Who Is The Stranger?

The Strange House

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Yang shouts, holding her hand in pain. As soon as her fist made contact with the strange man, she realized her mistake. Her hand made contact, but that was it. It was as if he were made of stone. Ruby, Weiss, and Ms. Goodwitch look at Yang before turning to look at the strange man, only for him to have disappeared again.

"Are you okay, Ms. Xiao Long?" Ms. Goodwitch asks

"Yeah, I didn't think someone could be so solid." While the group talks, Blake gets up and stretches.

"Good to see you all made it here. I got here, and it was just so warm and cozy, and I couldn't resist."

"That's fine, Ms. Belladonna. This is a better spot for us to camp anyway." Ms. Goodwitch gets up and looks at the walls, which show no sign of anyone entering or leaving. "I want to know how he keeps disappearing. It has to be some sort of semblance or something."

"Maybe he is the man the town says they see. The only reason we came here is that we heard the sound of a Grimm attack," Ruby explains.

"It started almost immediately after you left, and we just left when it ended," Weiss says.

"How did you three get here so quickly?"

"It's a lot easier to follow someone else's path than make your own," Blake says, lying back down where she had before.

"You should get some rest before tomorrow," Ms. Goodwitch says, leaving the warmth to watch the perimeter.

"Why didn't you stay in the warmth?" The strange man asks Glynda, sitting next to her.

"Are you responsible for the Grimm attacks on the town?"

"No, I'm only collecting my accounts."

"But the only building that isn't touched has your picture in it."

"Ah, the Grimm flatter me. Death does tend to avoid pictures of me, just like how the Grimm avoid my creations. Creations like the warm area."

"I am fine out here. I can keep watch to make sure team RWBY is safe."

"How noble of you, Glynda. I know one thing about myself. I used to be a huntsman, but I am obviously not anymore. Good luck with whatever your mission is, Glynda," the strange man says before disappearing again. Glynda gets up and walks around the perimeter a few times before going into the warmth and sleeping on the soft grass.

Glynda stretches and inhales deeply, the smell of coffee filling her nostrils. "Goodmorning, Ms. Goodwitch," Weiss says, handing her a plastic cup filled with the delicious brown liquid.

"Thank you, Ms. Schnee. It's always nice to start the day with a coffee." Ms. Goodwitch looks around and sees Ms. Rose dropping sugar cubes into her coffee, Ms. Belladonna reading while sipping on her own cup, and Ms. Xiao Long combing her hair.

"Ms. Goodwitch, are we just here to end the Grimm attacks?" Ruby asks

"Truth be told, we receive so many requests for assistance from towns in Atlas that we could be here for years trying to respond to them."

"Why don't they just request help from the Atlas military? They always come to help my family."

"The Atlas military doesn't care about these smaller settlements Ms. Schnee. They send a sheriff out, and he is supposed to keep the dark things at bay, but one person can't defend a town on their own, half the time they can't even keep up with crime coming from bandits."

"Why don't the people fight back?"

"Atlas doesn't let the average person own a weapon past a knife or an old sword. The bandits and the sheriff have effective weapons. For anyone else who isn't approved by the Atlas government, it is illegal to own a sword made after the Civilian Safety Act."

"That doesn't sound very safe," Yang comments, putting her comb away.

"It's safer for the Atlas government and criminals, but I'm repeating myself. That's how they can keep committing atrocities without retribution." Blake says, pouring herself a new cup of coffee.

"Soon enough, the Sherriff dies, and no one can take his place, so the people ask for help from their government and us. We usually send second years to handle minor things and third and fourth years to handle larger things. If it's too big, actual hunters go."

"I-I need to talk to my sister about this," Weiss says, looking at the fire. 

"We should begin moving to find the cause of these attacks." The group packs up and tries to follow the path back, but the fresh powder makes it impossible. The group quickly stumbles upon a log cabin, smoke coming out of its chimney, curtains drawn over the windows.

"We should investigate," Ruby says, and Ms. Goodwitch nods. Ms. Goodwitch knocks on the door, no response. She looks at Yang and nods. Yang backs up, runs at the door, and punches it open. The sight inside was horrendous, candles everywhere, purple and red wallpaper, worn wood floors, neon pink carpets. Weiss grabs a paper off the coffee table.

"I gave you prosperity, and you turned your back on me," she reads, "What could that mean?"

"Let me see," Weiss hands Ms. Goodwitch the paper, "it's a map of the town. It looks like an old curse from the time of the gods, they appear every once in a while, but they're harmless."

"Umm guys, do you see this?" Blake asks, looking in a mirror.

"See what? The only thing there is our reflection." Yang says, standing next to Blake.

"No, I see the strange man standing behind me."

"Out of the house, now!" Glynda shouts, and they all run out as fast as possible.