The Huntsman of Red V2

Chapter 67 What It Means to be a Hero: 6

-Moments prior.

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Kill your heroes.

Screams echoed out across Vale even as a man in a white dove-tail dress coat and a bowler's hat skirted through the city's back alleys with a frown on his face. The rancid smell of destitution of the backstreets and the vacant eyes of those that fell in hard times paled in comparison to the overarching sense of doom in the air.

Roman Torchwick pressed his hat further over his face.

'Want to be a hero? Then play the part and die like every other huntsman in history.'

Running faster, Roman had flashbacks of his childhood. He hadn't always been a thief, and like many young boys, he'd also dreamed of being something bigger. A master thief had not been what he'd had in mind, rather, like other boys he'd also wanted to be a hero.

There was a particular Huntsman Roman had looked up, not that it mattered anyway. That man died in the same way all others in his profession had, without a body to bury.

Grunting as he felt the muscles in his legs ache, Roman pushed on into Vale's main street on the way to its Bullhead platforms where he intended to hitch a ride out of town.

He was doing what he did best.

'Lie, steal, cheat, and survive!'

People only had a single life, and Roman was no exception. That was why he cherished it more than most and would not ordinarily risk it out of his own personal volition. Instead, he would do what he could if able on the premise that his life was not in danger.

His work in the Rose Mercenaries, primarily in logistics and supply, had been something of a positive influence on Vale. He'd helped people solve problems rather than steal from them, and in the occasional mission outing, he'd even saved lives.

The feeling of gratitude towards him was admittedly nice, but it never did quite rival the thrill of a successful theft.

Bang!

The hairs on the back of Roman's neck rose as goosebumps traveled down his skin. Stiffly, he turned to look behind him. He watched as numerous Grimm fell down from the sky and landed on the streets, causing further panic and mayhem as people trapped in vehicles fled their cars and ran on their feet.

It was mayhem, a doomsday scenario where Grimm were running people down over the streets, and people were trampling other people in their haste.

The irony of it all was that more people were being injured from the panic of others rather than the Grimm who were oddly subdued in their attacks. It was like they were playing some sort of game, but Roman would not sit still to dwell over the psychology of Grimm.

"Neo!" Roman gestured before his trusty partner appeared by his side with the sound of cracking mirrors.

Beyond going to Beacon Academy, Neo knew where her true allegiances lay beyond the money of a contract.

Placing his hand on the handle of his cane, Melodic Cudgel, Roman gestured for Neo to get close before he wrapped an arm around her and fired off a grappling hook from his cane. The wire quickly ascended to the top of a building before securing itself on a jutting segment of the building.

Pulling the trigger of his cane, the wire of the hook retracted and pulled Roman and Neo up into the roof where they now had an aerial view of the chaos.

'Roman,' Neo nudged Roman with an elbow while signaling her scroll to him.

"What?" Roman replied impatiently before Neo placed her hands on either side of Roman's head and focused his gaze in a certain direction.