Black Sun

Chapter 3

He heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped through the door and into the 100 Rads Bar, finally getting out of the downpour outside. It had started raining a few hours ago, and he had been caught in it while Artifact hunting. He was completely soaked, even through his leather jacket, and even worse, he had come back empty-handed yet again.

And now he had to report to Barkeep about his failure.

Swallowing nervously, Jaune stepped through the bar. The various patrons all eyed him with curiosity, their eyes landing on the sword sheathed at his hip. He didn't blame them – Crocea Mors was incredibly out-of-place compared to the wood-and-steel firearms they were all carrying. Even worse than merely being out-of-place, his sword was completely useless here – his Aura was refusing to recharge, for some reason, which meant his strength was greatly diminished, and he couldn't risk getting in close without taking a bullet. At this point, Crocea Mors was little more than a fancy paperweight. The Makarov pistol that Barkeep had given him a few days ago was far more useful, and that was saying a lot, considering that Jaune still couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it.

Needless to say, he wasn't particularly optimistic about his chances of surviving in the Zone very long, at least without help. Joining Duty was looking more and more appealing every day, though that was assuming they'd even take him. So far, they'd done nothing but give him a harsh look whenever he'd strayed a bit too close to their side of the Bar, so he wasn't particularly optimistic about his chances with them.

Sheepishly, Jaune approached the bar, his boots squelching with every step. Barkeep stared back at him.

"Well?" Barkeep asked, crossing his arms. "Do you have it?"

Jaune grimaced, then shook his head. "...No."

Barkeep's eyes narrowed. "We had a deal, Jaune," he pointed out. "When you first got here, I gave you the equipment you needed to survive in the Zone. In exchange, you promised to work for me until the price of the equipment was completely paid off. Your first payment was due yesterday. I was generous enough to give you an extension until today, and yet you still don't have the money, or an Artifact."

"I'm sorry," Jaune said, his gaze stuck on the bar's counter top.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Barkeep stated. "You understand what happens to people who don't pay their debts on-time in the Zone, right? Am I going to have to make an example of you?"

"No."

"Oh, really? I suppose you have some other way of paying off your debt, then?"

"You can have your equipment back," Jaune offered, desperate. "I haven't used it much."

"I don't want that shit back," Barkeep said with a scowl. "I want my money with interest, or something of equal value." He peered over the bartop, his gaze landing on Jaune's waist. "Hm… is that sword real?"

Jaune blinked, daring to look up at him for the first time. "The sword isn't for sale," he stated.

Barkeep scoffed. "And I suppose you have something else to offer me, then? Perhaps you're going to ask for another day, and promise me that you'll come back with two Artifacts?"

"If that's what it takes, then-"

"No," Barkeep said emphatically. Shaking his head, he added, "Give me the sword and I'll consider the entire debt paid off right now."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want my sword?"

"Because I think it'd look really good mounted above my bar, next to the boar's head," Barkeep stated. "Why do you care? I'm offering to consider your entire debt covered in exchange for something that is completely useless to you. You'd be an idiot not to accept, especially considering what the alternative is."

One of Barkeep's guards stepped forward, a hand drifting to the rifle slung across his front. Jaune scowled, but said nothing. After a moment, he sighed, then unhooked his sword and sheath from his belt and handed them both over to Barkeep.

"Take it," Jaune spat. "But don't do anything to it, because one day, I'm going to buy it back."

"Sure," Barkeep said absentmindedly. He accepted Crocea Mors; Jaune cringed when he saw Barkeep's greasy fingers close around the sheath, then rip it from his hands.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Barkeep grunted. "Now then, I suppose you'll be wanting more work, now that your debt is paid off?"

"I'm surprised you're still willing to deal with me," Jaune stated.

"I deal with everyone," Barkeep said. "Besides, this is a simple job – so simple that even you can do it."

"Then why not send someone you trust instead of me?"

"Because it's also somewhat dangerous, and I'd rather not risk someone who's actually valuable."

Jaune frowned. "Figures. You're just trying to get me killed."

"Hey, if you have another job lined up, feel free to walk out on this one," Barkeep offered. "Otherwise, it's in your best interest to listen to what I have to say."

Jaune rolled his eyes, but reluctantly leaned in to hear what Barkeep had to say.

"A lot of Stalkers have been going missing recently," Barkeep reported. "You know where the Flea Market is?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, it's right across from the Duty checkpoint."

"Well, apparently, people have been venturing out towards the forest behind it," Barkeep added. "That path leads to the Dark Valley. Freedom used to have a base there, but they abandoned it awhile back. Now, it's mostly home to mutants and Bandits."

"So the people are probably getting picked off by one of those two," Jaune pointed out. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm planning to send some Stalkers out to deal with whatever the problem is," Barkeep told him. "I've been losing Artifact hunters to whatever's out there, and I'm tired of it. Before I do that, I'd like to know what they'll be dealing with. So I'm sending you out to scout the location and report back."

"That's it?" Jaune said, surprised. "You just want me to see what's killing your guys?"

"Well, I certainly don't trust you to kill it," Barkeep scoffed. "Do you want the job or not?"

"What's it pay?"

"Two-thousand."

"Two-thousand, for this? What kind of mutant do you think it is?"

"Does it matter?" Barkeep asked with a huff. "Do you want the job or not?"

"Well, I'm not really in a position to say no," Jaune acknowledged. He sighed tiredly. "Fine, I'll take the job."

"Good," Barkeep said, uncrossing his arms. "Now get going. I'd like to have this whole thing straightened out by nightfall."

Jaune nodded, then stepped away from the bar and set off, eager to stop talking to Barkeep already.

Thankfully, the downpour had stopped by the time Jaune made his way to the Duty checkpoint just outside of the Rostok. The Duty members eyes him warily as he approached, but once they recognized him as just another Loner, they let him through without any issue.

The Flea Market loomed in the distance. Truthfully, it wasn't really much of a market – it was little more than a small outpost that some Loners had set up in the remnants of a ruined building. It was only named as such because the Loners who called it home had developed a reputation for trading anything with anyone, save for Bandits. Occasionally, some Bandits would try to attack and rob them, only to be fended off by the Loners themselves, as well as the Duty members who were manning the nearby checkpoint. Of course, being Duty, they didn't always help out – generally they only did it when they knew there was something in it for them. Perhaps that was why Duty hadn't taken it upon themselves to investigate whatever was killing Stalkers in the path to the Dark Valley.

Jaune crept past the Flea Market, pausing only briefly to wave to the Loners there, who waved back at him. They seemed to know what he was doing, but none of them were eager to go and help him out, and he didn't blame them. As Jaune grew closer to the forest, he un-holstered his Makarov, holding it tightly in his hand. His heart pounded in his chest, and sweat began to build up on his brow.

He got to the edge of the forest, and saw his first signs of trouble – the bodies of two Loners, propped up against some nearby trees. Jaune swallowed nervously, and after a quick look around to make sure that nothing was watching him, drew closer to the bodies to try and inspect them.

The two men looked like they'd been dead for a few days now, but that was the only thing that was self-evident about them – everything else just raised more questions. It didn't seem like they'd been killed by a mutant – the bodies were too clean for that, plus there were no bite or scratch marks; rather, death had come for the two men in the form of stab wounds to the neck and throat, at least from what he could tell. That told him that these two had been murdered by another person rather than a mutant, which was only reinforced when Jaune realized that someone had stripped the gear off the two corpses. They were missing their guns, their ammo, and it looked like their backpacks had been opened and rifled through.

"Well, that takes care of that…" he muttered to himself. "Time to-"

He was suddenly cut off by loud shouting from further in the forest. He hesitated for a moment, wrestling with the idea of rushing forward to see what was going on… but when he heard a woman shout in pain, he knew he couldn't sit idly by. Instead, he continued moving through the forest, eventually emerging in a small clearing.

As he came out of the brush, a man turned towards him, pointing a black rifle at him. Jaune instantly raised his hands in surrender.

"Friendly, friendly!" Jaune shouted. "Barkeep sent me!"

The man – who was a Loner, Jaune realized with a breath of relief – steadily lowered his rifle. "Barkeep sent you?" he asked.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. He wanted me to see what was going on with the missing Stalkers."

"Heh." The Loner shook his head. "You go back and tell Barkeep that it's taken care of."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

The Loner motioned for him to look into the bushes across from the clearing, and Jaune did so. He was stunned to see another Loner come out, dragging a struggling woman behind him. It was Cinder, Jaune realized – and she looked awful. Her red dress had been replaced with olive drab body armor, no doubt taken from one of the men she had killed, and she was covered in cuts, bruises, and dirt.

"Vasily managed to get the drop on her," the Loner informed him. "She took out two of our guys before he managed to club her upside the head with the stock of his Kalashnikov."

"Let go of me!" Cinder growled, but it was no use – Vasily was holding her hands behind her, and shoving her forward towards Jaune and the other Loner. She locked eyes with Jaune, and there was a brief flash of recognition between them before Jaune scowled and looked back towards the Loner.

"So, what now?" he asked. "Are you going to kill her?"

"Of course," came the response. "We can't just let her keep walking around, especially not after she took out some of our guys. Nah, she dies… but only after we've had our fun."

A chill went down Jaune's spine. "…What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?" the man questioned sarcastically. "Look at her. She's pretty hot, don't you think? It'd be a real shame to just waste her without fully enjoying what she has to offer."

Jaune watched, frozen, as the two Loners held Cinder down. She thrashed underneath them, but was unable to free herself. One of the Loners began to undo his belt, and she sent him a look, silently pleading with him to do something. Jaune stared into her eyes hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

There was no doubt in his mind that Cinder Fall was evil, and that she probably deserved to die… but even for her, this was too much. Animal as she was, there were some things that you just didn't do, even to animals.

And just like that, his decision was made.

Jaune tore his pistol from his holster, then leveled it at the lead Loner. "Get off her," he threatened.

The Loner froze, looking at him in surprise from behind his balaclava. "You're taking her side?"

"I won't ask again," Jaune promised. He cocked the hammer on his pistol back with his thumb. "Get off of her."

The men complied, both of them peeling themselves off of Cinder and standing up. None of them moved – the two men were unwilling to do anything to aggravate Jaune when he had a gun pointed at them, and Jaune was unsure if he had what it took to actually shoot them. He had intended to scare them off, but now they were just staring him down, their hands slowly drifting to their own holsters.

And then, Cinder moved. She lunged for Vasily's holster, wrapping her hand around his pistol and yanking it free. Vasily let out a shout as he was disarmed, but it was too late – Cinder rounded on him, shoving the barrel of his gun into his chest and squeezing off several rounds. Vasily recoiled as the bullets tore through him, little spurts of blood erupting out of his back with every shot. Next to him, the other Loner threw caution to the wind and pulled his own pistol out, no doubt expecting that Jaune wouldn't shoot him in time.

Jaune surprised himself by proving the man wrong. The Makarov in his hands bucked three times, and three rounds tore into the Loner's upper body and throat. The man's pistol fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat as it spurted blood, a sick gurgle escaping from his mouth. Jaune stared at the dying man, frozen in shock at what he had just done.

He barely had any time to realize what had just happened when Cinder rounded on the man, pressed the barrel of his former companion's pistol flush with his head, and fired a single shot. The lead Loner fell like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

For a few seconds, Jaune did nothing, simply staring at the carnage that surrounded him. It took a moment for everything to sink in, and when it did, it hit him all at once. His Makarov slipped from his grasp, landing in the mud next to his feet. He fell to his hands and knees and began to retch, bile filling his throat. Before long, the contents of his stomach were on the ground in front of him, and he brought a gloved hand up to shakily wipe at the corners of his mouth to clear the filth away from it.

He wiped the illness off his face, then turned to look at Cinder. To his amazement, she seemed completely unfazed at what had just happened. She wasn't concerned, or shocked, or even thankful that he had stepped in – rather, she seemed completely nonplussed. He watched as she turned Vasily's corpse over with one of her boots, then began to rifle through the pockets and pouches of his vest, taking anything of use.

Anger rose to the forefront of Jaune's mind, and against his better judgment, he called out to her.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Cinder whipped around to face him, and Jaune recoiled slightly when he saw that she still had Vasily's pistol in her hand. She didn't raise it against him, however – rather, she just stared at him for a second, like she didn't quite understand what she was seeing.

"Why are you still here?" she asked. "Come to kill me, like the rest?"

"I'm here to find out what was killing all the other Stalkers," Jaune informed her, undisguised venom dripping from every word. "Guess I have my answer."

"I suppose you do," Cinder replied. "What are you going to do now, hm? Are you-"

Rustling bushes cut her off. Both of them instantly paused, turning towards the noise. There was silence for a bit, but then the rustling intensified as something took off at a dead sprint. Through the space between the foliage, Jaune could make out someone wearing camouflage charging through the sea of leaves and tall grass. He didn't get much of a chance to see who it was, however, as Cinder suddenly raised her pistol and began to fire off shots at the man. Jaune recoiled from the noise, then looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Help me catch him!" Cinder shouted, sliding a new magazine into her pistol and sling-shotting the slide forwards. "He's going to tell everyone else!"

Jaune paused, yet another chill going down his spine. He knew what Cinder was trying to tell him – this man had been with the Loners they had killed, and had seen what they had done. If he got away, he was going to tell the other Loners about what he had seen.

They couldn't let that happen, not if they were going to survive. But Cinder was asking him to help her murder someone else, and despite the severity of the situation, that was something Jaune simply couldn't do.

He reached down and retrieved his pistol from the mud, but made no effort to shoot at the fleeing Loner. Instead, he brushed the mud away, decocked the weapon, and stowed it back in his holster. Cinder gave him a harsh glare and took off after the fleeing man, bursting through the bushes with her new pistol leveled in his direction. Jaune followed her cautiously, and found her staring off into a sea of tall grass. The man was nowhere to be found.

The two of them stood there, neither saying a word, until Cinder put her weapon on safe and stowed it, then rounded on him.

"Why did you help me?" she demanded.

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Because there are some lines even I won't cross, and that's one of them."

"I killed your partner," Cinder reminded him with a growl. "You should want me dead."

"I've already helped kill one person today," Jaune said. He motioned to the dead men lying a short ways away. "That's more than enough for me. Some of us aren't monsters like you."

He turned and began to walk away, already fed up with her, only to be caught by surprise when he heard her rush after him, then rest a hand on his shoulder.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked.

Jaune hurriedly shrugged her shoulder off him in disgust. "Away from you."

Cinder stared at him, a mixture of confusion and amusement on her face. "You truly don't realize what's just happened, do you?"

"I realize that I just helped kill a man to save you," Jaune growled. "Stop reminding me and let me leave already. The sooner I can stop looking at you, the better."

"Unfortunately for you, that's not possible anymore," Cinder pointed out. "Think about it. That man just got away after watching the two of us team up to kill his friends. He's going to go back to wherever the rest of his allies are, and report what happened to them. As far as he knows, there's no distinction between us – you helped me out by killing one of the men, and so, he's going to tell them that you're my ally."

"So I'll just tell everyone that's wrong," Jaune emphasized.

"Are you truly willing to risk your life on the chance that everyone believes you?" Cinder shook her head. "This place has no institutionalized system of crime and punishment. You wronged someone, and now they're going to come after you – after us – until the wrong is repaid in full."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that as long as we're going to have these people after us, it might be beneficial to stick together," Cinder implored.

"Why the fuck would I ever trust you?!" Jaune shouted. "You killed Pyrrha! You attacked Beacon, and injured my friends! You got me into this mess in the first place!"

"And now we're in it together," Cinder emphasized. "You came here alone. That tells me that you don't have anyone else you can rely on. It's just you and me against Gods know how many people, now. Unless you like your odds as an army of one better than your odds of the two of us working together, I suggest you think hard about my offer."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "What's to say you won't just kill me when my back is turned, or after I stop being useful to you?"

"Nothing, but the two of us working together for the time being still gives you better odds than trying to do this by yourself," Cinder pointed out. "And I'm not just doing this for you. If you couldn't tell, I don't exactly know what I'm doing here yet, either. I figure that we'll watch each other's backs, take care of this problem we have, and then go our separate ways and never see each other again."

"You're placing an awful lot of trust in me," Jaune noted.

"You just saved me," Cinder reminded him. "Coupled with the fact that we now both have the same exact problem on our hands, and you're just about the most trustworthy person I've met so far in wherever this little slice of hell is."

"Maybe you'd meet more trustworthy people if you didn't murder and loot anyone who you stumbled across."

Cinder ignored his comment. "Do you want to work together or not? Answer me now."

Jaune's first instinct was to cuss her out and leave, but he had to admit that at least some of what she was saying made sense. That Loner was going to report back to his group, and they were going to mobilize to hunt him down. However many of them there were, they absolutely outnumbered him, and almost certainly outgunned him, too. The fact was that on his own, he stood almost no chance of surviving whatever they were going to throw at him.

Generally, he'd still refuse to work with Cinder just out of principle, but principles were a luxury he didn't have at the moment. The Zone had already taken almost everything from him, and now it seemed that his principles were included in that list, too.

Pyrrha would have hated him for this, but given that the alternative was certain death, he didn't exactly have a choice.

"...Fine," Jaune begrudgingly grunted. "But I just want to make a few things clear. One, I don't trust you at all. Two, the instant this has passed, I'm gone. Three, for as long as we're working together, you're going to fucking control yourself and not just kill and loot anyone you come across, because if you start doing that again, I'll kill you myself, damn the consequences. Understand?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. "...Very well. If those are your terms, then I suppose I can stand to obey them for as long as we still have this little problem to deal with."

She turned and began to march off. Jaune waited a moment before begrudgingly following after her, still unconvinced as to whether he had made the correct decision.

"Ruby."

Ruby didn't respond, instead continuing to lie there on her old mattress, curled up and facing the wall. Behind her, she heard Wolf shuffle his feet, uncertain about what to say.

"...I brought you some food," he offered. She heard the telltale rustle of an MRE being opened. "You should eat something."

"I''m not hungry," she replied almost instantly. And it was true – she hadn't eaten anything since the day before, but despite that, she didn't feel hungry at all. Her appetite was practically non-existent.

Behind her, Wolf let out a sigh. "Look, I know you're torn up about what happened-"

"Torn up?" Ruby echoed. "I'm pretty far beyond being torn up about it, Wolf. I killed someone."

"You did what you had to do," Wolf emphasized. "I understand that the idea of it makes you uncomfortable, but you're going to have to get used to it. If you're going to stay in the Zone, he won't be the last."

Ruby paused, then let out a tired sigh. "...I hate it here," she said despondently. "I want to go home."

"I know. But dwelling on that isn't going to fix anything."

"You don't know how it feels," Ruby told him. "I'm a Huntress – I'm supposed to protect people. Yet now I'm stuck in this awful place, and I have to kill people just to survive. Even if I live, what's going to happen to me? Am I just going to stop caring one day, and become just as bad as them? Will I even want to return home, in that case?"

"Don't say that," Wolf assured her. "You're different from people like that, Ruby. The fact that you're worrying about it in the first place is proof enough of that."

"How would you know?" she snapped. "You've lived here in the Zone for how long? It probably comes so naturally to you."

"Only because the people I kill, I kill to save myself and others," Wolf emphasized, his voice even. "You'll be no different. You're not a bad person, Ruby; you're a good person forced into a bad situation, who has to do terrible things to survive. I've seen people like you before, if it makes you feel better."

For the first time since yesterday, Ruby looked away from her wall, turning towards him in surprise. "You have?"

Wolf nodded. "Yes. You want to see what it looks like when someone like you ends up in the Zone and stays here? Look at someone like Nimble. Nimble isn't exactly an experienced Stalker, but he's been here longer than most of the other people in the village, and he knows what he's doing by now… well, almost. He's killed people before. He went through the same thing you are now, in fact."

"What happened to him?" Ruby asked. "He's so… carefree."

"He was, until yesterday gave him a reality check," Wolf lamented. "But he'll bounce back after awhile. As for what happened… he simply realized the same thing I'm trying to tell you now – that the Zone is a terrible place full of terrible people, and that sometimes, even decent, ordinary people are going to have to do awful things to survive. It doesn't pay to dwell on it – do what you have to do, and mourn once you're home."

Wolf offered her a hand. "Why don't you go talk to Nimble? I think he'll be able to help you out."

Ruby stared at his hand, weighing her options, but finally acquiesced and accepted it. Wolf pulled her to her feet and gave her a pat on the shoulder, and then sent her off.

Nimble was back in his usual spot – the ruined house on the back corner of the village. He was leaned up against the wall, a bottle of vodka in his hand. As Ruby approached, he perked up.

"Ruby!" he called. "Come sit! Would you like some vodka?"

"Should you really be offering me alcohol?" Ruby asked as she sat down across from him. "I'm still a minor."

"If you're old enough to be in the Zone, then you're old enough to drink," Nimble said. "Besides, who's going to know? It's not like anyone is gonna arrest me."

Ruby stared at the bottle, but shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I can't stand the taste of alcohol."

Nimble shrugged. "Suit yourself. You'll change your tune once you see how expensive anti-rad drugs are compared to drinking it all away with vodka."

Ruby's expression fell. "Yeah… just one more thing I'll change my mind about…"

"Wolf gave you that talk, then?" Nimble asked, his voice taking on a somber tone.

Ruby stared at him, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"He gave me the same talk when I first killed someone," Nimble told her. "It didn't really sink in for a bit, but eventually I had to admit that he had a point. Killing people is awful, obviously, but in a place like the Zone, what can you do? You need to be ready to defend yourself."

Ruby shook her head. "I just… I don't want to accept it, you know? I don't like the idea that I might have to kill dozens of people just to survive."

"I know," Nimble said sympathetically. "It's not easy to accept, and it's even harder to live with. I know it hurts now, and I hate having to tell you that it gets easier to live with, but it really does, and thank God for that. Don't know how I would've carried on if it didn't."

"It really gets easier?" Ruby asked, horror seeping into her tone.

"Not like that," Nimble insisted. "It gets easier to live with yourself after doing it. Ruby, I know what you're worried about, but trust me – defending yourself against bad people doesn't make you a murderer. It doesn't mean you're going to go on a killing spree, or start shooting innocent people. All it means is that you were put into a tough position, and you made a difficult call in order to save yourself or someone else. Think about it – if we all turned into murderers because we killed someone, the Zone would be even worse than it is now, right? But there are still decent people here – you've met some, like Wolf. Does he strike you as a murderer?"

"No!" Ruby declared.

"There you have it," Nimble pointed out. "Wolf's killed plenty of people, but he's still a good guy at the end of it all. You're no different. Hell, I'll be honest and say that I don't think there's a mean bone in your body. You're about as far from evil as a person can get."

"...You really think that?" Ruby asked, uncertain.

Beneath his balaclava, Ruby saw the corners of Nimble's mouth turn upwards. "I know that. Oh! That reminds me. I went back to where the bandits were hiding out. I think this is yours?"

He reached behind him and came back with a hunk of red metal that Ruby would have recognized anywhere. Her eyes instantly lit up.

"Crescent Rose!" she cried out, taking the weapon from him. She looked her scythe over for a few seconds, her eyes poring over every gear and crevice that it had to offer, before she was finally satisfied that the bandits hadn't messed with it too much.

"I must say that it's an interesting choice in weapon," Nimble commented. "We see sniper rifles all the time, but rarely do we see them attached to a gigantic scythe."

"Heh, yeah," Ruby said sheepishly. "I kinda went overboard in designing her, but she's my baby."

"I can see," he replied. "Why don't you tell me more about her? I'll get us something to eat."

Ruby gave him a big grin. "Thanks, Nimble."

She took a seat across from him, her weapon still cradled in her grasp, and the thought of the dead man now far from her memory.

"How does it feel now?" Bonesaw asked.

Pyrrha chanced putting a bit more weight on each side of her ankle. After a few seconds, of very little pain, she turned back to him with a smile. "It feels very good, actually. Not too much pain."

"Do you think you'd be able to run on it?"

"For a time, though I'm sure I won't be running any marathons any time soon."

"Hm. I can't say it's a good idea for you to go out into the field like this, but I can at least understand why you want to do it," Bonesaw commented. "Very well. If you're so insistent about it, then consider yourself cleared for basic duties. Tell Swift and Rat that they'd better bring you back in one piece, though."

"I will," Pyrrha promised. "Thanks a lot, Bonesaw."

Bonesaw waved her off. "Just doing my job, Pyrrha. Now then, I can see you're eager to head out, so I won't keep you. But please, be careful."

Pyrrha nodded, then walked – without any pain, even – over to her bed, where her gear was lying. She strapped on her bulletproof vest, slung her AR-18 over her shoulder, and then exited the building, looking for her two squadmates.

She found them standing next to a bonfire, speaking to each other in Russian. As she approached, their conversation died down, and they turned towards her expectantly.

"Well?" Rat questioned.

"Bonesaw says I'm cleared for basic duty," Pyrrha reported.

"Excellent," Swift replied. "Shall we head out?"

"Sure," Pyrrha told him. "Where were we going to look?"

"There's a small farmstead just down the road," Rat explained. "I figured we'll start there and see what we can scrounge up. Most of the really good stuff has already been looted, I'm sure, but I doubt anyone would have thought to take something like radio parts."

"What if we can't find any?" Pyrrha asked.

Rat shrugged. "Then I guess we're going to have to trade with the Mercenaries. Don't let the name fool you – they're neutral towards us, borderline friendly at times. So long as you've got money and aren't shooting at them, they'll leave you alone."

Pyrrha nodded. "Let's go, then."

True to Rat's word, the farmstead wasn't far from the warehouses – about a thirty-minute walk, at Pyrrha's pace. Thankfully, her ankle hadn't started screaming in pain at her by the time they had reached their destination.

They stood on the road a ways away, staring at the dilapidated buildings in front of them. There were only a few of them, and they didn't look like they'd have much of anything valuable hidden within, but Pyrrha wasn't willing to return to base without at least trying to search through them.

"How do we want to do this?" she asked.

"Rat and I will take the buildings," Swift offered. "Pyrrha, you can search through the boxes scattered around. If you find the radio parts, great, but if not, then you know what to look for instead – ammo, medical supplies, food and water… the usual."

Pyrrha nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

The three of them moved into the area, their weapons at the ready just in case. Pyrrha cautiously crept into the center of the farmstead, her rifle's folding stock pressed against her shoulder in a white-knuckled grip, but thankfully, nothing came out to attack her. Once she was standing in the middle of the farmstead, she stood up straighter and lowered her weapon.

"Seems clear to me…" she muttered. Looking around, she spied a few big green boxes lying around, and decided to get to work.

Approaching the first one, Pyrrha pried the rusted lid off and peered inside. There didn't seem to be much of anything inside – just a bunch of junk that she couldn't make heads or tails of. She shook her head, then stepped away.

"Rat, Swift, find anything?" she called.

"Nothing!" Rat called back. Pyrrha waited for Swift to respond, but after a few seconds of silence, she frowned.

"Swift, everything-"

As if on cue, Swift came sprinting around the corner, his rifle in his hands. He ran up to Pyrrha, stopping only for a second to give her a cryptic warning.

"We've gotta get out of here!"

Pyrrha blinked. "What's-"

"Bloodsuckers!" Swift raved. "There's a whole fucking lair of them nearby! We have to-"

There was a sudden series of loud roars. Rat poked his head out of the house he'd been searching, his rifle in his hands. Sensing that they were about to have company, Pyrrha unslung her AR-18, briefly checking the chamber to make sure it was loaded.

"What do we do?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"Inside," Rat urged, beckoning them into the house he had just looked out of. "We'll funnel them in through the front, and shoot them as they try to get inside."

"That's crazy!" Swift argued. "What if we get cornered?"

"Would you rather take your chances with outrunning them?" Rat questioned. "We have the supplies to deal with this. It's just a matter of-"

"We don't have time," Pyrrha said as another roar tore through the ruined buildings, this one much closer than the last. "Swift, lead the way. Rat and I will barricade the door."

Swift didn't argue, instead charging into the house, sweeping it with his rifle to make sure it was clear. He posted up near a window as Rat and Pyrrha grabbed one of the heavy green boxes and began to move it. They dropped it just outside the door, then stepped inside and hunkered down next to Swift, their rifles pointed at the doorway.

"Look sharp," Rat noted. "They'll be here soon."

Pyrrha thumbed her weapon's safety off and took a breath, trying to steel her resolve. She'd been in combat before, obviously – hell, she'd almost died before. But this was something else – Bloodsuckers were terrifying even compared to the Grimm, and she didn't have her Aura, her Semblance, or even her weapon to help her. All she had was body armor and an old assault rifle, and neither of them felt like they would be enough to keep her safe.

At least she had allies this time, unlike when she had fought against Cinder.

There was a shimmer of air just out front. Pyrrha barely saw it, but Rat took note of it instantly. His rifle barked once, and Pyrrha winced as the gun went off in the confines of the house. Even with her ear protection on, it was loud. There was a pained roar, and then suddenly the Bloodsucker popped into existence in front of them, trying to climb over the box. Pyrrha let off a burst of 5.56 millimeter rounds from her AR; the bullets stitched a pattern diagonally from the monster's left hip all the way up to its right shoulder, and it fell backwards, dead.

That wasn't the end of it, though. The air outside shimmered again, and this time, Pyrrha saw it – two floating pairs of white eyes, staring at her with hunger. Rat squeezed off round after round into the group of Bloodsuckers, but Pyrrha threw caution to the wind and laid on her weapon's trigger, emptying what was left in her rifle's twenty-round magazine in the blink of an eye. Two more Bloodsuckers fell over dead, but they were soon replaced with even more. The bolt on her weapon locked back, but she didn't hesitate.

"I'm reloading!" Pyrrha called as she dropped the spent mag from her weapon and reached for a new one on her plate carrier. "Swift, keep me covered!"

"I'm kinda busy myself, here!" Swift called back as he fired through the window. A Bloodsucker managed to reach through the window and claw at him, scoring a deep gouge in his chest. Swift let out a pain-filled yelp, but stayed in the fight.

To Pyrrha's dismay, the scent of fresh human blood seemed to drive the remaining Bloodsuckers into a frenzy, and they pressed the assault, attempting to flood into the house as one, uncaring even as they get stuck trying to climb over the crate blocking the doorway.

Pyrrha finished inserting a fresh mag and then pulled back on the lever attached to the bolt, sending it home and chambering a round. As soon as the gun was in battery, she brought it to her shoulder and fired off the entire magazine into the crowd of advancing Bloodsuckers. A number of them fell, but they were soon replaced by yet more of their number. Desperate, Pyrrha allowed her rifle to dangle on its sling and pulled out her Browning Hi-Power. She barely even bothered to aim the gun, instead firing off rounds as fast she could. The 9mm bullets impacted flesh and shattered bone, but the Bloodsuckers didn't stop coming.

Next to her, Rat swiftly inserted a fresh magazine into his rifle and pulled back on the charging handle, sending a round into the chamber. The instant his gun was good to go, he resumed firing into the crowd. Pyrrha cast a glance over at him, and spied a grenade dangling from his web gear. Without hesitation, she reached for it and pulled the pin, then hurled it outside.

"Fire in the hole!" she shouted.

The three of them barely had time to duck and cover their heads before the grenade went off. Pieces of Bloodsucker showered over them, and Pyrrha felt her ears ringing from the sheer force of the blast, but for the first time, there was a lull in combat. Outside, the remaining Bloodsuckers were now visible, all of them staggering around. They were all dripping with blood, and many of them were missing arms or legs. Several of them appeared concussed.

The three of them didn't care. Pyrrha inserted a fresh magazine into her AR, sent the bolt home, and then joined her comrades as they poured fire into the remaining Bloodsuckers.

"Stop!" Rat called, just a few short seconds after the firing had began. "I think that's all of them."

Pyrrha finally let out the breath she'd been holding for the past minute and took her finger off her rifle's trigger. Through the smoke rising from her weapon's barrel and piston system, she saw the Bloodsuckers lying there, all riddled with bullet holes. Not a single one of them was moving. With shaking hands, Pyrrha thumbed on her weapon's safety, then removed the stock from her shoulder.

"Is it over?" she asked.

Swift nodded. "I think so… shit, this hurts…"

Immediately, Pyrrha rushed over to him and began to check him over, only for him to wave her off.

"I'll be fine," he insisted.

"But you're bleeding so bad!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"That's Bloodsuckers for you," Rat explained. "They excrete some kind of anti-coagulant through their claws and saliva. Makes it harder for wounds to clot once they cut you, so they can get to your blood easier. It looks a lot worse than it is – trust me, he'll be fine."

"Yeah, I will," Swift agreed. "Just do me a favor and bandage me up real fast, would you? I've got a roll of 'em in my bag."

With hesitation, Pyrrha threw open his bag and began rummaging around for it, retrieving the roll of bandages. She handed them to Rat, who started to wrap them around Swift's chest.

"That was a ballsy move back there with that grenade," Rat commented. "You nearly killed us with it, you know. If we'd been any closer to that door, it would've shredded us as easily as it did most of the Bloodsuckers."

Instantly, Pyrrha's stomach plummeted. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be – we're still here, and the Bloodsuckers aren't, so it's all good."

He finished bandaging Swift's wound, then turned back to Pyrrha. "Now, we enjoy the spoils."

"What would those be?" she asked.

Rat motioned to the field of dead Bloodsuckers around them, and once again, Pyrrha's expression fell. "You're kidding."

"Bloodsuckers aren't bad eating," Swift commented.

"I'd rather be eaten myself than eat one of those things," Pyrrha countered.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. But you can at least help us carve them up. This haul here will probably net us quite a bit on its own if we sell it to the right people. Of course, you'll have to give a cut to the guys who actually go trade with them since you won't be going yourself, but even then, you're still looking at a few thousand."

"Is that a lot?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's a decent amount," Rat commented. "Enough to buy more ammo and supplies, and set some aside for your debt. Don't look so eager, now," he warned as Pyrrha's face lit up. "First we've got to carve them up. And since you're new, you get to do the honors."

He reached for his belt and retrieved his M16 bayonet, handing it to Pyrrha hilt-first. Pyrrha grimaced, but accepted the blade and stepped over to the nearest Bloodsucker corpse.

"You both realize that I'm going to get you back for this, right?" she asked.

"Less talking, more carving," Swift commented. She could hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

Pyrrha grimaced once more, then began to cut into the Bloodsucker, retching as she did so. Still, as awful as it was, it was better than being eaten alive, and it was going to help her settle her debt sooner.

And, as much as part of her hated to admit it, fighting alongside Rat and Swift made her feel like part of a team again.

Bit of a shorter chapter compared to the earlier two "real" chapters, but honestly, I think this is the length I really want to go for. These days, I'm gravitating more towards 4k-word chapters for most of my fics, but since there are so many POV characters in this story, I think 7k-8k is probably a better length to go for, here. I'll probably occasionally have a chapter that stretches beyond that, but for real, I'm so done with super-long chapters, they're such a hassle... I say, as I just put out a 12k-word one-shot for Halloween.

Oh, speaking of which, I put out a 12k-word one-shot for Halloween. It's a crackfic where Jaune summons a demon Cinder to try and help him get a date in time for Beacon's dance. My buddy Sunset Hunting floated the idea of doing a Knightfall-themed Halloween one-shot, so we both figured we'd try it out and see what we'd get out of it. It was a great time, I highly recommend his story... and my own, for that matter lol.

And as long as we're speaking of Knightfall, Jaune and Cinder are finally here! I know a lot of you have been waiting for the two of them to make their appearance, and now they're finally here. It's gonna be an adventure to pair these two together - I'm still working out the specifics of it myself, but I do like what I have so far, so I think it'll be a good time. Might take awhile to get to the endgame for that, but I'm down for it.

That's about all I've got for this one. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!