Blink and you'll miss it

Vol. 4 Chapter 3: Rogue Encounter

Jaune: "The Grimm."

Ren tightens his hands into fists.

Ren: "Not just any, one."

Ruby turns to Nora but Nora just looks at Ren with a fearful pained expression. Ruby turns back to look at Ren.

Ruby: "One?"

Several small black birds take off from a tree outside Oniyuri's wall. They fly over the village and the group of travelers.

Jaune: "Come on. Let's just get through here. This place gives me the creeps."

He turns and leaves, soon followed by Nora. Ren lingers for a few moments, seemingly in thought. (Y/n) puts a hand on his shoulder and gestures his head toward Jaune, Ren nods then follows. Ruby is the last to move as she looks over the empty village. Leaves blow through behind her after she follows her friends.
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After a few minutes of walking through the abandoned project city, Ren suddenly stops and puts his hand up stopping the group. (Y/n) rests a hand on Kioku, ready to draw at any moment. Ren grabs StormFlower off his hip and readies it for combat. The rest of the group ready their weapons. Suddenly Ren's eyes shoot open in surprise. He looks up to the building on his right to watch a man dressed in a brown coat jump from it, flipping over the group and landing on their left.

The man deploys his circular shaped wrist blades laughing maniacally, and immediately rushes at Ruby. Ren jumps at him going for a punch using StormFlower's blades. After a short melee, Ren is knocked back by a power swing, the man continues his rush only to be intercepted by (Y/n)'s Iaido strike. The man cackles and back flips out of range of the follow up upward slash. (Y/n) doesn't give and chases. The crazy guy spins on his feet and launches himself at (Y/n) using his rotation to gain momentum, (y/n) blocks the attack and pulls the trigger under Kioku's Tsuba, a shock wave blast of gravity dust knocks the crazy man back again. The crazy man lands on his feet and looks at (Y/n) with a creepy over exaggerated look of interest. (Y/n) cringes a bit. The man suddenly appears in his guard and punches him away with a laugh. He runs for Ruby again, the girl defends well against the first couple attacks, but something happens to her aura, and when she blocks the next attack, she feels pain. Ruby falls on her back and Jaune comes in to assist but the man faints a kick causing Jaune to brace his shield, the lunatic simply jumps up and onto Jaune's shield peering down at the boy with a curious smile.

Nora runs in to slam the guy but he jumps off the shield and uses Magnhild as a spring board to throw himself... through the wall of a tower?

As the dust settles, the man is revealed to nearly be doing the splits in the hole he just created.

Jaune: "We're not looking for a fight!"

Ren: "Who are you?"

The man leans forward, drops from the tower, does a front flip, and lands on his feet in front of them.

Crazy guy: "Who I am matters not to you."

He points at Ren

Crazy guy: "Or you."

He points at Nora

Crazy: "Or— well actually you two do interest me."

He points to Jaune and (Y/n). The two just look at each other cringing slightly.

Crazy guy: "No! I only matter to you."

He points at Ruby.

Ruby: "Me?"

Crazy guy: (breaks down into laughter) You, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be.

Ruby: "What do you want?"