As Citrine was nearly making Hector's lunch he heard her dad talking to someone but figured it was probably one of his friends dripping by.
"I said get out!" Her dad yelled which Citrine jumped up nearly spilling the bowl over. She peered around the corner and saw Thud and Bob.
They were two gang members belonging to The Mole Rats for their use in using the tunnels to smuggle illegal contraband without having to go through the front gate.
Thud was your typical all brawn and no brain while Bob was... well... a pretty average guy.
"Look, just pay the fine for having this establishment up." Bob said leaning on the side using his elbow on the table while Thud cracked his knuckles.
Bob then noticed Citrine peeking around the corner and gave a crooked smile and said in a creepy way a man should never talk to a woman.
"Heeeyyy Citrine, what ya doing?"
Citrine then quickly went back to the kitchen before Bob walked back. Her dad tried to stop him but was blocked by Thud who pushed him to the side and towered over the now angry and worried as hell dad.
"C'mon now, that's no way to say hi to an old friend." Bob said while walking towards Citrine who was walking away from him, keeping a distance from the creep.
"More like the old bully." Citrine snapped back while holding Hector's vegetable soup.
"Don't be like that Citrine. It would be very awful if your old man had a little-"
"AAAAHHHH"
They then snapped their heads at what one could say was the classic looney tunes scream and ran to the front.
They saw thud holding his butt while Hector wielded what looked like a sword that seemed like it just came out of lava. Hector's back was facing towards them so they didn't see who was the mysterious man wearing a all white outfit.
Thud then swung his hand back at him but dodged and sliced at his leg before Hector then struck his side.
"RRRAAAHHH!"
As Thud yelled and fell to the floor in pain holding his side and leg Bob took a step foward to try and sneak up on him.
"Behind you!" Citrine yelled out warning Hector which Bob didn't take well.
"You fucken... who t-the hell are you?" Bob said when he turned around to see the stranger's face.
A all white gas mask with a black visor and a crooked black smile. While shocked, Hector then struck at Thud again, this time at his back which Hector then said in a low but threatening tone.
"Ooh another one. Let me fry your friend real quick. Would you like him well done or medium rare?" He said hovering the sword over Thud who held one of his hands up.
"H-Hey! We-We can w-ork something out man!" Bob yelled out trying to handle the situation but saw Hector approaching him.
Hector then swung his sword at the thug but Bob ducked and ran towards Thud. Bob had helped him up while Hector was just watching them.
It amused him how they thought they think they could get away, how they thought they could barge in here and take what wasn't theirs. And take from the poorest of the poor of all people... disgusting.
As soon as they opened the font door Hector unleashed a fire strike at the duo sending them flying onto the snowy road which gathered the attention of the locals.
They either watched from across the street or peeked out of their tents to see what was going on.
They saw the two thugs who were known to extort the locals so seeing Thud hurt and Bob scared was telling that something or more specifically someone did this to them.
Looking at the inn they saw the mysterious man who appeared in the crater around two weeks ago. According to the Citrine's father, he was a bounty hunter, a young ruthless bounty hunter.
They saw the mysterious bounty hunter walk up to Bob before kicking him down on the ground before slashing at his legs.
They then saw him raise his blade and strike right between Thuds and Bob's heads before both shakingly looking up and the young bounty hunter saying.
"If you ever mess with me ever again then I'll drop you off in Grimm infested territory and watch them tear you limb from fucken limb. Understood?"
Both then nodded before quickly limping away. Hector then looked around at the group of people who were watching him with a mix of shock and intimidation before he headed back inside.
"That was something." Hector said before putting his sword away before adding,
"And don't worry, I'll pay for the damages."
"Did no one teach you how to handle things differently?" The man said which Hector responded.
"They were small time gang members. They're not really a big deal. All it takes is either a death threat or a bullet."
"B-But what about the o-others?" Citrine asked worriedly.
"And what gang are they part of?"
"The Mole Rats." She responded.
"Wait the Mole Rats? Who comes up with these names? First off Vale with the Red Ties, now the Mole Rats?? God these people give crime a bad name!" Hector declared.
"Oh yeah? And where you're from the names were better?" The man asked who Hector didn't even bother to know his name.
"There were the Crips, the Bloods, Hell's Angels, MS 13, and Loco Boyz and trust me. They lived up to their reputation." Hector replied.
"Where are you from anyway? If you don't mind me asking?" Citrine asked which Hector said.
"A very isolated town called Los Angeles or L.A short."
"Los Angeles? Never heard of it." The man said.
"Well I said it was a very isolated town so of course you wouldn't hear about it." Hector said. Citrine trying to ease the tension between her father and the bounty hunter she asked.
"Um how isolated was it?"
"What if I told you I never heard of the four kingdoms?"
"How-"
"Or that faunus existed."
Both Citrine and her father looked at him in disbelief before Citrine asked,
"H-How??"
"Well I guess our towns founding fathers wanted to erase faunus from our history so that would explain the word faunus in our towns very early history."
"And what do you think about the faunus?" The man asked with crossed arms.
"Honestly a bit jealous I mean, better hearing, night vision, and depending on the trait, a tail that can be another arm which in my opinion is very useful. Like imagine the multitasking you can do."
Citrine's ears went up both a bit surprised and liked the explanation on the faunus.
"So when did you find out that faunus existed?" Citrine asked curiously asked.
"A few months ago but I'm still learning about Remnant after... that happened." Hector replied.
"After what happened?" Citrine asked which Hector looked to the side as if he was avoiding the question but in reality was thinking what to say.
"Is... my food ready?"
Citrine then went to the kitchen to get his bowl which he thanked her for before heading towards his room.
"What do you think happened?" Citrine asked her dad.
"I don't know but whatever it was. It must've been bad that not even he wants to talk about it."
LINEBREAK
After eating the vegetable stew that Hector actually liked he then decided to go after this Mole Rat gang. After reading a few articles and news reports about the gang Hector was able to figure out the gang mainly specialize in extortion, weapons trafficking and the one reason that made Hector truly want to kill them was human and faunus trafficking.
He might've been a murderer but he draws the line at human and now faunus trafficking.
And much to his liking a lieutenant actually had a bounty on her. Nicknamed the Owl for her intelligence gathering ring based around just north of the crater.
Hector then leaned back on his chair and thought about where to look for this Owl. He also wanted to "prepare" for her interrogation as he knew she wouldn't give up her boss's location easily.
Hector knew he'd have to scout out before trying to find any leads but needed ANOTHER outfit and a gas mask since the one he always uses was becoming his signature look.
He then decided to get coat, gloves and a scarf to hide his other gas mask that he uses when he sleeps.
It covered the bottom half of his which had a circular mouthpiece with vertical lines that was over the mouthpiece and had a filter on the right side. Colored in a dark green which had a few scratches with a small porthole where he could use his straw to drink from.
He then went downstairs to ask Citrine to go get his things for him since he didn't want to reveal himself just yet.
LINEBREAK
"Alright, just gotta scout out the bars."
Hector said to himself as he wore a black coat with a hood, snow boots, dark blue jeans, black gloves, a gray scarf to cover his gas mask. He also carried three knives just in case.
He then planned to scout bars and clubs where Mole Rat gang members, particularly higher ranking members would frequent and see where he could go from there.
He figured he could either go in smart and quiet, or loud and violent.
The smart and quiet would be bugging their usual spots to listen in and or following them around and seeing where they went to.
The loud and violent way was of course the opposite. He could scout out the bars, kidnap high ranking Mole Rat members and interrogate them or just straight up kill them right then and there.
But remembered that he was in Atlas so he had to be extra careful to not drag too much attention to himself but he also wanted to be... "effective".
He'd need to scout them out first and depending on the person he'd do things differently.
He had already asked Citrine's father where these gang members hung out but refused saying that he'd probably shoot up the bar.
Hector protested that he just needed to scout it out but still refused saying that he didn't want any blood on his hands.
After leaving through the back of the inn he set off to a nearby bar in the Northside to see if there was any people that sparked his interest.
A few minutes of traveling through alleyways and avoiding those little floating robots he continued walking around earning a few suspicious looks from some of the homeless people but continued onward.
He then saw a bar named "The Underground".
"Judging on how everything on this world is... it would be surprising if I don't find a thug in here."
Hector thought to himself as he walked in. In the left side the bar, the middle with wooden chairs and tables with a single candle in the middle and on the side and up against the wall chairs put up against the wall with tables.
He walked in he quickly took a seat all the way in the back with his own back up against the wall. Sure enough when he had a better look at the patrons he noticed a few of them with the insignia of the Mole Rats.
"Well that was easy."
Hector thought to himself before the waitress who was obviously a gang member walked up to him very suspicious of him and asked,
"What's your business?" She asked leaning towards the side and looking unamused.
"A bottle of whiskey." Hector said which she raised an eyebrow before shrugging and walking away.
Hector watched her like a hawk from her getting the bottle to her walking to him as he didn't want her putting something in it.
She then put the bottle of whiskey and his shot glass on the table before asking,
"Is that all?"
Hector simply nodded before pouring himself a drink. Then a man wearing a gray shirt and a vest that resembled something a biker could wear, shirt scruffy blond hair and black boots walked up to his table.
"This guy is either the boss or the idiot of the group."
"Is this seat taken?" He asks which Hector shows an open palm signaling him he could take a seat.
The man simply nods and asks,
"Your new here? Never seen ya before. What's your game?"
"..." Hector stayed silent before swirling the whiskey in his glass, not taking his eyes off him and the other members. The man leans back and says,
"Ah. Where are my manners? The names Frank, or Rider. You?"
"Me? Oh I'm just a man... looking for someone."
The man now known as Rider noted his voice was a bit... robotic? If that was the way to put it. The feeling they were getting from this man was rather... unsettling and that he meant business but Rider wanted to see if that was true or just his gut acting up.
"And who is this someone your looking for? Maybe I've seen him or her?"
"It is rather a personal matter but-"
Hector then takes out one of his scrolls and projects exactly 150,000 Lien.
"I am a bit of a rush."
The gang members jaws drop and Hector continues to explain what he wants from them.
"You see the Owl is someone who has information for the person I'm looking for and... I could make you more Lien than your allegiance to her can make you. All you have to do is tell me where she is and you get to leave with so much Lien than you'll know what to do with." Hector lied.
He was just going to kill them.
There was only five of him and one of them was already tipsy so they wouldn't be much trouble for the bounty hunter.
"Oh yeah? And how do I know your not the police?" One of the females asked which Hector responded.
"You don't."
Author's Note:
Tell me what you think of the story so far!