"Jaune, wake up!"
The blonde knight opened his eyes immediately. His fragile sleep was shattered and he looked up to see a pair of green eyes and a curtain or copper red hair.
"What's going on?" He asked sitting up spotting the fire still burning in the hearth and he looked around the room.
"I heard something outside," she explained moving away towards the far wall. "You should get dressed," she instructed and he wasted no time grabbing his partially dry clothes.
He pulled them on hastily, thankfully they were at least warm if not completely dry. "What do you hear?" He asked unable to discern any noise aside from the crackle of their fire and the wind roaring outside.
"I heard movement," she explained to him, "I think they know we are here."
Jaune nodded pulling on his breastplate. A dull thud from above them told the knight that indeed something was outside. "We don't have any good choices," he said securing his pauldrons, "we have to defend this place, we won't last without shelter."
Penny nodded in agreement watching him put Crocea Mors on his hip and grab the shotgun breaking it open to load in two of the shells and snapped the gun closed.
Bang!
The front door rattled, something struck it hard and it banged again as it was battered a second time. Penny stepped away from the door her Floating Array deploying as numerous blades unfolded ready for combat.
Jaune dropped the shotgun and grabbed the old moldy sofa. He pushed it across the room the legs grinding against the floor as he forced it against the door. Following his lead Penny kept across the room grabbing an old heavy bookshelf and lifting it up with ease and adding it to the barricade laying it down atop the couch.
The door still clattered, the crack of splintering wood felt like a stab. Jaune lept back as a piece of the door burst open. A blast of frigid winds and the snapping jaws of one of the canine like drones with red eyes. He drew Crocea Mors from his hip and thrust his family blade through the mouth of the machine. The drone twitched and fell limp sparking in the gap in the door.
Glass and wood exploded as one of the drones leapt through one of the boarded up windows lunging immensely for Jaune only to stop as Floating Array struck severing it in half. Jaune jumped back and knelt dropping Crocea Mors into its sheath grabbing the shotgun and raising it to the open window.
Sure enough one of the agile quadrupedal drones tried climbing through the broken window but Jaune squeezed the trigger. The shotgun roared, the blast of the weapon made his ears ring but the drone stumbled and fell down as the buckshot struck it tearing its body apart.
Penny's blade finished it off and Jaune turned scanning the area for more threats trying to discern just where they might come from next.
The room around him seemed to erupt and he felt Penny tackle him to the floor among all the glass and debris. Bullets ripped through the walls shattering everything as the loud tears of automatic fire cut became the only thing he could hear. "Where's it coming from!?" He asked Penny trying to talk over the din of gunfire unable to discern much in the chaos. "Can you target them through the wall?"
"I can," Penny affirmed with a nod, "four shooters, circling our position." She leapt up the blades dancing all around her moving lighting fast as she deflected the bullets while four of the blades morphed into their laser gun forms shooting a blast of green light directly through the wall.
Jaune spotted two drones leaping down the stairs, the submachine gun on its back raised and Jaune fired from his prone position shattering it. The second lept and he readied to use the empty gun as a club when Floating Array lashed out severing the robot into pieces. One of the scrap pieces flew into the fire spraying cinders everywhere.
Jaune stood up breaking the shotgun open expelling the smoking shells onto the floor and fishing out two more from his pocket. He fumbled to slide more into the chamber and closed it. He trained it on the open window and again fired striking another drone while a second crashed through a second window, Penny dispatched it easily.
"Jaune!" Penny cried.
He looked at her and immediately saw her concern. The scattered embers of the fire had caught on the old rug on the floor spreading. A second drone tore away a section of the door and Jaune again fired his borrowed weapon. He could at least defend different areas quickly with the gun. But looking back to the burning carpet in the middle of the room it hardly matters.
"We need to get out of here!" He said shoving two more shells into the weapon.
Penny nodded slashing down another drone. "This way?" She said taking off for him to follow. Floating Array flashed slicing away at the wall shearing an opening into the brisk windy night.
The wind whipped their hair and Jaune squinted at the ice stinging his face. He trudged through the snow trying to spot anything in the dark as they dashed for the nearest building.
Penny kicked the door open, shattering the lock. A yellow flash shot out from the dark of the building. A metal cable wrapped around her arching with electricity. She screamed falling to her knees as the electric bolo shocked her. They'd triggered some kind of trap.
"Penny!" Jaune cried moving to help her. He drew Crocea Mors and slashed down cutting the cable and freeing her. He grabbed her and helped her stand. Her hair blew apart and the crack of a rifle cut through the air, the bitter wind carrying away strands of her copper red hair.
He turned spotting the shooter atop one of the roofs rifle in hand and another slung across his back. His white balaclava concealed his face and goggles covered his eyes, a bandolier holding his ammunition was slung over his shoulder. Penny pushed Jaune away as the assassin fired again. Floating Array flashed deflecting the shot in mid air and attacking with shot as several blades shot forward for their attacker.
The hunter dodged working the action on his rifle to chamber another round and fired again and again fruitlessly as the many blades of Floating Array shielded her. He jumped from roof to roof quick and agile as he gracefully dodged Penny's attacks with his rifle keeping her on the defensive.
One of the canine drones sprinted across the snow for Penny and he moved to intercept. Rusty shotgun in one hand and Crocea Mors in the other he thrust his ancestral blade through the machine's side. Another drone leapt from the shadows of an alley. Cold mechanical jaws clamped down on his arm, he tried to keep hold of his sword working to wrench his arm away. He smashed the drone with the stock of the shotgun trying to force it to release him.
He screamed feeling steel claws rake across his back scraping against his armor, mechanical jaws bit into his shoulder crunching his pauldron. He fell forward into the snow as the drones tore into him. He struggled to throw the one off his back barely able to move either arm or use his weapons. He roared into the snow, more from frustration than pain, he fruitlessly wrestled with the machines.
"Jaune!" He heard Penny shout at him before he felt the machines fall limp, he stood up throwing the scrap off him to see Penny still engaged with the sniper. The building beside them in flames bathing the area in a faint orange light reflecting off the white snow.
He pulled Crocea Mors from the drone he'd killed moving. "Inside!" He shouted for her sprinting for the house they'd almost entered. They were too exposed out here and their attacker clearly favored fighting at a range.
He retreated into the house and Penny followed close behind blocking more rifle shouts before closing the door behind them. Jaune dropped Crocea Mors back into its scabbard and breathed panting as he took what little comfort he could to be out of the bitter wind. The glow of the burning house outside filtered in through cracks in the window providing the room with a pale lumination.
Jaune panted with exhaustion, his chest rising and falling as he took in lungfuls of musty cold air. He turned to Penny stepping towards her, he took hold of her shoulder. "Jaune?" She asked her green eyes glowing faintly in the dim light of the abandoned home. Her aura flared, glowing with his as he activated his semblance pouring his aura into her touching her very soul.
"No!" Penny stepped away from him breaking the contact.
"You need it more than me." He explained to her stepping towards her again with his hand raised ready to amplify her aura at the cost of his own. "You're taking the brunt of the fighting."
"Stop!" She said firmly stepping back away from him.
"We don't have time to argue!" Jaune growled, "I can't do much but this is one way I can help you."
"Your Aura is almost at fifty percent Jaune." She told him keeping herself a step away, "you have helped me enough."
"But I-."
"Enough!" Penny interrupted, she turned her back to him as the first window shattered apart with automatic fire. Her blades whirled blocking the shots as another drone leapt through to attack only to be cleaved apart.
A window behind them shattered and Jaune turned ready for another drone but instead the sniper rolled on the ground with his rifle. Jaune raised the shotgun to fire but his rifle barrel came up parrying the barrel away from him. The weapon fired and Jaune hit nothing but the wall. Before Jaune could regain his balance the heavy wood stock of the assassin's weapon smashed into his face.
Jaune vision went black for a second and fell his back striking the wall behind him, he felt warm blood trickle from his nose. The sniper thrust his weapon at Penny, a bayonet flashed and sparked yellow crackling with lighting dust.
Penny lashed out with a flurry of blades deflecting his attacks and countering with her own. More drones jumped in through the window and the unlocked door, their back mounted machine guns firing bursts at Penny forcing her to use most of Floating Array's blades to block.
Jaune leveled the shotgun at the first and fired sending it down with a spray of buckshot turning it into a pile of junk. He moved to reload the empty gun spilling the smoking plastic shells onto the floor as he dug two more from his pocket and slid them in closing the action.
A drone leapt at him steel jaws wide open, Jaune raised the gun to block it. The mechanical jaws closed down on the steel barrel crushing it. Jaune kicked the creature away with his boot letting go of the broken shotgun. He stumbled to his feet and drew Crocea Mors, the shield unfolded strapped to his arm and the drone smashed headfirst into its surface tripping Jaune backwards before he decapitated it.
Jaune turned to the assassins and lunged with his sword. The sniper parried with the bayonet and kicked the knight square in the chest just as Floating Array struck.
The hunter stepped back and laughed. It was deep and mirthful, the goggles hiding his eyes were sparking and his balaclava was cut open. With a gloved hand he tore the mask and broken goggles away. Revealing his well manicured face and cold blue Faunus eyes.
"Good shot Miss Polendina," he complimented retreating back out the door tossing a grenade behind him.
"Jaune!" Penny cried tackling him and smashing through the wall back outside shielding him with her body. Once more Jaune felt the bitter sting of the cold. Whatever kind of grenade he'd tossed it'd left the building ablaze, doubtlessly filled with fire dust.
"I'd forget about Mr. Arch if I were you," Vasily laughed, his voice piercing the howl of the wind coming from down the alley, a flash of red illuminated him as a flare glowed to life bathing everything in blood red crimson. "I think we both can agree he's merely a distraction to the both of us."
Penny didn't answer the hunter, she attacked, blocking a rifle shot and charging him with a storm of blades. She closed the distance blocking the thrust of his rifle bayonet when she felt a shock. He held a bladeless hilt sparking like a cattle prod, he swung it again as she tried to retreat striking her again as a whip extended from the hilt sparking with electricity. Vasily had obviously packed plenty of lightning dust just for her.
Penny retreated and stumbled. She felt jagged metal teeth bite into her ankle and the shock of electricity. Another trap, hidden beneath the snow. She tripped backwards as her leg went dead and Vasily charged her.
Crocea Mors flashed in the fire light deflecting the electric bayonet. Jaune brought his shield up to smash the edge into the snipers face. The hunter pulled his head away from the attack and countered with the whip. Jaune retreated as he unleashed an onslaught of attacks, the sparking yellow of lighting dust being channeled through the weapon turned red with fire.
Jaune had no defense, he could only retreat and dodge against the flaming whip. The whip slashed against one of the houses cutting a burning gash across the front leaving it to burn as well.
"I'm afraid you're of no interest to me Mr. Arch, I think it's about time for you to leave." he said the whip lashing at his leg burning the knight tripping him into the snow. Jaune grunted in pain feeling his Aura already begin to heal him rolling as he tried to bring the burning whip down on him. The snow hissed and burst into steam from the weapon.
Floating Array blocked his next strike, Penny had freed herself from the trap and she lashed out with all her blades pushing the assassin back. Vasily laughed again rolling in the snow to dodge her as he flung the fiery whip about.
"Kill the boy!" He cried out to his drones verbally commanding them to target Jaune.
The hounds obeyed, they leapt from the shadows. "Jaune!" Penny shouted her blades moving to cut down the pack of drones but the hunter's whip flashed striking a blow across her turned back. Her aura glowed absorbing the strike but leaving a burn across the clothes on her back. Penny was forced to turn and block the next strike of his whip but his bayonet slipped through her defense stabbing her leg and delivering a shock of lighting dust.
Jaune ran. He scrambled through the snow as the robotic hounds followed close behind him. He needed shelter, he couldn't fight all of the drones out in the open. He ducked and dodged their attacks cutting down the few he could as he searched for someplace where the terrain could work to his advantage. He hated leaving Penny to fight the assassin, but he was twistedly right. He was slowing Penny down, and she'd fight better if she wasn't keeping an eye on trying to protect him.
The light of the fires helped illuminate the town reflecting off the white snow. Most of the dilapidated buildings were buried in the snow, having fallen from who knew how many years of neglect and unforgiving weather. He spotted one, the door was gone but he hoped it would be someplace to funnel the drones into for easier fighting.
The second he stepped foot through the threshold he realized his mistake. He heard the mechanical click and knew he'd walked into another one of Vasily's traps. He pulled his shield up on reflex.
Boom!
The explosion knocked him back. His semblance activated and boosted his own aura glowing bright as it shielded him. He hit the snow, buried in it. A drone came at him and tried to maul him while he was on his back but he cut it down and forced him to stand. Already the pack had gathered and he spun killing one and another and blocking.
He ran again the moment he cut an opening through the swarm, the drones fast on his heels. The building was again destroyed, burning from whatever fire dust infused explosive Vasily had planted. He couldn't use any of the standing buildings, he didn't know what other kinds of traps were planted but he wouldn't last long if he kept walking into them.
He spotted a fallen house. It looked like a little white hill through the haze of the storm with pieces of timber sticking out of the snow. High ground, it was something at least.
He sprinted up the incline and turned blocking the claw of a drone on his shield and thrust his blade into it. He slashed and stabbed and blocked as they moved to surround him. He kicked one away and sheathed Crocea Mors into the shield. His weapon morphed, turning from a simple arming sword to a long broad blade that he gripped with both hands.
His blade cleaved steel and circuits, he swung the two handed sword live a savage. He turned and lashed out at anything that moved to him. He roared with frustration and rage. The blonde knight felt teeth and claws snap and cut him and it only fueled his fury. He was drunk on adrenaline, everything felt muted, he didn't think, he didn't or feel, the only thing he could think of was to keep swinging his sword and sundering drones. Sparking drones bodies littered the small hill, a pile of sparking scrap at his feet.
The drones fired shooting him and he barely felt the impact. His semblance again activated amplifying his own aura and he charged down the hill stepping over the butchered bodies of the robotic canines. He shifted his sword back into a it's usual arming sword and heater shield. The automatic fire rattled against his shield as he closed the distance and cut them down. He moved from one to the next cutting the stragglers down and silencing them.
He planted, white smoke steamed from his mouth. He looked around for any of the drones but he only saw the sundered metal remains. Had he destroyed them all? He didn't even know how many he cut down but as he breathed in lungfuls of frigid air and expelled it as clouds of smoke he observed the destruction all around them, the drones already being buried by the falling snow, few standing buildings burning brightly in the night.
He turned seeing Vasily and Penny, still engaged with one another. He rolled dodging a slash of her blades. He leapt back and raised his rifle firing off several rapid shots working the bolt expert as he fired abs retreated. Again Penny's blades danced deflecting the shots.
The hunter unslung the other rifle off his back slinging his sniper rifle over one shoulder before raising the second. It was some kind of double barrel weapon, blue steel and polished wood.
The weapon roared, like thunder.
A single blade of Floating Array flashed to deflect, and shattered. A million pieces of her fragmented sword glittered in the fire light and disappeared as they fell to the snowy ground. He saw Penny's side spark, the round having pierced her side. Her green aura glowed and shattered disintegrating into light, gone.
"Penny!" Jaune cried watching the girl cover the gaping wound with her hand as Vasily raised the weapon again. Jaune jumped into the line of fire. Again the weapon roared and Jaune felt the heavy round strike his shield and knock him back.
"You're still alive?" Vasily mused breaking the weapon open and expelling the massive brass casings and reloading the powerful weapon. "You are persistent Mr. Arch I'll give you that."
Jaune pulled himself from the snow, a black dent scared his shield. He squared his stance as Penny moved standing next to him. He glared as Vasily, the flames glowed in the hunters eyes. He looked over at Penny clutching her side as she stared down the hunter.
Vasily raised his double rifle and they charged.
Hope you all enjoyed this rather action packed chapter. There was so many things I honestly wanted to include in this fight but I couldn't have it all so hopefully I picked the best ideas. I had so many thoughts on different traps and weapons for Vasily to use. To be clear Vasily's special double barrel rifle is supposed to be an elephant gun such as a .700 nitro express. The weapon of a big game hunter, perfect for taking down large grimm or powerful huntsmen. Please read and review I welcome your constructive criticism and again thank you MidKnightMoonglow99 for listening to my ideas and providing them as well.