At last… here we are. 100 chapters. I know it's not that fantastical an achievement, but it is a great milestone for me. I've written well over a few hundred chapters already in the few years that I have been writing for this fandom, but none of those other stories has managed to make it to a hundred chapters. This is the first one, and there's most likely going to be a hundred more by the time we catch up with the show! Of course, depending on what I decide to do, that may change more or less. But still, I definitely am looking forward to what is coming next.

Man, I still remember Volume 0, good times. Now we move on to greater times.

Beta: CrowSkull

By the way, CrowSkull and I have created a new story together, one that's all fun and giggles and not very planned at all that's meant to be purely a comedy story. It is called 'The Little Grimmling', and it has been posted on CrowSkull's profile. Go check it out if you're interested!

The Blind Huntsman

Chapter 100

Volume 3 Finale

Matsuoka

"I changed a lot since the last time I came to visit you," He said as he stood over a grave in a sandy and barren landscape. It was where he used to live, from a time where he might as well comfortably say was the beginning of everything. Vacuo, or the border of it, anyway. It was the point between Vale and Vacuo where it was sandy and hot, but not a desert with the sun constantly beaming down at him. There were still trees after all, and greenery if he traveled east far enough. He passed the forest he used to play and get lost in on the way here, it brought back some pleasant memories. It almost made him forget everything else that had happened to him for a moment.

"Dad…" The word seemed so distant now as stood in the center of where his house used to be. They had buried him here after he was killed in Mistral, it was burned down now, and there was nothing left but the foundations and even those were filled to the brim with sand and dirt. Despite that, Kai and his late mother figured that Malikai would want to be buried where he was happiest, and that was where his family used to live, where all the happy memories remained. Patch was an option, nearer to where his old teammates were buried along with Summer Rose, his best friend. They decided against it, however. Because Malikai never talked about them, and even when asked he hardly did other than what they looked like and how they were. He was always happy to talk about his family, however, and tell story after story about his own father and his upbringing in becoming a huntsman and what he did to get so strong. Kai only wished he could bury his mother in the same place...

"I'm about to do something that's going to change me once again. For better or worst…" Kai sighed, he wanted to try and behave as he used to, if only for the sake of his parents and those happier memories. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, he just didn't have the energy to force himself to be happy anymore. Not after everything. He wasn't that forgiving and kind person anymore. Hasn't been for quite a while.

"I've done so much already. I've killed a lot of people, I've evolved my eyes in a way I probably never should have, and now… did you know?" He knelt down, stroking the gravestone and feeling the letters carved into them, which spoke of his father's name. Malikai Matsuoka. "Did you know about Salem and me? Did you know that she is our grandmother? I wanted to believe that it was a lie, that it was some kind of manipulation but… it makes so much sense. My semblance has way too many uses to just be that, and my eyes… they're stronger than Ruby's, a lot stronger, wherein the tales I've been told, all Silver Eyed Warriors had the same potential. There are only a few reasons I can make up for that, but when she touched me, I just knew."

He still remembered those cold fingers caressing his face. He remembered the jolt of not pain but… energy was the only way he could describe it, or was it her magic? It may have just been because Salem of all creatures on Remnant was touching him and her dark magic was reacting to him, but the fact that it reacted in the first place sealed the deal for him. As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't. It was a tough pill to swallow, but Salem was right. He was her descendant.

"Can I use magic?" He asked the gravestone. Only to sadly laugh to himself a moment later. "Ah… I suppose there's no point in asking you if I can, hm? I already can, I guess. With my eyes and semblance and my sword. I still have it, by the way," He slowly slid Silver Ebony out of its scabbard, the metal sang as he took it out and raised it above his head with his free hand as if presenting it to a crowd. "Silver Ebony has been the best ally I could ever ask for," When something tapped against the back of his head, he rolled his eyes underneath his blindfold and continued. "Well, the best inanimate ally I can ask for, anyway." He stood up, letting Silver Ebony fall back into its sheathe.

"This," He took Neo by the shoulder. The mute girl allowed herself to be pulled forward, standing over the grave along with her new unlikely ally. "Is Neo. She was an enemy once, and we tried to kill each other more than a few times but she's proved herself to me. She saved my life, helped me recover, and agreed to work with me She helped me get here, and a friend of hers sacrificed his life to bring Salem down from the back of a Wyvern."

Neo tipped her new hat down in respect, Roman's hat. It felt odd that she was being introduced to his father, but she'd never had the pleasure of meeting him. She would have liked to fight him, but after hearing what kind of monster he was on the battlefield by her old forced allies, she had a feeling she would have died long before she got this far.

"It's an unexpected alliance," Kai continued. "But it makes this next journey of mine a little easier to bear. We have a common enemy, a common enemy that we both want to kill. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but Vale has fallen. Mother is dead and… fuck, Malienna." He scrunched his eyes shut and rubbed his face. "I want to believe she is alive, I really do, but… I'm sorry, I'm not sure she's alive… I'm sorry I couldn't protect her, I'm sorry I couldn't protect any of them. I failed..."

When he dropped back down to his knees, Neo came with him. She showed her support by keeping a hand on his shoulder, it was as much affection Kai was going to allow for the moment. Kai reached up to his blindfold to try and feel tears that weren't there. That in itself made him sadly chuckle to himself again.

"I can't even cry for them anymore, or for you. The grief is just… frozen. I am going to try and make this right, even if I am a descendant of Salem, Mistral is their next target. There's nothing for them in Vacuo and Mistral has only been fortified and better trained since the last attack. Atlas is helping them fortify, last time I tried to keep up with the news, and they're probably going to save Atlas for last. So they should be able to repel any attack that comes their way. Unlike us, they are going to be a lot more prepared for an invasion. If Vernal is still alive, she's headed there, and if she's headed there, Cinder is going to follow as well. She needs to get access to the Relic of Knowledge somehow, after all."

"I'm going to kill her," Kai said. "I won't let her bring any more pain to this world. No matter what it takes, I am going to make sure Mistral is her last stop. She's already done so much to that kingdom alone, I'd be wasting my breath listing every little thing she's done, but she signed her death warrant the moment she drove her blade into your chest. Until then, I am probably not going to come back here… not for a long time. Maybe never again." He stood up again, brushing dry sand and dust off his legs as he towered over the gravestone. Neo rose with him, and after he sent her a nod she made her way back to the small two-person car that Neo had stolen for them to use.

"It's going to be a long drive to Mistral," Kai said, turning away from the grave of his father. "I came here to try and see if anything would change. If anything were to be able to do that to me, it would have been returning here. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that I would have given up this fight and just tried to live the best life I could, for whatever left of it is left." He sensed the entire area with his feet, remembering every little nook and cranny that used to be there but sensing none of it. His home was gone.

No, he had no home anymore.

"Nothing has changed," Kai said, moving forward just as he has always been. Just moving forward. "I'm sorry that I turned out like this. I know this is far from what you wanted from me. But someone has to become a monster in order to kill another. I promise this war will end in my generation." He whispered as he moved away from the remains of his old home.

He shut the car door behind him as he sat in the passenger seat. Leaning bodily into the seat behind him, he listened as Neo started the car. It revved up and the wheels started to cruise forward. He let out a deep sigh as he touched the blindfold on his face, the last remnant of his father, his blindfold. He slowly untied it and held it in his hands, deciding on whether or not it was a smart idea to let it fly out the window or not. In the end, he stuffed it into his pocket instead. At least that way, he'd have a constant reminder of who he once was, and who his father was.

"Let's go, Neo." Kai urged. "It's a long way to the eastern coast. You know the plan, get through the outskirts of Vale, and try and find a boat or Bullhead that can take us to Mistral. And in order to do that, we have to drive."

Neo pouted at him, but since he couldn't see it, Neo decided to show her indignance by lightly slapping his arm.

"I'm blind," He pointed out, showing her his white pupils. "Sorry, but I can't take that wheel anytime soon."

Neo let out a silent sigh as she pressed on the gas. It was about a ninety-hour drive from where they were to where they needed to go, assuming that they had enough gas to get there. To her estimates, with the three-quarters of a tank, the car had left and one final full gas can in the back, they could drive for about a quarter of that time. From there, if they couldn't find a Bullhead that could take them to Mistral, they'd have to walk to the coast and find a boat to take them. It was a really long detour getting to the border of Vacuo where his old home was, but it was one that Kai wouldn't give up on, no matter if it put them behind days and weeks on their plan to get to Mistral. Neo could respect it, he had no loved ones left. At least not any that was with him now. Sadly enough, it was just her. Someone who had tried to kill him on more than one occasion.

Sad for her as well, aligning herself with him when there was nowhere else to go. She was just obeying Roman's last wish for her, to work with the kid and help him stop Cinder, and make her pay for everything she forced them to do for her. Though, thinking of him as a kid seemed wrong at this point. He was young, yes, nineteen years old now if she remembered correctly. But he had the eyes and look of someone who had fought into hell and barely survived to tell the tale. Heh, the amusing thought of how she met him for the very first all those short years ago back in Mistral when he let her eat his ice cream made her snort quietly. She vaguely remembered pecking him on the cheek as thanks for his kindness. She doubted that he remembered that, but she did. If only because there was really only one person in the world that she knew always walked around wearing a blindfold like that. Thinking back on the kid then and looking at the man he was now? She couldn't say it was entirely unpleasant working with him, and it was surprisingly easy getting him to cooperate with her. She did basically nurse him back to health after she carried him out of Vale and into the outskirts, they had already traveled for weeks to get here, so some sort of bond between them was bound to be created.

"What are you doing?" Kai asked when she scratched his head. "Stop that, focus on driving."

Neo let out an amused huff and did as he said. It wouldn't be an entirely unpleasant experience, she definitely knew that. They could become the best of friends or even more with all the weeks and months they were about to spend together for all she cared.

At least, as long as he never found out that he essentially framed him for working with Cinder back in Amity. She had a feeling that nothing she did to try and redeem herself would smother that particular crime. Eventually, he was going to find out, she knew that. But as long as it's not before they got rid of Cinder, she could bear to keep the lie up for now. The best thing about it was that she couldn't talk, so even if he asked her about it, he'd never find out the truth from her.

Kai felt his old home get out of range of his senses was Neo drove away from it. He let out a final sigh as he committed himself to try and fall asleep as Neo drove. He didn't realize just how tired he was, but he knew the cause of it. Sleepless nights, the constant thinking about his failures in Vale, the usual stuff that would keep anyone up at night. He figured he had some mild to severe PTSD after Vale fell and feeling Rick and Brick die right in front of him. Especially after meeting Salem herself and what she told him. He knew that it wasn't going to end anytime soon, a small price to pay for what he was about to do.

He was going to find out more about his bloodline on the way if he could. The Matsuokas, how did they get so special? He wished he could ask Ozpin that question now that he had it in his mind, there was clearly a lot of the past that was still unknown to him.

Just another reason to get to the Relic of Knowledge before Cinder did. If he couldn't get the full truth out of Ozpin, or even Salem for that matter, he'd get the full absolute truth from that source of infinite knowledge.

And there we have it, chapter 100 down in the history books and marking this the first story that has made it this far. This is so far my longest-lasting story since I ended part 1 of Two Heroes and An Unlikely Hero. Now comes another question, I may or may not be putting up a poll, but if I decide to either way I'd like to know what you guys think of this proposition:

Should I continue this story in this document? Going on to Chapter 101 and beyond to whenever it ends? Or should I create a separate story and call it The Blind Huntsman Part II or some other title that still marks it as part 2 to this story? Of course, it changes very little either way. Since I will still be continuing this story regardless. I may try to keep everything settled in this one document that way it's all in one spot since it's not like this is going to be a published book or anything. Personally, I am leaning toward the decision of keeping it all here, but I am interested in seeing what you guys think should be done.

With that said, this marks the end of Volume 3. If we include Volume 0, that means we have gotten through 4 volumes of RWBY fanfiction written in my own fun way. By that estimate, assuming that I write a similar amount of chapters for the next four volumes up to Volume 8, we'll get to all that fun Atlas stuff in like… another 70 or so chapters.

Though I am saying it right now, I doubt that I am going to get that far. Volume 4, Volume 5, and even 6 for that matter are just not as full of content as Volumes 1-3 was. I'm essentially going to have to plan a lot of the stuff up to pad some of it up so the next volumes aren't like 10 chapters each. Unless you guys wouldn't mind that? Because in all honesty, with all that I have planned already, I could probably get to the future Haven battle in about… eh, 20-30 chapters? A very broad estimate that could easily change, of course. But we'll just have to see what I have to do.

Just as I warned before, there is going to be a hiatus for this story once this chapter is posted. I need a break from this, and I have some other projects I want to get my foot in. As some of you might remember, I have been planning my own original story with my own world, my own characters, and my own plot alongside my beta and sometimes co-writer CrowSkull, and I've actually begun writing it after about a year and a half of planning it. I may focus on that for the time being, but I will also continue writing YBWR in the meantime and I may even throw Destiny Fated Black Part 2 into the mix. We'll see what happens, wish me luck!

If you've read this far, what is your favorite part of this story? Least favorite part? I'm curious!

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