So The Hunt Begins Again...

An Internal Struggle

Guess who not dead, this guy! I can only blame myself for the long wait but I'd hope the 2000+ words might make up for it. If not then my sincerest apologies! Enjoy the chapter!

It had been about a week since my integration into team RWBY and I had to say it had been rather uneventful. Not for lack of excitement mind you, but there had been a significant lack of bloodshed. I wasn't going to complain, but I did miss it. Though I would never admit to it. Peace was something I had always hoped for but now that it was here I didn't know what to do with it.

Luckily for me the classes I would be attending with the team began. We had all the basic classes a student would be required to take. History had to be my favorite subject, only followed by Grimm Studies. I soon learned that students not only had classes but also missions that they were allowed to undertake. Simple things yes but it was a great way to do some field work and it was a welcome distraction. Soon enough team RWBY plus myself had picked a search and destroy mission. The location was unknown to me but that was how I found myself sitting near a fire in the middle of a dead city known as Mount Glenn. Apparently, it was a failed attempt by the city of Vale to expand outside of their walls. I sat there playing with the locking mechanism of my cane as all but Ruby and I slept. She being on watch a floor above me in this rundown house. Even in this city, I felt an uneasy peace.

Edgar...

I spun my head around to look behind me, looking for the source of the sound. To see who called my name. I saw no one and assumed it may have been one of the girls, or perhaps Oobleck, the Prof- I mean Doctor accompanying us on this mission. Turning back to the fire I was proven wrong seeing the girls asleep as well as Oobleck propped against the far wall muttering something about coffee in his sleep.

Edgaaaar....

The voice dragged my name out this time. I had to know where it was coming from. I looked up to Ruby who was standing watch, leaning on Crescent Rose for support. I took this chance to sneak through the window I was sat below and move towards the sound of the voice. Call me curious or call me crazy for venturing from the safety of my team to investigate a strange voice in the middle of the night, but I was armed, and no offense to my team I felt I was better versed in combat. Perhaps even on par with the Doctor...Maybe I am crazy? Regardless, I continued on through the dark, cane and pistol at the ready.

Over here Edgar....

Someone had to be playing tricks on me, but I soon realized I had bigger problems as I rounded a corner and came face to face with a horde of Grimm. "Damn." I readied my cane and waited for the first one to strike. A quick slash caught it in the chest slicing clean through it and as it fell two more came from my right, I dodged backward and brought the cane down in a strong overhead swing. Again I was met with a shower of blood, these beasts stood no chance, one of them came from behind me in an attempt to grab me in its powerful claws. A quick turn and I fired a shot into its chest staggering the bastard. I pulled my hand back and rammed it into the creature's chest, grabbing what I could and yanking hard, a shower of black blood coated my arm. I didn't think the Grimm could feel fear but I certainly did as the small horde parted to reveal a rather large Beowolf with spikes protruding out of its large body. I have fought tougher and more dangerous creatures...Laurence came to mind...Big fiery piece of-"Whoa!" I was tossed back by the large beowolf slamming into a wall. "Lucky hit." I muttered as a flash of red danced across my line of sight. That must be my aura at work, keeping me alive. I felt invulnerable. I felt a rumble in my chest something akin to a growl left my throat. I was a bit surprised but I needed to focus, I had been caught off guard once. I watched to see what the beast would do. "Come on." I whispered. Apparently, it heard and charged forth accompanied by an angry howl. I stood my ground waiting for the right moment. I took the chance and quickly sidestepped to the right of the beast dragging my cane along its side and earning an angry roar for my effort. I wasn't sure if that roar was in pain or anger, it tried to counter and swiped at me again, but I was too fast for it. I began to swing and slash flogging the beast until it began to slow. I wanted to try something, a morbid part of me wanted to try something. So I did, I brought my whip up and twirled around the beast, pulling it tight the beast fell to the ground and I planted my feet firmly on its chest and began to pull. When I was sure it was tight enough and had cut deep enough into the beast I pressed the button and the whip began to retract and while it was I lifted as hard as I could ripping the beast to shreds in a shower of blood. A deep guttural laugh echoed from my lungs as blood seemed to rain from the skies. Good....Good! Well done hunter!

"Edgar?"

I spun around with a growl and my eyes set upon Ruby...poor, innocent, Ruby...defenseless pitiful Ruby...It would be so easy, a few quick cuts, we could blame the Grimm Edgar. They would never-"NO!" I shouted out and Ruby jumped back with a frightened squeak. I must've been quite the sight covered head to toe in black blood. I needed to compose myself. "Hello, Ruby. I guess I got a bit carried away." She looked around at the carnage, the dissipating beowolf corpses and the swiss cheese I made of the big beowolf and when her eyes finally settled back on me I could feel the fear in them from where I stood. "What happened?" She stuttered. "I heard a voice and decided to investigate, and one thing led to another and I kind of lost control fighting these Grimm." She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Ruby." She looked back at me, me the guy covered head to toe in Grimm blood and guts, and smiled at me. "As long as you're okay." I smiled back and thanked her. She looked a bit more confident but still a little wary "What kind of leader would I be if I didn't take care of my team!!" I didn't realize it straight away but I had found my peace, in my team, in my new family.

"We need to clean you off though." I looked down at myself. "Oh," I returned my gaze to my leader. "Hadn't realized it was so bad." She smiled as if all the fear were gone in that moment. This girl trusted me, I would never betray that trust. You sound awfully sure. I pushed the voice away, ignoring it as best I could. I smelled smoke and looked down at my hand, to my surprise the grimm blood was beginning to smoke and was coming out of my clothing. "Guess we don't need to clean up after all."

We headed back to camp as quietly as we could, to not wake the others, but the team were already awake and on alert due to the sound of the fighting and howling. Ruby and I assured them it was alright, just some grimm that got a little too close and needed to be dealt with. Yang seemed to buy it, an excuse to catch some more sleep. Weiss eyed us warily but relented when she realized she was too tired to care. Blake as per usual stayed quiet, but she was now sitting on her sleeping bag reading a book occasionally looking up from behind it. Oobleck hadn't said a word.

Crisis averted. It had been about an hour since we got back and everyone had settled back down. It was now my turn on watch, and I could honestly say I was bored. I didn't want something to happen as it could endanger my friends but it would certainly be interesting.

We could always-

"Nope." I said cutting the voice short. This voice had been something of an issue. Constantly suggesting I go downstairs and slaughter my friends. I had been denying it this whole time and I was fairly certain it had no hold over me. Just some powerful suggestion. I had decided that this voice was the same one that led me away from camp and to fight those Grimm wanting me to lose control and hurt my friends. "I am the one in control here."

"In control of what?" Yang said coming up the stairs behind me. I jumped in my seat "Oh, hey Yang." She nodded and took a seat on the floor next to me. "I just wanted to thank you for helping Ruby with that pack of Grimm. She told me she would've been overwhelmed by them if it weren't for you." I took a moment to take that all in. Ruby lied for me. I definitely appreciated it and made a mental note to thank her later. "Ruby is a great fighter," Yang continued. "But, she is pretty much defenseless without her weapon." I nodded to her. "So, yeah I wanted to thank you for helping her and to relieve you of your post. It's my shift." I smiled and made to stand. "Go get some sleep big guy. I'll see you in the morning." I headed down the stairs and made for the nearest open sleeping bag. I took my hat off and crashed as silently as I could into the bag.

Sleep took me much faster than I had expected and I 'woke up' in a dream. Not the hunter's dream but it looked like a clinic. Hopefully not Iosefka's...Wait, no yeah it's Iosefka's clinic. I was sat on the clinic table. This all felt very familiar, the room, the table, the giant wolf-beast rising up out of a pool of blood. Yeah, this was all very familiar. The wolf, however, didn't burst into flames, that was new. I could move this time however and slid myself off the table on the opposite side of the wolf. Putting something between myself and the beast. The beast stilled and began to change. Shrinking in size and reshaping to look more man than beast. It looked like a hunter who used the beast embrace rune only it had taken hold of him. He looked more feral than he should.

We stared at one another for quite some time, neither one of us breaking eye contact. It was only then that I had begun to inspect the beastman. Particularly its face I almost gasped. The beast had two very peculiar eyes. One a bright green, and the other a deep blue. "Shit." With that, the beast spoke in a deep gravelly voice. Ah, so you finally put it together eh? It's time I take control. This beast was me or at least a representation of my beasthood. I couldn't let it take control. But it would be so much fun, Edgar! Imagine tearing them to pieces so small the carrion won't even take them! "NO! I won't let you harm them!" Why? What care do you have for them?! Blood is blood Edgar. Take your chance when their guard is down! "I...I shouldn't." Oh, but you could. No one would stop you. It paused and looked me over. Oh ho, you're interested, aren't you? "You...You FOUL BEAST!" NO! I charged the beast and we fought. We fought tooth and nail, claw and fang, but I wouldn't give up, I couldn't. I made a promise to myself that I would keep them safe. Even if it meant safe from me. "You will not control me!" I shouted angrily. "You have no hold over me!" Are you certain? Be honest with yourself Edgar, I am you. I have always been there guiding your bloodlust, but now with a lack of blood, real flowing crimson blood. You want it and there is no denying it. The call of the blood owns us, Edgar. I lept at the beast and knocked it to the floor.

I had the beast on its back with one hand on its neck and one readying for a visceral. "Do you get it you beast I OWN YOU!" With that my hand shot forward into its chest cavity, pulled hard, and a shower of blood followed. Hah. It managed a laugh. Micolash was right, a hunter is a hunter. A short cough. Even in a dream. It fell limp beneath me and began to glow a faint purple and turned to smoke that began to swirl around me. I gasped when it began to focus in one spot and darted towards me and hit me, hard. I fell to the floor and felt tremors take my body but they soon stopped. I awoke in my sleeping bag with the girls and Oobleck gathered around me. "Is he dead?" That was Ruby. "Does he look dead you dolt?" That was Weiss. "Not dead." I gave them a thumbs up. "See." I went to sit up and saw a hand in my face. "Come on big guy," Yang said as I grabbed her hand. "Up you- whoa." I looked at Yang and raised an eyebrow. "What?" I looked around at everyone. "Did you all get shorter?" This caused Ruby to pout. "I think you grew quite exponentially in your sleep young man." I looked down at myself and true to his word I was a bit bigger. Not ridiculously so but it was noticeable. "Your eyes, well, eye is different, your green eye is now purple."

Odd. I knew that my eye colors were strange on their own but now one of them changed colors? I had only ever met one other hunter with multicolored eyes and she was rather...enthusiastic about the hunt, but she could hold her own in a fight. Regardless, this was a development and I couldn't tell if it was good or bad. "I don't feel any different so there's that." Yang scoffed. "Dude you grew like a good half a foot in your sleep. I mean that's kinda normal but c'mon this is ridiculous." I agreed with that. "I don't really know what to tell any of you. This is a first for me." Maybe it was the beast?

At that moment a sharp howl cut through the air. "We can deal with this later we may have company." The four nodded as Oobleck and I made our way out of the building and began to look around as other howls erupted around us. "That sounds like a lot." Oobleck nodded at me and shouted for the girls to come out and get ready. "We have a small run ahead of us. I have messaged the bullhead pilot and told him to hurry." A run eh? Haven't run from a fight in a while. "I will lead, Ruby and Weiss, behind me. Behind them will be Blake and Yang, Edgar will bring up the rear. " Another howl that was far to close for my liking. "Shall we?" I nodded and we took off on our way out of the dead city.

We were making good time all things considered. I mean there were beowolfs snapping at our heels and the ground rumbled on occasion but making good time nonetheless. This time however the ground shook hard and we all, including the Grimm, stopped in our tracks. The ground ahead of us opened but Ruby must not have seen it and she slipped and grabbed for the ledge. The beowolfs were upon us in that moment and we fought to keep them away as Ruby pulled herself up. A beastly hand reached out of the dark hole and grabbed her cape and began to pull her back. It was a split second decision and I don't know why I did it but something inside me called to keep her safe. Before I knew it I had lunged head first into that hole with my hands in front of me. My weapon abandoned, I wouldn't need it for this. "Edgar!" Weiss shouted as I disappeared into the hole.

The hand that grabbed Ruby and I both disappeared into the hole as the sound of two vicious beasts quieted the sea of Grimm above us. A torrent of blood erupted from the hole and a violent howl came from down below. A strange quiet came over the place as a hand covered in fur came out of the hole. Breaking the concrete as it grabbed for a perch. It was me, covered in blood and gore. I was panting and growling as I turned to see the Grimm gone. The sight of me must've shocked the team and the professor into silence. I turned to see Ruby who was now sporting a rip in her cape and fear in her eyes. I took cautious steps towards her and she brought up her scythe sniper ready to shoot. Thinking on my feet I batted the barrel away and brought up my clawed hand to rest on her head. She opened her eyes in confusion and looked up at me. A horrid beast like the one I had conquered in my dream was gently smiling at her. "It's me, Ruby."

Well, ladies and gents here it is. The completed chapter in all of its glory! I'm grateful to those who stuck around during the wait! Enjoy everyone! 

Jet is not at fault whatsoever for the delay. I will make sure one like this does not happen again. Let us know what you think of the chapter. - Editor