She heard the crackle of fire before she felt its warmth. There was a weight on her back and there was, what sounded like, someone singing quietly. She sat up slightly, causing the weight to slide off one shoulder, exposing it to the chilly night air. Opening her eyes, she saw a disheveled looking young man sharpening a sword. His face was weathered and stubbled and he had unkempt black hair.

"Finally awake, eh?" the man said, his voice gruff.

Finally realizing her situation, she shot to her feet, reaching out to summon Miló to her. When nothing came, she fell into a basic defensive stance.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Where am I?"

He huffed, "Nice way to thank a man for saving your life."

She reached out and, with more effort than normal, pulled the sword from his hand with her Semblance and brandished it threateningly. Her hands shook. She had never threatened an unarmed man before.

"Answer me!"

The man held his hands up passively, "Look, I don't know how you did that, but just relax. I mean you no harm. My name is Trevor Belmont and you're in Wallachia. We're not far from Murdenu."

"And why have you set me up at your campfire?"

"Because I didn't particularly care for the idea of leaving your unconscious body to be eaten or worse. I'm a bit funny like that…"

He stood up and stepped around the fire.

"So, are you going to keep pointing my sword at me? Or do you wanna talk about how you ended up in the middle of nowhere?"

He gently took the sword from her and sheathed it. Seeing her shiver, he picked up, what turned out to be, a heavy cloak off the ground at her feet, draping it over her shoulders again. It was heavy, with a layer of fur on the shoulders and collar.

As she sat down, she took in her surroundings. They were in a small clearing in a dark forest. There was a cool breeze blowing and she could hear birds chirping. She shivered as she pulled the cloak tighter.

"So… What's your name?"

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Odd…" Trevor frowned, taking in her appearance. "You don't look Greek"

"I'm sorry..." Pyrrha said. "I don't understand. Why would I look Greek? And what is a Greek?"

"Your name, it means pyrrhic victory in Greek," he said. "Greece is a country south of here."

"I'm afraid I may be far from home," Pyrrha said.

Trevor huffed, "Well, you're here now. You need to figure out what you want to do with yourself."

She shivered. "It must be Fall here…" she observed.

They sat in silence, only the sound of insects chirping to fill the void.

"Just coming into October, yes. You'll be needing something warmer to wear. How did you take my sword? Magic?"

She shook her head. "My Semblance, Polarity. It allows me to manipulate metal. It isn't normally that hard for me to move things…"

"Do you have any idea how you got here?" Trevor asked.

She shook her head. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, recalling the Fall of Beacon and her last moments with Jaune. She felt her eyes watering as she remembered their kiss, choking back a sob at the thought of sending him away how she did.

"The last thing I remember was fighting someone," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I was fighting to defend my academy. My weapons were destroyed and I'd been shot in the ankle with an arrow. My last conscious thought was how I'd failed as she put an arrow in my chest."

They sat in silence as Pyrrha collected herself.

"Where did you find me?" she asked.

"You were just lying there when I found you. Right where you woke up. I built this fire here so I wouldn't have to move you, in case you were injured."

"Thank you, Trevor," she said, meeting the man's eyes. "Not everyone would do that."

"You feel like you're ready to go?" Trevor asked, getting to his feet. "Cuz I'm leaving. You can either come with me or go your own way, just don't slow me down. If you stay, stay close to the fire."

Pyrrha got to her feet, still gripping Trevor's cloak, her ankle feeling a bit sore. She brushed bits of dirt and leaves off her legs.

"I should be able to keep up okay."

Trevor nodded, moving to put out the fire.

"So," he asked as they walked through the forest. "Where are you from? You look like you're from Albania, but your name is obviously Greek. You've got no accent I've ever heard and your clothes are like nothing I've seen."

They walked in silence before Pyrrha spoke again.

"I come from a city called Argus, in the kingdom of Mistral."

"And the academy you were defending?"

She smiled sadly, "Beacon Academy, in the kingdom of Vale, a training school for Huntsman and Huntresses. The Huntsman were trained to use their weapons and abilities to fight and kill monsters, called Grimm."

"Grimm?"

"Creatures of darkness that seek to destroy mankind and everything man has created. They are attracted by strong negative feelings. Doubt, fear, despair, anger… Anything like that can draw in the creatures."

Trevor chuckled humourlessly. "Sounds like our Night Creatures… Demons from Hell summoned to wipe out humanity. All because a woman was burned at the stake, falsely accused of witchcraft."

Pyrrha was shocked, "What? Why would anyone do that?"

"Witchcraft is seen as an affront to God. Anything different or unknown is seen as witchcraft, something to be purged."

"That's terrible! What did she do to deserve that?"

"She was a doctor, healing people. The Church doesn't think women should be more than mothers. Someone told the Church and she was arrested, accused of witchcraft, and burned at the stake, all in a single night. Her husband, a vampire named Dracula summoned a demon horde from the depths of Hell to get his revenge. And that is why I stayed with you, making a camp while you slept. If I'd left you alone, you'd have likely been eaten."

He turned to look at her, "What about your creatures of Grimm? Who summoned them?"

Pyrrha thought for a moment, "To be honest, I don't know. They've been around almost as long as mankind… I'm not sure anyone ever really knew where they came from… Forgive my ignorance, Trevor… but what is a Vampire?"

Trevor raised an eyebrow, "You don't have them where you're from? Vampires are creatures of the night, they feed on the blood of others and only care about their own kind. Weak to sunlight, holy weapons, and not much else…"

"Are they evil?"

"Most seek to control humanity, damn anyone who gets in their way," Trevor said. "I won't say there are no good vampires… But I've never met one. I hunt them. Them and other monsters. You say you're trained to fight monsters. Have you ever taken a life that wasn't Grimm? Would you be willing too?"

Pyrrha thought for a moment, until recently, she hadn't considered the possibility of killing a human or Faunus. But with that woman, Cinder, she knew she'd had to kill her. To get the powers of the Fall Maiden.

"If I have to, I'm willing." She didn't sound terribly sure of herself.

"Because that's what you can do, if you're still interested in protecting the innocent. Just be careful, if the Church gets their hands on you, they'll likely kill you."

The rest of their journey was silent. Occasionally, Pyrrha would get the feeling she was being watched. The night creatures Trevor told her about ringing a little too familiar.

"I will need weapons of my own," she said. "While I can fight hand to hand, I likely won't last long."

"I'm sure we can find you something eventually," Trevor said, unfastening his scabbard, handing it to her. "For now, you can use my short sword."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine, I can fight fairly well without it," Trevor assured her. "If you're going to travel with me, I want you to be able to fight properly."

She took the scabbard, buckling it around her waist.

"Thank you, Trevor."

"Heh, don't mention it."

They walked in companionable silence till they reached a small town, the sign read Murdenu.

"Keep the cloak on for now," Trevor advised. "People around here already don't trust strangers. Best not to draw unnecessary attention to yourself."

He led her into a small tavern, the only building in town with lights on. Inside were two men, one large, one tall, engaged in conversation. The bartender is wiping out mugs with a rag.

The tavern was warm and somewhat cozy, there was a roaring fireplace with a boar's head mounted above it. A few scattered patrons were nursing drinks or just sleeping, their tankards sitting forgotten in front of them.

Pyrrha tried to ignore the stares of the other patrons as they stepped up to the bar.

"What can I get for you two?" the bartender asked.

"Ale and meat for both of us," Trevor requested, pulling some coins from his belt pouch. "My sister and I have had a bit of a journey."

Pyrrha started slightly at being referred to as Trevor's sister, but then realized it was likely to keep questions to a minimum. The bartender took the coin and filled a pair of tankards, before disappearing into the back. As Pyrrha took her tankard, she noticed the larger of the men glaring at Trevor.

Trevor did say they wouldn't be trusting of strangers, she thought.

As they took a seat by the fireplace, the bartender returned from the back, carrying a plate of meat.

"Thank you," Pyrrha said, accepting the food.

The meat was good, if a bit overcooked. She thought it might be lamb, but couldn't be sure. The ale was alright, a bit more… bread-y than she'd expected, but not terrible. It seemed she was hungrier than she'd realized, as she'd eaten most of the meat.

"Hungry are we?" Trevor chuckled.

She blushed slightly, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, we'll be on the move shortly, so it's best to eat what you can."

"Actually… You're not going anywhere... Belmont."

The larger of the two patrons had stomped over to their table.

"Beg your pardon?" Trevor asked.

"Thas' yer name, ain't it? I know that crest," he jabbed Trevor's shirt with his fat finger. "That's a Belmont crest."

"Shit…" Trevor groaned.