Well then, here is the next chapter. I don't know what else to put here, so... On to the chapter! If you like this chapter, comment and vote if possible.
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*Azure's POV*
It is a cloudy day, and we as team RANJR are following a mossy stone tile path through the wilderness. While walking, Nora stretches her arms up wide.
Nora: "Another day, another adventure!"
Beside her, Jaune reads a map while Ruby, Ren, and I continue alongside them.
Ruby: "What's on the agenda today?"
Jaune: "Walking!"
Nora: "With a side of...?"
Ren: "Walking."
Ruby: (sighs) "Haven is a lot farther away than I thought."
Azure: "Rubes, how long did you think this journey was going to take?"
Ruby: "I don't know! I grew up in a small area; I've never been this far away from home!"
Jaune: "Right, but... how long?"
Ruby: "Maybe like, uh... two weeks?"
Jaune: "What?!" He looked up from the map and glared at her.
Ruby: "Okay, fine! Three or something! Look, whatever." She then notices something ahead. "Hey, what's that?"
Nora jumps onto a slightly fallen post of a fence to get a closer look at a wall and building ahead.
Jaune: "That's... strange." He checked the map. "I didn't think we'd be hitting another village for a few days."
Nora: "Are those buildings... damaged?"
Jaune: "We should search for survivors!"
Jaune drops the map and all five of us run into the village, with Nora leaping onto the wall and to a rooftop from there. We discover the town to be empty. Ruby lifts a fallen plank of wood to find only plant outgrowth underneath.
Ruby: "Anything?"
Azure: "Nope!"
Nora: "Nothing over here!"
Jaune: "No one over here, either!"
Ren: "It almost seems like... the town was abandoned."
Ruby and I look around while the others go elsewhere, all of us feeling unease in the wind.
Nora: "Hey, I think I found something!"
Ruby and I turn and rush over to Nora, Jaune and Ren, who are looking at a town sign. Nora moves the ivy growing over it to the side to read what it says.
Nora: ""Oniyuri?" Never heard of it."
Jaune: "Me neither."
Ren: "I have."
The four of us look at him, with Ruby and Nora having surprised looks on their faces.
Ren: "You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed. Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future." He walked away from us. "I know my parents did."
Ruby: "What happened?"
Ren brushed some dirt off of the stone border of a low wall to reveal claw marks.
Ren: "What always happens."
Azure: "Grimm."
Ren tightens his hands into fists.
Ren: "Not just any, one."
Ruby and I face each other in confusion, but we did see Nora not moving her concerned gaze away from Ren. Ruby then turns back to face Ren.
Ruby: "One?"
Several small black birds take off from a tree outside Oniyuri's wall. They fly over the village and the five 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 moment for a few moments, seemingly in thought, then follows. I start to follow, but I stop and see Ruby looking over the empty village. I walk back and place a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of it. We start to follow the others as leaves blow through behind us.
*3rd Person POV*
Dramatic, feminine vocalizing is heard as it reveals Weiss to be singing. She stands alone on a large, empty stage, singing a wordless aria, her arms outstretched. The song then changes to emphatic lyrics.
After a few minutes, Weiss concludes her song and bows while the audience applauds. She looks up to the balcony above stage left where her father and brother are watching. Jacques remains seated, not applauding, while Whitley is standing giving a slower paced, sarcastic clap. Weiss looks back at the audience, all clapping still in their seats. She turns and walks backstage, her feigned smile replaced with a frown.
The ballroom is shown hosting a number of dressed up people. On the far opposite end of the room is a display area with three large paintings and two abstract statues. To one side, Jacques is conversing with a man in glasses and a gray-haired woman in a green dress. They are laughing. Weiss is behind her father, looking at the floor with her hands held primly behind her back. Whitley stands similar further behind their father, only his gaze is directly on him.
Jacques: "That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."
Businessman: "Well, I think the bigger issue here..."
Weiss: "Ugh." She said to herself.
Businessman: "...is our society as a whole."
Jacques: (scoffing) "Why, you mean Atlas?"
As they converse, Weiss looks over to the largest painting on the end of the ballroom, depicting Beacon Academy with its Cross Continental Transmit tower still standing. She starts to step away, only to have her forearm grabbed by her father, who doesn't even turn around. Weiss halts, startled. He pulls her back and turns to face her.
Jacques: "Where are you going?"
Weiss: (meekly) "I'm... just a little thirsty."
Jacques: "Sweetheart, we have people for that." He lets go of Weiss and begins to raise his arm to call over a waiter. Weiss stops him by grabbing his forearm, prompting a sideways glance from Whitley.
Weiss: "What? No, I can get it. I'll be right back, I promise."
The two lock gazes as the conversation next to them continues. Jacques then decides to let Weiss go and turns back to his companions.
Jacques: "I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second, but sounds like I'm the good guy again?"
Jacques and the businesswoman share a laugh. Weiss moves across the room to look at the painting of Beacon Academy. She has barely reached it when some guy speaks to her.
Guy: "It's beautiful." He pauses. "You two match."
Weiss stands with her arms crossed, maintaining a cold expression throughout most of the conversation.
Weiss: "Yes, it's a lovely painting."
Guy: "So, that was my attempt at breaking the ice. How am I doing so far?"
Weiss: (sigh) "You are leaving a lot to be desired."
Guy: "Well, I've always appreciated honesty." He offers his hand. "Henry. Marigold."
Weiss turns her head to look at him.
Weiss: "Weiss Schnee." She lightly places her fingers across his in a very loose handshake.
Henry: "I know, I saw your performance. Obviously." He clears his throat. "You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty." Weiss turns her attention back to the painting, and there is a brief silence between the two.
Henry: "Honesty, remember? So, you thinking about buying it?"
Weiss: "No. I don't think so."
Henry: "Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting."
Weiss: (annoyed) "It's to raise money."
Henry: "Oh really? For what?"
Weiss: "For what?" She throws him a disgusted look.
Henry: "Hehehe, I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks." He reaches out and takes a champagne flute as a waiter walks by.
Henry: "And the extraordinary company. Of course."
As he sips his drink, Weiss shifts her stance to face him.
Henry: "So what, is it another Mantle fundraiser or something?"
Weiss: "Get. Out."
Henry: (slight laugh) "What?"
Weiss: "Get out, or I will have security escort you out."
Henry: "But I haven't done any-"
Weiss: "Leave!" She takes on a more aggressive stance as she raises her voice. He stares at her in disbelief before obeying.
Henry: "Pfft, whatever."
Weiss watches him walk away, and once he is gone, she turns back to the painting, crosses her arms and closes her eyes.
In front of her is the Beacon Academy painting, below it is the sign in front of the display, which reads: "SHOW THE WORLD WE CARE. All proceeds go to the Kingdom of Vale".
Weiss' eyes are open again as if she had just been observing the painting, and she once again closes her eyes. The chatter of the party guests grows louder, but one voice stands out among the rest.
Woman: "But really, does it come as any surprise, what happened to Vale?"
Weiss opens her eyes and turns slightly, peering over her shoulder at the woman.
Woman: "It was a long time coming if you ask me."
Husband: "Honey..." The woman's husband places his hand on her shoulder, trying to shush her, but she shakes it off, leaving him to glance around the room with a forced, nervous grin.
Woman: "What?" She starts to laugh. "You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance."
While she talks, her husband drops the act and heaves a silent sigh. The woman's rant is cut off by a voice shouting angrily across the room at her.
Weiss: "Shut up!"
The room falls silent, and all of the party goers turn to look at her.
Jacques: "Weiss?"
Her voice still raised, Weiss angrily gestures to the guests while she speaks.
Weiss: "You don't have a clue! None of you do!"
Woman: "Excuse me?"
Weiss: "You're all just standing around talking about nothing! Worrying about your hair, your money, your stupid problems that don't mean anything!" Her father quickly approaches her while Whitley looks on with a faint smile on his face.
Jacques: "Weiss, that's enough." He grabs her wrist, and she immediately begins struggling to pull away.
Weiss: "Let go of me!"
Jacques: "You're embarrassing the family!"
Weiss: "I said let go!"
Weiss breaks free her father's grasp with a harsh tug, but in the process, she loses her balance and collapses to the floor. Suddenly, a glyph manifests next to Weiss, and a Boarbatusk is summoned. She looks at it with wide eyes, her jaw dropping. The Boarbatusk summon charges toward the woman. It leaps toward her and her husband, jaws wide open, but it is shot down by Ironwood before it can reach her.
Woman: "Arrest her! What are you waiting for? She's insane, she should be locked up."
Ironwood: "She's the only one making sense around here. Thanks for the party, Jacques."
The general casually makes his exit. Still on the floor, Weiss looks up to see her father turn to glare at her.
*Timeskip*
Weiss Schnee sits on her bed in her room with her head bowed and her hands folded in her lap. Jacques Schnee paces in front of her.
Jacques: "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." He suddenly stops, then turns and points at her. "Do you have any idea what your stunt cost us?"
Weiss: "I—" He cuts her off.
Jacques: "And don't think I'm just talking about Lien here! Our reputation! Our... our..."
He sighs angrily and holds his head, unable to come up with the words to finish expressing the gravity of her mistake. Weiss waits for a moment before speaking.
Weiss: "I want to leave."
Jacques: "I beg your pardon?"
Weiss: "I said I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!"
Jacques: "Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want! This isn't about you. This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"
Weiss stands up from her bed.
Weiss: "I have done nothing but fight to uphold the honor of my family name, a name that you married into!"
Jacques slaps Weiss hard on her left cheek, sending her head to the side as she gasps in reaction. She puts her hand on her cheek and turns to face her father, looking at him a little incredulously as she lowers her hand. He looks right back at her, unrepentant. When he begins speaking again, his voice suddenly sounds calm yet intimidating.
Jacques: "This behavior of yours is incredibly disappointing. You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is. You think running off like your sister is going to make the Schnee name stronger? You're wrong. Siding with her only divides us."
Weiss: "I'm not siding with anyone. I'm doing what I feel is right, and that does not include wasting my time up here..."
Jacques walks away, rolling his eyes as his daughter finishes her rant.
Weiss: "...with these clueless people in Atlas. The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave. It's mine, and I'll do it as a Huntress."
Jacques stops and slowly turns to face her again. As he speaks, he moves to stand in front of his daughter, peering down upon her.
Jacques: "No... you won't. You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."
Weiss: "What?!"
Jacques: "Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents. But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you."
With that, Jacques turns once more and walks away.
Weiss: "You can't just keep me from leaving!"
Again, he stops and turns to look at her.
Jacques: "I can, and the staff here will make sure of it."
Weiss: "So now I'm just your prisoner?!"
Jacques: "You are my daughter. You're a child, and children are grounded when they misbehave." He walks away, and this time, he continues walking even while his daughter speaks.
Weiss: "This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found!" Her father stops in front of the door and faces her.
Jacques: "Which is why you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
Weiss takes a step back, stunned.
Weiss: "Excuse me?"
Jacques: "Clearly, the trauma you endured at the fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed it on to your brother Whitley."
Weiss stares at Jacques as she digests the news.
Jacques: "It's time to wake up and face reality."
Jacques turns and leaves. Through the open door, Whitley is waiting and having been eavesdropping. Jacques turns to the left without acknowledging his son.
Weiss takes a moment to deal with her emotions and then steps out into the hall with her fists clenched, calling out to her brother who is moving down the hallway in the opposite direction his father had gone.
Weiss: "Whitley?!" He turned around with a smile.
Whitley: "Yes, sister?" She walked up to him and crossed her arms.
Weiss: "Did you know about this?"
Whitley: "About what?"
Weiss: "You never liked Winter. You never liked me. But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment I came back."
Whitley: "If being kind to my big sister is some sort of crime, then I suppose I'm guilty."
Weiss' eyes widen with realization.
Weiss: "You wanted this to happen."
Whitley: "It's foolish not to do as Father asks."
Weiss stares with a look of hurt and betrayal.
Weiss: "I can't believe you."
Whitley: "Don't worry, Weiss. The Schnee family name is in good hands."
Whitley turns and walks away, Weiss staring after him.
Weiss returns to her room, collapses face down across her bed and cries. Two airships fly past the window. A second or two later Weiss lifts her head and tightens her fist, a determined look in her eyes.
She walks to the window and pulls the curtains shut. She moves her bed over several feet, pushes a desk and kicks aside a low glass bench at the foot of her bed. A cushioned stool is on its side on the floor, and a long white box marked with the Schnee snowflake symbol rests on her vanity. She approaches the box and opens it to reveal Myrtenaster and Dust vials inside. She lifts her weapon and poses with the blade held vertically in front of her face.
*Back to Azure's POV*
As the five of us continue out of Oniyuri, Ren puts out his hand to stop us, his eyes closed as he focuses. He then draws his weapon. Ruby, Nora, Jaune, and I immediately follow suit. Some guy soon leaped over the wall and engaged us in combat.
He immediately takes out his weapons and, laughing eagerly, moves to attack Ruby and I. Ren intervenes, StormFlower clashing with the guy's claw blades. Ren attempts to both kick and shoot him, but he dodges. The two have a couple more attack and parries until the guy kicks Ren several feet away.
The man turns to go after Ruby again, who rushes forward with Crescent Rose to meet him. He uses his blades to block the scythe and kicks Ruby backward. She easily remains upright and I run up to him. I swing my sword at him, but he jumps and manages to land a strike on my left arm, causing me to cry out in pain and him to laugh. Ruby leaps back in 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 the guy climbs onto his shield and grins at Jaune. Nora rushes in with Magnhild, but he 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, he looks down at us.
Jaune: "We're not looking for a fight!"
Ren: "Who are you?"
The man leaned forward, dropped from the tower, does a front flip, and lands on his feet in front of us.
???: "Who I am matters not to you." He pointed at Ren. "Or you." He then pointed at Nora. "Or— Well... you do interest me." He said, pointing to Jaune, who gasps nervously.
???: "No, I only matter to you two." He points to Ruby and I, and the rest of RANJR turn to look at us. Ruby tilts her head in confusion. I just glare at the creepy guy.
Ruby: "Us?"
Azure: "Why us?"
After we both say that, he starts laughing. Total lunatic.
???: "You, you two haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be."
Ruby: "What do you want?"
He begins acting dramatically in response to her tone of voice.
???: "Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flower, I'm here to whisk you and the boy next to you away with me!" This made me mad.
Azure: "I'm not letting you take her away!" He just smiles at my statement.
Nora: "Well, what if they don't want to go with you?"
He stares for a moment with his lips scrunched up before answering.
???: "Well, I'll take them."
Jaune walks over and stands between him and us, his shield held in front of him.
Jaune: "We're not going to let you do that."
The creepy guy closes his eyes and inhales through his teeth. His eyes slowly open, and he happily growls a single word with a dark grin.
???: "Good."
Delighted that they're willing to fight, he moves fast to attack Jaune from behind.
Ren: "Jaune!"
Ren deliberately shoots Jaune's shield so that the ricochet hits the guy. He covers his eyes with his arm and then cartwheels onto Jaune's shield, using his claw blades to spin in the air against it. Ruby steps in to face him on his descent, but he just kicks her to the side. She regains her ground by using Crescent Rose to steady herself. Jaune takes a swing with his sword at the man, but he simply dodges and kicks him away as well. I blitz to him and lock my sword with his blades, but he kicks my side, making me lose focus as he spin kicks me away.
His next move is to run toward Nora. From across the way, Ruby grins and shoots Nora with lightning Dust. It passes just over his left shoulder, and he turns as he senses it. Nora gets knocked down when the bolt makes contact, dropping her hammer in the process.
Mistaking the move for an error on Ruby's part, he gives Nora a baffled stare and laughs while me, Ren, Jaune and Ruby simply watch and wait.
???: "Well, if that isn't ironic."
He senses something is up and loses his mirth. With a determined, satisfied grin, a now upright and supercharged Nora rushes him from behind, moving over his right shoulder and coming before him just in time to hit him with Magnhild. The blast from the contact has the rest of us covering our eyes from the backwash of dust and air.
The air clears to reveal the creepy guy perfectly fine and in a crouch, using his now unveiled scorpion tail to block Magnhild. He giggles and curls his fingers at Nora.
???: "Surprise." He kicks Nora twice in the face before leaping backwards and upward onto a roof, leaving his coat behind.
Ren: "He's... a Faunus."
Ruby: "What is this about? The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?"
???: "Plastic soldiers and pawns. My heart and body belong only to our goddess!"
Azure: "Cinder..." I said with some anger.
???: "Hmph, only in her wildest dreams."
He leaps back into the fray, using his tail to knock Crescent Rose down. Though surprised, Ruby doesn't lose her grip on it. The two both attack each other and miss until he kicks Ruby backwards again.
He uses his tail to go after Ren before finally kicking him away and attacking Jaune next. He kicks Jaune back and then does the same to Nora. I jump towards him, but he punches me while in midair. He hits me twice with his tail before kicking me down to the ground with my Aura flickering. After I got knocked down, he went after Ruby again.
In quick succession, he delivers a right hook to her face and a left blow to her torso, causing red shimmers on her Aura on her head and chest respectively. He turns and swings his tail to knock her back into the air. She flies back several feet and he rushes forward to meet her before she lands. While Ruby's still midair, he kicks her right in the abdomen, causing a large red shimmer over her abdomen and hips. I saw her fall down next to me.
He approaches Ruby and I on the ground and raises his stinger, his eyes turning dark purple. Nora, who is comforting a fallen Ren, and Jaune both look on in horror. I hold out my sword to shield Ruby and I glare at him, not noticing some purple sparking from my sword. Laughing, the Faunus is about to strike with his scorpion tail when Qrow bursts through a building and inserts himself between us, holding his weapon behind his back. There's a metallic noise as the Faunus' stinger hits against Qrow's weapon and clips into the blade. He lets out a nervous giggle of surprise while Ruby and I make eye contact with Qrow and we smile at each other.
Qrow: "Hey."
The creepy Faunus pulls his tail back. Qrow turns around, swinging his weapon and holding at the ready by his side.
???: "As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen. (mock bowing) A true Huntsman has entered the fray!"
I start to stand and I help Ruby get up as she sets Crescent Rose on its end. Qrow glances back at us.
Ruby: "I don't know, this guy's weird."
Azure: "He's creepy, that's for sure."
Qrow then faces the guy again.
Qrow: "Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece and her boyfriend alone."
???: "Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible." The guy now known as Tyrian places his hands together before gesturing at Ruby and I.
Tyrian: "My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve the young couple behind you. So, that is what I must do." He places a hand on his chest. "One does not upset the Queen."
Azure: "Queen?"
Qrow: "Salem."
Ruby: "Who?"
Tyrian: "Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" He assumes a crouching position.
Qrow: "You took the words right out of—"
Tyrian rushes Qrow before he can finish voicing the thought and the two begin fighting. Qrow blocks two strikes with Harbinger, then slashes at Tyrian who jumps trying to pierce Qrow as he lands. Qrow dodges then swings but Tyrian back-flips away and rushes back in. The two clash as Tyrian goes flying, he comes to a stop digging his weapons into the ground. He ducks to avoid a slash from Qrow then leaps aside to dodge a horizontal strike. He follows up with a slash, using the force to transition into a kick that Tyrian slides under, then the Faunus tries to strike his back but it is stopped.
Tyrian attacks again as Qrow parries several thrusts of his tail. As Tyrian blocks a downward strike pinning him on his knees a roof gets damaged by the shock-wave and Tyrian uses The Queen's Servants built in guns to get free. As Qrow blocks the shots with Harbinger, Tyrian circles him firing a steady barrage, Ren and Nora join in, but Tyrian catches their sneak attack and dodges then easily knocks them away. He moves to chase them as the two land back near Jaune, Ruby and I, but Qrow intervenes to hold him back.
Qrow: "Don't come closer!"
The two men continue to fight.
Ruby: "Fine!"
She takes Crescent Rose to the top of a building and waits for an opening to shoot Tyrian. I stay on the ground and get Blue Flash in railgun mode so that I can strike him. However, both he and Qrow move too fast for her to get a clear shot. Ruby grimaces in frustration. I just continue to try and keep my weapon aimed at Tyrian.
Qrow blocks a jab from Tyrian"s tail then counters, Tyrian parries before retaliating with a slash followed by a kick. Qrow ducks before swinging three times as the Faunus avoids them all, before using his tail as a spring to gain altitude as he opens fire again. Qrow blocks the attack then fires a shot of his own then dodges another thrust. Tyrian manages to uses his tail to disarm Qrow, flinging the sword away as he rubs his wrist. This slows things down enough for Ruby to repeatedly shoot at him from the roof, but after the first shot misses, an amused Tyrian just deflects each with his tail. This distracts him long enough for me to fire a lightning bolt at him, which shocks him for a few seconds, keeping him still.
Taking this opportunity, Qrow curls his hand into a fist then switches to punching Tyrian in the face. He groans in pain backing up before Qrow lands a few more hits. With a final kick, he manages to send Tyrian flying and casually moves to retrieve Harbinger from where it embedded in a wall. A frustrated Tyrian waits crouched until Qrow has his back turned before striking, but Qrow merely leaps on top of his own weapon and partially changes it to scythe mode. Using the gun barrels, he propels himself to a roof top. Tyrian follows as their battle continues. They appear evenly matched until Qrow notices a damaged beam. He tricks Tyrian into landing on it and the Faunus descends into the building and uses his tail to drag Qrow down, too. As the two land, the remaining roof collapses inward.
This is enough to make Ruby decide to no longer stay back. Staring at the dust cloud in concern she descends to street level. Just as she reaches the building, Qrow comes crashing out through a wall, his body bouncing. He tosses Harbinger which lands with its blade in the ground, and Qrow perches atop it. Red flickers of damaged Aura move over his body twice.
Tyrian comes out of the floating dust and grime inside the building, purple flickers moving across his body. As the two begin to strike again, Ruby jumps in between and deflects Tyrian's blades with Crescent Rose.
Jaune: "Ruby!" Ren holds him back from moving forward.
Tyrian: "Do you wish to be taken?"
Ruby: "No! But I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!"
Both Qrow and Ruby move in to attack Tyrian who parries both weapons and the three clash. He kicks Qrow away then shoots and jabs at Ruby with tail. She blocks and tries to counter but the blow is knocked aside. I see this and blitz over with purple sparks appearing. I swipe his gauntlets away, but he still shoots me in the chest and kicks me to the wall, making my blue Aura flicker. His eyes purple again, Tyrian closes in on Ruby and almost gets her with his stinger, but Qrow blocks it.
Qrow: (glancing to the side) "Ruby! What did I say?! Get back!"
Ruby: "This is my fight, too!" She attacks Tyrian while he's still locked blade-to-blade with Qrow, but his legs arch away from the swing of Crescent Rose.
Qrow: "No, it's not that. It's—"
Ruby attacks again, and Tyrian moves to her. He flips and sends her back with a two-footed kick. She slides closer to the building and gains her ground, but the wooden beams near the roof have been shaken up too much and a heavy one breaks and descends upon her. Qrow slices it in half so it falls in pieces to either side of Ruby without touching her.
She smiles at him in gratitude and affection, and he raises his head from his stance to look at her, only to gasp in pain as he is immediately cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger. I witness this and I get mad, clutching my sword in my hand with purple electricity coursing through my body.
Tyrian chuckles while everyone but Ruby and I pause in shock. She, however, immediately cuts off the stinger from the rest of Tyrian's tail. It bounces, spurting purple liquid, to the ground. Tyrian reels back and cries out from the pain. Standing, he whirls to face Ruby, infuriated.
Tyrian: "You bitch!"
That was enough to make me appear right up in his ugly face and unleash a purple lightning strike at him, destroying his Aura. This shocked the rest as they never saw me use purple lightning before.
Azure: "Don't you dare say that about my Ruby!" I said with a serious face as purple lightning surrounded me.
He tries to takes a step or two forward but is off balance. Nora, Ren and Jaune all move to block his path to Ruby and Qrow, while I raise my sword up to him in anger.
Tyrian: "She'll forgive you." He takes a few steps back before running away.
Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapses to one knee and clutches at the wound, panting heavily. I snap out of my anger and rush to Qrow's side along with Ruby.
Ruby: "Uncle Qrow! Are you okay?"
Qrow: "I'll be fine. He just grazed me." He pulls his shaking hand away to show the blood on it.
The other three arrive at his side.
Nora: "Who was that guy?"
Ren: "How did you get here?"
Jaune: "Why are people after Ruby and Azure?"
Ruby: "Uncle Qrow, what is going on here?"
Qrow breathes heavily and clutches his abdomen again before saying:
Qrow: "What's your favorite fairy tale?"
Azure: (confused) "What?"
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That is the end of the chapter right there! Weiss is no longer the heiress and the team and Qrow fight against a lunatic named Tyrian. And Azure unlocked a new variation of his Semblance. What is going to happen next? That will be revealed in the next chapter.