And at last, here we are. Back with yet again another chapter for The Blind Huntsman. I've had my break, but I am now ready to get back into the flow of things. It's time for a new beginning. At this point, I imagine you guys already know that I decided to keep the story kept together in this one spot, and fun fact, I did some math, and apparently, this story has enough words and chapters for like 5-6 books. So hey, that's fun Lol.
Another question for you guys and gals down in the later AN. Don't want to keep you guys for too long up here, so let's get right back into it!
One last thing, Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
The Blind Huntsman
Chapter 101
Volume 4, Episode 1
The Next Start
A female bandit was thrown into the inside wall of an inn, crashing to the ground in a heap of blood, sweat, tears, and bruises. Her friends and allies who'd she'd been tormenting innocents by stealing their food, beating them, and leaving them to the Grimm ever since the fall of Beacon Academy and Vale, all lied dead. Either decapitated, stabbed, slashed, or poked of so many holes their bodies ran out of lifeblood. She stared up at their murderers with terror in her eyes. Looked up at the man with the silver eyes and black glowing sword and the one with pink and brown hair, who was currently licking the blood of her friends off of her sword while staring at her with a hungry gaze.
"Do you have a Bullhead?" The man with the white pupils asked her, getting down on one knee to meet her level as she pushed herself up against the wall as much as she could. She wished she could retreat even further. "Do you have any more friends nearby?" He asked her next.
"N-No!" She cried amidst her sobs. "You and your insane friend killed them all already! You fucking monsters!"
"So, you're all that's left, huh?" The young man sighed and stood. His silver black sword dripping blood. "And no Bullhead?"
"Fuck you!" She spat. "Even if we had a Bullhead, I wouldn't tell you two shit about it, you fucking maniac!"
"Oh yes, I'm the maniac," the man grabbed her by her collar and painfully raised her up as he stood. The pink and brown-haired girl stepped up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she gagged and choked for air. "I am the monster for killing your friends, even after you spent the last year after Vale collapsed tormenting innocents, stealing their food, and leaving them to die to the Grimm. I am the monster, even after I nearly gave my life to save those people, and you repaid everyone that died that day by spitting on their graves. If killing you and your bandit friends makes me a monster then so be it. I'll embrace the status."
The bandit woman spat at his face, but not of her own free will. The spit wasn't saliva, but blood. She keeled over and looked down to see the man's sword stabbed all the way through her chest all the way down to the hilt. Her green eyes stared pain and suffering at her murderer. The final ounces of her will to fight draining to nothingness as she looked into his blind eyes, trying and failing to see the soul behind them. When he ripped the sword out, she died quickly of blood loss. She was discarded on the ground along with her friends. The inside of the inn they planned to rob was painted red with blood. Panicked eyes of the civilians taking refuge inside watched the blind man and the multi-colored girl walk out of the inn, the latter's face set in stone with a wide smile while the former had a stone-faced expression.
Kai Matsuoka slammed Silver Ebony back into his sheathe and stalked his way toward the town hall. No one made to stop him or Neo, not even the town guards who were supposedly old and retired huntsmen dared to get in their way. Before he could enter the building, the mayor of the small town, who was a short old man with graying hair and a bald spot in the center of his scalp, came out to meet them. Kai could practically smell the man's anxiousness upon meeting them again, but he didn't blame him. He still felt some splotches of blood splattered against his shirt and arms.
"I-I've heard you've fulfilled your contract," The mayor pointed out the obvious. "The Bandits… they are?"
"Dead," Kai tried to spit to the side, but nothing came out. His mouth felt like cotton, he was thirsty. Which meant Neo was as well. He felt her staring at the mayor's belt, which had a canteen full of water attached to it on an augmented strap. It was a rule amongst the camp for everyone to have water on them just in case they'd have to move again suddenly, it'd save them the time of having to hand it out while they were moving. Unfortunately, Grimm activity continued to spike month after month ever since the Huntsman Academies on the continent of Sanus. After Signal converted from a school into a massive refugee camp and castle defense against the oncoming tide of Grimm which migrated from Vale, there was nowhere else where huntsmen were being trained. The only ones left were the retiree's, and the ones who survived the newly dubbed Defeated Battle of Vale. For outskirt villages like this one, the only difference was the heavy increase in the number and frequency of Grimm."I don't know how they could have caused so many problems for you, the retired huntsman and huntresses here should have been able to deal with that."
"Well, they kept gloating about being involved in the defeated battle for Vale… so we wanted to play it safe. We didn't want to risk losing one of our own. We need every able man and woman alive and well to protect us against the Grimm attacks" The mayor told the truth, at least. Though Kai couldn't help but scoff.
"So it was better to send us after them then, huh?" The mayor sighed and couldn't meet his eyes. He couldn't say it that directly, it would have taken too much courage to do so. "No matter, it doesn't matter what reasons you have as long as it was meant to protect the innocent people living here." Kai threw his arm in front of Neo as soon as he sensed one of her feet lift off the ground. He could feel her scowl up at him as he stopped her from stealing the mayor's water, but he gave her a warning growl in return. They were there to help in exchange for food and water for their travels. Not to cause any trouble. "Do you have our payment?" Kai asked next, determined to get a move one before he could potentially get recognized. It was the main reason why he kept his blindfold stashed away in his pocket any time they got near a town. It was the main way people recognized him, and his face without the blindfold was hardly known nowadays.
"Yes, your payment," The man gestured for one of his guards to come forward. "We can spare you a sack of bread and fruit with some of our home-made butter, and also two gallons of water in old canteens two of our huntsmen were willing to hand over to you. One for you and one for the girl. I hope that can suffice you for the remainder of your travels?"
"It should, for now, thank you," Kai said, accepting the sack of food the guard handed over to him and had Neo put it in his small travel backpack for him. As soon as the canteen was handed over to him as well he wasted no time and drank a large portion of water to get himself hydrated again. After going two days without water, neither he nor Neo wanted to test if they could push that particular limit any further. He could sense Neo doing the same, even going as far as to use some of it to wash some of the blood and grime off of her face. He couldn't remember the last time they took showers, they must have looked and smelled horrendous.
"I must say, I am very grateful that you were able to get rid of those bandits that have been terrorizing this town for some time. But did you have to do it in broad daylight, and in the sight of nearly everyone in the village?" The mayor asked them slowly and carefully.
"You told us that they were here, and inside the inn," Kai remarked. "You also said you wanted them dealt with. I tried talking to them first, but of course, they didn't listen. Ask that bartender of yours if you want to confirm what I'm telling you. They started the fight, we simply finished it."
"Very well… I suppose you did what you had to do, and nevertheless, you did fulfill exactly what I wanted you to do." The mayor allowed. "If you wish to stay another day, I will allow it. But you'd have to stay in the stables again."
"No, that's not necessary," Kai said. "But thank you for the offer." He was about to turn and leave, but Neo slapped him on the shoulder, and grabbed his arm, and raised it up so she could put her hand in it. When she did, he felt her trace some signs into the palm of his calloused hand. Once she said what she needed to say, Kai nodded his head, thanking her for reminding him. "Actually, there is one more thing. Do you have any gas you could spare? Our car is running on fumes as it is, and the trip to the east coast would take another two weeks on foot if we aren't able to use it anymore."
"Ah, I'm afraid we can't afford to spare such a quantity." The mayor replied. "I am sorry, but we need it in the case of an emergency."
Kai hid his disappointment with a soft sigh. "That's fine," he added, gripping Neo's arm and pulling her back with him as he started walking away. Preventing her from relenting to her more violent side and taking what they needed instead of politely asking like he'd been trying to get her used to. "We'll be on our way then."
"I-If I may ask," The mayor called out one last time, Kai continued to walk but turned his head to acknowledge him. "Are you a huntsman!? My guards say that you move like one, is it true?"
Kai thought for a few seconds before replying. "No, not anymore."
He left the mayor before any ideas could be made of that. Sure, he technically had the license of a huntsman since Ozpin gave him one before he died, but he didn't feel like one just yet. It was something he'd embrace fully when he wasn't falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit. Treason, murder, an asset to terrorism, all amongst countless others. It seemed that Cinder made sure that even if he did integrate himself back into society, he wouldn't be able to ever take a deep breath of fresh air. He would be hunted, imprisoned, and likely executed for what he was accused of. It was sickening that he had to hide his identity the way he was now, but it was a necessity. He asked Neo once if she knew that he'd be painted this way, and she shrugged her shoulders helplessly, unable to give a clear answer. Since she wasn't nervous about the question, Kai let it slide. It made sense that Cinder wouldn't have told her everything, only letting her know what she needed to do. After traveling with the girl for the past year and some change, he understood why.
The car they had apprehended wasn't just low on fumes, it was completely empty. It was why they stopped in the village in the first place if they ignored the fact that they were hungry and thirsty. It was a three-day walk from the village, which made it not worth the effort going all the way back to grab the scraps they left behind. The car was dead and gone, it was time to keep moving forward and not waste any more time on an idea that had managed to carry them for most of their journey.
Two to three weeks, that's how long it would take for them to walk all the way to a harbor where they could take a ship to Mistral. The only other options were flying there in a Bullhead or swimming across an ocean. Naturally, they opted for the ship approach, unless they were lucky enough to find a Bullhead with enough fuel to take them to Mistral. The only problem was that doubled as a remedy was that the closer they got to the ships, the more villages that they would bump into to resupply on food and water before heading out. Hopefully, they could stockpile enough so that when they got on the ships they wouldn't need to spend any money to feed themselves. They needed to save their money to spend it on a meeting with a certain robust woman. Once they got there, Kai still had that contact with the spider woman, something Malachite, who was the leader of a gang if he could remember correctly. That was the plan, anyway. Get to Mistral, protect the Relic of Knowledge from Salem and Cinder, and try to find Ozpin. Little else needs to be said about actually using the relic, as long as he can help it, that's a secret that needs only stay with him and Neo. Once they convinced Leonardo Lionheart, the current headmaster of Haven that he wasn't a criminal, then it should be much smoother sailing from there.
"Neo, no," Kai said when Neo incessantly suggested they just take the gas they needed and leave by signing aggressively into his arm and forearm with each hand. He complimented her once about being ambidextrous, and he always wished he could take that back when she then started to aggressively sign words on his body with both hands instead of just the one. "We're not stealing from these people, they need it to survive." He reminded her. Neo huffed and let him have the win. She was getting better, truly. For instance, instead of going behind his back and stealing much more food and water than they could carry, she was now asking permission or suggesting it to him instead. Sure, she could be better, but he was just glad that she improved that much over the time they had spent together.
Over the time they had traveled as companions, Kai slowly warmed up to her. The past was the past, she told him once through her signs in his hands. They were reliant on each other now, so it didn't matter if they were trying to kill each other before. They had a common enemy, a common goal, and a common destination. With that logic in mind, and the fact that she saved his life after the crushing defeat from Salem in Vale, enabled him to agree with her. She was right, after all. It was better if they worked together instead of constantly going back and forth bickering and undermining each other. When they had the time and energy, they sparred and trained together with the one rule in mind that Kai wasn't allowed to use his semblance for two reasons. One, because it was too powerful and destructive for Neo to handle in most environments. And reason two is that they were so even in terms of skill, they would only benefit each other by training that way. Of course, Neo was still able to use her semblance but that totally seemed fair to her. But Kai took it as a chance to learn how to fight against his greatest weakness: A much faster opponent. With Neo's teleportation aspect of her semblance, he was learning to have quicker response times with his senses and movements. Getting stronger was no longer a major goal since he could only get so strong when they only had so much food they could eat to sustain that growth in muscle and stamina capacity. Skill was the name of the game now, and while he was sure that they were already better than 99% of people on Remnant, most of that last one percent was on the other side with Salem.
No more training until they got back into top condition, however. Training while hungry and thirsty only did more harm to your body than it did good. So instead, they kept on walking. They walked as much as they could in a single day and set up camp when the sun disappeared from the sky and night came to be as the moon shined. Kai used the minuscule amount of flames stored up within his aura to create sparks which helped him start the fire that Neo had built for them. As the fire grew in size and intensity, Neo scooted closer to him as the temperature around them continued to plummet. He let her press herself against him. It was winter now, so huddling up together was a legitimate way to warm up when you didn't have any other options. Letting their aura keep them warm was only viable as long as they had the aura to spare. Which they did, but they could never be too safe with Grimm always nearby, waiting for the chance to strike when their guard was lowest.
Kai's body was sore, and he felt icky and sticky. He hated the feeling, his own body's stench annoyed him. Another downside to having such enhanced senses. After not showering for so long, it started to catch up to him. He could only imagine how Neo felt, being just as dirty as he was. Hopefully, they'd find another river or stream soon so they could use it to clean themselves off of dried blood, dirt, dust, and grime that had been building up for so long already. Sure, they could have taken a shower in that village they were just in, but neither of them trusted that mayor or their people. During these times, people were desperate to do anything to survive, even if it included hurting innocents.
Not that the two of them were innocent at all, not by any means. After what they've done and been doing, he didn't feel very human at all. He wondered and not for the first time what his mother and father would think of him now if they were still alive. They'd be horrified and heartbroken, he imagined.
Naturally, he wondered next what Ruby, Orchid, Blake, and the rest of his surviving friends would think of him now. Team KRBR was split up, and he wanted to find his teammates to make sure they were okay, but that all changed as he thought about what had just happened at the time. He was framed as a criminal, thanks to Cinder. Framed to the point that the idea of seeing them again wasn't entirely a comfortable one. Taiyang wouldn't let him get near her, and Qrow was… he didn't know what to think of Qrow now after he failed to protect his mother and sister. But he knew that he didn't like him. He didn't get to see what happened, but the fact of the matter was that his mother and sister were killed, and he was now alone. Neo helped drive the idea of just how bad said idea was around the time they first agreed to travel together. That was when he got the idea to visit his old home instead, which was set in between the outskirts of Vale and Vacuo. In any case, he knew he wouldn't have received a warm welcome if he went to see them. Right now, all he could up for was that they were safe and out of harm's way. Blake could handle herself, Ruby was stronger than she looked, and Orchid was, well, Orchid. If one personality couldn't take care of her, then another surely would be able to.
He laughed at some vague memories he had of them from the past. It was hard to hold onto them now after so many hours spent thinking about what he was going to do to stop Cinder and Salem and find answers to his lineage and why he was the way he is. So many secrets were still kept from him, and he'd found out next to nothing over the time he had spent walking around with Neo.
Speaking of Neo, she helped him break that train of thought once her head slumped against his shoulder, making him scoff when he realized that she was already asleep. Typical, always giving him the responsibility of the first watch so she could catch as many hours of sleep as she could. He let her have it this time, since they'd done more and traveled more than they usually would in a single day. Doing contracts like those for food, water, or money was how they were getting by these days. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to do it for much longer. They were close enough where Kai was able to smell the salt in the air from the ocean water about another hundred and a half miles away, he guessed. Neo was the one with the map, but two days ago they were a hundred and eighty miles away. If they kept moving at a steady pace of around ten to fifteen miles per day, they could get to the harbor within fourteen days.
Kai abruptly turned his head toward the sound of crackling in the distance. He sighed when he saw red eyes glowing in the darkness, staring right at him. He sensed the beast, Beowolf, and it wasn't alone. He slowly stood and gently let Neo down to the ground, she needed sleep more than he did, and he didn't need her help. After flexing his arms and slowly making his way out into the open, he dashed forward and stabbed through the Beowolf in the chest and held its snout shut so it wouldn't roar and alert other nearby Grimm. Another lunged at him from behind, but it was so slow to him now that he simply had to side-step and let it trip over itself, then he immediately decapitated it before it could get up and roar angrily at him. It was a silent fight if you ignored the sound of plants being crushed and trees shattering as Grimm charged into them. Kai didn't let them live long enough to make noise, and the only sound that did leak through his assaults were muffled by the grip of death.
When he was done, he made sure that Neo was okay, and rolled his blind eyes when he saw that she didn't even wake up, not even after he went and killed all those Grimm in the span of a few minutes. He sensed them earlier trying to surround them, and he wasn't going to do anything until he saw those red eyes. He really didn't feel that much fear of them anymore, not after getting so strong and also being a silver-eyed warrior and all. It was hard to fear something that really wasn't much of a threat to you anymore. Kai still sensed more, but they were farther out, some lighter than others and others much larger and smart enough to recognize his strength. He sat back down with a slight panting to his breath next to Neo. Where she of course grabbed him and pulled him closer like the pillow she thought he was when she was sleeping. Resting her head in his lap and making him wonder if she was sleeping at all and just messing with him.
She did that a lot, he noticed. At first, he would be embarrassed at her being so affectionate but quickly got used to it. It seemed that when he got on her good side, she got more comfortable with him. She had to since it would take a considerable amount of redeemed trust to sleep in the lap of a man who tried to kill you on a few occasions. He wondered what his past self from Beacon would have thought if he could see this now, though he imagined it wouldn't be a very kind reaction.
Kai sighed heavily and lied back on the ground, letting Neo use his thigh as a pillow as he took his usual position and let his hands prop up his head like a makeshift and uncomfortable pillow. Before letting his body relax, he took another few sips of water and bit out a quarter of a piece of bread slathered in butter. Two weeks, he thought to himself as his eyes blinked. Two more weeks, give or take, and he'd be on the way to Mistral. It's been mostly uneventful for the past year already, he hoped that it would remain that way until he was in Haven.
Likely not, but it was nice to have hope at least.
Tyrian Callows laughed gently to himself as he sat under a tree next to a resting Beowolf. Thanks to Salem's power, he had been rendered immune to wild Grimm attacks. It was more like she simply took him off the instinctual hit list of organisms they should kill on sight that the Grimm naturally had installed within their nervous systems and like the beautiful Goddess she was, she spared enough mercy to take all of her followers off of them. He had been following Little Kai Matsuoka and the mute Neo for the past three months. It had taken a long time for him to find them, but when he started asking around in those villages he watched them enter and leave, he went in later and… questioned some of the inhabitants. Thanks to them, he was able to track them down. He mingled himself in with the Grimm and moved with them. He was surprised to see that the Grimm were smart enough to know to follow him, or was it that they were tailing the child due to Salem's orders as well? Hah, he may never know, and that excited him!
He was biding his time and waiting for the perfect chance to appear. He'd have to, eventually, he did promise his queen that he would make a grand effort to find Kai - which he did - and do his best to convince him to see his queen in a better light. But, well, he knew that he couldn't quite do that if he was the one to try it. Kai, unfortunately, did not like him very much. He understood that he really did.
"I did cut off the other silver-eyed brats' fingers, of course. Or two of them anyway. But I can still see why he may be upset about that." Tyrian said out loud, talking to himself. "I may have also spilled a few hard to hear truths as well. Oh hell, I did end up very indirectly helping Cinder kill his father while Hazel and I distracted the only good help he could get from Ozpin. But hey, at least I am doing my best, right? Hmph, and everyone thinks I'm insane and stupid."
No, he couldn't just walk up to Kai and go, "Hey Little Kai! Want to sit down and have a chat? I'll explain everything about Salem to you, come on, you can trust me!" That would just end in disaster and another fight. A fight which, unfortunately, he was not quite confident in winning it would be one against two. Especially not when Kai would have access to his semblance and no reason to hold it back against the likes of him. No, he'd have to find someone else to do the job, and he had just the right man in mind to do it. Someone who could tell a truth to him and gain his trust quickly, someone who despite never meeting before, could worm his way into his good side and potentially take that role of a mentor that Kai had been starved of for so long.
And that man was currently sleeping soundly in front of him, shrouded by the shadows of Grimm and the tree above him. It had taken some time for him to find the man, but find him he did, hiding away in the outskirts of Vale in the middle of nowhere. When the time was right, he'd send the man in to meet younger Matsuoka officially, and when the chance revealed itself to him, Tyrian to instill him a nice and happy relationship with the boy as well.
All in due time, all in due time. Tyrian had to calm himself down lest he gets too excited. That wouldn't be good for anyone, no, it most certainly would not. He had to be patient, he reminded himself. He had to do this right because he only had one chance and he wouldn't get another if he messed it up. Certainly, before Kai and Neo made it to the harbor and got on a ship, that was where he'd play his first card. That was when he'd release his proxy. Yes, yes, he liked that idea very much.
He could go another day without sleep, what was sleep, when he had a direct command from Salem herself? The very queen who had granted his request to go on this adventure himself. He knew it would take a long time, and he was very grateful that his queen allowed him to do this. He'd prove it to everyone, especially that bitch Cinder! He'd show them all just how intelligent he can be… Yes, he shivered out of excitement at the very thought.
When he was standing side by side next to Kai in front of the Queen of the Grimm herself, everyone would know and have to admit that he'd done a great job. Something that none of them would have been able to do.
And here we have it! The continuation of The Blind Huntsman finally put into action. Now, I am thinking of writing this next Volume in one of two ways. The first being focusing on Kai, Neo, and the bit with Tyrian and his little secret plan, while checking in back on forth on Blake, Ruby, Orchid, and the others. And then the second being whether or not I should focus on everything at once like I was doing before, but since there's so much that I have planned for every little detail of Volume 4 and beyond, there may be some chapters where Kai would be absent or scarcely having a scene at all. More likely than not, I may do a mixture of both. But I'd like to see what you guys think if you are willing to comment at all. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and I plan on making Volume 4 about 12 chapters or so, that is the plan, anyway. I could easily end up doing more or less depending on what happens as I put all these plans into words.
Remember, this is the man that thought that he could do Volume 0 in 10 chapters, and I can honestly say he is in a sort of writing high, so he might just do… a lot in general. -CrowSkull.
Until chapter 102 guys, see ya next time!