The REDS of war

Volume Four Chapter Two

Jaune's stare hardens. "The Grimm."

Ren tightens his hands into fists. "Not just any, one."

Ruby briefly faces Nora in confusion, but Nora doesn't move her concerned gaze away from Ren. Ruby turns back to him. "One?" She and Sky ask.

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

Jaune sighs. "Come on. Let's just get through here. This place gives me the creeps." He turns and leaves, soon followed by Nora and Sky. Ren lingers for a moment for a few moments, seemingly in thought, 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. Rei however, turns back, himself looking to see if Qrow is behind them, not seeing anything he glares back, and keeps a hand on his sword. As the six members of Team RRNJRS continue out of Oniyuri, Ren suddenly senses something. Rei senses it as well, and draws his sword, quickly changing to his bow form he grabs an arrow. The two put out their hands to stop the other four, eyes closing as Ren focuses. Somewhere close by Tyrian Callows can be seen running. Ren draws his weapon. Ruby, Sky, Nora and Jaune immediately follow suit. Tyrian soon leaps high over the wall to engage them in combat.

He immediately takes out his weapons in a seamless motion and, laughing eagerly, moves to attack Ruby. Ren intervenes, StormFlower clashing with Tyrian's claw blades. Ren attempts to both kick and shoot Tyrian, but he dodges. The two have a couple more attack and parries until Tyrian kicks Ren several feet away.

Before Tyrian can turn he's quickly attacked by Rei who forces him to dodge arrow after arrow, before one hits a wall behind him a glyph forms that pulls Tyrian towards after he catches another arrow, he quickly lets go of said arrow that collided with the wall exploding. Rei leaps back avoiding an attack.

Tyrian turns to go after Ruby again, who rushed forward with Crescent Rose to meet him. Tyrian uses his blades to block the scythe and kicks Ruby backward. She easily remains upright and they clash again. Tyrian manages to land a strike on Ruby's right arm, causing her to cry out at the pain and him to laugh. She's doesn't break stride however and leaps back to take a swing at him with her scythe. He dodges and then lands a moving blow against the body of Crescent Rose, causing a red shimmer to cross her Aura in the area of the strike.

Jaune steps in at that moment and Tyrian climbs onto his shield and grins at him. Nora rushes in with Magnhild, but Tyrian just leaps from Jaune's shield to her hammer and up through the top story of a narrow, rectangular building. Holding himself up with his feet on wooden frames to either side of him, Tyrian looks down at Team RRNJRS.

"We're not looking for a fight!" Jaune shouts.

Ren rejoins them. "Who are you?"

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

"Who I am matters not to you." He points to Ren. "Or you." He points to Nora and Sky. "Or-... " Tyrian cuts himself off and pauses. "Well... you do interest me." He says pointing to Jaune" Jaune gasps nervously. "No, I only matter to you two." He points to Ruby and Rei, Rei growls aiming an arrow at Tyrian, and the rest of RRNJRS turn to look at her. She tilts her head in confusion. Tyrian breaks down into laughter. "You, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be."

Rei glares at Tyrian using his shoulder to lift the eye patch revealing to most of them for the first time his robotic eye. "What do you want?"

Tyrian begins acting dramatically in response to his tone of voice. "Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flowers, I'm here to whisk you away with me!"