each heavy step he took and he eventually made it to shore, looking around and spotting his cloak and bag in the same spot he left them. Water dripped off his armor and he shook a bit of it off then put his cloak and bag on his body. The item in his hand was a key to something he was looking for.

It was actually the key to the next facility and he brushed a bit of the gunk off of it with his thumb. Wet grass and mud squelched underneath each step and he ignored the sound before raising his hand and typing a few commands on his TACPAD.

Leaves and wet grass started to blow in separate directions as the ship lowered and he jumped up, grabbing on the edge of the side ramp and climbing inside. He walked to the pilot's seat and sat down before gripping the controls and flying the ship in the direction of the remaining facility. After he got the facility up and running, he'd grab the relic then be done with Mistral.

"I take it you want me to clean your suit and the ship?" Auspicious guessed.

"Yes." He nodded and turned back to the window.

"Reclaimer, about those children..." She trailed off.

"What about them?" He asked.

"I don't think it was wise of you to just leave them." She commented.

"They are not my concern." He said instantly. Nothing was felt for the group that had taken after his appearance.

"How is it different from your oldest?" She asked.

"I gave them a safe travel route, if they cannot follow that then it is not my fault. Ren and Nora had nothing, not even a place to stay all those years." He responded evenly. While it was callous of him to essentially let children go off by themselves across the land, he didn't feel any connection to them. It was different with Ren and Nora though, for reasons he didn't know or care.

"Still, you should have at least taken them to Vale and dropped them off nearby." She said.

"If they perish then I will take responsibility for their deaths." He said calmly.

That was where the two of them conflicted. Sometimes, she was more human than him and he was more like a machine than her. She followed her protocols but also acted on impulse sometimes, it was both a blessing and a curse, courtesy of her creator.

He on the other hand was a different story. Taking of ones life never bothered him in the slightest, and she had seen him grow more and more violent as time passed on. He was a deeply disturbed individual and there were times when she witnessed him contemplate how he was acting. These times were usually when he thought about how Myne and the other children saw him.

Despite not showing it, she did see that he truly did care about them. It was barely noticeable, but she saw that he was somewhat more relaxed and truly cherished the small moments he shared with them. Maaya and the children were the rock that kept him steady when he realized how much light they brought into his life.

The effects of snatching that light away were devastating to say the least, something Ozpin had to learn the hard way. Six was sometimes a bomb waiting to go off, he rarely showed anything other than apathy and sometimes the occasional tone of elated curiosity. When he did show an emotion other than those two, it was usually violent rage.

The more Auspicious thought about it, the more she believed he was a reincarnation of the Forerunner she had told him about. Both were similar in many ways, but the latter didn't care about humanity all that much in the beginning and only in the end did he see them as a respectable species. Six did on the other hand, always cared about humanity in some way shape or form.

"On another note, this facility should be a rather pleasant one." She changed the subject.

"Why?" He asked.

"It contains Huragoks, otherwise known as-" She floated next to his head.

"Engineers." He finished and kept his eyes forward.

"That's right... how did you know?" She asked curiously.

"I have encountered them before." He answered.

"Ah." She merely said.

He's encountered plenty of Engineers during his time in the Human-Covenant war, most of the ones he encountered were suicide bombers. However, he knew that they had no choice in the matter, and they were the only species in the Covenant that he didn't hate. They were more of an unfortunate race caught in the crossfire than anything.

"How many?" He asked.

"It's hard to say, possibly a couple. I'll know more when I get inside." She answered.

"I see." He said.

"They are very compassionate creatures despite their appearance. Oh, I just adore them so much." She said pleasantly.

"I can tell." He responded.

"Although, they are capable of violence when the ones they've taken a liking to are threatened." She informed.

"..." He just nodded in understanding and continued to fly the ship towards the facility. Once he got the relic and killed Hazel, he'd go back to the settlement and lie low for a while.

That sounded nice.

It's been a while, huh? Can't say that it hasn't. Anyways, thanks for reading this story so far despite its flaws and here's another chapter. Bye.