The fight between team JNPR and Tyrian Callows was pretty much even in Jeanne's eyes. On their end, it was her and Ren that was doing the best of them given Tyrian's capacity to detect metal, essentially being able to see them coming no matter what they had done to disguise it. On Tyrian's end, his advantage was either in sheer devotion to his so-called goddess or his experience. Jeanne wasn't so sure which of the two it really was. The scorpion faunus was certainly relentless in his attempts to retrieve both her and Jaune but was pretty much giving the others the same amount of attention as though they were his targets. The certain difference that she could see was that Tyrian had less concern about everyone else's livelihood than he does Jaune and herself.

Tyrian went for Ren, straight up ignoring one of his apparent targets who was right next to him. Jaune, in his frustration, is doing what he can to support his fellow team member. However, Tyrian's senses made it as if he had eyes at the back of his head, easily keeping Jaune away from Ren who was only keeping things equal because of the interference that everyone else was doing. Despite the experience and speed, Tyrian could really only keep track of one thing at a time and was pushing his senses to its limits as he tried to focus on Ren's fists which he could not sense as well.

As for Jeanne, she was learning more about control with her Maiden powers. Another staff of ice was created which shattered the moment it clashed with Tyrian's weapons. Her ice was still rather fragile and didn't have enough width to actually withstand such sudden forces. It was unlike the metal of her banner but Tyrian could detect those which made using non-metals the preferred strategy.

Pyrrha opted to stay on the sidelines. She chose to shoot instead as engaging in melee would only prove to be a detriment to her. Even with her semblance, she could not pin down Tyrian who adapted quickly by utilizing every other part of his body that wasn't covered in metal. Spinning with his legs out or wrapping his tail around someone nearby ensured that he would always have something to hold on to when he would have lost balance. Her shots did little as the faunus could still detect the bullet ripping through the air. However, that is one limb occupied and that meant one less limb would be used against her teammates.

Nora sought to overpower Tyrian. With the weight of her hammer and being empowered by her semblance, it wouldn't have mattered if the faunus could detect metal, his preference from blocking hits instead of dodging them made it so that they could chip away at his aura with Nora being able to take entire chunks. Mixed that with increased speed from both of them and the force from such clashes would have greater force with his aura taking the hit.

Tyrian had finally gone on the backfoot. It was his own exhaustion that was finally catching up to him. JNPR may be exhausting themselves as well but Tyrian was only one individual and keeping all five of them occupied at once must have finally taken its toll on him. His movements have become sluggish but no less lethal. What made it clear for them was that they were more capable of exploiting openings and were able to press the advantage.

The clearest sign came in the form of Jaune and Pyrrha. Despite their usage of metal and Tyrian's detection, the faunus' reflexes have slowed that they were able to push in and take advantage, Jaune especially with how he is covered head to toe in metal, making his entire movement detectable no matter what he did. Jaune made sure to give back everything that had been denied him during the fight. Having been forced on the defense and only throwing a few cautionary strikes allowed him to retain as much stamina when compared with the others. Now that Tyrian is the one lagging behind, he is free to push himself a little with his superior aura reserves.

Jaune wasn't being as generous either, the moment he could take advantage, he took it. Knees, kicks and shield bashes filled the string of his own moves as he relieved Ren of the melee range. Tyrian may have been able to protect himself but he was no longer as swift as he had been. Jaune wouldn't let up either and kept pushing on, taking the lead on the melee fight as the tide was being guaranteed to go their way.

Jeanne herself followed suit, not letting the momentum go to waste. Leaping over Jaune and manifesting more of those ice-spears, she pressed the advantage that Jaune had set by not utilizing any metal. Tyrian wasn't able to defend himself well and spent more time protecting himself with his aura, careful so as to not waste them needlessly. The broken ice shards made cuts on his clothing and minor openings on his exposed body which healed immediately through the use of Aura.

Nora, after relieving Ren and returning his weapons, pushed Tyrian to the brink. With a single swing of her hammer, she managed to send the faunus flying towards one of the buildings and causing that structure to fall open him. The dust cloud that rose from it gave them their only momentary break.

Tyrian got back up but Pyrrha acted quickly. With her javelin, she made sure that it went specifically for the tail of the scorpion faunus. Tyrian screamed in pain as a portion of the tail had been forcibly ripped from him as the javelin flew through it and found its mark on a wooden beam. The portion of the tail that had been torn from the rest was still hanging by the javelin. Violet liquid was dripping out of it. Each drop that made contact with the ground left behind a burning steam as it tried to melt through the stone that it fell on.

The faunus stumbled with his back completely straight. His attempts of preventing any further poison and blood from being spilled was halted by the stinging sensation he was having. He cried out in pain and was breathing heavily.

"You bitch!" he called out. Gone was the manic joy and in its place was a pained anger from having his tail ripped.

Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha got between Tyrian and the two blondes. "We won't let you near them," Pyrrha said, standing at the front of them all. If Tyrian intended to keep fighting there, he would have to go through all three members and even then, the remaining two wouldn't go down without a fight.

Tyrian nearly appeared that he would have done just that only to stop. "She'll forgive you," he said in a soft voice, almost unheard except for himself. He then left with what remains of his tail between his legs. He was moving like he had been crippled.

When he had gone, Ren was the first to go down. Having been the one to engage with Tyrian the most, the fight had taken the most out of Ren. Nora was at this side, careful as to not hurt him if he had been injured. She held him when she found that there were none.

"Who was that guy?" Nora asked. She knew the answer but it was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"Might be one of Salem's," Jeanne replied. "They're looking for us now. That much is clear."

"Looks like we have to hurry a little if we want to get to Haven," Jaune said. He then looked to Ren. "You doing okay?"

Ren nodded. "Yeah. He grazed me a few times but none of them were his stinger."

"Let me see," Jeanne said. She had no reason to think that Ren was lying but she had no reason to think that Ren had been fully aware of every moment that they had clashed. It was only after that had been guaranteed that she nodded in satisfaction.

"But why would anyone want Jaune and Jeanne?" Pyrrha asked.

"Maybe they know about the Maidens too and that I'm one of them now," Jeanne reasoned. "Come on, we need to move out of town and out of the road. Tyrian might come back if he recovers, torn scorpion tail or not."

Rather than stick around and rest, team JNPR continued onwards until they made some distance between themselves and the town. They stayed away from the roads but trying to hide among the trees was difficult; there was little of them and any attempt at doing so would have been made obvious. The compromise they have made was travelling parallel to the road. Away enough that they could evade any more tracking eyes but just close enough that they would not get lost.

It was only after they were certain of their own safety that they stopped to rest. No one made a fire as the light might have attracted more of their would-be attackers. Even though Tyrian had already left with no signs of following them from behind, they could not be so sure of themselves. In that time, their auras have recovered enough to heal any wounds that they may still have.

Supper was light, quiet and cold. Their watch was more vigilant. The slightest noise and disturbance were ones that had them react. Their sleep was light and gave them little comfort. When morning came, they continued on their journey while slowly relaxing as the idea that they are no longer followed became more of a fact for them.

"How far are we to the next town?" Jeanne asked.

"The next town should be Kuroyuri," Ren answered. "My and Nora's hometown."

"It's still a long way to go, though," Nora added. "Don't expect much in the way of a Bullhead."

"It's alright," Jaune replied. "It will be alright. So long as we don't encounter anything else, everything will be alright."

Ren looked away. It did not go unnoticed by everyone else.

"Ren?" asked Pyrrha.

"There might be a Grimm nearby," he replied. "A Nuckleleeve."

It was Nora who was surprised. Her eyes widened at the revelation while the others were uncertain. Only she knew, along with Ren as to the significance of the Grimm. The rest of JNPR may not have been as knowledgeable but they could guess the reason.

"Will you be okay?" Jaune asked. As the leader, he had a responsibility over his team members.

"I will be," Ren assured them all. "I have to be."

Nora intertwined her hand in his in comfort. "We," she emphasized. "We will be alright."

They continued onwards and the scenery around them began to change for the worse. It looked like one of those haunted forests that no one wanted to go unless it was a horror movie. They pressed onwards until they came across a crossroad with a multitude of signs. On one side, it would lead towards the town of Kuroyuyi but it would take a while longer. On the other, led to the mountainous area which is where the Nuckleleeve is believed to be or so Ren says.

"That is where the tracks lead," he said, pointing to the tracks that none of the other members were able to pick up on.

"Let's head to the town first," Jaune suggested. "There is no telling if the Grimm is still there and we'll need to get to Haven first."

Ren would have protested but sense overcame him and he agreed. Despite his personal grievances, he would have to put the team and their current mission first. But if the Nuckleleeve was found in the town of Kuroyuri, then he would be given his chance. Together, all of team JNPR chose the longer road that led to the town. With each step, Ren's eyes darted back and forth, noting any movement that would give the slightest hint of being the Grimm.

The trek was long and with the scenery getting worse, all of team JNPR would rather there be an attack on them rather than endure this sight. No leaves grow on these trees and the branches were much closer to that of large thorns and spikes, puncturing through from the ground below. It was a miracle that no Grimm, barring the Nuckleleeve, would tread around here. It seemed fitting that they would.

Cold dirt showed signs of age. Much of what would have been prints of shoes and carriage wheels have begun to fade, the ground having gone even due to the elements. The only tracks that could still be seen are the old tracks of the Grimm. It had passed by here. Perhaps it was because Ren pointed it out but that has become much more noticeable by the other members of team JNPR. Spiders' webs patched many of the trees and branches and they had to remove them as they continued to walk; it was like the trees' branches were making a wall, preventing anyone from entering the town.

Eventually, they made it out of that forest and proceeded onwards towards the town. They could what remains of the protective walls. Gray, cold but still showed signs that it had been made with intricate designs. The walls of Kuroyuri had been meant to be an artistic canvas just as much as it was protection against the Grimm. It now stands as a reminder of the fallen home of the two orphans of the team of JNPR.

As they approached, the dirt road became that of stone, comforting their weary feet. For Ren and Nora, it was as though they were taking a terrible trip down memory lane as they could still remember the houses of the friends and relatives they had while here. Ren could remember vaguely the baker from whom he would by the bread from when his mother had sent him out. The riverbed was dry and no water could be seen flowing through it. What trees there was are now cold and hollow but it showed signs that it was once a blooming tree and the town's remains showed what beauty that Kuroyuri would have had if it had never been attacked.

Ren moved to one open spot. It looked like any other spot for anyone else but for him, he remembered this exact location.

He could still hear his father's voice as clear as day. Li Ren was teaching his son some of the unarmed combat techniques that he uses. Without realizing it, the young boy's feet began to make circles in the ground. His hands moved like a slithering snake as he zigzagged in place. Then, he stood straight and flapped his hands as though they were wings. It was followed by his acrobatics of that of a monkey with each strike as strong as a tiger and angled like a leopard. His precision was that of a mantis. He then combined each of those movements into a single fluid form, a dragon.

The sounds of clapping brought him back to the current moment. He turned to see his team having watched his little performance and he looked away, a little embarrassed.

"It was here, wasn't it?" Jaune guessed. "You still remember where it was after all this time?"

"It is difficult not to," Ren replied. "Everything that I know, I know from my dad."

"Sounds like an amazing father."

"He certainly is." Ren stood taller, prouder of his father. Li Ren may not have been a huntsman but that didn't matter to him in the slightest. "Come on. I'll show my home."

There wasn't much to be seen. His home had been destroyed and while it may have brought pain and anguish for Lie Ren, he felt he needed to at least visit it. Nora was at his side; she never really left it ever since they came here.

"Do you want to stay here for the night, buddy?" Jaune asked, seeing the saddened look on his friend's face. "We can camp out here if you want."

"I'd like that," Ren replied, not quite looking at them. His focus was on his own home. "Can I excuse myself for a little?"

"Sure." The blonde knight gave him a warm smile.

Ren then stepped inside his home. There was no roof there anymore and the walls was mostly broken with only parts of it having stuck around. He could still remember himself running around the house when his father was home. He stepped into where the kitchen would be where he would help his parents with cooking. The little readings he would do and the time where they would simply sit on the sofa being cozy on rainy days, drinking a nice hot cup.

The little pieces of equipment, namely the wooden dummy, where he would practice his martial arts on his own. The jars of Dust that would be used for many things in their every day life. The simple life that he might have had all came over him like a torrent of water. It was simple, dull even, to anyone who craved the life of excitement. But for Lie Ren it was the home he hoped to one day return to. A home that he could never return to, not in the same way as it did before.

He turned around to see the other three set up camp outside. None of them wanted to intrude on his home without permission. Nora, always there, stood behind him. She was a reminder of his home. She was a piece of Kuroyuri that he had kept close to him for years now. He was hers in that same regard. The two neared one another. One's hands was on the other. He could see it in her eyes that she felt the same. They held one another in tight embrace. Maybe one day, he will have a home of his own.

AN: This was initially meant to have been two chapters but man did it turn out to be too short.