Team SHDW Volume 2

Chapter 6: Punished

The Faunus pulled his tail back and Qrow turned around, swinging his weapon and held it at the ready by his side.

"As I live and breathe," the man said, bowing, "Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman has entered the fray!"

Qrow glanced back at Ruby as she got up and set Crescent Rose on its end and she whispered to him, "I don't know, this guy's weird."

Qrow faced the man again, "Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone."

The man chortled, "Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked.

Qrow sneered, "Salem."

"...Who?"

"I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian said, assuming a crouching position.

Qrow took a position as well and said, "You took the words right out of m-"

Tyrian rushed Qrow before Ruby's surrogate uncle could finish voicing the cliche sentence and the two began to fight. After a few clashes, Qrow leapt at Tyrian and slashed, the Faunus barely able to block in time, and the resulting shockwave actually broke off part of a roof. At this, Tyrian grinned and suddenly, the claw blades began shooting bullets, causing Qrow to jump away.

Ren and Nora moved to join in, but Tyrian, after leaning backwards and maniacally smiling at them, easily knocked them away. He then moved to chase them, but Qrow intervened, blocking his blades.

"Don't come closer!" Qrow warned before the two men continued to fight.

"Fine!" Ruby exclaimed, taking herself and Crescent Rose to the top of a building and waited for an opening to shoot Tyrian.

But both he and Qrow were moving too fast for her to get a clear shot. Skyler growled, feeling useless, only hoping that he could find an opening to join the fight. Eventually though, Tyrian actually managed to use his tail to disarm Qrow, sticking the sword into the far wall. But this also slowed things down enough for Ruby to repeatedly shoot at him from the roof, but Tyrian just deflected each with his tail.

Qrow the looked at his own clenched fist, shrugged, and punched Tyrian straight in face, following up with more punches and kick that knocked Tyrian away, letting him casually walk over to his weapon where it was embedded into the wall. Skyler didn't know about the others, but that was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Tyrian waited until Qrow has his back turned before striking, but Qrow merely leaped on top of his own weapon and activates its scythe mode, helping free it from the wall, as well as helping dodge Tyrian's attack.

Skyler was a bit disappointed that Qrow's weapon didn't stay like that, but whatever. The two continued to battle, their fight taking them on the rooftop of the building Qrow's sword was recently stuck in. Qrow leapt back, and when Tyrian tried to pounce on him, the Faunus landed on a weak piece of wood and fell into the building, but managed to use his tail to drag Qrow down with him.

This was enough to make Ruby decide to no longer stay back, and just as she reached the building, Qrow flew out through a wall, his body and weapon bouncing. The weapon landed with its blade in the ground, and Qrow perched atop it, red flickers of damaged Aura moving over his body. Tyrian came out of the floating dust and grime inside the building next, purple flickers of Aura moving across his own body. As the two began to strike again, Ruby jumped in between them and deflected Tyrian's blades with Crescent Rose.

"Ruby!!" Skyler cried out, moving to help, but Ren held him back.

"Do you wish to be taken?!" Tyrian asked incredulously.

"No!" Ruby exclaimed, "But I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!"

Both Qrow and Ruby moved in to attack Tyrian and the three clashed. Tyrian almost stabbed her with his stinger, but Qrow blocked it.

"Ruby!" her uncle protested, "What did I say?! Get back!!"

"This is my fight too!" Ruby replied, attacking Tyrian while he's still locked blade-to-blade with Qrow, but his legs arched away from the swing of Crescent Rose.

"No, it's not that. It's-"

Ruby attacked again, and Tyrian moved to her, flipping and sending her back with a two-footed kick. She slid closer to the building and gained her ground, but the wooden beams near the roof had been shaken up too much and a heavy one broke and descended upon her. But just before it could hit, Qrow sliced it in half so it fell in pieces to either side of Ruby without touching her. She smiled at him in gratitude and affection, and he raised his head from his stance to look at her, only to gasp in pain as he was immediately cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger.

Tyrian chuckled while everyone took a beat from the unexpectedness of it. Ruby, however, had no such hesitation and immediately cut off the stinger from the rest of Tyrian's tail. Tyrian reeled back and cried out due to the pain as the cut off half of his tail bounced to the ground, spurting purple liquid.

Standing, he whirled to face Ruby, infuriated, "YOU BITCH!!!"

Tyrian took a step or two forward but was off balance. Skyler, Nora, Ren, and Jaune then all moved to block his path to Ruby and Qrow. In response, Tyrian took a few awkward steps, not engaging.

"She'll forgive you..." Tyrian mumbled to himself before he turned tail (no pun intended) and ran away.

Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapsed to one knee and clutched at the wound, panting heavily.

Ruby rushed to his side, "Uncle Qrow!! Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, pulling his shaking hand away to show the blood on it, "He just grazed me."

The other three arrived at his side and bombarded the Huntsman with questions.

"Who was that guy?" Nora asked.

"Who's Salem?" Skyler questioned.

"How did you get here?" Ren added.

"Why are people after Ruby?" Jaune multiplied.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby finished, "What's going on?"

Qrow breathed heavily and clutched his abdomen again before finally saying, "...What's your favorite fairy tale?"
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Okay, definitely not the most original of chapters (I swear, we'll get there!!), but still, Qrow vs. Tyrian is still the best fight after Volume 3. Maybe even the best fight overall, but perhaps I'm giving it a bit too much credit. But it's a great fight and deserves more love.

Next time, we have the VERY exposition heavy chapter. And I don't even have any idea on how the heck I'm gonna handle it, but whatever. Till next time guys!