Hey there! So, this is my first ever story . . . well, published story anyway! You can probably tell from the tags, and summary, what this will be about so I won't nettle on here too long about it.
The idea is to leave this as a one-shot for now, mostly because I don't have a solid plan for a full-length story, but that could change, or I may also just add snippets from time to time as separate chapters if an idea for one springs up.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
He paused, but for a moment.
His chest heaved with every breath, each inhale sending a surge of pain rippling through his body as his mind swam with nausea. It begged him to stop, to rest, but he heeded not to its calls. Rather, he clenched his gloved fist, stained in crimson not his own, and steadied his footing once more as another one of them rushed towards him. A metal bar of some sort raised above his head, his mouth frothing like a rabid dog, the man swung down with enough force to brutalize anything that stood his path.
He moved at the last moment; it was a clumsy action, throwing himself below the swing, he could feel splinters of the shattered door that had taken his attack dig past his clothing and into his back, yet he only rewarded his attacker with a small grunt of pain. His second reward was his fist crashing into the bottom of the man's chin, a mixture of spittle and blood spewing forth as his head flung back. His foe crumpled to the floor soon after, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, a sorrowing groan coming from the man who now cradled himself on the floor.
A hand came to wipe against his mouth on instinct, even if the blood pouring from his own lip was obscured by the mask.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤEnd him.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHe's not who we're after.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤHe is a danger to those that walk the night.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThen this will be a lesson to be better.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤYou did not provide others that lesson.
The time for talk was over as he approached his final destination, he may very well pay later for ending it so soon, instead stepping over the downed foe and standing before a singular door. Twelfth floor, room twenty-three. It was as decrepit as one might expect from the poor estates of Vale; the mold that had infested every story he climbed seemed even more pronounced, the walls that reached into the door had become a sickening green. The frame itself seemed ready to collapse, and he wasn't all too surprised when a single kick to the ridges had it toppling inwards and spilling the light inside.
"Stay the fuck back!"
He stepped inside the drafted apartment room, pointedly ignoring the desperate command that came from the back. He could see them as clear as day; the flickering lights from the hall may have not reached fully inside the trash-stuffed room, but the moonlight from the window they stood beside illuminated their features for all to see.
A pretty little thing: blonde locks that reached down to her shoulders, a mousey frame with shimmering blue eyes that could have been called beautiful if for not how they quaked in absolute terror as tears ran down her cheeks. The object of such terror was a clean-shaven, yet haggard-looking man. His slicked-back hair poked from different ends, his entire body shimmered with sweat, the clothes he donned, while sporting tailored brands, were muddied and sooted.
"I said to stay out of the fucking room!" Oh, and he had a gun pressed to the girl's temple, one arm wrapped around her waist to keep her close - though with how his entire frame shook, the weapon trembling in his grasp, this obviously wasn't a man used to having to deal with conflict directly.
Better for him.
"Or what Matthew?" Some part of him, buried deep inside, found some comfort in how the girl's eyes brightened ever so slightly. It wasn't all too surprising; from his calm demeanor, to the polished white and golden vest that no Valen officer would ever wear he donned, she likely assumed him a huntsmen of some sort. They always were the flashy sort.
The opposite could be said for the man, Matthew, who at the mention of his name being a known factor had now allowed the terror to truly settle in; the barrel of the gun, a pistol of some mannerism, was forcefully pressed harshly into his hostage's head. He didn't move to take another step forward as the gunman's victim let out a panicked cry; his own feet were rooted to place, and it seemed to only bolster the man's confidence and his frenzy.
"O . . Or I'll end her miserable shitty life!" The tears only sprung forth even more from the girl; she was a blabbering mess, pleading, begging, praying all for naught as it fell upon the deaf ears of a madman.
"I know your type, you're one of t . . them heroes! Those huntsmen!" Matthew seemed lost in his own delusions at this point; a sinister mocking smile spreading across his face as he spoke up once more; "That means you gotta' abide by rules! My rules! Wouldn't want the council breathing down your neck cus' you fucked up and got someone killed, right!?"
"That so?" He drawled.
"S . . So you're gonna let me walk out of here, with this dumb bitch with me and then your gonna fuck off to whatever smancy' academy you report to or I swear to god I will paint the side of this wall with the inside of her head!" Matthew seemed all but assured of his victory, and if not for how he appeared on the verge of emptying his stomach, he may have even burst into laughter.
The girl, on the other hand, may have been on the verge of hysteria.
"So do it."
"W . . What?" The smirk that had stretched across his face was wiped off in an instant.
"I said do it. Kill her." It should have stung to see the utter look of betrayal, of fear, on the girls' eyes as they bore into him. Yet he found his own gaze locked onto that of the gunman, who seemed to have gone into a state of shock for a brief moment before spewing forth another desperate retort;
"You think I won't!? That I'm some fuckin' punk who got no guts!? I'll fuckin' end her! I will!" He was practically spewing forth his spit with every syllable, it was truly revolting.
"I believe you." His curt response only seemed to encourage him further, speaking up again before the man truly go through with his declaration; "Just as I believe you aren't an idiot enough to believe that I won't rip you limb from limb the moment her body hits the floor."
Ah, now that got him to shut up.
"I'm standing here because that girl is important to me; you may see that as an advantage, a tool to make use of, but you are solely mistaken." Voice like ice, he took one step forward, and then another. Matthew no longer seemed to be assured of his 'victory' anymore; "Her life is already presumed over by the authorities, by her family; she's not your hostage Matthew, she's your lifeline, the moment her heart stops I can promise yours will as well."
"M . . My men wil-"
"Your men are dead or crippled." Not a complete truth, not a full lie either; "No one is coming to save you."
Desperation seemed to have fully developed in the man; his eyes bloodshot with panic, his nose running with pungent green snot and his lips trembling trying to splutter forth a worthwhile retort.
"Her life may be forfeit by the city, but are you willing to make yours as well?" He was all but a few steps away from the pair, both had been backed up into the ceiling-reaching window at this point; and while his arms remained at his side, his voice alone all but demanded the compliance of the spluttering gunman.
Seconds ticked on by, no more words were further exchanged.
Matthew's breath hitched, his finger itched, curling around the trigger.
His own hands clenched into fists, readying himself.
The girls' eyes were kept shut, the tears had now become dry as she could do naught but a whimper.
The gun clattered to the floor a moment later.
It was as if the tension itself was sucked out of the room in a mere instant; Matthews's bumbling form hit the ground as he all but went limp, while the girl let out a choked sob as she crashed into his chest; new tears spilling forth as she wrapped her arms around his back. He didn't once take his flaxen-stained gaze off the crumpled form of the man, but he did attempt to offer some level of assurance to the poor girl, raising one hand to stroke her back.
"You're okay now Sarah, I promise you that." It was probably how twisted the entire situation had become that she didn't seem phased that he knew her name, merely continuing to tighten her grip upon him; "I'm going to take you home soon enough, but I need you to be brave and wait outside in the hallway for me, alright?" His voice may have oozed professional confidence, but it did little to stop her panicked expression as quickly she looked up at his masked face.
"Don't fret, I'll be right here still. I merely need to take care of something is all." He was quick to assure her, even going as far as to lead her into the hallway itself and helping her over the still-groaning body he had left earlier. It wasn't of much help of course, poor thing looked ready to jump out of her own skin and she sent him a pleading look as he stepped away. He made a mental note to take care of his next step quickly.
Venturing back into the room itself, the form of mad gunman hadn't moved in any significant manner other than perhaps slumping down even further upon the floor. The man probably assumed his life was over; the police would no doubt be arriving at any moment courtesy of his own explosive journey up the wearied hotel and no amount of daddy's money was going to make the charges go away anytime soon.
He would be at least correct in one regard.
"Matthew Henderson Fillis." He stood above the crumbled body of the kidnapper, glowering down with a narrow of his eyes as he bent himself down to be eye level with the mad man; "Assault. Arson. Harassment of several different varieties. Murder . . ."
If his words were having any effect on the defeated man, he certainly didn't show it.
"Are you reading me my fuckin' rights huntsmen?"
In an opposite sort of sense, he himself was rather fond of showing his feelings upright. His right hand shot out to wrap around the neck of the disgraced criminal; the speed, and abruptness, had found him little initial resistance as his gloved fingers wrapped around his windpipe, raised him up, and pushed down.
"You feed on those weaker than you, all to satisfy your never-ending lust for your own ego." The man, for all he tried, attempted to push him off, yet he budged not even an inch under his panicked assaults. "A never-ending cycle of hate and violence that leaves others in sorrow." From there it become slapping, scratching, and general flailing as the life was forcefully pushed out of him. "For the crimes taken upon of whom should safely walk the night, I am here to exact punishment."
"H . . ugh, hunstmen . . . cwn'nt . . . kill' . . ." It was a spluttered reply; Matthew's face had gone crimson as his eyes bulged from their sockets. The attempts at freeing himself had all but ceased as he instead resorted to pleading whimpers.
If only he could see the smile under the mask.
"I'm no huntsmen."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ SNAP
It was over as quickly as it had begun.
Matthews body crumpled to the floor, lifeless and drained of most of the color drained from his body. It was a common sight really, and yet he found himself releasing a breath he didn't truly know he was holding. Raising his hand to massage his wrist, he spared one last glance at the kidnapper-no-more, before returning to the hallway with a chipper tone to his voice:
"Now, Sarah, I believe I promised to take you home?"
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ/-\
ㅤ
He was never good at emotional reunions.
Yet it was part of the business, his business, so he continued to remain stoic as mother tearfully embraced a blubbering daughter. There was the usual sorts: crying, yelling, hugging, oh and more crying. Despite his earlier claims, the young girl's family hadn't yet given up hope of her daughters survival after the initial kidnapping. It was, after all, the mother herself that had sought him out, pleaded with him to take the case and return her daughter to their family. Stoic as he may be, he would never have turned down such a request even if she hadn't pushed forward a considerable sum of Lien his way.
"Oh, thank you sir!" Damn it all, so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't even noticed the tear-stained pair turn to his direction; the larger and older of the two stepping forth and practically snatching his hand as to shake it. "I . . I cannot express just what you've done for my family, the gratitude I feel for you!" Dear moon deity above, she had nearly ripped his arm off!
"It was my duty ma'am, I'm just glad I could return your daughter safely." And judging by how the girl in question looked like she was barely restraining herself from running forth and hugging him again, he could very well feel the gratitude.
"T . . The police had already given up, and no huntsmen would take the job, without you I . . . she . . " The wrinkled woman, who wore her hair in a bun and was hunched in her age, looked ready to burst into tears once more before he placed a hand upon her shoulder.
It didn't need to be said. Sarah would've been killed. Or worse.
The older woman seemed to understand as such, tearfully smiling up at his masked face once more, before rushing back to embrace her daughter. It was only a few minutes later that they ventured back into their home, still holding on to one another; no doubt after the shock wore off Sarah would be in for a stern talking too about trusting strangers, but for now, both mother and daughter could just bask in the joy of being reunited once more.
Their departure had also allowed him to step away, keeping himself focused as he walked down a few streets in the crisp night, wiping a coat of dust off the shoulder of his vest, before he nearly collapsed into a nearby alley. Out of sight of those who would gossip at the sight, the white'n'gold-trimmed suited man let out a pained groan as he bent over and partially slid down the brick wall.
Medical expert he wasn't, he knew there were at least a dozen or so cracked ribs poking in all the wrong places. That wasn't even beginning to focus on the flaming sensation that roared up his thigh if he dared to even put an ounce of pressure on his right leg. Few tasks ever had him coming out unharmed, but he was still in the process of healing from the last one . . .
Huntsmen he may not be, but God above what he wouldn't kill to have aura right about now.
His head was spinning and the world around him felt very, very, wobbly at the moment to the point he couldn't place the moon in the sky, but he knew he couldn't remain here. So instead, with a shuddering breath, and clenched fists, he took one step forward on the journey back home.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ/-\
ㅤ
Jaune Arc awoke with a pained shudder.
It was becoming a somewhat common occurrence, but common did not equal being prepared nor desired. It felt like every bone in his body was on fire, and a quick lick over his own lips revealed a somewhat swollen cut had already formed.
The damnest part was that no matter how much his body wailed in pain, or mysterious bruises appeared across his skin, or busted lips formed, his aura readings never showed even a dent! Lo' and behold, after a whimpering gasp and awkwardly shuffling to the bathroom quietly enough to not disturb his still slowly awakening team, a quick check of his scroll revealed he was still brimming with 100% of the good stuff!
It didn't make any sense!
The first few times it had happened he chalked it up to just muscle cramping after a late-night training session with Pyrrha; she'd warned him after all that his body would be unused to the regime of a huntsmen life - but after he once woke up with a black eye he knew she hadn't planted he accepted something else was going on.
Plus, he had to spend the entire day pretending he accidentally hit his eye on a door handle as an excuse!
He'd tried reading up about any familiar cases in Beacons library, but the closest thing he could find were documented cases of advanced sleepwalking; and even in those cases they were simple acts of grabbing objects or moving through the motions of a task, and unless he was somehow sleepwalking into an underground boxing arena, that theory didn't hold up.
His next idea was to maybe ask the teachers but . . .
He may have trusted Pyrrha with his secret, but he certainly didn't want the staff at Beacon digging into his past anytime soon.
Which left . . . what?
He had no clues, no inkling of where to look further, and the number of occasions he was having to book himself into the infirmary on the basis of 'feeling under the weather' was becoming more of a weekly occurrence than he'd ever like!
Did the universe hate him or something? Didn't he already have enough in his life to deal with without adding on mysterious injuries that appear overnight?
Any further self-pitying thoughts were bolted from his head, however, as the door to the bathroom was suddenly thumped against several times with each one increasing in intensity; causing Jaune to jump, which only caused further pain he had to stifle with a bite to his tongue.
"Oh leeeeeader', you better not be doing anything naughty in there so early in the morning ~" It was followed by yet another series of thumping knocks and maniacal laughs before being quickly subdued by who he assumed was his own brother-in-arms.
Thank the gods above for Ren.
Outside he could hear the rest of his team rousing from their sleep and beginning their start to the day, and he certainly couldn't spend the rest of the morning wallowing in the shared bathroom.
Maybe . . . Maybe he'd feel better after some breakfast?
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ/-\
ㅤ
Breakfast did not make anything better.
Oh sure, the pain spreading across his body and joints had nulled somewhat, but he chalked that up to him becoming used to the ever-lasting sensation of the pain rather than anything actually being healed. At the very least, no one paid attention to his pained gasps when he reached too far forward; either chalking it up to a training accident or simply not caring to notice his plight in the first place.
One such, beautiful, example sat across from him at this very moment; scroll in hand as she read through what must've been some news report judging by the amount of text on the screen. Even when she was grimacing, Weiss Schnee shone as graceful as a . . a . . .
. . . damn stomach cramps were even ruining his creativity as well it seems.
"Unbelievable!" The heiress all but shirked, and even Jaune himself had to wince and he was sat on the other end of the table their teams shared; poor Ruby was cradling her ears with a small groan. Weiss hadn't noticed or simply didn't feel the need to apologize it seemed.
"Geeze' Weiss, tone it down a notch'? I think half of Beacon heard you this time." Their resident blonde brawler was the only one brave enough to prod on Beacons heiress, if only because Yang seemingly enjoyed any and all reactions she could pull forth from the typically stoic girl. "I know I joked about you being a 'Weiss-Scream', but you didn't have to take it to heart . . ."
No one laughed.
Jaune let out a pained whimper as his head rested on the table.
Weiss, who for once didn't rise to the bait of her blonder teammate, instead set her scroll down and pushed it to the center of the table; "Look at this!" Jaune didn't bother moving his head from its resting spot, for he knew at least someone else would openly discuss whatever injustice the heiress had become scandalized by.
"Highschool kidnapping victim safely returned back to family?" His own partners' voice spoke up, and a quick glance showed she had picked up the scroll. A fluff piece was one thing, and sure a kidnapping in Vale wasn't exactly a good thing either, but it certainly didn't seem worthy of the outburst of the Schnee heiress. Of course, that wasn't the end of it, as Weiss promptly motioned for the champion to scroll further down;
"Sarah Houtson, returned home . . . not in critical condition . . . Matthew Henderson Fillis . . ." The more that was read out to the group, the more it truly did seem like a regular story. That was of course before Pyrrha paused, her own emerald eyes widening by a fraction before she continued; "- eye witness reports detail a masked vigilante was involved in her safe return, however, Vales own law enforcement have refused to comment on such statements."
Wait, a masked vigilante? Like a-
"Like a superhero!?" Ruby, as always, was on the same train of thought and always that little bit quicker. The girl seemed positively thrilled, eagerly snatching the scroll away from Pyrrhas own hands and greedily reading over every detail.
"Like a criminal." Weiss's retort was all but spat out; "The only people who hide behind masks are cowards and those looking to hide their misdeeds through some sort of misguided sense of justice." For whatever reason the tone of the ice queen was like venom, usually reserved only for her most heated debates – and was it just his own pain-hazed imagination or was Blake wilting into her seat more than usual?
"I mean, he apparently saved a girl from some creep', I don't see many criminals doing that." Ruby was all but frantically nodding along with her sisters retort, even if Yang seemed generally disinterested in the conversation as a whole.
"After he was paid! In all likelihood, he's probably some thuggish brute looking to scam troubled families for their lien." Of course, no one dared bring up the point that huntsmen themselves were paid to help others, though in all likelihood it was the principle that counted.
"Ease' off, it's not like I'm president of the guys fan-club, I'm just saying he can't be that bad of a guy if he's willing to help others, paid or not." Yang now rested her chin upon her open palm which was now leaning upon the table; "Girl's home, families happy, dudes probably rotting in a cell for the rest of his life, I'd consider that a win really."
"Maybe this time, but what about the next? Should we trust the next kidnapping to a complete stranger with zero qualifications to handle such a delicate situation?" Yang seemingly knew that Weiss wasn't going to back down on her stance, she rarely ever did, and any further comments would only lead to a much longer debate. So, she rolled her eyes, shrugged, and returned to the plate of assorted meats and baked goods nestled in her plate.
"Oooh, ooh! Apparently, this isn't the first time either!" Ruby on the other hand apparently hadn't caught that hint yet; while her sister and partner had bickered amongst one another, the young rose had pulled out her own scroll and while Jaune could comprehend little of the images and text that she openly scrolled by, he did manage to catch a few familiar phrases.
"There was this one time with an armed robbery!" Somehow, knowing a little of Ruby's acceptance into Beacon, it didn't surprise him that such a thing caught her interest; "Another had a local gang disbanding over the course of a few days!" Huh, so their residential hero had been active for a while, he was surprised he hadn't stumbled across it himself in all honestly.
"He even has a hero name!" Now, this he had to hear; stifling the groan as he leaned back to sit upon the bench as normally as he could. "Well, apparently he never gave a name but some of the people he's helped have kinda' give him one and-"
"Out with it girl!" Ah, Nora and patience. It was like Grimm and cute puppies, it never went well.
"Mr. Moon."
The collection of eight students fell silent.
"Meh', six out of ten." Yang was the first to speak, waving her hand back and forth in a so-so manner. Of course, Ruby, second only to his own geekiness, was first to rush to her newfound interests defence; "Oh come on Yaaaang', it's mysterious! Like all good heroes!"
"He's not a hero!" Weiss was quick to snap back.
"Mask? Check? Saving people? Check? Cool name? Triple check! I think that's like, the requirements for being a hero." Ruby's logic, as always, was flawless and it only served to irritate the heiress to no end. The two quickly fell into a familiar form of bickering; hands waving animatedly, shouting above one another, scowls – it was the complete package! Such a common scene was enough to draw attention away from the topic as a whole, and for the most part, everyone returned to their meals and usual talking points. It also left Jaune to his own thoughts for a moment.
Mr. Moon, huh? I feel like I've heard that name before . . .
Maybe he had read about their local vigilante and just never taken notice? Studies and information retention certainly weren't his strong suits. Though one thing was for certain, he totally agreed with Yang on the assessment of the name. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't resonate that spectacular sensation all hero names were meant to.
If he ever had a badass superhero name it'd be something cool and iconic, like the HuntsMan! Now that was a cool name for a hero.
"Are you okay Jaune?" The concerned voice of his partner snapped him from his thoughts, and it took a moment to compose himself before he let an easy-going smile fall across his face; "Yeah, just thinking about Ooblecks test next week, think I need to do a few more study sessions is all." It was a simple excuse, but one that was easily believable for a 'blonde doofus' like himself.
Pyrrha seemed to stare at him intently for a few moments, perhaps to gauge if he was being honest or not and for a few moments he believed she might push the subject matter forward. A few seconds passed however as she spoke with a small smile on her lips; "Alright, but try not to overload yourself, I'm always happy to help you if you're struggling with something."
Huh, maybe the sudden appearance of his aching body was karma for having such a wonderful, devoted teammate? It wouldn't surprise him.
Still, surely if he just focused on something else then maybe the problem of his mysterious pain and bruises would go away all on their own.
Somehow, Jaune didn't think he'd be so lucky.
And that's a wrap! I'm leaving this marked as 'ongoing' for now, as I plan to either make this a series or at least add one or two more chapters detailing scenes I've already planned out.
If you've read down this far, thanks! I really appreciate it!