So, yeah. Had a tough time deciding when to do that to his sword, but it was planned since the start. Also, apologies for the last one's length, or lack thereof, so hopefully this makes up for it. Anyway, let's get this show on the road.

I do not own Roosterteeth

or the Rights to RWBY

and may Monty Oum be forever unbound by death.

A sharp gasp pierced the night air as our resident knight sat up abruptly from his fitful sleep, grasping his left shoulder as he did so. It had been three days since his sword had shattered, and two since he figured out how to tie his shoes again.

Not a fact he was proud of.

This was the first night, however, that he had been awoken by phantom pain. A dull throb that seemed intent on making its presence as unbearably as possible, feeling as though someone was playing the xylophone on his nerve ends.

It was rarely this bad during the day, usually the occasional dull throb reminding him of what he had lost oh so long ago. The current hollow he was in, however, seemed to be doing nothing but act as a catalyst for his agony, and since he was awake, he quickly gathered what few items he had and made his way out.

It hadn't been a very deep hollow, more so the result of a natural shelter formed by the massive tree roots that suspended over a trench in the ground. The earthen smell still attacked his nostrils, but it would not take too long to acclimate to its scent. The same scent had a peculiar tang to it though, not to dissimilar to that of the smoldering embers of a camp fire.

FIRE!

Any sleep still working it's way through his system quickly vacated it, instead being replaced by adrenaline mixed with no small amount of euphoria. He had not lit a fire last night, as the struggle to do so was enhanced by the surrounding dark. Thus, this had to be that of someone else, maybe even a town. Jaune moved through the trees with less difficulty than usual, though still under par when compared to the likes of Blake. Entering a clearing, he quickly looked to the sky. A faint trail of smoke was in the distance, about five hundred yards according to his guesstimations. So he made headway for the sign of life.

What he had neglected to recognize was that a smoke trail could very much lead to a source other than life, and destruction is what awaited his arrival.

He was right with the analogy to dying embers, as that is what seemed to remain of the town he looked over. Even from a first glance, it was easy to tell where the breach in the wall was made, and the path of destruction that followed whatever cleared this now barren town. Following through the gap in the wall lead only to more devastation, as the buildings had been reduced to either rubble or cinders before his arrival, a scarce few still standing, even fewer still actually safe to enter.

Jaune's pace was that of a slow jog as he made his way for the town hall. It was one of the few buildings left standing, and there he would find any survivors or radio equipment. That was all he could hope for at least.

The entrance was, unsurprisingly, barricaded with an assortment of wooden planks, furniture, and even some piles of brick. It took more than a few good rams with his shield to even budge the door, and with a numb shoulder, he decided that a different approach was needed. Making his way around, he saw a broken fire escape that lead to an open window. Swiftly making his way up the metal railing, he looked into the manor. It appeared just as empty as the rest of the town, with few sounds escaping its stretching halls. So Jaune invited himself in.

Making his way through the building, who's partially collapsed roof allowed for some form of light to filter through, Jaune was starting to get more and more worried. There hadn't appeared to be any form of underground tunnel system, nor had there been a viable back entrance, so the silence that made every crunch of stepped on ash echo throughout the expansive halls was more than a little disturbing. After what seemed like forever, he happened upon the reason for said silence.

An assortment of Ursi, Beowolves, and even a couple Creeps circled around a few of the survivors, who too seemed to be an odd group. There was an older looking hunter, who must have belonged to the town, a younger woman who was clearly trained as well, and the final member of the trio was a young girl who was desperately clinging to a small plushie of a corgi.

Jaune did not even have to think twice before he made his move, and what a bold move it was.

He leapt from the small balcony that he had been overlooking the scene from, slamming his shield point first onto the nape of the largest Ursa's neck. Thankfully, it was not an Ursa Major, else he have been nothing less than a shish kebab of a hunter. Leaping off the now fading Ursa, he slammed a Beowolf across the face, a satisfying crack leading it to fade as well. He finished his initiation with a retreat to the surprised group of three, raising his shield and moving against the circling Grimm. The tension continued to build for a few moments, before being shattered by shrieking cry that forced all to cower in pain, Human and Grimm alike. This was followed by a sight that Jaune had never thought was even possible until that night.

The Grimm ran with their tails between their legs, literally in the case of some Beowolves.

Jaune was not one to waste the opportunity, however, as he quickly turned to the trio to better assess the situation, and it was not looking good. The man and woman were exhausted, and any aura they had must have been gone by the time he had gotten there. The younger girl was shaking in terror, possibly drawing the owner of the cry from earlier to their location with haste. So he made a decision based on what he was given, and he would have preferred it no other way.

"Hey! Get out of here! Vale is to the south, I'll hold off whatever it is long enough for you to escape," The older couple seemed ready to argue, possibly reverse their roles, but they were silenced by another shriek from the unknown monster. "I have full aura and I'm still relatively fresh. I can hold it off long enough, just GO!"

Jaune did not even look to see if they listened as he bolted for the doors that had been torn asunder by the fleeing Grimm. Taking one last look behind him, he caught the eyes of the young girl as she was pulled through the upstairs doors from which he emerged. He nodded, to himself more than anything, and made his way in the direction of the cries that had echoed through the night. He was expecting something big, maybe some Alpha Beowolf, or some Creep that had gotten to big for its boots.

What he found would haunt his dreams forever more.

A bipedal creature standing on cloven hooves stood easily double Jaune's own six foot (1.8 meter) height, even with it's severely hunched form. Its abdomen was thin, extremely so, and its ribs were either plated or were simply that exposed. Bone plating lined its spine, leading up to a deer shaped skull with antlers that framed the shattered moon with their four foot length. Red eyes pierced through the sockets of the skull, and a foot long tongue hung from a lower jaw that seemed unhinged with the width it was opened. Its arms were freakishly long, ending in claws that seemed quite capable of splitting flesh as if it were butter. He had heard of this in one of Port's more interesting stories, and oh boy was he terrified.

A Wendigo, one of very few that have the luxury of roaming Remnant. What made them so special?

They were one of the few that bothered to eat the humans and faunus they slaughtered, and they did so with earnest.

It let out another piercing howl before leveling its hate filled gaze at Jaune, a wheezing breath escaping its gaping maw. Jaune returned the cry with a roar of his own as he got into a defensive stance. He would hold it off as long as he could, and then even longer. He knew his chances were slim, even if he weren't missing an arm or a sword, but he didn't have a choice.

He would at least make sure that the trio from earlier lived long enough to get another choice of their own.

The two stood across from one another, a patience that came from experience filling the Wendigo. It knew that it should have no trouble with the… boy before it, and it could taste the delicious fear rolling off of his form that was only slightly diluted by a sudden surge of determination.

Jaune would never deny his terror, but he could not be bothered with it now, as he wasn't protecting just himself. He was fighting in the defense of others, and that he could do all day, any day.

The standoff was finally broken by another cry from the Wendigo as it charged forward, the scraping of its blade like claws against the broken cobble shrieking through the cool night air. Jaune waited, his muscles taught, until the Wendigo's arm extended forward at a speed that could put Ruby's own to shame. Jaune could barely move his shield in time to block the attacks before the assault was continued, forcing him to take four steps back for ever step the Wendigo took forward, its hooves breaking the already cracked cobble apart further.

Jaune could feel the occasional claw scraping across his aura. He could feel it be damaged even through the shield that groaned against the assault. Jaune leapt back, giving himself a precious few seconds to catch his breath as the abomination before him cocked its head in an analyzing sort of fashion. Jaune hardened his gaze and his will.

I have got to be faster!

As if reading his thoughts, the Grimm launched forward, attempting to run Jaune through on one of the many branches of its antlers. Jaune held up his shield, and upon collision, was forced back as his boots scraped across the ash covered ground. The Wendigo did not let up for even a second as Jaune barely kept his own guard up. Fate did not seem to be on Jaune's side, as after a few seconds of this, Jaune's back hit a wall, and the pressure on his only form grew exponentially every second.

A wheezing breath that sounded not to dissimilar to a laugh escaped the maw of the Wendigo as it pressed its prey against a building, using all four limbs for added pressure. The building itself seemed to be barely able to hold up as pressure was applied on it as well, the wall behind Jaune having formed a web-like crack that only seemed to spread every passing second. This was the end was nigh for our adorkable knight, and both sides of the fight knew and respected this fact.

A third party, however, did not.

The Wendigo's charge was forcefully interrupted by the crack of a large caliber rifle echoing through the night, followed by the sudden snapping of one of the Wendigo's antlers. The Wendigo's eyes seemed to widen in surprise as it fell to the side, the sudden disappearance of weight throwing it off. Jaune wasted no time, and with a bright flash of light surrounding his shield, he lunged forth, burying the point of his kite shield into the roof of the Wendigo's mouth. The Grimm spasmed, its form desperately trying to remove the object in its mouth with its death throes. Jaune returned the favor with a roar that lead a furious shove of the shield further into the Wendigo's skull, with the point of the shield even surfacing outside its head.

Its massive figure slumped down, and Jaune quickly vacated the now fading form of the nightmare creature. He looked to see where the assistance had come from, finding a sight he was not expecting to see. The old Huntsman from earlier was holding a war pick against his shoulder as he leaned against a crumbling wall. Jaune waved before stumbling forward, ending up face-first on the cobble ground. He could hear some laughter coming from the old coot as the Huntsman made his way to Jaune's fallen form. He rolled him over and hefted the knight onto his feet, slinging Jaune's only arm over his shoulder.

"C'mon kid, lets get goin'," Jaune could hear the slight smile in the man's voice.

"Vale's south, 'member?"