Volume 5 Timeline
Mistral, in a bar
0825, Mistral Standard Time
Qrow, being away from the drama and arguments between Winter, Atlas officials and Haven Academy staff, decided to take a break from all of it by a quick trip to the bar in a nearby town. That bastard Tyrian stung really hurt, and Ruby was naive as usual. Either way, he still loved his niece.
"Back again?" The female bartender, a brunette woman in her twenties, is by the counter, winking at Qrow as he enters.
"Sup." Qrow takes a seat and replies her wink with a gentle smile. He's a ladykiller, but his bad luck charm may often mess up.
"I thought you'd come back and check on here. Fancy a fresh drink?" The bartender asks.
"Same, as usual." Qrow looked at her without making much eye contact. He smiles a bit, trying to appear friendly over his anger over the shit talk he's just been in Haven with some of those Haven Huntsmen and Huntresses who think they could handle everything.
"You're a sweet one. I've been guessing your story. Why don't you share a bit?" The bartender says as she pours the beer into the glass.
"Uhh..." Qrow looks away for a second. "Just a Huntsman from Vale. Nothing special."
The bartender then puts the glass in front of Qrow. "I already predicted that. Tell me something more interesting!" She playfully says.
"As I said, nothing much that will catch your attention, missy," Qrow says as he gulps down his beer.
"Oh, come on!" The bartender demands.
"Fine..." Qrow puts down his glass. "Once I was on a mission to save some stranded civilians after their plane fell into the middle of a forest. I came there, killed the whole Grimm invasion single-handedly, and got all of them out alive."
Qrow isn't the best in making up stories. But at least it works. "Wow, you're pretty good," the bartender replies.
"Nah, just another day kickin' for me." Qrow says as he looks back to his empty glass.
"Want another shot?" The bartender asks.
But Qrow is glancing at the stairs leading to the second floor instead of the brunette. He catches a glimpse of a bird feather by the stairs. Which means - Raven has been expecting him.
'Huh... whatever floats your damn boat, Raven.'
Qrow thinks to himself as he stands up from his chair. "I'm going upstairs. Gonna talk with my friend there," he says.
"Okay. Just hit me up should you need anything!" The bartender smiles.
Raven is putting one of her feet on the table. Her mask across the table as she looks upon Qrow. Her brother giving a grim expression as he sits in the opposite chair.
"What?! You're gonna ask me about the fucking relic? Keep preaching your 'strong lives, weak dies' bullshit while a fucking psycho is after Ruby?"
Raven is genuinely hurt by what he says. "Look... I got my own fucking way, Qrow. Like it or not, I left because of reasons. And you just still hate me for it."
"I'm done with all the murder and shits we do back when we're still in the tribe." Qrow then takes a deep breath. "You should've joined us and not stray away... I know your predictions and such... I mean... fuck... gotta admit... you also got valid points. We failed, Beacon fell..."
"And Atlas remains as not intelligent nor improvising as ever. Unreliable military power that still collects resources from other kingdoms while not giving sufficient protection," Raven says.
Qrow leans back and put his feet on the table too. "I know right? So... get to the point. What you wanna talk?"
Raven struggles on how to say it. "It's... Yang. I'm glad to see her improve. But sill not sufficient enough."
"About time you said that since you told me long time ago when Yang and Ruby might be in danger," Qrow says.
"Despite how harsh you think I may be... deep inside, I still care. I saved Yang more than once... actually... I just don't want to see her being weak."
"... okay," Qrow replies.
"I visited Yang when she was driving to Mistral. Don't believe me, ask her. I just... felt the need for a bit of kindness once in a while. That's all."
Qrow is touched. He hasn't heard of this from Raven since she left.
"Whatever you say, sis. Now if you excuse me..." Qrow pulls his feet back and stands up, leaving Raven alone in the second floor as he heads downstairs to pay the bill.
'Hope that settles it between me and him...' Raven thinks to herself.
Timeskip
Days later...
Mistral, Haven Academy
0345, Mistral Standard Time
Haven Academy is under siege by the White Fang. Adam's plan is a success. Fires are engulfing from the building as White Fang grunts are burning everything inside and killing everyone they see. They also managed to lure Grimm from the forests surrounding the Academy from a distance. The White Fang causing havoc from the inside while the Grimm are from the outside. It's Fall of Beacon all over again.
Haven Hunters and Atlas military are doing their best to protect the Academy. But the threats they deal with are just too much.
After beating up some White Fang militants, Yang blasts through a wall and slams another into the wall, before evading another swing and giving the other grunt two quick jabs to the head and sweeps his leg to make him trip, and then finishing him off with a last jab to the head, her Ember Celica also firing a shotgun blast.
"Let's go! Some are still trapped up there!" Ruby mutters as she rushes upstairs, followed by Weiss.
Yang turns away and heads for the other direction. Motioning Blake to come with her.
═════⊰❖⊱═════.
In the other side...
"Unit Dragonfly approaching the Academy. Two, three, on my lead. We are making comtact with the White Fang."
"Understood, Dragonfly One."
Three Atlas dropships are hovering around Haven Academy, evading rocket shots fired from the windows as the gatling cannon on their bellies are spinning. They produce a buzzing sound as they fire. The rounds piercing through walls and ripping anyone behind to shreds due to how big the caliber is.
"Alright, let's get the boys out quick." Dragonfly One pilot says as he throttles back and opens the rear ramp, deploying Atlas soldiers who have been sitting as passengers. The same goes with the other two dropships.
The Atlas soldiers jump out of their dropships. Armed with rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, and swords. There are three squads. Each commanded by a squad leader. Their leaders motion their soldiers to follow as they get into the entrance of the Academy from the other side opposing where Team RWBY is.
The rooftop
Qrow is going on a mission to recover the Spring Maiden. So Raven is doing him a favor to replace his position as the great uncle Qrow Ruby know... well, Aunt Raven. She's not as nice as him, but someone has to save their nieces from getting themselves killed once more. Adam might be inside, and he could murder whole Team RWBY single-handedly.
For that, Raven brings two of her closest companions. Both also coming from the tribe Raven leads. One is a tall, burly, bald male while the other is a tall woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Both are pale-skinned and their face covered with Grimm masks like Raven does. The male one is called 'Dynamite' while the female is 'Griffon'.
Raven, Dynamite, and Griffon are on the rooftop, making their entry. Dynamite plants a cluster charge on the ground, and then motioning Raven and Griffon to back away as he triggers the detonator. The cluster charge blows through the wall and shoots five fragmentation grenades down below, killing all the White Fang grunts below them as the three mysterious figures jump down.
"Scatter around. Kill any White Fang you see. Try to evade students and Hunters, but feel free to fight back if necessary." Raven orders.
"What about the Atlas soldiers?" Griffon asks.
"It's the same. Except that you are free to do with lethal methods."
"Understood," Griffon says.
Dynamite and Griffon make their way through the hall, encountering a few White Fang grunts along their path. Dynamite deploys his extendable shield to block incoming gunfire as Griffon peeks around the corner, dropping them on by one with her sniper rifle. After that, she ejects the magazine and loads a fresh magazine before she scouts ahead.
As Griffon peeks around the corner with a mirror, she could see White Fang grunts setting up barricades and ready their guns, blocking the entry path for the Atlas assault squads and whatever danger they will come up against.
"I see about sixteen, setting up barricades." She whispers back as she crawls away.
"Got it." Dynamite tosses an incendiary grenade to the White Fang grunts clumped near their barricades.
"Grenade!" One of them yells and tries to get others away before the grenade explodes, setting him and another guy ablaze. Screaming can be heard as he and the other grunt are burned to crisps.
Dynamite then shows up, his shield raised. As gunfire dent his shield, he pulls the trigger mechanism attached to the handle of the shield. It triggers the rows of reactive blocks that let out a fiery burst of explosive, annihilating the barricades along his way as he fires back with his handgun at the White Fang grunts. Griffin also crawling around the corner and takes pot shots at the White Fang grunts.
After all the White Fang grunts are down, Dynamite continues to go around the hall and advances toward the remaining White Fang grunts on the floor, Griffon following him.
In the Academy mess hall...
"Search around! She must be somewhere here!"
The pilot in the stolen Atlesian mech yells as the sensors of the mech scan for any threat. The other White Fang grunts flipping tables and looking for Raven, who just killed a few and ran away to this area.
'Atlas never cared about protecting their toys from electromagnetic pulse...'
Raven then comes out from the corner of the wall to lob an EMP grenade. The mech spots her, but before the pilot could fire its armaments, the EMP grenade blows. The electromagnetic pulse it emits shut down the mech and disable all electronics in the hall. With the lights out and mech unoperational, the White Fang grunts turn on the flashlights attached to their guns. But some of them don't need it since they're Faunus anyway.
But what one feels after that is the edge of something metal piercing through their abdomen, before being pulled off his body.
The remaining White Fang grunts open fire at Raven, but their shots are more inaccurate due to the dark atmosphere. Raven deflects incoming gunfire as she slices through them one by one, before climbing on top of the mech and plunges her nodachi into the cockpit, killing the pilot inside.
Once the electromanetic pulse effect wears off, the lights are back on. Revealing the bloody mess of White Fang grunts laying on the floor. Some dismembered body parts lying here and there.
Rubbles fall from the upper floor and block the path. Yang is trapped in the other room while Blake is in the other side.
"Hang in there, Yang! I got company!" Blake yells as she gets downstairs to fend off the White Fang grunts coming upstairs while Ruby and Weiss are also still in a fight.
"I'll be fine!" Yang yells back, before looking around for a way out or going around to break a wall and join back with her teammates.
But she peeks around the corner to see Adam, who has just finished off a Huntsman.
'Oh, shit...'
Adam looks back to see Yang's head popping near the corner.
"Hi again, sunshine. You sure have some guts," Adam says as he sheathes his chokuto and walks toward Yang.
Yang backs away and raises her fists, Ember Celica shifting to its battle form.
"Adam Taurus..." Yang grits her teeth, fear hits her as she is looking upon the man who defeated her in a single blow and cut her arm off.
"So where's your lil' kitty-"
Before Adam could finish his sentence, Raven blows through a wall with an explosive charge. She charges at Adam, striking him with a quick slash that Adam manages to block, but it throws him away from the Academy, out of the large window and into the ground. He manages to stakes his sword to the entrance wall, thus stopping him from falling before he pulls his sword out and jumps down.
"Whatever happening, do NOT interfere," Raven says to Yang before she jumps down.
Yang just stands still, watching Raven and Adam glancing at each other.
'Mom... why?'
"It's been some time, huh?" Raven says as he slowly walks around Adam in circle.
"Raven... why must you ruin my fun?!" Adam mutters.
"Adam, you think you've been in a gutter for the sum of your life... tell me, what is leading the White Fang mean for you?" Raven says, still walking around.
"To make humans pay for what they did to us Faunus!" Adam yells.
"Sssshhh. I've heard enough of that bullshit." Raven then stops walking and turns toward him. "Trying to make your ex-lover suffer. Cut off my daughter's arm. Oh, and Faunus villages being threatened by your forces."
"They are traitors..." Adam replies. "Don't you see? What the governments, Academies, military do... they only make us suffer. We were treated like worthless animals... they lied... we're lesser beings... all we wanted was a chance to live fairly like they would..."
Raven sighs. "Same rambling as usual. How narrow-minded. That's why we kicked you out from the tribe"
"Aren't we both... liars? Degenerates? Murderers?"
"Yeah. Except you're fucking insane. You let your past consumes you. Me... I'm in the middle."
Adam then walks into a wider area, where there are plants, grass fields and fountains. The entrance area of Haven Academy. Raven following him too, keeping her distance.
"I don't care what people think of me... and I got enough cause for what I did..." Adam says. "We'll settle this down... just between us."
Raven and Adam stop by a fountain, and then turn against each other.
"R-Raven? Aunt?" Ruby appears by the entrance door. But then Yang comes and prevents Ruby from interfering.
"I said, don't interfere. You little dolt... as always," Raven says, eyes still on Adam.
"B-But-"
Yang then pushes Ruby to a wall. "Enough, Ruby. Let them play..." Yang says.
Then Raven and Adam dart to their weapons. Raven pulls out her nodachi while Adam's hand remain gripping on the handle of his chokuto, getting into a stance.
"Show me a good time," Raven says.
Showdown: Raven Branwen VS Adam Taurus
Adam lunges forward at Raven, pulling the trigger and letting out a powerful slash. Raven blocks his slash, sparks fly as their blades collide.
Raven then swings her nodachi. Adam deflects her blow just in time and lunges forward. Raven evades the thrust and prompts a vertical strike, and then aggressively swipes at Adam. They clash their blades as Adam is getting pushed further.
Adam manages to dodge one of her strikes with a backflip. He then sheathes back his sword, and then shooting the sword out of his sheath. Another quickdraw strike which Raven blocks with her own quickdraw strike powered with the rotary Dust chamber of her sheath.
Red beams collide and both advance at each other. Both attack and parry each other's attacks with inhuman speed. Adam manages to pummel Raven with the handle of his sword, and then kicking her. Sending her flying to a fountain.
Raven grunts as she gets smashed through the fountain. But then her eye flashes red, grinning behind her mask as Adam comes toward her. She rolls backward and blocks his swing, before slashing back at him and then sheathing her sword, letting out a charged draw attack followed up with several quick slashes and then a roundhouse kick that throws him to the ground.
Adam quickly recovers and puts his sword back to the sheath.
"Go, go! Aunt Raven!" Ruby cheers from rhe distance.
'Goddamn it, Ruby.' Raven thinks to herself
Adam rushes, leaping high into the air. Raven also jumps and parries his strike mid-air, before spinning her body and bashes his head with her feet, sending him down to the ground.
As Adam crashes to the ground, Raven falls beside him and smashes the ground below, sending a shockwave which Adam blocks just in time. Then he comes back up and the two continue to break into another clash of blades.
A savage strike from Adam manages to make Raven loses grip of her weapon, sending her nodachi flying and then lying to beside the destroyed fountain.
Raven simply shrugs. "That's it?" She taunts.
Adam lunges forward. Raven swiftly bobs away and flips to the side as Adam's trust cut a pierce of her hair. Raven continues to dodge his strikes as she gets pushed nearer to her sword. She then picks her sword back after ducking from a swing and blocks a downward strike from him.
"She's just like Qrow..." Yang comments.
Before both fighters could continue their fight, an Atlas dropship comes out by the back of the Academy, firing its gatling cannon at both Adam and Raven.
"We'll see each other later!" Adam grunts, deflecting shots from the Atlas dropship as he disappears out of the Academy.
Raven then evades the dropship by getting back to inside the Academy. Running past Ruby and Yang.
"Mom!" Yang says as she walks toward Raven.
"Hey, kid," Raven puts off her mask and turns toward her daughter.
What Raven expects is probably Yang punching at her again. But no... this time Yang hugs Raven tightly. Making Raven's cheeks go bright red. Ruby can be seen smiling, leaning against a wall.
"Mom, I don't know what your motives are. I don't know what you want. I don't know who you are. But thank you for saving us." Yang cuddles her head to her mother's chest.
"Your welcome, baby bird." Raven kisses Yang in the forehead.
'This is how it feels like... huh,' Raven thinks to herself once more. Being a mother figure for once... this time.
"Baby bird?" Yang ponders, looking up to her mother's face.
"You look just like me, Sunny Little Dragon," Raven pats her head before getting off from the hug.
"And... I got to go. I might not be a proper mom, but I still cared..." Raven says as she runs back upstairs.
"W-Wait! Mom!" Yang yells.
"From that, I learned... Raven might not have a motherly charm like Summer does. She might be a terrible figure. She might don't know how to babysit. She might don't know how to cook... heh, I never seen her cooking. She might be an outlaw. But what I know... my mom is badass. She kicks ass. Just like Uncle Qrow... like me." - Yang Xiao Long -