Pyrrha made her way down a dark alleyway. Normally one would avoid such a place, especially at night, but this particular alleyway was the only way to get to the Pit's locker room. The fact that this alley was frequented by some of the meanest fighters in Kuchinashi, (if not all of Mistral) meant that almost no one would ever lie and wait there. So Pyrrha was quite surprised when she saw someone standing in front of the door.

She glared at the man standing in her way. He towered over her at 6 foot 6, had a shaven head and was wearing aviator glasses with a dark suit and tie. The whole ensemble screamed 'I AM A MAFIA THUG' in the most insecure way possible. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"Is there a particular reason you're standing in front of a teenage girl's changing room?" she demanded.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his inner coat pocket. Pyrrha tensed, but then relaxed when the man pulled out a thick envelope. He offered it to her, and she took it.

"You go down after three minutes," growled the man, then he left before Pyrrha could respond.

She rolled her eyes. If that dumbass had asked anyone who knew her at all he'd know that she didn't take bribes. He was even dumb enough to give her the money before the fight started. No promise of future payment, no threat if she didn't comply, there was literally nothing stopping her from taking the money, and beating the everliving shit out of her opponent.

Well, I guess they might come after me. But a bunch of thugs for a dumbass wannabe mob leader who doesn't know shit about rigging fights? I think I can handle that.

She pushed open the door to her changing room and walked inside, tearing the envelope open as she headed for the bench. She paused when she saw the contents, and let out a low whistle. A thick brick of lien was inside, at least half an inch thick. She pulled it out of the envelope and flipped through it, all 100 lien bills.

Oum almighty, how rich is this guy?

Usually when someone tried to bribe her, she'd get a couple hundred lien at best. Whoever was trying to buy this fight was either desperate, or stupidly rich. Pyrrha wasn't sure which was more dangerous.

She shook herself, and walked over to the bench to sit down. She took off her black backpack and placed it in front of her. She unzipped it, reached inside, pulled out a roll of bandages, and started wrapping her hands. As she was doing so, she kept glancing at the money.

If they're desperate then they'll throw everything they have at me to get the money back. If they're stupid rich then they'll either ignore me, or send a small army to make an example of me.

She couldn't give the money back at this point, angry mobsters were never good listeners, and if people were sent after her for breaking this deal, they'd be very angry. The smart thing to do would be to take the money and do as she was told. The bribe was several times larger than what she'd get for winning, and would last for months. She'd be well off and no one would be trying to put a bullet through her skull.

On the other hand, doing what she was told meant becoming someone's bitch. Accepting that money was a sign that she could be bribed, and would mean they'd come back to do it again. Even if she got another brick of cash every time, there was no way in hell Pyrrha was going to live her life getting her shit kicked in for money.

Plus, she had her reputation to think about. Part of it was for pride, but the wrong rep could get you killed on the street. If she started losing every fight in the pit, her reputation would go from: 'that girl you DO NOT fuck with' to 'that weakling with tits'. Pyrrha could handle herself against pretty much anyone, but beating off losers looking for a quick fuck could get her in trouble with the cops. Again, she might be able to handle it but it was a shit ton more trouble than she needed.

Fucked if I take it, fucked if I don't.

Pyrrha finished wrapping her hands, and stared at the money. A loud banging interrupted her musings.

"Hey Nikki! Your fight's about to start. You ready yet?" called the announcer.

"Calm your tits Reggie, I'm on my way," said Pyrrha. She stood up and took off her black t-shirt. Underneath was a red sports bra that matched her shorts. She ran her hands over the top of her head and felt the base of her short ponytail.

She sighed, let her hands drop, and headed for the arena entrance.

Might as well get it over with.

She opened the door, and stepped out of the locker room. The Pit, as it was referred to by any who frequented it, was an old boxing stadium. No one was sure why it had been abandoned, but it was the perfect battleground for illegal underground fights. Plenty of seats for the spectators, and even though the ring was falling into disrepair, it was still functional.

Pyrrha left the locker room just in time to see the referee call the previous match. A shirtless, dark-skinned, dog-eared Faunus was lying on the ground while a pale, portly man with brown hair seemed to drink in the crowd's cheers. He gestured for the crowd to keep cheering, even after the Faunus had left the ring. At one point he even broke into a stupid little dance.

Pyrrha's eye twitched.

There is no way in HELL I'm losing to that retarded asswipe.

She grit her teeth and stomped over to the ring. Once she was there she hopped onto the platform, then grabbed the top rope and swung herself over. The man noticed her, smirked, then went to his corner. Pyrrha cracked her knuckles and headed to her own. There wasn't a stool to sit on, so she leaned against the corner pole and rested her arms on the ropes.

Reggie then stepped into the ring. He was a short, fat, bald man wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He held his microphone up to his lips.

"ALLLRIIIGHT EVERYBODY!" he shouted. "We've had some great fights this evening, but now it's time for the main event! Can this mysterious new comer, who fought his way through all our regulars, beat the unbeatable Pyrrha Nikos? Fuck if I know, but it should be fun to watch!"

The crowd cheered, Pyrrha rolled her eyes. The idea that this fucktard beat any Pit regular was laughable at best. He probably bribed his way through them like he tried to do with her. Reggie got out of the ring and the referee called for the two of them to get ready. As Pyrrha raised her fists, she pondered just how she should humiliate this loser.

Eh, I'll just go with the classic.

The ref called for the fight to start and backman backed off. Pyrrha and the man slowly made their way towards each other. When he was in range, the man threw a clumsy right jab. Pyrrha ducked beneath it, then shot out her left arm, to right between the man's legs. She grabbed onto his balls, and clamped down.

The man shrieked.

He began hopping from foot to foot. Alternately screaming and begging her to let go. Pyrrha smirked, squeezed even tighter, then cocked back her right fist and smashed it into the man's face. He nose caved with a satisfying 'CRUNCH', and he fell onto his back. Pyrrha had let him go at this point and began circling him. The man had rolled onto his side, curled up into a ball and was whimpering, but still conscious and therefore hadn't lost yet.

Pyrrha paused next to the man's face. When he arched his head back, she kicked it, full force. The man was rolled onto his back, and he lay there moaning. Pyrrha stepped over him, grabbed his hair, and pulled him up.

"Where's your money now, bitch?" She slammed a right hook into his face, and he was knocked back to the ground. Out cold.

Pyrrha stood up and walked over to a neutral corner, waiting for the ref to call it. No one was cheering, probably in shock that the fight was over so quickly. Or because of how she took him down. when the ref declared her the winner the crowd out over their shock and cheered a little. Probably disappointed that the fight had been over so quickly.

Reggie climbed back into the ring and made the closing announcements. Pyrrha barely listened, she'd heard it all before. When Reggie finished the crowd started filing towards the exits and he walked over to her.

"A little over the top there, Nikki," he said with a smirk.

"Fucker tried to bribe me, and don't call me Nikki," said Pyrrha.

"Ah, come on Nikki, I know you love that nickname."

"Yeah, and you 'love' the whore you have waiting for you in your apartment."

"Which one?" asked Reggie, his smirk growing even larger.

Pyrrha's eyes widened for a moment, then she shook her head and smiled.

"You're going straight to hell, you know that?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm gonna live this life to the fullest!"

Pyrrha snorted.

"Whatever, you gonna give me my damn lien or are you gonna talk all night?"

"I believe you just aptly demonstrated what happens to people who piss you off, so I won't take up anymore of your time," said Reggie. He pulled out a wad of bills from his back pocket and started counting.

"Here ya go, 200 lien."

Pyrrha grunted and took the money.

"Hey, you know the rules. Short fights mean short entertainment which means low pay," said Reggie.

"I know, I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it," said Pyrrha. She pocketed the money, then sighed and looked her friend in the eye.

"Listen, I'm probably gonna have to lay low for awhile," she said.

"Why? You've screwed over bribers before. What's different about this one?" asked Reggie.

"This one gave me a half inch thick brick of hundred lien bills."

Reggie's eyes bulged, and he let out a low whistle.

"Oum almighty Nikki, who the hell'd ya piss off?"

"No idea, someone rich. Probably a stupid move to make them mad but there was no way in hell I'd ever lose to an asswipe like that. Plus, even if guy was a decent fighter there's no way I'm becoming someone's bitch," said Pyrrha.

Reggie nodded.

"I get it. Well, business might slow down for awhile without you, but I'll survive. Come back alive alright?"

"Sure, just get me a decent fight next time," Pyrrha swung herself over the ropes and hopped onto the floor. "See ya Reggie."

"Later Nikki!"

Pyrrha flipped him off without looking back and entered the locker room. She walked over to her things and sat at the bench, then she tossed the money and bandage roll into her backpack. She briefly pondered whether or not to put her shirt on and unwrap the bandages, but decided against it. She had just screwed over someone with a lot of money, probably best to remain on guard until they lost interest in her.

She tossed her shirt into her backpack, closed it, then slid it onto her shoulders. She got up and walked to the locker room door. She paused, sighed, then pushed it open and stepped out.

Right into the sights of a Red Dust model pistol. Said pistol was being pointed at her head by the insecure thug who gave her the bribe. Pyrrha glanced past him. He was flanked by two others, one armed with a red katana on the left and one with a pair of brass knuckles on the right. Appearance wise the only difference between them and the original was that the two newcomers had dark colored hair cut into crew cuts.

Pyrrha returned her gaze to the thug who had her at gunpoint.

"You guys work fast. I didn't expect you to come after me this quickly," she said.

"You have no idea who you're messing with you-"

Pyrrha's left hand shot up and knocked the gun upward, then she smashed her right fist into the thug's stomach. He doubled over from the unexpected pain. Pyrrha let go of his gun hand, brought both of her hands to the back of his skull, and slammed it into her knee. Both the thugs glasses and nose broke with a loud 'CRUNCH'. The man dropped his pistol and began stumbling backward in pain. Pyrrha kicked the gun away then shoved the man toward the thug with brass knuckles. He caught the stumbling man, but he had to back up a few steps to recover his balance.

While the other two were occupied Pyrrha charged the thug with the katana. He was so stunned by her sudden attack that he was only now getting onto a ready position. Pyrrha grabbed his sword arm before he could finish. She held it as far away from her as she could and shoved the man against the alley wall. Her left hand still keeping the sword away, Pyrrha raised her right fist and smashed it into the man's face. His head snapped back, smacked into the brick wall, and bounced forward. Pyrrha hit him again, and again.

Before she could land a fourth punch the man dropped, out cold.

"YOU GODDAMNED BITCH!" yelled the thug with the brass knuckles. He charged Pyrrha's back and threw a punch. Pyrrha jumped out of the way and spun around to face him. The man didn't let up, he charged again and threw a left hook at her head. She ducked beneath it then lunged and tackled the man to the ground. She pushed her upper body up, making sure to keep the man pinned, and cocked back her fist.

A powerful kick crashed into her nose before she could react. She was launched off the man and onto her back. She felt blood trickling out of her nose and onto her lips but she ignored it and jumped back to her feet. The original thug stood behind the downed one, blood coloring his otherwise black shoe.

"Out of my way, Slim. She's mine," he growled. The now named Slim clambered onto his feet.

"No way, she's gonna pay for what she did to Butch."

"So many big, strong, men fighting over me! Whatever shall I do?" asked Pyrrha in mock despair.

Slim growled and charged again. Pyrrha had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She side-stepped his sloppy punch, grabbed his arm and the side of his head, and slammed it into the alley wall. He crumpled and fell to the ground, moaning.

Pyrrha turned back to the thug.

"You hired that piece of shit?"

The man shrugged.

"It's his first night, we didn't expect any-"

Pyrrha charged him before he could finish. He recovered and caught a punch aimed for his face.

"Did you really thin-"

Pyrrha smashed her foot up between his legs.

He cried out in agony and dropped her. She watched as he backed up and tripped over himself onto his back. She walked up to his prone form with a smirk on her face.

Works every time.

She pinned him with her knee, then smashed punches into his face until he lost consciousness. His face was swollen and bloody by the time she was done.

Pyrrha stood up and headed for the alleyway exit, unwrapping her bandages as she went.

Hopefully that'll send a message to whoever sent them, i.e. I am NOT to be fucked with. I'll probably have to do this a few more times but eventually they'll have to figure that coming after me is just not worth it.

When she stepped out of the alley she froze. In front of her was a small army of thugs, at least twenty or thirty, all armed, all standing next to matching large black cars. The thugs noticed her, the ones with guns raised them and told her to surrender, the ones with close quarters weapons started to approach her. Pyrrha looked around, there was no way out, she was surrounded.

Fuuuuuck

She raised her hands over her head. The moment she did she felt something whoosh past her. Pyrrha had to blink a few times because of the sudden wind, but when she recovered her jaw about hit the floor.

A white blur was zooming from thug to thug, sending them flying through the air. Other thugs tried to regroup but the blur was too fast. It knocked them all aside and at soon enough every single thug was down.

Pyrrha blinked. Then blinked again. She rubbed her eyes and smacked herself, but what she saw did not change. Twenty to thirty thugs had been taken down by one man, IN LESS THAN THIRTY SECONDS!

Now that the blur had stopped moving Pyrrha could see that it was indeed a man who had saved her. Said man had dark hair, stubble around his jaw, and red eyes. He was wearing a gray dress shirt, black pants and a dark red cape. The most prominent feature however, was the massive sword he held over his shoulder.

The man glanced around at the downed thugs, then turned to Pyrrha.

"Ya know, a part of me was hoping you'd somehow be able to take 'em all out by yourself, but I guess that's asking for too much," he drawled. His sword made a few clanking noises and the tip retracted. The man then placed it horizontally onto his back.

"You have any idea who you just crossed, girly?" he asked.

It took a moment for Pyrrha to find her voice.

"S-someone rich?"

The man rolled his eyes and pulled out a flask.

"Someone rich. Well, I guess that is an accurate description of the guy, if not a very complete one," he took a swig. "But Dante Santana is undeniably a rich man. Anyone who practically owned Mistral's underground would have to be."

Pyrrha's eyes just about bulged out of her skull.

"Dante Santana! THE Dante Santana! The number one mob boss in all of Mistral!? That's the guy I pissed off?!"

"Yep."

"Why the everliving FUCK would Santana conduct business in this rundown shithole!?" demanded Pyrrha.

"He wouldn't, but his son likes to think he's hot shit without daddy's help. So he sometimes goes to underground fights not controlled by his old man, and buys his way to the top. You just squeezed the balls of the son of the most powerful criminal in Mistral, and humiliated him in front of over a hundred people. Even if Dante hates the little shit, he's got a reputation to protect."

"And now when the asswipe goes crying to daddy I'm gonna have half the crooks in Mistral after my head," Pyrrha turned to the nearest wall and pressed her head against it. "Fffffuuuuuuuck."

"That's a pretty accurate assessment. But I might be able to help you out," said the man.

Pyrrha turned back to the man and glared. She knew what kind of deal this was gonna be. The man in front of her held all the cards, if she didn't do as he said she was good as dead. She was helpless, and Pyrrha fucking hated that.

"And what the hell does a Huntsman want from a Pit fighter?" she asked.

"Don't get too hostile there, girly. Remember, I'm the one chance you got at getting out of this mess," said the man.

Pyrrha bit back a growl and nodded.

"Right, before we begin I'll introduce myself. Don't bother doing the same, I got your name from the announcer. My name's Qrow, and you're right, I'm a Huntsman. What you probably didn't figure out was that I'm a Huntsman from Vale," he said.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"What're you doing out here?" she asked.

"Classified, Nikki," said Qrow.

Pyrrha grit her teeth.

"You haven't answered my question. What the hell does a Huntsman from Vale want with a Pit fighter from Kuchinashi?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to come to Beacon Academy in Vale to train to be a Huntress," said Qrow.

Pyrrha stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. You'd go to Vale, a whole continent away from your troubles, train to the point where thugs like these mean nothing, and you'd get four years of free food and a roof over your head. So what do you say?"

Pyrrha bit her lip, the deal sounded pretty good. Huntresses led a life of constant danger but she wasn't exactly playing it safe with her current lifestyle either. She'd be far away from her troubles and like Qrow said, she'd train to the point where they meant almost nothing. It sounded too good to be true.

And when things felt that way, they usually were.

"What's the catch?" she demanded.

"Huntresses don't exactly have safe jobs-" began Qrow.

"Neither do Pit fighters. More than a few people have died in there. Now what's the catch and why do you want me?" she asked.

"I'm telling you the truth here kid, other than the hazardous occupation, no catch," said Qrow. "As for why I want you, well it's a bit hard to explain."

"Try me."

Qrow sighed.

"Remnant has never been a safe place, and it probably never will be thanks to the Grim. That said, we've had quite a few years of peace now. I welcome the break just as much as the next guy, but it's making some of the new students soft. They fight fine, correct form, precise strikes, coordinated teamwork, but none of them know how to be mean, or how to react when someone fights dirty," Qrow paused and pointed at her.

"You on the other hand, have been fighting mean and fighting against mean, dirty opponents for a least a few years now. You could give the students a glimpse of what they're up against in the real world. When things like honor or rules mean jack shit," Qrow paused again to take another swig from his flask.

"That a good enough explanation?"

Pyrrha thought it over. She didn't know much about history but she heard from time to time that things in Remnant used to be a lot worse. It made sense that, if this was relative peace, regular people would be getting softer than they used to be. Pyrrha was anything but soft, and Qrow seemed to think that would help. She mentally examined every part of the deal, and couldn't find anything suspicious. One thing still bothered her though.

"You really think I'm good enough? I mean, I know I'm good but," she gestured to the downed thugs, "Shouldn't even a Huntress in training be able to take them all down?"

"Yeah, they should. They also have weapons and armor, something you currently lack. If we can find you the right weapon, I have a feeling you'd be able to take down that many chumps no problem," said Qrow.

"You really think so?" asked Pyrrha.

Qrow nodded.

"Alright, but where are we gonna find a weapon for me to use? And how long do I have to learn to use it?"

"There's a weapons shop not far from here with an owner who owes me a favor. As for time, not long. The initiation test is a little over a week away, and it takes a few days by airship to get to Vale. So we'll find you something simple, but deadly. If you're agreeing to come along that is," said Qrow.

Pyrrha sighed.

"Not like I have much choice, let's go to the weapons shop then get the fuck out of here."

"You don't have anything to pick up before we go?" asked Qrow.

Pyrrha patted her backpack.

"Everything I need's in here. Scroll, lien, bandages."

"Clothes?"

"I got a brick of hundred lien bills in here. I think I can afford a little shopping."

Qrow shrugged.

"Alright, follow me."

Thankfully the shop wasn't far away. Just a few blocks outside of the bad part of Kuchinashi, the Pit being a marker for the beginning of said bad part. Pyrrha looked at the single story shop. It was an unassuming building, not even a sign above the door. If she hadn't been able to look between the shades and see the rows of weapons, she'd have assumed they were in the wrong place.

"How's your friend gonna know we're here?" asked Pyrrha.

"He sleeps in the back, all we gotta do is pound on the door," said Qrow.

"You know it's like eleven at night, right?" asked Pyrrha.

Qrow shrugged and began pounding on the door.

"Hey Russ! Open up!" he called.

After a minute or two the door opened to reveal a middle aged, brown-red haired man wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"Oum's sake Qrow, keep it down! You're gonna wake up the whole damn block," he said.

"Yeah well, I need to call in that favor and it can't wait," said Qrow.

"I told you if I heard or saw anything I'd tell you right away," said Russ.

"Change of plans," Qrow gestured to Pyrrha. "She needs a weapon and some armor and it can't wait."

"Why the hell not?" demanded Russ.

"I beat the shit out of Dante Santana's son after he tried to bribe me to lose the fight," said Pyrrha. "Qrow agreed to get me out of here if I agreed to become a Huntress. I did but now I need the proper equipment."

Russ stared at her, then grinned.

"You beat the shit out of Carlos Santana?"

"Squeezed his balls till they popped."

Russ gave a great belly laugh, clutching his stomach and rearing back laughing. When he calmed down he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Serves the little shit right. Goddamn, I would've paid good money to see that. Come on in," he ushered Pyrrha and Qrow into his shop. He hadn't switched on the lights yet but quickly fixed that. With the room illuminated Pyrrha could properly admire all the weapons on display. Everything from Dust swords to shotgun axes to rocket launcher spears were on display, along with several weapons Pyrrha couldn't properly identify.

"Sorry sweetheart. I'd usually let a customer browse and try weapons out in the back, but at the moment that would wake up the entire neighborhood. Something neither of us want right now. So follow me to the counter, tell me your fighting style and I'll try to find a match," said Russ.

He led her to the back of the shop. Qrow hung back, leaning on one of the shelves near the door. Pyrrha couldn't quite tell if he was standing guard or not. On the one hand he was in the perfect position, on the other, he was drinking. A lot.

Pyrrha decided to ignore him and looked back at Russ. They had reached the counter and he climbed over, then turned back to face her.

"Right then, sorry miss but I didn't catch your name," said Russ.

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Russ Flae. Now with that out of the way, have you ever used a weapon before?" he asked.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Maybe a bottle or stool in a bar fight, but other than that I stick to hand to hand," she said.

"Fisticuffs or kicks?"

"Mainly fisticuffs, some kicks thrown in now and then."

"Know anything about Dust?"

"Jack shit."

"Right, ever fired a gun before?"

"My aim's shit, never bothered to improve much. Guns attract cops."

Russ nodded.

"Okay, okay. So a brawler type weapon, no reliance on Dust, no gun attachments," Russ had opened up a computer he had on the counter and typed a few things into it.

"You're in luck, I have something that just might work. Had to keep it in the back since these days everyone wants some kind of attachment. You might have to change up your style a bit, but not too much. Lemme go grab them," Russ stepped away from his computer and headed through a door behind him.

He was gone for about a minute, then returned with a box that was a little bit larger than a large shoebox. He opened it and pulled out two silver gauntlets. They were shaped like thin ovals that had been pressed in one side to form bowls. They were long enough to cover her hands and forearms, and from the looks of it, would protect the top part of her forearms and the striking part of her fist. Pyrrha turned one of the gauntlets over to examine the underside. What was there were two adjustable leather straps, one near where her wrist would be and one near the back of the gauntlet. In the area where her fist would go, there was a bar for her to grab onto, with a button on it.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"It'll be more fun if you try them on and find out yourself," said Russ.

Pyrrha shrugged and picked up the left gauntlet. She undid the straps, slid her arm inside, then strapped it on. She tried flexing her wrist, but found that she couldn't, the outer protection prevented her from flexing up, and the bar prevented her from flexing down. She internally shrugged, and formed a fist to press the button.

'CHSINK'

Three double-sided eight inch blades shot out of the end of the gauntlet. Pyrrha jumped and released her fist, the blades retracted. She glanced at Russ, who simply smiled. She scowled, then pressed the button again. The blades extended outward once more, and Pyrrha was able to properly examine them. They were small blades, only about half an inch wide. They extended out from the area covering her knuckles, and the edges ran parallel to her fingers. She retracted the blades again and examined the area where the came out. If she looked closely, she could just make out the slits the blades came out of.

"The openings widen a bit when the knives come out," explained Russ. "I picked those up as part of a deal from a Faunus trader. Said they were used by a Faunus who wanted claws to better embrace his animal side. Don't know if it's true or not, but I do know that with the right treatment those blades'll slice through just about anything. You interested?"

Pyrrha looked at the gauntlet on her arm. She extended the blades again, and grinned.

If I had these when the thugs came for me I'd have been able to take them out no problem. Hell, if I kept my head when the small army came for me I might've been able to take them too.

"They have a name? Huntsmen always name their weapons from what I hear," said Pyrrha.

"The trader called them Silber Klauen*. You want them?" asked Russ.

"How much?"

"350 lien."

Pyrrha internally grimaced. She wasn't used to spending that much anywhere, let alone on a single item, but then she reminded herself that she had a brick of lien to burn through, 350 was nothing.

"Alright," she reached for her backpack.

"And if you want a book on proper blade maintenance and some proper sharpening tools, that'll be another 50 lien," said Russ.

Pyrrha growled a bit, but agreed. She forked over the 400 lien, then placed the book, and toolkit into her backpack.

"Now, do you want some armor as well or do you want to stick to street clothes?" asked Russ.

Pyrrha thought for a moment.

"I should probably get some kind of protection, but not so much that'd it slow me down," she said.

Russ nodded.

"Well the standard Huntress outfit usually includes a battle-skirt-"

"No."

"They allow for full range of movement-"

"Do I look like the kind of girl who would ever where a goddamn dress?" demanded Pyrrha.

Russ paused.

"Uh, no."

"Then what else ya got?"

Russ rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I got some leather armor, will that do?"

Pyrrha took off her gauntlet and tossed both of them into her backpack and put a strap over her shoulder.

"Sure, lead the way."

Russ hopped over the counter and led her to the right side of the shop. At the last row on the right there was an aisle of body armor of all kinds. Leather, metal, flamboyant, minimalist and everything in between.

"Guys on the wall and ladies on the shelf," said Russ.

Pyrrha walked down the aisle, her left hand shifting through the different armor sets. Halfway down the aisle she found what she was looking for, a leather jacket. It was similar to a female biker jacket, black, large collar, off-center diagonal zipper; the only real differences from a standard biker jacket were the short sleeves and thick pieces on the shoulders. Pyrrha pulled the jacked off the aisle wall and tried it on. It was comfortable and fit great. She rolled her shoulders and was pleased to discover that the thick pieces didn't hamper movement.

"The thick pieces are called pauldrons if you're wondering," said Russ, walking up to her. "They're meant to deflect overhead blows."

Pyrrha nodded.

"I'll take it."

"I'd also recommend combat pants and boots, if you'd follow me this way."

Pyrrha sighed, but followed. Ten minutes and 480 lien later, Pyrrha stood in front of a full body mirror. She was wearing her new jacket, Silber Klauen, dark gray combat pants with a red flame motif on her right leg, and black steel toed combat boots. She gazed at herself in the mirror, and slid into a combat stance and activated the claws.

'CHSINK'

She stared at the figure before her.

Holy shit, this is actually happening.

She had already agreed with Qrow's deal but the full implications hadn't hit her until just now. She was going to become a Huntress. Someone charged with defending civilization from the hordes of Grimm that lurked just out of sight. She was wearing close to a thousand lien in combat gear and would be expected to use it on a regular basis.

Her, a street punk who had taught herself how to throw a punch, was now expected to become a defender of humanity.

She was NOT shaking, she was-

"Well you certainly look like a Huntress in training," Russ' voice interrupted her from her musings. She retracted the claws and returned to normal posture.

"I care more about this stuff keeping me alive than how I look," she said, leaning down to grab her backpack.

"Hmph, smart," said Russ as Pyrrha slipped her backpack on. "Need anything else?"

"I'm good."

"Pleasure doing business," said Russ, extending his hand.

"That's what they all say," said Pyrrha, ignoring the hand and heading for the door.

Russ shrugged and let his hand fall back to his side.

"Oi, Qrow, you awake?" he called.

Qrow stopped leaning against the wall and waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help," he said.

"Not a problem, take care of yourself Qrow," said Russ.

"Will do. See ya."

Pyrrha and Qrow walked out of the weapons shop and starting making their way down the street. After a few moments, the light from the shop turned off. Qrow looked Pyrrha over as they walked.

"Not bad. Shame you didn't get a mini-skir-"

'CHSINK'

Pyrrha pressed the blades against Qrow's crouch and they stopped walking.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" asked Pyrrha, grinning pleasantly.

Qrow cleared his throat.

"I asked you if you were sure you didn't need to go back to your place to pick your things up."

"Good," Pyrrha retracted the blades. "And no, I got everything I need."

"You sure?" asked Qrow as they moved forward again.

"I still have a couple thousand lien, I can buy anything I forgot in Vale. Now let's go, I wanna get out of here as soon as I can," said Pyrrha.

Qrow shrugged.

"Alright, I'll get you onto an airship to Vale and give you instructions on how to get to Beacon. You'll have to stay in the city for a few days before initiation, but you can find a hotel or something right?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"Sounds good."

They walked in silence after that. Pyrrha glanced around at the city that had been her home for 17 years. It would probably be a long time before she ever came back, if she came back at all. She was about to make a big step in life, a step she never imagined herself taking, and she still wasn't quite sure how she felt about it.

She sighed.

To late to back out now. Nothing to do but move forward.

She adjusted her backpack, and followed Qrow towards her new future.

Jaune tiptoed his way down the stairs, making sure to skip the third step that always creaked. He was wearing his battle gear. He didn't really need it in his own house and it had technically never seen battle, but it made him feel more confident. Something he definitely needed at the moment.

He was going to sneak off to Beacon Academy to become a Huntsman. He had the fake transcripts, he had his battle gear, now all he needed was a weapon. The weapon he was going to take was Crocea Mors, the sword and shield that had been handed down from one Arc to another for four generations. Five if Jaune's turn wielding it counted, but since he was 'borrowing' it he wasn't sure.

He kept all the lights off as he snuck into the living room. His parents and sisters were all asleep upstairs, but he didn't want to take any chances. He glanced up at the sword. It was hanging above the fireplace, inside the sheath area of the expanded shield. Jaunce crept past the armchairs and table in front of the fireplace, and reached up to grab the sword.

"Ya know you could've just asked," came a voice from behind him.

"GAH!" Jaune stumbled backward, and tripped against the table. He began to fall backward, arms flailing for support. Someone caught him before he landed on the table and pressed a finger to his mouth.

"Shh, we don't want to wake your sisters or your father now, do we?" asked Jean Arc. She was slightly shorter than Jaune, the top of her head only level with Jaune's nose, but she was more than strong enough to catch him. She helped him to his feet and Jaune saw that she was in her pajamas and her dirty blonde hair was messed up a bit, probably from sitting against it for awhile then quickly moving.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, and coughed.

"Mom, I-I can explain," he said.

"You were going to steal Crocea Mors and use forged transcripts to get into Beacon," said Jean, she crossed her arms. "Honestly Jauney, did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Jaune's shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"Sorry. Do you wanna punish me now or in the morning?" he asked.

"Who said anything about punishing you?" asked Jean.

Jaune looked up, surprised.

"Wha-?"

"Jaune, you want to become a Huntsman so badly that you're willing to risk forgery charges, and steal a family heirloom. At this point I doubt a month of laundry duty would stop you," said Jean. "But why do you want to become a Huntsman so badly?"

"Well, you and grandpa told me all kinds of stories about what are family did. How we're heroes, I wanna live up to that," said Jaune.

Jean sighed.

"It seems we forgot to mention that the reason your great-great-grandpa fought so hard in the great war was to make sure his children wouldn't have to," said Jean.

Jaune blinked.

"O-oh."

"He didn't have any qualms about training his children to fight Grimm, but frankly I do," Jean looked her son in the eye. "I'll be honest with you Jaune, I know Huntsmen and Huntresses are romanticised as great heroes, and they are, but it's not an easy life. They're soldiers in a war against Grimm that will never end. No matter how many Grimm they slay there will always be more. They are a threat that can never truly be defeated."

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"But if we can help protect even just one person, isn't it worth it?"

Jean blinked, but then smiled and shook her head.

"You're a true Arc alright."

Jaune felt his chest well up with pride.

"That's what kept me fighting for so long. 'One more person, one more person could need my help'. It's how your grandpa kept fighting as well," Jean sighed. "I'm sorry I never really trained you Jaune, I wanted to give you and your sisters the choice not to be Huntsmen if you didn't want to, to avoid fighting a war you'll never really win. But somewhere along the way it became 'don't become a Huntsman' instead of 'you don't have to if you don't want to'. I'm sorry about that."

"Ma, don't say that. You still taught me plenty of things! Hell it was thanks to you pushing me that I managed to beat grandpa at chess," said Jaune.

Jean smiled.

"And then you started reading all those books about Huntsman strategy when he mentioned you could be a good leader," she said, then she sighed, and turned to fireplace. She lifted Crocea Mors from its hanger, and collapsed the shield into a sheath. She turned back to Jaune and offered it to him.

"Is this what you really want? To go to Beacon with no combat experience, and fight against an enemy you'll never fully defeat?"

Jaune smiled, then grabbed the sword.

"Like I said, if I can help at least one person, it's worth the risk."

Jean let go of the sword and Jaune attached it to his hip.

"Alright, but before you go let me do a few things for you. First, I'm going to unlock your Aura," said Jean.

"Wait really? I thought I had to unlock that myself."

Jean frowned.

"Don't be stupid. It's true that if you'd gone to combat school you would've had to unlock your Aura on your own, but you're not going to combat school. You're going to Beacon Academy, the final stage for Huntsmen training. I'd have to be a complete idiot to send you there without activating your Aura."

Qrow paused, his shot glass halfway to his lips.

Did I forget something?

He shrugged, and returned to his drink

Jean placed her forearms on top of Jaune's.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Jaune suddenly felt his body overflowing with energy. He backed away from his mother and his entire body began to glow.

Jean blinked a with times in surprise.

"Wow, you've got a lot of Aura, Juane. I mean, A LOT."

Jaune looked down at his glowing body and turned his hands over a few times.

"Yeah, uh, great! Now, uh, how do I turn it off? It's starting to kinda freak me out."

Jean chuckled.

"Just give it a few moments. The light'll die down soon enough."

Sure enough it did. Jaune turned his hands over a couple more times just to be sure he wasn't glowing anywhere.

"Well I'm a little less worried now," said Jean, Jaune returned his attention to her. "I know no amount of Aura alone will keep you safe but it should help you a lot."

"Do I really have that much?" asked Juane.

"Don't let it get to your head. You'll need combat skills as well as Aura to survive as a Huntsman. That said, you do really have a lot," said Jean. "Okay, next, a piece of advice. Initiation day is going to have some field test of some kind, and knowing old Ozpin, it'll probably involve being launched into Grimm infested territory."

"Uh, what do you mean by 'launched'?"

"I mean hurled through the air at an extremely dangerous speed."

"WHA-!?"

"SHH!" Jean covered Jaune's mouth and looked at the ceiling. After a moment, she released him.

"Sorry," mumbled Jaune.

"It's alright, I suppose I would be surprised as well. Anyway you'll need to come up with a landing strategy. Your Aura should protect you from the fall, but even your vast reserves would have a decent chunk depleted if you did nothing. Even just a simple combat roll would put significantly less strain on your Aura," explained Jean.

Jaune nodded.

"Alright, I'll try to think of something."

"Good, now go upstairs to your room."

"What! I thought you were gonna let me go!" protested Jaune.

"I am. I'm going to drop you off at the airship to Beacon myself. AFTER, you've packed, had a decent family breakfast and given each and every one of your sisters, your father, and me a proper goodbye. Sound good?" asked Jean.

Jaune rubbed the pack of his head again, embarrassed that he'd doubted her.

"Yeah, sounds great, but I'm not sure I'll get much sleep tonight."

"Get what you can, you'll need all the rest you can get," said Jean.

Jaune nodded and started to detach Crocea Mors.

"Keep it," said Jean. "It's yours now."

Jaune looked up and smiled.

"Thanks Ma," he said.

She smiled back.

"You're welcome Jauney, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The two of them snuck back upstairs and to their rooms. Juane detached Crocea Mors and leaned it against the wall. He then took his armor off but kept his clothes on and fell on top of his bed.

Holy crap, I'm actually going to Beacon tomorrow.

He rolled onto his side, and tried to go to sleep. Thoughts of future heroics, terrors, and strategies racing through his head.

*Silver claws in German. (At least according to google translate)

Before anyone jumps on me for ripping off Wolverine, yes, I ripped off Wolverine's claws. I couldn't think of any other fisticuffs way to make Pyrrha's weapon be any deadlier than just metal knuckles. Dust maybe but as she said, she knows jack shit about combat Dust. I'll point out that Pyrrha's claws are shorter and straight instead of curved, but I know I'm nitpicking. That is the only thing that I'm gonna rip off for this fic. This Pyrrha is not Wolverine but a girl, she doesn't have his powers and her personality is different (close maybe, but different). The claws are the only near identical thing and if I had thought up another easy to learn fisticuffs weapon for this Pyrrha I would've used that instead.

Also, does Pyrrha's outfit make sense? I'm still not completely sure if it looks alright.

Jaune knows about Aura because of the books on HUNTSMEN strategy he read.

The more reviews I get the more motivated I am to update