"Alright," Jaune said into his scroll, "JNPR is moving east, we think there's a group of them in one of the buildings up ahead. Wish us luck."

"Right, good luck, stay safe," Ruby's voice said, coming from the scroll, "I don't want us stuck here after dark, so we should start heading back to the beach within the hour."

"Good idea," Jaune said, "Team JNPR out."

Jaune closed the scroll and turned to his team. Pyrrha was perched on a boulder nearby, scanning the surrounding area with her rifle. Nora was sitting atop a dead Ursa, kicking her feet playfully and chatting with Ren, who was leaning against the carcass casually. Jaune walked over to Pyrrha. She looked down at him with a smile, then returned her eye to the scope of the rifle. He leaned against the boulder.

"Anything?" He asked.

"We're clear," She reported, "Its a straight shot to those buildings. I think they were built as a remote monitoring station or something. But that one building there definitely has people inside it, there are a half dozen vehicles outside it."

Nora hopped down off the Ursa carcass, switching Magnhild into hammer-mode.

"Alright," She said, excitedly, "Let's go break some legs!"

"We shouldn't be too rash," Jaune said, "Remember, these guys are dangerous. I want us focused and on guard."

Pyrrha slid down the boulder, collapsing her rifle into its compact form as she landed.

"Fine," Nora said, "We'll go break some legs, but we'll do it carefully and tactic-ably and boring."

"By all means, have fun," Jaune assured her, "Just be careful. I don't want anybody getting killed."

They set off, slipping through the trees and into a small open area separating the woods from the Guardians' hideout. Jaune was unnerved about them being so exposed as they approached their target, but the outside of the building seemed quiet. The building the vehicles were gathered around- they were mostly jeeps and a couple of quad-bikes – wasn't very large. It could only comfortably hold about a dozen people. This probably wouldn't be a difficult fight. They came up to the front of the building, and hugged the wall on either side of the front door. They ducked to stay beneath the windows. Jaune and Pyrrha were the closest to the door on either side.

"Okay," Jaune whispered, glancing behind him at Ren, "Ren, make your way around the building and find another entrance. Now, when you find-"

The door to the building opened up and a Guardian strolled out. He was leaning his head back and chugging a beer. He actually walked a couple steps past the team before he stopped walking. He lowered the bottle and stared at Team JNPR in confusion. A moment of awkward silence passed. Suddenly, everybody started moving at once. The Guardian's hand shot towards the handgun on his hip. Jaune pulled up his shield, extended it to full size, and bashed the Guardian in the face with it. Pyrrha jumped up, sending the blunt end of her spear into her opponent's gut. He doubled over, hands gripping his face. Pyrrha grabbed him by the shoulders, swung him around, and threw him back through the door. Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a glance.

"New plan," Jaune said, drawing his sword, "Go!"

Pyrrha charged through the door, with Jaune at her heels.

Inside, it was clear what the Guardians were using the building for. They had turned the building into a makeshift bar. There were around ten Guardians inside, most of them jumping to their feet at the sight of their comrade being thrown backwards through the door. They drew their weapons, mostly swords, hatchets and cleavers. There was one Guardian in the far corner who remained seating, back turned. Jaune made note of him, but focused his attention on the others. He and Pyrrha adopted a combat stance, inviting the Guardians to make their first move. The windows on either side of them shattered as Ren and Nora jumped through and joined them. Ren deployed StormFlower from his sleeves, while Nora swung her hammer around, menacingly.

The Guardians gave each other a few nervous glances, then charged forward. The first to reach them had his feet swept from under him by Pyrrha's spear, which Jaune followed up by bringing his shield down on his head. Ren raised his pistols above his head and brought them down on an attacker, stabbing the blades into his chest. He kicked the Guardian off the blades. Nora swung her hammer, sending two of them flying. Pyrrha threw her shield, letting it bounce between two more of them as she beat down a third with her spear. A Guardian swung at Jaune, and he blocked the strike with his shield. He attempted to counter, but the Guardian followed up with a flurry of attacks. Jaune was push backward until his back hit the wall. He put up his shield, desperately, and the Guardian swung, powerfully. Instead of blocking, Jaune dodged at the last second, using a technique Pyrrha had taught him. His attackers sword struck the wall and got wedged there. Jaune struck him in the side of the head with his sword as he struggled to get his weapon free. He looked over to the others. Nora was bringing her hammer down on an enemy, while Pyrrha uppercutted one of them with the edge of her shield and then fired a shot into his chest as he flew into the air, sending him flying across the room. A Guardian had attempted to flank Ren and catch him from the side with a flying kick, but Ren had caught him by the ankle. Ren stabbed one of StormFlower's blades into his calf, then wrenched it down the length of his leg. The Guardian fell over, gripping his leg in agony. There was only one of them left standing. Ren brought his pistols around and put a bullet in each of the man's knees. He screamed in pain and collapsed.

Jaune looked around at each of his team members, then looked back to the one guy in the corner. He was looking over his shoulder with only passing interest. His lack of concern made Jaune nervous.

"Nice mess." The guy said, casually.

"You don't want to fight?" Asked Jaune, "That's fine. Give us some information and you can walk out of here."

The man stood and turned to them. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had long, unkempt black hair that hung over his eyes. His skin was pale, and he had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in a long time. He was dressed in a black leather long coat. He stared at Team JNPR, looking bored.

"I'm walking out of here one way or the other, kid." He said, "But just for fun, what do you want?"

"We're looking for the man who killed Yang Xiao Long." Jaune said.

The man looked disinterested, "Who's that?"

"The Huntress your people murdered." Pyrrha said, anger in her voice.

"Oh, right. The cat-girl's lay." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Nora switched her hammer into its grenade launcher form, and leveled it at him. He glanced over at her.

"Try it, see what happens."

Pyrrha reached over and slowly pushed down Magnhild's barrel.

"Was it you?" Jaune asked.

The man laughed. A short, empty bark.

"No," He said, "You're looking for Jack. If it had been me, the cat-girl would be dead too, and you assholes wouldn't be on our island. I told him that, of course, but why would he listen to me?"

"Who are you?" Jaune asked.

"My name is Marcus Ochre." He said. He casually reached into his coat and pulled out a combat knife. The members of Team JNPR all levelled their weapons at him.

"Alright, listen," Jaune said, gripping his sword, tensely, "You can't take all four of us. So, put the knife down, tell us where to find Jack, and then we'll go."

"I don't think so," Marcus said, "Think I'll kill one of you, maybe two. Then I want the rest of you to go find the cat-girl, and tell her I'm going to see her soon. Show Jack how to put an animal down properly."

Pyrrha stepped forward, raising her rifle and aiming it at Marcus.

"That's enough," She said, venomously, "Where's Jack?"

Marcus tossed the knife from his right hand to his left. He grinned savagely.

"Last chance." Said Pyrrha.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Marcus asked, "Let me show you."

He held out his empty hand, and turn the blade of his knife towards it. Suddenly, he slammed his hands together, driving the knife straight through his palm. Jaune was taken aback. The moment the knife went through his hand, Pyrrha screamed in pain, and dropped her rifle. She fell to her knees and looked down at her own hand. There was a wound on her palm, a large gash like a stab wound straight through her hand. It was bleeding profusely. With a grimace of pain, Marcus pulled the knife out of his palm and held his hand up. There wasn't a mark on it.

"Neat trick, right?" He said, grinning.

"Oh, shit." Jaune whispered.

Jaune charge forward, raising his sword. Marcus dug the knife deep into his own wrist and dragged it along the length of his forearm. No wound was left behind. Jaune's arm split open, spewing blood. He screamed, lost his grip on his sword, and fell over. He put his hand over the wound, trying to contain the bleeding. Ren and Nora looked at each other, then both charged. Marcus looked at Ren, then stabbed the knife into his own upper leg. He twisted the blade, violently. Ren screamed, and fell over, clutching his leg. Nora nearly closed the distance to Marcus, getting ready to swing her hammer. Marcus quickly brought up the knife and slashed his own throat. Blood sprayed from Nora's neck. She dropped her hammer and fell to her knees, clutching her neck.

"Nora! No!" Ren screamed.

Nora fell to her side, still holding her neck. Ren crawled over to her. He ripped a piece of his tailcoat off and wrapped it tightly around Nora's neck, as a bandage. Nora was sputtering, coughing blood.

"It's okay, Nora!" Ren said, uncharacteristically frantic, "It's alright, you'll be fine, just-"

Pyrrha climbed back to her feet and drew her arm back to throw her shield. Marcus pulled open one side of his coat and stabbed himself between the ribs. Pyrrha clutched her side, blood pouring between her fingers. She fell back down to the floor.

"You're all so pathetic," Marcus said, "Every fight you have, every time you take a hit, you hide behind your Auras. You don't even know what real pain is."

Jaune stood, and readied his sword. He stepped forward. Marcus placed the blade of his knife between the index finger and middle finger on his right hand. He closed his fist around the blade and started cutting. Jaune screamed, and lost hold of his sword. Before his eyes his index finger simply fell off his hand. It hit the ground with a soft "plop" in a growing puddle of blood. Jaune stared dumbfounded at the bleeding stump where his finger had been, then looked at Marcus. Marcus held his hand up, waving his fingers. They were completely unharmed. He thrust the knife into his own hip, Sending Jaune crumpling to the ground.

Ren, still applying pressure to Nora's neck, pointed the left half of StormFlower at Marcus. Marcus quickly switched the knife back to his right hand, and sliced deep into the palm of his left. Ren cried out, and his shot went wild, missing Marcus. The recoil threw the pistol out of Ren's weakened grip. Marcus grinned, maniacally, and took hold of his own ear. He raised the knife up to it. Suddenly, the knife went flying, knocked out of his hand by Pyrrha's shield. Marcus looked at his own empty hand in surprise, then looked over at Pyrrha, bemused. Pyrrha grabbed her rifle off the floor with her left hand, and struggled to her feet. Blood was still leaking from her side, and trickling down from the corner of her mouth. She leveled the rifle, one-handed, at Marcus's head. Jaune looked from Pyrrha, to Marcus, and back. Marcus smiled, and reached into his coat. Before he could draw some new blade, Pyrrha fired.

Marcus's head snapped back. The back of Pyrrha's head exploded outwards. Jaune cried out in horror. There was a small spot of blood on Marcus's forehead. He wiped it off and looked at it, curiously. Pyrrha rocked back and forth for a second longer, then crumpled to the ground. Marcus chuckled.

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, no!" Jaune screamed, dragging himself over to her. He looked down at her body, eyes blurry. He lifted her head up in hands, the back of it mangled.

"Pyrrha..."

Marcus looked at the rest of the team, once again seemingly bored.

"Alright, the rest of you get the fuck out," He said, "Die now, or kill more of us and die later. Doesn't matter to me."

Jaune grabbed Pyrrha's rifle and turned back to Marcus, his hip screaming in pain. He aimed the rifle at Marcus, the tip of the barrel shaking wildly.

"Please be that stupid." Marcus said.

Jaune let the rifle drop to his side. He gritted his teeth, staring at Marcus with burning hatred. Ren scooped Nora into his arms, and struggled against the pain in his leg to stand.

"Jaune, we have to go, come on," Ren said, fear audible in his voice.

Ren hobbled past Jaune, giving one more nervous glance at Marcus as he backed out the door. Jaune slid his arms under Pyrrha's body and tried to lift her. Pain from his hip shot through his body and Pyrrha tumbled back to the floor.

"Leave her." Marcus said, grabbing a chair and sitting back down, casually.

"Fuck you!" Jaune screamed at him.

"Last chance." Marcus said, "Get out."

Jaune grabbed Pyrrha's rifle, before standing and stumbling to the door frame. Panting, he looked down at Pyrrha's body helplessly. He looked at Marcus Ochre, who was pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"What the fuck are you?" Jaune asked.

Marcus just stared.

Jaune stumbled out of the building, grasping his hip. Just a short distance away, Ren was on his knees, leaning over Nora, shouting her name. Jaune pulled out his scroll and hammered the button to summon their airship. He dropped to his knees next to Ren.

"Airship is... is on its way," He said, words starting to slur, "We'll- we'll... Pyrrha..."

Jaune fell to the ground, next to Nora, and everything went black.