Jäger Chapter Twenty-Four: Underground, Part Two
MorgothII: Hello everyone! To quote Mushu…I LIVE! It has been almost two fucking months since I updated, super sorry. Just been dealing with a mega-ton of shit, which I will explain down below! Please enjoy!
With a loud boom, the entire cavern containing the underground city of Mountain Glenn shudders as a certain buxom blond brawler smashes open not just a door, but the entire wall. A thick cloud of smoke and dust replaces the now-empty space formerly separating the five fighters and their foes. The nearby White Fang members are startled, weapons being drawn after a few precious moments. Something that would be quick to cost them dearly, though they did not, and for quite a few, would not know. Instinctively, the dozen or so Faunus terrorists who are nearest to the new 'doorway' form a loose half-circle. Towards the center, a tall, male goat Faunus, an officer of medium rank, looks over his shoulder towards the larger amount of White Fang members also readying to fight off the intruders.
"Come on ya miserable, stinkin lot! Prepare to open—"
A loud bang from behind the obscuring particles of debris, now starting to fade, silences the officer in the form of an almost half-inch wide lead bullet. The now-unmasked (and somewhat faceless) officer doesn't even hit the ground before a second bang is heard. A sharp, and brief, cry of pain is drawn out before a second White Fang member falls backwards, her left shoulder already starting to stain with crimson. A third White Fang terrorist is killed before a long, entirely different object slices through the now barely-present makeshift smokescreen. A horrendous, wet gurgle is heard as a fourth Faunus drops his assault rifle, his hands going to his throat, now pierced by a bayonet attached to the front of a rifle.
Then what appears to be an armored, bloodthirsty demon rushes through. The blue armor with yellow highlights, the snarling, golden dragon between two horns on the top of the helmet, the half-mask etched with a snarling mouth, and the blazing, brown eyes of Jake Torchwick, the ancient katana known as Sōryū held in a two-handed form, the nil-unbreakable blade overhead. He dashes towards the nearest masked figure in a white robe.
Before anyone, friend or foe of the Jäger, is able to react, the warrior slices at the unlucky ferret Faunus. The blade cleaves straight through the muscle and bone of the right shoulder, exiting with ease slightly below the left armpit. The bisected body falls in two separate directions, the upper torso forward, the rear backwards. Jake ignores the gory sight, slicing the curved blade through the throat of the terrorist to the right. With a flick of his wrists, Sōryū bursts out of the throat, before cleanly decapitating her comrade to the right, the warthog terrorist's stump squirting blood. The seventh Faunus, an ape, falls to his knees after a horizontal slash cleaves through the flesh of his stomach, his last efforts being the attempt of keeping his entrails from spilling out. Jake yanks out his rifle and bayonet from the slain terrorist he had impaled, deftly swinging it across his back as he continues to cut down all who oppose him.
A boar terrorist, who is braver (or stupider) than the others, charges forward at the Jäger with a snarl. The White Fang member has his own sword drawn in an overhead strike at the assailant butchering his comrades before his eyes. A hoarse shout escapes his throat as he swings his sword down with all his might. Jake chooses to not simply deflect the blade. Instead, he spins to the side, swing his own blade downwards. The Faunus stares numbly at the bloody stumps, his two severed hands still clutched to the sword. A sudden, unexpected, and violent yank of his neck breaks it, Jake's attention once more focused on the living foes before him.
A horrified lizard Faunus takes a step back, a move copied by a fair amount of the other terrorists, before pointing a trembling hand towards the seemingly unstoppable creature, letting out a shrill shout.
"What the fuck!"
"We gotta get out of here!"
"Fall back!"
"Mercy, mer—ack!"
Behind Jake, now cautiously emerging, Team RWBY, minus their young leader who bears the same name, and their green-haired professor/doctor Oobleck, warily gaze upon the sole member of Team JÄGER. Yang breaks the silence, though thankfully without making one of the terrible and bastardized creations she calls puns.
"Well, this is a thing." Her cat Faunus partner turns her head slightly to deliver an extremely unamused glare, while Weiss simply shakes her head at the ongoing understatement. The rapid-talking Huntsman in charge of the group coughs slightly.
"I feel that, while brutal, even unsavory, Mister Jake has the right idea. We need to smash through until we find Miss Rose, and discover and stop whatever the White Fang is planning."
With grim nods from all three of the seventeen-year-old girls, the four join the fray, closely following Jake and his carnage. The half-sister of Jake's girlfriend fires round after round of highly explosive shotgun shells from her Ember Celica whenever large clusters of terrorists appear, or at haphazardly organized Dust crates and munition piles. The resulting explosions shake the underground cavern. Weiss uses her glyphs to outmaneuver unprepared grunts, swiftly disarming them with her rapier, Myrtenaster, occasionally firing out bursts of Dust of various kinds. Blake uses her clone semblance, the useless copies being destroyed while the ninja uses Gambol Shroud to strike and disarm the then-startled terrorists from different angles. Jake, however, ignores all. In fact, he only comes to a stop when the group arrives into the underground railyard that had been sealed off years ago, where a restored train is warming up.
It also happens to be where Jake's father, Roman Torchwick, along with a number of White Fang 'soldiers' are about to attack the short girl who is clearly trying to escape. Jake recognizes the girl as an unarmed Ruby Rose. Behind his mask, Jake's seemingly smoldering eyes narrow even further, his scowl fully transforming into an almost-feral snarl equally terrifying as the expression of his mask. In a swift motion typical of the young warrior, Sōryū is sheathed with one hand, while the other unslings his self-built single-shot rifle, a bullet already chambered. Before his other hand grips the wooden frame surrounding the metal barrel, Jake slides out several more rounds from his waist belt, gripping them by the base between his knuckles. While he rarely uses this technique, it is useful in having ammunition at the ready for rapid fire.
He skids to a halt, stopping with one knee kneeling, before squeezing the trigger. While his girlfriend is directly in front of his father, and thus risking a possibility, however remote, of hitting the scythe-wielder instead, the four gun-wielding terrorists standing between the couple, weapons at the ready and aimed at the silver-eyed girl, are an equally worthwhile target. He squeezes the trigger, causing the striking pin to slam forward, hitting the primer. The gun bucks backwards like the Jäger has gotten used to, the lead bullet spiraling out behind a small, brief jet of flame from partially or unburnt black powder. Jake swiftly operates the lever that lowers the breech block, the spent drawn brass casing being flung out. A second bullet swiftly being placed into the exposed breech while the lever is pushed back up, thus sealing the rear of the gun, now ready to be fired again.
Meanwhile the first bullet shatters the back of the head of the far right terrorist, her comrade directly next to her staggers backwards as the other two masked criminals slightly lower their own pistol and rifle, craning their own necks to spy on their unexpectedly slain comrade. The rifle-toting Faunus Stumbles forward as the second .469 inch lead bullet slams in the center of his back between the shoulder blades, severing the spinal column. One of the two surviving male terrorists, both armed with a Dust-powered machine pistol, spins around...just in time to meet a third bullet through his mouth.
The last remaining White Fang member tires to run away, towards the train Roman Torchwick and his White Fang cronies are now boarding. A fourth bullet, followed by a sharp bang, ends the attempt, permanently. Ruby rushes forward as her older (and far taller) boyfriend stands up and straightens his back, his rifle's butt resting on the ground as his free hand holds gun upright halfway between the muzzle and the trigger. Fully prepared, the Jäger doesn't stumble backwards when the leader of Team RWBY slams into him, tightly embracing him. Jake, a gentle smile behind his slightly bloodied mask, gives a warm, one-armed hug, before a second voice shouts out.
"RUBY!" Yang shouts, causing said Huntress-in-training to break away from the hug and jump into the arms of her older, blonde half-sister. Said blonde spins around with Ruby in her, while Weiss, Blake, and Doctor Oobleck all gather around the youngest student attending Beacon. The SDC heiress then speaks up.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I'm FINE!" Ruby answers rapidly, her sister putting her down while the black-and-red haired girl continues to speak. "But listen! Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there!"
"What?" Blake asks while she returns Crescent Rose, in sniper mode, to its rightful owner. Jake merely growls, his body stiffening as he rests a hand on the hilt of the sheathed Sōryū.
"Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars!"
"That's ridiculous; these tunnels have been sealed for years! The tracks lead to a dead-end!" Oobleck counters. Suddenly, a harsh feedback is heard as a PA system is activated. Jake's growl becomes a snarl as his father's voice echoes in the desolated Cavern.
"Get to your places! We are leaving NOW!"
The order is punctate by a loud hiss of steam as the train slowly begins to move. Yang speaks up, stating the rather obvious fact.
"Well it sounds like they're going somewhere!"
"We need back up!" Ruby adds. "Let me call Jaune!" She pulls out her Scroll and dials the number belonging to the blonde leader of Team JNPR. However, a flashing message puts a stop to her plan.
"I can't get through!" Ruby almost whines. Her partner states the obvious question.
"So what do we do?" Weiss asks. His thermos resting against his shoulder, Doctor Oobleck answers the Schnee's question.
"I believe we only have one option."
Switching her baby into scythe mode, and chambering a fresh round, Ruby answers the question.
"We're stopping that train."
Jake grunts before running forward, the others close behind him.
A few minutes later…
Jake dispassionately watches as the Faunus terrorist tumbles down the tunnel, the blood from his slit throat dripping off of Jake's sword bayonet. The others decide to not comment on the violent killing as they then climb onto the roof of the rearmost boxcar.
"Hurry children! We must get to the front and stop this train!" Oobleck says, repeating Ruby's statement. Jake, standing on the edge of the boxcar and preparing to leap onto the next car, pauses and looks around, his rifle at the ready with the still-bloody bayonet reattached, when Weiss speaks in an unusually nervous voice.
"Uhhh…Professor?"
"Doctor," Oobleck almost growls. Weiss points down the hatch, having noticed something they had missed while climbing to the top.
"What's that?"
"That, my dear, appears to be a bomb." Everyone takes a slight step backwards while Oobleck examines the Dust bomb, crouching on one knee and leaning forward.
"Heads up," Jake simply says.
"We've got baddies!" Ruby also says at that moment, pointing ahead.
Dozens of White Fang terrorists climb onto the roof of one of the boxcars closer to the engine. Mostly unarmed, though a few carrying swords, they start to advance towards the fighters. Jake readies his rifle, a loud bang going off, and a body falls in mid-jump, the loud howl of the wheels thankfully masking the squishing sound as the rest of the boxcars and flatbed car run over it. Already reloading, the armored rifle-wielder leaps onto the next boxcar, firing his gun a second time, a rat Faunus falling onto his back as blood leaks out of the large bullet hole in the center of his chest. Doctor Oobleck clears his throat.
"Well, I didn't expect them to go…" Oobleck is interrupted by a loud beep. "…easy on us." He stands upright. "Time to go!" As the others follow the leader of Team JÄGER, the green-haired history professor places a hand on Blake's shoulder.
"Blake, detach the caboose! It will kill us all!"
"On it!" She replies, jumping down to the coupling, preparing to use Gambol Shroud to break the metal link…which uncouples itself before she delivers the strike.
"Huh? It de-coupled itself!" Blake shouts to the older Huntsman, who pokes his head over the edge.
"What?" Yang then steps forward, looking down at her partner while addressing their teacher.
"I guess he really doesn't want us on this train!"
"No shit!" Jake shouts as yet another cry of pain echoes, quickly muffled by the explosion of the detached boxcar. A large could of debris falls from the roof. Once again, the educator with a doctoral states the obvious.
"That's not good." Jake groans when he sees what Ruby has found.
"Uhh, neither is this!"
"Another bomb?" Blake asks in shock. Jake's brown eyes, currently cold, make direct contact with the green-haired teacher's glasses. They both jump onto the next car, Jake laying covering fire against the seemingly-endless stream of terrorists that are rapidly approaching.
"No, no, no…" Oobleck mutters as he reaches the roof access hatch, opening it up while ignoring the sounds of gunfire and the ejected brass casings nearby. He looks over his shoulder while Team RWBY and their mascot corgi approach to announce his finding.
"They all have bombs!"
At that moment, the rear boxcar's bomb activates, and is remotely detached. The girls barely managing to land on the new rear boxcar safely before the gap between the two boxcars grows too big.
"This doesn't make sense!" Yang states in a frustrated tone.
Before anyone could try to provide a theory, a loud voice draws their attention back towards the front of the train. Despite a dozen or so deaths, the near-suicidal persistence of the White Fang members has allowed them to being almost on top of the boarders.
"Get the humans!" shouts a female deer Faunus officer.
Jake silences the terrorist with a skull-shattering shot. Instead of reloading, however, Jake grabs his gun slightly in front of the trigger guard, turning it into a short spear, while his other hand swiftly draws forth Sōryū, his face once again twisted up in rage. The first two terrorists, both muscular males who appear to have been in many a fist fight, are caught off-guard by the sudden assault. The one on the left lets out a terrifying, shrill scream as the serrated blade of the bayonet sinks deep into his stomach, swiftly being twisted to the side, widening the wound before being violently yanked out. Stunned, the dying White Fang member is sent flying off the train when a sharp jab to his side is delivered from the wooden butt of the Jäger's rifle. At the same time, the head of the other fighter is sent bouncing down the last few boxcars after a single, deftly-delivered strike from Jake's katana.
Meanwhile, the girls of Team RWBY also engage the other attackers, though mostly disabling or knocking out their foes, still believing in killing anything that wasn't a Grimm only as a last resort. Regardless, the remaining attackers are either killed, disabled, or knocked off the train quickly. The victory is short-lived, however, as the detached boxcar explodes, causing another gaping hole in the roof. Grimm quickly flood through the hole. Oobleck just lets out a long-suffering sigh.
"Oh, dear…"
Then the creatures of Grimm start to chase the train.
"He's leading Grimm to the city!"
"What?!" Weiss says, shocked. Doctor Oobleck explains in his typical rapid-fire manner of talking.
"It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!"
"That's Insane!" Blake counters.
"Unfortunately, that is my father," Jake darkly mutters.
"We have to hurry!" Oobleck commands, as yet another bomb-car detaches. He points to WBY of RWBY. "You three! Go below and try to stop those bombs!"
"What about us?" Ruby asks. Doctor Oobleck opens his mouth, but her boyfriend is swift in cutting him off.
"We're going to do as you say: stop this train. And I will kill the motherfucker in charge!"
Later…
A loud bang is barely heard by the far-louder groaning of steel as the tungsten-cored bullet from Jake's rifle tears through the cockpit, and the head of the pilot, of a slightly water-downed Atlas Paladin mech suit, purloined by his bastard of a father. The now uncontrolled robotic armor topples to the side, bouncing several times down the track, crushing a dozen Beowolves and Creepers. Doctor Oobleck, Zwei, and Ruby are also engaging a number of other stolen Paladins. Taking a brief breather as he loads yet another of his precious, and now dwindling, stock of the so-called Anti-Grimm round, his Scroll goes off. It can't be from Vale, due to the interference, so it must be someone nearby. Someone who is also on the train.
The Jäger, confused as to why he would be getting a message on his Scroll, double-checks the sender ID of the message. Yang Xiao Long. His eyes narrow as he reads the text, spinning around towards the roof of the cart, still attached, to where the group had split up. He reads it one more time.
Blondie is down, sorry about that bro. You need to haul ass and get here ASAP. Stop me, free me, whatever, but if you don't get here within the next few minutes, at least one of us will die. Last railcar-Neo
With his free hand, the Jäger grabs the small electronic signal jammer from his belt. He activates it, gripping it tightly. Still holding his katana, Jake jumps down to see a tall, masked woman with wild black hair, dressed in blood-red clothing, and wielding a massive ōdachi, lunges towards Neo, who is standing over the prone form of Yang, parasol in one hand, and apparently the hidden blade whose hilt served as the handle for the laced-covered weapon. His twin sister's eyes are both grey, her indication of fear.
Without a moment's hesitation, the seventeen-year-old tosses the now-active jammer towards his sister, who, with a hopeful expression on her lips, grabs it, dropping her weapons. Jake is unable to enjoy this seemingly small victory, for the other, older woman continues to advance at a rapid pace towards a now-distracted Neo. Promptly throwing himself in the middle, Jake barely manages to block the longer blade of solid red Dust. Looking through the narrow slits of his adversary's Nevermore-like mask, a small part of his brain takes note of the red eyes and pale skin. There's something familiar about her, but he doesn't know what, and quite frankly at the moment, he doesn't give a damn.
Wordlessly, the two sword-wielders exchange blows, always blocked, but yet with neither blade being damaged or even notched from the various, violent impacts. Sparks fly through the air every now and then. The masked woman finally manages to score a (superficial) hit when she uses the longer blade of her sword to force Sōryū downwards and to the side. Jake barely finches, however, as the very tip of the weapon slides down a crude vertical path, starting from underneath the brim of his helmet on the right side, and ending down at his left side of his chin, cutting across the bridge of his nose, and breaking the lower face mask. The throat guard is intact, and stays in place along with the now-split mask.
With an angry howl, Jake delivers his own blow to his opponent's mask, apparently made of metal, for a deep gouge is formed, though not broken. The woman jumps backwards, and the two sword-wielders exchange a brief moment of appraisal. Then she turns around and slashes her ōdachi through the air, a red-and-black portal forming. Yang groans as the Torchwick twins watch the masked swordswoman step through the portal. Once said-woman disappears along with the portal, Jake lowers Sōryū, while Neo sheathes her blade to back within its parasol sheath. The two siblings look at one another for a moment. Despite the slow but steady stream of blood welling up and dripping down his face, Jake doesn't mess with it, watching as Neo's eyes, which are both a warm brown, her indication of overwhelming joy.
Without a word, the long-separated teens embrace each other tightly. Eyes start to become misty, and it is such a rare occasion for Jake to be unable to speak, his throat clogged with so many emotions. Finally, the two break the embrace. The taller Jake looks down at his shorter newly-emancipated sister, who clips the small, durable signal jammer to the back of her belt for safe keeping. As an added precaution, due to Yang's overall state of oblivion, she pockets the Scroll she had used to contact the Jäger from between the generous cleavage of Ruby's sibling into her pocket. 'I'll give it back once we're safe,' She tells him using their special-coded sign language. Her twin nods.
"Sounds ok to me. Once we get back to Beacon, I will make sure that the mini-bomb is safely removed. Just because our father will be arrested, doesn't mean that we should leave anything up to—"He never gets a chance to finish the sentence. Sadly, typical of his overall luck since being captured by the staff of Beacon, the heart-warming moment is rudely shattered by a loud siren. "Shit, the train! It's going to hit the sealed barrier! He's using it as a fucking battering ram, sis! Once he breaches the city, White Fang and Grimm will swarm into the city!" Jake shouts, finally realizing what the plan is for using a train. He raises his katana, swiftly reversing it in his grips. Neo let's put a silent sigh, a deadpan expression clearly evident on her face.
'…fuck our luck, bro.'
"Brace yourselves!" Jake shouts to the slightly awake Yang and Neo, the latter nodding and grabbing onto the blonde brawler who had only minutes ago been at her mercy. Jake falls to one knee and thrusts Sōryū into and through the floor of the railcar, the mighty blade now an anchor for the impact. 'Please Ruby, don't die,' is what Jake's last thought it before the sealed tunnel is met by a rushing train.
Even for a skilled veteran such as Jake, no one can ever be truly prepared for the violent, jarring impact created by a train at full speed smashing through thick barriers. Metal groans and spark fly as the lights flicker rapidly. Jake grits his teeth and tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword, preventing the otherwise strong probability of being thrown backwards as a large, gaping hole is undoubtedly formed up above, if the upwards ascending position of the railcars are any useful indication.
The following moments become a hazy blur. Somehow, Jake, Neo, and a fully-awake (or at least, as much as can be for her) Yang, stand up among several large boulders in what appears to be the center of Vale. A loud wail, mechanical and computerized, causes the Jäger to wince, his damaged hearing unappreciative of this nuisance while his Aura works to repair the internal damage. Then he realizes that it is the invasion alert. Grabbing his Scroll, he presses a button, hoping that the special squad he had summoned just before the departure to Mountain Glenn has arrived.
A groan nearby, followed by a couple more, reminds Jake of his girlfriend. "Ruby," he whispers, rushing over to the young Rose. He helps her up, and the couple shares a brief smile of relief, though Ruby's silver eyes widen at the damage to her boyfriend's face. But before she can ask what happened, Ruby notices the stunned citizens of Vale all around the now-ruined city square.
Then the ground rumbles, and Team RWBY looks behind them as more rumble is thrown skywards as a large King Taijitu breaks through to the surface. Hundreds of various Grimm species follow behind the two-headed, snake-like shadow demon. No longer stunned, the helpless civilians run away, screaming. Feeding off of the sudden surge of raw negativity, the Grimm push farther into city, with White Fang members also entering the city, though most head into buildings, armed with their Dust-powered firearms.
For a moment, Jake watches as Ruby looks at the horrific scene, her face unsure of what to do. Then it tightens, a determined look covering her almost child-like features. Grabbing Sōryū, lying nearby, Jake takes up a fighting stance. His armor, while chipped in some places and battle-scarred virtually everywhere, the bright blue coloring faded slightly by the fine layer of dust covering it, he looks first at his twin, also in a relaxed, deceptive stance that is actually her own fighting stance. Then he looks at his girlfriend, now surrounded by the equally-determined members of her team.
"This is it. This is what you trained for, and what I have dreaded yet been prepared to stop. We are the only line of defense! So let's kill these demons! FOR VALE!" Jake's shout s echoed by the others, before all six teen fighters charge towards the Grimm, many of their attention now focused on the oncoming attackers.
The Breach, and the fight to plug it, has begun.
And finished! Already started the next chapter, but I am sad to say that I can make no further promises beyond hopefully publishing it no later than early September, though most likely sooner, like August. This story is far, far from being forgotten or abandoned. I just had a lot going on. On the tenth of June, I graduated from Middle Creek High School, North Carolina. On the tenth of August, I shall be moving into my dorm room for my first year of college. I have been going for a period of time feeling directionless, unable to interact with others as much as I would like, as well as dealing with some damn drama of the personal sort. Now, however, I shall return to this story. I wish to thank each and every single one of you wonderful men and women, boys and girls, for reading this story, waiting so patiently. Since the first day this story was published, back in early January of this year, I have yet to deal with a day of no views, even during this nearly-two month hiatus of sorts. With (at the moment of this chapter being finished and posted) over 27,000 views, 91 favorites, 131 followers, and 80 reviews, this story is my most successful one yet, and also my proudest work yet! I again sincerely thank each and every one of you from the deepest corner of the bottom of my heart! God bless you lot! As always, please feel free to leave a review, comment, though, or any general feedback, favorite or follow this story, or even PM me with your personal thoughts on this story! Well, until next time, have a wonderful day/evening/morning/night! Next Chapter: The Breach