Chapter 14: On the Wrong Side of Town

"Hmmm" He mumbled, looking at the ammo shelf in front of him. After witnessing Ruby and Pyrrha spar in class, he was impressed by the usefulness of Ruby's dust infused bullets.

Ice dust to entrap your opponent, fire dust to burn or control your opponent's movement, and other useful applications. Ruby had lost the match, but she took it in stride and proclaimed how she'll 'beat Pyrrha next time'.

The match had inspired him to seek out a bullhead after class to Vale and browse a few recommended gun stores (courtesy of Ruby).

"Should I by lighting rounds to paralyze my opponents, explosive for foes with thick armor?"

After some more internal debating, he settled on lighting and explosive rounds. He paid the clerk for his items and headed for a bus stop that would lead him back to the Bullhead platform.

"HELP! HELP PLEASE!" He turned to see the cry came from a small girl.

She wore a ripped and dirty brown shirt, blue jeans that had cuts and tears all over them and scuffed shoes caked with mud.

"You're a Hunter aren't you, you have to help me!" It was an understandable assumption to make as he still wore his Hunter's attire and carried his Hunters cane which has a visible edge to it. Ozpin had commissioned a scabbard so Drake would look less suspicious in public, but until then it was quite obvious he was still far from ordinary.

He knelt down to bring himself close to eye-level with the little girl, and spoke,

"What happened, has something gone wrong?" He asked (concerned as the girl had to be desperate to go call on a hunter).

"It's my brother some guys cornered us and said we had to give them everything we had. When my brother said no they started hitting him and they wouldn't stop. Please, you have to help him!" Tears started streaming down her eyes.

"Where are they?"

"This way hurry!" She started running ,Drake put away his new ammo into his belt and chased after her.

After some time they arrived at a worn and abandoned building. The sounds of a man screaming out in pain became louder and clearer the closer they came to the entrance.

"That's him, please hurry before it's too late!" At the girl's plea, Drake rushed blindly inside and headed towards the screams.

At arriving at the center of the building he was shocked at what he saw.

There stood five men wearing matching black jackets and pants with a green undershirt beneath the former.

Even their lazily held knives matched.

They stood next to a speaker that repeatedly played the screams he had been chasing. With a single flipped switch, the sound cut out and the room was silent.

"Finally, I was sick of hearing this crap."

"Who are you and what did you do to her brother?"

"Ain't it obvious moron?" The speaker was the little girl who stood behind him. He turned to meet her smiling face shadowed by two more similarly dressed men at her side.

"The hero couldn't just say 'no' to the crying kid. You Hunter types always make it so easy" Said the same man who turned off the speaker, and considering how full of himself he, sounded it was likely he lead their ambush.

"Yep. He swallowed it hook line and sinker bro." She said it all with a smile.

"So you two actually are siblings?" Asked Drake.

"Yep, I came up with a pretty decent idea huh? But let's not get uncivilized friend we are but a humble gang trying to get by during these troubled times…hehehe" The leader chuckled at his own act but quickly set his face neutral.

"But let's be serious here friend. You're outnumbered and there's nowhere to run, and judging by your age, you ain't even old enough to be an official hunter you're probably a student at Beacon right?"

"How very perceptive of you, but do you have a point you want to make or are you just running your mouth?"

"Of course, much as I like to talk, I ain't one for drying my mouth out. You see it takes a nice chunk of change to pay for Beacons tuition, since you were stupid enough to fall for this, I'm gonna guess that you ain't on no scholarship. So that means mommy and daddy paid a pretty sum for your gear. So hand it over, along with anything else you've got on you so we can all go home safe and sound, pretty good deal huh friend?" Finished the ringleader with a grin.

Drake turned his cane and pointed the blade at the leader,

"Let's just get this over with shall we" The leader clasped his hands over his heart in mock pain.

"Oh how awful, my words of peace and love was unable to move you. How terribly sad…"-He snapped his fingers and his lackeys trapped Drake in a circle-"Boys, try not to rough him up too much. Wouldn't wanna damage the merchandise"

6v1 huh. Almost feels like Yharnam

His free hand slipped into his belt and closed around a small bone.

"Get him before he tries anything!"

At the order all six gang members charged, each attempting a strike from a different angles and all failing as their blades passed through their missing target and into a cloud of mist.

Appearing behind one of them, he struck with the flat of his blade across the back of their head and knocked him to the ground unconscious.

The closest gang member (in an attempt to avenge his comrade) turned around and tried a thrust aimed for Drake's stomach only for him to vanish again.

"Everyone get back now!" Ordered the gang leader as his men regrouped.

"That's one hell of a semblance you've got there, no wonder you didn't give up"

"Does that mean you'll let me go before I crack someone else's skull." He said, pointing at the unconscious gang member.

"Yeah right! Like my big bro will give up, right bro!' Yelled the little girl.

"Got that right sis, no pain no gain." Said the leader as his knife began to glow orange.

"All I need is one cut friend give up."

"An Empty threat." Said Drake as he charged forward. The gang members attempted to surround him once more, but Drake simply kept vanishing all over the battlefield, passing through attacks and continuing to knock out members until only one gang member and their leader left standing. "Boss why are you just standing there? Help us!" Cried the gang member in desperation.

"Grey my friend all you had to do was ask." Said the gang leader as he approached his comrade from behind and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Here let me help." Said the gang leader with a smile as he stuck his knife into his comrades back.

"AHHHHHHHH!" With one swift motion the leader removed his knife from his comrade and kicked him to the floor. The gang member continued to howl in agony until he suddenly stopped leaving the building dead silent.

"Rule number one of our gang friend. Never question me. If I say 'jump' you say 'how high?'"

"And that's your excuse for killing him? Asked Drake as his anger began to boil.

"Kill? Come my friend, I thought you've learned by now I'm a nice guy. You see this little light show on my knife?" he pointed at his knifes glowing blade dripping blood

"I wasn't lying about only needing one cut. Pain amplifier, that's my semblance. The littlest cut feels like the devil himself is tearing out your soul, my buddy Grey passed out from the pain after crying like a little bitch. So what do you think will happen when I shove this whole thing inside your guts. This is your last chance friend. Give up."

"Pretty cruel semblance for such a peaceful man."

"Yeah weird isn't it. But hey, I'm not complaining, and if you think stalling me is going to save you think again. Nobody's around here to save you, my boys made sure before you got here." Said the leader, he was growing impatient.

"No doubt, but it has given me enough time to see your bluffing."

"What are you talking about?" His voice grew angrier.

"Your subordinates jacket is barely red around the cut even though you attempted to convince me you shoved the blade into his back, from what little blood is flowing out of the wound I say you barely broke the skin and nothing more, besides that, he's breathing too fast for someone who's supposed to be passed out. That little show he put on before was to sell me your lies"

"You dumbass weren't you listening to my bro, he only needs a little cut why would he shove the whole knife into Grey and risk killing him he's still one of us!" The leader's sister shouted.

"Yeah, listen to my little sis and give up. My patience is running thin here friend." Said the leader his voice now laced with a little bit of fear.

"Besides the fact that trusting your enemy is stupid, I noticed you and your friend Grey were both standing back while I was fighting I thought at first it was because you were trying to figure out weaknesses or use your friends to tire me out and attack together, but I realise know that this is probably your last ditch effort if your mark was tougher than you thought. What better way to try and trick them into giving up than with a fake semblance."

"Like hell I'll believe that! Aren't you the one that just said believing the enemy is stupid!" Yelled the leader his voice growing in anger and panic.

"Your right, believing me and my analysis is stupid, however you made you made one fatal mistake."

"And what the hell is that!"

"You've let me ramble on this long."

"What?" All the anger left his voice, he sounded more confused than anything.

"If your semblance was this truly powerful ability you wouldn't have even let me talk this long you would have rushed me with your subordinates and get the one cut you need to win, but you haven't. Even if you were scared of my semblance and let them all lose to me so you could form a plan you wouldn't just knock out your last ally in this fight to give me your little demonstration then try your hardest to convince me to give up, you would just attack me, so stop with this nonsense and let me leave before I get serious"

"Bro what should we do?" Asked the little girl in a scared tone. Lookin at his little sister and then at Drake the leader frowned and dropped his knife.

"Get up Grey we've lost"

"Shit, and this cut stings like a bitch too" Said Grey as he stood up.

"So what are you going to do, turn us into the cops?"

"That's the idea, you don't actually believe I'll let you go after all this do you?"

"No, but just let my little sis go" Said the leader in a pleading voice.

"No way! Bro I'm not leaving you!" She ran and hugged her brother tightly around his waist.

"Come on friend you got the bad guys and beat us silly, you can let a little girl go right, this was all my idea anyway"

"No way if you want to take my bro away, then you'll have to get through me!" Said the little girl as she grabbed her brother's knife of the floor and held the overlarge blade with both hands.

"Jade! Drop that right now!"

"No way! Moms gone! Dads gone! It's just us now! We have to stick together!"

Drake watched on and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"I wonder if I would have been the same?"

"Listen up! I'll let you go this time, but if I even hear of you or your subordinates causing any more trouble I will personally track all of you down and make you regret the day you were born, do you understand." With a smile on his face the leader responded,

"No problem you won't regret this right sis.

"Nope we won't cause you or anyone any else trouble we promise." Said Jade.

"Same, you won't ever see me again." Said Grey as he slowly inched to the exit"

"Good, glad I made myself clear" Said Drake as he turned, heading out through the exit and headed back to the bus station

But as he left he could hear the brother talk to himself and repeat his previous sentiment.

"Heroes are always so easy…but maybe that ain't such a bad thing…"

The regular sound of drills and heavy machinery were silent that night, like every night, it made the construction site perfect for late-night loitering.

"Boss are we really quitting because of that asshole?" Questioned one of the gang members.

"Yeah, we'll be ready next time we see him, we'll make him sorry" Said another member. Other gang members voiced their complaints until their leader yelled,

"Shut up!" They all went quiet.

"Listen I ain't happy about this either, but the fact remains the only reason we aren't in jail right now is because that Hunter let us go, so were going to sell our stashes and get the hell out of this business, if you guys want to keep doing this crap and get caught by a Hunter who doesn't mind cracking a few skulls, then go find a new boss." He waited for someone to object. No one did.

"Good. Tonight we're going to go collect and split our stashes between us and then you guys can go do whatever you want with your shares"

The sound of clapping echoed and bounced off the steel beams and metal tools.

"What an inspiring pep talk really it brings a tear to my eye." Said a voice from behind a steel beam. They stepped out from behind the shadows and revealed themselves.

"Torchwick!?" Every gang member pulled out their knives and readied themselves for a fight. "Roman, good to see you my friend. What bring you here tonight?" Said the leader trying his best to hide his surprise.

"Just a bit of cleanup. Tell me Mint, did you really think a low-life gang like yours can get away with stealing from me?"

"Torchwick, friend, buddy, is a few hundred lien worth of dust really worth all the trouble of tracking us down?" Asked Mint in a playful tone.

"Normally no, I wouldn't even give you guys the time of day. But my employer is adamant that I deliver ever single speck of dust I can get my hands on, and if she finds out I let scum like you get away with said dust…well, better your heads then mine…" With a snap a dozen white fang member appeared from the shadows one of which was carrying a peculiar looking pickaxe.

"Boys…clean up the trash…"

The following morning the Vale police found six bodies.

They noted that they all wore matching outfits.

Black jackets and pants with a green undershirt.