Author's Note: Enjoy.

Beta: GeneralMayhem, kpmh2001

Pyrrha coughed and struggled to breathe, the air having been forced from her lungs. She'd been unable to control her landing, the fall being too quick and too sudden for her to fully process what was happening. Dust filled the air, making every breath that she tried to take hazardous, and making it difficult to regain her barings. She could hear Qrow to her side doing much the same, laid out on his back groaning as he too struggled for air.

As things gradually returned to normal, she became aware of their surroundings. Aside from them, the warehouse had fallen completely silent likely due to their unexpected entrance.

Pyrrha sat up as quickly as she could manage in an attempt to struggle to her feet, only for a hand to be forced into her face. Qrow tried to smirk as he pulled her up but it was clearly forced. As she gained her footing, Pyrrha looked around the building. The White Fang hadn't said anything yet, but they had taken up defensive positions and were taking aim with what guns they had.

"So about that plan…" Pyrrha sighed as her hand fell to her side, checking to make sure her temporary weapon was still attached to her hip.

"Shut up." Qrow groaned. "It's not my fault that… shut up."

A voice rang out from somewhere. "Who are you?!" She couldn't tell which of the masked terrorists had asked it but the question helped her focus on the new threat. She did a quick scan of the area to get a better idea of the situation they had fallen into. There were a number of containers not too far to her left and there didn't appear to be anyone waiting there, so it would offer good cover from their guns as long as the containers didn't contain anything volatile in them. A number of terrorists had taken positions on the walkways above them, overlooking most of the floor level.

"How did yo-" The voice was cut off as Qrow drew his weapon. "Hunters! Shoot them!"

Pyrrha drew her own weapon and dashed to her left, just as she heard the sound of bullets hitting the concrete floor where she had been standing. She spared a quick glance back to see that Qrow had gone in the opposite direction, moving in the direction of the stairs that lead up to the walkway.

She wrapped around the first container just as another hail of bullets flew by, a few managing to knick her arm but her aura stopped any real damage. There were a few more audible sounds of shots pinging off of the container before she heard someone yell out over the building. "Stop shooting! There's dust in there!"

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she realized the cover she was currently using was more akin to a bomb waiting to go off. It was only sheer luck that it hadn't done so yet. The gunfire aimed at her stopped and for a moment she waited and listened. A few seconds later she heard the telltale sound of boots hitting the ground as a mask clad faunus rounded the corner.

He didn't have much time to act however, as Pyrrha shoved her hand-guard into his mask. His head snapped back and the crowbar he used as a weapon clattered to the floor as he stumbled back. Another man came around the corner, crashing into his ally as they both toppled to the floor. A third and forth came around and stepped over their downed companions, brandishing their own makeshift weapons as they attempted to attack her.

She stepped back from the first attack, an overhead strike with a metal pipe, the weapon missing her and leaving its wielder exposed. Pyrrha brought the hilt of her sword down on the back of his head, forcing her attacker to the ground. Her next opponent hesitated, allowing Pyrrha to take the initiative. She brought her sword around from the side in a feint, her opponent fell for it and brought his weapon up to block her strike.

As her sword made contact, Pyrrha pushed forward to hit her opponent's chin with an uppercut, sending him stumbling back. He tripped over his downed comrades, striking his head on the ground. He didn't make any moves to get up, in fact, he didn't move at all. The second man to have shown up, the one currently buried under two of his friends, made a sound somewhere between a shout and a scream just before her metal boot struck his face.

Her immediate area remained silent, though she could still hear the sound of combat and gunshots in the direction Qrow had run off in. She spared one last glance at the heap of unconscious combatants, as she didn't want to leave an active opponent behind her; Pyrrha moved further into the shipping containers, using them to remain hidden from the upper levels.

She slowly made her way in the direction of the trucks, hoping to cut off any chance of escape. The safe house had clearly been in the process of leaving but they hadn't packed everything away just yet, or so she hoped. Moving out from the containers, Pyrrha spotted the trucks, along with a small group rushing to load the last of their supplies onto them.

One turned, eyes widening behind his mask as he recognized the danger. His mouth opened to shout a warning out to the rest and his hand reached for the gun he had slung over his back. By the time his hand touched it, she had already reached him. Her free hand smashed into his gut, lifting him off the ground slightly before the force behind her momentum ran off and gravity brought him back down. She let him fall and moved on to the next opponent.

One of the group rushed her without a weapon, attempting to grapple and pull her to the ground. She brought her sword down on his forearm, making the man visibly wince as aura flared. She knocked his other arm aside with an open palm, redirecting most of his forward momentum to the side and away from her. His shoulder hit hers as he went sailing past and her sword arm was knocked back.

Two more were wielding makeshift weapons, as their comrades had bought them enough time to draw them, and they stepped forward attempting to take advantage of her small opening. One swung at her with a metal wrench. Unable to bring her sword around in time, and not having a shield as she usually would have, Pyrrha was forced to take the strike on her arm.

There was no technique behind the strike, the man simply putting all his force behind it and hoping for the best. That was good since it meant he wasn't prepared to pull back and strike again, but it also meant that she felt her aura dip and she winced at the pain.

Raising her arm and her opponent's weapon with it, Pyrrha thrust her sword forward into his chest. She heard him cry out and the wrench dropped to the floor. She pulled her sword back, planning to finish her opponent before the second one made his move as he swung down at her with a rusted fire axe.

Pyrrha caught the axe head momentarily on her blade, forcing it to the side and stepping into her opponent's guard. In such close range her sword would be awkward and difficult to use, rather, she grabbed the back of his head with her free hand and forced it down just as she brought her knee up. The metal of Amber's boots was angled towards the top and it would have dug into her opponent's forehead had it not been for his aura, as it was he was severely dazed and unable to act as she pushed him to the floor. He tried to rise but a swift kick to the side of his head knocked him unconscious.

Stepping away from the downed man, Pyrrha looked up to try and find the one that should have still been standing only to see no one near her. She heard one of the trucks start up and she swore internally. The man had gotten away while she had been distracted. She sprinted over to the first truck as fast as she could, moving to get to the cabin before it could take off. She felt something hit the back of her knee hard as it buckled under the strain, forcing her into a kneeling position.

Looking behind her she noticed one of the terrorists on the walkway had noticed her and was now focusing on her. Pyrrha growled under her breath as she stood, wishing that she had brought a pistol at the very least to use at the distance. She decided to simply take the shots and focus on the truck, the second her back was turned she felt a shower of projectiles hit her spine. It hurt but she grit her teeth and moved forward, just as she was reaching the side of the vehicle however, the truck lurched forward suddenly.

It smashed through the thin wooden doors, tires screeching as they hit the pavement outside and the truck struggled to make the necessary turn and nearly tipped over. Unfortunately she had no such luck and the truck managed to slip away.

Pyrrha turned just as the door to the next truck slammed shut and the engine sputtered to life. She managed a few steps uninterrupted before she was again attacked by the man on the walkway. Ignoring it, she pushed on, reaching the cabin.

The man inside locked the door hastily but Pyrrha punched through the glass. Grabbing the man inside by his collar and pulling him halfway out the window. As she did she heard the rumble of a machine behind her. She was only partially turned when the large chainsaw made contact with her shoulder.

Crying out in pain as her aura flared, Pyrrha let go of the grunt and leapt back off of the truck. The massive chainsaw swept from the side, forcing her to bend back and slip under it. She planted her hand on the ground, intending to flip backwards and away from danger, but her arm gave out under the strain and her back hit the concrete. She rolled away as a moment later the chainsaw struck the ground, leaving numerous cracks and kicking up a fair bit of dust.

The door in front of the truck opened and a moment later the second truck took off into the night. As painful as it was to let go, Pyrrha had no choice and took the short distraction it offered to get back to her feet as she observed the new combatant. The most notable feature, aside from the giant chainsaw, was his sheer size. His large muscles, choice of weapon, and not to mention the damage he had done to a solid concrete floor with a single attack; all made it clear he was strong.

It wasn't hard to assume he was someone more important than the others, if only because he seemed better trained and more confident. Where the others had fallen quickly, showing no real care or knowledge for how to properly fight, she highly doubted this would be the same.

There weren't any words exchanged, no taunting or goading as the action movies would show it. One moment the two were sizing each other up, the next he had closed the distance and the chainsaw was again coming down towards her head. Pyrrha made no attempt to block it, knowing that if it came to a test of strength she would lose, instead she rolled to the side to dodge.

Again the attack cracked concrete and, despite how heavy it must have been, the man hefted the chainsaw back up with ease watching her from behind his mask. Pyrrha watched helplessly as a group of terrorists made it to the third and final truck. The engine started a moment later before dying as a sword buried itself in the hood of the truck and, more importantly, the engine itself.

"Sorry that took so long." Qrow smirked. "Always gotta deal with the high ground first." The small group that had tried to escape in the truck exited and made to attack Qrow, only for him to withdraw his weapon and disengage. "I'm gonna go after those trucks, see if I can track them down. Can you handle the clean up?"

Honestly, Pyrrha wasn't sure. Her current opponent was slow and, had she been in her own body with her own semblance, she would have confidently said yes. But as things were, she simply didn't know. That fact didn't stop her from nodding her head. They had to know where those trucks planned to deliver their supplies, which meant Pyrrha would have to be able to hold her own. "I'll be fine."

Qrow nodded back at her, before running out the opened warehouse door and disappearing into the night. She wasn't sure how he planned to catch up to them, but she knew Qrow was experienced enough to make the right call. He was a huntsmen and, like he'd said, he must have had a few tricks to use.

Pyrrha turned her attention back to the task at hand. The group from the truck had stepped forward, holding up their weapons but not moving forward. It was clear none of them would be a real issue, but they could serve to distract her from the big one. A mistake that could easily become fatal.

The smartest thing they could have done would have been to rush her, as she didn't have any way to fight them all at once and she would have been forced back easily, but they hesitated. None of them wanted to be the first. The large man with the chainsaw had no such concerns.

Pyrrha stepped back and ducked down, moving under the chainsaw and getting a glancing strike at her opponents chest. As he was pulled with the momentum, she pushed past him and towards the group that had yet to engage her. They weren't ready, clearly not having got the message that they were now on the defensive, and the first one didn't even manage to get his weapon in position to block her overhead attack.

The first fell with a cry, Pyrrha quickly moving on to the next opponent. It was a woman this time, and she managed to get her pipe up in time to block Pyrrha's first strike. She wasn't prepared for her legs to be kicked out from under her however, and she too soon fell to the ground with a sickening crack.

The third and final one had a panicked look in his eye and froze as Pyrrha's attention finally turned to him. By the time he finally managed to act, she was already bringing her sword down in a diagonal arc across his chest. Her blade sparked against aura and the man stepped back but didn't go down. Pyrrha lunged forward, her sword making contact with the spot directly above his heart.

The force of the attack forced the man's shoulder to roll back and, in a desperate bid to stop his attacker, he reached out and grabbed her forearm. Effectively pulling her off balance and dragging her to the floor with him. As she landed she struck the left side of his head, forcing his head to smack into the ground beneath them and he fell unconscious.

Pyrrha heard the revving sound of the chainsaw from directly behind her. She turned and attempted to stand, only to look back and see that the unconscious man's hand was still locked around her arm like a vice. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as the man hefted his massive weapon high above him, preparing a killing blow and caring little for the fact it would likely kill his comrade beneath her as well. She could see the sheer glee in his eyes as he prepared to kill her.

Pyrrha panicked and lashed out with her open hand, feeling a familiar fire burn in her eyes as she channeled the maiden powers through her as she summoned wind strong enough to throw the large man and his weapon across the warehouse. He crashed into the large steel containers that Pyrrha had been using for cover earlier before slumping to the floor, the container having bent inwards due to the force.

He groaned softly but didn't move and Pyrrha sighed in relief. Prying the unconscious man's hand from her forearm, she rolled off of him and struggled for breath. She was exhausted, the fight having taken much out of her. Her body was sore and she could tell her aura was nearing the red if it wasn't already there. Despite all of that, she had won, but it was only because of the maiden powers. Had she been anybody else, she would have been dead.

Ozpin had been right. She wasn't strong enough.

Qrow returned not too long after Pyrrha had finished tying up the White Fang members that were likely to wake up. She seriously doubted the man with the chainsaw would wake up, but she had decided to not take any chances and tied him up as well.

"Heh, not bad." Qrow joked, but it was clear he wasn't as happy as he tried to make it seem. "Trucks got away without a trace unfortunately, even I couldn't find 'em." That explained it.

"We stopped one of them at least." Pyrrha pointed over to the vehicle with a sword shaped hole through its engine before gesturing to the numerous unconscious terrorists strewn about the building. "One of them surely knew where they planned to go."

"Good point, I was thinking the same thing myself." Qrow stepped over as he pulled his flask up to take a swig, offering it to her after he had had his fill. She politely denied. "Would have brought some backup if I knew it was going to go so sideways, maybe those friends of yours."

Pyrrha sighed at the mention of how poorly things had gone. It was supposed to have been a simple scouting mission. "My friends aren't in Vale yet, not the city at least. They won't be until the start of the next school year."

"I was talking about the one with the sunglasses and her team."

"Team CFVY?" Pyrrha asked. "I knew them in my past life, but I wouldn't say we were friends."

"Maybe not then but they're pretty much the only people you talk to nowadays." Qrow reattached his flask to his hip and walked over to a few of the downed grunts, inspecting the bindings Pyrrha had used to tie them up with. "Aside from me, Oz, or Goodwitch."

Pyrrha thought about it for a moment, stepping to another group of terrorists to check the binds and finding that they had started to slip. "I suppose I've ran into them a few times."

"Ha!" Qrow barked in amusement. "I'd say they ran into you, since you practically live at the gym and they see you there every day." Pyrrha blushed but kept herself busy as she tightened the rope before a thought occurred to her.

"Wait, were you spying on me?" Pyrrha looked over her shoulder at Qrow who only shrugged.

"Ozpin's orders." He said. "And it was only a little bit, nothing invasive. Trust me."

She felt like she should have been offended, but she wasn't surprised. "The Headmaster has a lot of reason to doubt me, considering how unbelievable the truth is."

"Still doesn't make it okay." Qrow grumbled. "Anyway, police are on their way to take these guys into custody. After that we'll head back to Beacon. If everything goes well, we should be able to avoid Ozpin's notice until tomorrow." It was unfortunate, but Pyrrha hoped the Headmaster would understand. "Or Miss Goodwitch." Both of them shuttered at the telling off that was to come.

Author's Note: Combat is always difficult to write, showing and explaining the right amount of detail so as to not overwhelm but still paint a clear picture. Pain in the ass. Plus, writing group combat, i.e. throw away minions, has never been my strong suit. Hope it turned out well.

Next chapter, consequences.

Hope you enjoyed it and as always don't forget to review and tell me what you think.

Sincerely, SE