Jaune and the Real Girl.

Chapter 16

He watched the aura gauge slowly shrink on his scroll. The action was winding down as fewer and fewer grimm accosted the huntsman. Their numbers culled the huntsman stalked the area eliminating the stragglers and disposing of the wounded grimm. He probably was congratulating himself thinking the bulk of his work finished, he was probably already counting his lien.

Vasily unslung his rifle from his back and leveled it at his prey. His aura was currently reading at sixty one percent, lower than Vasily had expected to engage him at. He pulled the bolt open on his rifle and grabbed a round from his bandolier and held it as he watched his target through the scope. His goggles connected to his personal scroll displaying his aura in the corner of his vision.

His aura poured into the specially designed dust round imbuing it with his semblance. The dust capsule absorbed his semblance accepting the fragment of his aura to become more powerful. His semblance, the ability to imbue weapons and dust with his aura, strengthening their power.

He slid the imbued round in the rifles magazine and closed the bolt, chambering it.  He took aim at the oblivious huntsman, fingered the trigger, released his breath, and fired.

The rifle cracked and the huntsman's aura flared up to block the projectile. The power of his semblance activated as the bullet struck. The dust capsule shattering and releasing his power. The dust he imbued with his semblance reacted violently damaging his aura, weakening it instantly.

He glanced at the aura indicator his goggles displayed, fourteen percent. A pittance to remove. If he had used his express rifle the brute would already be a stain on the snow. But he didn't want the huntsman's life, he had far better uses for him alive.

The huntsman froze for a moment stunned by the sudden shot and dramatic drop in his aura. Vasily laughed at the buffoon and cycled the bolt of his rifle as the huntsman made to evade his second shot.

Vasily fired, cycled the action and fired again as the huntsman moved to close the distance with him. The rounds missed and kicked up snow as they struck the ground.

He sprinted across the snow to his roof and raised his shotgun firing several blasts from his shotgun. Vasily leapt back and dropped from the roof out of sight. He let his rifle drop and hang on its sling as he drew his revolver from his holster. He sprinted around the corner of the building to pursue his prey.

An axe swung at him and Vasily ducked the blow. Low on aura the huntsman was doubtlessly trying to end this as quickly as possible. A feeble if admirable attempt. Vasily fired from the hip, his trigger finger squeezing the double action trigger as he fired twice into the huntsman's gut. His aura flared up and shielded him but shattered into particles of light.

The huntsman tried to flee. He turned to retreat from him and make a desperate dash for safety. He was a coward as well as a brute, and a disappointment. He grabbed the hilt of his whip and uncoiled it, his thumb hit the control for the dust sending sparking arcs of electricity across its length.

The whip lashed across his back. It tore through his armor and clothing to shock him and send him down to the snow with a yell of agony.

The huntsman rolled to face him, his axe shifted back into a shotgun. The weapon fired at him but Vasily simply dodged the spray of buckshot with a tilt of his head. He swung his whip again at the weapon and ensnared it to pull out of his weak grasp.

The large huntsman cowered on the ground before him. Weapon less and without any aura he shook with fear, the bold and brash huntsman he had watched slaughter grimm was gone now, his power stripped away to leave him a sniveling coward.

"Who are you?" He asked him, raising his hands in surrender, "what do you want with me?!"

Listening to the fear in his voice sent a surge of anger through him. He wasn't going to fight him anymore? Just lay down for him? A pathetic excuse for a huntsman, a muscle bound thug who was only confident when the deck was stacked in his favor, he never sought challenges or hard fought glory. It sickens Vasily, even though he hadn't expected a challenge tonight he had hoped for some resistance, an actual fight at the very least. Not this sickening display of weakness. He had had schoolyard scuffles more interesting than this.