Disclaimer: I do not - nor do I claim to - own RWBY or any other media that may be referenced in this fic. All rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I lay any claim to are my OCs.

After the disturbing discovery of Lionheart's death, they all sit around the dining table for the first time.

No one on patrol.

No one asleep waiting to go on patrol.

Because they're now flying blind and need to figure out where north is.

"With that little pocket watch gone, we've lost," Jaune sums up as he pushes his food around the plate, "Is that right?"

"Not exactly, Mr Arc," Ozpins tells him. "We do not know whether or not the Relic was retrieved or not. If it wasn't, then it is a simple act to protect it."

"Which is?" Yang asks while waving a knife around (prompting Weiss to pluck it out of the blonde's hand and set it back on the table).

"Destroy the access port on the gateway. Of course, after doing so we would need to also create a new access port even if it had no key," Ozpin explains.

"Changing the locks so to speak," Rosa comments.

Qrow sighs. "But changing the lock on a safe isn't going to keep anything safe if its empty."

"How many people knew about this pocket watch? If we could figure that out, we would have a lead, right?" Jaune asks.

"Oz told us all that each vault had a passage-key, given to each of the headmasters. Only those in his inner circle knew about what each one was," Tai explains.

Pyrrha pokes at her dinner. "So whoever did this was part of the inner circle, or managed to get the information out of an inner circle member."

"How many of those are there anyways?" Mercury asks.

"Oz, obviously," Qrow starts listing. "James, Theodore, Leo, Glynda, myself, Tai, Summer and… oh of course."

"Mom," Yang mutters.

Weiss sighs. "That doesn't surprise me. She is already working with Cinder and knew that Lionheart wasn't working with us anymore, and her second in command is Spring."

"And this is Raven we're talking about, she'll have taken the Relic to add to her power base. Having a Maiden isn't enough, of course she'd grab a Relic too," Qrow rants. "Leo was killed with a sword, and what weapon does Raven just happen to have?"

"A sword," Tai answers exasperatedly. "This doesn't make sense. She said she wanted nothing to do with Oz or Salem, why would she take the Relic? She's not dumb, by hoarding a relic and having a Maiden on hand she's practically begging for Salem's forces to come after her, to say nothing of us."

"Maybe she was counting on getting away with it and no one knowing that she had the relic?" Jaune suggests.

"Only she knows what is going on in her head," Maria reminds them.

"It doesn't matter what's going on in her head. We know she's working with Cinder, and if Cinder gets her hands on the relic, its going straight to Salem," Rosa points out.

"And that is something we cannot allow happen," Ozpin asserts.

"So, what do we do?" Mercury asks.

"We find Raven, we find the Relic," Tai states. "Yang and I found her once already, and I doubt she'd have been able to move far since then. If we can get an airship out, shouldn't take us long to find her."

"What about the tower?" Pyrrha questions. "If we're all off trying to get the Relic back, doesn't that leave the CCCT defenceless?"

Ozpin sighs. "Unfortunately, when making the choice to either retrieve the Relic or keep the tower standing, the Relic is of more importance. With Beacon's tower inoperable, losing Haven's is less of a blow, although still a blow. Additionally, CCCT towers can be rebuilt, if Salem gets the Relic, there is very little chance we will be able to get it back."

"Which means we have to stop it from getting to her to begin with," Jaune sums up.

"So we're just meant to stand back and let a terrorist organisation attack in the middle of the kingdom?" Pyrrha asks. "We came here to stop a second Beacon, if we let Haven fall, then we've failed that."

"And it's not completely defenceless," Qrow tells her. "The interim headmaster has students returning ahead of the coming term so they can settle in again. Not all of them are returning, some have decided against this line of work after Beacon, but still a decent number. More than us in any case."

"Professor Ozpin?" Weiss speaks up.

Ozpin cocks Oscar's head. "Yes Ms Schnee?"

"What happens if Salem wins?"

The wizard sighs. "Salem retrieving the Relic and Haven is not… is not the most pressing matter, but her collecting all four is. Should she bring them all together, she would be able to succeed in wiping out all life on Remnant."

"And that's what she wants? To wipe out all life on the planet?' Yang asks.

"Yes and no," Ozpin replies. "It wasn't always, it certainly wasn't when I first met her, but over the years, she changed dramatically. More than anything, she desires power and the freedom it gives her, to be worshipped above all others as a… as a goddess of her own making. However, she was never afraid to cut down those who did not fall prey to her charisma, a trait that has only grown in the centuries and millennia that I have been combating her. If the world refuses to bow at her feet…"

"Then she'll cut them down until they do," Mercury finishes.

"Correct," the old wizard concedes.

"Okay, so, we're in agreement to go after the Relic then?" Mercury clarifies. Everyone around him nods. "Then the next issue is how we're supposed to about doing that."

"Well first we'd need an airship," Qrow points out. "And someone to fly it. Not many people will actually fly into battle if they know it's going to be a battle, well, outside of career pilots."

Maria grins. "I can take care of being the pilot, don't you worry about that. Although I'm not much use with sourcing an airship."

"Abuela, no, not taking you into battle," Rosa vetos.

"Wait, why not?" Jaune asks.

"Because I am getting too old for high-stakes combat. I'd only be in the way," Maria informs him.

"Abuela, that is a big old lie, and we both know it," Oscar accuses. "Wait, didn't you just volunteer to fly into the battle?"

"Ojos Avellana?"

"Yes Rosa?"

"Don't give Abuela ideas of running or flying onto battlefields and giving me heart attacks! It's bad enough when you do it," Rosa scolds.

"You know," Tai starts, waving his fork around, "I've been meaning to ask, what does 'Ojos Avellana' mean?"

The Calaveras (sans Mercury) stare blankly the man while everyone else just silently ponders the thought for themselves.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Maria barks out a laugh, her adopted grandchildren joining her.

When they compose themselves, Rosa is the one who answers. "It means 'Hazel Eyes'. It's really just a stupid nickname I gave him when we were little."

A series of 'oh's and 'huh's went around the room.

"I did tell you guys I speak Spanish, right? I'm not just making that up?" Rosa asks.

Weiss rolls her eyes. "Yes, we are all aware of the squad's language variety thanks to the… rubber incident."

Tai looks at her with wide eyes and Yang punches him in the shoulder. "She means an eraser. Dialects are a thing, and our entire squad has had more than a few embarrassing situations because of that."

"Okay, back on track. Planning," Qrow interrupts.

"Pack your things, we're leaving! NOW!" Raven yells to the camp as she emerges from a portal beside Vernal.

"Did we get caught?" Vernal asks.

"No, but Qrow found the body. It won't be long before we've got company and I don't want to be here when they do. We need to put as much distance as possible between us and anyone who would come after us."

"Your grace, there has been a… development in Mistral," Arthur Watts says softly as he enters the throne room.

Salem merely cocks her head and waits for him to speak.

"Leonardo Lionheart is dead."

"Well, then it certainly is interesting, but I fail to see how this is a development," Salem drawls. "So long as the Relic is retrieved, Lionheart has served his purpose."

"Well, that's just the thing, it hasn't been retrieved," he tells her.

Her eyes bore into his and glow slightly and he quickly continues with his report.

"Lionheart was murdered in his office, a sword impalement to the chest. Nothing was stolen, except for his pocket watch. Cinder and her team are not due to make their attack for a few more days, and the plan was to use Lionheart to lure Qrow Branwen in to take out two birds with one stone. As much as I dislike Cinder's methods, she is not the sort to deviate so wildly from her plan."

"I see…" Salem muses. "Oz is not one to advocate such acts, and those close to him would follow his lenient style of ridding traitors. As such, it can only be presumed that whoever is behind Lionheart's death is no friend of Oz's."

"I believe I may have a suspect," Watts offers. Salem raises an eyebrow. "Raven Branwen. She said it herself, she has no loyalty to anyone but her tribe. Chances are, she decided that having a Relic would help her to keep her tribe safe from opposition."

"Then she would be mistaken," Salem says coolly. "Send word to the others and tell them of Raven's deception."

"As you wish your Grace."

As he reaches for the door handle, she speaks up again. "And tell Tyrian that he may use the bandits for his enjoyment. Spring is no longer needed."

Watts' voice catches as he thinks of the serial killer's victims – or rather, what was left of them. "I shall make sure he is aware, your Grace."

"Alright, I got us an airship, grab your things because we're leaving ASAP," Qrow orders as he walks into the house.

The group rush to get their things – leaving Maria to hold down the fort while they're gone (although she grumbled about being left out of the action) – and rush to the airstrip.

"Tai, Yang, I want you two up front for navigation. People with range on their weapons, you take the doors," Qrow orders as they board.

"On it," Yang says as she slips into the cockpit and Tai goes for the co-pilot seat. Pyrrha and Mercury station themselves on either side of the main entrances while Weiss stations herself next to the access flap to the cargo hold. Everyone else takes a seat and settles in for the ride.

"Alright, when we get there, we want to talk things out with Raven if we can, and only fight if we have to. If Cinder or any of Her allies are there, we cannot let the Relic fall into their hands. Got it?" Qrow clarifies.

"Are you sure we're going to make it in time?" Blake asks.

Illia nods. "As long as the plan hasn't changed, we'll make it."

The group of faunus are almost at Mistral. Just one short airship ride and they'll be in the kingdom, ready to keep the White Fang from causing the destruction of Haven.

"You okay Blake?" Sun questions.

Blake sighs. "It just… it feels like we're already too late. Like something bad is happening now."

"There's dread in the air," Sylvester informs her. "Which is only to be expected. There's nearly three hundred people here, waiting in fear and anticipation of destruction and death. None of us want another Beacon, that's why we're here."

"Do you think we stand a chance against him?"

"Alone? No. His semblance alone makes him very dangerous. But together? Yes, I'd say we stand a fairly good chance," the bull faunus concedes.

Illia smirks. "Then it's a good thing we aren't alone, isn't it?"

"I've been waiting to give him a good whack with my staff for Beacon," Sun jokes.

Sylvester laughs. "You'll have to get in line, kid, I've been wanting to whack him over the head since I found out about that incident. Honestly, I taught him to defend himself, not to become a terrorist."

Blake sighs. "Unfortunately, its very easy to teach yourself to become a terrorist."

"It's easy to do a lot of things, doesn't make it right," Sylvester says, "but that just means we have to keep going when things get tough. It won't be easy to fight my little brother, it'll be hard as shit but I'm not going to let him get away with this terrorism."

"Don't become him," Illia orders, causing the others to look at her in confusion. "Adam used to say that he wouldn't let humans get away with their treatment of us. We all got swept up in that we didn't even notice our line in the sand moving. When I started out, I never would have betrayed Blake, fought against other faunus, but I did. Don't let taking down Adam shift your line in the sand, don't become him."

Sun snorts. "Trust me, I won't. Becoming him is the last thing I want."

It's just before nightfall and the Branwen tribe are still on the move.

Wooden wagons loaded up with supplies (both stolen and otherwise sourced) are pulled along by horses on the dirt road as the bandits either hitch a ride on one of the wagons or walk alongside it.

Raven rides on her own horse up the front of the procession, the lamp wrapped in multiple layers of cloth and stored in her saddlebag.

Ahead of her she sees a figure in a brown trench coat walking along the road towards them, their face shadowed by their hood.

"Shoot them," she orders the archer riding just behind her.

The bandit nocks an arrow and lets it fly through the air towards the figure, only for it to be swiped out of the air as the figure sprints forward.

Raven unsheathes her sword ready to cut the person down, but they vault straight over her and sink their blades into their chest, leaving them gurgling on their blood as they straighten up.

"You should have known better than to think you could run from our Goddess, Raven," Tyrian scolds. "We told you, you can't hide from us, and I get to have my fun now."

"That's what you think," Vernal hisses out as she aims her weapon at him.

The killer giggles. "Oh, you are such fun. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one you need to worry about."

A large, lumbering man walks out of the tree line and two women walk out from behind him.

"Just give us what you stole, and this doesn't need to end in bloodshed," the giant of a man orders.

Behind her helmet, Raven's eyes narrow. "You'll have to be more specific. We've stolen many things."

"The passage key," Cinder hisses out. "The pocket watch that you killed Lionheart for."

"You'll have to take it from my cold dead body," Raven growls out.

Tyrian lets out another giggle as he backflips onto one of the horses and slits the throat of its rider. "We can certainly arrange that."

Haven is alight with fire and strewn with rubble by the time Blake and her allies arrive.

"We're too late," Illia whispers.

Sun sinks to his knees at the sight of his school in ruins. "No, no, no no nonononono," he begs to no one. He shakes his head and jumps down to the rubble taking off in another direction.

In what was once the courtyard, Blake can see Adam watching the destruction leisurely as his followers rummage through the rubble. Sylvester doesn't hesitate to jump from the airship.

"ADAM!" he yells. "ENOUGH!"

"So you would throw your lot in with the humans?" Adam questions. "Pathetic."

Sylvester growls. "This has to STOP! Causing destruction and wreaking havoc will NEVER bring us peace!"

"This has gone so far beyond unity, brother," Adam spits out. "This is revenge."

Blake drops down beside Sylvester. "It doesn't have to be this way, Adam."

"Make no mistake brothers, these may not be our enemies, but they have been poisoned by the humans, are complacent with our enslavement. We will not let them ruin our revenge, our liberation!" Adam calls to his men. A cry goes up through them. "You're too blind to see how wrong you are, Blake," Adam tells his old partner, "and you can't stop us."

"You're right, we can't, not on our own," Blake admits. "But we're not alone."

The airships hover low enough for members of the faunus militia to jump down and take up fighting positions.

"You think that your poisoned followers, untrained civilians can stop us?" Adam lets out a laugh. "Brothers, these poor people are who we fight for. To liberate who we can and avenge who we can't! But we cannot let them stand in our way!"

The White Fang soldiers let out a war cry and rush to attack the Menagerie Militia.

Sylvester charges his brother and it's a fight of flashing blades. Older and younger, each with a cause at his back. For all that Sylvester has the upper hand in terms of skill and experience, Adam isn't holding back at all, each strike aimed to kill.

"You don't have to do this!" Sylvester yells as Blake catches Adam's attention long enough for him to collect himself.

"I am doing what I must!" Adam yells back as he unleashes a slash that pushed Blake back, and Sylvester rockets forward again.

Blake and Sylvester continue to tag-team Adam, running rings around him as best they can, avoiding giving him a power boost as much as they can, but their reserves are running low.

A blood curdling scream breaks forth as Sun rockets towards the White Fang leader. Gun-chucks spinning and firing on the bull faunus and forcing him backwards.

"YOU KILLED THEM!" he screams.

Blake and Sylvester watch as the blond faunus unleashes his fury on Adam. Bullet casings falling to the ground in a haze of smoke even as Adam cuts them out of the air. "Sun's team," Blake says in horror.

A nightmarish red wave explodes outwards forcing Sun tumbling back into the rubble where he struggles to get up.

"You killed them," he chokes out, blue eyes glaring at his opponent.

"They were filthy humans, the only thing they were fit for was death," Adam tells him only slightly out of breath.

"They were my family," Sun says, tears running down his face.

"You were a pet," Adam mocks him. "They poisoned you like they did so many others."

Sun lets out another scream as he charges forward again.

He gets knocked down easily and Adam lingers over him.

"It's a mercy really," Adam tells Sun and goes to plunge his sword through the other's back.

Sylvester however blocks the strike with his own sword and the two brothers begin their deadly dance once more.

It happens in a split second.

Sylvester's aura breaks and before he can even cry out, Adam's sword sweeps out and bisects his brother.

It's a sickening sight.

His torso and his legs fall separately, and Blake rushes to the man's side even as Adam calmly walks away from the bloody mess, sword dripping blood, and towards Sun.

There's nothing to be done for Sylvester, he's already dead, but Blake sees Sun struggling to stand and Adam stalking towards him.

"NO!" she yells as she sprints towards the pair and standing resolutely between them. "I'm not going to let you kill anyone else!"

A/N: Welcome back to the Grimm Reaper. Did I just destroy Haven and kill off multiple characters including my own OC? Yes. Did I cry writing Sun's reaction? Just a little bit. Do I have regrets? Not really. Is there worse yet to come? Depends on what you call 'worse'. Am I going to be mean and make you wait until next week for the rest of the heartbreak? You know it.

Anyways, let me know your thoughts with a review (even if it is just to yell at me for destroying Haven and Sun's team, it will still make my day), or drop me a PM if you want to chat. Otherwise, I'll see you next week with another chapter.

- RebeccaMagic9