Eclipse - Act 2 - Of Blood and Truth

Chapter 29 - Snowstorm

Tyrian

It was like he lost a hand, the agony of which that burned through his long armoured tail was so severe that he was essentially foaming at the mouth. Mercury noticed that Tyrian kept turning, as if he was going to go back for Jaune, so he kept pulling the Maniac away from Jvaani. "Enough, Tyrian!" Mercury yelled, but Tyrian slammed him up against one of the trees as the snow blew past them, the blizzard was here and was bitingly cold.

Mercury froze as Tyrian slammed his blades against his throat, if it were not for his weakly regenerating aura that would have killed him. The blades choked him as he held him there, Tyrian's eyes were still glowing a bright purple. "You dare... stand between me... and our Queen's desires?" He snarled viciously. "I have never failed her! NEVER!"

"So what?" Emerald questioned. She herself knew how Salem never brokered failure, but she did not want Tyrian to murder her friend. Mercury was the only friend she had left, sure Hazel was nice enough to the two of them when they were there... but Cinder was the only person they felt like they could trust. Tyrian though? Not at all, Tyrian Callows was a wildcard through and through.

"So what?" Tyrian repeated her question with a pained scoff.

"Would you rather die? Never be able to serve her victoriously ever again?" She asked him with her arms crossed, Thief's Respite holstered onto her belt. "She won't kill you for this, you're one of her Children." She assured, and Tyrian giggled maniacally as he approached her. He towered above Emerald as he stood there, his shadow cast over her smaller frame, but she stared right back at him. Admittedly she was terrified of his madman, but she also knew he would never kill an ally... unless Salem commanded it.

"Well aren't you precious?" He asked her. "You think our Queen will just brush this off? You think I am afraid of her judgement? Of course... but it is not I who will be hurt for this... you were the one that dragged me away." Tyrian reminded, and that made her feel sick... as if Tyrian would protect her. Hazel would, Cinder would... but not Tyrian Callows, and definitely not Arthur Watts.

Watts served only one thing – and that was Knowledge, not Salem, not the cause – but his pursuit for knowledge at all costs.

Emerald was afraid... she saw the madness in his eyes, a tortured child who became a monster thanks to the whispers of Salem. Mercury leant against the tree and he aimed Ash and Blood at him, loading a fresh mag into the weapon, ready to fire. "Leave... her alone." He winced, still in pain from when Pyrrha lifted him up by using the iron in his blood cells. Tyrian turned and stared at him, it was as if he could not feel the pain in his tail anymore, but he was still bleeding out.

Tyrian grunted and he fell to one knee, he punched the soil that the snow slowly began to claim. He looked up at Mercury and he kept trying to get up, and Emerald ignited the blade of Thief's Respite. "We need to cauterise the wound." Emerald told Tyrian as he stared at Mercury with gritted teeth. His eyes widened with fear and he turned.

"No! No fire!" He yelled, legitimate fear in his voice.

"You're bleeding out, and if we don't close it up it will be infected. It will just take a second." Emerald explained as she walked towards his tail. He swung his tail round with a bone chilling scream, slamming his tail across Emerald's cheek, so hard it nearly knocked her unconscious.

"NO FIRE!" He yelled, seeing flashes of his childhood... the stench of burning flesh, his mother howling in agony in their burning home. The laughs of Faunus who burned his people... like dogs. He was shaking but not from the cold... it was fear and rage... a hate that they saw before.

"You're... gonna die if we don't close that wound, Tyrian." Mercury warned, but as the Trio stood there, they all heard the sound of their Gyrfalcon approaching. The four huge thrusters blasted the water from the trees that surrounded them, and it slowly descended into the woodland of Northern Anima. The landing gear folded out and so did the rear door, where Watts was stood with his hands behind his back as always.