Authors Note: Some of you may have noticed the new cover, some of you may not have, hence this note. It was drawn by the very talented CHE3ZY (username of their account on DeviantArt at least), they've done a number of RWBY pieces and they are all quite good. I encourage you to look into them.

Other than that, enjoy the chapter.

"Ah! Fuck!" Qrow jumped back slightly, barley restringing himself from breaking the hunk of junk in front of him. The shock hadn't hurt too much, not with his tolerance and aura, but he had responded on instinct, the surprise startling him at the very least.

The building they were in was mostly intact, though the front wall had been badly charred by the fires that had claimed the rest of the town. What made it the best choice however, was the small generator that he had found in the basement.

Qrow had felt like a genius when he lugged it up the stairs, once he got the radios working he would be able to hook them up to it and they could call for an evac. Unfourtunatly, the stupid things had been all kinds of screwed up.

Whoever had destroyed the village had done a fairly thorough job, but they had clearly been in a rush. They hadn't completely destroyed the radios, trusting the fires to do the rest of the job.

One man's failure was another's success, or something like that. He was fairly confident he could get at least one working with the parts from the other two, most combat schools having classes for just this kind of scenario, so long as he didn't chuck it out a window for shocking him again.

It would just take time, something he wasn't sure they had an abundance of. Qrow spared a glance over his shoulder. He'd set Amber down into a chair right in front of the fireplace before getting to work on the radios, houses outside the kingdoms rarely having any kind of advanced heating systems.

She had simply stared at the fire for the last hour, not moving or saying a word. He could understand the latter and he wouldn't press her to speak if it was likely to cause damage, but she was usually so much more interactive. He had expected her to insist on helping him repair the radio, despite the fact she never would have been taught how to fix it, or to at least try and move around somewhat.

Instead, she'd stayed in front of the fireplace, occasionally switching her eyes between her palm and the flames.

He kept trying to write it off as a near death experience, or maybe the shock was still wearing off, but it felt like something different. He still couldn't identify it but something was wrong with her. He wanted to wait until Beacon, until he'd had a chance to talk with Oz and Goodwitch about it but… the unease was starting to get to him.

Pyrrha traced a finger over her palm, noting how soft they felt. A lack of the calluses she had grown used to while fighting. It was strange, she didn't feel too different from her original body, and at the same time she could feel every difference.

The alien feelings of her body had distracted her for much of their walk to the settlement, much to her annoyance, and now she wished that they would overwhelm her senses once more. Instead, she found herself thinking of the people who had died because of her.

Because of Amber, not me.

She had to keep reminding herself of that fact, the guilt didn't go away despite her best efforts. Whether it was her own guilt or not was another issue altogether.

"-e a hand with this piece of-I'm gonna break it if I don't take a break." Pyrrha was so deep in thought that she hadn't even realised he was talking to her for a moment, only snapping out of her haze when he set a hand down on her shoulder.

Her brown eyes seemed to stare right through him, as if looking for an explanation as to why he had interrupted her. They were the same eyes he had seen a thousand times when he had been training her, teaching her how to be a proper Huntress, but there was something else within them, something that he didn't recognize.

"I'm gonna take a break, feel free to take a crack at it." Qrow gestured to the table, not truly expecting anything from her. Much to his surprise, Amber, with some difficulty, stood and moved over to the radio and began to work on it. "Let me know if you make any progress, I'm gonna see if I can find some food or, better yet, a drink."

She didn't seem to hear him and after a moment of waiting he sighed, stepping towards the small staircase that led back down to the basement. He'd already checked the kitchen and storeroom, both had been empty of anything usable, and so was forced to look in more creative places.

The house was well built, nothing large or fancy, frontier settlements rarely having the resources to waste on such things, but it was still quite nice for a building so far out from Vale.

Like most houses in the wilds, the basement was the obvious choice of shelter in case of emergency. Grimm could bust through a wall easy enough but breaking down through the floor was usually harder, fortify it a little bit and you practically had a bunker capable of protecting a small family from whatever dangers awaited them above.

Of course, a bunker wasn't much use without supplies. He hadn't spent much time looking before, focusing on trying to get the radios working, but with that proving to take more time than expected… well, they had to eat eventually.

The area was dark, Qrow having taken the generator to be used upstairs, but he had his scroll for a light source. One of the floorboards creaked and he froze, listening for any sounds of movement.

The silence remained and he took another step forward, before the board he stood on let out a loud cracking sound and broke underneath his weight, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward.

"Damn semblance." Thankfully there wasn't much space between the board and the actual ground of the basement, the wooden floor mostly serving to keep the two spaces separated. Qrow sighed but didn't make any immediate moves to get up. Hasty action usually just leads to more problems. Instead, he simply looked ahead, his eyes falling on a couple boxes stacked in the corner with a very recognizable brand logo on them.

"Maybe there is a god or two." Qrow smirked as he pulled his foot from the rotted wood, stepping towards the boxes. Spotting a bottle sitting on top, he smirked. His smirk died however when it became clear that the bottle was empty.

Collecting the boxes he went back up stairs, just in time to hear the sound of radio static blare out from the table. Amber turned to him and smiled softly, though it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Amber turned away from him, casting her eyes down at the radio. She stood, using the table for support, and moved back to her chair. Once again staring into the flames.

Qrow turned his chair slightly so that his back would be facing the wall before sitting down. Every couple moments sparing a glance up at the girl he had helped train. The radio wouldn't get spectacular range, not so far from major infrastructure, but it would probably be able to reach the next town if they were lucky.

All he would have to do was tune it to the right frequency. Simple enough work, but it would take time.

Another night without sleep and Pyrrha was beginning to feel the strain. A few more days and she was likely to collapse, but thankfully she wouldn't be forced to test that.

They had managed to make contact with a nearby village.

The signal had been poor, the voice barely audible, but they had managed to keep it stable long enough to tell them who they were and, more importantly, where they were. Qrow hadn't given their names, just saying they were some wandering Hunters in need of assistance. The person they had talked with had given them directions to find their village and a general idea on the distance, thankfully only ten or so miles up the road.

Unfortunately, that was ten or so more miles than Pyrrha was comfortable walking, and her body was letting her know how much it despised her for it all. She pushed on however, keeping pace with Qrow the whole way there, even if said pace wasn't a very quick one.

But they had finally made it. This village was smaller than the last one, the walls being made of wood and being noticeably shorter, but it wasn't burned down and so was practically paradise in comparison. That being said, it wasn't much to look at.

The village itself had been set up off the side of the road on a slight hill rather than on the road like the destroyed village. The gate was closed, two guards stood atop a raised platform and looked down on them with suspicion. One guard leaned in towards the other, before whispering something. A moment later he nodded and ducked behind the wall.

"What do you two want?" His voice was a mix of disgust and indifference.

"A place to sleep, some food to eat, and something to drink… not quite in that order." Qrow responded. "Don't suppose you'd have someplace we could stay?"

"We have a tavern, might have a bed or two if you have the money for it." Despite his words, the man made no move to open the gate.

"We've got money."

The man Grinned. "How much?"

Qrow glared up at the man. "Enough."

"Then you can probably afford the toll."

Qrow stared at the man in silence for a moment. "Toll?"

"Yeah, with that shit hole burned down we're the only option, which means we can charge more than even they did… unless you want to keep going."

Qrow continued to glare and Pyrrha was fairly sure she could hear his teeth beginning to grind together. "How much?"

"Hmmm, three hundred lien should do it."

"Three hundred lien!? Just to get into your crummy little village?!" Qrow's hand reached for his side and, for a moment, Pyrrha feared he might have been going for his weapon, until he pulled up his flask. He seemed to remember it was empty a second later and his glare turned murderous.

"If you don't wanna pay you can al-"

"That's enough Lav, let them in!" A voice called from the other side. Qrow didn't seem to hear it.

"You're a woman!?"

The, apparently, female guard snarled down at them but the gate opened soon after.

"My apologies my friends!" A large man greeted them on the other side, beard unkempt and clothes dirty. "Welcome to Dimwater!" Despite his appearance, the man had a friendly attitude. "Forgive Lav, she's a bit of a problem child."

"Hey!"

"You were the ones I spoke to on the radio, correct?"

Qrow had a smug look on his face as he looked at the guard, before turning back to the man. "Yeah, that was us."

"What good luck that I happened to be sitting near my own radio!" The man turned and led them further into the town. "But you must be exhausted, let me show you to the tavern. I'm sure we have a room or two available."

Qrow looked at her for a moment, before following. "You own the tavern?"

"I own the town!" The man chuckled softly. "Or most of it anyways, my grandfather helped build it after the war. I know it's not much, but it's home."

Pyrrha looked around. The main path through town was dirt, unlike the other settlement, and the houses were squat, ugly looking buildings that would protect one from the elements, but not much else. The people all watched them with the same look of suspicion as the gate guard had. She tried to ignore the stares as best she could but it kept her on edge.

"Here we are."

The building was larger than the other ones, but no more aesthetically pleasing. The noise from inside could be heard even before the door opened.

The first thing she noticed was the smell of booze, the second was the silence. The dozen people inside, sat at a myriad of tables arranged in no noticeable pattern, watched them much as the people outside had.

"I can take you to your rooms and you can come to the bar for a drink or some food." Pyrrha saw Qrows face light up at the mention of booze. The man spared her a glance. "I can also see about having the doc take a look at her, if you'd like."

"Good idea, but first," Qrow stole a drink from the counter, ignoring the glare from the man who had been about to grab it. The glass was empty a second later. "Oh that tasted awful… just what I needed." He shook his head and turned back to their escort. "You got a way to contact Beacon?"

"We have a long range terminal set up in my office. On a good day we can reach Vale." The man gestured for Qrow to follow him. "I can show you your rooms on the way."

Pyrrha followed closely behind, not willing to be the sole center of everyone's focus and looking forward to the prospect of sleeping in a bed.

"Nothing fancy, but it's got two beds and decent insulation to keep you warm." He opened a door and let them enter.

He was true to his words and the room was far from luxurious, but it would be perfect for now.

Qrow set his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention to him. "I'm gonna go try and get ahold of Oz, do me a favor and don't wander off."

Pyrrha nodded as the man led Qrow out, shutting the door behind them. Laying down on the bed, she was asleep instantly.

"I appreciate the generosity, rare thing to come by outside the walls."

"Don't be mistaken, I still expect payment, but I'd rather have a grateful Huntsmen than a pissed off one staying in my town." The man explained. "The rates are fair, and the booze cheap. Food… not so much."

"Heh, suppose that's fair." Qrow kept a few feet between them, years of experience warning him against taking chances with people he didn't know. "How much for the call?"

"That's free… or, well, no Lien at least." The man hesitated for a moment. "I was hoping you could pull a job or two, or get some Huntsmen out here to do it at least. I'll pay of course."

"I'm a bit busy myself, but I can call in some favors." If it meant they would be able to get back to Beacon, hell Qrow would convince Oz to send a wave of Huntsmen out.

"Consider the booze free."

Qrow was starting to like the Mayor of Dimwater. Said man opened a door that led into a small office, the terminal sitting on his desk. After logging in he stepped away, allowing Qrow to sit down.

"I'll leave you to it." Closing the door behind him, the man left. Qrow waited until he heard the footsteps fade away before putting in the number and hoping it would work.

After several seconds, the line picked up.

"Oz, it's Qrow."

Authors Note: Frontier towns are such an interesting concept in RWBY. Since having too many people would be dangerous without large walls, that a middle ground would be a delicate balance. I originally wanted more to happen this chapter but decided to go with this instead and have the next chapter be the more important one.

In other news, we have a cover now! This cover piece was made by the incredibly talented CHE3ZY (username of their account on DeviantArt at least). Very good work and I encourage you all to go look into their art. Good stuff.

Heads up that I might take the holidays off, since I'll be moving as well it might become a bit tricky to write consistency. So if I go dark for a few weeks that's why, fear not, I shall return.

I hope you've enjoyed and as always I encourage you to review and let me know what you think. I always love to hear what I'm doing right, wrong, and what I can do better.

Sincerely SE