The Rogue Five

Prologue

Well, this place was huge. She was standing outside a lavish manor, not too far from Dilstone City. The woman in question was still young, only eighteen at the time. She had pale skin, long blonde hair, and blue eyes. She wore her usual work attire: a dark brown office dress under a black leather trench coat. Her name was Anna Zimbardi, but her work identity was the Huntress.

Anna rang the doorbell, and while waiting for someone to answer, she took a look at the outside of the manor. It truly felt like the dream of every person in this city. It was a massive, sprawling estate. Intricate brickwork, large windows, four strong columns to support the weight of the second story, and a door that seemed large enough to host extravagant parties. It was as if the place were screaming "Come on in. There's plenty of room!" However, her attention was drawn to a small splotch of red. Only a drop or two, on the steps. Blood.

"Hmm... How interesting..."

The door then opened, revealing a butler in a rather fancy suit. Anna's attention was drawn away from the blood when he greeted her.

"Ah, good evening, miss. Can I presume you are the 'Huntress' we have been waiting for?"

Anna nods her head in agreement. She could already tell that the butler didn't take her seriously, but that wasn't her problem. He wasn't her client.

"Yes, I am. Is your master home?"

The butler sighs.

"Yes, I suppose so. I will warn you, miss. He is a bit... irritable, right now."

Oh great. Surely, that wouldn't be problematic at all. Either way, she had a job to do, and she was going to do it. With a deep breath, Anna nods once more.

"That's fine. I've dealt with irritable clients before. I'm sure your master is no different. Shall I go see him?"

The butler quickly gives a slight bow and leads Anna through the manor. She could already see a blood trail on the marble floors. She wasn't quite sure what she was getting into here, but whatever it was, it seemed juicy. For the most part, the trail of blood was just small splotches, and it continued most of the way through the manor. Eventually, the trail stopped and looked like it originated from the office. The butler, however, led Anna to a bathroom, where the manor's owner was waiting. Richard Wood was your typical rich man, always well dressed and proper, except for the fact that there was now a big gash on the side of his face, which he was trying to clean up. He looked up at Anna, a grimace forming on his face.

"You must be this 'Huntress' character I've heard so much about. I would assume you're here to learn who your target is, yes?"

Anna has seen plenty of blood in her line of work, as well as injuries like this, but it still catches her somewhat by surprise. Usually, rich people are a lot safer when it comes to this type of thing. Not wanting to annoy her employer, Anna nods her head.

"I am. I hear you want me to track someone for you?"

Mr. Wood chuckles darkly and shakes his head as if Anna had asked something ridiculous.

"If I didn't need you to track something, you wouldn't be here. I don't exactly hire bounty hunters for fun. Now then, I'll need you to find my daughter and bring her back home immediately. Some beast took her and did this to my face."

From the tone of his voice, Anna could tell he was pissed. But there were more important things for her to worry about. There was a kid involved, and it was starting to sound like Anna would have to kill whatever 'beast' took this man's daughter. Then again, such is life as a bounty hunter. She knew to never question her clients past what she needed.

"Can you tell me what your daughter looks like?"

Richard sighs, as if he were dreading this inevitable question.

"She looks nothing like me or the wife. White hair, purple eyes. She sticks out like a sore thumb. You can't miss her."

Assuming that Richard was telling the truth, Anna could certainly agree with that. Those were quite interesting traits, especially considering that the girl's father seemed pretty average in appearance, brown hair and eyes. She could only assume that Richard's wife was in the same boat.

"Right... and the last time you saw her was when this 'creature' attacked you?"

Richard responds with a simple nod before he goes back to trying to clean his wound.

"Yes, that is correct. I have not seen her since. Oh, and her name is Katherine. Go find her, 'Huntress'."

Richard waves her away and just continues to try and clean his face. As annoyed by his dismissiveness as she was, Anna couldn't really blame him for being an ass. The guy's daughter was missing, and that gash looked like it was going to be permanent. Without another word, Anna turned and left, following the blood trail right out the front door of the manor. She was going to find this kid. One way or another, she would.

As Anna followed the blood trail into the city, she noticed the rain clouds beginning to form on the horizon. She would have to hurry if she wanted to find Katherine before the storm hit. As luck would have it, the beast seemed to have made some pretty solid ground. And soon enough, the storm was upon her. Heavy rain, howling winds, and the occasional flash of lightning dominated the sky. The bustling city became a ghost town as the only light left was from the dim streetlights. Anna would have to rely on her innate tracking abilities to find Katherine. Because she was not going to risk letting a beast have her any longer than necessary.

With the rain pounding this hard, it was nigh impossible to see more than ten feet in front of her. However, she didn't really need to. It was like she just knew where to go. Even with the rain wiping the blood clean and removing any evidence of the horrible events that had taken place, it was as though she could still see the imprints of the blood trail, follow footsteps that were never there to begin with, and hear the rapid breathing of someone running or struggling.

As the lightning continued to flash around her and the wind howled in her ears, Anna followed the non-existent trail, trusting in her abilities to see her through the mission. Dilstone's normally bustling sidewalks were completely empty. A few streetside restaurants offered shelter from the storm, food, and warmth. However, Anna could not partake in their temptation. She knew that whatever had taken this little girl wouldn't be stopping to rest in any of these buildings, so neither could she.

Turning down an alleyway, she could almost feel the tension building in the air. It was only a matter of time until she found this thing and would most likely have to kill it. She was close now. She could sense it.

Soon, Anna came upon a dumpster. It was under a small tarp, and she could see a bit of blood on the side of it that hadn't been washed away by the rain yet. She could also hear sniffling coming from within the dumpster. This was it. Huntress drew her crossbow, ready to fight whatever this beast might be if it meant saving Katherine. With a deep breath, she threw open the dumpster lid and pointed her crossbow inside.