RWBY

Origins Of LUNR

Chapter 39: The Plan For Destruction

At the Branwen Tribe camp's entrance, Shay D. Mann and two other bandits stand guard, conversing with each other. Suddenly, a voice calls out from the forest.

"Hey ugly!"

With Shay and the bandits' attention drawn, Mercury and Emerald walkout from the forest toward the camp's entrance.

"Is Raven Branwen home?" Emerald asked.

Shay sighs and looks at them, "Ya know, I've had a real bad week. So I think I'm gonna take it out on you-"

Shay stops mid-sentence when he notices Cinder, Damien, and Arthur walking out of the forest and joins the two of them.

"Hmph, doesn't look like he wants to cooperate, Boss," Mercury smirked.

Cinder chuckles "Then make him."

Mercury cracks his knuckles as he looks at Shay "I was hoping you'd say that."

Emerald proceeds forward. Shay and the other bandits hold their ground while Emerald unsheathes Thief's Respite, twirling them before they transform into their sickle forms.

Two minutes later…

Raven sat alone in her tent sharpening Omen. When Suddenly, Vernal enters. "Raven, we have a problem."

"What is it?" Raven asked as she turned her head to look at Vernal.

"Salem's found us." Vernal quickly responded.

Raven's eyes widen briefly. "Salem... okay." She says.

"Four of her followers are waiting to speak with you," Vernal informed her.

Raven nodded and stood up "Right. We planned for this... Bring me my helmet." She ordered.

Outside of her tent, Cinder, Arthur, Damien, Emerald, and Mercury all stand and wait while the bandits surround them, eyeing them carefully. Raven steps out of her tent with her mask on as she addresses her bandits.

"I don't recall inviting so many guests into our home. Either I'm losing my memory, or you've all lost your spines!" She said raising her voice.

Cinder smirked "Don't be too upset with them, Raven. Your men simply recognized the power of a Maiden when they see it." Her eye glows and trails fire. "Which is why we'd like to have a word with you." She finished.

"Leave us. Pack your things, then break down camp. We're moving." Raven ordered, addressing the bandits. The bandits all walked away and did what they were told.

"Little late to run and hide. You've been on our master's list for some time, so you must understand that we cannot allow you to slip away." Watts said while fixing his collar.

"I know all about your master, but I don't believe we've met." Raven said as she observed her visitors.

Mercury smirked at her "We're the guys you should be afraid of." He stated in a cocky tone.

"I doubt anyone should be afraid of you." Raven retorted.

Mercury glared at her "Oh yeah? Tell that to-"

"Quiet." Cinder ordered.

Mercury does so while he relents. Raven smirked under her mask "That's what I thought." She mocked.

"I'm Cinder Fall. These are my associates, Damien Sukasa and Arthur Watts, and my disciples, Emerald and Mercury." Cinder said introducing her team.

"Two children you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, a traitorous son, and a Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself. Something tells me you've got more than a slight case of egomania, is that about right?" Raven asked.

Mercury and Emerald exchange a brief look, while Watts clears his throat. "Technically, I was also a doctor, but I must say, the rest was spot on." He said. Damien glared at Raven but decided not to give in to her insults.

"Aren't you perceptive." Cinder said still smirking at Raven.

"It's what's kept me alive," Raven replied.

"I'm afraid the only reason you're still alive is that you have something our master wants. Of course, if I'm wrong…" Cinder says as she activates her Maiden power again and holds out a small flame in her right hand, grinning evilly.

"Vernal!"

Vernal steps out of Raven's tent and walks up next to her. "So, this is the long lost Spring Maiden. Prove it." Cinder ordered as she looked at Vernal.

Raven and Vernal share a glance with each other, with Raven nodding. Vernal sighs and closes her eyes. She holds her hands out and suddenly, the wind starts to pick up gradually. The blue sky turns to gray as clouds cover it. Leaves blew in the wind. Watts, Mercury, Damien, and Emerald cover their faces as thunder is heard, while Cinder smiles in amazement as she watches the Spring Maiden unleash her power. Vernal then lowers her hands and opens her eyes as her powers settle.

"Vernal has done well under my guidance. I'd take that into consideration before you try anything." Raven states.

Watts, Damien, and Mercury brush themselves off as Cinder speaks. "Raven, I won't underestimate you, so please don't insult my intelligence. There is a slim chance you and your Maiden could escape today, but if you know our master as well as you claim to, then you know you could never truly escape her. But we come bearing an olive branch."

Watts began walking up to Raven "The Maidens are merely a means to an end. Salem's true desires are the Relics locked inside the Huntsman Academies. Come with us. Allow Vernal here to unlock the Relic of Knowledge, and all previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven. It's the best deal either of you are going to get." He explained in a low whispering tone while leaning towards her.

Watts walks away from them to rejoin his group. "You talk as if walking straight into Haven will be easy," Raven said.

"That's because it will be. Headmaster Lionheart is loyal to Salem. And now, all we need is the key to the vault." Cinder pauses for a moment then continues. "You're not the only one to turn your back against Oz, Raven."

Raven began gripping the hilt of her sword. "I'm not helping Salem, I'm not helping Oz! I don't want a part in any of this!"

Cinder grinned "That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a Maiden. But if you come with us to Haven, we'll leave you, your tribe, and your little secret to live out the rest of your lives squabbling in the wilderness. We just... need... the Relic." She said pausing her last words out to get her point across.

"I need time to think this over." She said.

"You don't have time. In two days, Haven Academy will be destroyed by the White Fang. You're going to choose now." Watts demanded.

"Backed me into a corner, huh?" Raven asked.

"So, are you with us, or against us?" Cinder asked, awaiting her response.

After a tense moment, Raven removes her grip from her hilt and takes her mask off. "Agreements like these are built on trust. And forgive me for saying, but I don't trust a single one of you. You're going to need to give me more." Raven states in a firm tone.

Watts raised an eyebrow at her statement "You are in a poor position to negotiate." He said.

"I want my brother dead," Raven demanded.

"Qrow?" Cinder asked.

Raven nodded her head "That's right. He knows I have Spring. And if I help you get your Relic, he's going to become a problem. I have enough problems to deal with. Qrow doesn't trust me, but he does trust Ozpin's other lieutenants. If Leo really is loyal to you, then you can order him to invite Qrow into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your Relic, and we all leave happy."

"Now this is a proposition I can get behind." Cinder said nodding her head.

"Alright ladies, let's pause for a moment. We have one objective - retrieving the Relic of Knowledge. Now Qrow Branwen may be on our list of individuals we would very much like dead, but he's not going to go down without a fight, and he's not going to fight quietly. Our advantage here is just as you said - we walk straight into Haven, no resistance, no one the wiser. A battle with your brother throws that all out the window." Watts explained.

Raven shook her head as she looked at Watts "He's good, but not that good. All of us against him? It'll be over in a heartbeat."

Emerald chimed in "But it's not just him. He has the students with him. He has Ruby and he also has Jarvin!"

Damien nodded "She's right, and since my father showed up during the destruction of Beacon… I'm sure he's going to bring Flash, Dyna, and Estelle with him." Damien stated.

"If we leave that school a bloody mess, we will draw the attention of the authorities! The Kingdom will be on high alert, and the White Fang's attack will be ruined!" Watts said.

"Then we wait. We wait until the full moon. Leo invites Qrow and his little fighters to Haven the same night Hazel, Paul, and Adam arrive with the White Fang. As soon as the battle is won, the White Fang demolishes Haven, and any evidence we may have left behind is lost along with the school." Cinder says as she looks at Watts and Raven.

Raven raised an eyebrow while looking at Cinder "Then, Salem leaves my people alone. For good." She said sternly.

"You have yourself a deal." Cinder replied.

Cinder holds her hand out to shake with Raven's, but Watts suddenly grabs her wrist. "Wait. Don't think I don't see what you're after. If this falls to pieces over your grudge with a child, I will not be taking the blame."

Cinder glared at him "Then what are you worried about?" She asked. Cinder activates her Maiden powers and burns Watts's hand, causing him to remove his grip and hold his hand in pain.

"Fly back home and tinker with your machines. But when you do… tell Salem I need Diana and Cold." She says to Watts while she holds her hand out again in front of Raven. "Also tell Salem she'll get what she wants - and more."

Raven stands still for a moment, glaring at Cinder's hand in front of her, but then offers her own hand and shakes it with the Fall Maiden, sealing the deal.

Later that day back at the Branwen Tribe camp, Raven sits on her bed leaning her forehead to her hand. She hears someone enter her tent.

"Yes, Vernal?" Raven said without lifting her head to look.

"I followed them as you asked," Vernal replied.

"Did they spot you?" Raven asked.

Vernal scoffs and smiles "Of course not. They have a ship two klicks west of here, looks like they're staying there for the night."

"Thank you, Vernal. Anything else?" She asked while looking up.

Vernal looked at the ground "Do you... actually believe they'll let us go once they have the Relic?"

Raven shook her head "Of course not. They'll never leave us alone. Once our purpose has come and gone, we'll be discarded. Salem only uses people until they are no longer useful. If we want to have any chance of defending ourselves against her, then we need this Relic."

Raven stands up from her bed and walks over to her table "If Qrow and those brats want to follow Ozpin, then let them. When the chaos reaches its peak, we'll grab the Relic and make our escape."

Vernal nodded and then looked at Raven "And the fact that your daughter will be a part of all that?" She asked

"Doesn't matter. I warned her. She made her choice." Raven said as she approaches the exit of her tent. "This path won't be easy for us either, but we must do what's right for the tribe."

Vernal nodded "I know. I'll do whatever it takes." She stated.

"Good." Raven quickly replied.

Raven exits the tent. Vernal walks out to see where she has gone and notices a cawing bird and the sound of Raven's portal activating.

Later that day…

Qrow is seen drinking from his flask while sitting on a bed. He hears cawing coming from the window and looks out to see a crow flying by. Oscar Pine walks up to his doorway.

"Hey, Qrow?" He calls our.

Qrow turns his attention to him. "Oz needs to talk to you. Along with the other pros." He stated.

Qrow stands up and follows Oscar out of the room, looking over his shoulder at the window.

Moments Oscar Pine, who is currently letting Ozpin take over, and Qrow are seen sitting together while Flash, Miyabi, Estelle, Dyna, Jarvin and Bayne stand. Qrow takes a sip from his cup.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz." He said.

"Ever the optimist. Ozpin said as he sips from his cup. "While I would not say our current predicament is... ideal, I think we can all agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."

"Oz, pro Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day. Now she has Terror, who was once an ally and a friend named Kall. What does that say about humanity?" Jarvin asked.

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it." Ozpin replies.

As Ozpin is about to take another sip, Ruby Rose is heard walking into the room.

"Um, excuse me?" She said.

"Ah, Miss Rose, join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps." Ozpin said.

"Oh, uh, great," Ruby said nervously with a cheerful chuckle.

"Something on your mind kiddo?" Miyabi asked.

"Uh... uh, it's... if it's okay to ask." She said.

Qrow nodded "Of course." He replied.

"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven... and the Spring Maiden, but... what about the Fall Maiden?" She asked.

"Cinder?" Ozpin asked. This made Estelle give off an angry look from just hearing Cinders' name.

"Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon Relic?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin and Qrow share a brief look with each other.

"Very astute, Miss Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools." Ozpin states.

"Oh. That's good to hear." Ruby said with a sigh of relief.

"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us," Ozpin adds.

Ruby nods as Ozpin smiles at her "Now is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question." She says.

"No, my cane is not a Relic." Ozpin quickly replies.

"I have no more questions," Ruby says which makes everyone except for Bayne laugh.

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that - precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

Suddenly, Qrow's scroll is heard vibrating. He takes it out from his pocket to see "LEO LIONHEART" calling. He takes the call.

"Yeah? ... Okay... yeah, we'll be there."Qrow says before he hangs up.

"Who was it?" Bayne asked.

Qrow sighs while taking out his flask "It was Leo, says he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it."

Ruby gasps and smiles "Really? Oh that's great! I'll go get the others."

Ruby runs out of the room while Qrow takes a drink from his flask.

"Mmm, that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?" Estelle asked.

"It does." Bayne said.

"Interesting…" Ozpin added.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz." Flash said while looking at Ozpin.

"I know…" he quickly responded.

At Leonardo Lionheart's office, the Haven headmaster sits at his desk in front of a blue holographic screen with the text "CALL END" before deactivating. Raven Branwen stands a few feet away from him, arms crossed and smiling.

"I still have questions for you," Raven stated.

"You're not alone in that." Lionheart sighed.

Raven began walking in front of his desk, "You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz. Which makes me wonder, what does she have on you?" She asked.

"I'm helping her for the same reason you are - I'm afraid. We... we can't stop her... no one can…" He assures her.

Raven smirked "That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart."

"You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't really matter. We're here... helping her." He said while burying his face in his hands, sighing. "I've crossed a line... I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't! I don't know where I go from here."

Raven placed her hands on his desk "Man up! You did what you had to do to survive, there is no shame in that."

"Who are you trying to convince?" He asked. Raven doesn't say anything, she just leaves the room while Lionheart sadly leans back sighing.