A/N: Please note that events take place a few days after the end of Volume 5.
Alcohol has always had positive and negative opinions attached to it. To some, it might be a vile substance, that dulls the mind and causes good, respectable people to become ill-mannered, foul-mouthed, and abusive. To others, it is almost a medicine, healing old, painful memories or helping to make new, happier ones. Although, to one man, in particular, it was both. Alcohol helped him forget his lifetimes worth of worries, but it also made him careless, rash, stupid even. But while under the vice-grip of inebriation, he didn't give two shits.
He sat alone, hunched over a glass of the strongest liquor the inn he was in had to offer. Its contents, however, were surprisingly untouched. Instead, the brooding huntsman clutched a half-emptied bottle in his left hand which, every so often, he would take a swig from.
All of the inn's other patrons were giving his table a wide berth purely out of fear of the terrifying weapon leaning beside him. Even collapsed, its razor-sharp blade and imposing barrels struck a sense of horror and awe into them. His attire did little to blend him in with Mistral's locals, either. The light gray dress shirt, black trousers, black leather wingtip shoes, and the torn crimson cape that he wore gave the man a rugged yet sophisticated outward look.
None of them knew him personally, but they all knew of him. This was Qrow Branwen, one of the saviors of Haven Academy, and a close friend to Professor Lionheart.
At least, that is what he wanted them to think. In reality, Qrow hadn't saved anyone and he hated Lionheart for his betrayal of himself and Ozpin. But, worst of all, he had lost his twin sister, Raven, on the night of their confrontation with Cinder at Haven.
"Fucking Raven," he muttered to himself, putting the bottle to his lips.
He was well aware that his list of allies and friends was growing shorter by the day, but he never even imagined that he would have to cross blades with his own flesh and blood. The Branwen twins were, during their time as students at Beacon, inseparable, and even though they had grown distant as of late, Qrow had hoped that he still shared some kind of familial bond with Raven. She, obviously, did not feel the same. And that was the chief reason why he was here, dulling his pain at the expense of his liver.
In his other hand, he held the old, faded photograph of Team STRQ, in all of its stained, torn, and worn glory. He always kept it on his person, protecting it like it was his own child, as it reminded him of better times when things weren't so FUBAR as they were nowadays. Or, at least, as far as he knew back then. He had memorized every detail of the image, from his own proud yet annoyed expression, to the fact that Raven was actually smiling. Taiyang before the whole "pussy dad" phase had kicked him hard in the nutsack. And Summer. Their fearless leader. Always willing to go as far out of her way as necessary to help those in need, even though, in the end, it meant her death.
Memories of combat and comradery now flooded back into his mind. One, in particular, that last mission with Summer, caused him more pain than any other. It invoked emotions of anger, self-loathing, and guilt.
It was almost fifteen years ago, to the day. Team STRQ had all but disbanded, Raven had disappeared, and Tai and Summer had settled down in order to raise Yang and Ruby. Qrow was the only one of them still taking jobs on a regular basis. He stopped by to check up on his nieces and to see how civilian life was treating his teammates.
The scent of freshly baked cookies had engulfed the house, giving it an aura of safety and comfort. It was, in a way, a bit misleading, as two of the most dangerous huntsmen to ever graduate Beacon Academy were living inside. As he stepped through the door, Qrow was greeted by Tai.
"Hey, Qrow! It's been a while. We thought that, maybe, you'd been eaten by some horrible monster or captured and killed by a bandit clan," the blond, muscle-bound man jested, extending his hand to him.
"No such luck, Oz has just been keeping me on my toes," Qrow said, returning his friend's gesture. "I was in Vacuo for two months, checking up on the headmaster of Shade Academy. Their CCT Tower has been malfunctioning lately. It's made communication damn near impossible."
"Well, it's good to see you, anyway. C'mon, I'm sure the girls will be thrilled that you're here."
The pair strode through the living room and into the kitchen. Along the way, Qrow took note of the fact that they had rearranged the furniture since the last time that he had visited. The main difference was the addition of a small playpen, likely for the now two-year-old Ruby, in the center of the room.
In the kitchen, they found all three of the other family members. Summer was crouched down, peering into the oven, waiting for the perfect moment to remove the cookies. Yang, ever an enthusiastic bundle of joy, was practically bouncing off the walls, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to devour the chocolate-chipped treats. And then there was little Ruby, sitting, contentedly, in her high-chair, knawing on a handful of strawberries.
Within seconds of him and Tai entering the room, Qrow was pounced upon by Yang. "Uncle Qrow!" she squealed with delight, wrapping herself around his leg in a strange combination of a hug and an attack. The girl was deceptively strong, and the sudden action nearly took him off his feet.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Tai, this one's gonna grow up to be just like you," He said, after regaining his balance.
"You mean she'll have my devilish good looks and sharp wit?"
Qrow chuckled. "No. I mean she's gonna hit like a fu…firetruck." He was relieved that he was able to catch himself and not swear in front of the children. Summer had a strict rule and kept a "swear jar" handy at all times to enforce it.
Not letting her own presence be forgotten, Yang piped in. "I'm not a firetruck, I'm a girl!"
"Heh, you sure are, firecracker. And a tough one, at that," he said, tousling her hair.
She scowled in protest. It was common knowledge among their family that Yang loathed having her hair touched. She then laughed and released him from her grip when she saw Summer retrieving the cookies from the oven.
They smelled unbelievably good. Summer was a phenomenal baker, which was odd, considering how dangerous she was with a blade. She could feed you an amazing pastry and slip her sword through your ribcage in a single motion, and you would be dead before you even realized what was happening.
Not wanting to wait for them to cool, Yang began to reach for the searing hot pan, only to have her hand smacked away by the woman. "Uh-uh. You still need to wait," she scolded in her soft, yet stern voice. "Go play in your room with Ruby for a while, I'll call you when they're ready."
She was obviously annoyed, but she complied anyway. Taking Ruby out of her seat, Yang scampered off, out of the room.
Summer sighed, taking off her oven mitts and placing her hands on her hips. Her dark hair was pulled back behind her ears giving a clear view of her intense, but caring silver eyes. "Qrow Branwen, how many times am I going to have to tell not to be such a stranger?" she asked, embracing him in a hug. "It's good to see you. And I can truthfully say that I've missed you."
"I missed you too, Rose," he said. "It just hasn't been the same out there without you two with me."
With the greetings concluded, the woman directed them both to the table. While he and Tai sat down, she put a pot of coffee on and retrieved three mugs from the cabinet.
After taking her own seat, she addressed him. "Now, what brings you all the way out here to Patch, hmm? I know there aren't any huge contracts here, and I don't think you'd come all this way simply to almost swear in front of Yang. So…spill it."
Qrow laughed softly. "Yeah…sorry about that. Well, I had a little bit of time to kill, so I figured that I should at least stop in to say 'hi.'"
Taiyang Xiao Long was many things, he was strong, loyal to a fault, and brave, but above all, the man was a fucking human lie detector. He was not convinced by his blatant attempt to deceive them. "C'mon man, don't try to bullshit a bullshiter. We all know that's a bald-faced lie," he told him.
"Heh. Yeah, I should've known that wouldn't work on you. Well, as you can probably guess, I'm on a job, and I came to warn you two," Qrow said, ominously.
The spouses looked at each other with concern, they understood the kind of warning to which he was referring. It was customary among huntsmen to warn your friends and family before you took on a mission that might claim your life. The fact that Qrow was coming to them like this was worrisome, to say the least.
"What do you mean 'warn' us? What is this mission, and why is it so dangerous that you expect to die on it?" Summer asked.
Tai followed up on her inquiry. "Yeah, Qrow, there's not much out there that can make you think twice. Just what are you going up against?"
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the argument he knew was coming. "I've been hired by some big money businessman in Vale. A group of bandits ambushed one of his convoys in the Emerald Forest," he explained. "A convoy that just so happened to be led by his daughter. Long story short, the bandits took the girl hostage and I've gotta get her back."
"And? This doesn't sound like too big of a deal. Certainly not so big that it could get you killed," Tai surmised.
"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be, but these are a whole different breed of bandits. Their leader in particular."
He was clearly not explaining the situation very well, conversation was never one of Qrow's strong suits. "Well, who is their leader?" Summer questioned.
His face darkened as he revealed the name of his target. A name that few had ever heard, but those who have, knew to fear it. "The Mad King, Redwood."
The air around them went cold at the mention of that dreaded name. The Mad King. The Demon of the Emerald Forest. A man so evil, stories told that even the creatures of Grimm heeded his command. His reputation as a brutal warlord and tactician was matched only by that of his mania and penchant for torture.
If the look of sheer terror in his eyes didn't give it away, Tai's shocked tone of voice certainly made it quite clear that merely by speaking that name, he had somehow doomed them all to feel the Mad King's wrath. "You can't be serious. No, this some kind of sick joke, isn't it? You're fucking with us."
Qrow shook his head somberly, indicating not only that he was speaking the truth, but that he intended to follow through with the contract.
More out of concern than fear, Summer inquired, "Qrow, you can't actually be thinking that you can take on Redwood's entire gang all on your own? I mean, you're good, but not that good."
"I have to. A girl's life is at stake," he answered. "What would you do if it was Yang or, shit, Ruby? Would you sit it out because it was dangerous? No. You would go and save her."
The kitchen fell silent for a while, the both of them contemplating his words. They understood that they wouldn't be able to dissuade him, and that, if he went alone, he would probably get himself killed. One of them had to go with, whether he liked, or not. It was just a question as to who.
"I'm going with you," they both stated, in unison.
Tai shifted his gaze to his wife. "No. Absolutely not. You are not going, I am," he commanded.
"Tai, this mission will require subtlety, and, no offense, you are more of a brute force kind of fighter. Besides you need to stay and continue Yang's schooling. It has to be me," Summer refuted.
Now he was more angry than afraid. "Dammit, Summer. I'm not letting you do this," he yelled, suddenly standing up and slamming his fist into the table.
"Tai, I can make my own decisions, and right now, I'm choosing to help Qrow."
Qrow, despite all of his better judgment, interrupted the quarreling couple. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I can't ask either of you to come and risk your lives with me."
Summer then addressed them both. "Good, because I'm going, whether you like it or not, and that's final."
While, deep down, he wanted to object, and to lock her in a closet until she came to her senses, Tai knew that arguing with the woman was futile. No matter what he said or did, she would still win.
The tense mood was immediately broken by a very confused Yang, entering the room. "Mom, why are you Dad yelling at Uncle Qrow?" The little girl's sweet, innocent voice was a breath of fresh air that helped calm the agitated adults.
Not wanting to upset her, Summer was quick to make up a clever lie. "We were…we were trying to decide who gets the first cookie," she fibbed. "But, now that you're here, I think that you should have it." The four-year-old proved just as easy to fool with sweets as one would expect. That is to say, very. Taking a handful of cookies from the tray, Summer handed them to Yang. "Now, why don't you go share these with Ruby. The grown-ups need to talk for a little while, but when we're done, you, your sister, and Uncle Qrow can go play outside."
The child eagerly accepted the idea. "Okay," she said, cheerfully.
They all watched as the human ray of sunshine skipped out of sight, humming an unrecognizable melody all the way. Once she was out of earshot, Summer pointed at Qrow and told him, "You can stay for tonight. Tomorrow morning, you and I will catch a ferry to Vale. From there, you'll lead the way. Any questions?"
He chuckled, it felt good to be taking orders from his team leader again. "No, ma'am."
Satisfied with his response, she concluded, "Good. Now, would you like a cookie?
A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I just felt like there was an overwhelming amount of information being dropped all at once, so I decided to split this chapter into two parts. Part two will be coming soon.