Jäger Chapter One: The Hunter
Atop a roof opposite of the Vale 'Dust Till Dawn' store, a lone figure crouches down. A long, tattered brown cloak moves slightly in the wind as the boy aims his rifle. "Come on, Roman Torchwick; show your pretty little hat. I got you dead to rights, in my sight…..and now I just made a terrible line. Wonderful," He says sarcastically in a quiet tone. He then refocuses his weapon towards the large glass door…just as one of the thugs that had entered with Vale's crime boss goes flying out the window, along with a small red-and-black blur, which quickly pulls out a huge red scythe.
"What the hell…." He mutters in shock as he proceeds to watch the teen girl, only a few years younger than him, beat the living snot out of Torchwick's thugs. He lowers his rifle, not wanting to hit the newcomer. "Of course something like this would happen." With a sigh, he watches his target climb up a ladder to the roof of another building, the girl close behind. Before he can either join the fight or even continue to watch it, the boy's hairs stand up at the back of his neck. A voice soon follows, confirming his suspicions that he is no longer alone.
"Nice view of the skyline at night. I don't think that is why you are here, though."
With a hidden expression of panic, the boy whirls around to see the latest newcomer, a grey-haired man wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick eyes the boy with a calm expression. The boy raises his rifle slightly, ready to fire at a moment's notice. The intruder doesn't react, other than continuing to chat in a calm, almost pleasant tone.
"I assume you are the one they call the Jäger? The one who has been behind the recent string of assassinations and murders of various criminals? I am Professor Ozpin, and I would like to speak to you about your….hobby."
The boy merely snorts at this. 'Not on your life,' The Jäger thinks to himself, his lip curling upwards in a slight sneer. Ozpin continues to watch the youth as he appears to lower his gun. Suddenly, the boy leaps backwards, off of the building and slings himself forward, smashing through a window. He closes his eyes and activates his semblance, just in case anyone (like Ozpin) tried to use their aura to track him.
Professor Ozpin, headmaster of the Beacon Academy, shakes his head slightly in mild disapproval. "Kids these days. Always got to do it the hard way," He sighs as he reaches for his own scroll to contact his fellow huntress, Professor Glynda Goodwitch, and see if she is having an easier time. Hopefully, within a few hours Beacon would have not one but two new recruits that may very likely turn out to be the best Hunter and Huntress in all of Remnant.
Meanwhile…
After getting out of the building, he puts as much distance as possible before slipping into the sewer system, and more specifically, his well-hidden (and very much clean and stink-free) hide-out. As he closes the door, he places his rifle against the wall that holds up a small cork board, with a small series of pictures and documents are tacked to it.
"That was a close one," the so-called Jäger mutters aloud as he returns the picture of Roman Torchwick back to the board, along with a series of other major targets of interest. A woman in a red dress. A boy with an older man near a wooden cottage in the midst of a verbal fight. A flash of green hair. A near-transparent parasol with a dash of pink-and-brown hair in the background. Several high-ranking White Fang officers. And of course, Roman Torchwick. The boy takes a step back, placing one hand on his chin and the other underneath said arm's elbow in a position of deep thought.
"Damn it to hell! I almost had him! Then that girl with the scythe shows up, and now that Hunter, Ozpin. Gotta be more careful for n-" He suddenly stops, a familiar (and unwelcomed) sensation going up his back and neck.
Someone was outside the door to his hideout, and they weren't going to be leaving anytime soon. The stone might hold the intruder back for a minute at most, but that would be the best case scenario.
It was time to abandon ship.
Without turning around, he quickly snatches the pictures off of the board and every important piece of paper on the board, tucking it into his secret pocket in his cloak. He whirls around, grabbing his rifle before heading towards the emergency exit he had created in case of this type of situation. The Jäger is halfway to the other hidden door when the main door disappears into a wall of dust and debris. A white-haired, somewhat portly man in some sort of red uniform steps into the now-compromised room, casually wielding a blunderbuss with axe blades fitted to the butt of the weapon.
"Would you like to do this the easy way, or the fun way?"
The Jäger once more remains silent, instead once again fleeing, this time unable to activate his semblance, however. He quickly raises his rifle and fires the chambered round, aiming at a bottle of cleaning oil near a stack of paper. The round hits and sets the oil on fire, quickly creating a make-shift smokescreen to delay the latest Hunter.
Finally reaching the wall where the smaller hidden door was built into, the teen places his back over the hidden stone panel, one hand operating the lever that operates the rifle's unique falling block action to eject the spent cartridge and expertly loading a fresh round into the single-shot chamber, before hitting the equally well-hidden pressure plate that opens the door.
The Jäger begins to move backwards, his back still to the wall and hole that will lead to the surface, when he hears yet another voice, this one right behind him.
"You should have figured out that fully-trained Hunters and Huntresses don't make the same mistake twice in one day."
Before he can face the newcomer, some sort of object smacks him on the back of the head, knocking the boy out with a single clean hit.
Later…
Ruby Rose's face gains a rapidly expanding smile when she realizes that Professor Ozpin has just accepted her into Beacon two years early, when all three occupants look to the door behind the gray-haired headmaster. "Ah, that should be our other guest for the evening," The coffee-lover says in a casual tone that makes Goodwitch raises an eyebrow and Ruby to cock her head in confusion, her mouth opening to ask the question of who this other guest was.
The door opens, beating her to the question as Professor (sorry, Doctor) Oobleck and Professor Port walk in, carrying a avidly struggling teen boy only a couple of years older than her, his hands cuffed behind his back.
"You buggers! Release me! I didn't do anything wrong! I demand to have my rights given to me! DO you know who I am?!"
With a slightly forceful shove, the protesting boy is forced onto a chair that Ruby just noticed was right next to her. Professor Port walks over to Ozpin and Goodwitch, handing over a long rifle and some sort of short sword blade that has the ability to be attached to the barrel of the gun, along with a saber. In addition, several belts of bullets of various designs along with a small box are also placed.
Ozpin places the weapons on the table between him and the two teens, his three fellow Hunters and Huntress standing right behind him. The headmaster (and Ruby) eye the weapon with barely-masked (or openly shown in the red-and-black haired scythe wielder's case) interest. Ozpin picks up one of the bullets and carefully removes the bullet's top, pouring the contents onto the table. To everyone's surprise, it isn't dust that falls out, or even advance gunpowder, but black powder. He then looks at the newcomer, who is still struggling against his shackles.
"I have never seen this design before, and I have seen many types of firearms. How did you come into possession of it?"
The boy refuses to answer, though he does stop his futile effort to escape, simply settling on glaring at the four adults with an intense glare. Ozpin sighs at this. "We can do this all week. I would prefer to give you a chance to speak on your own will, and not under interrogation. The choice is up to you."
The boy once more remains silent for a minute. In fact, the whole room is silent as five pairs of eyes watch the teen. Finally he exhales and speaks in a gruff tone.
"What do you want to know?" Ozpin nods before he begins his questioning.
"What is your name?"
"The Jäger."
"Your real name."
The boy remains silent for a moment before speaking up, his tone even more gruff.
"Jake."
"No last name?"
"If I had one, I would have told you. Only got a first name." Ozpin resists the temptation to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. The veteran Hunter has seen Grimm more cooperative than Jake. But at least progress has been made, so the coffee-addict continues his line of questioning.
"Where did you get your weapon?"
"Built it."
"By yourself? Where?"
"Why don't you ask Mr. White and Mr. Green over there? In my hideout. Same with the bayonets and the bullets. The anti-Grimm rounds are a pain to make. Need to have the right kind of metal."
Ozpin doesn't show any emotions despite the feeling of being impressed by the Jäger's ability with weaponry. Once more Ruby doesn't bother to even attempt to hide her interest. Granted, the gun was nothing like her sweetheart, Crimson Rose, but still, it was a one-of-a-kind, or at least, the action was. The newly-accepted Beacon student is equally curious about what Jake's "Anti-Grimm" rounds are made of, but a sharp look from Goodwitch keeps her mouth shut.
"I got a question of my own. What are you going to do with me now? I highly doubt you're just going to release me, not after all the effort you put into capturing me. Oh, and by the way, congratulations. No one has ever been close to capturing me, let alone be successful at it."
Ozpin claps his hands together, resting his elbows on the cool metal of the table.
"You are wanted for at least fourteen separate attacks in Vale, and I have no idea if there are more that have been unreported or even taken place in any of the other kingdoms. Normally, I would have you in chains and sent to the authorities immediately, but there is one thing I have noticed about your…actions." The boy leans forward slightly, his face now looking like a slab of granite. Ozpin continues, knowing that he is now entering a minefield of sorts. Of course, if the headmaster makes a wrong move, all that happens is that Jake will have a less-than-stellar future.
"Not once was a single innocent bystander hurt, let alone killed. You only took out known or quickly-confirmed criminals, and not small-time pick-pocket type. Crime bosses, enforcers, and the like. That tells me that you have a moral compass of sorts, to protect the innocent. As such, I am offering you a choice that I have never offered before, and will most likely never do so again. Are you ready to hear me out on these?" He asks.
Jake gives the Hunter a rather dry look. "I doubt I have the option to say no," He says. The grey-haired man ignores the sarcasm and once more continues.
"Option one: You refuse option number two and go straight to the authorities to go on trial. Option two: You join Miss Rose as the latest member of Beacon Academy. You have the bearings of a Hunter, and only need the guidance to become one, free of charge."
Jake eyes everyone in the room with a wary eye, most of his earlier hostility somewhat diminished. "I have some terms that I wish to be met." Ozpin nods his head to indicate that Jake can continue.
"One, if I have to be assigned to a team like I hear is the normal procedure, I want to be given as much autonomy as possible. I don't work well with others. That is my only term." With that, Jake falls silent with an air of finality. Ozpin turns around to face his fellow teachers, an eyebrow raised as a silent question of their opinion of the Jäger's demand. With reluctant nods of their heads, the two men and one woman agree. Ozpin clears his throat before once more addressing the captured teen before them.
"Very well. Your demand is accepted. So I take it you are taking the second option?" The boy rolls his eyes slightly in frustration.
"Yes. Now, can you please remove these damn restraints and let me have my gun back?"
Goodwitch opens her mouth to deliver a retort but she is stopped by a rapidly tiring Ozpin. "Well, I doubt you are going to try to run off, so why not? Just stay within the building, or on the roof. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning with Miss Ross to go to Beacon."
The boy grunts as Professor Port removes the shackles. After taking a second to rub his wrists and return blood flow to his hands, Jake gets off the chair and brushes by Ruby without a word, grabbing his gun as he exits the room, torn cloak fluttering behind him as he storms into the empty hallway. With a confused expression on her face, the fifteen-year-old girl looks at her new headmaster. "Miss Ross, I have a mission of sorts for you, if you are willing." Ruby doesn't believe what she just heard.
Ruby Rose being given a mission by a veteran Hunter?
'This is so much better than getting an autograph!' The silver-eyed teen thinks to herself before speaking out loud. "You can count on me, sir!"
Ozpin gives a slight smile at the energetic scythe-wielder. "Keep an eye on Mr. Jake starting tomorrow. Not quite spying on him," He says, cutting off the small teen girl when she starts to protest. "Far from it, in fact. Just try to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble with other students. And who knows? You two might learn something from one another?"
Ruby takes a more relaxed posture upon hearing Ozpin's explanation. She gives a determined grin. "You got it Professor Ozpin!"
And done! My first story in the year 2017! Not going to promise any sort of posting schedule as being a senior in High School sucks! It is not easy, trust me! Anyways, please leave any creative feedback, criticism or not. Next chapter: Jake meets Yang and the rest. What could possibly go wrong? See you guys and gals next time!