Post by Roy Balor on Nov 6, 2016 20:45:23 GMT -5
Chapter 1
Roy Balor, a Vale hunter notorious for his thievery and a cocky attitude, is also well known for his relationship with the Glasdach family. For a long time now, the Glasdach family, Rosalia, Vulpis, and Alice, have mooched off of him, using him as a free ticket to the lien they seem to lust for. The only reason he has tolerated the cunning fox faunus family living in his home? Because of Alice Glasdach, his drinking buddy, his best friend, his.. Lover. Although the relationship is very one-sided and broken, Roy still seems to passionately care for her and her family, even if it leads to him being broke. For multiple months now, Alice, who also associates herself with the criminal underworld, has vanished from Roy’s life completely. So when he got word that she was in Mistral, he did not hesitate to prepare himself for a brand new adventure to an unfamiliar, crime infested kingdom. He’s never had a true reason to go to Mistral, the largest kingdom of them all. But now he has a reason to go to the swampy areas and threatening cities, and that is to find Alice Glasdach.
Roy ran around his messy apartment while preparing himself for his trip. He found Rosalia tinkering her fancy robots on the wooden floor while gathering equipment. Loose scraps of metal, and stray wires were scattered around the floor where her robot, Edwad, was positioned. Roy carried a large backpack with him, which, surprisingly, made Rosa look away from her prized possessions.
“Where are you going with that backpack?” She’d ask.
“Mistral,” He deadpanned, while scratching his scruffy jet black hair. He looked around for his toothbrush.
Her eyes would widen, as she was shocked. “Y-You’re serious?”
“Yup, I have everything I need to survive there for about two months. If anything goes wrong, I can become a criminal or something. I’m gonna need to pay back Gilga, too,” he'd say, sighing. For once, Roy seemed serious in his decision making. He was even willing to sacrifice everything in order to see Alice once again. No smirks, no jokes, just the face of determination.
“Well, good luck, and don’t die!” Rosa said, somewhat happy for Roy. “Alice wouldn’t like it if you died.”
“Right, right. See you in a few.” Roy walked out of his apartment, with his traveling gear prepared.
As Roy headed for the docking bay, a certain blue-haired companion had stepped in front of him.
“..Detective.” Roy glared at Slate Strissman.
“What's with the bag and the unusual look of determination on your face?” He’d ask, eyeing him up and down.
“What's with the unusual habit of stalking friends?”
“Curiosity,” Slate said. “It's my job. Plus, I’ve been waiting a couple months for this day,” he’d smile, Roy giving him a bit of a smirk.
“Well, damn, I must be predictable. You coming with me to Mistral or what?”
“Of course I am. Plus, you’re gonna need me if you ever want a shot at surviving Mistral, let alone finding Alice,” he’d wave his bullhead pass at Roy.
Roy and his longtime friend, Slate Strissman, took off on a bullhead that same night, with it’s destination to Mistral. During the ride, Slate informed Roy about Mistral as much as possible.
“You're gonna wanna keep in mind that Mistral’s lower class is pretty much a bunch of criminals,” Slate stated. “And I'm not even stereotyping, it's a fact of life. Death, taxes, and thieves in Mistral. That's just how life goes,” he'd say, a grim look on his face.
“Sounds like Alice’s paradise.. Would you recommend a vacation in Mistral?”
“I mean, if you're into swamps and getting ripped off for a hotel, sure? What type of question even is this?” Slate questioned.
“The best kind, man. I just wanna know about Mistral.”
“Right, right,” Slate chuckled. “Well, Mistral is also the largest kingdom, so we might have to search pretty hard to find Alice,” Roy frowned after this statement. “However,” Roy perked back up as this was said, “I have determined the perfect starting point for our search, the area with the biggest criminal hideouts.”
“What's the place called?” Roy asked.
“Nova: The city of crime.” Slate said, jokingly. “Also near my hometown, so that’s a plus.”
“Definitely not as bad as Vacuo, though.” A nearby passenger glanced at Roy, smirking.
Multiple hours later, Roy and Slate arrived in Mistral. Roy looked around, smiling, knowing he was about to begin his highly anticipated search. With Slate alongside him, he was prepared to begin one hell of a search in the largest kingdom. As Roy inspected the area, he got exactly what he expected. The area was full of people, varying from beggars, peasants, hunters, to shady drunks in the alleys. Nothing too threatening for the two, and nothing they couldn’t blend into, as hunters from Vale might want to stay incognito around here. Besides, Roy was practically a master criminal himself.
“Roy Balor, stealer of hearts.” Roy muttered to himself, snickering.
“What?” Slate responded, curiously.
“Nothing, nothing.” Roy said, in order to redirect the conversation. “Wonder if we’ll find any fans around here..” Roy jokingly asked Slate. “We should set up a meet and greet for them. Would be good for-,”As he spoke, he was interrupted by a poke in the right arm. He shifted his attention to his right, finding a familiar woman that was on the ride to Mistral with him.
“You have fans? Are you one of those famous criminals?” She said, as sweetly as possible. She was shorter then him, about 5’9 with green hair and bright amber eyes, with innocence written all over her.
“Well, I am a master pickpock--”
Slate stepped in, as opportunistic as he is, and said, “We’re a famous duo of Vale Huntsman. I'm Detective Slate Strissman, nice to meet you.” He'd shake the woman's hand, and then looked over at Roy. “This is Roy Balor, the one searching for his love in Mistral, if you know what I mean.”
“Alibi Zelena, nice to meet you,” the woman giggled, as she had already seen through the bluff.. “I can believe hunters, but not famous hunters,” pointing at Roy, she’d say, “This one would probably be hotter and have a sharper jawline in order to be a famous hunter.” She’d then direct her attention to Slate, the one with a sharper jawline. “I think I’ve seen you on the news before, detective.”
“Is that... An actual stereotype?” Roy asked, looking at Slate’s jawline.
She’d nod, with a chuckle. “Just look at Martyr Saint.”
“Ah, got it,” Roy said dryly. “Tree’s got branches, even in Mistral.”
After a few minutes of small talk, the three of them arrived at an inn, with a sign that read “The Slumbering Snake”.
“So, why here?” Roy asked, looking up at the night sky. The shattered moon glowed right above the large, colorless city.
“...And why are we trusting her?” Slate whispered into Roy’s ear, worryingly. Roy seemed to ignore it, however, shrugging it off. His instinct told him she was a friendly person.
“The people know me here, I was a regular before I ventured to Vale. The food is nice here, don't worry.” She’d open up the door, leading the two in, to which they would follow.
“Welcome to The Slumbering Snake!” A bulky man greeted the three travelers, who was clearly in a good mood. “Rooms cost 10 lien each for a one night stay! We also have good prices for good food!” The owner smiled, clearly proud of his simplistic slogan. The three were instantly intrigued by the offer, however. By now, it was late night, and the three were visibly tired from the long ride to the kingdom. Roy’s stomach grumbled as he
“Three rooms please,” Roy said, placing 30 lien on the table. “How much for some nice pasta, too?”
The three enjoyed their separate meals in the lively inn. Rookie hunters asked around for combat related work. Many regulars native to Mistral came to The Sleeping Snake for the food, or for a temporary home for the poor.
“I don't have anywhere to go,” A man said, panting, as he begged to the owner. “Please let me stay for the night! I don't wanna sleep in the co-” The owner raised his hand, silencing the beggar.
“Do you need a job?” The owner asked him, smiling. The beggar nodded as fast as he could. “Show me what you got, and I'll let you stay here for as long as you want.. And keep the job.” He’d throw the man a rag.
Roy, Slate, and Alibi watched from afar, eating together.
“Wow, didn't know people in Mistral’s lower class were actually kind,” Roy said, impressed.
“Yeah, well, when we're all struggling practically every day, some of us gain some sort of mutual respect,” Alibi mentioned. It's not too often, though.” Slate nodded in agreement, while eating his spaghetti.
“But, the thieves? Everyone hates the thieves, even if they're one themself,” she’d add on, chuckling.
Before heading into their separate rooms for the night, Roy and Slate had a quick chat.
“I don't think we should trust Alibi TOO much.” Slate warned Roy.
“Nah, nah, she’s fine-”
“No, in Mistral you can’t really just trust everyone you see. She is fine, she seems cool, yeah, but we gotta make sure she won’t just backstab us.”
“She won’t, man. I make good judgements. Just look at Alice! She got a good first impression from me.”
“Ahuh. And what did she tell you?”
“She told me to screw off.”
“Good judgements? Please, Roy,” Slate responded, snickering. The mysterious Alibi eavesdropped on their conversation, her amber eyes glistening.
3 hours into his sleep, Roy woke up, startled. Right above his bed was Alibi, who looked somewhat frightened.
“Nightmare…?” Roy asked, annoyed. There were bags under his eyes and he was clearly irritated. Meanwhile, Slate was getting phenomenal sleep in another room.
“Y-yeah.. I don't feel safe in my room,” she'd sneeze.
Roy yawned. “Fine, we’ll do this as if you were my closest friend and grew up with me in Vacuo. Get in the bed, I'm not ruining my sleep for you.”
Hesitantly, she'd get on the other side of the bed. She hardly fit.
“Thank you, Roy. Night.”
She fell asleep with a smirk on her face.
The next day, as the orange sun radiated the streets of Mistral, Alibi was nowhere to be found.
“Looks like she left last night. She didn't tell you?” Slate asked, while brushing his teeth.
“Guess it’s time to search.”
As Roy put on his clothing, something felt.. Odd. His feet were cold. He looked down, realizing he did not have his boots, Incubi on. He couldn’t find them either, after countless searching.
Roy was pissed, and asked the inn owner about his boots, and the rest of his clothing.
“Looks like you got robbed, son. Welcome to Mistral, can't trust no strangers around here,” the inn owner replied, patting him in the back.
Slate just shrugged in agreement, saying, “Warned ya.”
“M-My boots.. Incubi…” Roy choked up, coming to the realization he had just lost the boots he had been using for so many years. From his struggles in Vacuo, to his reckless spars in Beacon, that always got interrupted by Glynda.. That personal connection was gone.
Outro Song (Why not?):
