Author's Note: Enjoy.

Pyrrha stumbled around a corner, breathing heavily as she quickly pushed herself up against the wall in an attempt to hide; listening carefully she tried to make out any sign of her pursuer. Between the sound of the rain and her own breathing however, she couldn't make anything out.

Despite the relative silence she didn't allow herself to relax. Keeping her back pressed against the wall, she slowly moved farther from the corner and towards the other side of the alleyway. With the storm and lack of maintenance to the area it was especially dark, a fact that her pursuer was no doubt going to take advantage of. Being a faunus it was likely that he would have night vision, meaning it was just one more advantage he had over her.

The pain in her ankle served as a constant reminder of her own vulnerability, having to keep her weight off of it for as long as possible. She wasn't sure how far she had run, although she could no longer see the church, and she certainly didn't recognize any of the surrounding area.

Callows had been right behind her at one point, and she had thought he was about to catch her, but when she had looked back he was seemingly no longer there. She had kept running for a time, glancing over her shoulder to see that she wasn't being followed anymore. There had been a momentary spike of fear that he had turned back to go after Taiyang and she had considered turning back to help him.

Once she had stopped running however, Callows had emerged from the darkness, lunging out at her with his weapon forward. She had managed to dodge, just barely, but he didn't attempt to attack her again, simply disappearing into the darkness once more. He had laughed endlessly for several minutes after that, the horrifying sound echoing through the streets wherever she ran.

It had eventually grown fainter however, more distant, and she had allowed herself a moment to pause. He had lunged out at her once more, and this time she had been unable to fully avoid him. He had managed a cut on her arm and, though it was ultimately small, she was certain it had been his tail that had done it.

Within a few minutes her arm had begun to ache, before shaking beyond her control. Clutching it to her chest she had carried on. That was when she realized what was happening, why her attacker hadn't killed her and was simply content to let her desperately run around the streets of Mistral; it was all a game to him. Whenever she slowed or winced audibly in pain, whenever her arm began to shake, his laughter would reemerge; always just out of sight.

She hadn't seen him for several minutes now, but she wasn't going to fall for that again. If this truly was just a game to him, then that meant she had his interest, and that was enough to keep him away from the church while her only hope for survival was currently fighting for his own life.

It was a cruel joke, but Pyrrha had grown used to those. Her life had almost been reduced to nothing more than that these days. Be it Ozpin or Salem, she was just a plaything to them.

Pyrrha shook her head, carefully trying to fight past the dizziness and a growing fog that had been building up in her mind. Pushing off the wall, she stepped out from the alleyway she had been hiding in, stumbling forward for a few steps before falling to her knees. She attempted to stand but something hard hit her back, pushing her face down into the mud.

"Giving up already?" The mad voice laughed, Pyrrha tried to turn to face him but he pushed down harder on her back; holding her in place. "I see now why you don't deserve our Queen's gift!"

Pyrrha pushed up with all the strength she could muster, managing to do so with surprising ease. Frantically turning around, she only saw the dark alleyway she had emerged from. Scrambling to her feet she began limping in the opposite direction. She could still hear the faint sound of laughter echoing but she couldn't pinpoint any discernible direction for it, almost as if it were coming from everywhere at once.

As she reached a light post the laughter suddenly stopped, and Pyrrha froze in place. The sound of rain and her own breathing drowning out any hope of hearing her opponent approach. Turning around she watched every shadow carefully, looking for any sign of him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something move, snapping her head in that direction she swore there was something hiding just outside the small circle of light she was standing in.

The longer she stared into the darkness the more nauseous she felt. Out of the corner of her eyes something moved, and once again her head snapped around in the direction of it. There was nothing there however, and she frantically turned around to try and catch a glimpse of him. The sudden movement was too much however, and Pyrrha felt something build up inside her; a moment later that something was laying at her feet as she continued to heave. Falling to her knees she just barely managed to catch herself with her arms; struggling for breath and her throat burning she looked up once more.

This time she knew she saw something, a flash of white in the darkness that she could easily recognize as Callows insane grin. The laughter that bubbled forth caused her right arm to begin shaking once more, unable to stand Pyrrha sat back on her legs much as she had on the tower.

His laughter only grew more manic, reaching a loud climax as she leaned forward and heaved once more. "You've no idea... how fun this has been!" He struggled to speak in between fits of laughter, and he moved to wipe a tear from his eye as he continued. "You managed to get farther than I thought…" His laughter halted instantly. "But not far enough, no, no, they never get far enough!"

Pyrrha chuckled dryly, despite it all, there was some amusement to it. She had died to CInder before, and she had accepted the fact that she would be at risk of that happening again, but she hadn't truly believed she would die so far from the tower; so early on that she hadn't even been able to see her partner again.

Biting her lip she fought to stand once more, determined not to die here. She hadn't done enough yet, she still had to save her friends, and she wasn't willing to bet on the generosity of the thing that brought her back to do it again.

Her legs were shaky, and her stomach twisted again, threatening to bring her back to the ground, but she managed to fight it back. She took a step back from where she knew Callows to be, turning around and setting one foot in front of the other. Wincing at the pain as she could no longer ignore it.

"Keep running if you wish," Callows' laughter mocked her, once again echoing from all around her. "I'll be there when you finally accept it. You'll beg me before it's over!"

Pyrrha blocked the voice as best she could, stepping forward with a steely determination. She had promised Coco she would explain everything when she got back, she wanted to keep that promise. Coco and Velvet had been nothing but kind to her, and they deserved to know the truth, she was done lying. All she had to do was survive, help was coming.

Hugging her shaking hand to her chest she mumbled the words softly, desperately trying to convince herself that it was true. With every repeat, the laughter only seemed to grow louder.

Fox couldn't sleep, or rather he couldn't get back to sleep. He had blamed the storm at first, the thunder had certainly been loud enough to wake him, but that wasn't what kept him from falling back asleep.

Something was wrong, he just couldn't tell what. His dreams had been closer to nightmares, the sounds of combat and pain weren't alien to him but these were different. This was a cry of pain unlike anything he had ever heard and he was fairly certain that was what had woken him up. He hadn't even been certain it was a dream at first, it felt like something that had been external and in his dazed state he was fairly certain he had woken Yatsu; though he hadn't said anything yet his mind was far too active to be completely asleep.

The sound of rain and thunder weren't the only things Fox heard; however, there was also a faint whispering sound that he couldn't quite understand. The harder he focused on it the fainter it became until it vanished entirely, then it would re-emerge just as he had convinced himself it wasn't real.

Throwing his blanket off Fox sat up and sighed. His visit to Yatsu's home had been great so far. Despite his initial reluctance they had all welcomed him eagerly, doing wherever they could to accommodate him. Part of that he was sure was due to him being a friend of their son/brother, but he also got the impression that they were simply kind. Even when Amber had come to them for help, Yatsu's family had been polite, and their arrival had been far more of a surprise than his own.

In fact, Yatsuhashi and him were the only two people who seemed bothered by the encounter. Amber was skilled, he knew that, but he wasn't sure if she was strong enough to be working for the Headmaster. The fact that the Headmaster would need agents of his own at all was concerning, but something Fox didn't want to think on.

She had said her friend was in danger, but she hadn't given too much information past that. She was worried though, he didn't need his semblance to know that she was panicked and scared. She had also been exhausted, and the fact that the two of them had quickly rushed off again after getting what they needed didn't sit well with him or Yatsu.

She hadn't asked them for help, which was odd because she had become far more comfortable around them lately. That alone should have been a red flag and yet they hadn't said anything.

The faint whispering grew louder, though it wasn't anymore understandable than it had been before. He was sure of one thing however, it wasn't an actual sound if it were then there was no way Yatsu would have pretended to be asleep.

Reaching out to where he knew his scroll was, Fox planned to message Amber. His scroll had turned off during the day, since he had forgotten to charge it, and he hadn't bothered to turn it on when he went to bed. He was on vacation and had no need for an alarm, sleeping in was part of the fun and he had no problem with that.

His Scroll vibrated softly, informing him that it had charged enough to turn on at the very least, and he would be able to message Amber. What he was going to say was another matter however, one that he would nee-

His scroll blared a loud and alarming sound, one that Fox hadn't heard in a very long time. It took his still sleep rattled brain a moment to piece together what exactly it was. His scroll only ever went off when he got a message or call from his team, but he had set his ringtone to a more enjoyable and less jarring tone ages ago. This one was a preset from Coco, whenever someone's aura was broken it would blare out a warning to the rest of them that something was wrong. It had saved their lives a few times early on and he had to admit it was a good idea.

His Accessibility Dialogue Assistant blared out the warning for him as well, drawing his attention to a fact he had failed to notice. Amber had been added to their teams aura roster, said aura was also entirely depleted. Just as that set in, the incoherent whispering intensified; his semblance now fully active he could hear Amber frantically repeating the same few words.

Jumping out of bed he sent a message towards Yatsu warning him of the danger before changing. Yatsuhashi and him were running out of the house less than a minute later, both stepping out into the storm with little care for themselves. Now he just had to find Amber and see what kind of trouble she had managed to get herself into now.

Coco's gonna be pissed.

Pyrrha stumbled forward, managing to catch herself by leaning on the wall of a nearby building. In the process she had been forced to move her arm away from her wound however, and as such the blood had continued to flow. Leaning her shoulder on the wall she tried to stem the flow once more, the rain washing away her blood and leaving the cut open.

For a small wound it was bleeding quite a lot, then again, so were her hands. There were at least a dozen or so cuts from her multiple falls to the ground, more than once she had failed to catch herself and she could faintly taste blood on her lips. Each of those times Callows had been close behind, jumping in to swipe at her momentarily before retreating to the shadows; much like a cat playing with its prey.

She had no idea where she was anymore, the alleyways and streets having lost any semblance of meaning under her dazed state, and she was struggling to think anything beyond the simplest of ideas. She was tired, incredibly so, and she wanted nothing more than to lay down; something she recognized as a problem.

Limping along the wall she managed to make it to the corner, a small section of which was covered from the rain by an awning. It was darker there, and she would have been hard to spot. She knew it wouldn't help though, the faint laughter only confirming her fears; she just needed a moment to rest, that was all. Leaning against the wall, she allowed herself to slide down into a sitting position.

The devil chasing her emerged from the darkness a second later, crouching down in front of her and smiling as he took in the sight he had created.

"Marvelous!" He cheered. "You've finally given up?"

Pyrrha tried to stand but couldn't move her legs. Her ankle had swollen from her constant use after spraining it, and even her uninjured leg was exhausted beyond use.

Callows seemed to notice her attempt, smiling all the brighter.

"Still? You are a fun one." His laugh was lighthearted and sent a chill down her spine. "But I believe your time is up, yes?"

Pyrrha simply stared back at him, breathing was hard enough as it was and she had no reason to respond to him. He stepped on her ankle suddenly, causing her to scream out in pain.

"Yes?!" Callows screamed over her. "I so love it when the strong ones break!" He reached out, gently placing a hand on the underside of her chin. "The look in their eyes when they know they are beaten, desperately trying to find a way to escape the inevitable, but then… they realize it." His tail came forward, brushing alongside her head. "There never was a way to escape."

Pyrrha would have been lying if she said she wasn't afraid, she was terrified, but she was also tired. She wanted to run, to survive, but the only thing she could do was watch as the monster before her grinned and spoke.

His tail moved above his shoulder, the stinger angled down at her. "Try to scream loud enough for my Goddess to hear you, she will be s-"

Callows' words were cut off as something wrapped around his tail, the sudden intervention surprising him just as much as it had her. A moment later he was yanked off of her by it, crying out in pain he brought his blades around to cut whatever it was that had attached to his tail.

"On behalf of General Ironwood, you're under arrest!" Someone called out from behind Callows. "I'm supposed to say don't resist and you won't be harmed but… well, we both know how that's gonna go."

"One of Ironwood's dogs?!" Callows looked into the darkness, apparently unable to see his opponent judging by the fact that he kept looking around. "This doesn't involve you, leave and I wont murder you!"

"Tempting as that sounds," The voice was closer now; Pyrrha looked up just as Callows turned back around. A man in a white coat leapt down from the building Pyrrha was laid up against, standing between her and Callows. "I'll have to pass." He spared a look over his shoulder at her, the smile on his face turning sour as he got a closer look at her. "You gonna be ok?"

Pyrrha tried to speak but couldn't form the words in her throat.

"You should be worried about yourself!" Callows howled, his laughter and enjoyment at her pain having been replaced by anger at this sudden man's involvement.

"Amber!" Pyrrha's head sluggishly turned down the road, it took her eyes a moment to focus on who had called her name, but Fox and Yatsuhashi slowly came into view.

"Looks like the cavalry's here, right on time." The man said. "How lucky am I?"

Callows growled in rage, eyeing the two new arrivals as they approached Pyrrha. Fox stood in front of her while Yatsuhashi knelt beside her.

"Amber… you're not well." Yatsuhasi said and Pyrrha couldn't help the laugh that slowly bubbled forth. It was a mistake however, as a moment later she found herself having to lean over as her body shook violently once more. "She needs medical attention."

"She'll get the best Atlas has to offer." The new man spoke softly. "We just gotta deal with this little man first." Callows growled once more but didn't step forward. "You two hang back and do what you can for her, I'll deal with him."

Pyrrha tried to warn him not to fight Callows alone, but again her voice failed her.

"She doesn't think that's the best idea." Fox stepped forward. "We'll do better as a group, or at least a pair."

The new arrival seemed hesitant, but he nodded his head a moment later. "Ok, but one of you hangs back to guard her? That's not up for debate."

Yatsuhashi and Fox both nodded, Fox lowering himself into a fighting stance while Yatsu moved to stand in front of her. It was only then that Pyrrha realized they didn't have their weapons on them, and that sent a spike of fear through her. Callows was a monster, even with everything she could have mustered normally she wasn't sure she would have been able to survive, let alone win.

When her savior pulled out what appeared to be a fishing pole, Pyrrha felt like she might cry. As he began to fight however, her thoughts quickly changed. He was good, weaving in between Callows' attacks and creating distance so that he could use his unusual weapon with an odd sort of efficiency. It had clearly been built with a specific Huntsmen in mind, and as such, was adaptable and strong enough to hold up against the onslaught Callows brought to bear.

Fox jumped in when he could, usually only succeeding in slowing Callows down for a moment, and allowing the real Huntsmen to take the initiative. Despite how long he had hunted her, Callows didn't seem tired; and as the fight went on, he seemed to have more energy than when it started. His laughter returned slowly as he maneuvered in between the two of them.

Suddenly, he broke off, flowing around the man in white and ignored Fox entirely. He began to sprint towards Yatsu with his tail raised, and though Yatsuhashi was surprisingly fast for how large he was, he only managed to raise his arms up to his chest by the time Callows had closed the distance. Rather than go for him however, Callows ducked under Yatsu's arms and his tail flew for Pyrrha's neck.

As she watched the attack come, Pyrrha couldn't move a muscle in her body. Her eyes widened and her arm continued to shake, but she couldn't find the strength to defend herself any further. Despite that she still tried to call on the maiden powers to protect herself, the mere thought eliciting more pain than she could handle; she felt something start to push to the surface, it just wasn't fast enough to stop her impending death.

Callows' tail didn't land however, because he was suddenly pulled back by his hair. Crying out in a mix of pain and rage, he was pulled into Yatsuhashi's arms and pinned to his chest. The madman thrashed wildly in an attempt to escape but his captor was stronger.

Pyrrha watched in horror as his tail repeatedly stabbed into her friend's arms, his face twisting in pain as he struggled to hold on ,before the pain finally became too much and his grip momentarily faltered. That was all Callows needed to escape however, and he managed to break free.

Yatsuhashi fell to his knees, reaching out to try and regain a hold on him; he grabbed the only thing he could. Callows' head whipped around instantly, but he was unable to turn before the man intervened.

Callows screamed in agony as he pulled several feet back. Pyrrha looked down to the severed half of his tail that had fallen to the ground, before looking back up to where its owner had fled; his back was now towards one of the dark alleyways he had stalked her from.

It was difficult to tell what exactly he must have been thinking. Was he going to run, and accept the fact that he was beaten? Or would he linger in the shadows as he had done to her, slowly eroding her friend's ability to fight back. "I'll kill you all!" Callows screamed, the volume and sheer hatred in his voice causing Pyrrha to wince. "I'll come for your families next! None of them will be safe!"

"The offer still stands." The man stepped forward, kicking the severed tail softly. "If you surrender no-"

"Fuck you!" Callows stepped back. "You'll all beg for mercy befo-" his words were cut off once more as something emerged from his chest, the tip of Allos covered in blood. His expression betrayed no fear or pain, only stupefied confusion at what had just happened.

"You… talk too much." The blade was withdrawn from his chest, causing Callows to fall to his knees, slowly bringing his hands to his chest to examine the new cavity. His fingers curiously touched it as he clearly struggled to understand what had happened. The expression never truly left his face, even as he unceremoniously fell to the ground. His chest heaved one more time, as if he was making one last spiteful attempt to continue living, but after only a moment longer, it was over.

Shakily standing just behind him, clutching Allos with enough strength to pale her knuckles, was Wiess' sister. She collapsed to her knees only a moment later, Allos falling to the ground beside her.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" The man stepped towards her, only for her to wave him aside.

"I'll be fine Clover, see to Amber. She'll need you more than me." Winter didn't sound fine, if anything, she looked about as bad as Pyrrha felt. "The General is on his way here now, preparing us for medical evacuation."

Pyrrha continued to struggle for breath, desperately wanting to speak and ask one question. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Fox stepped forward once more. "Is Qrow ok?"

Winter looked up to him for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, before nodding slowly.

Pyrrha sighed deeply, her vision slowly going dark as the adrenaline left her body. Whether it was the exhaustion or pain, or perhaps both, she couldn't tell, but she was quickly losing consciousness. She was vaguely aware of people shouting for her, warnings against falling asleep, but she couldn't fight it any longer. She felt the sensation of somebody picking her up, before consciousness finally left her.

Author's Note: Chapter is done, though there is still much to discuss no doubt. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and I encourage you to let me know what you think.

Sincerely, SE