This one is coming straight from the mind of Mysterious Mr. E! I loved this idea and forgot I had began to put something together for it awhile ago. Anyways, enjoy this wonderful chapter and, a little spoiler, the next one is going to be about JoJo.'
Also, I have one more request I need to find and write so keep them coming. And, as a side note, I love all things Lovecraft and any good ideas for it usually end up being written here. Just a little food for thought!
XOXOXO
CoffeyJoe
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Keep Your Hand on Your Gun:
Remnant is a wild place, full of wilder beasts. It's a place where the strong thrive and the weak die, for better or for worse. But sometimes, that strength turns rotten and needs to be cut out. That's where Jaune comes in, he's the clean-up crew, the exterminator, and if you need a bad element gone he's your man...
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Vacuo, a place that's more fit for a sandy graveyard than a kingdom but then again, beggars can't be choosers. Among the endless wastes of the sun-scorched dunes rides a single black motorbike, its occupant covered in a thick shawl from the sun. The chopper roars across the yellow sand, kicking up a dirty cloud behind it as the man approaches his destination.
He caught wind of this one days ago, and it just so happened to rub him the right way. Up ahead the small town of Agua Fria glistened in the unending heat, the adobe houses being cooked like ovens beneath the merciless sun. As the lone man grew closer his sunglassed eyes caught a single hint of rustling beneath the heated sand and he frowned beneath the shawl.
Reaching a hand down to his side, the man undid the clasp on his holster as he neared the small disturbance. When he was no less than 15 feet the worm-like Grimm erupted forth to snag the helpless traveler from his bike.
Or that was the plan before the black rider fired an armor piercing round straight into the creature's head. The beast squealed in agony, thick ichor beginning to sizzle on the sand, before he slammed flat against the ground before beginning to disappear. As the rider left the corpse beneath he scowled beneath the shawl and growled something to no one.
"I fucking hate Vacuo." the man ground out, approaching the town at long last.
Pulling up to the town the man found himself face-to-face with at least a dozen armed militia guards and a rather worn looking old man. The guards shifted nervously, obviously perturbed by the new intruder, and looked to their village elder for guidance. The old turtle faunus cast a sleepy look at the younger ones who jabbed the spears towards the outsider and sighed at their zeal.
"Outsider, why have you come here?" he rasped out in a dull voice, smacking his wooden cane onto the ground for effect.
"Ah heard you needed an extermination done." the man grunted back in a thick accent.\
The elder narrowed his eyes. "We have no need of a huntsman, the Grimm have begun to move south for the migration of the carrion birds."
"And 'ah ain't talkin' bout the Grimm old man." the rider responded back, getting off his bike and causing the guards to take a step back. "Ah heard you got a little rodent infestation in this here town, thought I'd come and check it out."
The elder took a moment to think before realization dawned in his eyes. "Ah, yes of course, that pesky rodent."
The faunus man motioned for the rider to follow him. The man in black tossing a pair of keys to closest faunus with a warning of what would happen if he lost his bike followed the wise elder back to his moderate home. Inside, while cooler, the heat could still be felt as a tray of biscuits rose as they were planted upon the window sill, above the sounds of playing could be heard.
Taking off the shawl to reveal a black shirt and pair of dusted jeans, the man turned his face to elder quizzically.
"My grandchildren, they're so full of energy just as most of them are. Julianna, my youngest, has, unfortunately, quite the passion for exploration." the old man rasped out before shaking his head. "I am Elder Wu, and I assume you are the Lone Gunman we have heard tell of?"
The Gunman raised an eyebrow. "You heard 'a of me?"
Elder Wu laughed a dry laugh. "Of course, you are known even to us out here for your exploits. The Pecos gang being your latest endeavor?"
"Aye, mighty hard to kill sons of bitches 'ah tell you that much." the younger man spit to the side and turned back to the elder's slightly bemused face. "What?"
"It's nothing, but- I-I suppose I thought you'd be-"
"Older? 'Ah get that a lot, especially from my targets." the young man laughed, blonde hair shaking along with it. "They like to laugh a whole lot before I gun their asses down."
The Gunman laughed again, a deep and resounding sound that did not match his slim figure. Elder Wu regarded the man carefully, beyond the shirt and pants the young man wore a pair of brown leather cowboy boots and he had several pouches and bandoleers slung upon his waist. On his wrists lay a pair of sleek looking black gauntlets and would rattle like a snake's every so often.
So this was The Lone Gunman, the man who traveled roamed the western wastes in search of justice. Or so the tall tales said, if one asked Elder Wu what he thought the old faunus would surmise that people made up things to make the man seem larger than life. It was no fault of his own, the man didn't seem one for bragging eschewing such things in exchange for pragmatism, but people out here needed someone to believe in.
A hero, a fable, a story of a single man against the Grimm. Elder Wu thought it almost laughable at the fact some believe this young man went toe-to-toe with Serket while saving an innocent faunus village. It was the stuff that made good story for a 5 lien comic book, but in actuality the elder suspected this so-called "gunman" failed to live up to every expectation.
Despite that, the boy did seem to have some aptitude for fighting. That physique was impressive and his weapons looked pretty nasty to contend with, so perhaps he would prove to be a saving grace after all.
"Ok young man, I can appreciate a strong warrior when I see one, but I wonder if you are able to contend with our problem?" Elder Wu baited the young man's ego, his time as elder had taught him that young ones, especially men, are susceptible to arrogance and prone to action before thought.
"Depends what exactly it is." The gunman responded curtly with a snort. Elder Wu felt a smile dance on his lips, this boy appeared to be of a different caliber than the others it seemed.
"His name is Redd Alamo, and he's proven to be quite the thorn in our side." Elder Wu recounted to the traveling hero. "He came about a month ago, him and a gang of four, he claimed that he was a former huntsman who had lost his righteous path or some other nonsense. Nonetheless, he acted as nothing more than a bandit, albeit a particularly strong one."
"Ah suspect he's given you the classic "gimme your shit" routine then?" the man asked crudely, popping another eyebrow.
"Among other things, last time he threatened to destroy the village if we didn't give him a suitable wife." Elder Wu said bitterly before shaking his head, knowing ire would buy him nothing.
"Yep, sounds like a your standard outlaw. Thinks more with his head than his head you know?" The gunman laughed, the elder summoning up a chuckle to go along with it. "Anywho you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be able to help you out. Redd's got a bounty on him for a sweet, sweet 1500 lien and 'ah aim to collect that."
"Dead, or alive?" Elder Wu asked out of curiosity.
The gunman nodded. "Dead or Alive is correct."
Elder Wu sighed and resisted the urge to rub his temples. "Redd is out with his gang about 10 miles West of here. He's holed up in a small cabin on the rockface, big red one you can't miss it."
"Ok, ok anything else?" The bounty hunter asked.
"He's got a semblance, makes him able to sense someone's blood. He uses a sword-gun, like a longsword with a pistol built in I think." Wu finished, struggling to remember what he could. "The others are just hired help, nothing you shouldn't be able to handle. Redd wears this stupid red trenchcoat, you can't miss him."
"Alrighty, I'll be back in a flash old man. Consider your troubles lifted." The gunman joked, heading for the door before Elder Wu stopped him.
"Your name, what is it really?"
The gunman turned back with a toothy grin. "Jaune, Jaune Arc professional bounty hunter at your service sir!"
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"Man I fucking hate Vacuo." Jaune swore, wiping his brow as his black hat whipped in the wind. If he had to go back because his favorite cowboy hat fell of he was pretty damn sure he'd light the whole continent on fire.
Redd Alamo's hut could vaguely be seen in the distance, lines of heat distorting the view. Jaune narrowed his eyes, he had faced down plenty of rogue huntsman in his career, but that never made it any less of a pain in the ass. As Jaune approached he killed the engine and ducked behind so as not to arouse suspicion within his quarry, a huntsman was a huntsman no two ways about it.
Creeping up along the rock face Jaune took careful note of possible ambush spots and pitfalls. Up ahead, the wooden cabin was visible, a single, rugged and old looking, man sat hunched over in a rocking chair. Even from his distance Jaune could pick up on the audible sounds of snoring, the old man's chest rising and falling slowly as he drooled into his lap.
Rolling his eyes but staying alert, the bounty hunter drew closer to the cabin, moving from cover to cover. As he got less than a few feet away from the wall, the rickety door opened and the sound of boots carried onto the old porch. Jaune sucked in a breath and stealthily activated his semblance.
There was something akin to a whap and the sound of someone starting awake.
"Floyd, what the fuck are you doing?" an exasperated voice hissed. "What if a goddamn Grimm came up on you? This ain't the city asshole!"
"I-I was just taking a little cat nap, to keep up my strength." the old voice stuttered.
"For god's sake, get out the goddamn chair I'll take the watch." the sound of boots thunking on wood carried into the house and the door shut.
Hmm, this could be troubling Jaune thought to himself. No one had raised an alarm so it was safe to assume that Jaune's countermeasures were working, if this huntsman could sense blood then he should have noticed Jaune by now. Peeking around the corner, Jaune caught sight of a younger man gazing hawkishly out onto the barren plains of the desert, head roving back and forth.
Jaune decided to go around back to find another entrance but instead found a small door and a musty window. Peering through, the bounty hunter caught sight of 2 men playing a game of cards with the older man from before asleep on a chair. One of the men playing cards was much large than the rest, broad shoulders signifying him as the leader even if the strange weapon wasn't present.
Ducking back down again Jaune filtered through his options. Unknowing of how strong this huntsman was, it'd be a bad idea to just rush in and try to fight all four of them at once. An ambush could work, but chances are these guys had already booby-trapped the best spots and there would be no way to lure them out without causing major suspicion.
Then, as if hearing his prayers above, one of the men playing cards grunted. "Ain't that village, Agua whatever, 'posed to give us a girl soon?"
"Yeah, what of it? I don't want to rush 'em into giving me someone ugly." Redd grunted back, laying down a card.
"Well, maybe we should just do it ourselves. Pick someone out that we can see instead of having to trek all the way there a second time if we don't like the first one." the smaller bandit offered, causing his boss to rub his chin.
"Eh, suppose that could work. I guess you got a good point there Shesep, good work." Redd chuckled. "Let's head out this evening, no sense in waiting too long right?"
Perfect, these idiots lured themselves into a trap. Jaune snuck back into the wastes around the cabin as he blended into the rocks and debris, all the while keeping his semblance up just in case. It wasn't easy, but if he kept it low-level he should evade capture at least for now. And, in no time at all, the sun began to set across the desert and a small cacophony of boots could be heard crunching across the ground.
Peering over his boulder, Jaune saw Redd and his posse making their way to the town of Agua Fria. Jaune followed behind them, keeping a safe distance before they mounted their horses and sped off towards the town. Smiling to himself, Jaune made for his bike and prepared an ambush for the ignorant thieves...
As Redd approached the cowering townsfolk, sending a warning glance at the militia, he laughed as he sought out the most beautiful female. He found her near the back, red hair and tanned skin to die for, oh yes, she'd be perfect. Redd approached the woman, crowd giving way until only the woman's boyfriend or family member stood between the criminal and his prize.
"Back off boy, and I'll let you live." Redd chuckled ominously.
"I-I won't let you touch her!" the young man shouted back, claws flicking to life.
"Prasino!" the redhead pleaded, holding onto his shoulder.
"Listen to her boy, don't worry we'll take good care of her, right boys?" Redd was about to chuckle along with his gang until he didn't hear their usual banter. Frowning and turning to reprimand them, he instead clenched his jaw at the sight of all three of them laying in a mixed pool of blood.
The citizens around them were white-faced but said nothing. Redd snorted like a bull and lumbered over to the small group, towering above even the oldest of the men and looking on him with a subdued rage.
"Who. Did. This?" he ground out harshly, the man below wincing.
"I-I- I mean i-it was-"
"It was the gunman!" someone shouted, Redd turning to face them.
The crowd parted to reveal a young boy, pre-teen at best, his mother hugging him close. Redd breathed deeply and made for the boy, all the while staring right into his soul.
"What was that boy?" he asked quietly.
The boy seemed to shake but did not hesitate to answer. "It was the Lone Gunman, he's come for your gang of thieves!"
The boy's mother whispered for him to shut up, only for the towering criminal in front of her to laugh heartily. Redd wiped a tear from his eye and smiled down at the boy with a quiet disdain.
"That fairy tale kid? What, a big bad man dressed in black is gonna come down to save this rotten little town?" Redd chuckled, grabbing a fistful of the boy's hair and tearing him away from the crying mother. "Let me tell you something kid, this world is piss-poor enough without little shits like you going on about delusional fantasies of heroes doing battle to save everyone."
"Fuck... you..." the young boy growled out.
"You got balls kid, I like that. Shame I gotta rip 'em off though." the criminal huntsman reached for his sword, the crowd around shifting in anxiety as others held the boy's mother back. "See you in hell kid-"
It was as if the world stopped, all sound and movement froze with the crack of a single gunshot. Once more, the crowd parted to reveal The Lone Gunman, Jaune Arc, standing there, gauntlets rattling as the revolving gatling gun inside slowed.
"Got room for one more?" Jaune asked as the outlaw sank to the ground.
For a moment the townsfolk did nothing, staring at the body of the man who terrorized them. Then, the first cry of relief came and then another and another which was soon followed by a wave of shouts and cheers. People swarmed both the fresh body and their hero, lifting the latter into the air with cries of joy and pride, Jaune bore it all without complaint, a side aspect of the job. The night slowly devolved into a rhythm of partying and drinking to celebrate Agua Fria's new independence, Jaune sat alone on an adobe house's roof.
"Room for one more?" Elder Wu parodied, taking a seat next to Jaune with a long sigh. "That was... impressive. We, myself and my people, are everlastingly grateful for what you have done for us but, the young ones, I suppose they expected...?"
"More? More fanfare?" Jaune chuckled at the Elder's slightly embarrassed face. "Don't worry, when I started I did too. And for a little while I did do the whole "pistols and noon" thing until I realized how dangerous and stupid it was. Nowadays I settle for a cheesy one-liner, helps for PR and all that."
"I suppose, say, how did Redd not notice you?" Elder Wu asked, every sneak attack they tried was always thwarted by the man's damnable semblance.
"Hmm? Oh, for awhile I simply disabled it. Nullifying it with my own semblance, but in the village with so many people there'd be no point. He could never pick me out with all that blood there, or at least he'd waste hours doing so." Jaune shrugged as if it was an everyday thing.
Elder Wu sighed, staring out across his happy people. "So what now? You return to wherever you're from?"
Jaune hummed noncommitally. "Something like that I suppose, no point in sticking around when I got a 1500 lien cash cow waiting below. But who knows, I might roam for a bit or just take a much needed vacation to Mistral, or Atlas. Somewhere nice and cold."
Jaune's scroll buzzed, he fished it out, took one look, and let out a world-weary sigh.
"Or not, I suppose."
"Mr. Arc, we have heard of your exploits across the desert of Vacuo and wish to recruit you in a project of ours. We understand that this is far out of your normal reach but we promise deserved pay and desirable benefits should you accept. If you wish to know more, simply reply and we will charter a bullhead for you to talk more, until then happy hunting and good luck!"
-Barrett Huntington
Nikos Family PR Representative