Jaune and the Real Girl.

Chapter 6

Sometimes fighting felt a lot like dancing. There was a flow to it, a natural order, a rhythm, a beat, rehearsed action and reaction. One could even call it beautiful in a way, but it was a savage beauty. It was a fast dance with a chaotic tempo and Jaune was barely keeping up.

Floating Array moved and slashed at the hunter but he ducked easily enough. Jaune thrust Crocea Mors at his back hoping to take advantage of Penny's distraction only to have his heavy rifle knock the sword away. Jaune pulled his dented shield up blocking the heavy butt from clubbing him in the face again.

"I think you're getting slower, Miss Polendina," Vasily taunted.

Jaune snarled wanting nothing more that to knock that smug little smirk off his face. He charged in his shield held in front hoping to strike him off balance but before Jaune could get close enough his double rifle roared once more striking his shield again.

It felt like getting hit with a truck. His arm felt numb but he dug his feet into the snow feeling it push him back almost stumbling him.

Penny didn't waste her opening and shot her blade at him. Vasily rolled and brought the double rifle up and fired his second shot. The blade shattered again and he laughed retreating to reload his beast of a rifle.

"Definitely slower," Vasily taunted pulling two fresh shells from his bandolier and siding them into the weapon and closing it with smooth practiced ease.

Who built that weapon? Jaune was sure Ruby would be gushing over it given the chance. Jaune didn't even want to imagine what it'd do to him if it actually him him instead of his poor shield. He wasn't even sure it could stand many more hits, certainly not at this range.

He moved again, desperate to keep the assassin under pressure. They had him outnumbered now that his drones were gone. Penny moved too staggering her movement to avoid giving him an easy target as they tried flanking him from both sides.

Vasily was ready for that. He drew a revolver from his flap holster and fired at Jaune squeezing off multiple shots that shattered against his shield. Penny reached him first and he parried her blades with his rifle holding it in one hand like a staff knocking away the many swords.

A single blade sprung from between the two barrels and he thrust at Penny catching her shoulder. She screamed as the bayonet sank in and shocked her again with lighting dust.

Jaune finally closed in and swung. The hunter withdrew his bayonet and knocked away Jaune's sword with the rifle as he slammed the barrel of the heavy revolver into his face.

Jaune took the blow, he saw stars blooming in his eyes, but he didn't retreat. He swiped his shield up catching Vasily's wrist with the edge knocking the revolver away.

Vasily snarled as the weapon dropped into the snow. Jaune kept pressing his assault, he brought Crocea Mors back up to return the hunter's pistol whip with a pommel strike. Jaune dropped as he felt the bayonet slash his leg and shock him. His leg muscles contracted and he growled in pain and he fell down to the snow.

The assassins retreated but Penny followed lashing out with two blades to hold whatever pressure they had on him. The assassin rolled backwards onto one knee and fired, both barrels cracked like thunder and both swords shattered.

Again Vasily laughed. "How many swords do you have left now Miss Polendina? Ten? I'm more than willing to keep relieving you of them, though I'd like to keep one intact for my trophy wall."

Jaune growled picking himself up from the snow. He felt Penny step close, he stabbed his blade into the snow and took her hand letting her help him stand. "We need to attack him while he's reloading," he told Penny softly keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Vasily, "I'll distract him."