Jäger Chapter Twenty-Five: The Breach
Vale was in absolute chaos.
The air is filled with the blaring wail of the Grimm invasion sirens, long inactive aside from the occasional practice drill. Unarmed citizens run away, screaming in fear. Grimm howl, eager to finally get the chance to satisfy their endless bloodlust, long denied by the city's formidable, natural defenses long protecting it and its dwellers, and sounds of combat are somewhat muted by these other sounds.
"Fuck Salem…" Jake mutters, once again fighting the urge to wipe a hand across his face. The mostly still-flowing blood is leaking down his now-cracked mask, and threatening to get into his right eye. A snarling alpha Beowolf lunges forward, thinking that its 'prey' is distracted. The Jäger almost tuts as he takes the shadowy demon off-guard when he runs forward. The large Grimm tries to disembowel the armored sword-wielder, but Jake simply ducks forward slightly. Once underneath the striking capabilities of the fearsome wolf-demon, the Jäger strikes in a single, precise, vertical cut.
With a sickening squelch, the mid-torso region of the alpha Beowolf splits in two. A spray of red gore spews out, the corpse already starting to dissolve into the shadows it is made of before hitting the ground. A second, lesser wolf demon, probably the beta of the back, also lunges forward, this time from behind Jake. With a silent sigh, he reverses the grip of his katana, Sōryū, before thrusting the ancient, curved blade directly into the heart of the Beowolf, slaying it.
A thud next to him almost startles the Jäger, who turns to see the sight of Neo removing the thin blade, concealed within her lace parasol, from the center-top of an Ursa skull, doing a playfully-mocking bow at her twin. Rolling his eyes, Jake can't help but smile, still giddy about finally being reunited with her. Returning the smile, the former, forced cohort of their father then leaps forward to another Ursa nearby, slamming the narrow blade directly into one of the glowing, red eyes, blinding it. With the grace and speed that has always defined her, Neo quickly delivers a rapid series of vicious strikes all over the head and torso of the stunned Grimm. Unable to fully comprehend what is happening, or being able to catch its tiny, female assailant, the bear-like Grimm quickly succumbs to the combined lethality of the various lacerations and holes.
Team RWBY, also nearby, is also holding their ground. Despite their youth, the four girls continually carve up the Grimm. Despite having been just knocked down from the air by a trio of large Nevermores, Yang quickly gets up, added by her semblance. Picking up a nearby, and thankfully empty, car, she punches it hard, using a shotgun round from her weapon to increase the force. The vehicle crushes dozens of Creepers. Weiss alternates between impaling Beowolves with Myrtenaster and forming up ice shields and glyphs, deflecting attacks, or simply tossing the attackers away from her. Blake and Ruby alternate between using their mecha-shift weapons between melee and ranged modes.
Despite their best efforts, the tide of Grimm seems to, at best, maintain itself, and at worse, increase. They all know that the best way to end the demonic onslaught would be to plug the hole. The problem is that, for the moment at least, they are just barely managing to not be pushed back. Thus, any thoughts of moving closer to the breach are rendered as nothing more than fantasies.
With his trademark calmness and swift strikes, Jake disembowels a large Ursa that had foolishly stood up on its hind legs. Letting out a massive, rage/pain-induced howl, it falls forward. Not so much to be a mercy killing blow as to be a double-tap, the leader of a secret order simply plunges the blade down between where the first vertebrae and the skull meet, severing it. "Where the fuck are they?" He mutters to himself as he falls to one knee, raising Sōryū above his head and allowing the onrushing Beowolf to slice itself open upon the sharpened metal. Blood spills onto his helmet and armor, before the two halves, already beginning to dissolve, land behind him on either side.
A coarse, almost guttural voice draws the attention of the Jäger, and the others, and the surrounding Grimm.
"Pour la France!"
For the briefest of moments, all fighting, both human (and Faunus) and Grimm, stops in the now-battered city square, and the only sound are the panting of the five fighters take the moment to take a breather. Jake looks up at the building behind the curiously-inactive King Taijitu, a small smile appearing beneath his split mask at what he sees.
A large man jumps down, slamming something into the white head of the Grimm, killing it and stunning the surviving head. Taking the moment to strike, Ruby leaves behind her trademark trail of roses as she uses her enhanced speed to zip forward. With a short shout, she swings Crescent Rose, its sharp blade slashing at the trunk of the snake-like Grimm. The over-sized scythe cuts through the scales, flesh, and bone, and the severed sections thud to the ground. Pausing, Jake's girlfriend finally manages to catch sight of the newcomer.
He appears to be well-built. His weapon is a long shaft of metal, ending with a cylindrical head mounting three spikes, each almost two inches long, in rows along the sides, for a total of twelve. A simple metal ring dangles at the bottom of the grip of the mace, for being clipped onto his belt. A simple metal breastplate covers his chest, with several small sections of armor covering his shoulders and upper arms. A long-barreled revolver is tucked into his belt, along with at least a half-dozen, lemon-shaped grenades, around his belt. His eyes are hidden by a pair of goggles and a slight mask. His mouth is also covered, this time with a large, greyish-colored cloth. In fact, only the tanned hands gripping the end of his mace are the only organic parts she can see. He rapidly approaches her lover, coming to a stop and giving a quick salute.
"Vous ne nous avez pas dit que vous apporteriez des amis, Jäger." The voice is muffled by the fabric around his mouth, not that it would make a difference to the scythe-wielder, being in what must be one of the dialects spoken in the more isolated, and ancient, settlements of Remnant.
"Oh, shut the hell up! They're not friends! Where are the others?"
"Ils sont au club comme vous l'avez mentionné. Meneur d'escouade Brown m'a ordonné de vous trouver une fois que nous avons entendu l'alarme. Elle et les autres tiendront leurs postes, mias elle attend votre commande, Commandant."
"Look out, Boarbatusk!" Yang's warning causes the two to spin around. Sure enough, an average-sized sample of the boar-like shadow demons has just finished curling into a ball, rapidly approaching Jake and the newcomer. Instead of firing or search for cover, however, the two armored warriors merely hold their ground. Ruby's silver eyes widen in horror, running forward, her instinct being to defend her loved ones.
When the oncoming creature of Grimm is only a foot or so away from hitting the two men, the newcomer simply swings his mace in a two-handed grip with a grunt. The spiked metal head slams into the right side of the spinning body. With a sickening crunch that is made when bone is crushed, the curled-up swine Grimm slams into a wall. It twitches for a few moments, the side of its head partially caved in, so powerful was the strike. Then it goes still, smoke being emitted from the fresh corpse.
She skids to a halt halfway there, her jaw dropping down for a few seconds. The only people she had ever seen capable of delivering such a large amount of devastating force were her sister and father. So, who the heck was this guy, and what is up with him knowing her boyfriend? Ruby finally manages to snap out of her mini-stupor, shaking her head rapidly. Fight first, ask questions later. She lunges towards an alpha Beowolf, decapitating it, leaving the several dozen incoming Creeper Grimm to the only two male warriors in the group.
Neither of the two combat veterans daunted, the newcomer deftly hooks his mace to his belt before grabbing two of the grenades from his belt. He tosses one to Jake, who catches it in one hand. Burying the tip of the nil-unbreakable sword into the ground, the Jäger uses the now-free hand to pull the pin at the same time as the mace-wielder. Giving a short nod, they toss the two metal explosives at the Grimm mini-horde. Once more gripping his katana, Jake braces himself.
The first half-dozen or so Creepers ignore the two objects. The rest are forced to notice it when the grenades explode. The bodies of the Grimm closest to the explosions are almost thoroughly shredded. The shrapnel debris created flies further outwards, creating severe lacerations. By the time the dust settles, the two can see that the Grimm are either vaporized, in the process of fading back into the shadows, or mortally wounded. Jake's eyes narrow, however, at the fleeting sight of several white tunics fleeing into the depths of the now-chaotic city. Surviving White Fang members from the train, who are without a doubt scurrying to their base to plan the next phase of their plan.
Not if the Jäger has anything to say about it. He grits his teeth as he decapitates yet another Grimm with a single, clean sweep of Sōryū.
"Rouille! New plan! Track those sons of bitches, and find their base of operation. Don't be seen. I will regroup with you, Brown, and the others once you find out where it is. Understood?" Jake says rapidly, speaking loud enough only so that the newcomer, Rouille, is able to hear it. He nods.
"Oui."
With that, the powerful warrior silently departs. Jake notices that his girlfriend is shooting him a questioning look, to which he signals that he will explain later. Swiftly withdrawing his bayonet from its sheathe at his belt, having been detached from his rifle due to the lack of being able to use the weapon in such close-quarters, Ruby is taken aback when Jake throws it past her.
A wet gurgling noise alerts her to the now non-threatening Beowolf, slumping to the ground as crimson liquids pour out of its ragged throat, the leather-clad handle of the short sword-like bayonet protruding in a most obvious manner. Once again, however, Ruby's unique silver eyes widen in fear, pointing behind Jake with one small hand.
"Look out behind you!" The young reaper shouts, just as the Jäger hears a loud, furious hiss. He rapidly spins around, holding his katana in his typical ready stance. The black head of a second King Taijitu emerges from the hole. Its thick, scaly body is tensed, ready to strike out with its over-sized, venomous fangs. But before either of them strike, a low rumble grows louder. Looking over his shoulder, Jake leaps backwards just as Nora slams Magnhild directly in the center of the Grimm's skull, shattering it. Unable to support itself due to the second head still below the hole, the half-alive shadow demon tumbles back down.
The rest of Team JNPR quickly joins the battle, soon followed by Team CFVY, the robotic military of Atlas, those of the staff of Beacon not on the mid-year missions, and any Huntsmen or Huntresses that were in the area. The fighting becomes a blur for the Jäger, one moment sinking his sword into the throat of an Ursa, the next disemboweling a startled Boarbatusk. A snarling Beowolf, foam dripping out of its fanged mouth, lunges forward, before letting out a shrill yelp as one of its forepaws is severed. Said yelp is swiftly silenced next when Sōryū is thrusted upwards underneath the lower jaw, shattering bone and piercing whatever the hell it is that they use for a brain.
Soon, the remaining Grimm are wiped out, and Goodwitch uses her semblance to seal the hole Torchwick had created, thus ending the event. While Team RWBY talks with their fellow teams, Jake watches with narrowed eyes as he spots the silver-haired man, and mint green-haired woman that have been accompanying the woman known as Cinder Fall. Between them is his father, Roman Torchwick, being lead to a Bullhead transport after being 'arrested'. Wiping the blood away from the lower half of his face, Jake turns to Neo, resorting to their old method of coded hand communication. Watch my back. I need to make a call. Neo, though slightly confused, slightly nods her head once, before gesturing back.
Ok, bro. Just be quick. It might be inactive, but I would like to remove that bomb very soon.
Pulling out his small, specially-made Scroll, he presses a button, opening an encrypted line. "This is Jäger. I am declaring that we are at FAST PACE. Summon the rest of the Order, and be ready to send another five squads at the end of this week. I will make contact on which squads to send here. Am I clear?"
"Hai, Dai-gensui!"
After hearing the garbled (due to maintaining secrecy) response, Jake swiftly turns off and pockets the mini-Scroll. He looks back at his sister. "Ready?" He quietly asks her. Neo nods, her eyes both turning pink, a determined look on her face. As the Bullhead, with Torchwick aboard, takes off, the two walk towards Goodwitch. The Ozpin's blonde second-in-command first looks startled, before scowling at the forced student's companion.
"I hope you have a good reason for her being here, and not arrested?" Jake grunts, his tone resorting back to the typical gruffness.
"Sister, forced by our father, has a bomb in the back of her head that you might want to remove." Glynda's purple eyes widen, but before she can speak, Jake cuts her off. "I am jamming the signal for now, but the sooner the explosive is removed, the better for all of us. I can vouch for her. If needed be, she will stay with me at Beacon."
Goodwitch stares at what she sees as an insolent child harshly, before finally sighing. "Very well then. Miss Torchwick, follow me." The mentioned girl looks nervously at her brother. He in turn gives a reassuring nod.
"It will be fine. Hopefully, I will see you again either tonight or in the morning, as a truly free girl." Neo gives a slightly lopsided smile, before walking with Goodwitch.
As the two women walk towards a second Bullhead, this one headed to Beacon, Jake feels a slight tug on his armor. Turning around, the breath is almost knocked clean from his lungs as Ruby wraps her arms around him. She looks up at him, noting for the first time the large cut across his face that had also shattered his half-mask.
"Oh my god, what happened Jake?"
"It's from when I left to help Yang. Finally found a sword-wielder with skill. I'll be fine," He reassures her, leaning down slightly to deliver a peck on her forehead. The leader of Team RWBY simply squeezes his torso as she nuzzles her head against his chest. Her cute voice slightly muffled against the blue laminated metal armor, she whispers a question to him.
"So, is your twin free?"
"Yes, she is. Neo will be staying with me for now. So, I promised to explain to you what was up with the newcomer. IS there anything particular you want me to tell you—" Ruby cutes him off with a quick peck on his lips.
"Later, after we take care of that cut. I think the others should hear about this as well." Jake nods once.
"As you wish."
Elsewhere in the City of Vale…
Atop one of the buildings overlooking the scene of what the local media has swiftly dubbed, 'the Breach', Cinder Falls is addressing Emerald and Mercury. "All in all, I call today a success," The half-maiden purrs.
"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things," Her green-haired loyalist comments. Mercury nods his head in a rare sign of agreement with his partner.
"Yeah, a lot of Faunus didn't make it out of those tunnels. You still think the White Fang's going to listen to us?" He asks their leader. A new voice joins the conversation, as a bull Faunus with blood-red hair enters the conversation, his eyes and upper face covered with a Grimm-like mask.
"No. But they'll listen to me. Cinder, we need to talk about that human swordsman."
"I agree with you, Adam."
Meanwhile, in the mountains on the border of Vale and Vacuo…
Few are able to observe the majestic mountains separating the fertile land of Vale and the inner desert of Vacuo. Thus, there is little chance of one knowing what lies beneath the mass of rocks. And thus, it is a perfect location for the central base of the recently-reorganized Order of the Mournful Dawn. While the exterior looks unchanged by anything save for the elements of nature and the passing of time, the interior is completely different.
Inside, bright factory-level floodlights hang from the ceiling, illuminating the rush of hundreds of men and women, checking their weapons and war machines. Orders are thrown about, and requests for equipment are considered. Officers point to maps as specialists gather their gears. Soldiers from all four nations ready their uniforms.
The Order is getting ready for war.
Translations:
For France!
You did not tell us you would bring friends, Jäger.
They are at the club as you mentioned. Squad leader Brown ordered me to find you once we heard the alarm. She and the others will hold their posts, but she's waiting for your orders, Commander.
Yes.
And done! First chapter published since I started college, and having a rather good time, so far. A short chapter will (hopefully) be out this Friday, but not 100% sure. I am working on getting a proper schedule, so I will keep you guys and gals in the loop! Thanks again for the dedication in reading and following this story despite the recent, long waits in updates. Also, sorry if the breach is shorter than some of you would have liked, but I did what I could. As always, please feel free to leave your thoughts below, and have a wonderful day! Until next time! Next: Truths Revealed