Under the skies of Remnant, away from the safety of the walls of the four kingdoms, Qrow Branwen's priority was to rush as fast as he could. In his sober eyes, he could see that someone was injured and in pain. It wasn't just anyone but someone of importance to him and his people. It was Amber the Fall Maiden, one of four individuals with a power so great that there are those who would seek it for themselves. There were three of them that Qrow could see; two to hold Amber in place and one to take away that power.

Those three attackers came with the black ooze-like substance that connected Amber to one of her assailants. With a leaping charge, he quickly severed the connection, preventing any more of the power to be taken away. Before his opponents could react, Qrow quickly swung his sword against the two that held them back. He couldn't get a clear image of them; their faces were blurry. It must have been a semblance, special abilities unique to the individual.

Before he could grab Amber and take her to safety, Qrow was suddenly blinded by a pillar of light. He was defenseless in this moment, with his aura, the huntsman readied himself for whatever came next. No matter where the next strike would come from, he would counter it. He had his own semblance as well, and it might be the reason he was able to arrive in time. For once, Qrow was thankful for his own semblance, misfortune.

"What?" One of the attackers exclaimed, surprise filling the tone of their voice. A woman from the sounds of it. Whatever was happening, it was something that benefited him and was unfortunate for them; it must have been his semblance. "Where did you—"

Qrow heard an attack. Something bladed could be heard ripping through the air. It was followed by rushing footsteps, presumably from the attackers for he could hear that there were three different sets, getting fainter. They were retreating. Unable to stay and fight, they chose to run and cut their losses. It would have been beneficial to him if they did. He might have salvaged more if that happened. Alas, misfortune struck even him.

When the light had begun to dissipate, for a moment, Qrow swore he saw some knight that day. The figure, at first, had a sword at his side. A two-handed sword that seemed to emanate a windy force from all around him. He appeared to have armor all over him with the cloth flowing in the wind like a cape. The air about him was like that of a knight or royalty even. Similar to those stories told to the masses and especially children, the man in question had an air of chivalry about him.

Was he a huntsman perhaps? Some huntsman who saw that someone needed aid and so had lent a hand? Impossible, Qrow thought. The place they were at was an open road. There were no villages or towns that were nearby for such a commotion to reach that fast. Even if it was, he would have been seen them arriving from miles away. He must have appeared due to Amber's power. Magic was a strange thing with most of its properties still unknown to Qrow.

The huntsman got his answer after the light had cleared and he was proven wrong. It wasn't some knight or king. Frankly, he looked like a civilian. Fancily dressed in a white shirt and an olive vest, he had a black jacket that draped over his shoulders. A black and white cravat with a red jewel hung around his neck. He wore leather gloves over his hands. Qrow could not see any weapon other than that the man was holding Amber's staff. Was that the sword? That was strange. He should have been able to tell the difference between a staff and a sword at least. Looking closer, he noticed that the man had a knife on his person that must have been the source of that bladed weapon he heard earlier.

The civilian took hold of Amber. His hand traced over the scars that formed on her face, scars that were there due to that parasite that tried to steal her power. Amber still had a glow around one of her eyes. There were still powers in her, it would seem. Partly stolen, that was what happened to her powers. Qrow sighed and shook his head. The Maiden's power has never been stolen partially before and the huntsman dreads to wonder what would happen should Amber die here. It snuffed out soon after as Amber lost consciousness. She was breathing but she was certainly not awake.

Qrow tried to approach only to be met with the shaking gemstone on Amber's staff being pointed at him. The man holding him was visibly trembling. There was a conviction in emerald eyes however. Now that he got a better look, the civilian-looking fellow wore a pair of glasses. Unconsciously, Qrow took a step back. Did those green eyes turn red for a second there? Qrow would have gotten a better look but the man shook his head. It doesn't matter right now. His priority was Amber's safety. He can relax at least as it seems that this new guy cared enough about her to fight him. Still, Qrow couldn't think of a good excuse to keep this guy out of the loop. Was he supposed to even tell him a lie? He had seen it happen so he should have some questions.

"Hey, hey." Qrow sheathed his weapon and raised his hands. The gears working to collapse the sword seemed to have surprised the civilian. He must never have seen a huntsman before. That would be impossible unless he was living under a rock or something. That adds further credence that this new man must have come from Amber's desperate attempt at surviving. Great. That leaves more questions and he hasn't had an answer for one. "Qrow Branwen," he introduced himself. "I'm a friend of Amber. I was trying to save her."

"Amber?" the civilian replied. If he really were a civilian, why did Qrow feel uneasy around him? He felt himself becoming calmer only for things to fluctuate between the two emotional states. What is going on with this guy? "Is that her name? My Master?"

"Master?" Qrow's narrowed. To his knowledge, Amber wasn't a wealthy child. Being a huntress of course meant that she would be well-above others but she wasn't much when compared by that standard. More questions. "What does that mean?"

"It means that I am her Servant," he said, seemingly calmed down. Qrow felt the moment he felt himself relaxing. He was still gripping the staff tight but Qrow felt he could lower his guard for now. There was something strange about this one. "Her familiar."

That explained a few things for Qrow. It was most definitely Amber's powers. She must have used it in a last bid to survive. Her powers were hidden from the rest of the world because of this. Inevitably though, there are those who are either curious enough or power-hungry enough to seek it out. The powers are similar to that of semblances in some way, only much more versatile and limited to the imagination and skill of the user. There was one person who came to Qrow's mind when the term familiar was thrown out there. That was the rationalization that the huntsman had come to.

Still, for a mere familiar, he looked too far too close to be human. The familiars that Qrow is acquainted with are more imitations to the real thing. Acting only to fulfill the wishes of the summoner. Qrow honestly felt uncomfortable at the thought of this fellow being that subservient; he seemed to be too human for that. The huntsman shook his head, none of that matters right now.

"Look," Qrow said. "I know you have like a lot of questions but right now, let's get her out of here. I know a place; she can be cared for there." The question was whether or not they could keep it a secret. If this civilian—this familiar—had already seen what had transpired, then it wouldn't do well to have him become a liability. Ozpin will want to hear about this, Qrow thought. I can't make the decisions here.

The familiar in front of him was already standing. He carried Amber in a bridal-style carry. He whispered something to her. Qrow could see that the man's hand tightened into a fist but let go after a moment. He turned to him and said, "lead the way."

The two of them went to where Qrow had just come from. They didn't trust each other enough to walk behind the other and so they both walked side-by-side. Sometimes, they would catch one another stealing glances as they were wary of each other. They both tensed up whenever that happens. It was carried in silent haste as the two were power-walking as they did so. Somber thoughts lingered on the unconscious girl in the man's arms. Speaking of, the man never introduced himself, did he?

"As—Henry," he said. "Henry Jekyll. I am differ—never mind. It's not important."

Qrow wanted to prod further. The way this Henry Jekyll was speaking, it was as though he was hiding something. That has to wait though as Amber's condition is much more important at the moment. Her chest was rising and falling. Good. She's still alive, if nothing else. As soon as Amber was well enough and stable, he could consider prodding the man further. Although, it would probably be best if it wasn't him who did the prodding.

Eventually, the two made a stop on the side of the road. It was getting dark and the closest town was still many miles away. Qrow could see it from there but the view of it was so small that they wouldn't make it even at the pace they were going. They needed to run towards it if they could and Qrow could feel that they don't have enough stamina to make that journey. The two got off the road and made camp. Qrow could always rough it out in the woods. He was not sure if he could say the same for Jekyll and Amber.

"Take this jacket off of me," said Jekyll. "It's for her."

Doing as instructed, Qrow laid the jacket on the ground. He saw no issue with that and so he did. Jekyll slowly and gently laid Amber down. He stayed kneeling at her side for a long minute. Afterwards, his fingers touched Amber's neck. He then placed his ear on her chest. The way Jekyll moved was like that of those emergency responders that Qrow had encountered a few times over his career. His eyes never left Amber. The doubt he could see was something Qrow had never seen in any other man.

"She seems alright for now," he said, certainty painted his voice. His hands moved all around Amber's body as he inspected every inch of her for any sort of confirmation. It was as though he were familiar with the more medical side of things with how he checked for her pulse, breath and even injuries without worsening them. Jekyll was gentle yet firm in his approach that Qrow imagined him as some kind of doctor. "Unconscious but alive. Master is still hanging on. She will need more specialized medical attention. Any less would only work to stabilize her, nothing else."

With what little light there was left, Qrow stood up, taking what rest he could. "I'll look for some firewood. Maybe even something for us to eat or something. You stay here and guard Amber, yeah?"

"Y—yes," he stuttered. Where was the certainty that he had earlier?

Qrow made sure to travel a few distances away, preferably in a denser part further away from the open road. There he transformed into a bird and flew over them in a last round of surveillance before doing what he had told Jekyll he would do.

I don't what it is, he thought. But something about that Henry Jekyll makes me uneasy. It was as though he had something he was trying hide. His aura looked unstable too. Like there were rips and tears on it. Looked like something was trying to get out. Imprisoned deep inside him, more like.

Shaking his head, Qrow looked for the wood. He doubts he could find any wild animal here. They would have to settle for whatever fruits and nuts that he could find. He sighed. Knowing his luck, it might be best if he doesn't stray too far. Then again, it is his semblance so it might not be a good idea to stay close either.

/-/

Servant: Assassin. True Name: Henry Jekyll. At least, in normal circumstances, that would have been the case. Jekyll looked at the hand of his Master, Amber as she was called. The red marks were absent but he the fact that he was here meant that he had been summoned. Not as a Servant, that is certain. He could feel himself weakened significantly even in this form. If he were to guess, he was nothing more than an above average human. Still human but definitely not among the regular populace by the standards that he knew. In addition to that, he has little knowledge of the place he's in. Normally, he should have some knowledge yet everything feels foreign to him. Among other things, he sighed depressingly as to why he was here at all.

"It wasn't even supposed to be me," he said. "It was supposed to have been him." Jekyll still had memories of a battle of a different time. It was hazy but he was certain of it. It was never meant to be him and yet it was he who ended up here. He had waited for the other man, Qrow Branwen, to leave them alone. He kept a brave face since he had been summoned a little while ago. "I was certain of it. It wasn't supposed to be me. It was supposed to be that king." Jekyll wasn't the one who responded to the call but something had strangely pulled him here instead.

This wasn't Earth. From the moment that Qrow's weapon collapsed into something smaller, he realized that it wasn't the world he knew. He could also see something from his own hand, a strange glow engulfed it that kept flickering on and off. It was controlled by his thoughts, Jekyll observed. When the so-called huntsman had left, Jekyll pulled out his knife and caused a small wound to appear on his fingertip. When the strange glow returned, Jekyll found that the wound had closed and healed up.

"What is going on?" That was another thing Jekyll found strange. If it were any normal circumstance, he would have been given the knowledge of the time and place. Because of these other things, he wasn't sure if his ability to understand that other man was because he could actually understand him or because it was one of the few things that did stay the same. Not that he would know, Jekyll felt uncertain of everything right now.

He could still vividly remember his manifestation in this world like it was still happening. When he first opened his eyes, the only thing that he could see was that there were four people. One of them was Qrow, who had fought off the other three.

As for the three, Jekyll could remember the black-haired girl who was presumably the leader. She possessed a similar power that he felt emanate from Amber. If what Qrow said was true, then it really was Amber's power. There was the dark-skinned, green-haired girl who was with them, who seemed to panic the most when he laid his eyes on them. Then, there was the silver-haired boy. He had prosthetic legs that moved just as well as real ones.

His first instinct, appropriately, was to defend his Master. There was no time for formalities as Jekyll could see and feel the desperation in that call. Even if it was meant for someone else, he was still a Heroic Spirit. Was he really though? After everything had died down though and both he and Qrow spent the rest of the day walking in tense silence, he doubts if he still is.

Am I really a human? Jekyll thought. He couldn't feel himself being replenished on magical energy and his feet certainly felt sore from walking and carrying Amber for as long as he did. The grumbling of his stomach confirmed his suspicions. Henry Jekyll had manifested as a human in this world. He couldn't even enter his spirit form.

He no longer possessed any parameters of a Servant. But Jekyll was certain that whatever kind of human he was now, he was not the same kind of human from his world. The thought of it brought him anxiety. New possibilities sure but that also meant new hurdles and unknowns. As a Servant, his Spirit Origin was already unstable. But in this form, and possibly confined to whatever rules of this world, there is not telling what might happen if he ever lost control. The only comfort he had was that if it were anything else, he could be more at ease knowing that he would also be confined to those rules. However, as it is now, there is no guarantee of that. Jekyll felt his heartbeat quicken and he had calm himself before anything else.

"No," Jekyll assured himself. "I won't let him. I will live up to that knight who was supposed to be here and I won't—"

Suddenly, a growl can be heard. From afar, Jekyll could see a black creature appearing. He couldn't make it out at first but he didn't need to as the creature came charging towards him. A large, wolf-like creature. It was almost all black save for the piercing red eyes it had. There were plates of white—Jekyll assumes that they are bones—that are protruding from the body. The skull-like mask it had only put emphasis on those eyes.

It had large jaws and sharp claws. The legs were shorter and less muscular than the arms. The growls were like that of some kind of canine. The ones that came from evil places and filled with malice. Practically leaping towards them, Jekyll moved to be between it and Amber. With his knife in hand, Jekyll moved forward and met with creature.

The creature prepared for a fight. Leaping higher than it did before, it raised its claws, readying to swipe him aside. Jekyll was faster though, bobbed and weaved until he was on the other side of the beast's claws. As he did so, Jekyll made a cut targeting the ribs of the beast. His eyes momentarily widened when black liquids and black smoke came from the wound he had just made. There were no bones on this creature. Like a miasma of darkness, it had an unnaturalness about it that made Jekyll reel back.

Seemingly unmoved nor uninjured, the beast leapt back at him like a deranged animal. This time it had both of its arms extended as it flew across the air. Jekyll rolled to the side and quickly held his knife in a reverse-grip. Dirt flew into the air as the beast's momentum caused it to bounce off the ground. There was a sound that came from it. Not quite the sound of pain but that of some angry animal. Relentless, it went back up and charged again at Jekyll.

Need to get to weak spot, he thought. The head is always a good option. His smaller stature made him a much smaller target. Jekyll had used it to his full advantage as weaved his way until he got close to the beast. He gripped one of the spines that was protruding from its body and pulled himself upwards and landed on its back. He could feel his own heartbeat increasing. He had to be as calm as he could.

Jekyll gripped hard on the tufts of fur that the wolf-creature had. It was bucking and rolling, attempting to grab the unwanted rider to throw him out. Jekyll bore much of the pain as he was slammed and rolled on the ground. The light that flickered about him wasn't enough to heal him nor was it enough to bear the force that Jekyll felt. He coughed out some spit and blood when he was on the ground with the weight of the creature for what he felt to be however many times already.

In his growing anger, Jekyll stabbed the knife deep into the creature's back. It screamed in agony as Jekyll gripped the upper jaw with his free hand. In a quick motion, he removed the knife and violently slit its throat, causing to fall down, lifeless and unmoving. All the while, there were faint cackles that could be heard coming from his own mouth. Jekyll realized that the cackle came from him.

"Don't let it win!" he said as he held himself tight. The convulsions of his body and contortions that he could feel coming from within were agonizing to restraint. They yearned to be free. All of it begged to be released and allowed to run wild. "Hold it back! Hold it back!"

Breathing heavily, Jekyll managed to calm himself down. He was held back, forced beneath the recesses of his mind. It had been quiet this time that Jekyll was caught unaware, only realizing it when his own voice began to change. It couldn't be, he thought. No. It is not the case. He is just being clever this time.

He—no—they are not what Master wanted. It wasn't supposed to be him. It was someone else and Jekyll will make sure that he would do just that. If this is how his strategy now, then it would be a difficult battle ahead. A silent shadow lurking always at the recesses of his own mind. Only stepping out whenever things get hard on him. If there were more monsters like that, it would most definitely happen again.

Lifting his head, Jekyll noticed another unusual thing about the creature. Rather than rot and decay over the course of weeks or months, it had begun to dissipate and turn to smoke right in front of his own eyes. Soon enough, there was nothing left of it other than the stains and disturbed ground that marked its struggles and eventual end.

Afterwards, there were other howls. Jekyll looked around him and rushed immediately to Amber's side as more of those creatures appeared. It must be some pack animal or something. But before Jekyll could fight any of them, Qrow Branwen had returned. His large sword flew across the air as he moved with a speed that Jekyll wasn't able to do. Unlike him, the huntsman only needed one swing to completely decimate these beasts. His shoulders slumped. Had he been weakened that much when he first appeared? His was truly an unfortunate summoning.

"Damn Beowolves," said he. "Come on. We're running for the next town. Carry her on your back."

Doing as he was told, Jekyll made extra sure to have Amber's arms tied with his jacket to hang around his neck. The two of them rushed through the open road. Any of those beasts—Beowolves apparently called—were dealt by Qrow. They ran for what felt like a never ending afternoon. It took hours of constant running and the few rests only to recover their strength before they managed to see the outskirts of a town.

When the guards that were stationed on the edges of the town saw them, they rushed out as the sight of a wounded individual was obvious call for concern. Amber was quickly brought to their closest clinic. It was too small to be a hospital and lacked any sophisticated machinery that could be used to best aid her. At best, they would only serve to stabilize her until they could find a more intensive medical facility.

"We'll take what can be brought with us," commanded Qrow. "And get us a Bullhead. I know some people who can take her in. Just make sure she is stable for the trip."

Henry Jekyll could only hope that it was the case.


AN: As promised in Knight War Order, my Fate/RWBY fic with the intention on the faculty and staff of Beacon Academy. Originally it was supposed to be Arthur Prototype becoming a sort of visiting professor in some kind of leadership class. I dropped it initially because I got stuck at some point. Sometime later, picked it back up but was juggling the concept with other Servants instead.

Also, cover photo was an attempt at recreating the picture of the musical adaptation through MS Word. Just search "Jekyll and Hyde Gothic Musical Thriller"

This one will be updated more regularly (probably, irl stuff) after Knight War Order is finally complete.