ch 7. Call in the Star Light

After Caliban left me at the bounty board I observe the quests and see a few jobs unmarked. Missing child, wood collection , and other chores for the village. I decide to take on the first one up. It offers a decent amount of credits and looking at them I should be able to complete them all in a night to the next morning. I need enough credits to make it to the capital so I can see the headmaster in Haven.

"Missing child." Posted about an hour ago. I mark it off. The mother of a missing child has posted this "search and rescue" request and the instructions say to go to her for more information.

I go to the address and it turns out the crying I heard was from the mother. She's been whaling like this for apparently a good while.

I walk towards the mother who's sitting on her porch hunched and sniffling while seemingly smoking a cigarette. She's obviously distressed. I don't have any children of my own but I've seen how mothers are with their younglings. They can lose it when they're child is in danger. I'm surprised she hasn't gone out to look herself.

I approach her but stay at a distance as to give her space rather than invading it while she's hysterical.

"Are you the mother who put in the job request?"

She looks up at me. "And you are?"

She speaks with a 'I don't care' demeanor. As if to act tough? Or maybe she's just volatile.

"My name is Red. I'm a huntsman passing through. Thought I'd help out while I'm here-"

"Help out" she cuts me off scoffing at my words.

"You huntsman always have some other agenda." Her words are laced with distaste.

I guess Haven has some work to do with the "friendliness" of their huntsman. But I'm not them. Though she is right. I need credits just in case for food and shelter in town inns. And this is how we make a living.

"You're right." To her surprise I agree with her. "I need credits for a mission. And this is how us huntsman make a living."

"Hmph" she turned her head. I guess she doesn't want her kid back afterall

"That being said," I step closer. "I'm a huntsman from Vale and we tend to often lend a helping hand to those who need it."

She looks up at me. Her eyes widen with surprise and curiosity. Huntsman go wherever though it is true that the ones from Vale don't like straying too far off the continent. So ones like me are a rarity.

"I'm sorry but…" she begins as she dust off her dress and stands up "you look a little young to be a huntsman"

She's actually right. I'm young to be a fully licensed huntsman. I started young and graduated young as well. I'm what people call a prodigy. But being a prodigy isn't as fun as it sounds. I acquired skills and knowledge easily. But it came at the price of heartbreak. I'd go as far as to say the heartache trumps the genius I harbor. It gave birth to experience and a hate I have deep within me for those "things" known as Grimm.

"I may be young but I'm old enough to get your son back." I rest my hand on my waist.

"Where was he when you lost him?"

She looks towards the forest "he's in there."

"Why would he go out into the forest at night" I question her. Seems like a logical thing to ask. Plus I'm rather curious.

"He was called. By the that thing" anger washes over her face.

"What thing?" I ask

"We call it the 'Siren'" she shudders, crossing her arms. From the look on her face this "Siren" seems to bring about bad memories. By the name I'm guessing it calls people with something pleasing. It has to be a Grimm of some sort.

"Is It a Grimm?" I ask

"Yes" she answers quickly. "It took my husband not too long ago. He was a local hunter here. Loved by everyone. Always smiling. But then, about two to three weeks ago people started going missing and a rumor started that voices could be heard from the forest. Voices of the missing loved ones…"

I listen carefully. If this is a Grimm it honestly sounds quite troublesome. Better to get all the information I can on it

"We'd send messengers out for the military because our local huntsman was gone for that week. Though no one would return." She continued "My husband eventually decided to take it upon himself to go out and find the missing villagers. He held out hope they were still alive. And..well…he never came back."

Sounds like a ghost story.

"Once our local huntsman came back to town everyone urged him to check it out. And of course he did it for free as always, but when he came back he looked quite distressed and told us all the villagers were.." she choked back a sob "my husband was gone. Though he didn't classify whether it was a Grimm or not. He just left in a hurry. We all assumed that he went to finish off the beast or look again for the villagers but he never returned."

Hmm, that actually sounds very interesting but also quite dangerous. I've never heard of a Grimm like this before. If it's a Grimm at all. And if it isn't I wonder what it could actually be.

"Please help us!" She startles me, grabbing onto my arms dropping her cigarette.

"I can't lose my Seto too. My little boy. He's only seven and I know he misses his father terribly. But I just can't..I can't " she no longer holds back her tears. They stream down her face like raindrops in a storm.

"Don't worry" I sit her down "everything's going to be alright. I'll be on my way and I will find your son" I make a promise I'm not sure I can keep. But something about her reminds me of my mother. And I can't stand to just do nothing when an innocent child is in Danger.

"He said he heard his fathers voice before he went missing." She speaks up. "But be weary, this thing has already taken the lives of many villagers and evaded destruction from another strong huntsman."

I nod and turn facing the forest. I walk in and prepare for the worst.

I never would've guessed that Windpath had so many issues with Grimm. Then again it's a village outside of the capital. There's a lot of negativity here which attracts Grimm, plus there's not any real protection here but local huntsman and hunters. I've been to wind path before about a year ago. Was a terrible first impression. Bar fights and hooligans of all kinds here. Now it just seems rowdy and sullen. A little sad too. I guess a distressed mother would do that. Everyone feels the pain of child loss one way or another and this place has lost a lot of it's residents to an unknown creature. Until proven otherwise I'll treat this thing like any other Grimm in order to track it.

Grimm are naturally attracted to negative emotions. Anger, hatred, sadness, fear, etc. Though the emotions they really seem attracted to are fear and strife. I'm not afraid but I do hold a distaste for those disgusting things. I use it to draw out the Grimm. But in this case I just need to follow tracks. Namely the tracks of a young boy named Seto.

I look to where she told me he more than likely left through the forest. It took me a bit but I finally found the tracks. Small shoe prints befitting that of a small boy. Bingo. I follow the tracks.

The deeper I get into the forest the more mist that seems to build up. It's almost mystical but more mysterious. There's a faint high pitched howling. Like the air is being funneled. In the beginning I'd see animals moving or running as I approach. But the deeper I got the less wildlife I seem to notice. It comes to mind they're avoiding this area. Eventually there's no wildlife in sight.

Following the shoe prints I notice other prints. Some larger, some smaller or roughly the same size. There must be other civilians here. Or these must be the prints of the citizens who went missing. I kneel down to observe how old the prints are. I'd notice by judging the freshness of the dirt.

I Investigate the prints and I conclude that the other prints are indeed older. More than likely days old. The ground was muddy at some point. But it's hardened. I must be heading In the right direction. This doesn't seem like a path travelers take regularly. It's too risky with all the brush and the mist. The rumors of missing people would also kill off the idea that it's a good place to travel through.

As if to prove my point I hear the sound again. A howling, now more melodic in nature. Like singing. Weird. Grimm don't have voices right? Maybe it's the child Seto. But it could also be something else. I think on it for a bit before finally continuing forward. Not going to lie, this is probably the most interesting hunt I've had. And I've been a huntsman for a good bit now. Though I haven't seen everything yet so I'm still in for surprises.

Continuing forward I notice the song I hear is quite…beautiful. It has a soft and yet gorgeous sound. But there's an underlying feeling it gives off. What is it. I can't quite say…ah yes. Wonder. It makes me curious. It's as if I'm not hearing it fully. Just a glimpse of what is merely a tune of mystery. I can see how people were dragged in here. Though they were lured in by familiar voices of loved ones. I'm being lured in by a mission to save a small child.

The thing is this sound is enticing. It's honestly becoming unnerving how curious it's making me.

I walk stealthily for another ten minutes until I hear the melody more clearly. And here's the scary part. The closer I got the deeper the tune became. But I barely notice it. The tune seemed to have blended in with the higher pitch only to be heard once I got closer. It has become more melancholic and less wonderous. Almost like a omen disguised as a blessing.

I approach a clearing. And what I see..well..what I see terrifies me.

I see an open clearing covered in icy mist. The area is cold. I hadn't even noticed. The temperature seemed to have taken a nosedive. I look around seeing a shadow. A small shadow. I approach the shadow seeing a small boy. But I see two large blue lights in front of him. The mist thickly covering the lights.

"Seto?" I walk towards him. I grab his arm but he resist.

"Let go!" Seto pushes me back. "Papa is calling me."

Something is hurting my head. I can barely focus.

I hear the tune strongly. As if it's right in front of me, Shaking my entire being. I step away from Seto and begin wildly swinging my sword. That sound. The melody became a distorted song almost as if it's inverted. Being played backwards. "Gyah!!" I scream. This sound is getting more and more invasive.

"Ahhh!!" I close my eyes and cover my ears.

"Just keep your eyes on me alright" I hear Lumina's voice. As if it's snapped me out of whatever I trance I was in I pull out Kali and fire in the air. The sound has been disrupted.

I open my eyes seeing a bright blue light in front of me covered in mist. I jump away swinging Kuro and the light backs away from me. It rises. I run and grab Seto and jump away. He seemed out of it. I lie him against a tree and run back into the clearing to face this invasive monster. I hold out Kuro and aim Kali at the thing. It doesn't seem to make the sound anymore. This must be what was killing those villagers. The real question is

"What the hell are you suppose to be?" I hear a high pitched sound come from it as it moves quickly around the mist. I follow it with Kali. I fire a few dust rounds at it but it's too fast.

"Hold still!" I run and jump at it swinging with Kuro, but I do so to no avail. It's too quick and its actual body is covered by the mist. "C'mon don't be shy. Let's get a look at you!"

I swing Kuro in the line of the enemy's path of movement and release my semblance. White flames disrupt the mist and it quickly moves to dive and attack me, no longer masked by the mist. I jump and roll out of the way, seeing only a black thing with glowing blue light around it. It finally becomes stationary, floating in front of me. It's look it out of this world. A black starlike creature with outlines the glow in color of neon blue. It has wings that seem make of light and silklike curtains. In its center the most noticeable attribute to its look. A white mask decorated with red lines. It's a fucking Grimm. Of course it is. But I've never heard of a Grimm like this, ever.

"You're the first I've seen with this look." I rest my sword on my shoulders. "O star light, star bright. Take my life I bet you'd like."

The creature screeches an unpleasant sound. Grating on my ears. I'd love to kill this thing.

"You're right. Talkings not my style. So let's get down to business."

On cue, It swings its neon wings and…ice spikes?! Impossible! Grimm can't utilize dust not unless it's in their nature. But is this even dust it's using? No time to think I jump away but the attack seems to home in on my location. I generate white flames and stop the progression of the attack. Landing I look at it again pointing Kali in its. I fire off two explosive rounds. Only one land and it's knocked back, staggered.

I exploit its opening and leap forward closing the distance. Swinging Kuro downward toward its mask I plan to end the fight quickly but it evades recovering from its staggered state rather quickly.

"Dammit." I curse. The Grimm fires at me at a high speed but I roll out of the way. I turn facing it but I see it no longer. I quickly look around. Then I use aura sense. It's above me. I look up and see it shining more than ever. A bright blue light. It's prepping for an attack. I prepare to counter.

Rays of blue light fire down from each point of its starlike body. They do not make contact. But then it proceeds to swing its body and move in mid air and I move around dodging the light. The Grimm spins sporadicly and the beams of light seemingly causes the battleground to become a spiked frozen field, blocking me off from the forest.

The creature lowers, but still hovers over me. The wings aren't as bright as they use to be. I'm gonna make the assumption that it used up its energy. But that's not a problem for it. Reinforcements arrive to its aid. Blue beowolves emerge from the forest leaping over the ice.

I'm in over my head.

The issue isn't the amount of Grimm it's the high level of this Star shaped Grimm using…magic? It doesn't appear to have a heart shaped scar so no connection to the other mysterious creatures. But nonetheless it's powerful. When huntsman are overwhelmed in battle they rely on aura-control to see things through. Adding aura-control to better manipulate one's semblance is key to this strategy. But in this case I may have to use Aura Flare. But from what I was told that's a do or die technique. I'm not that desperate. I can always run. So let's see how I fare.

All the Grimm seemed to have gathered around the star-shaped Grimm as to give it time to recover its power. I'm not gonna let that happen. I began by walking forward then I burst into a sprint. I reload Kali with fire dust rounds. I fire at the Grimm to disperse them.

I get to work. Counting 5 beowolves I move on the one closest to me. I close the distance as my shots scatter the enemy. I swing my black blade at the first wolf with the intent to sever it down the middle. But the Grimm counters with its claws. I see ice slowly form on my blade. I kick the beast and it soars backwards quickly recovering. I planned on that. On cue the second wolf comes at me from my right and the third on my left. I sense the fourth behind me and the fifth above. Good. Sheath me weapons quickly and release my semblance with aura control. White flames spike out from all directions in an ironic star shape piercing my enemies. They fall lifeless. Small Victories mean nothing. I keep it going. I roar releasing my semblance to its full capacity. White flames create an encased wall coating the icy wall.

The star shaped Grimm can sense the danger. It screeches in response to my area attack. The longer my flames are lit the hotter they become for anything I deem an enemy. I run towards it at full speed. Reinforcements emerge once more from around the wall. And although they are burned by the flames they keep up their advance. No matter. I simply keep my momentum up. I plan to end this with a single slash. The Grimm try to halt me by circling around and blocking me while attacking. I do nothing but react. Cutting and shooting every last one without slowing. I come up on the Star like Grimm. Leaping upwards I use a summersault kicking it in the air. I keep spinning cutting it with my sword. I then call all my flames back. They soar around me and focus my aura control pressing the flames towards the star like being. This creates a vacuum. All the flames rush like a tunnel and encircle the entity. I then compress the flames and pull them apart causing an explosion. I call this White Flash.

The amount of light coming from this attack is simply blinding while doing massive damage. I've only ever used this once. And it's honestly a one and done. The problem isn't aura. It actually doesn't take much aura to use a technique like this. The issue is how often it's used. Aura and semblance are akin to muscles. The more you use it the easier it is to exercise. Techniques like White Flash fall under an umbrella art known as Aura Breaker. It was named this by an unknown a long time ago. Supposedly the father of aura control.

But enough of that for now. Cause as of this moment I am out of shape with aura breaker and it has expended all my aura. I fall to the ground with no defense. Not a far height but now I'm just like any other human being. Vulnerable to everything. Even fall damage. Ugh.

I hit the ground. Not a nice landing. But well worth it. I didn't need to look up to know…I emerged the victor.

I'm tired. I stare up at the night sky. Stars light up the clearing. It's no longer cold nor is there any danger. Though…I can't help but to wonder. For the first job listed on the board…this was absolute hell. That settles it. I have the worst luck.

After a minute my strength is recovered and I get up to find Seto. The forest is intact. But if this was any other Grimm who didn't cover everything in Ice I'm sure the environment would've suffered. It's partly why I can't really exercise that technique. And with practice of my aura I could even control the blast radius. That being said all the ice is definitely gone.

Seto is in the clearing at the back of the forest. I see him walk in. I don't have the energy to shout so I follow. Everything is wet. More than likely due to the melted ice.

I hear the sound of rushing water. It sounds like…a waterfall. I rush towards Seto hoping he wouldn't do anything foolish.

I come out of the brush and see the lost child looking down over the cliff. I'm about to grab him until I hear the words "papa"

I walk over and grip his shoulders. Looking over the edge I see a corpse on a large rock at the bottom.

I get it now. The boy cries. I hold him.

I look up. Behold an ocean of stars. They're enticing. They cause to me wonder. What's out there? Is it an adventure? Or is it something to entrap you in greater despair. The star light calls us. And we dream of one day reaching our hopes that lie amidst the call in the star light…