Jäger Chapter Eleven: A-Hunting We Go
MorgothII: Hello and happy March! Heads-up, this might be another short chapter like Chapter Nine, to serve as a filler-type chapter, so it won't be quite so action-oriented as most chapters involving fights will be. Also, the votes are in:
Yes: 8 votes
No: 3 votes
As a result, I will start the romance development within the next five chapters after this one, due to an idea given to me by a guest reviewer. (If you are reading this and you know who I am talking about, thank you :)). Anyways, on with the story!
The morning air was quiet, after all, it was the first full-day of the two week break for the students of Beacon Academy. Then a girl's voice breaks said silence.
"Come on, hurry up Jake! Those Grimm aren't going to by killed by themselves!"
Said boy sighs internally as cross the courtyard of the school, the hood-wearing bundle of energy quite a bit ahead of the taller boy in bright blue armor. Despite the sigh, a small grin is present on his lips, a once-rare sight that was becoming rather common as the two spent more time together over the past week.
Jake Torchwick and Ruby Rose woke up early and where heading to the same area of the cliff where they had been launched into the Emerald Forest only a few months ago. Both were in their combat outfits, and Jake carried his distinctive helmet under the crook of his arm. His self-built single-shot black powder rifle was slung across his back, though Jake didn't intend on using it save for any Grimm larger than a Beowolf or could fly. After all, he was planning on testing his armor against the claws of the Creatures of Grimm, meaning close-quarters combat. Not that the rifleman would be at a disadvantage, having spent the years on his own devoted to mastering each and every last piece of weaponry in his arsenal.
When the leader of Team RWBY had form the reluctant student that Ozpin had agreed to it, the seventeen-year old boy had suspected that it had been with the intent of improving the relationship between the two unofficial partners. Maybe once he would have been greatly irritated by the scheming, coffee-loving, grey-haired bastard's actions. Now, though, the sole member of Team JÄGER is accepting of this particular action.
That was the real surprise for him.
As the duo approach the place they were told to report at, Jake's smile disappears as he puts on his more well-known stoic expression. The cause of this sudden change in his behavior was the sight of the two adults waiting for them.
An equally stoic Ozpin and a slightly scowling Glynda Goodwitch were in front of them. A steaming cup of coffee in the former's hand and the riding crop at the belt of the later, whose arms are crossed across her chest. "Well, I won't bother with asking if the two of you are ready, seeing as you arrived early. So I'll just say a few things before letting you two have your little 'hunting' adventure. The first is to stay in close proximity to one another at all times, and to not leave the other behind for any reason. The second is to keep your scrolls somewhere you can quickly access if the need for help should arise. Finally, you two will be either at the foot of the cliff awaiting pick-up or right here in three hours. Am I clear?" He asks calmly.
"Yes sir!" Ruby says as she nods her head eagerly, cradling the folded form of her beloved Crescent Rose, her silver eyes glittering with excitement. Jake doesn't give a verbal response, instead opting for one of his simpler and gruffer means of acknowledgement.
The Jäger simply nods his head with a slight grunt, His mask and throat guard already attached. Ozpin nods at Glynda, who prepares two of the launch pads for the two unlikely friends. Jake secures his helmet quickly as he and the young scythe-wielder step onto the two pads. With a second nod of his head, the blonde Huntress who serves as the second-in-command for the headmaster taps the button. With a jolt, the two teens are thrown into the air. This time, however, they had been launched with less power and a closer trajectory. After all, they needed to land close by one another because of Ozpin's requirements for this slightly unusual exploit.
Back at the cliff, Ozpin raises his beloved mug to his lips and takes a quick sip of his favorite beverage. Meanwhile, Professor Goodwitch addresses the older man. "I still think that this is a reckless idea," She mutters. Ozpin gives the blonde a sly smile for the briefest of moments. Then he lowers the mug as he replies.
"Just humor an old man, please."
Two hours, fifty-five minutes, and several hundred dead Grimm later…
With a grunt, the Jäger parries the long claws of the snarling Alpha Beowolf before him with the now-notched blade of his saber. With a downwards slash of his own, the veteran fighter literally disarms the savage demon, his blade easily parting through the fur, flesh, muscles, and even bone of the outstretched front paw. The wolf-like Grimm leaps backwards, howling in agony as blood squirts from the non-mortal wound.
With his typical calm he displays in almost every fight against the Grimm, Jake lunges forward. Suddenly, the other forepaw lashes out, the sharp talons making contact with his armor's chest plate. A few sparks are seen, and a series of gouges are made in the upper layer of the laminated armor, but the teen himself is unharmed. He springs forward once again, both hands griping the hilt of his saber as he lowers the weapon to the point that it is vertical to the ground.
This time, the once-mighty leader of a now non-existent pack of lesser Beowolves fails to make contact with its assailant when it swipes at the son of Roman Torchwick once more. Said fighter avoids the hit as he ducks down slightly, the claws barely missing the crest of his helmet. With one last burst of speed, Jake launches himself forward, his blade sinking into the exposed torso of the Creature of Grimm. The now-dying demon lets out one last sound, a high-pitched yelp, before tumbling backwards, its body already emitting the black smoke as its body starts to dissolve.
Jake stands still for a few seconds, sword still held out and forwards by his tired arms. He pants slightly, exhausted from the day's fights. His armor, now slightly battered and marked with lines from the occasional Grimm claw, has more than passed the test. A cloud of rose petals drifts behind him as Ruby rushes towards his side, her weapon in its sniper mode. A grin is on her face, which is no surprise. After all, today has been a day where the youngest student in Beacon to fight and kill Grimm, and a bonus of strengthening her friendship with the until-recently lone wolf operator.
"Ok, it's official. Jake, you are AWESOME!" She says, bouncing around him for a few seconds. A tired smile forms on his face as he sheathes his saber, having flicked his wrist a second earlier to send the blood droplets on the well-used blade flying away from him or the black-and-red haired girl before him. Once his primary melee weapon is secured, he places a hand on her shoulder, stopping the amusing antics of the young reaper.
"Thanks, but we better head back," He suggests, briefly pulling out his Scroll to check the time. They still had five minutes, but it would be best to start moving back to the pick-up zone. Ruby gives an adorable pout but nods her head in agreement. She is about to suggest that they have a race to see who would get to the face of the cliff first, but decides not to do so due to the Jäger's exhausted state.
"Alright, let's go. I think Blake and Weiss should be back by now with Yang," She says as the duo start to move through the forest once more. Jake turns to Ruby, as curious look that is slightly disguised by the face mask he wears that covers his lower face from eye-level down.
"You never did tell me what they did with Yang," He remarks. Ruby smirks at him playfully.
"Well, let's just say that if Yang acts up, just say the word 'snowman'," She says somewhat cryptically.
Jake nods slightly as they continue walking, wondering what his friend and current companion meant by that.
Back in Team RWBY's dorm room…
Her knees clutched towards her chest, Yang Xiao Long rocks back and forth slightly on her bed. Her lilac eyes bear a haunted look as she shivers slightly. Her partner Blake Belladonna looks at Ruby's partner and the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee. A look of uncertainty is present on the face of the cat Faunus. "Do you think we went a little bit too far?" She asks, concerned. The dust-user is about to reply with a maybe when she pauses and reflects on a series of incidents where Yang had embarrassed her in some way. A devious smirk comes to her lips as she replies.
"No, I think that it was quite adequate. I'm sure she'll be fine by the end of break."
Meanwhile Yang mutters a single sentence over and over again, and will continue to do so for several more hours.
"I don't want to build a snowman."
Secret White Fang lab underneath the warehouses of Vale…
"Is it ready?"
"We're still running diagnosis ma'am. I advise to wa-"
"Will it function?" The woman in a red dress and gold lacing that stops halfway towards her knees, dark hair, and orange eyes that seem to be glowing asks again. This time, her voice is much more forceful. She doesn't want recommendations on how her minions should proceed. The deer Faunus gulps, the parts of his face not covered by the Grimm mask quickly paling to the same shade as his unsoiled lab coat. His body trembles slightly.
"Y-yes," He says meekly. The woman nods her head, a slight smirk on her lips.
"Good," She says, her voice going back to its typical seductive tone. "Then turn it on."
Silently the White Fang scientist nods his antlered head slightly before returning to the lab behind them, hurriedly instructing the five other White Fang members, despite some of them trying to mount a verbal protest.
The sound of electricity humming and gears whirling fills the room as Cinder enters, a young silver-haired man with a bored look on his face and a young, dark-skinned woman with green shoulder-length hair and a very scant top close behind her.
Amidst the trays and carts containing various tools and devices is a large metal table. A large object, humanoid-like, appears to be lying atop it. However, the trio are unable to fully identify the form due to the large white sheet covering the entire table, revealing only a rough outline of whatever is being hidden by the fabric. "It's online," The head scientist says as he moves over to the table. As the deer Faunus is about to grab and remove the white sheet, a skeletal-looking hand, made of metal, grabs him by the throat. The unlucky terrorist gags for a few seconds before a sickening crack is heard. The body goes limp as the figure that killed him sits upright before being dropped to the ground, his neck broken.
The other Faunus workers flee the room as the figure steps off the table and approaches the three humans. The two subordinates look on with some fear at the still-mostly obscured form as it approaches them slowly, clanking as its metal feet, complete with talons, touch the concrete floor, and gears whirling as the limbs move back and forth. The woman in charge calmly watches as the seven-foot tall figure removes the white cloth, revealing a single, glowing red eye in the center of a robotic face. The robot crouches down on one knee when it is three feet away from her.
"Miss Cinder Fall, I am yours to command," it says in a cold, robotic voice. Cinder smiles in response, pleased at this newest success at her mistress's grand plot.
"Good. We have work to do."
And done! Wrote this entire chapter today, so I am excited to complete it! Once again, than ks for reading, and feel free to leave a review, favorite, or follow! Until next time! Also new poll on my profile! Next chapter: A New Semester Also: Frozen reference is there because I couldn't think of anything better to use to torture Yang by her teammates, sorry not sorry!