In an empty blackness, Qrow Branwen's voice could be heard. "The City of Mistral..." He announced.
"Ugh! It's about time!" Nora said as Qrow, Team RNJR, Draco, Saphyra and I were walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns. "Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora asked.
"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements..." Ren said.
"Hey, I offered to book flights, you all said no." I said.
"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us." Jaune added.
"Something else that could've been avoided if you guys took a flight. Plus, we wouldn't have had to work so hard." Draco said, gesturing between himself and Qrow.
"Pfft, we were fine. Only one of us almost died." Ruby said, looking at Qrow with a smile.
"Hey." Qrow said, looking at Ruby, smiling back.
"And besides, if we hadn't walked, we may never have met little Saphyra and I'd still be suicidal." I said.
"I'm happy to have helped you when you needed it most, Papa." She said.
"Aww. How sweet! You're getting so much experience being a dad, you'll be a natural when ours gets here." Nora said, giggling.
I covertly slid over beside Ren. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how concerned should we be when the mood swings kick in?" I asked.
"Easily 11." He told me, to which we both winced in fear.
"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune asked.
"Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route." Qrow assured him.
The group approached a pair of large, wooden double doors, which Qrow opened, flooding the tunnel with sunlight. Ruby ran out onto a massive platform that doubled as an elevator, stopping at the railing to gaze out over the city in wide-eyed awe.
"Incredible!" Saphyra said, giggling.
"Wow!" Ruby said in awe as we all joined her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains. "This... is... awesome!" She declared. Below us, large crowds of people were going about their day - walking around, talking and buying merchandise legally and illegally.
"Damn, it's pretty." Draco said.
"It's certainly something." Qrow said.
"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!" Ruby said, noticing a kiosk selling weapons.
"Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not." Qrow explained.
"Hey, they gotta get that money somehow." I say.
"They really made the most out of these mountains." Jaune noted.
"Every inch. Stay away from the lower levels. The higher up you go, the nicer it gets." Qrow explained.
"And we are going up!" Nora said, pointing upward.
RNJR, Draco, Qrow, Saphyra and I entered the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which was devoid of any other people. We stopped in a courtyard, where Ruby smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and she sighed. "We made it." She said. Qrow stopped behind us and while we continued on our way, he took a moment to glance around and let out a sigh. "Hello?" Ruby called, but received no answer. Inside a hallway, RNJR, Draco, Saphyra and I were following Qrow. "Hello?!" Ruby called out once again, louder this time, but still received no answer.
"Well, this seems suspect." I said.
"Maybe try louder?" Nora suggested.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said.
"Wow, you're like the greatest detective EVER, Ren." Draco said sarcastically.
"Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it." Jaune offered.
"Unlikely, Uncle Jaune. Even during breaks, many students continue to stay at their schools, whether they have nowhere else to go or simply wish to stay for convenience." Saphyra explained.
"Exactly, this isn't right. Come on." Qrow said and hurried ahead.
"Wait for us!" Ruby said.
"Saphyra, into your strongest armor, sweetie." I told her.
"Yes, Papa." She said, smelting on armor that looked like a human version of Registeel.
Then we all picked up the pace to catch up and soon, all of us running to a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow came to a stop in front of them, drew his sword and extended the blade. "Get ready. There could be trouble." He warned.
We all followed his lead in drawing our weapons. Qrow brought up his foot and kicked the door open. Just on the other side, Leonardo Lionheart widened his eyes, threw his hands into the air and let out a frightened scream. Jaune, Ruby and Nora widened their eyes and screamed as well, while Ren and Saphyra gave the headmaster a confused stare and Draco and I shouted a battle cry. Standing on one foot with his eyes wide, Qrow suddenly looked down, lost his balance and fell. Shortly after, Lionheart made a noise and briefly fainted. RNJR let their weapons down and stared, dumbfounded, while Qrow sat up. "Well, that was anticlimactic." Draco said simply.
"Uh, Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.
Lionheart gasped and sat up. "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!" He snapped.
Qrow stood up with a growl. "Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?
"Huh?" Lionheart asked, pulling a pocket watch from his coat and checking it "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me." He made an excuse.
"You're joking." Qrow said.
"This is the headmaster of one of the best combat schools ever?" I asked skeptically.
"To be fair, Ozpin's behavior was often questionable as well." Saphyra said.
"Where is everybody?" Nora asked while Lionheart stood up and we all put our weapons away.
"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said.
"Yes, sir." Ruby confirmed, giving a loose salute. "Ruby Rose." She introduced herself.
"Jaune Arc." Jaune introduced himself.
"Nora Valkyrie." Nora declared,posing with her arms held stiffly out to the sides.
"Lie Ren." Ren introduced himself, putting his arms behind his back.
"the name's Draco Bloodgrave!" Draco said, posing.
"Sai Blade." I said, darkly and coolly. "And this is my daughter, Saphyra Nikosade." I introduced her.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir." Saphyra introduced herself, her armor dispersing.
Lionheart was shocked by this. "Having a child at your age? How scandalous! Are you even responsible enough to care for her?!" He demanded.
"Hey, I'm a great dad! I take care of all of her needs whenever she needs them." I said firmly.
"Uh, Sai? You let her watch TV with animals killing and tearing each other apart." Ruby said.
"That's educational programming!" I snapped.
"And what about the pet you got her?" Jaune asked.
"Every kid needs a pet! It teaches them responsibility and gives them a companion to keep them company and protect them if need-be." I said.
"You gave her a dragon." Ren said.
"Exactly, what better guad animal then a Kushala Daora: a dragon made out of metal?" I asked.
"I named him Titan. Short for Titanium." She explained.
"Don't worry, sir. He really is a great Dad. And we're all there to make sure he doesn't do anything too insane." Draco assured the headmaster.
Lionheart chuckled. "Well then, 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-" He explained, but was interrupted.
Hearing this, Qrow briefly clenched his fists and then leaned in toward Lionheart. "What? Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?" Qrow demanded.
"Qrow, the children." Lionheart warned.
"Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?" Qrow asked.
"You... filled them in?" Lionheart repeated as this information sank in.
"So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Nora asked.
In the front room of the Belladonna Family Home, Ghira, Nicolas and Sun bursted in through the front door, angry. Kali watched from the front porch.
"Unbelievable!" Ghira snarled.
"Total garbage!" Sun snapped.
"This some bullshit!" Nicolas shouted.
Ghira let out a growl and the three of them turned to each other. "We can't let them get away with this!" They all shouted at once.
"Well, at least you two can finally agree with Sun on something." Kali said. They looked at her, then back at each other. Sun gave an awkward chuckle while rubbing his head, Ghira glared slightly and growled, fists clenched and Nicolas simply punched Sun in the face. The four soon had their attention called to Blake, who spoke up from the porch.
"Guys. Everything's going to be okay." Blake assured them. A little while later, Blake exited her father's study, stepping out onto the balcony where an armored guard was standing. The guard turned and addressed her.
"Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything?" The guard asked.
"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright." She requested.
"Sure thing. Just call, if you need me." The guard complied and walked into Ghira's study, shutting the door behind her. Blake took a deep sigh and was soon alerted by a familiar voice.
"You need better security." Ilia announced.
Alarmed, Blake turned to see the chameleon faunus drop down onto the railing. "Nicolas!" The young Belladonna called.
The Necromancer almost immediately crashed through the door of the study, rolling and popping up in a crouched position, his golf club in its assault rifle form, which he had aimed at Ilia. "Freeze, spy girl!" He ordered, but Ilia held her hand up.
"Please! I-I just need to talk." She pleaded.
Blake looked between her and Nicolas unsurely, before nodding to her boyfriend, Nicolas lowering his gun. "How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?" She demanded.
"Blake..." Ilia started, standing up.
"Corsac and Fennec blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they deny knowing anything and everything found on your Scroll. They talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you'd sided with Adam. But you and I both know they're guilty." Blake reasoned.
"You can't prove anything." Ilia said.
"That Scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you." Blake said.
"Yeah! They threw you under the bus! So roll to the side, steal the bus and run them over!" Nicolas said.
Ilia removed her mask, a solemn expression on her face. "Your plan isn't gonna work, Blake." She told Blake, looking at her. "Please... just leave Menagerie before it's too late." She pleaded.
Blake stared at her in silence for a few moments. "You're going to have to make me." She countered.
Ilia remained silent for a few moments before responding. "I know." The chameleon Faunus said sadly, before she donned her mask once again and stepped backward off the balcony. Blake turned away and gained an angry expression, her cat ears folding. After a moment, the anger faded and she sighed taking on a saddened expression. Nicolas walked up and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him and smile, leading to the two passionately and lovingly embracing in a comforting hug.
RNJR, Draco, Qrow, Saphyra and I were gathered in Lionheart's office, with the headmaster sitting behind his desk. "I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you." Lionheart said.
"No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!" Qrow countered.
"Yeah, man. That ain't cool." Draco said.
"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" He explained, standing from his chair, fists clenched. "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," He said, to which Ruby looked away, upset and I clenched my fist, looking down in guilt. "Saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens..." He went on as Jaune grimaced. "And then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us." He said grimly, walking to a window and looking outside. "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 Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse." He finished ominously.
"That sounds bad." I said.
"Extremely" Saphyra agreed.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
Lionheart leaned on the windowsill. "We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders." He explained, turning and looking at Qrow. "I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies." He said, then sighed. "And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is." He finished.
"All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!" Qrow insisted.
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?" Ruby asked, moving closer to the two.
Lionheart looked at Qrow. "I thought you filled them in." He said.
"Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason." Qrow explained, removing his flask from his shirt and taking a drink.
"Yeah, from what Ruby told us, you really weren't good at it." Draco agreed, causing Qrow to raise an eyebrow at his niece.
"The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics." Lionheart explained, sitting back down in his chair.
"What?" Jaune asked.
"The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge." Qrow told us, taking another drink. "Spring is the problem." He added.
"Oh. Well, then as long as the Spring Maiden stays away from here, then there's no problem." I said.
"But what if we need to get into the vault and retrieve the relic. Or worse, if the Spring Maiden is captured or corrupted by the enemy, they can retrieve the artifact." Saphyra explained.
"What happened to her?" Ren asked.
"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, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now." Lionheart explained.
"I... know. At least... I have a pretty good idea." Qrow said.
Lionheart widened his eyes and stood up. "Are you serious?" He asked.
"It's not exactly good news." Qrow said.
Lionheart walked around to Qrow from behind his desk. "What are you talking about? This is incredible news!." He said excitedly, taking Qrow by the shoulders and shaking him. "After all these years! Where?!" He asked hopefully.
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." He explained.
"Raven." Lionheart grumbled.
Ruby let out a small gasp of surprise. "Yang's mom?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, snap!" Draco said, shocked.
"That's right." Qrow confirmed, pulling out his Scroll, walking over to and placing it on Lionheart's desk. The hologram monitor on the desk displayed a map of Remnant.
"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." Qrow explained as the map pulled up a zoomed-in section.
Lionheart walked over and patted Qrow on the back. "Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks." He said and walked over to the computer, while Qrow clenched his fists.
"A few weeks?" Qrow questioned as Lionheart pulled up a hologram keyboard and tapped a few keys, while Qrow's Scroll displayed the text "COPYING FILES", followed by "DISCONNECTED".
"That's right." Lionheart confirmed, walking back around behind the desk.
"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is. (placing his hands on the desk) We need to go, as soon as possible!" Qrow snapped, knocking books off the desk.
"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 Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon." Lionheart countered angrily.
"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers." Qrow shouted.
"Yeah!" Nora cried out in agreement, jumping up while Ruby fist-pumped.
"Nora, calm down, sweetie. You have to think of the baby now, too." I say, putting a hand on her stomach.
"You're having another child?! This is madness!" Lionheart said. "He's truly the best warrior you have?!" He asked in disbelief.
"Back to the Spring Maiden. Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren asked, standing up.
"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." Qrow explained.
"Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills." Lionheart explained.
"Maybe you can... With a couple of demons on your side." I said, activating my Devil Trigger as Saphyra sprouted her wings.
Lonheart was stunned at this. "The Blades! Your help would indeed improve the situation, but we still 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." He added.
Qrow stared for several beats before sighing. "You know Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here." He said.
"Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can." Lionheart said.
"There has to be something we can do." Ruby offered.
"What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?" Jaune asked.
"We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries." Lionheart explained. Jaune tightened his fists and glared at the floor in anger.
"Just like Cinder herself. It's almost fitting." I said.
"If this group is as vast as Qrow claims, it wouldn't be surprising for them to have someone skilled in creating forgeries." Saphyra said.
"Oh, my god, this kid's like a walking dictionary." Draco said.
There was another beat of silence before Qrow spoke. "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo." Qrow said.
"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help." Lionheart offered.
"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being." Qrow told him, before taking out his Scroll. "Local comms are still up. Keep in touch". He said, waggling the Scroll at Lionheart. "Come on, kids." He told us, turning away.
We all began to file out of the room. At the rear, Ruby turned around to face Lionheart again. "It was nice meeting you, Professor." She said.
Lionheart took a moment to respond. "Likewise." He said.
After Ruby departed, Lionheart hung his head, looking stressed. A holographic W projected up from his desk, followed by the sound of Arthur Watts' voice. "Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills." Watt's said.
Qrow and the rest of us walked back down the academy hallway. Nora was the first to stop and speak. "So, what do we do now?" She asked.
"Does anyone else think Lionheart was a bit off?" I asked.
"Even if the council needed Huntsmen and Huntresses, leaving this school unguarded does seem questionable." Saphyra agreed.
"Leo's not the bravest guy around, but Oz trusted him. And so do I." Qrow said, then sighed and turned around. "You all head back to the house. I need a drink." He said.
"Hey, wait! I'm coming, too!" Draco shouted, following him.
The two of them walked off, leaving the rest of us looking at each other with concern.
Qrow and Draco sat at a bar, with Qrow looking down at his glass, not drinking. "Come on, man! We're supposed to be drowning our sorrows. You need liquid to drown stuff." Draco said, taking a swig from his drink.
"It's not that easy, buddy. Lionheart was our best bet and he's no help at all. I'm lost now." Qrow told him as Oscar approached them from behind.
"Excuse me." Oscar announced.
The two of them turned to face him. "You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak." Qrow told him.
Oscar looked at Qrow for a second before turning his head to the side. "Shut up, I'm getting there." He said softly.
He looked back up at Qrow, whose attention he now most definitely had. Qrow's eyes widened slightly and then narrowed, suspicion dawning. "Yeah, okay, this kid's crazy. Just turn around and pretend he's not here." Draco told Qrow, turning back around to face the bar.
"Umm... I'm supposed to tell you... I'd like my cane back." Oscar said uncertainly.
Qrow blinked and closed his eyes for a brief moment before nodding with a slight smile. He stood up off of the bar stool and faced Oscar, causing Oscar to take a couple steps back. Qrow lifted the collapsed cane off of his hip.
"Hmm. It's good to see you again, Oz." Qrow said and tossed it at Oscar, who caught it reflexively. The cane immediately extended itself out from the collapsed base when it touched Oscar's hand. Oscar looked down at it, surprised. His other hand came around to hold the shaft before he looked up at Qrow and blinked.
"Wait, what the fuck!?" Draco demanded in disbelief.
Jaune, Ren, Nora, Saphyra and I were sitting on a pair of red couches in a living room when there was a knock on the door. We all tensed and looked at each other before Jaune and I cautiously went to open it... Or to be more accurate, I kicked the door open and aimed my arm-mounted miniguns, Doomspore, at the person on the other side. Oscar was on the other side, looking terrified, raising his hands in surrender. "Don't shoot! Please!" He pleaded.
Jaune smacked my hands down so my guns were no longer aimed at the boy, then looked back over his shoulder at the other two and Nora shrugged. "Can I... help you?" Jaune asked.
"Um... yeah. Is there a Ruby Rose and Sai Blade here?" Oscar asked.
Ren and Nora immediately stood up, tense and defensive. "Why?" Nora asked darkly.
I raised the guns again. "You've got 10 seconds. And if I don't like what I hear, you won't like the next and last noise you ever hear." I warned him.
"Well..." Oscar started, he looked to his left and Qrow appeared, moving drunkenly and grabbing Oscar by the shoulders.
"I found him!" Qrow shouted happily, snorting into his hand and continued laughing as he stumbled into the house.
"Sai! This kid's great! You gotta hear this, man!" Draco slurred, practically collapsing into me in his drunken state.
"Draco!" I snapped, struggling to hold him up.
"I think her uncle could use some help. And this guy, too." Oscar said awkwardly.
"Oh, dear... Uncle Draco, you must learn to control yourself." Saphyra said to Draco.
"You're a control!" Draco countered.
Qrow almost made it to the couch Jaune just vacated before he stumbled and saved his balance by falling backward onto the cushions. "Whoa. Ugh." Qrow groaned, settling onto his back and folding his arm over his eyes. "I found him." He panted.
"We're the greatest!" Draco said, before I simply dropped him on the floor.
"What is going on out there?!" Ruby demanded off-screen, before stomping into the living room. "Can't a girl read her comics in peace?" She demanded again. Qrow burped and chuckled, catching Ruby's attention. She sighed and put a hand to her forehead exasperatedly. "Qrow, did you get drunk again?" She asked.
"Maybe." Qrow said.
"Oh." Oscar said, finally stepping in as he looked at Ruby. "You have silver eyes." He said.
I looked at him suspiciously at this. "The only person to make a point of that was..." I started, thinking back to Ozpin.
Ruby looked at him, a touch surprised. She turned to Ren and Nora, who shrugged again, before looking back at Oscar. "Who... are you?" She asked.
Qrow chuckled from the couch. "Uh... Well. My name is Oscar Pine." He started.
"Wait for it..." Qrow interrupted.
"But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin." Oscar finished.
"What..?" I asked in shock, before my right eye began rapidly twitching, sparks shooting from my right ear and my head tilting to the left.
"Oh, my... I believe Papa's brain stopped working." Saphyra said.
RNJR all gasped and look confused. Jaune took a couple stepped back. Qrow continued chuckling.
"I did it!" Qrow cheered, punching his fists into the air, before he fell off the couch onto the floor, startling Nora.
"Ooh!" Nora exclaimed, hands going to her mouth, before everything went black.