Chapter 5: Thrill of the Hunt

He kept his eyes on the transport as it hovered over the landing platform, preparing to land. He scanned and observed every minute detail of its process, constantly alert for any type of danger or mishap. His partner stood beside him, also eying the ship closely, her eyes squinted in a suspicious, vigilant stare.

The ship slowly set down, the metal clanking and settling loudly. However, the metal carried a high-pitched, musical tone to it as it touched down. He mentally rolled his eyes. This bitch had to make everything extravagant, even her outer plating and framework.

It was only a few seconds before the transport's door hissed open, dropping gracefully to the ground and touching down quietly. With the door now a ramp to the platform, the figures inside began to march out: a tight gathering of four or five heavily armored bodyguards around the guest, who held her head high and kept her footing graceful and stiff. She looked down her nose at him and his partner, then waved her pale hand slightly. The guards all took large steps away from her, giving her room to confront him without leaving her unprotected.

"So, you remembered I was coming this time, Arc," Weiss said coldly. She began to walk down the trail to the main building.

He narrowed his eyes, but followed alongside her; her on his right, his partner on his left. He snorted.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee. When I promised you that the incident from before would not happen again, I meant it," he said.

Weiss scoffed. "I would hope not. Being misinformed is one thing, not knowing of my arrival and targeting my ship as an intruder is quite another. It was most undignified."

Jaune Arc snickered slightly. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me, Ice Queen?"

Weiss rapidly turned her head towards him in a furious glare. "How dare you address me in such a matter!" She turned back to watching her path. "I suppose the Lord needs to better train his dogs before he lets them off the leash."

Jaune's partner, who had stayed quiet for the entirety of the exchange, but was becoming increasingly frustrated during it all, finally spoke up, and was not subtle about her response.

"Hey!" she shouted. Both Jaune and Weiss turned to observe her. She sneered. "We may serve the Lord, but we do not serve you. You best mind your tongue when speaking about us or the Lord!"

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks. The guards all turned their weapons towards Jaune's partner. Weiss' nostrils flared from rage, and her usually cold eyes blazed.

"You dare?" she exclaimed. She put one hand on her sheathed rapier, which sat idle on her belt. "I have every right to skin you alive right now!"

Jaune's partner reached for the spear on her back. "You may have power in Atlas, Schnee. But here you are the same as us: a servant of the Lord, and you will act as such!"

As the two's eyes met and burned, Jaune suddenly stepped in the middle of the confrontation. "Ladies, please!" he said, holding his arms in both of their directions. "We are all allies here. Save your squabbles for when you have reasons to fight."

Weiss quickly moved her hand away from her rapier, and the guards lowered their guns. She huffed furiously, then swiftly turned, flipping her hair and continuing down her path.

"Know your place, Nikos," she spat bitterly.

Jaune's partner slowly pulled away from her weapon, still glaring at the icy leader. She scoffed, then looked at Jaune. "I could have taken her."

Jaune shook his head. "I have no doubt," he said, trailing the bitter queen, "but as much as we hate to admit it, we need her." He smirked. "We'll be back in action again in no time, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha huffed again, then followed Jaune.


Weiss marched into the chamber, with Jaune and Pyrrha following closely behind. She waved her hand, and her bodyguards rapidly dispersed, marching in formation out of the chamber and into the hallway behind them. The three came to a stop, then all simultaneously knelt.

"Lord Ozpin," Weiss said, her voice carrying a much more humble and submissive tone then before. "You summoned me."

All was quiet for a moment, then the shadowy figure at the other end of the room spoke. "Rise, all of you," it said is a sophisticated, but dark voice.

Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha complied, rising to their feet, standing straight, and looking compliantly towards the figure.

The shadowed figure was sitting behind a large desk, illuminated by the moon in the windows behind it. It stood as well, made its way around the desk, and stepped before them into the light.

Lord Ozpin. The man was truly a legend as much as he was a lord, and his appearance reflected that: hearty, but expensive fabrics of black, green, and gold surrounded his body, forming a regal black uniform with golden buttons, green uniform pants, shiny black boots, and a green neckpiece. Before his evil brown eyes sat a small pair of spectacles, darker than the rest of the blacks on his attire; completely void of light or color.

"I am pleased to see you arrived safely," Lord Ozpin said to Weiss, looking down at the young girl. "I trust your trip was an uneventful one?" Though his words carried the illusion of kindness, his voice carried the air of seriousness, displeasure, and cruelty. Weiss knew she meant nothing to him, even as an ally.

"For the most part," she remarked, attempting to remain strong before a man she feared so much. "The landing was a little unpleasant, I'm afraid." Jaune and Pyrrha narrowed their eyes.

"Pity," Lord Ozpin hissed, venom dripping from the word. "But what matters is that you are here now." He moved past her, looking to the wall behind her.

"Your Dust shipments have been reaching us here on time," the Lord continued. "My Huntsmen and Huntresses have been very appreciative of your business."

Jaune and Pyrrha smirked. They used Dust from Schnee's company with their weapons, making them more deadly killers.

"I am pleased to hear that," Weiss commented, still attempting to remain defiant before the powerful Lord and his bloodthirsty minions.

"However," Lord Ozpin suddenly said, wiping the grins from his Huntsman and Huntress, "a few shipments had some thefts. Scavengers and scum from the wastelands, no doubt."

Weiss gulped. "My Lord, these things will happen. It's not as if they, with their pathetic resistance and disgusting defiance, could ever hope to overpower you, even with some Dust. Certainly-"

"That is not the point." Ozpin cut her off loudly, starling her and causing her to freeze. He turned around and walked past her to his desk. "What they do with the Dust is of little concern to me. It is the actions, the very thefts, Schnee, that insult me. They think it is a mark against us. They think they can take and go unpunished."

He turned quickly back to Weiss, beating her down with a horrific, crippling stare. "They cannot do anything with that Dust but survive against the Grimm, each other, or that freak in the red hood another day. But I do not want them to survive, Schnee. I want them to be punished for their crimes." He stepped forward. "I trust that you will make the effort to better guard your shipments?"

Weiss gulped again. "Certainly, my Lord. We shall double our security."

Lord Ozpin removed his dark gaze from her, turning back and walking behind his desk again. "And one more thing," he said, sitting back into his chair. "Since it is your cargo that is being stolen, I trust that you will take the necessary actions to grant my wish. I am tasking you and your forces to aid my Huntsmen and Huntresses in the eradication of this scavenger resistance. Use whatever means you deem necessary: your money, your influence, your physical forces, I do not care." He leaned forward menacingly. "Do not disappoint me."

Weiss shivered, but did her best to hide it. "As you wish, my Lord."

Lord Ozpin leaned back in his chair, once again cloaking himself in shadows. "You are all dismissed."

Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha all bowed, then abruptly turned and marched out of the chamber.


The Huntsman and Huntress watched as Weiss once again boarded her ship and took off. They looked to each other, each getting a glimmer in their eyes. They marched back towards the main building, passing the guards and even other Huntsmen. They continued walking side-by-side until they reached a secluded corner of the building. They turned the corner and rapidly walked inside of a broom closet, with Jaune quickly closing the door behind them.

Once he turned around, he was embraced. Pyrrha forced her lips onto his, pushing his head back and bumping into the door. Jaune returned the favor, pressing up against her and wrapping his armored arms around her torso, pulling her warm body close in a seductive hold. The two closed their eyes tightly as their tongues explored each other's mouths, with Pyrrha clamping her arms around Jaune's lower back as his hands gently caressed her back and sides, exploring her feminine form.

After a near minute of making out, the two pulled away, gasping for air. Pyrrha looked deeply into Jaune's blue eyes. She smiled.

"Soon," she said in between breaths, "we'll be out there fighting again, side by side."

Jaune grinned. "I know. I can't wait. We'll kill those resistance freaks with the power of our connection, our teamwork, our love."

Pyrrha's smile fell. "Be careful," she said. "If any of the others, or even worse, Lord Ozpin, found out about us, we would both be killed."

Jaune placed his thumb and index finger on his lover's chin. "Don't worry, my love," he mused. "No one will ever find out. Even Lord Ozpin, with all of his power, cannot stop us from being together."

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, but he can sure make it difficult at times."

"Well, yes," Jaune agreed, "but that won't stop us. You and I are in this until the end."

Pyrrha grinned again and laid her head down on Jaune's strong shoulder. "What do you think about Schnee doing our job with us?"

Jaune scoffed. "I trust that bitch about as far as I could throw her, but she won't be a bother." He cuddled and held Pyrrha close. "She may be tough, but should she become too much of a problem, I could always let you cut her head off. We could tell Lord Ozpin it was the Reaper."

Pyrrha's grin grew, and she snuggled in closer to her lover. "I like the sound of that," she said. "But we still do need her for the time being, so we'll let her live."

Jaune looked over at her. "Whatever happens…"

Pyrrha looked overt to him. "…at least we'll be together," she finished.

They kissed again.