"You'll all be heading towards the mountains in the south east, that is where his last sighting was a day ago in the town of Lamplight. Remember, you have three days. Good luck students, I have faith in you." With that Ozpin left the door. The two teams and teacher sat as the Bullhead lifted off into the sky. Glynda had some words to say.
"Remember, this is not a field trip, this is a capture mission. Our one and only goal is to capture or subdue this mysterious swordsman." Jaune was a little nervous, more so than the others. He didn't sneak into Beacon to fight murderers, but Grimm. Heck, he couldn't even fight properly to begin with. Pyrrha couldn't help but notice his fidgeting.
"Jaune, it's gonna be okay," She said while putting a hand on his shoulder, "We all have each other's backs." Jaune was reassured by Pyrrha's words.
"Ok, I'm just concerned about our mission. I mean, we are facing a dangerous person, not Grimm. I can't even fight well. I won't lie, I'm afraid." He spoke honestly to her. Pyrrha felt sad at Jaune's fears.
"Don't worry, together we will prevail." As Jaune and Pyrrha continued talking, others were discussing plans and ideas.
"I don't know how he was able to slice through their auras like it was nothing," Weiss told Blake, as they were trying to find out the boy's weaknesses.
"Could it be his sword? I know some metals, especially redsteel, can cut through aura with enough force. In fact, his blade did look red." This brought up memories of Him and that day on the train...
"It could be I suppose, but to me it looked like he was forcing the blade through with speed." Said Ruby who was looking at a weapon magazine. She lifted her head and rubbed her chin, "Could It be simply that the Bandits didn't even have their Auras unlocked?"
"Whatever he does, it doesn't matter, he's going down. We're going to bring him home tied to the outside of the Bullhead like a trophy." Yang said nonchalantly. Weiss just wished that they were doing anything else imaginable than hunt this dangerous killer. She rubbed her face and looked out the window. She didn't know if she was ready to deal with something, someone like this.
"Wow, this town looks old." Said Yang as she looked out the window as the Bullhead descended. Blake rubbed her chin to recall something.
"I remember reading once that Lamplight was a town of great importance, it was a key trading post back before the advent of flying transportation." She gestured out the window, "Now it's just a thieves' den and a small mining town." As it neared the ground, Glynda told them what they're looking for.
"All right, we are going to speak to some people about the boy and we're going to probably stay at the Inn tonight." She told them. As they walked out of the Bullhead, there was a small crowd surrounding the entrance. A man with a long beard and a cane stood there welcoming them.
"Welcome, welcome to Lamplight!" He gestured, "We've been expecting you." The two teams looked confused while Goodwitch rubbed her chin.
"How did you know we were coming?" She asked him with a stern look. He just smiled at her while gesturing with his free hand.
"Because, we received a message from a mister Ozpin that you would be arriving." He raised his hand in the air. "I'm Mayor Quartz." The students were puzzled by his cheeky nature.
"Professor Glynda Goodwitch, me and my students are looking for a teenage boy in a black hooded trench coat with a sword strapped to his back." With this the villagers were whispering stuff to one another.
"Oh, that lad." He said with all the glee going away from his voice. "I don't really know anything about him, but you all might want to ask Eric the Gatekeeper and John, the owner of our Inn. They were the only ones who really knew much about him." The Mayor wished them luck and headed back to his home as fast as he could. As the Bullhead started to lift up into the sky and fly back to Beacon, the Group headed toward the south gate. The village was old and looked shady. People glared at the Hunters, not used to seeing such colorful characters.
They were met by a man walking down the steps of the wall, a gun in hand. He had a thin stubble and a baseball cap on, his face was greasy and he stank. He was chewing a piece of gum and grinned at the group. He leaned against the wall he was so used to guarding. The teens just looked disgusted by the man while Miss Goodwitch walked towards him.
"Well howdy there strangers." He gestured towards them with his free hand. "So what do you want? A history of this shit town? A few stories about idiots running to the gates with scores of Grimm on their ass? How I've heard idiots being ripped apart in the woods one time? How once—" Professor Goodwitch interrupted him.
"We heard you saw a boy yesterday who wore a hooded black trench coat and carried a sword on his back." Eric paused, his grin faded and became a nervous scowl. He scratched his thin beard and thought about his encounter with that kid. He was very thankful that the boy didn't hear him on that night.
"Yeah, I did. What do you want to know about it?" He said calmly with a hint of aggression. Glynda's expression turned to aggravation.
"We need to know details of the kids' appearance, actions and behavior." She told him, "This boy is wanted for Murder."
"I figured as much..." He said looking to the ground while rubbing the back of his head.
"Why?" Goodwitch asked Him. The man gave her a serious look.
"Because he killed three men in our bar and wiped out an entire bandit camp not too far from here." This made the Huntresses and Huntsmen eyes bulge. Miss Goodwitch regained her composure and continued.
"Tell us your experience with him." She said in a serious voice. He just sighed.
"I was just on duty that night. We were about to close the gate but I saw a figure in the distance, it was this boy walking." Eric scratched his cheek and went on, "This boy finally reached our backwater town and walked straight in. I tried to make conversation but this boy ignored me."
"I wonder why..." Weiss thought.
"Well kiddies, I have no more info, go bother people at our Inn." He rudely left back to his post. Miss Goodwitch turned towards the Inn, the teens followed her.
"I hope this next guy is not such a sleaze ball like that guy." Yang says to her team. Blake nodded her head in agreement.
"He stank horribly." She added. When the two teams and teacher entered the Inn, they felt a dozen eyes fall on them. Glynda utilized this silence to announce why they were there.
"Hello everyone, we are looking for a boy in his late teens with a sword strapped to his back and wearing a hood." At this the people in the bar began whispering and chatting. The Innkeeper and Bartender, John Berry, beckon them to come with him. They followed.
"I'll tell you what you want to know." He led the nine investigators to a table in his own quarters. After everything got seated, he had a question. "So, who even are you all."
"We're students from Beacon Academy on a mission with our teacher Sir." Ruby told him. He just laughed.
"So you're the guys they sent after that boy, really? I thought they would send a team of full fledged Huntsmen." This offended the teens, especially Weiss who about yelled at the man and would have if not for her teammates covering her mouth from speaking. "If I hurt any of your all feelings, I'm sorry. It's just this boy is no easy person to capture." Just then another person entered the room, it was Sarah.
"Who are these people Dad?" She asked with genuine curiosity. The man's expression turned sad.
"Sarah, this is about the boy..." Sarah's face turned mad.
"You all should leave him alone, he is a hero!" She savagely told them, "So what if he killed them and their disgusting gang! He did more in two hours than our entire town in my life!" She shook her fist at the nine people, "You all are nothing but cowards! Hunters are phonies that only come around to help if there's something major to do with the Grimm or the Kingdom, but bandits! They'll let them terrorize as long as they're far from your pristine and elite cities."
"Sarah!" John yelled at his daughter to stop. She looked at him with scorn.
"You, traitor! He saved me while you were begging them to not to hurt me. He is a true man, no wonder Mom died!" She left the room stomping. John just rubbed his face with his hands. The Huntress and Hunters in training were shocked at the fierceness of the girl.
"Geez, what's her problem?" Yang asked the man. He looked at her with tired eyes.
"The boy you're looking for saved her from some local thugs who want—" John stuttered a little. "Wanted to have their way with her." The Teens and Teacher gasped at this.
"That's awful!" Blake said sorrowfully.
"The worst part is that I couldn't help her, the people were linked to the Bandits." He looked at Blake, "If I did anything, they would have burned this town to ashes."
"What stopped them?" Miss Goodwitch said regaining her composure for another time. He had a blank look on his face.
"That boy, he killed them all ." He then looked to them, "There was something to him, something not natural." Then he looked down wide eyed, "His sword was pulsating with raw power, I could have almost heard dark whispers echoing from it the brief moments that I saw it." He started shaking a little, "That boy, he's a demon. Save my daughter or not, he slaughtered those men in seconds, not hesitating." This rekindled the fear of the two teams.
Jaune started to shake a little, forgetting the boy's image on the video and imagining a demon in black hooded robes and a pulsating red greatsword that could slash armies to pieces. Right then though Pyrrha, who was sitting beside him, put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, sparking calmness and determination in him.
"Sir, can you tell us what happened in full detail?" Goodwitch said to put everyone back on track.
"Yeah, it all started yesterday, when the boy walked through the door." Everyone paid attention, "I was serving drinks at the counter when this boy dressed in a black trench coat with a hood on sat at the counter. I asked him what he wanted and he just said: Water. As if that was the only thing that mattered in the world. Before I went and got him a glass I decided to ask him his name, it is Haru Fenris." Weiss just scoffed at this reveal.
"That's generic." She said with an uptight tone. Her teammates shushed her.
"I saw his face, it was the most pitiful and angry look I ever saw, there was a scar that went from his right side of his face to the left side of his forehead, narrowly missing his right eye." He then traced his figure across his face."I then asked him why was a teen boy wandering the back roads of Remnant and he gave me the most spiteful look I ever received." He grabbed a cup of water right by him and took a drink, "He said that he was seventeen and he could take care of himself. But before continuing the conversation, we heard my daughter scream."
Everyone was on the edge of their seats. "It was Dar Thranton, a local no good thug with bandit ties. They then put a knife to her throat and threatened our entire town if we did something. I-I couldn't do anything, I didn't want to be the cause of death for this town. But then, that boy, that Grimm Reaper came forth. He challenged them and taunted them, causing Dar to throw my daughter away and charge him. In what seemed like seconds, he cut the man in half at the waist. Then, in under a minute, he killed the other two. I was amazed and disturbed."
"What happened next?" Glynda Goodwitch asked him.
"He left, to kill all the Bandits. He succeeded. I didn't see him again, but there was a girl that was apparently held by the bandits that saw all that he did." This made the nine intrigued.
"Where is this girl I might ask?" Goodwitch asked him.
"At our clinic. When you're all done, I'll let you stay for free here tonight." He said getting up and leaving the room. As everyone got up, Ruby asked Professor Goodwitch a question.
"Um… Miss Goodwitch?" She struggled to spit it out.
"Yes Miss Rose?"
"Why did Mr. Ozpin send us specifically to get this boy, really?" Glynda just sighed.
"Because he thinks this boy won't kill us, that he'll surrender. All because he does 'good deeds' and doesn't hurt 'people'. I've never really questioned the Headmaster before, it just seems stupid or suicidal to send first years out to do this. I know he thinks just because most of you are young and innocent that it will somehow pacify this boy. I don't know why this Haru Fenris is so important to him, but I guess my bias has clouded my judgement."
Ruby and everyone else thought on these words. Was it going to be easy to apprehend this boy or will it be a suicide mission?
As the Investigators entered the Clinic, they were met by a small framed man, he had a calm demeanor. He smiled at them. "Hello there," He said to them, "Is there something wrong?"
"Sir, we're here to talk to a girl who was rescued from a Bandit camp last night." Pyrrha told him. The man's face was one of realization.
"Oh, that poor lass. I can't imagine that sort of mental trauma would do to a person." He said, "She's been sleeping ever since she got here, I had to be careful not to wake her as I checked for wounds. She had some seriously infected cuts. Luckily, I was able to clean and sanitize the wounds." He looked at them with a wide-eyed look for a moment. "You should've seen the Lad who brought her here. There was blood running off him like rain in a storm." This made the students uncomfortable.
"Can we talk to her?" Ruby said to the man. He gave her a smile he only ever gave to his own daughter.
"Sure, just make sure to be nice to her and don't stress her out." He told them, "This has been a stressful day for the girl as it is." They entered the room where the girl was asleep. She had deep black hair and a scarred body. She hadn't been fortunate to have an aura activated when she was with the bandits. The teens stood there unsure of what to do, then Miss Goodwitch walked forth and rubbed the girls maimed forehead.
"Dear, wake up." She said. This almost woke up the girl immediately. She jolted up, her face of shock, of horror.
"Who are?! Why are you here?!" She said with primal fear. She tried to scoot back as far as she could. The Professor tried to calm the girl by explaining to her why they were there.
"Dear, we're here to help you." She said as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm Miss Goodwitch, what's your name?" The girl's erratic behavior ceased and she started to relax.
"I'm Sally." She said with a dead voice. Glynda looked closely at the girl. She was someone who had gone through numerous horrors, apparent by the gashes and scars that littered her side skin. Her eyes were green and told the story of someone who had seen the worst of humanity. "What do you want?
Glynda was taken off guard with the spiteful tone of that question.
"Well, Sally, we heard you were saved by a boy from a bandit camp. We are doing an investigation into the whole matter." Sally thought for a moment.
"So you want to know my story?" She asked the nine people. Glynda nodded. The teens got ready to listen to another story, some of them leaned against the walls of the room. Glynda sat on the girls bed, looking attentively. "Last week, I think, I was with my mother at our farm. We were tending to our crops when ten men came to our farm. We knew who they were: Bandits looking for a farm to take some food. My mother and father tried to appease them, but one of them saw me. A foul man with long orange hair. He told my parents to include me in the deal." Gasps was the response to this form the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training.
"My Father, being the man he was, tried to shoot the man with his shotgun. But the man was hardly hurt from it, it was like it was deflected." Realization came to all nine people's minds. Aura, the man who was shot, had it. "Those monsters killed them right after that. I ran as fast as I could, but that man, that demon catched me. I was chained and taken back to their home." She was on the verge of tears, "That man called himself Dilan the Defiler. He and all those who were with him, they, they..." She started to cry, "They did this to me!" Sally started to convulse.
"They tortured me, they beat me, they cut me, they used me!" She was wailing, everyone else was horrified to see this, to hear this. To know that such evil existed. "They did this to me, and they laughed. They laughed and laughed at my suffering. Oh if they could hear my laughter when that boy came! " Her wailing turned into a dark chuckle. "Oh, if they could've heard me when they fell dead to the ground!" Glynda, despite being saddened by the girl's story, knew that they had to move on.
"Sally," She said, pulling a hand on her shoulder. "Tell us about the boy." Sally gave her a crazed ear to ear grin.
"Oh I'll tell you about him, about my savior! Of how he killed those men! Of how he killed them all!"