Reputation: Book One

Qrow

It happened so fast.

I was so close to the door, hand outstretched and fingertips pressed to the doorknob, ready to face whomever was behind the door. Before I could even gasp when I felt the cold metal of the knife run down my back, a chill hand was already wrapping around my mouth, covering my nose with a pearly white handkerchief. It smelled quite nice, actually, but when I felt my eyelids begin to flutter, realization hit me like a train. I tore away and spun around, striking the Myo in the side of the head with my M4. I was already weaving in and out of consciousness when I limply fall to the floor. I manage to my hands and knees, but I had no strength.

"You really are worthless," A soft female voice slurs, the tip of her knife tracing my jaw. I exhale in defeat, and I'm blinking and blinking. I can't go down like this. Not this fast, not this easy.

She easily lifts me from the floor, pinning me to the wall. "Drop your weapon," She snarls, and I manage to open my eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of her. Her eyes burned two different colors, red and blue, her eyebrows round and long. Her reddish hair was pushed behind her sharp, prominent ears, freckles sprinkled lightly across her sharp cheekbones. Her cupids bow was deep, to deep to even possibly be human, her lower lip plump and round. She could probably be related to Talitha if their skin wasn't so different, and I wouldn't be all that scared of her if her purple-flaming blade wasn't pressed to my cheek.

My gun drops to the ground, and her body leans away from mine just enough to let me breathe. She was abnormally heavy, and with her slender body type and long legs, I realize she's a Blitz.

"Look me in the face and tell me where the crystal is," She whispers, the cool flames on her dagger swaying gently. "I need it."

I shake my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Playing dumb wasn't really my first card, but I had to stall. I really needed help. She presses the blade harder, and it begins to heat up.

"Her powers will spiral out of control if she keeps it on her," She continues, eyes narrowed to slits. "Where is the crystal?"

"I already told you," I say, shifting my legs under her. "I don't know."

Quickly I thrust my knee into her rock-solid stomach, and I think it hurts me alot more than it hurts her. She cuts deep into my cheek, holding my forehead to the wall with a strong hand.

"You fool!" She hisses, pressing the tip of her knife in the crook of my armpit. She presses hard, and the burning sensation returns. My leather jacket begins to smoke and sear around the edges the further she pushes it in. I cry out, unable to do anything, but suddenly, her body is thrown away from mine and slammed into the door. The blade remains in my arm, and I hold the hilt steadily, setting my jaw against the pain.

The Blitz stumbles back, drawing her mid-length saber from her waist sheath and flicking it out to the side. Her lip raises and she lets out an animalistic growl as I slide to the floor, my arm beginning to tingle. I turn my head and see Talitha, her ears laid back and teeth barren.

"You have a lot of nerve, Ximena," She warns, her dangerously orange eyes illuminating the hoods under her brows.

"You don't know what you're capable of," Ximena answers just as coldly, her chin tilted down at her chest to make her look deadly. Something sinks inside of me as I hear Talitha growl back, her lips moving easily around words I didn't understand. With a short response from the other they charge at each other, crying out as they crash together. I slowly draw the blade out from my flesh, groaning as I feel it brush past my collar and rake into the bone. Blood soaks my shirt beneath and coats my skin in a hot, thick layer, the bitter metallic scent wafting to my nose. I push onto my knee to get up and stumble to the guest bedroom, managing to pull a shirt out of the strewn piles and press it into my wound. My breathing is hard and heavy, the pain of my shoulder spiking down my back and through my chest. I gaze out into the hall, watching Ximena yank Talitha down by her long, frizzy hair and beat her with her knee over and over.

I wanted to help so bad, but Talitha tears away.

"Autumn is down the back staircase," She screams. I nod, spotting my gun sprawled in the hallway. I glance back to the girls, biting down on my lip. I only had three shots left.

There's shouting and cries of pain and effort all around me, and the nauseating sight of Abbagail's lifeless body sprawled out, face-down in my bedroom makes my stomach flip. I snap back around as the office door bursts open, four Myos storming out carrying guns of all sorts. Two grab Talitha, one on each arm as they yank her away from Ximena, throwing her against the wall. One female spots me and quickly turns, shouting for the guy to help in German. I cowardly put both hands in the air and they pull me off the ground, her fingers press to my arm wound. I gasp and growl in pain, snapping to her. "Watch it, bitch," I grumble in German, hoping to draw attention. I had a mess of a plan, but only one arm. I couldn't wait to see how it failed.

The man on my left grabs my throat, and my breath hitches in my nose. I see movement to my right and glance over, seeing two apporaching shadows. I prayed it to be Autumn and Tripp. Talitha sputters something in her language again and then screams; a blood-curdling, primal scream. I turn around and Xinena has the tip of her enchanted knife pressed to her throat, digging at her crystal in her skin. Her body is swerving side to side to avoid the tip of her dagger and her legs are going wild beneath her. My pulse quickens again. "Help me!" She finally shrieks in French, her eyes welling with tears. "Please, help me!"

Ximena yells in frustration, holding Talitha's forehead. She still squrimed around, squealing and yelling. She turns to the other Myos, her eyes flaming. "Useless!" She roars, and they all seem to shrink a bit. "Help me with her!"

The guard drops me and rushes over among with the others, grabbing Talitha's mouth and cupping it with a large hand. I start to move forward, but a hand grabs my face from behind, stopping me.

"Get on the ground, Qrow," Autumn's voice whispers in my ear, and I slowly lower to the floor, watching everybody try to pry Talitha's crystal off. Thank god she found me.

With all backs turned to me, I took my chance. It was utterly stupid of them to leave an enemy like me, armed and still alive to watch them try and overpower another enemy, but my case and point of exactly why I ditched Germany a long time ago.

I reach down and plunge my hand into my boot, finding the handle of my dagger. I stand up and lurch forward, spinning the woman who helped me out of the room around and sinking my blade into her chest. We both fall backwards into the wall, my body pushing the knife deeper when we hit the ground. There's gunfire behind me as a pair of hands grab both my shoulders and rip me off the ground, pushing me face-first into the wall. their hands find mine and pin them together behind my back, but when I hear everything go quiet, I smirk to myself.

"Arschgeige," I mutter, grinding the heel of my my boot into their toes. They yelp and pull away, leaving me enough room to twist around and shove them back. Another body grabs me and shoves me to the floor ontop of the dead woman, and I grimace as I hear something pop, her chest caving in under me. I see Tripp appear infront of me and pull me off the ground by my hurt arm, and I cry out, plastering a hand over my wound. My whole shirt and front was caked with blood, and when Tripp pulled on my arm, it only made it pour more.

"My god," He breathes, a few more shots sounding off. Jerzei slides into the hall, her face cut adn split open in all kinds of places. She rushes forward to me, holding my face gently in her hands. I manage a smile, but her eyes are wide.

"Where's the girls?" I rasp, her nervousness contagious. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt like a feather; floating through the air without a care in the world.

"Qrow, you're really hurt," Jerzei tells me, her eyes sweeping over my body. I give a lazy nod, my knees shaking. My head was spinning, and I found it incredibly difficult to catch my breath.

"Give him to Autumn," She tells Tripp, calling for her. Before I knew it, all four of my teammates were standing infront of me, and Talitha was covering her mouth, staring at my arm.

"Get the girls," Autunm tells Jerzei and Tripp, and I abruptly notice a heavy pressure in my face. Tripp hands me to her and Talitha takes my other side, their hands wrapped around my waist.

"Can you step?" I hear Autumn's echoing voice asks, and I get hot and cold all over. I nod, swallowing hard. They both stop and their grips loosen, but before I could lift my leg, there's conplete darkness.