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-CHAPTER START-

Realm R38Y

City of Mistral

Upon the group's arrival at Mistral, Kirara parted ways with them; she was needed elsewhere, with the rest of her team. However, in her stead, they were to be joined by two more DDF volunteers. Pirika had bonded with Jaune & Pyrrha during the DDF's visit to her world, had kept in contact, and now wanted to get back into the field while spending more time with them, she and her Kubfu joining the party. In addition, hints that the Three Sorceresses' plans were starting to move led to an experienced and powerful Keyblade warrior being assigned to assist the group and to help train Ruby; hopefully, Terra (and his Sandile) would make an appreciable difference against whatever was on the horizon.

Now, the group of eight entered Haven Academy, finding it quiet and deserted. Ruby's calls echoed through the empty halls.

"Lights are on but nobody's home…" Terra remarked. "Eerie…"

"Well," Jaune said, "I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."

"No, this isn't right" Qrow replied. "Come on."

He hurried ahead, with the others picking up the pace to catch up. Soon, they came upon a pair of wooden double-doors, and Qrow drew his weapon.

"Get ready. There could be trouble."

They followed his lead, drawing weapons; Terra joined Qrow at the front, Ends of the Earth ready. The two nodded to each other, and Qrow kicked the door open. Just on the other side, Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart screamed in fright, hands shooting up into the air, and the sudden scream made about half of the kids scream, too. Stunned and frozen with one leg up, Qrow lost his balance and fell over, while Lionehart briefly fainted.

"Uh… Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.

The lion Faunus gasped, sitting up.

"Qrow!" He snapped. "For crying out loud, you nearly scared me to death!"

"Me?" Qrow growled. "Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

"Huh?" the man pulled out a pocket watch. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

"You're joking…"

As he stood up, everyone stowed their weapons.

"Where is everybody?" Nora asked.

"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."

"Yes, sir. Ruby Rose." "Jaune Arc" "Pyrrha Nikhos" "Nora Valkyrie" "Lie Ren" "Pirika" "Terra"

"A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but-"

"What?" Qrow interrupted. "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"

Lionheart's eyes widened. "Qrow, the children-"

"-Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"

"You… filled them in?"

"So," Nora said, "is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"

Explanations followed, as they all got as comfortable as they could in Leo's office.

"I have to say, Qrow," the lion Faunus said, "this all seems very reckless, even for you."

"No," Qrow glared, "reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"

"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos! …Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces by you" he glared at Pyrrha, who looked deeply guilty.

"That wasn't her fault!" Jaune snapped. "One of Cinder's agents has a Semblance that lets them put false sensory data into people's heads; they used that to make Pyrrha see hundreds of blades coming at her, and she reacted with the amount of force needed to handle that many."

"And Penny's okay!" Ruby chimed in. "They salvaged her memory banks and core processors and soul and built her a new body; she's acting as Mantle's chief protector right now!"

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Salem has that sort of Semblance at her disposal…? …Moving on. The dread and negativity from that, and from the swarm of Grimm, the Bloody Fang, the Atlesian Knight droids turning on everyone… You can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us." He looked out the window. "Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Hunters, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral Council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. The UNSC's influence and aid to Atlas and Mantle has kept James from completely clamming up and closing Atlas up tight, but it's clear that he's spooked and reacting by becoming more insular, more distrustful of the other Kingdoms. Learning that Salem has new allies can't have helped. And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."

"All the more reason we need the Hunters here!" Qrow said.

"Okay!" Ruby interposed herself between the two men. "Okay. Things are bad. We get that. But we can fix this. The Spring Maiden is the 'key' to Haven's vault, right? What's the problem?"

Lionheart sighed. "She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers. But the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She… ran. Abandoned her training, abandoned everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."

"I… know" Qrow admitted. "At least… I have a pretty good idea."

Lionheart stood, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"It's not exactly good news."

"What are you talking about? This is incredible news!" He shook Qrow by the shoulders. "After all these years! Where?!"

Qrow shoved him off. "I did some digging around. Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe."

"…Raven."

Ruby gasped softly.

"Yang's birth-mom?" Jaune asked, stunned.

"That's right" Qrow nodded, grim. He pulled out his scroll, setting it on Lionheart's desk to display a holomap of Remnant which zoomed in. "That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."

Lionheart patted him on the back. "Well, Qrow, I've gotta hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" Qrow clenched his fists, while Lionheart walked back over to the computer.

Unseen by the brusque hero, as Lionheart tapped a few keys, his own scroll briefly read "COPYING FILES"…

"That's right."

"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is. We need to move, as soon as possible!"

Leonardo frowned. "And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Hunters more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of Grimm invasion or even war is on the horizon."

"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsman, these kids aren't exactly pushovers, and Terra here is a Master-level Keyblade wielder."

"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren asked.

"We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."

"Unfortunately," Lionheart replied, "you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. Even if this young man and these students are as good as you say, we & they can't possibly handle Raven at full power and her entire tribe of trained bandits and a Spring Maiden who's had years of additional experience wielding her powers. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven and her tribe will scatter. And we'll be lost. We get one shot at this. And it needs to be perfect."

Qrow stared silently for a few moments, and then sighed. "You know Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."

"Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can."

"There has to be something we can do" Ruby mused.

"What about Cinder?" Jaune asked. "She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"

The man shook his head. "We pulled their files after the fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

There was disappointed silence for a moment.

"Well…" Qrow finally said. "I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."

"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."

"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Local comms are still up. Keep in touch. C'mon, kids."

They all filed out, with Ruby stopping to look back at Lionheart. "It was nice meeting you, Professor."

"…Likewise" the man nodded.

After they'd left, Leonardo hung his head in shame and stress. A moment later, a holographic 'W' projected up from his desk.

"Oh, Leo…" Dr. Watts said with a condescending "comforting" tone. "We have got to work on your improv skills."

-Break-

Not long after, Qrow was alone at a local bar, staring down into his glass.

"Excuse me…"

Hearing a voice behind, Qrow turned to see a boy no older than 14, looking unsure of himself.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."

Looking at him for a second, the boy suddenly turned his head to the side with an annoyed expression. "Shut up, I'm getting there…" he murmured. Qrow's eyes steadily widened as a hunch formed. And sure enough…

"Umm… I'm supposed to tell you… I'd like my cane back…?"

A little smile came to Qrow's face as he stood up, pulling the collapsed cane from his belt.

"Hmm. It's good to have ya back, Oz."

He tossed it to Oscar, who reflexively caught it. On contact, the cane extended to its full length, to the boy's surprise.

-Break-

At the rented house the gang was staying at, there was a knock on the front door. Cautiously, Jaune answers with the others watching, seeing a younger boy standing there, fidgeting.

"Can I… help you?" Jaune asked.

"Um… yeah" Oscar nodded. "Is there a Ruby Rose here?"

The rest of Team JNPR went on guard.

"Why?" Nora asked with a warning tone.

"Well…"

Then Qrow stumbled into view, grabbing onto Oscar's shoulders.

"I found him!" the drunken man proclaimed happily.

"I think her uncle could use some help."

Qrow stumbled toward the couch and almost made it, with Pyrrha catching him and laying him down on it.

"I found him" he repeated with a drunk grin.

"What's going on out here?!" Ruby stomped into the room. "Can't a girl read in peace?!" Then, she caught sight of Qrow, and sighed with a hand to her forehead. "Uncle Qrow, did you get drunk again?"

"Maaaybe~"

"Oh" Oscar caught sight of Ruby. "You have… silver eyes."

Hearing those familiar words, Ruby looked surprised.

"Wait a second…" Terra spoke up, and Oscar looked up at the tall, imposing youth as he 'sensed' the boy. Eyes widening with surprise, Terra 'prodded' at the boy with Light, and got two responses.

"This boy is carrying another Heart alongside his own."

"Who are you?" Ruby asked.

"Well…" the boy tried to smile calmly. "My name is Oscar Pine. And you might know my 'passenger' as Professor Ozpin."

-Break-

As Professor Lionheart sat at his desk, head in his hands, the door to his office opened as Dr. Arthur Watts let himself in.

"Are we ready?" the 'good' Doctor asked.

Leonardo got to his feet, and after a few seconds of exchanged looks, he turned his gaze away as Watts smirked. The two men passed through a secret hallway, leading to a circular room that contained a bizarre Grimm – like a jellyfish, its bell apparently made of rounded crystalline glass and ringed by tooth-like spikes, multiple blood-red tentacles dangling below.

"After you…" Watts gestured to the Seer Grimm, then pushed Lionheart over to it.

"Your Grace," Leonardo spoke into the See, "are… you there?"

The red, smoky essence contained in the Seer's semitransparent bell swirled and shifted and cleared, revealing the faces of Salem and Cinder, transmitted from Evernight Castle.

"Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?"

"Of course, ma'am. I would not waste your time otherwise."

"I'm still just so fascinated by this creature" Dr. Watts leaned closer. "Cinder dear, are we coming through?" He tapped the Seer, making a glass-like sound. "Can you see us clearly ? Well, as clearly as you can."

Cinder let out an animalistic growl.

"Arthur, please stop antagonizing her. Leonardo, your report?"

"I've… I've found the Spring Maiden."

"Is that so? Well done. Arthur, had I known how useful you'd be in expediting this process, I would've sent you long ago."

"As much as I'd love to take credit, ma'am," Dr. Watts replied, "I can't say that either of us are to thank for this development. I guess you could say, a little birdie told us."

"…Explain."

"You see, ma'am," Lionheart said, "Qrow Branwan arrived at Haven Academy earlier today. He believes Spring has taken residence with his sister's tribe."

"Is the little red brat with him?" Cinder asked, her voice still slightly raspy.

"Yes, Miss Rose was in attendance" Watts replied.

"And you know the tribe's location?" Salem asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lionheart replied. "But we must hurry! Qrow has made his irritation and impatience with my pleas for a more measured and cautious approach clear; if I do not support him, I fear he and his fellows will eventually take the initiative and go after Raven by themselves. They will fail, and the tribe – including Spring – will scatter…"

"…Cinder, you and your team will meet with Doctor Watts, and together, convince Raven Branwen that the survival of her people depends on her cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and they'll have it once we have what we need."

"Understood" Watts bowed.

"But you'll need to come back here first, Arthur. Your prosthetic engineering is required; Tyrian's in need of a new tail."

"What happened to his old one?"

"Guess" Cinder said dryly.

"Little Rose?"

"Indeed" Salem replied with a flat tone.

"It will be done."

"Good."

The transmission was ended, and Lionheart sank down.

"It seems Qrow was right, Lionheart" Watts remarked. "The students aren't pushovers."

-Break-

Oscar sat nervously in a red armchair as everyone flocked around him. A now-sober Qrow emerged from the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee. Oscar looked at Ruby, who giggled softly, drawing a blush from the younger boy.

"S-Sorry" he averted his gaze. "I've never really met Hunters before."

"Well, uh…" Ruby shifted. "We've never met a person with two souls! So, first times all around."

"Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game," Qrow cut in, "but we need to have a talk. Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?"

Oscar lowered his head and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a green & white aura shone from & around his body for a moment. He opened his now-glowing eyes and smiled, and spoke with several overlapping voices (Oscar but one of them).

"It is so very good to see you again, students" Oscar's passenger said.

"Professor… Ozpin?" Ren asked, quietly stunned.

"Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present & conscious mentally. He's merely handed over control, so to speak."

'Just don't make us do anything embarrassing…' he heard Oscar say.

"I'm afraid this must all be very perplexing" Ozpin admitted.

"And alarming," Nora replied, "and bizarre, and just really kinda hard to believe overall!"

"I'm not a stranger to the concept of a person carrying an extra Heart or two" Terra said. "Hell, I carried Master Eraqus' for a long time. But for both Hearts to be conscious, aware, able to freely communicate and even switch control at will is definitely a new one for me."

After a brief chuckle, Ozpin frowned. "I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry. Especially to you, Miss Nikhos. My desperate gamble put you at grave risk."

"It… wasn't really your fault" Pyrrha replied.

"No… It's all my fault. I told you all once that I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating. I'm… cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant – living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The 'Professor Ozpin' you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's… an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved."

"So," Jaune asked, "who… what… are you?"

"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant. With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another, and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the Brother Gods, because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we must stop her now."

"And how do we do that?" Ruby asked.

"We start by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge."

"Alright!" Nora pumped her fist. "This is perfect! We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little cute boy Oz to Lionheart and have him set things straight!"

"Please don't call me that" Ozpin said dryly.

"We're not sure that's the best idea" Qrow said.

"But, I thought the Headmasters all took their orders from you" Ren said to Ozpin.

"That was the intention" the old spirit in a boy's body replied. "Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo. He isn't just behaving irrationally; he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. …Something is wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either. No-one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way."

"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand" Qrow surmised.

"Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more Hunters."

Ren spoke up "But the Mistral council-"

"-Doesn't own every Hunter in the Kingdom," Qrow cut him off, "and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more."

"So long as they're trustworthy" Ozpin replied.

"You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list tonight."

"After that, we can move on to step two."

"What's step two?" Pyrrha asked.

Ozpin grinned, pulling out his cane. "Getting you kids into fighting shape."

"But, uh," Ruby replied, "we already know how to fight."

He pointed to her. "You're still lacking in unarmed hand-to-hand combat; your new Keyblade will not always be a viable option." He moved on. "Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance. Miss Nikhos, you are exemplary against human and Faunus opponents, but cannot yet fight at that same level against large Grimm. Lie Ren, your stamina and Aura reserves have improved, but they need to improve more. Miss Valkyrie, we'll need to work on your speed a little; the same goes for you, Mr. Terra. From what I understand, young Pirika, your training under Might Guy has proven very fruitful, but you still have room for improvement just like the others, plus you're still getting used to your Gravity Hammer.

"All of you still have a-ways to go before you're ready to pose a real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura."

'Wait, what?'

"He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process."

"But if Qrow's out looking for Hunters," Ruby said, "then who's going to teach us?"

In response, Ozpin used his cane to propel himself into the air, spinning into a barrel roll and landing on the armchair's seat, twirling his cane.

"Well, I believe I was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. And Terra definitely knows enough to assist me in training you all, even as I help him improve his own speed and agility."

"Gotta train up everyone's Pokémon, too" Qrow chimed in. "Absol's been around the block a few times; I'm pretty sure she can help."

"Ruby's Scyther isn't exactly a newbie, either" Pyrrha added.

"We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven" Ozpin continued. "If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."

Suddenly, he glowed green & white again, and Oscar – now back in control – lost his balance and fell into the chair.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" the boy groaned.

-Break-

A Few Days Later

Several bandits lay about in a forest clearing in various states of beaten the crap out of, groaning in pain and/or unconscious. Yang and Weiss stood in the midst of them, not a hair out of place on either of them.

"Who are you two?" the bandit squad-leader groaned. "…It doesn't matter. When Raven finds out about this, you're dead!"

"Raven Branwen may be a selfish, cruel bandit queen," Yang replied, letting her eyes briefly turn red, "but I don't think even she is heartless enough to kill her own daughter."

The man's eyes widened with horrified recognition. "…I'm dead…"

-Break-

In the backyard of the rented house, Oscar and Ruby were training in hand-to-hand while the others watched.

"Man," Jaune remarked, "Oz wasn't kidding. Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast."

Oscar landed a blow to Ruby's face that knocked her back, and her retaliatory blow knocked him a few feet back, landing with a thud.

"Ha! Yes! I did it!" Her cheer turned to concern as Oscar didn't spring back up. "…Oscar?"

'You forgot to engage your Aura Barrier again' Ozpin chided.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the boy groaned.

'Because this method makes you less likely to forget. Mind if I give it a shot now?'

Oscar got to his feet, and then shimmered as Ozpin took over.

"Not bad, Miss Rose. But Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do."

He shimmered green as his Aura was engaged, and now Ruby looked rather nervous.

"Uh… Maybe we should take a break?" she suggested.

In response, Ozpin went on the attack, forcing her on the defensive. He landed a blow to the face that knocked her back several feet, then leapt in close and kicked her in the face. She leapt in for a left cross, but he ducked and countered with a rising headbutt.

"The next time you want to throw a left cross," he told the downed girl, "remember to push off with the appropriate foot. And as always, do be aware of any openings."

"Got it…" she groaned.

Then, Ozpin handed control back over to Oscar, who promptly collapsed, panting for breath.

"Oh!" Ruby got to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"How is this so exhausting?" the boy asked.

"Your body isn't used to this kind of training yet," Ren replied, "not to mention generating a defensive Aura on your own. It takes intense concentration at first, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks and gradually heal your wounds. After that, you can begin focusing on your Semblance, whatever that may be."

"Semblance?"

"Y'know!" Nora said. "Like your very own superpower! Every Remnantian's got one. It's just a matter of finding it and mastering it. Ruby's got that flashy rose-petal flying super speed trick, I can absorb electricity for a strength boost, Ren can mask emotions and conceal people from the Grimm, Pyrrha can manipulate magnetism and control metal, and Jaune can… uh… umm…"

Jaune sighed. "I can't do anyth-"

"Jaune's like you!" Ruby cut in. "He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but we all know he will. And you will, too. We all just have to try and help each other get stronger."

"Cool…" Oscar was awed at the prospect.

Ren spoke again. "A common philosophy is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance, while some claim it's the other way around. Of course, there are many who don't see a connection at all."

"It's hard to know when you know sometimes" Nora said. "Ren's Semblance was unlocked from the intense stress of hiding from an Elder Grimm as a little kid."

"And mine kicked in during training one day" Ruby said.

"As a child, I was trying to cook something by myself," Pyrrha blushed a little, "and my mother startled me, and… pots and pans, forks and spoons, kitchen knives, all went flying everywhere. Thank goodness mom has good reflexes…"

"…And you?" Oscar asked Nora.

The petite powerhouse chuckled. "Got struck by lightning. Didn't die. Crazy Thursday."

"I just don't understand what's wrong with me" Jaune sighed. "I train. I meditate."

Ozpin took the reins from Oscar again. "Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. And the same might be said for all of you. Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end. It can still grow and evolve. Providing you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen."

Ruby smiled. "Then let's get back to it."

Meanwhile, the Pokémon were all helping each other train, too, overseen by Qrow's Absol and Ruby's Scyther. Jaune's Galarian Farfetch'd and Pyrrha's Treecko were having a Cut duel, while Ren's Mienfoo and Pirika's Kubfu tried to spar using each other's base fighting styles. Pyrrha's Nosepass and Terra's Sandile were collaborating on new techniques and moves, and Nora's Emolga flitted about between groups, doing her own thing.

As Jaune & Pyrrha resumed training together, Pirika drifted over. "You think we'll be ready by the time things kick off?" she asked.

"If we work our asses off, maybe" Jaune replied. "Me, in particular. I'm a little worried Lionheart will procrastinate so much he'll let the Spring Maiden get away, but I also don't think we're good enough yet to take on a Maiden and somebody on Qrow's level, so… I don't know when the right time to go for them might be."

"We'll get through this" Pyrrha said. "We survived the Fall of Beacon, and we'll survive this. Though, I do hope Haven Academy survives, too; the effect on global morale if a second Academy fell is… not something I want to think about."

"We won't let that happen" Jaune said firmly. "Salem won't get her way a second time."

"I know you two can do it" Pirika said with a little smile. "Pyrrha, you're so powerful and skilled, and Jaune, you're so strong and improving so fast…"

"You're doing well too, Pirika" Pyrrha replied. "You've gotten stronger and faster, and… you didn't let what happened to you destroy your will to keep going. Your heart is as strong as your body."

"Yeah" Jaune smiled, placing a hand on the off-worlder's shoulder. "You've done really well. You're strong, determined, and kind; you're gonna be great. And we'll help."

The duo's smiles, proximity, and encouragement made Pirika's face feel hot, her heart thumping. Jaune and Pyrrha were both so kind and gentle and strong and brave and handsome/beautiful…

-Break-

Yang and Weiss entered the bandit camp, trailed by a handful of badly battered bandits. More bandits lined up along the path, glaring at them, while a slender young woman with short brown hair and icy-blue eyes emerged from her tent to see what was going on. As the girls arrived at the camp's main tent, a woman clad in red & black stepped out, with long flowing black hair, an elaborate sword & sheath at her hip.

"Mother" Yang said with a coldly neutral tone.

The woman removed her mask. "Yang" she smiled. "So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me."

Yang suppressed a tremor in her arm. "You know that I searched for you. I spent years searching for you."

"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. …But did you have to be so rough with my men?"

"They attacked us first" Weiss replied. "We just defended ourselves."

Raven sighed. "Right. I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit you've both proven yourselves. So, any questions you have, I'll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something for you."

"That's not why I'm here" Yang replied.

"…What was that?"

"I'm not here for you. Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need our help. I just need you to take me to her."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because we're… family."

Raven scowled. "Family. Only coming around when they need something… I have to say, I'm disappointed. After all, you've found me, haven't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you?"

"Because you're going to save us time. Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there's no guarantee she's made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But… Dad told me how your Semblance works."

"Tai…" Raven muttered.

"You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you can create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me. And you've got one for Qrow. He promised me he'd watch out for Ruby before they left. And I trust him. So, just make a portal to take us to my uncle & sister, and we'll be out of your hair."

"You know… it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor from me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"You two don't wanna get mixed up in that mess. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know; I trusted him once, too."

"She's already a target for the Three Sorceresses" Yang said. "She's going to need all the help she can get!"

Raven looked confused. "Three Sorceresses?"

Weiss stepped forward, dialing up her Omnitool. "You've probably heard about the Dimensional Defense Force, right?" At Raven's nod, she continued. "Basically, there are three old and powerful evil sorceresses working together – two from other Realms, and one from Remnant." She called up a holo-display of the faces of the three witches. "Dyspear, Salem, and Maleficent."

Raven's eyes went wide. "S… Salem has two new allies on her level?"

Now, the two girls reacted with mild shock. "You're in the know about Salem?" Yang asked.

"Who are those other two?"

"Dyspear is a daemon of some sort," Weiss replied, "the collective despair of an entire kingdom given life & form by dark magic. And Maleficent is an old and very powerful malevolent Faery."

"An emotion-demon and an Unseelie…" Raven murmured. "Just great; as if she wasn't nigh-unstoppable enough already. …Why don't you two come inside? There are some things you probably need to know."

Unsure, the two girls followed Raven into the main tent…

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time: more training, more explanations, and – depending on word count – the Battle of Haven Academy