Vasily looked out the window at the dark little village. The only light was the pale glow of the moon outside reflected off the snowy streets and the soft orange glow of tobacco leaves burning as he puffed on his cigar.
The power was out but his faunus eyes had little need of dust powered light. The village was the perfect hunting ground. Like the one he had tracked the android and the Arc boy down to it was abandoned, though only recently. The small mining town had only recently evacuated from grimm activity and unlike the three one it wasn't going to be so easily abandoned by the SDC.
Bonnie had told him that the recent contract to help clear the village from the grimm had been accepted so he found himself here waiting for his prey. He watched the silent grimm skulk about the empty town aimless and wandering and with little idea he was here watching them through the window of some child's bedroom. He idly wondered about it's former occupant, was he still alive in Mantle with his family awaiting to return home once the huntsman had cleared out the grimm? Or had he perished when the grimm first came?
It was inconsequential to him ultimately, the grimm had given him the opportunity to lure in some easy prey. Whoever had formerly slep here was beneath his notice. He smirked as he watched an oblivious ursai lumber through the snowy street, Grimm were attracted to negative emotions and nothing pleased him more than a hunt.
The distant and familiar boom of a gunshot killed the quiet. A shotgun Vasily guessed, it wasn't the sharp piercing crack of a rifle, it was louder but duller, a noise that he was familiar with.
He smirked as he dropped his cigar onto the floor and stamped it out with his boot. This was what he had been longing for, a return to his life's pleasure. He pulled a flask from his jacket and gave himself a swig of brandy to mark the occasion. Be pulled his balaclava to protect his face from the hash winds and a new set of goggles.
More gunfire in the distance. His prey was fully engaged with the grimm as he had planned. He opened the window and leapt out across the street onto the adjacent roof. He focused his goggles out over the distance spotting his approaching target.
A lone figure approached the village on a snowmobile. The grimm charged the huntsman only to be felled by blasts from his shotgun. A bold approach Vasily mused, he wondered if the huntsman was deliberately drawing the grimm out of the village to avoid potential collateral damage or he was simply brash charging them head on.
He grabbed his scroll and linked in with the program Bonnie had designed for him. It detected the huntsman's own scroll and established a connection letting him observe his target's aura levels.
He watched closely as the huntsman blasted down beowolves and ursai and sabyrs before dismounting. He reloaded his weapon as more grimm charged him staying cool and calm as he slid the shells in. Before the grimm closed the distance he raised his weapon and fired. Each pull of the trigger a grimm died as the buckshot shattered open their bodies and skulls sending them to the ground to turn into black smoke.
As the huntsman's gun ran empty it shifted morning into a long handled axe. It descended and cleaved the skull of an ursai. Vasily watched idly as his prey worked though the various grimm trying to over run him. Some were lucky enough to get a strike or two in and damage his aura. He was a simple brute and by the look of his aura gauge he was using it to enhance the power of his blows more often than not.
A powerful fighter, someone only a brash fool would attack head on. But he wasn't a real warrior, he wasn't like Arc. He was careless, using his aura offensively instead of conserving it to protect him. His fight was a least a spectacle, as much spectacle as watching a gorilla fight a pack of feral dogs. Entertaining sure but nothing of true interest to him. The Huntsman had more than enough strength and aura and raw brutality for the grimm, and like a pack of feral dogs these grimm used no coordination or tactics to get the better of him. They were feral beasts driven by raw instinct, and they were slaughtered like beasts.
He watched the aura gauge slowly shrink on his scroll. The action was winding down as fewer and fewer grimm accosted the huntsman. Their numbers culled the huntsman stalked the area eliminating the stragglers and disposing of the wounded grimm. He probably was congratulating himself thinking the bulk of his work finished, he was probably already counting his lien.
Vasily unslung his rifle from his back and leveled it at his prey. His aura was currently reading at sixty one percent, lower than Vasily had expected to engage him at. He pulled the bolt open on his rifle and grabbed a round from his bandolier and held it as he watched his target through the scope. His goggles connected to his personal scroll displaying his aura in the corner of his vision.
His aura poured into the specially designed dust round imbuing it with his semblance. The dust capsule absorbed his semblance accepting the fragment of his aura to become more powerful. His semblance, the ability to imbue weapons and dust with his aura, strengthening their power.
He slid the imbued round in the rifles magazine and closed the bolt, chambering it. He took aim at the oblivious huntsman, fingered the trigger, released his breath, and fired.
The rifle cracked and the huntsman's aura flared up to block the projectile. The power of his semblance activated as the bullet struck. The dust capsule shattering and releasing his power. The dust he imbued with his semblance reacted violently damaging his aura, weakening it instantly.
He glanced at the aura indicator his goggles displayed, fourteen percent. A pittance to remove. If he had used his express rifle the brute would already be a stain on the snow. But he didn't want the huntsman's life, he had far better uses for him alive.
The huntsman froze for a moment stunned by the sudden shot and dramatic drop in his aura. Vasily laughed at the buffoon and cycled the bolt of his rifle as the huntsman made to evade his second shot.
Vasily fired, cycled the action and fired again as the huntsman moved to close the distance with him. The rounds missed and kicked up snow as they struck the ground.
He sprinted across the snow to his roof and raised his shotgun firing several blasts from his shotgun. Vasily leapt back and dropped from the roof out of sight. He let his rifle drop and hang on its sling as he drew his revolver from his holster. He sprinted around the corner of the building to pursue his prey.
An axe swung at him and Vasily ducked the blow. Low on aura the huntsman was doubtlessly trying to end this as quickly as possible. A feeble if admirable attempt. Vasily fired from the hip, his trigger finger squeezing the double action trigger as he fired twice into the huntsman's gut. His aura flared up and shielded him but shattered into particles of light.
The huntsman tried to flee. He turned to retreat from him and make a desperate dash for safety. He was a coward as well as a brute, and a disappointment. He grabbed the hilt of his whip and uncoiled it, his thumb hit the control for the dust sending sparking arcs of electricity across its length.
The whip lashed across his back. It tore through his armor and clothing to shock him and send him down to the snow with a yell of agony.
The huntsman rolled to face him, his axe shifted back into a shotgun. The weapon fired at him but Vasily simply dodged the spray of buckshot with a tilt of his head. He swung his whip again at the weapon and ensnared it to pull out of his weak grasp.
The large huntsman cowered on the ground before him. Weapon less and without any aura he shook with fear, the bold and brash huntsman he had watched slaughter grimm was gone now, his power stripped away to leave him a sniveling coward.
"Who are you?" He asked him, raising his hands in surrender, "what do you want with me?!"
Listening to the fear in his voice sent a surge of anger through him. He wasn't going to fight him anymore? Just lay down for him? A pathetic excuse for a huntsman, a muscle bound thug who was only confident when the deck was stacked in his favor, he never sought challenges or hard fought glory. It sickens Vasily, even though he hadn't expected a challenge tonight he had hoped for some resistance, an actual fight at the very least. Not this sickening display of weakness. He had had schoolyard scuffles more interesting than this.
He smashed his boot into his face. His nose broke with a wet crunch and he cried out in pain. The sound was another stab of fury and Vasily kicked him as he huddled on the snow. Did this huntsman have no dignity? Arc had fought him to the very end despite all odds. He was tenacious as he fought on and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. He had bested him, he was a real warrior, this huntsman was a disgrace.
"You?!" Vasiliy snarled at him and kicked him in the ribs feeling something crack. "I don't need you," Vasily told him, "but if it's not too much trouble I will take your aura."
His prey whimpered feebly as he bled out in the snow. "My aura?" He wheezed, his broken nose made his pathetic voice sound almost comical.
Vasily popped the cylinder of his revolver out and ejected the spend and unspent shells into his palm as he reloaded special rounds. "Don't fret," he told the huntsman, "I'll put it to far better use than a third rate huntsman like you could."
He closed the cylinder and raised the revolver firing. A dull pop sounded from the weapon as it fired the simple tranquilizer into the defeated man silencing his whimpering.
Vasily sighed, as he looked at the unconscious huntsman he sighed. The idea of using this blubbering brute's aura for his purposes felt distasteful. Like loading one of his precious guns with some cheap dirty ammunition. But Bonnie had insisted it mattered not who's aura they used. As distasteful as he found it he had already gone through enough trouble to get this brute, he wasn't in the position to find someone to his liking. He pulled out his scroll and types in the orders for his auto drive truck to find his position.
This huntsman would simply have to do. Tonight was but an errand, as much as he detested dirtying his hands such such things they were at times regretfully necessary. He touched his abdomen where Arc had thrust the android's blade through him. His real hunt would come.
Jaune ducked and rolled away as several loud concentrated blasts of noise passed over him. He tried rising to counter Flynt's Killer Quartet only for a strike to knock the back of his head.
"Watch your back!" Neon chimed smugly as she raced away on her roller skates out of his reach. The skater girl's victory was short lived however as a pink explosion knocked her off her feet and back towards him. She crashed into him as he raised his shield and activated the hard light dust. She slammed into it and her aura gauge took a steep drop. Jaune stumbled from the who knew how heavy faunus girl smashing into his shield and slammed him hard to the floor.
"Nora!" Jaune cried out in annoyance at his teammate as a look at his own aura levels showed that that he too was now in the red and unfit to continue with the sparring session.
"Sorry Jaune!" His teammate apologized to him as she fired grenades at the trumpeter and his clones.
"You alright?" He asked looking over at Neon as she rubbed her head and tried to get up off the floor of the training room. Jaune collapsed his shield sheathed his blade before offering a hand up.
"Yeah," she said, accepting his hand up and standing with his help. She rolled away to the edge of the room where a couple of benches and Jaune joined her eyeing his water bottle. He grabbed up and un capped it to gulp down several refreshing mouthfuls of the cold refreshing water.
"Somebody worked up a sweat," Neon commented, tossing him a sweat towel as she wiped the perspiration off her brow.
"Thanks," Jaune said. He followed her example and wiped a disturbing amount of sweat away from his face and brow.
Neon took a seat directly next to him and tipped back her own water bottle taking a couple of gulps herself. "Nice blow with the shield," she complimented, "that was some pretty quick thinking."
"It didn't exactly work," Jaune said, glancing over to her, "I still hit the ground and ended up out of the fight, I should have ducked."
Neon grinned at him, "but if it had worked you would have looked soo cool," she praised him, "just maybe try planting your feet a little better and seeing if you got the aura to spare."
Jaune nodded in appreciation, "thanks I'll keep that in mind," he said taking another gulp of the soothing water. He drizzled a bit of the cool liquid on his head to cool himself down as he watched his teammates continue the training match without him. Luckily his team seemed to at least be holding their own, Nora was fierce and destructive enough to keep holding her own and Ren was swift and agile enough to keep everyone on their toes.
"It's nice that you're back to being fit enough to train. Your team has really come together," the cat girl said, tucking some of her orange red hair away from her sweaty brown. "You three have definitely been giving us a workout."
Jaune chuckled, "I appreciate the compliment, I'm glad I've at least been able to keep up with the rest of them."
"Don't sell yourself short," Neon scolded, "they weren't half as good when you were recovering."
Jaune nodded, "thanks."
They sat together and watched their teammates as they sparred with one another while emptying their water bottles and cooling off. The fight was winding down as their adrenaline high faded. Ren and Nora's aura hit the red first, outnumbered this wasn't their fight to win. As the other members of team FNKI traded compliments Jaune rose from the bench to join them.
He was ready to hit the showers and get a bite to eat, a few exchanged pleasantries and he'd be able to freshen up and find dinner.
"You guys really held your own out there," Flynt complimented, "even outnumbered you kept the four of us on our toes."
Nora nodded, cracking a sinister grin, "Just wait, next time I'm going to get your quartet all by myself!" She bragged, pressing her fist threateningly into her palm.
"I'll eat my hat if you do," Flynt said, remaining his smooth cool self.
"Speaking of eating," Jaune said interjecting before Nora took her competitive boasts too far, "I'm starving," he announced to them hoping that his teammates were as hungry as him. Nora he knew always had an appetite and triggering it was usually as simple as mentioning food."
"Ooh! We should all get dinner together!" Neon said excitedly, "we still got a rain check from the last time we all trained together, I know this great burger joint."
"That's a great idea!" Nora exclaimed excitedly.
Ren nodded, "it would be nice to finally take you up on the offer."
"You're going to have to count Ivori and I out," Kobalt said, "we got a contract to do."
Neon waved to her teammates as they left, "alright let's hit the showers," she said skating a circle around them, "then dinner."
She rolled away towards the showers and Nora followed after with a spring in her step.
The guys all turned and walked together towards the locker rooms.
"How have things been going with Jaune? Have you made a move yet?" Yang asked Penny as they walked together through the academy from the landing pad.
Penny shook her head, "no… I am still working up the courage to be honest with him," she explained, "I want to find the right time to tell him, and I have not figured out how I should tell him."
The blonde had a heavy snow jacket thrown over her shoulder. After the incident with Jaune being trapped out in the tundra with inadequate clothing the polo icy had changed that everyone had to have proper attic clothing. Though during the entire supply run Yang hadn't bothered to dress herself. "Well… I mean I guess the best time would be when you could get him alone, as for how to tell him you could always push him against the wall and lock lips with him, that should get the message through."
Penny shook her head in embarrassment as she thought about trying that. It sounded tempting and romantic but if she ambushed him with a kiss and was rejected she felt like she could die. "I could never do that!" She exclaimed, "what would he say?"
"Not much I would imagine," Yang said, "I'm more thinking he answers by kissing you back."
Penny frowned, "I can barely get the courage to be honest with him, I do not think I could manage to do something so daring."
Yang smirked, "well you know what they say, those who dare win."
They rounded a corner and Penny froze as she found herself directly in front of her crush. Jaune stopped and looked at her wide eyed and offered her a smile, that wonderful smile.
"Oh hey guys!" Yang greeted everyone with a wave, Ren and Nora were with him as was to be expected but Flynt and Neon were with them too heading in the opposite direction as them towards the landing pads for the bullheads. "Headed somewhere?"
"Dinner," Jaune answered patting his stomach, "we all worked up an appetite training together and Neon says she knows a great little burger joint in Mantle."
"Oh can I join?" Yang asked them, "We just finished a supply run and I could use a juicy burger and some hot fries."
Jaune shrugged, "the more the merrier," he said looking from the blonde bomber to Penny, "you wanna come with?" He asked her.
"I do not eat," Penny answered him, stating the obvious to which Jaune shrugged.
"So?" He asked her. "Like I said the more the merrier, we'd like your company."
"Come on girl, you deserve a little break," Yang encouraged her with a playful punch to her shoulder.
It really was not fair how Jaune could just so casually smile at her so welcomingly and expectantly. She did not know if she could refuse that smile of his. "Alright," Penny nodded, "let us go."
"One minute," Yang said, pulling out her scroll, "I got to see if the rest of my team wants dinner."
Jaune sighed, "make it fast," he begged, "I'm starving enough as is."
In no time Yang had managed to summon the rest of her team and they all made their way to the bullheads ferrying everyone from Atlas to Mantle. They walked the streets together in a rather colorful group. Neon was icky rolling along on her roller skates. Penny watched it all feeling rather pleased to be coming along in this excursion. Everyone exchanged idle chatter about their recent missions or the training session or what kind of burger they wanted to order.
"Hey Penny!" The bubbly voice of Neon pulled her from her thoughts as she rolled alongside her from the rear of the group. Out front Jaune was chatting with Flynt while Nora was busy flirting with Ren.
"Hello Neon Katt," Penny greeted her fellow Atlas Huntsman as she strolled at the rear of the group happy to observe everyone's interactions. "How are you this evening?"
"Wonderful!" Neon answered her with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. She spun around on her roller skates like a dancer to emphasize her positive mood. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Certainly," Penny told her.
"You're friends with Jaune right?" She asked her.
Penny nodded, "yes we have become very well acquainted of late."
"Does he have a girlfriend?" She asked her.
Penny stopped, her mind suddenly freezing as her question seemed to echo within her mind. Neon looked at her expectantly with her big dark green eyes. "I… I do not think so," Penny answered her.
"Really?" Neon said excitedly, she glanced ahead as he walked in the front of their little group. "He isn't dating Ruby or blondie or anyone?"
"Do you… do you like Jaune?" Penny asked her curiously.
Neon's shoulders rose and fell with a shrug. "I don't know," she said with an oddly cheery tone, "I mean he's kind of hot and he seems really nice, I was thinking I might ask him out."
"I see," Penny said evenly. She kept walking as a storm of feelings lay concealed within her.
Neon nodded at Penny, flashing her a grin. "Thanks for the intel," she said, giving her a wink before she skated forward. "Come on Jaune!" She said taking hold of his arm pulling him ahead of the rest. "It's just up ahead."
"Uh… ok," Jaune said as she pulled Penny's crush forward down the sidewalk.
Penny watched as she tried to process her churning emotions. Was she going to ask him out? On a whim? The idea made her clench her fist in jealousy.
"Uh hey," Weiss said, slowing her step to match her pace. "Are you alright? I uh… kind of overhead the two of you."
Penny turned to the white haired girl. "I am… I am experiencing many feelings right now... I do not like the idea of her asking Jaune out." She explained to the former heiress.
"You should have told her you have feelings for Jaune," Weiss said, unlike when Neon spoke to her Weiss kept her voice down. That there was anyone within earshot that didn't know, aside from Ren and Flynt everyone close enough to hear them.
"I should have?" Penny asked her wondering just what good could come from telling the bubbly and talkative huntress about her crush.
"Maybe," Weiss said, "I mean… she might have at least agreed to back off for your sake if she knew."
Penny had not thought about that. "So what do I do now?" Penny asked her desperate for an answer to her dilemma.
Weiss shrugged, "I don't know," she said, "I guess you should try to tell her before she tries asking Jaune out."
Penny nodded and looked ahead to see the cat faunus leading her knight to the burger restaurant. She wondered just how she was going to halt this and how much time they had.
They went into the diner and took their seats at a booth. Unfortunately Penny found herself sitting far away from Jaune while Neon had managed to finesse her way into sitting next to him. Jaune's attention was rather divided between everyone, especially Neon nasty she seemed to demand his attention. Penny spent most of the meal quiet as they ate occasionally sharing a few stings of conversation with Ruby and a couple of talks with Blake about Ninjas of Love.
Everyone ordered greasy cheeseburgers and fried potatoes that they washed with sugary sodas and milkshakes. Jaune had indeed eaten his particularly large burger with gusto defeating his hunger. He along with the rest of them made content sounds as they devoured their food clearly pleased with its quality.
"I can't remember the last time I had a burger that good," Jaune sighed as he wiped his lips free of the last of the grease with his napkin.
"Told ya!" Neon chimed loudly, "best in all of Mantle."
"It was quite flavorful," Ren said quietly agreeing with the sentiment.
"You gonna be alright vomit boy?" Yang asked him, "you look like you're about to explode."
"No I'm good," Jaune said patting his belly happily, "that hit the spot."
The waiter came and they split the check and shuffled out of the booth lethargic from all the food they'd eaten. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick," Jaune told them, "wait up for a second."
Jaune walked off as they gathered outside the diner. "I'm going to use the restroom too," Neon announced looking back inside.
It seemed now was her only chance to speak to the girl alone and be honest. Without a word to the rest of the group she stepped back inside and moved for the women's restroom. Bathrooms were places Penny had almost no reason to go to, she couldn't think of any reason to excuse herself and anything other than the truth would be exposed by a hiccup.
But as she approach the two doors for the separate bathrooms she found Neon there with Jaune.
"Are you doing anything next Saturday night?" The huntress asked him clutching her hands behind her back.
"Nothing I'm aware of," Jaune answered her with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to go dancing, there's an awesome nightclub not too far away from here!" Neon explained, Penny felt all hope drain from her.
"Sounds fun," Jaune said, "I'll talk to Ren and Nora, they're pretty good dancers."
Neon giggled, "no silly… I mean just the two of us."
Jaune paused at that, his blue eyes widened. "You mean like… a date?"
Neon grinned widely, "now you got it!l she chimed cheerfully. "How about it Jaune? You and me painting the town red, what do you say?"
Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head. His face was crimson as Neon waited expectantly for his answer. "Yeah let's do it," Jaune said, finally cracking a nervous grin, "Saturday we'll dance the night away."
Neon cheered with excitement and triumph and Penny ran away wishing she could cry.
I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter and the rising drama. Next chapter might be a little late as I have plans for Memorial Day weekend. But I hope to get a head start and hopefully have next week's chapter posted on time for you all. Please review and leave your thoughts. As always I'd like to extend my thanks to MidKnightMoonglow99. Everyone enjoy your Memorial Day and stay safe and healthy.