Chapter 29

When the Smoke Clears

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

"Scroll Communications / Tv"

Location / Date / Time Change

Night had fallen over the world of man and Faunus as the fire Qrow started as blazing away. Four logs formed a perfect square around the fire as Ren and Nora sat across from Qrow and Aerith, who was healing the master scythe welder, and the sisters sat across from Jaune and Vergil. Qrow finished explaining before taking a swig of his flask before looking around to find the teens in silence. "What, no questions?"

"Of course we have questions..." Jaune said back. "This is just... a lot to take in at once..."

"Yeah, I know it is..." Qrow nodded, remembering when Ozpin told him.

"So these... Maidens... are powerful women who use magic, not Dust, to fight Grimm?" Yang asked, recapping what her uncle told them.

"Yeah..." He nodded to the blonde.

"And, there's four of them?" Nora asked, getting her own nod.

"And when one of them dies, the power moves on to someone, a female, that they care about?" Ren asked.

"Pay attention." Vergil interrupted. "It's whoever's in their last thought, unless it's a man or a girl older than..." He turned back to Qrow. "What was it, fifty, fifty-five?"

"Seventy." Qrow corrected, waving his flask around. "The best case is it's someone we trust. Their souls become... combined, in a way."

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha." Jaune said in anger, thinking back to Beacon. "The night the Tower fell. You were trying to turn her into a Maiden."

Qrow nodded as he fiddled around with his flask. "The last Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attack. She was young, inexperienced... and her attacker, who we now know was Cinder, somehow... stole some of her powers. She didn't get all of them, but we were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well."

"So you just forced it on Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, anger seeping from his mouth.

"We didn't FORCE anything." Qrow said back. "We told her everything, and we gave her a choice. And she made her choice. You heard her, not me."

Jaune spun around and walked off into the distance, after kicking the log. "I'm sitting on this." Vergil reminded the blonde.

"That guy, Tyrian..." Ruby spoke up. "Why was he after me?"

Qrow turned to the girl with a sigh. "Well, after that little show you put on at Beacon, I'm surprised theres not a giant bullseye flying above you. Don't you remember what I said about silver eyes? Add in the fact that you can actually use them, and you've managed to piss of some pretty powerful people. Very few people know about the silver eyes, and those that do aren't happy that someone with them has popped up."

"So, that's why you were following us..." Vergil spoke up. "To keep us safe." Qrow looked at him confused. "Crows don't usually fly outside their murder."

"Sharp eyes..." Qrow mumbled.

"Wait, so why not just travel with us?" Ruby asked. "Wouldn't that have just been easier?"

"He was using us as bait." Jaune coldly said.

"That's a lie!" Yang shouted back. "He would never do that!"

"You're both kinda right." Qrow said back. "You weren't bait, but at the same time you were. It's... complicated."

"What is this about?" Jaune asked, turning around. "Ruby's being hunted, the schools are being targeted, all for what!? What is the point of all this death and destruction? What is the point of this?"

Qrow let out a sigh as screwed the lid back on his flask, looking over at Jaune. "Sit down, kid. You're stressing me out." Jaune listened to him, but he wasn't happy about it. "Not a lot of people are into religion these days, present company excluded." He waved his flask to Aerith, who finished healing his wound. "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that we even turned a few men into gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real."

"They were brothers. The older one, the god of light, found joy in creating all manner of life. And the younger one, the god of darkness, created the forces of darkness. As brothers tend to do, they started arguing. Both were convinced their way of running things was the right way. The older one spent his days creating water, plants and wildlife."

"But at night, the younger brother would wake up and grow disgusted at what his brother had made, and turned it to ash. He brought about, drought, famine, fires, anything he could do to rid Remnant of any trace of life. But no matter how hard he tried, life would always eturn. So one night, the younger God made... something. Something that shared his hatred for life, his desire to destroy everything and anything."

"The Grimm." Ruby said.

"Right on the money." The Huntsman nodded. "That was the last straw for the older brother. Realizing that their little feud would only destroy themselves, he proposed they make one last creation, together. Something they could both be proud of. Their masterpiece, so to speak. The younger brother agreed. This final creation would be given the power to not only create, but also destroy. It would be given knowledge so it could learn about the world and itself. But most importantly, it would be given the power to choice. To have the will to decide what path to take. The path of light, or the path of darkness."

"And thus, man was born." Vergil finished the tale. "So... what does all this voodoo have to do with us?"

"That's the kicker." Qrow said. "See the four gifts to mankind, knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice; they aren't just a some metaphor. Each of them is physically real, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant. On they're own, they're incredibly powerful, but if someone were to collect all four, they could change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants."

"The Huntsman academies were created to train the next generation of humanities protecters. But beyond the surface, they also serve another purpose; to guard the relics. When Ozpin's predecessor found the schools, he built them around the schools. Easier to guard when you have an army of trained warriors around them. The hope was that this would keep mankind from using the relics against each other. And of course, out of her reach. So, there's that."

"Her..." Ruby focused on that one word. "You mean, Salem?"

"Yeah." Qrow nodded back. "We don't know much about her, but that really doesn't matter. All that matters is that she wants the relics, badly. And if she gets them, it's not going to end well."

"Okay, so what IF we believe all this?" Jaune asked. "There really is this crazy woman orchestrating these attacks and its not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why doesn't Atlas go after them, or Mistral?"

"And why aren't we getting to Haven faster?" Nora asked in a panic. "Shouldn't we be warning them? For all we know they could be next."

"It wasn't some kind of secret coup at have." Qrow said back. "He saw everything, and he'll be on guard. On top of that, mobilizing forces that size takes time. "Do you really believe they planned Beacon's fall in one night?"

He turned and pointed at Jaune. "And as for you, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the maidens. If everyone on Remnant knew about the relics and Salem, it be utter chaos. It'd be the Great War all over again, and this time, you'll be the one to fight it." Jaune turned away, still angry at the scythemaster.

"Look, everyone who was shown this stuff had the same questions. But this is the one thing Ozpin was stuck on. 'We can't cause a panic'. I've lost track of how many times I've heard that." He pulled his flask back out and unscrewed the lid. "Salem is smart. She works in the shadows, using others to get what she wants. That way, when the dust settles, she's not the target of hate, we are."

"I know that all too well." Yang softly mumbled, thinking about the festival and Natsu.

Qrow took a gulp and staired up at the night sky. "She wants to divide humanity, and so far, she's done a damn good job of it." He looked up at the moon before staring down at the lid of his flask.

"Alright..." Everyone turned to Ruby as he spoke up. "So what do we do?"

Qrow chuckled back. "That's the one thing I don't know. Ozpin put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is always on high alert, even before the attack on Beacon. As for Vacuo, well... it's Vacuo. Pretty hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to go against OTHER thieves and scoundrels. Add in that Cinder and her cronies claim to be from Haven, and I think we found their next target."

"So, we're on our way to the headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers." Clutching his gut, Qrow stood up and put his flask away. "Okay, story times over. Let's get some shut eye."

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, making him turn to the sisters. "This is a lot to take in. And it all sounds crazy, but me and Yang are willing to do whatever we can to help, because we both trust you. But why didn't you trust us? Why didn't you just travel with us instead of all this secrecy and-"

"This has nothing to do with trust." Qrow interrupted. "It-it's a long story, okay?"

"Wait, now you don't feel like playing storyteller?" Yang asked.

Qrow turned and stared at the fire. "Did you know crows are a sign of bad luck? Sounds stupid, I know, but it's how I got my name." He crouched down and tended the fire. "Some can heal wounds that an Aura can't, others can turn into walking armories, and others still can absorb hits before throwing the power back."

"But me, I was just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like others. It's not something I do. It's always there, wether I want it or not. I bring misfortune where ever I go." He chuckled before throwing the poker into the fire. "I'm nothing more than a walking bad luck charm. Comes in handy when I'm fighting the bad guys, but it makes it hard on friends and family."

He stood back up as Jaune glared at him. "Just a real bundle of help, aren't you?" He asked.

Qrow looked down in shame before limping away from the group. "Where are you going?" Ren asked.

"It's called a walk." Qrow said back.

"So there's nothing else you want to tell us?" Yang asked as a raven landed on a branch.

Qrow turned to it and glared before continuing his walk. "Not yet." A single log rolled out of the fire pit and on to the ground.

Menagerie

Belladonna House

Blake leaned against the railing outside her fathers office. "It's not locked..." She jumped a little as her mother walked over, holding a tea tray. "You can go in and say hi."

"I don't want to bother him." She said back, rubbing her arm nervously.

"No parent is ever to busy for their child." Kali said back.

"Not sure all my friends would agree with that." Blake joked.

Kali kissed her check before she handed her daughter the tray. "Here."

"What?" Blake asked as her mother walked away. "Where are you going?"

"You've never been one for talking, but that blonde you brought home loves to run his mouth." Kali said before continuing to leave. "I wanna hear more about this Team NVAR."

"So why can't you have Sage do this?" Blake asked. "Dad actually like him."

"I sent him out to get some food." Kali smirked.

"But all the stories are closed." Blake said.

"I know." Her mother said back. "And so does he." She resumed walking down the stairs, smile on her face.

"But-" Blake started.

"Kali? Is that you?" Ghira asked from his office.

The tray was shaking in her hands as she slowly opened her screen door. "Uh, hi dad..."

"Blake! Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Her father said, standing up from behind the desk.

"I, uh..." Blake mumbled.

"Please sit." Her father walked over to the coffee table and she followed him. "Don't worry, I've got it. Sit down." He told her as she set the tray down.

"I don't wanna keep you from-" Blake started to make an excuse to leave.

"Please, I've been stuck in here all day." Ghira said back, pouring tea into a cup before doing the same to the second one. "You still like sugar, right?" He asked, putting a cube in Blake's cup. This sparked a messy conversation about who got to drink from what cup that ended when Blake sipped from the sugary cup, only to find it hot.

"So, is it warm in Vale?" He asked, confusing Blake. "It's just... your outfit doesn't cover that much."

"Its fine." Blake said back, crossing her arms.

"I just think a little armor might help." Ghira defended himself.

"I can take care of myself." Blake said back.

Ghira let out a sigh as he stared at his drink. "I know you can, I'm sorry."

"Why?" Blake asked, confusing her father. "Why would you just say that?" He shifted to the couch she sat on and asked for an answer. "How can you still love me, after everything I did?"

"Blake, your mother and I will always love you." He told her.

"You were right!" Blake was almost crying. "I shouted at you and called you cowards, but you were right."

"It's okay." Ghira gripped her daughters shoulder.

"I should have left the Fang with you and mom. I should have listened to you and I'm sorry." Blake said. "I'm so, SO sorry."

"It's fine." Her father wiped the tears forming around her eyes. "Neither of us held anything against, and i knew you wouldn't fail. The only thing that I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path. And I'm proud to see that you haven't."

"But I did!" Blake shouted back. "I-"

"Pulled yourself out of it." Ghira finished for her. "Not many have the strength to pull themselves out, and even fewer can face the demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon. You faced the White Fang time after time."

"I wasn't alone." She mumbled.

"No, you weren't." He nodded back. "Which is why I wanted to ask, why did you leave Vale? Why leave your friends behind?"

"I-" Before Blake could answer, the office door fell off the hinge, and crashed to the floor, Sun behind it. "Sun!?"

"Whoa! Hey! This isn't the bathroom! I'll just be going." The monkey said as he back up, trying to leave in one piece. "Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment."

The father daughter pair glared at Sun until Ghira spoke up. "I really don't like you." Blake walked over and grabbed Sun by the tail, dragging him out of the room as Ghira put the door back up.

Blake growled as she threw a slap that hit Sun. "No concept of privacy!" She threw another one. "No respect for personal space!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Sun shouted as he held his face in pain as Blake marched away. "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important. I promise. I need to find you to talk to you!"

"About what, Sun!?" Blake asked. "What could be so important?"

"I was talking to your mom, and she said something weird about the White Fang." Sun started.

"Shut up, right there." Blake back, cutting him off. "I told you back on the ship. I'm not here to fight the Fang or anyone else. I'm here to rest, figure things out, and see my family."

Sun was undeterred and pressed on the issue. "You mom said that White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie. But I saw one in the market yesterday! I even got a picture!"

"Sun..." Blake growled as he pulled out his Scroll.

"I'm just trying to help!" Sun said back.

"I don't WANT your help!" Blake swatted the Scroll into the woods by the house. A small gasp from the woods cause the two to slowly turn to the palm trees, catching a glimpse of white and red. A gasp from Blake made the masked member jump off and into the woods.

"A ninja!? Seriously!?" Sun shouted.

"A spy." Blake mumbled before jumping off the railing after the spy.

Kali, having heard the commotion, ran up the stairs and around the corner. "What's going on?"

"I called it! The White Fang is evil, and I'm bringing your daughter back!" Sun summarized. "Call Sage and tell us to meet us in town!" Sun jumped off the railing after Blake.

The spy and Blake jumped off the trunks of diffrent trees before Sun jumped down off the top of one. "Gotcha!" Hoping to catch the girl in a stomp, he missed when the spy jumped out of the way.

"Don't let her get away!" Blake shouted as she jumped after the spy.

The spy landed on a roof and started running on the tiles, Blake close behind her. The spy slid under some pipes before turning around. Her skin turned to a tan shade as she held out am extending rapier. A moment later, she slashed the pipes and steam shot out of the hole she made.

Blinded by the vapor, Blake tried to find the spy in the mist. The espionage artist prepared to swing again when Sage jumped up on the roof and tried to hit the spy, forcing her back. Blake rolled through the mist and stared at the masked Faunus. "Why are you watching me?"

The other girl lowered the weapon before Sun jumped onto the roof behind her. "Ya know, me and Sage aren't above hitting a-" The blade shot towards him and startled him, making him fall to the ground. Blake charged the girl and kicked the girls Scroll out of her hand before trading swings and kicks.

Sun and Sage tackled the spy as the Scroll slid along the roof. "Get the Scroll!" Sun shouted. "Someone here thinks it's important!"

"Get OFF!" The spy headbutted Sun off her before trying to punch Sage, who caught the fist and pinned it to the roof. The mask began to crack and fall as she reached for her weapon, before one of Suns copies piled on top of Sage, then another and another.

Blake stopped for a moment and looked at Sun, struggling to keep his Semblance active. "Stop staring, and go!" He shouted to the cat Faunus. Blake grabbed the Scroll before it fell of as Sun dropped to his knees, exhausted. Sage picked the girl up and held her arms behind her back as her mask cracked.

"Ilia..." Blake said.

"You know her!?" Sun asked in shock.

"You sure don't look like a faun-" Sage started before Ilia stomped on his foot with her boot before slamming her head into his nose. His grip loosened by the pain, she broke free and rolled over to her weapon and grabbed it. Her skin turned red and hair turned yellow as she swung her weapon at him. The whip blade hit his shoulder and he screamed in pain before dropping to the ground.

"Sage!" Sun shouted before the whip was sent his way. He pulled out his staff and spun it, wrapping the blade around it like a corkscrew.

"Give. It. To. Me." Ilia said, glaring at Blake.

"No." The cat said back.

The whip loosened as her the chameleon Faunus' skin turned green and her hair blue. "You shouldn't have come back." The whip sword returned to her before she swung it at the roof. A screen of dust covered her escape as Blake and Sun covered their eyes.

"Sage!" Both ran over as blood started coming out of the shoulder. "No, no, no, no, please, not again..."

"This isn't your fault!" Sun told her, knowing what she was thinking. "Let's just get him some help..."

Anima

Campsite

The group of seven woke up to the sound of Qrow coughing. Ruby and Yang raced over to him as he coughed into his hand before looking at it, finding a purplish residue on it. Ruby gasped as she looked down to his wrappings, finding the same color seeping out. "Well, that's not good..."

"I thought you healed him?" Nora asked Aerith.

"I can only do wounds. You know, broken bones and gashes stuff, like that." Aerith raced over to the man who saved her. "Even if I knew that guy had venom, I couldn't cure it."

"So what do we do now?" Jaune asked.

"We're taking him with us." Vergil declared, pulling out the sleeping bag he didn't use.

"We can't just carry him in that." Ren said as Vergil started ripping and layering it, trying to make as flat and thick a surface as possible. "The rest us will look for some sticks. We'll make a gurney."

Ruby, Aerith and JNR ran into the woods looking for the biggest sticks they could find. Yang stayed by her uncle as Vergil ripped the padding out of the bag. "You'll be fine."

The venom must have done something to his brain, because what he said next shocked Yang. "Stop with the questions, Scales." Qrow mumbled. "We can't tell anyone about this."

"Natsu knows about this stuff?" Yang asked, soft enough that only Qrow could hear her.

"It's our job to protect the maidens." Qrow mumbled in a stupor. "Think of it like a family business. Your mom knows about this too."

Yang crouched down and forced him to look her. "Uncle Qrow, who is Natsu's mom?" He dropped his head and broke into a coughing fit just as the others came back with the longest sticks they could find.

"I'm finished." Vergil finished making the mat and tied it to the sticks before Jaune and Ren lifted Qrow onto the stretcher. "Lets go." The JNP men picked it up and started to walk forward.

"Yang..." Ruby looked at her sister as she stood up.

"I'm fine, sis." Yang rubbed the younger sisters hair before they raced to catch up the others.

Atlas

Surrounded by round pillars of stone and moss, Weiss thrusted her rapier at Ryuko, who blocked it between her blades and kicked her back. Pushing a button in her right left blade, the twin scythe blades popped out before she flung it into the air. As it fell she jumped up and kicked it Weiss, who summoned a wall of ice that trapped the disc of death.

"Forgot about that." Weiss said as Ryuko used the scythe to jump over the ice and lengthened the blade in her hand. A downward swing was blocked by the rapier before the two smirked at each other as Weiss pushed Ryuko back. "You have to show me how that mode works."

"Teach me how to summon, and you got a deal." Ryuko teased before landing. She did a backheel trip on Weiss before pointing her blade at her neck.

"Resetting training room floor." A computer program said before the room returned to normal as Weiss helped Ryuko pull the other blade out of the ice.

"So, wanna try that summoning again?" Ryuko asked as she jumped off of Weiss' shoulder.

"Yes." Weiss placed the tip of Mrytenaster on the ground and the glyph to summon appeared on the ground. The pommel and handle of a sword slowly rose out of the ground before the guard and blade came out.

"Hello, you two." Satsuki stood at the doorway. Her concentration broken, Weiss' glyph faded away as the two turned to Ryuko's sister.

"Beat it, sis." Ryuko said, not looking at her. "We're busy here."

"Ah, yes. Still chasing a childs dream." Satsuki teased. "When are you two going to grow up?"

"You are just like Whitley." Weiss said, standing up. "He's jealous of us, too. Why else would you talk down to us?"

"Me, jealous of you two?" Satsuki chuckled at the statement. "Not in the slightest. Why would I be jealous of people who wish to return to the ways of barbarians. It's beneath people like mother and I. What can a single Huntsman do that an army cannot? It's why we have one, even if it's an army run by an idiot."

"She told you to leave." Weiss told the older sister, gripping her handle.

"Very well, I have more important things to do." Satsuki turned and walked out the doorway. "Enjoy your, training. No matter how pointless it is." A glyph appeared on the door and closed it shut.

"How is she your sister?" Weiss asked as she returned to her summoning.

"Could ask the same about you and Whitley." Ryuko joked. The glyph on the ground began to glow brighter and brighter before Weiss shoved the rapier tip into the floor. The seal exploded and blinded Ryuko with a bright light before it died down. "Wow..." The seal was gone and in its place stood a giant Knight that bowed to Weiss. "Round ten, me against that thing."

Satsuki walked out of the elevator hall until she reached the doors to her mother's office. "Ragyo, returned my daughter to me at once!" Jacques shouted, probably on live chat.

"So you can lock her up like some old story book princess?" Ragyo asked back. "Not a chance. Tell me, what do you think the press will think once they hear this?" She pressed play and the conversation from the car played aloud for him.

"You little bit-" Jacques started before the video was cut off.

"I love watching him squirm." Ragyo chuckled before her Scroll buzzed. "Damn, forgot about the pitch." Satsuki hid behind the door as Ragyo opened it and walked down the hall. Satsuki looked in the room and found her mother's Scroll on the desk before walking in.

Picking up the Scroll, she opened it and studied the audio file. "This is for her own good." She pressed the delete button before opening the recent calls and redialed Jacques. "Mr. Schnee, I have a deal for you."

"Oh, do tell." The door opened and Ragyo leaned against the door frame, a second Scroll before she pressed play, the conversation from the car playing.

"But I thought-" Satsuki started before turning to the Scroll in her hand.

"A good designer makes copies of everything." Ragyo explained before walking over, a disappointed look in her face. "Why are doing this, Satsuki?"

The older daughter kept her stoic face as she turned around. "She can't do this. She's not meant for menial labor. It's below someone like us."

"The REAL reason." Ragyo clarified. "Im not asking as a CEO, I'm asking as your mom."

The eldest daughter clenched her eyes shut and spoke through grit teeth. "You coddle her to much." Satsuki explained. "When she wanted to be a Huntress, you supported her. When she failed that dream, you comforted her. And now, when she embarrasses the family, you tell her it's fine and give her a room to train for that failed dream."

"So that's what this is about?" Ragyo asked. "Petty jealousy?"

"I am not jealous of her!" Satsuki shouted, turning around. "Why would I be jealous of her? Because she could see the world while I was doing everything for this company!? I've done everything you wanted of me, yet you care more for her than your real daughter!" She swung her arms and knocked everything off the table

Ragyo wrapped her arms around the seething Satsuki and hugged her tight. "I would never care for one of you more than the other. I love you both equally, but let's be honest; Ryuko has no business sense. She could barely handle her allowance as a kid." She let go and turned her daughter around, finding tears in the eyes. "I thought you wanted this life, but if not, I'll help you find whatever path you want."

"No, I-I want this." Satsuki said. "I just,-"

"Next time you feel like this, just talk to me." Ragyo said, walking back to the door before opening it and holding a hand to her daughter. "That pitch was real. Do you want to come and help me win them over?"

Satsuki stared down at the floor for a few seconds before wiping the tears from her eyes and following her mother out the door.

Anima

Ren and Vergil lead the group as Yang and Jaune carried the truss tha held Qrow. Aerith and Nora guarded the rear as Ruby walked alongside the truss. "Hang on, uncle Qrow."

"Tai..." Qrow mumbled aloud, clearly affected by the poison. "She's not... coming... Tai..." He started another coughing fit.

"He's getting worse." Jaune said.

"How much farther?" Nora asked.

"Let's see..." Vergil mumbled, holding the map. "The next town is about... whoa, two days away."

"He won't make it that far." Aerith said.

Vergil numbed into Ren, who stopped walking. "Warn me when you're gonna stop walking. What is it?" Ren ignored his question and raced forward to a signpost and a fork in the road.

The post had three signs, one pointing backwards towards Higanbana. Two pointed to the left that read Kuchinashi and Mistral, and one pointed to the right. It's name was Kuroyuri, but there was a massive 'x' going through the letters.

"Mistral!" Nora shouted, running forward. "Were on the right path!"

"But Kuchinashi is still two days away." Vergil reminded, reaching the two. "Not to mention the path goes through the mountain." He looked over his shoulder at the older Huntsman. "If we take that path, he won't make it."

Ruby went wide eyed at the statement before rushing forward to the sign. "Okay, so, what about this place?" She pointed to the sign on the right. "Kuro-Kuroyuri? Can we get help there?"

"That village was destroyed years ago." Ren answered, clenching his fists tight as the other three walked forward.

"If it goes around the mountains, it'll be faster." Yang said, concern soaking her voice. "And if it's faster, he'll have a better chance."

"It will take to long." Ren said back.

"You rather risk one of us slipping on a rock and him falling off a cliff?" Vergil asked.

"A town would have had doctor." Aerith pointed out. "And that means there may be some medicine we can find."

"We're not going to find anything." Ren said back. "We just have press on!"

The normally calm Ren acting like this shocked everyone. "I-is it possible to divide and conquer?" Aerith suggested.

"Yeah, half of us could go through the mountains, and the other half could check this town out for medicine." Yang expanded on the idea, before noticing they were already split up by the sign. "So, you four will go through the mountains, then?"

"No, we stick together, and keep each other safe." Jaune protested.

"We don't have time for safe!" Yang shouted at the other blonde. "If they make it to Kuchinashi, they'll send us help. If not, then they get a better view of things. Maybe see how close Haven is." Qrow coughed again and the decision was made for them.

"Okay..." Jaune quickly hugged Ren before letting him go. "Just be careful..."

"It's us." Vergil reminded. "We can handle ourselves."

Yang and Jaune picked Qrow up again and Ruby lead them towards Kuroyuri as the other four raced up to the mountains. "Theyll be fine, Jaune." Ruby told the exleader.

"You don't know that." Jaune said back. Ruby dropped her head, knowing he was right. The three marched onto the town, unaware that they were walking through a giant hoofprint.

Bandits Camp

War Tent

"Lady Raven!" The masked mother turned and faced three others that quickly bowed to her. "We found this Scroll addressed to you." The middle man offered the Scroll to their leader and she took it.

The Scroll was unlocked and when Raven opened it, she stared at a snap shot of Ruby Rose. She scrolled down and found a small caption written. 'If you want to survive Salem, bring us the Silver Eyed Warrior.' Following that, there was a map showed a fork in it. One way led to Kuroyuri, the other to a cave.

Raven looked over to the map of Anima laying on the table. Tracing the path from their position to Kuroyuri with her finger, she smiled under her mask before throwing the tablet to the ground. "Gather everyone." Raven said as she marched towards the entracne to the tent. "We're going hunting."

The others followed her, unaware of the flash behind them. Neo picked up her Scroll before sticking her tongue out at Raven before vanishing with her Semblance.

It ain't just in RWBY that crows are bad luck. In Greek mythology, Apollo cursed a dove for delivering bad news about a girl he fancied and turned it into the first crow in the world, a sign of misfortune and bad news. The only reason I know this is (arrow pointed at me) NERD!

Originally, Satsuki was going to delete the only sound file and make a deal with Jacques. But NiA pointed out all the flaws in that, and suggested I do a heart to heart moment with mother and daughter. Hopefully you like it.

Do you really think Raven wouldn't do this? She said she'll do ANYTHING to keep her people safe. She already attacked an entire town, so kidnapping her daughters sister is not that big a deal. Speaking of parents, I wish mine were as forgiving as Blake's. I made one little mistake as a kid, and they've held it over my head ever since.

Next chapter will be the grande finale of this volume for this story, and trust me, you don't wanna miss it. BIG THINGS are gonna happen in it.

Beta read by Natsu is Awesome.