Keep in mind that this arc is more setup than anything... and it's been pretty heavily trimmed.
Return II
After very little deliberation, Ozpin had decided to send Qrow back to Atlas, with Glynda this time. Their role amounted to glorified guard duty. Glynda got to stand around and make sure nobody hijacked the tiltjet that would soon come in to pick up the Terran delegation. And he got to skulk around the landing site, watching for anything suspicious.
Just as he was about to admit defeat- though he had been at that point as soon as he arrived- he saw it. It was subtle, but you learned to tell from the little things. The man with the braided hair, Atlesian uniform aside, did not belong. Qrow ignored the helicopter zooming in above them and followed the strange figure as he slipped between two buildings heading toward the site.
"Somehow I don't think you're really Atlesian," Qrow called, one hand on his sword.
The strange man did not reply, instead whirling around with what looked like a stinger out. The veteran huntsman ducked under the swing and bolted to the side, swinging his own blade into equally thin air.
He stepped back, surveying his surroundings. They were in a deserted street- well, it might have once been a street. It was part rubble, a section of the half-abandoned outskirts of Atlas that went back and forth between Atlesian and de facto Grimm territory. His opponent flicked his wrists, extending a set of blades, then charged forward once again.
Qrow engaged in a dance of violence with the stranger, their movements a blur to the untrained eye. He brought his sword around, his opponent blocked, one fired their weapon, the other blocked, the process repeated. One ducked to the side, the other went high, and they mirrored each others' movements.
The strange man flipped his stinger around, catching Qrow off-guard and sending him flying into a wrecked building. He recovered quickly, switching his sword into scythe mode and leaping back out on top of his opponent. He managed to get one strike in before the scorpion-man leapt out of the way once more.
They continued their dance, each looking for an opening, blocking strong strikes and landing quicker, weaker ones. The reports of their weapons echoed around the abandoned street, Aura flaring and gradually beginning to weaken.
Qrow leaned on his sword, breathing heavily. His opponent smirked and moved in for the kill, feinting with his wrist blades and bringing around his tail stinger. It was a trap. The move left him off-balance, and the huntsman took advantage of it, ducking down below the strike before kicking the man in the shins and sending him to the ground.
With a mighty shout, Qrow brought his blade around and down on his opponent's tail, severing the tip completely and sending him reeling in pain. The scorpion-man screamed and clutched his severed tip, scampering away and leaving a trail of dark blood in his wake.
The huntsman almost pursued him, but held his ground. While he really, really wanted to finish off the Queen's goon, his job was to keep the Earther delegation safe. The crazed man was out of commission, and she might have another surprise waiting. No, he was better off keeping a watchful eye over the landing pad as the Earthers waited for their ride.
Very soon, the tiltjet transport came in. He hoped Glynda did her- nah. She was nothing if not reliable. Sure enough, the tiltjet landed, the Earthers boarded, and it took off toward the Colosseum with nothing amiss.
"Any trouble?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.
He shook his head. "No. Felt way too easy, really."
Glynda chewed her lip for a moment. Finally, she muttered, "No, I think we did it. This time."
"That's always it," Qrow mused as he stowed his blade. "We've got to stop every plan. She only has to get it right once, and the world goes to hell."
"All clear," Agent Susan Barrett declared as the Atlesian tiltjet took off. She turned to her charge. "Five minutes to Amity Colosseum. Should be smooth sailing from here, sir."
"You sure it's all clear?" the Secretary of State asked skeptically from his seat. "Wasn't that gunfire we heard back there?"
"It's Remnant, sir," the agent reminded him. "Probably a hunter team keeping the Grimm away from the Festival."
"You know, I keep forgetting that this place is a warzone by our standards," the Secretary said after a moment's thought. He added lightly, "I'll bet their Festival puts the Super Bowl to shame, though."
She shrugged. "That's a pretty high bar, sir."
"They put on a good show," the Secretary replied. "I mean, a floating stadium, for Christ's sake. We couldn't even dream of building something like that. It's scary to see these guys on our doorstep, yet Strange times, Susan. Strange times."
"Yes, sir." With a firm bump, the tiltjet landed. One of the agents opened the side door and exited the craft, then two more.
"Clear," Agent Barrett declared. "Let's move, sir."
"Welcome to the 41st Vytal Festival," a recorded voice boomed over several sets of speakers as they deplaned and headed toward the Atlesian officials, ready to make pleasantries and officially kick off the games. "Hosted in Atlas, this year's theme is unity..."
Honestly, this arc was basically a waste of time. I guess I felt I had to fill the space, but really this didn't accomplish much. I was hoping to do some setup for future instalments at least, but since the future of Emergence is so in flux that didn't happen.
