All who are hyped for Ancient Gods pt.2 after watching the trailer, say aye!
Qrow opens up a sliding door leading into a small restaurant. A man can be seen sleeping at a table in the corner, while the Shop Owner stands behind the counter sharpening his kitchen knife on a wood block.
Qrow walks up to the owner, who is still paying attention to sharpening his knife "Regular? Or the Special?".
"I'm actually looking for someone, goes by the name Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he's a regular around here" Qrow said.
The Shop Owner did not look up "Who's asking?".
"Hey, I'm not some cop if that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back" Qrow said.
The Shop Owner nods "Way back, huh?" He finally looks up at Qrow "So, he's a friend of yours".
Qrow rubs his chin "Hm, yeah, I'd say so. He's a pretty alright guy".
"Well, in that case..." The shop owner began before suddenly, his tone turns hostile as he points his knife threateningly at Qrow "You tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the Lien he owes me!".
Qrow was taken aback "Uh, did I say friend?" He chuckles nervously "I, uh- I meant acquaintance".
The owner angrily slams his knife into the counter.
Qrow: slowly backs away "Really, we're just colleagues!" He chuckles nervously again "Anyways, thanks for your time, buddy. I'll just be taking off now".
Qrow exits the restaurant, quickly closing the sliding door. He quickly turns around, leaning against the door. He takes a drink from his flask before pulling out his scroll, which has a list of contacts.
Qrow crosses off Shiro's name and sighs "Great start".
Suddenly, the owner's knife is stabbed through the door cloth, barely missing Qrow's head.
Qrow then walks up to several people asking if they know any of the Huntsmen on his list; first, a pair of two men standing on the rainy street. Next, to a one-eyed, blonde blacksmith selling her wares. Then, he seeks the help of a beat-up man filled with bruises, resting while two other men are currently fighting in a match. After every person he asks, Qrow's expression and body language grows more aggravated, and each time, the number of Huntsmen he crosses off the list increases.
Finally, he walks up to a small house with boarded-up windows. He looks at his Scroll for his two remaining contacts, the first of which had been crossed out.
He reached another house "Heather Shields".
He knocks on the door. A group of small children is seen near the house. After Qrow turns around from looking at them, since there's been no response, he bangs it loudly with the side of his fist. As he's about to bang on the door again, a man opens up the door.
"Oh, uh, hey there. I'm looking for Heather?" He asked. The man just stares back at him "Look, pal, I've had a rough day. Do you know where she is or not?".
"Daddy?" A small girl walks up next to her father "Does he know where Mommy is?".
Having realized that Heather was missing in action, or worse, Qrow immediately regrets his mistake "I um... I'm sorry to bother you".
The man and his daughter go back into their house. Qrow walks back out into the rain. He removes his flask from his shirt and considers taking another drink from it, but decides not to.
At the park, he looks up at the Mistral Bounty mission boards. After looking at the boards, Qrow crosses off some names on his Scroll. He then checks for more names on the mission board one last time. Qrow sighs and takes a seat on a nearby bench, realizing that all of his contacts, let alone many others on the mission board, were nowhere to be found.
After a while, Qrow goes back into the restaurant from earlier. The owner has more wood carvings on his counter now. He notices Qrow walk in "You've got a lot of nerve showing up back here, unless you've brought that idiot with you".
"How much did Shiro owe you?" Qrow asked.
The Shop Owner noticed Qrow's somber expression "Well, I'd say about... 16,000 Lien" Qrow then tosses a Lien note, which clatters softly on the surface of the bar "Wait, what? Man, you must be in some serious trouble with him if you're paying me off".
"His name is clear" Qrow said, his expression never changing.
The Shop Owner frowns "Yeah" Qrow starts to leave again, and the owner returns to his carving, though now he had somber expression after understanding what must have happened "That idiot..."
Qrow opens the door "Yeah..."
Qrow left the restaurant and was met by Dante.
"Anyone?" Dante asked.
Qrow shook his head: "Not even one."
Dante grunted in frustration: "Dammit. Where do you think they are?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that something else has happened that we're not aware of."
…
Some distance away from Mistral, a small group of Huntsmen were waiting in a small, makeshift camp. One of them, a woman with purple hair and holding a hunting rifle walked up to the group.
"Anything, Heather?" one of them asked.
Heather shook her head: "Still nothing, Shiro."
Shiro scoffed: "I don't like this. The guy shows up out of nowhere wearing a bunch of crazy space armor, blasts away Grimm like they're dust along with those…things" Here, he shudders, the images of the Imps and Hell Knights that attacked him still fresh in his mind. "Then, he leads us here to this camp, and doesn't say squat the whole time."
"But he did save our lives." Heather explained, "We owe him our trust for now."
The two looked over at Novus, sitting in silence by the campfire, his arm propping the BFG 9000 up next to him. Shiro marched over and sat on the other side of him.
"Look, me and the others are grateful for your help, but we don't even know who you are or where exactly you're leading us. Would it kill you to share some details?"
Novus simply cocked his head, then pulled out a scroll, displaying a picture of Mistral as shown on a map. He then pointed to it.
"You're taking us back to Mistral?" Shiro asked. Novus nodded, then typed a few things into the scroll. A few minutes later, the holographic image of Dr. Hayden appeared from the scroll.
Hayden turned to face Shiro: "I understand you have some concerns."
"Not really concerns so much as questions" Heather corrected as she and the other Haven huntsmen approached, "We're grateful to him for saving us, but he hasn't said a word he whole time and a few of us are getting antsy."
"I'm afraid Novus doesn't say much nowadays" Hayden explained, "However, I would be more than willing to fil you in."
Among the Huntsmen that approached stood a man in battle worn, silver armor with a blue visor. The symbol of a lightning bolt was on his shoulder plate and the hilt of a Night Sentinel war hammer was slung across his back; and he recognized Novus for what he was. As the other Huntsmen sat around the campfire, Hayden proceeded to explain the coming attack on Haven…and his plan to protect it.
…
At the Branwen Tribe camp, Vernal pours cups of tea for Raven, Yang, Weiss, Julius, and V. They are all inside Raven's tent all of them seated around a table.
Raven looks at Vernal "You can wait outside. Thank you".
Vernal looks over to Julius and winks: "It's nice seeing you again."
"You too, Vernal." Julius replies as Vernal walks out, leaving the rest in a tense silence.
"So, what's the truth?" Yang asked.
Raven takes a sip from her cup "You know, it's better when it's hot".
Weiss glares at her "You know, you're really obnoxious".
"The truth is that "truth" is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories" Raven said.
"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before" Yang said.
"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist" Raven said and Yang glares at her "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place. It's adorable".
"It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do" Yang argued.
"Not all of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen" Raven said.
Yang and Weiss gasp at this, exchanging a brief look with each other.
Julius got a quizzical look: "You or Qrow never told me that."
"Never saw the need to?" Raven replied as she begins to pour more tea for herself: "Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. And Qrow and I were the perfect age" She stands up "The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in, along with his little two-man team". Here, she points to V.
"What do you mean by that?" Yang demanded.
"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've. Sound familiar?" Raven asked.
Yang and Weiss share another glance at each other. Julius remains expressionless as he listens Weiss gestures Yang to keep going "What's your point?".
"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?" Raven asked.
"He was... a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school" Weiss said.
"Because that's how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else" Raven said.
"That doesn't make any sense! How could he have...? No. Why would someone even do that?" Yang demanded
"Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to V's and our team, and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became" Raven said as she looked at her map.
"Okay, then tell us. What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?" Yang asked.
"You'll wish you didn't ask that." Julius said as he took a sip from his tea.
"The creature of Grimm" V spoke, making the girls look at him "Have you ever wondered where they all come from? That no matter how many we kill, there will always be countless more?".
"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked.
"The Grimm have a leader named Salem" Raven said "Not much is known about her. But what we do know is that she is no human, nor is she a faunus. She is something else and may just be the most dangerous creature on the planet. Her goal is to make the world crumble beneath her feet".
As he speaks, Weiss and Yang's eyes widen more and more. They sit in silence.
"What?" Weiss asked in shock.
"You know, you two haven't even touched your tea" Raven said as she takes another sip from her teacup, while Yang stands up.
"Why should we believe any of this?" She demanded.
"Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything" Raven said as she got in Yang's face, The two stare at each other face to face, before Raven turns around "Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow... and your fool of a father".
A shot from Ember Celica is heard, destroying the table. Raven's empty teacup clatters across the floor, stopping when it hits the heel of her boot. Raven looks toward Yang, faintly smiling.
Yang's eyes have turned red "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!".
While Yang speaks, Weiss stares up at her wide-eyed and flinches when she raises her voice for emphasis.
Weiss holds Yang's hand "Yang, please".
"Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before" Raven said.
"You don't know the first thing about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You LEFT US!" Yang screamed before her eyes then turn back to normal and she hangs her head in sadness "Why?!".
Raven replied: "Because I know the truth. And all the lies that Ozpin filled our heads with. Lies you still believe".
"They're not all lies, Raven" Julius said, standing in between Raven and Yang. Raven narrowed her eyes as she asked: "Even after what I taught you here, you'd still believe Ozpin?"
"He may be hiding a few things" Julius admitted, "But I know his intentions are good. Plus, based on my own experience, I can't really blame him."
"Your experience?" Yang asked.
Julius sighed: "Salem's tried to kill me in the past. How else do you think THIS happened." He explained gesturing to his missing arm and eye, "Team STRQ was the only reason I ever survived."
"Eh, true enough" Raven said, "But it still doesn't change my view of Oz."
"Get to the point" Yang said with a glare.
Raven continues "I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, and I can prove it" Weiss stands up, while Raven continues addressing her daughter "You said Tai told you all about my Semblance" Vernal lowers her weapon while Raven heads toward the back exit of her tent "Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me".
Raven exits her tent and Julius follows right after. Yang and Weiss exchange confused looks, but then take her advice and exit the tent. They see no one there.
"Mom?" Yang called out.
"Yang, are you okay?" Weiss asked.
"I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby" Yang said.
"For once, I agree" Julius said.
Weiss relents while Yang continues to look around "It's okay if... you're not okay".
"You didn't believe what she said, right?" Yang asked
"I... of course not. Well, not all of it. It was crazy. We have Dust, Semblances... But, I mean, there's no such thing as magic" Weiss said.
"Don't be so sure" V said as he too left the tent.
Just then, the two girls hear a bird caw. They watch it fly in front of them.
"A raven?" Weiss asked.
"I've... seen that bird before" Yang said.
"Maybe it belongs to your mom?" Weiss guessed.
"Not exactly." Julius said.
The three continue to watch the raven fly in the dusk-colored sky. It descends, flying and weaving between the trees, before shape-shifting into Raven herself. Raven lands back on the ground on her feet, while Yang and Weiss have shocked expressions as she stands back up.
"How... did you do that?" Yang asked.
"Well, I could explain it to you..." Raven then draws her sword, slashing behind her, creating a portal with her Semblance "Or you could ask your uncle".
"You're letting us go?" Yang asked
"I'm giving you a choice" Raven said she sheathes her sword "Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start" Yang glares at her "Or... you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?".
Weiss reacts timidly, while Yang just glares at her mother "All I care about is making sure my sister is safe".
Raven was dissatisfied with Yang's response "Ugh..." Then, she looks over at Julius: "And you're of the same opinion."
Julius nodded: "I am. However, I'm staying for right now."
Yang looked over at Julius: "What?!"
Julius put a comforting hand on her shoulder: "I promise I'll join up with you guys as soon as I can. Right now, there's something Raven and I need to discuss."
Yang hangs her head in disappointment, but then turns and hugs Julius: "Please get to Haven soon."
Julius hugged back, chuckling: "C'mon, you're talking to someone who can teleport. I'll be there sooner than you think."
Yang pulls back, then nods with a small smile.
Yang and Weiss are then shown riding on Bumblebee. However, before they can enter the portal, Raven addresses her daughter one more time "Yang. If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet...".
Weiss rolls her eyes and looks ahead.
"You weren't kind this time either" Yang sot back.
With that they proceed through the portal on Bumblebee, V jogs after them, and the portal then disappears. Raven turns to Julius: "Alright, nephew, what did you want to discuss?"
"We both know Haven is the next target." Julius explained, "And I have a plan to save it, but I'll need the tribe's help. If you guys want to really make yourselves appear strong, this is a good opportunity."
Raven thought for a moment, then smirked: "Always appealing to my better nature in a way I can't resist; you haven't changed one bit."
"So, you're in?"
"I'm sure there's many of us in the tribe who would be more than happy to accept. I'm in."
Julius nodded: "Alright. So, here's the plan…"
…
Back at the house the Team is staying at, each of the members are helping prepare dinner: Ruby and Ren are cooking at the stove, Jaune is setting up the table, and Nora is cutting carrots, occasionally eating slices. Dante is seen stretching outside; he had gotten back long before Qrow had.
"Alright, the first batch is just about done" Ren said.
"Awesome! Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set" Ruby said.
"Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people? This is a lot of food" Nora said as she eats another carrot slice.
"Uh, I don't know, but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get" Ruby said.
"I'm back!" Qrow called out
"Be right there!" Ruby called back.
"You're going to overcook that" Ren said.
"No I'm not, shut up!" Ruby snapped.
"Hey, uh, Ruby?" Qrow called out again.
"I'm coming!" Ruby said before some smoke comes from the pan Ruby is cooking with "Fine! You take over" Ruby grabs the tea tray and heads to the living room while Ren helps cook the pan "So, we didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it".
She looks up, and gasps as she drops the tea tray and its contents, which shatter on the floor. She stares in disbelief at the sight of not only Qrow or yet another strange man, this one wearing black, but of her older sister Yang and teammate Weiss. Yang approaches her little sister.
"Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just..." Tears start pouring from her eyes "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-"
Suddenly, her big sister gives her a strong hug. Ruby's lips quiver, and she looks toward her sister.
"I love you" Yang said, tears stream from her eyes.
Ruby sobs as she leans into her sister's hug "I love you too".
Jaune, Ren and Nora enter the room, smiling at the sight of the two sisters embracing each other. Qrow smiles as well.
Oscar enters the room "Uh..."
He looks up, seeing Ruby and Yang hugging, and smiles. Weiss smiles as she wipes a tear from her eye, before frowning while looking down.
"Weiss" Ruby said.
Weiss looks up, and sees the two sisters open their arms up for her. She smiles and eagerly joins them in their hug.
Dante then enters the room, a pistol drawn: "I heard a crash. What…?"
He then sees V and lowers his gun: "Oh, it's you."
V held up a finger to silence Dante: "We mustn't interrupt this reunion."
Everyone smiles as they watch three of the four Team RWBY members embrace each other.
Let me know what you think so far.