Jäger Chapter Eighteen: Jake Torchwick versus Cinder Fall

MorgothII: Hey guys, just wanted to give you two heads-up. The first one is that this is a short chapter, and the second is that there is a special message/shout-out down below in the second part of my Author's Notes. Now, enjoy reading the eighteenth chapter of this story! :)

Pounding footsteps shatters the overall silent nighttime air. The Jäger's hands both grip the hilt of the still-sheathed Sōryū, ready to draw the ancient katana at a moment's notice. As Jake draws closer to the CCTV tower, what he sees does not bode well with his unease. The supposedly well-guarded tower is unguarded. A few seconds and a closer look later reveal a number of prone soldiers. That means that the odds of who he thinks the masked female intruder really is have just increased greatly. It also means that if Ruby is also heading up there, then the silver-eyed leader of Team RWBY has no idea just how outclassed she will find herself to be.

An already-at-maximum-speed Jäger pushes himself to go even faster. He slams his fist against the up button for the elevator and waits impatiently. His body has taken on a fighting stance. Jake barely registers the two unconscious soldiers on the floor of the elevator as he waits for it to finish its ascent. He hopes that it won't be too late. 'I won't let another person who is close to me be killed ever again. Not like mother,' He thinks coldly, his nerves slowly starting to freeze in a fury that is colder than the highest mountains of Atlas.

As he hunches down slightly, ready to draw his sword, Jake hears the sounds of fighting as the doors open. He sees the masked infiltrator leaping backwards into the air. A glass bow forms in her hands as three broad-headed arrows, also made of glass, appear when she draws her right arm back like she would do with a typical bow. As she aims at Ruby, who is in the midst of lifting the tip of Crescent Rose out of the floor from what must have been one of her leaping downward strikes, the Jäger makes his own massive leap forward.

"RUBY! LOOK OUT!"

Just as the woman launches her trio of arrows, Jake Torchwick lands in-between the two females. Faster than either of them can track, Jake strikes like a coiled viper. In a single fluid motion that could only come from either a natural sword-wielder and/or years of practice, the sole member of Team JÄGER slices all three arrows at once with Sōryū, having not paused as the katana was being drawn from its black lacquered sheath.

Not content with having just disrupted the masked fighter's attack, however, Jake pushes his offensive. His opponent switches to her two swords, also made of glass, probably some sort of hard kind and razor-sharp, just like obsidian. The woman with raven-black hair barely manages to parry the eager blade of Sōryū. The powerful metal that makes up the blade causes the twin objects blocking it to crack ever so slightly.

Jake and his feminine foe exchange a rapid series of slashes and thrusts that are blocked by the other. Metal slices through the air as the katana gladly sings its song of death. Glass cracks as metal then clangs against them, slowly starting to break underneath the superior materials Jake's blade was made of long ago. As a diagonal slash is deflected, Jake's brown eyes see a brief gap in the masked infiltrator's guard. The Jäger, his face revealing nothing of his actual strike, feints with an overhead strike. His opponent raises her own swords into the air slightly, crossing them in a loose X shape over her head. With her focus on Jake's upper body, the amber-eyed fighter fails to notice the tall teen's right knee moving upwards.

With a slight grunt of mostly surprise, but also some pain, a large amount of air is forced out of the woman's lungs as the Jäger's knee strike delivers a solid hit to her midriff. She stumbles backwards a few feet before looking up. Her bright amber eyes glare with pure hatred and malice as Jake returns to his fighting stance, both hands firmly grasping the hilt of Sōryū. Most opponents would probably be trembling under her gaze at the moment, but Jake doesn't even appear to notice it, maintaining his trademark stoic expression throughout his body. Meanwhile, Ruby also moves up, stopping and taking her own ready stance a few yards behind her dance partner and friend/crush.

"So she has finally begun her latest plan, huh? Well, agent of Salem, I have this to say. The Order is no longer in a state of decay as she might have led you to believe," Jake says in a commanding voice, emitting his own imposing presence in the room. Even the ill-intent–laden glare given by the masked woman dims down, and for a brief second, the Jäger could have sworn that he saw just the briefest flicker of fear in her eyes.

Then the doors to the elevator open up once more, but Jake doesn't look back. He takes a step forward. "And trust me, I think I know just who you are underneath that mask," He says in a voice only his opponent can hear. Jake knows that this is true because her posture stiffens for a second as she grabs something from her belt. Jake's eyes narrow as he see the intruder place a cylindrical object at her feet. Immediately a thin cloud of smoke starts to rise upwards.

"Oh no you don't!"

Jake charges forward as the room is quickly filled with white smoke. He swings at the area he last saw the servant of Salem, even though it is unlikely the intruder would be stupid enough to put up a distraction an not make an escape. The lack of resistance that meets the blade of Sōryū confirms this. Jake growls as the smoke quickly disappears, along with his opponent. Then a familiar and very much hated voice greets him from behind.

"Mr. Jake, I would like to have a word with you and Miss Rose in my office, please."

Jake turns around as his face composes itself from the furious snarl to an even gaze. Sure enough, that damn coffee-addict/headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin, is standing just in front of the elevator doors, along with a rather-unreadable gaze from the cane-wielding Huntsman's counterpart from Atlas, General James Ironwood. Ruby looks at the two veteran fighters and then in concern at Jake. He simply nods his head.

"Very well, as you wish, Professor Ozpin," Jake says, hiding the seething anger and even a slight amount of disgust/distaste from his voice. Inside his mind, however, he is free to voice his actual thought/reply.

'FUCK!'

And done! As I said, very short chapter. School is getting more intense right now, with two senior projects this semester, and a mandatory public Open Mic event. I still plan on posting a chapter or two next week, but don't be surprised if I am unable to do so. Anyways, one hundred followers, sixty-nine favorites, and sixty-four reviews. I have only one thing to say: You guys and girls are absolutely fucking amazing and a great bit thank you each and every single one of you blessed readers. Anyways, as always, leave a review/comment/OC creation down below, and have a wonderful week! Until next time! Next: The Order of the Shrikes of the Mournful Dawn