Hey hey. Sorry about the delay. It was only week one of the new term and already I want to jump off a bridge. Hell I'd rather face Salem alone than go through what this term is already looking like. We are starting week two and yea…updating is going to be a bit harder than I thought. Good thing I have outlines already set up (and a real later chapter already like written), just a matter of finding time to actually fill in the blanks and writing up to that point.
Some comments I've been receiving is about the tense usage sometimes between past and present tense. I am sorry for that. Ruby's view-points of what is her past and her team's future that she is trying to prevent is sort of hard to get down on to this virtual paper thing. As I write her thoughts sometimes, I try and place myself in her shoes and how she would think the situation through.
I will try to be more aware of it and try and catch myself when I go down that road. Anyway I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. It is more like a filler, but a necessary one. Thank you for the continued support and here we go!
New Divide
If they could only know what I knew. What would it do?
I shoulda' seen the writin' on the wall; instead, I'm left to fall.
'Cause the longer I'm away, I'll always stay the same.
Lookin' back, when I thought I knew it all; instead, I'm left to fall.
Did I throw it all away?
I can't believe, that when I breathe; that there's something good inside of me.
Just one good thing inside of me, so close to me; that memory.
Of that one good thing inside of me; just one good thing inside of me.
-Hollywood Undead 'Believe'
Qrow sighs deeply as he enters the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which is devoid of any other people. Immediately he is put on edge and looks at his scroll. With the start of the tournament in full swing, he knew that perhaps the campus wouldn't be busy; at the same time though if Beacon still had classes going on normal schedule, he would have thought that Haven would be the same way. Looking around the courtyard once more, he places his scroll in his pocket and reaches for Harbinger, making sure that he has it at the ready just in case.
The uneasy feeling mounts as he wanders down the hallways of the abandoned academy, "Hello?" He calls out as he stops to listen. There is no response, and this time he pulls Harbinger forward, "Hello? Anyone here?" He calls out again.
No response. He continues forward and goes down the hallways. Looking into classrooms, he peers in and notices that they seemed untouched for a while now. The uneasy feeling mounts as he presses forward, "Just what the hell is going on here?" He asks out loud.
Qrow takes a moment when he comes to another diverging hallway. He pulls out his scroll and pulls up the map of the academy. Glancing around and letting out another sigh, he makes the left and hurries down the corridor towards a pair of wooden double doors. Coming to a stop, he shifts his weight and readies himself with his weapon, mentally preparing himself for trouble that lay behind them.
Taking a deep breath. Qrow brings up his foot and kicks the doors open. Just on the other side, a middle-aged man with a mane of tan/gray hair and a beard throws his hands into the air, and lets out a frightened scream. Qrow suddenly stops in mid-lunge causing him to lose his balance, and falls to the ground.
The man stands up from his desk and looks at Qrow. He is wearing a brown great coat with a matching mantle, which had cross emblems on each side. Underneath his coat is a white dress shirt, and with it was a western necktie. There is also a golden chain which when followed towards a pocket which held pocket watch. To complete the look, he also has dark brown slacks and dress shoes, "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!" He yells as he came around and helped Qrow to his feet.
Qrow stands up with a growl, "Me?! Why weren't you waiting at the entrance? Ozpin told you I was coming, did he not?"
Lionheart looks confused briefly before pulling out his pocket watch, "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
Qrow cocks an eyebrow and looks at him as he contracts his weapon, "You're joking." He deadpans.
Lionheart sits back down and motions Qrow to the chair opposite of him, "I am not. With everyone on break for the tournament, I figured it was as good as time as any to catch up on a few things."
"No one is here?" Qrow asked, despite seeing the empty and seemingly abandoned campus himself first hand, "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"
Lionheart brushes him off, "The Relic is fine. Has been now for ages. I am sure a week wouldn't hurt."
"That is completely reckless." Qrow growled out, "I would know, am the epitome of recklessness."
"So that is why Ozpin had you come here." Lionheart said leaning back and folding his arms across his chest, "He was going to have you spy on me to make sure that the Relic didn't go anywhere."
It was Qrow's turn to lean back now and cross his arms, "Look things are happening that I don't totally understand. My niece left Beacon to come on a mission to find you." Lionheart now looked interested at this, "Before she left, she gave Oz a warning to not trust you. Does he have a reason to listen to her?"
Lionheart leaned forward and growled out, "Of course not. I am insulted you or him would accuse me of being disloyal."
Qrow now matched his posture, "Then why are you leaving the Relic so unprotected. Fine you wanted to give your staff a break? Ok great; but you should have at least some Hunters and Huntresses here." Then in a softer tone, he asked, "What is happening that we do not know about?"
Lionheart narrowed his eyes, before releasing a breath and sighing, "Alright fine. There is something going on." He got up and went to the window and looked out into the abandoned courtyard, "I do not know for sure when it started; maybe around two months ago, but there was this feeling in the air. I can only describe it as dread. It was an awful feeling." Lionheart let out an involuntary shiver at this. Qrow just continued to listen, "It was strong for some reason. No one really knew the cause for this feeling. Either way you know what happens when there is a burst of negativity."
Qrow knew obviously, but Lionheart told him anyway, "There was this increase in Grimm activity that we started noticing. Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. Things escalated and we lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. So with the festival I took the opportunity to allow the remaining members of my staff and students to attend it in Vale. This, I hoped, to benefit Mistral as a whole, with the festival boosting morale and dispelling these negative feelings; and I can work with some representatives from Atlas to help protect us further."
Lionheart's dark brown eyes met Qrow's red ones and he said, "Besides I figured the Relic was safe enough in its vault since we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
Qrow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his cool, "All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here." He took a deep breath again and said, "I get it, Oz felt the same way a bit ago. That something changed suddenly and he doesn't know how or why. Besides you are not going to get any support from Atlas military because Ironwood had his troops pulled to Vale because of a break in at the CCT."
Lionheart had a look of surprise on his face at this, "Break in? Ozpin didn't tell me this."
"Yea I just found out about it. I called to check in and make sure he still wanted me to come here. He is not very happy that is for sure." Qrow reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask. He offered it to his host, but when the offer was declined he took a drink.
Lionheart sat down slowly and took the information in, "This is troubling indeed." Then he shook his head, "Still does not change the fact that the four Maidens, each having the power to perform feats of magic, are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics. They should still be safe. Fall is at Beacon last I heard, so the Hunters and Huntresses are needed there more so than here."
"That really doesn't bring me any solace." Qrow state darkly, "Your school protects the Relic of Spring, not Fall."
"Which again we do not know where Spring is."
He didn't want to share this with anyone. Hell, he didn't share this information with Ozpin, but seeing that Lionheart was so blasé about the predicament that he was in, Qrow felt compelled to share this bit of information, "I... know. At least... I have a pretty good idea."
Widening his eyes and standing up at this, Lionheart gasped out, "Are you serious?"
"Do not get so excited, it's not exactly good news."
Walking around to Qrow from behind his desk, Lionheart ran a hand through his mane almost in disbelief, "What are you talking about? This is incredible news!" He then took Qrow by the shoulders and shook him, "After all these years! Where?!"
Shoving him off, Qrow gave him a dark look that made Lionheart's smile fall drastically, sensing the dark change, "I did some digging around. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe." After his talk with Raven, and still hanging onto the conversation he overheard from Ruby, Qrow deviated from his mission and followed his instincts: that he needed to find the Spring Maiden before Raven or Ruby could get to her. Granted he was more worried about what Raven would do; not so much about what his niece wanted with her; that part of the puzzle he still had yet to figure out completely.
"Raven." Lionheart stated sadly once more shaking his head in disbelief and went to sit back down, "I think I'll have that drink now."
Qrow nodded and handed his flask over and watched as Lionheart took a swig, "That's right." He pulls out his scroll, and places it on Lionheart's desk. The hologram monitor on the desk displays a map of Remnant. He then zooms on a section, "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 returned the flask to Qrow, who took another swig of it before returning it to his pocket. Lionheart studies the map and says, "Well, if this is truly the case. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."
As he starts to download the coordinates onto his computer, Qrow clenches his fists, "A few weeks?"
"That's right." He responds while giving Qrow back his scroll.
Qrow accepts the scroll but still does not comprehend what he is hearing, "Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is." Still seeing that Lionheart is avoiding his gaze, he slams his hands on the desk, knocking the books off, "We need to go, as soon as possible!"
Lionheart, to his credit, looks furious and angrily retorts, "And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is nearly in shambles for reasons that are currently unknown. '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."
Seeing Qrow is about to argue, he holds up a hand, "I do not have the backing of Atlas right now with what you told me that happened in Vale. Unfortunately add to that, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when there is a potential threat of war just on the horizon." He then calms down and says, "Maybe if you talked to Ozpin, and have Ironwood pull some of his troops to aid us here, then we could possibly be having a different conversation right now."
"There is no time so screw the council and Atlas. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen. We can go to Raven ourselves; 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."
Lionheart shook his head, "Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be, there is no way we can take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills." He leans forward and sighs, "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."
Sensing something else, Lionheart looks at Qrow and says, "Ozpin doesn't know any of this does he?"
"No. I didn't tell him anything about the Spring Maiden. Just that Ruby was coming to see you." Qrow stated.
Lionheart nods and then leans back once more, "Look if I felt the Relic was in danger in anyway, I would have contacted Ozpin."
"I hope so." Qrow turns to leave, seeing that the conversation is done, "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."
"I'm sorry." Lionheart said.
Qrow sighs and shrugs, "Sure. I'll stick around in the city for the time being, just in case something happens." He pulls his scroll from his pocket and waves it before placing it back in his pocket, "Call me if there is anything."
"I will." Lionheart assures and Qrow nods and leaves.
Waiting a few moments, Lionheart hangs his head, looking stressed. He is once again startled as a small flash of light comes from his desk with a holographic 'W' projecting upwards, followed by another man's voice greeting him, "Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills." Lionheart swallows deeply, and a ball of dread mixed with the sour taste of guilt forms within him.
-Back in Vale-
The tournament had been in full swing for the past few days; and things were finally looking up. Sure things had gotten a bit harder after her infiltration into the Cross Continental Transmit System tower, but now Cinder Fall's plans are finally coming to fruition. No one even suspects a thing as she sits with Emerald in one of the Amity Colosseum's seats along with the rest of the cheering crowd, their screams being drowned out by the announcements.
Professor Port's voice comes over the broadcasting system, "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The one-on-one finals!"
Cinder nods approvingly as she stares at the battlefield's stage before looking at the screen with the names of the participants: Sun Wukong from Shade Academy, Cardin Winchester from Beacon Academy, Penny Polendina from Atlesian Military Academy, and finally Mercury Black from their fraudulent affiliation of Haven Academy.
"Yea Mercury!" Cinder looks at Emerald with a raised eyebrow and a deadpanned expression. The girl looks back, "What? Just showing my support."
Cinder rolls her eyes, "Focus Emerald. We do still have a job to do."
"I know, just trying to loosen up a bit." She grumbled, but none the less settled back down.
Cinder sighs as Port's voice comes back through the system, "Barty, why don't you explain the rules?"
This time Oobleck's voice is heard, "Ah, it's quite simple, Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place!"
"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!" Port responded enthusiastically.
Oobleck laughed and responded, "Ah, yes, yes! Now, let's see who our first match will be!"
The energetic doctor points out to the screens above the stadium. All heads watched with anticipation as the roulette started to spin. Cinder just sits back with a small smirk on her lips, as the roulette keeps spinning. Roughly all of Remnant is watching the supposed random selection for the first showdown. Finally it stops and two pictures are shown, "Sun Wukong and Mercury Black!" Port's excited voice announces.
There are multiple cheers as Sun and Mercury stepped forward and waved to the crowd. Mercury catching Cinder's eye gives her a wicked smirk and a miniature salute, "GO MERC!" Emerald cheers.
Cinder for her part claps softly and more dignified as she gives him a brief nod back. Still smiling, she gets up from her place and begins walking out, eyes still trained on the battlefield below as Port's voice is heard once more, "Would all other combatants please leave the stage!"
The rest of the lineup does so, and Sun starts walking up to Mercury in the middle as the floor around them opens once more, with a ring of spotlights rising up to automatically fix their lights on the remaining two, "Well this is going to be fun!" Sun says smiling brightly. He holds his hand out to Mercury, "You better not go easy on me."
Mercury laughing darkly, but takes Sun's hand and gives it a hard once over shake, "You wish."
The two face the crowds one last time, then slowly start advancing on each other, arms raised defensively until their hands can almost touch, as the final countdown commences, "Three!"
Cinder continues to make her way out of the area, her hips sashaying from side to side, a smile still gracing her lips. This was almost too easy, "Two!"
The roar of the crows cheers. A human versing a faunus; if everything goes right…this would be the perfect beginning to a glorious ending. She pauses briefly looking at the screen, showing Sun and Mercury, "One! Begin!" Port calls out.
Cinder watches as the fighting begins immediately. Sun whips out Ruyi and Jingu Bang, and raises the staff to attack. Mercury manages to spins his foot to meet it, creating a shockwave between the weapons that launches him back. Mercury closes the distance quickly and aims at Sun's feet with his boot, but he leaps over it and fires off a shot of his staff's shotgun form that Mercury rotates to avoid. Cinder just stands there for another moment or two watching their dance. She is especially paying attention to the monkey faunus, perfect target; she thinks to herself before leaving to enact the phase of the plan leaving entire stadium filled with spectators watching what would be the final end to the traditional peaceful tournament.
