Chapter 1

"zzzt…other towns include…zzzt…"

Calloused hands drew the two wires together even closer.

"zzzt…the Knights are on the move. Reports from Mistral indicate a withdrawal of forces from the area. If you are here in Vale, then be on the watch for…zzzt."

"Shit." The word flew out of her mouth not a moment after the radio sparked in her hand. Yang jerked her hand back, unenthused by the wires' aggression.

Slumping down on the ground, Yang exhaled a sigh. Working on technology that insisted on fighting back at this time of night would be suicidal.

Deep rooted paranoia whispered in her ears. Cautiously, Yang flipped back the sheet she'd taped over the window.

Nothing.

The brawler settled back into the corner of the second floor room. A weary sleeping bag spread itself over her. The cover provided what the fire Yang longed for did not.

You learned quickly: fire got you killed. The Knights had heat vision, and fire lead them right to you.

Crash!

Chick-chock! Her hands cocked the shotgun before Yang realized she stood. Four years had beat into her reflexes Yang couldn't live without.

Keeping low, Yang creeped to the stairs that lead to the ground floor. If Knights were in the town, she needed to know.

"And I was looking forward to getting some sleep," Yang murmured. Talking to herself became a habit after the first year after the takeover. Seldom human interaction would do that.

Having full conversations alone took three years.

The creak of a wooden stair stopped her. Yang leaned up against a wall and listened.

Nothing.

Continuing slowly, Yang brought the shotgun to the crook of her shoulder. The night and lack of power gave her the leeway to forgo keeping to the ground.

Clomp!

Throwing careless behavior in the wind, Yang gracelessly flopped to the ground.

Knights.

Yang heard the clomp of metal footsteps that once boded well for the Atlesian Military. Their owner ignored the building Yang was inside, instead continuing on. Two sets walked in the direction where the crash had come from.

She could take two. Easily with surprise on her side. Any more though, then she would have difficulty.

The clanking footfalls drifted away. No doubt they would find whomever was foolish enough to cause such a loud noise.

Not my problem! The thought shocked Yang back to the ground.

But it was true.

Slowly, Yang fell out of hunter mode. Her shotgun was quietly returned to the safety setting. The Knights left her vicinity, and the disheartened woman felt hollow.

"Every person for themselves," she chuckled darkly.

Yang scowled and retorted, "I was a hunter."

"Was," she shot back.

The brawler found herself silent after the brief exchange. She scooped up her shotgun and made her way back to the alcove.

Sleep eluded her that night.

The faint static of the radio woke her. She'd mistakenly left it on.

She shook her head, "That could have gotten you killed."

"Not in the mood!" Yang hissed back. She silenced the metal scream. Any noise, quiet or loud, could spell death.

Probably just the same for whoever she'd heard before.

As she untangled herself from the sleeping bag, Yang dove into her backpack. Her hand secured a hairbrush out of the smattering of supplies inside the trusty pack.

Cautiously, while working on her hair, Yang peered out the broken window. Her eyes scoured the ruins of the city block.

Nothing.

In the back of her mind, the hunter sighed with relief. No one had died. There would have been blood.

"Unless they carried them away," she hissed.

Gritting her teeth, Yang slung the shotgun over her back. She packed her things and stowed them in the corner.

If it came to running, the brawler would be ready.

"What are you doing?" she growled.

Yang shrugged, "Investigating."

The typical response that usually followed her optimistic remarks was quiet. Yang paid it no mind.

She took the handgun from her belt and clicked the safety off. Leaving the shotgun on her back, Yang descended down the stairs.

Buildings displayed a visage of battle from years ago. Bodies had long been scavenged by animals and humans alike. But the Knights' corpses still scattered the street.

Yang skirted along the edges of the street. The Knights were incredible hunters, and would see her coming from long away.

Thus the brawler's route included stumbling through the fronts of shops and buildings. Any form of cover was better than none.

Yang crouched against the side of a broken window to catch a breath.

Clomp!

She quickly grabbed where the window used to be, only to stab her hand on a shard of glass.

Swearing under her breath profusely, Yang poked an eye over the blood covered spike. Two Knights tugged a limp body out of a building.

Cynicism would have trumped Yang into apathy had it not been for that face.

Jaune Arc.

How long it had been since she'd seen that face? Four years? The Vytal Festival.

"Fuck. Don't even think about it," she whispered.

"I'm going." Yang stood, keeping a wall between her and the Knights.

"Stupid!" she cursed herself. Her legs carried Yang to the door. With her left hand, she palmed the handgun. She'd have to get close.

Her shotgun or wounded dominant hand would get Jaune killed.

Yang pushed the hammer down with her maimed hand. Taking a short breath, the brawler dashed out of the room.

She squeezed a shot off, striking the left Knight in the torso. It only served to alert Jaune's captors, who dropped said man.

Another bullet fired. Yang's second shot struck the wounded Knight in the head, shutting the mech down.

The second Knight lifted its gun to fire. Jaune Arc grabbed a leg and yanked the mechanical man down to the ground. Yang capitalized with three shots scattered into the Knight, the last of which burrowing into the neck.

"Yang Xiao Long…" Jaune Arc murmured in wonder.

The woman in question jerked her head. "C'mon. It's not safe here. We'll talk later."

Author Notes: Welp, I started a second lengthy story. Not my brightest idea, but I am known for my bad decisions. Hell, I wrote this on a whim after seeing the picture I used as the cover.

Tell ya what, if you enjoyed this, let me know! If people want me to continue this little story, I will. I had fun writing this, so why not?

Now, this story is...different. It's short, so read a few more chapters in before passing judgement. If you don't like it after that, then by all means move on. If you don't like it by chapter six, then be my guest to stop. But as this is structured in short chapters, getting to chapter six doesn't take too long.

Feedback is appreciated!

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