Vernal was having trouble sleeping as the day fell into night. She couldn't really sleep no matter how hard she tried.
No matter how many times she turned, she couldn't fall asleep. Perhaps she was just nervous? Nooo that couldn't be it, she was The Bandit Queen's right hand!
She had shed blood, sweat and tears to earn his position within the tribe. Shrugging off, she decided that it would probably be best to take a small stroll.
As she left her tent and looked around she noticed that there was no one on guard duty.
"I swear these idiots." Vernal murmured under her breath as she went to one of them who was on a chair.
However when she looked around the campsite she didn't find anyone. There would usually be a few of them up and about but it was eerily silent.
She reached for her weapons when she heard footsteps coming up from behind. She then spun around and aimed her weapons at one of tribesmen.
"Hey! Hey! It's me!" The man said while holding a cup of coffee.
"Freakin... where are the people that are supposed to be on lookout duty?" Vernal asked which the guy replied.
"I don't know? I was actually supposed to switch out with Bill but I can't find the guy."
Knowing something was wrong she started walking around the camp yelling.
"Alright we're doing a head count! Everyone up!"
Followed by a series of groans and complaints everyone started leaving their respective tents and standing wondering why Vernal wanted to do a headcount during the middle of the night.
"Hey man get up." One of the bandits said to her tent neighbor but didn't get a response.
"Dude, Vernal is gonna drag your ass out if you don't wake up."
Still nothing happened. Knowing what will happen if he doesn't get up he opened up to tent to horrifying results.
Jumping back from pure shock and terror before someone asked what got him so spooked.
But before he could respond another person gasped in horror which then everyone came to a horrifying revelation that something was killing them in their sleep.
"Everyone weapons out!" Vernal commanded while everyone was now wide awake and nervous.
Vernal did a quick head count and to her shock she only counted twenty two including her. She came here with around sixty six people and without the slightest hint lost forty four of her comrades.
"Who did this?!"
"We'll make this sum of a bitch pay!"
"Let's go hunt them down!"
The remaining bandits were getting rowdy until Vernal yelled at them to calm down.
"ENOUGH!"
Her voice echoed through the night silencing even the more talkative of the tribe.
"Everyone shut up listen up! I don't know how the hell this happened but it's not gonna get better if we act out now."
Vernal said with a authoritative voice until a another voice chimed in that got everyone's attention.
"Yes, listen to little Vernal. She'll protect you."
Everyone then aimed their rifles, pistols and machetes at two figures that emerged from the shadows.
One was a elderly woman with brown robes with a hood covering the top half of her face while having two swords on her hips with a third on her back.
The other one was someone who Raven herself scoffed at. The Bounty Hunter, here right in front of her wielding a bloody knife.
The large sniper that was on his back, the shotgun on his left leg, a revolver on the right side of his hip, and... Sion's sword on the opposite side.
"Well well well if it isn't Raven's dogs." The Bounty Hunter said sheathing the bloody knife onto the right side of his chest.
"I'm guessing you're The Bounty Hunter everyone's been talking about." Vernal said before switching her attention to the old woman.
"And you?"
"Traya." She replied which Vernal raised her eyebrow as she's never heard of her before. She was certain that if the Bounty Hunter was traveling with someone then she would've definitely heard her before.
"Of course I don't expect a lowly animal like yourself to be familiar with the likes of me." She replied which got many wide eyes and heads looking at Vernal then back to the woman.
"You've got alot of nerve showing up here." Vernal said glaring both of them down.
"Plus we out number you."
"Killing bandits is my hobby at this point so when I heard that you were here I just had to test some new moves." The Bounty Hunter replied with a low but sadistic voice.
The elderly woman then unsheathed her swords... that began to float around her.
Grabbing her weapons from her back she then said,
"How about a bet Bounty Hunter?"
"Oh? What is it?" He asked intrigued.
"One warrior to another, if I win you leave the Brawnwen tribe be." She proposed before the Bounty Hunter said.
"And if I win? I get to finish off the rest of your tribe?"
Everyone looked at Vernal then pointed her right weapon at him before saying.
"Deal."
"All or nothing it is." He replied while taking a stance.
Taking a steps back both Traya and the bandtis cleared the area surrounding them before both of the combatants stared one another down.
As Vernal gripped her weapons as the Bounty Hunter hand was close to his revolver.
In a flash a shot rang out.
They've heard rumors that The Bounty Hunter's bullets could travel faster than anyone could see. They themselves passed it off as just a myth until now.
Gritting her teeth in pain a bullet hit her shoulder but her aura held up. Quickly running and dashing in a zig zag while dodging an additional two bullets, one of which hit a bandit who got too close to the fight.
As Vernal got close enough go jump towards him a flame then erupted from the metal thing on his left hand.
Hector had used a mixture of two things that made budget napalm. Which was greatly superior and deadlier than fire dust.
Yelling out in pain Vernal back peddled while throwing one of her weapons at the Bounty Hunter who dodged it before unloading the rest of the revolver to Vernal who managed to hit one of them but two still connected. Using a nearby bucket of water she extinguished the flame thought it still burned.
Grabbing her weapon she threw as it returned to her she saw the Bounty Hunter reloading and took the opportunity to run at him.
Putting his revolver away he then drew Sion's sword as Vernal did an overhead swing with both of her weapons.
"Not bad for a child." Vernal said while pushing foward.
The Bounty Hunter then re responded in kind by kicking her right knee. Stumbling back Hector then followed it up by a knee to the chest.
Hector then dragged Sion's sword on the ground to unleash a fire strike.
Jumping to the side Vernal threw both of her weapons at the bounty hunter who blocked one of them with his arm bracer striking away the other.
Meanwhile Vernal was running at him again with absolute anger.
No way was she going to lose to a child. If she was going to kill him it was going to be slowly after she had knocked him out. Then there was the old woman but what could one old lady do?
As she ran up to him she then kicked him in the gut which she heard the air leave his body.
As her weapons returned to her she heard him coughing while supporting himself on one knee.
Turning his back towards Vernal the Bounty Hunter coughed up and spat out blood before using the his gas mask's new upgrade.
Like water in a flash flood the air crystals did its thing.
Filling his lungs back up with clean air.
Vernal meanwhile was walking around him smirking in confidence. For someone who had killed so many people he was weak. And the weak die as Raven always told her.
"You're weak. Maybe your reputation is exaggerated?" She said in a snarky yet calm voice.
"*cough *cough... you fucked up."
"Really? The way I see it you're vulnerable."
"*COUGH *COUGH...-"
After The Bounty Hunter let out rugged coughs he then got up before putting away Sion's sword and pulled out his shotgun and said.
"And yet you let your family down."
Pointing at a tent that held three dead Brawnwen tribe members.
"You'll pay for each one of them! Then I'll bring your head to Raven herself!" Vernal declared.
As she was about to yell to the Bounty Hunter again he suddenly aimed his shotgun at her and pulled the trigger hitting her chest and breaking her aura in the process.
Gripping her chest he began to walk towards her with his shotgun still aiming at her.
In a last bid to get away she threw one of her weapons at him which he shot away making it stick to the ground.
She then threw the other at him but dodged it which when it came back he turned around accordingly and caught it with his left hand.
The Bounty Hunter then out away his shotgun and held one of Vernal's weapons in his right hand.
Grabbing her head by her hair she tried punching him to no avail. He lifted her head to be at eye level with him to see her scared.
Hector himself felt... good. Knowing that the person who was responsible for causing so much pain and suffering to many innocent people trying to peacefully live their lives was going to feel the pain they felt.
To him, she deserved to see, to feel what it was like to loose those you call family.
Turning to Traya nodding she quickly went to work disarming the remaining bandits who tried running.
Being tied up by rope and lined up Vernal's fears were coming real.
She had failed her tribe, her family.
Traya meanwhile was impressed with Hector's combat ability but was disgusted that after this massacre he would surely collect Vernal's weapons for his collection.
As Hector held Vernal up by her hair he turned her around to watch everything she cared for burned to a fine ash.
However at that moment he heard a caw... Qrow just had to show up.
"You have no business messin with my score Qrow. These guys are worth five hundred Lien a head." Hector said which as expected Qrow popped up.
He had his sword in his hand while looking around in disbelief and horror.
"This stops now." Qrow said a stern voice. The drunk man Hector knew was replaced by a calm yet determined Qrow.
"Don't tell me you're going to defend these scum." Traya said in defense for Hector.
"You don't have to kill every bounty you go after." Qrow said eyeing the bounty hunter down.
"And who the hell are you to tell me what to do. If you want me to go talk to Oz then step aside and let me do my job." Hector said before putting the blade of Vernal's own weapon against her neck even further.
Qrow at this point didn't want to talk to this person. He wanted to throw him into the nearest psychiatric hospital to get him some help.
His mentor Traya wasn't helping at all but making him more deadly than before. With Traya's training in precision and calculated strikes mixed with Hector's unpredictable nature and ruthlessness and you got a what one could say a perfect killing machine.
"If you think I'm gonna kill all of them I'm not so calm down." Hector replied letting the blade loosen up against Vernal's throat.
Qrow calmed down for a bit but before he could say anything Hector cut Vernal's throat.
"Don't be surprised. She was gonna die either way."
As the two stared each other down the tree lines were filled red eyes with white bone like armor creeping out of the shadows.
"That's our cue to leave Traya. Just gonna get this first." Hector then extended out his right arm and his wrist bracer launched thr rope to wrap around the handle of Vernal's other weapon and took it.
"I hope you two don't mind fighting Grimm. And don't take too long. We still gotta head to off to see good ol professor Ozpin." Hector replied before using his air boosters to fly away.
"How the hell do you even deal with him?! What do you gain from manipulating a fucken kid!?" Qrow yelled before cutting a Beowolf in half.
"I've been warning Ozpin and the others of the coming darkness for years! I can sense it, it's growing each and every day! And what of the Huntsmen? They grow complacent! They think that just because we're experiencing this false peace that they can ease on their training!
If The Bounty Hunter, who is still too young to attend a academy can surpass Huntsmen what does that say!"
Traya explained. Her semblance also allowed her to "feel" the energy around her if you will. Since the beginning of the Vytal Festival, she could feel sinister intentions radiate.
And if Hector had taught her something is that if you want someone's attention hit them when everyone is watching.
Traya knew that training Hector was wrong but if she wanted Ozpin to listen, The Bounty Hunter would be her ticket to Ozpin.