Jaune and the Real Girl.

Chapter 6

"Jaune! Wait!" Penny said as he took off sprinting towards the assassin.

"Bastard!" Jaune cried shield held up and sword raised.

"There's no need for vulgarities Mr. Arch." Vasily answered calmly as Jaune charged, "I am a hunter, I-."

"You're not a hunter!" Jaune interrupted giving his first swing. "You're just a psychopath, a serial killer with a paying," he snarled blocking a strike from the butt of his rifle and thrusting Crocea Mors at him.

Vasily calm face twisted into a frown, he spun away from the thrust and leveled the rifle at Jaune and fired from the hip.

BOOM! First shot.

It completely knocked Jaune off his feet. He flew backwards and once again found himself falling back first into the snow. Once more the slug had crashed against his shield adding another dent, his shield had gained quite a few recently it seemed.

Jaune looked up moving to stand when the assassin charged him, bayonet raised. Jaune tried raising his battered shield to block the falling blow. But the strike never came. Vasily's arm was yanked violently to the side as if by an unseen force.

Jaune stuck.

He spring up from the icy ground and slashed the assassin across his chest. Crocea Mors connected. Vasily's aura pushed against his blade protecting him but the slash seared through the nylon layers of his snow jacked and across the leather sling of his rifle and bandolier.

The bolt action rifle on his back fell to the ground but Jaune ignored it. He dropped his ancestral sword and snatched away the bandolier from the snow. The assassin tried kicking him in retaliation but his boot only slammed against the shield. Jaune turned clutching the heavy belt of ammunition and threw it with all his might. He tossed it right into one of the burning buildings.

The supply of ammunition crackled, exploding as the flames consumed it.

Jaune fell forward as he felt the buttstock of Vasily's double rifle club him in the back of his head. He turned back up ready to fight as Penny charged in. A flash of the bayonet cut whatever was holding Vasily's arm. Jaune spotted a fragment of a sword hilt dangling from the assassin's arm. Penny had used one of her wires to snare him.

Vasily turned to Penny and rolled away from the flurry of blades and fired shattering another blade.

Shot two, empty.

Jaune sprinted across the ice, snatching Crocea Mors from where he dropped it and charged.

Vasily parried away the attacks from Floating Array, down to just nine blades he parried them all, his rifle twirled as he wielded it in both hands, Penny kept her distance extending her swords to attack at a safe range. He ducked a blade thrust directed at him and swiped his bayonet up.

The sword fell out the air and into the snow, the invisible string expertly cut by his blade. Jaune swung at the assassins, adding his own blade to the fray. Steel met steel ringing as they traded blows. Blocks and parries and faints, they pressed their attack keeping the assassin on his toes. 

The heavy stock of the rifle bashed away Jaune's shield as Vasily brought the bayonet to him only for the blow to be stopped once more. The rifle was pulled away from the hunter's grasp. He growled and retreated running away from them.

Jaune gave chase. He sprinted after him as he rushed through the icy streets of the burning ghost town. He wasn't about to let Vasily slip away to keep attacking them, not when they had him on the ropes.

The hunter turned rounding a corner of a burning house and Jaune followed only to find the hunter waiting for him. Vasily lunged for Jaune, knife in hand slashing at his face. He blocked it bringing his shield up and stepping back.