Chapter 32
No Safe Haven
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
"Scroll Communications / Tv"
Location / Date / Time Change
Mistral
High in the skies, a Revoch airship flew overhead. "How much father?" Weiss asked the pilot.
"The home stretch is coming up." The pilot said. "The only stop left is Mistral City."
"It wouldn't have been this long if we didn't have to keep off Atlas' radar." Ryuko complained before turning to Weiss. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon enough."
"Its fine." She replied. "I... just hope we haven't been a burden."
The pilot chuckled at the comment. "Don't worry. This is my last flight before retirement. I figured theres no harm in doing a little good."
The radio started picking up static before the pilot played with it, clearing up the message. "Mayday! Mayday! We are a small passenger ship and our huntress is down! We don't have the equipment for this! The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline!" An explosion filled the air, making the two girls turn to each other.
"Get them off of us! If anyone can hear this-" A second explosion was cut off when the pilot shut off the radio.
He turned the ship back on course as the two girls walked forward. "We're GOING to help them, right?" Weiss asked
"Are you two crazy?" He asked back. "I'm avoiding them for a reason."
"But they're going to die." Ryuko said.
"This is a cargo ship, its not meant for combat." The pilot replied. "Besides, if we picked up their transmission someone else will too. I just wanna finish this job and go home. Look, I know you two are heiress' but this is my ship." The two could only hang their heads as the ship flew away.
The two walked back into the cargo hold and sat down. "Weiss..." Ryuko placed her hand on her friends back and pulled her in. "I know how you feel. But like he said, its his ship."
"I know." The Ice Queen replied. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Ryuko glanced out the window and Weiss followed, the two staring out the window to see floating rocks. They stared in amazement before walking into the cabin. "Where are we?" Weiss asked.
"Not a good place to be." The pilot said. "The floating islands over Lake Matsu. The gravity Dust that forms in these rocks give off some turbulance. Nothing I can't handle, but these things can hide some nasty Grimm. I'm just betting our friends in distress will keep them busy while we can slip through."
A soft whirling caught Ryuko's attention and she turned to see a smoking ship falling towards them. "Watch out!" The other two turned and the pilot made a hard right, avoiding the ship. The passing ship crashed into a floating rock and exploded, horrifying the two girls.
"I had to jinx us, didn't I?" The pilot complained. The three turned out the window to see a swarm of Lancer Grimm flying after a Mistral ship. A group pulled back and fired off their cable tails, latching onto the ship. The flew in opposite directions and started pulling, cracking the wooden hall. One dived and hit the ship, creating an explosion that killed everyone on the ship.
The bugs turned to the new ship and took off towards them. "It just had to be Lancers." The pilot complained throwing some switches. "Both of you, buckle up-" The screens and dials began to shut down as the engines shut down. "Ah, crap." The ship started falling and he steered it onto a clear island.
The landing was rough as the ship tore off some of the dirt before coming to a stop. "What the hell just happened!?" Ryuko asked.
"The gravity dust combined with the electric dust in our engines and created an micro emp." The pilot said, breaking open the control panel. "It shut down our engines and left us stranded. I'll try to hot-wire it and get this thing working agai-" A spike tendril landed next to his head, chipping his helmet. The swarm of Lancers had followed them and were surrounded them.
Before he could say anything, the two girl raced out the ship. Ryuko sliced the cargo bay door opened and the two walked out of the ship. Weiss summoned a Glyph as Ryuko shifted her weapons into gun mode and fired them through the glyph. The bullets were coated in ice and hit some of the bugs, freezing them solid.
A group of four out maneuvered the shards and flew at the two. Weiss stabbed her sword forward and punctured ones eye killing it before spinning and slicing another's head off. Ryuko kicked one back before jumping over the other. A cable tail wrapped around her leg and tightened, pulling off the rock.
Hanging upside down, she saw the first two flying at her. Quickly thinking, she threw a sword straight up killing the Grimm. The tendril faded and she fell down, letting the other two Grimm hit each other. Weiss quickly raced over to the ledge and grabbed her friend's leg.
Ryuko reached out and grabbed her blade as the other girl pulled her up. "What would happen if I didn't catch you!?" Weiss asked.
"I had a plan." Ryuko replied before stabbing a Lancer behind Weiss.
The engines began roaring again, roasting any Grimm that happened to be too close. "Let's go!" The pilot shouted, making the two girls race over. The ship took off and the girls jumped in just before it left the island.
Before they could celebrate, both girls heard a faint buzzing sound before they looked up. A massive Lancer flew behind them, startling the two girls. "It's a Lancer Queen!" Weiss shouted.
The large bug fired off its tail and hit the ship. The cable the pulled back and rip off a chunk of the roof, filling the cabin with rushing wind. "The shoreline! Gods, we're not going to make it!" The pilot shouted.
Both girls nodded before jumping out of the hole. Weiss triggered a pair of Glyphs and the two were anchored to the roof before they walked to the end of each wing. The large bug fired off spikes near its mouth that the girls deflected before firing off some projectiles of their own.
The rounds did nothing against the flesh as it fired off its tail again, this time hitting the wing under Ryuko. She reformed her Scissor Blades and tried to slice it off, only to find it too thick. Thinking quickly, she dug her blades into the metal next to it as the tail ripped off the metal. The ship began falling faster and crashed into the woods, tearing up the metal even more.
Her head ringing, Weiss crawled out of the wreck as footsteps caught her attention. Looking up, she saw a small group of armed men walk over. "...Help us..."
"What do you think, boss?" One asked. A woman with a uncanny facial resemblance to Yang walk forward and looked down at Weiss. A groan caught her attention and she saw Ryuko on the ground.
"I think..." A clicking roar caught their attention as the Lancer Queen flew down and began firing off various spikes. The woman drew her sword and sliced one in half. "Deal with that thing." The woman ordered and the group raced off to deal with the bug. "Now, let's get you two out of there." Weiss gave a week smile before she passed out from the pain.
Haven Academy
The five walked through the academy in amazement as Ruby let out a sigh. "We made it." The kids walked forward and entered the main building, only to find no one around. "Hello!? HELLO!?"
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said.
"Maybe school isn't in session right now?" Jaune suggested.
"No... this isn't right." Qrow mumbled before running down the hall. The students followed suit before reaching the headmasters office. "Get ready... it could be trouble." He said drawing his blade. The others followed his lead and readied their weapons as Qrow kicked the door open.
Leonardo Lionheart gasped in shock as he fell to the floor. Qrow's balance gave out and he did the same. "Professor... Lionheart?" Ruby asked.
The lion Faunus pushed himself up and stared at Qrow. "For crying out loud, Qrow! Are you trying to scare me half to death?"
"Me?" He asked, standing up. "What about you? You were supposed to be waiting for us at the entrance."
"Huh?" The headmaster pulled out his watch. "Oh... My apologies. I guess time just got away from me."
"You're joking, right?" Qrow asked as the professor stood up.
"Where is everyone?" Nora asked as the others put their weapons away.
"Ah, the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said before looking at them. "I'd thought there were be more of you."
Ruby hugged her arm before Qrow spoke up. "They wanted to get a little rest. So where is everyone? Who's guarding the relic!?"
Lionheart quickly glanced at him in shock. "Qrow, the children-"
"Already know, all seven of them. I filled them in." The huntsman interrupted. "Now why is no one here?"
"They... already know?" Lionheart mumbled. "Well, I guess there's no need for secrecy. Please come in." The five walked into the massive library that was the headmasters office. "Honestly, Qrow. This is reckless even for you." Lionheart said sitting behind his desk.
"No, reckless is leaving the school and the relic completely unguarded." Qrow said back. "Its not giving Ozpin a report in ages."
"There was nothing to report before the fall of Beacon." The headmaster replied. "But ever since then, Mistral has been in total chaos. Vale wasn't alone to suffer that night. Everyone in the kingdom was watching as that poor girl was torn to pieces, monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian knights attacking citizens... and then silence.
"You could feel the tension in the air. With all that fear, you could only imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, and that makes it all the harder to control. We've lost so many great huntsman, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."
"W-what do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"The Grimm are one thing, but the Mistral council is still at odds with representatives from Atlas." Lionheart explained. "First, it was the Dust embargo. And now it's the closing of borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have onky worsened some of his more... extreme policies. And on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
"All the more reason to keep the huntsman and here!" Qrow replied.
"Okay! Okay." Ruby spoke up. "Things are bad... They're very bad. But we can figure this out. Now, why is the Spring Maiden so important?"
Leonardo turned to Qrow. "You said you told them everything?"
"Almost everything." The drunkard replied, taking out his flask. "Look, there's a good reason I quit teaching, okay?"
Lionheart sighed as he sat down behind his desk. "The four Maidens can perform feats of incredible magic and power, and they are the only ones capable of getting to the relics."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"The relics are all locked inside a chamber thst can only be opened by a corresponding maiden." Qrow said. "Winter for the gift of creation, summer for destruction, fall for choice and spring for knowledge." He took a swig from his flask. "Spring is the problem."
"What happened to her?" Ren asked.
Both Leo and Qrow hung their heads in shame. "She was determined when she first inherited her powers, but the sheer weight of the responsibility proved too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, her family, everything. That was over a decade ago. We have no idea where she could be now."
"I know..." Qrow said reaching into his pocket. "Or at least, I have an idea."
"Are you serious!?" Lionheart asked.
"But, it's not exactly good news." The drunkard said.
"What are you talking about? This is incredible!" The headmaster said walking over to him. "After all these years? Where?"
Qrow pushed him aside and walked over to the desk. "I did a little digging. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits. Specifically the Branwen Tribe."
"Raven..." Leonardo mumbled, shocking the teens.
"Wait, Yang's mom?" Jaune asked.
"That's right." Qrow nodded before pulling out his scroll and placing it on the desk. A map of Mistral popped up and Lionheart walked over. "That's about where their main camp is. It's where they fall back after every raid and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of new members since she returned. And I'm sure that the Spring Maiden showing up only made things easier."
"Qrow, I have to hand it to you." Leo said. "With this map, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."
"Weeks?" Qrow repeated. Lionheart stepped to his desk and copied the files before walking around it. "Didn't you hear me? My sister has the Spring Maiden and I know where she is. And these kids told me that fought with a horde of Grimm. Salem knows where she is and what she has! We need to go and we need to go now!"
"And maybe you didn't hear me." The headmaster replied. "Mistral is in shambles. As soon as possible doesn't mean tomorrow, it means as soon as I can convince the entire Mistral council that I need huntsman more than they do. Sadly, hunting bandit tribes isn't near the top of their priorities when the threa of war is looming over head."
"Then forget the council, we'll do it ourselves." Qrow said. "You and I are trained huntsmen, and the kids aren't exactly pushovers. We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible, as fast as possible. But Raven won't just hand over her prized warrior without a fight. And the longer we wait, the more likely it is that Salem has already taken her!"
"For all we know, it might have already happened." Jaune spoke up, making everyone turn to him. "While we hiding from those Grimm, I saw something weird. The moss on the ground, it just suddenly died."
"That means that spring is dead!" Qrow shouted. "We don't even know where the power went! So we need to go now!"
"Well, unfortunately you and your sister are evenly matched." Lionheart replied. "And I'm not the fighter I once was. You, a handful of students and I aren't enough to take down a whole bandit camp, not to mention a Maiden who's had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive that we can take Spring with us or else Raven and her tribe will be lost. We only have one shot and we need to be sure we can hit it."
Qrow stared at the headmaster and signed. "You know Oz wouldn't be happy about any of this."
"I know you're right." Leo replied. "But he's no longer with us. And I can only do my best."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ruby asked.
"What about Cinder?" Jaune asked. "She and her team came from Haven. Don't you have anything?"
"We pulled their files immediately after the fall of Beacon." The headmaster replied. "Nothing but lies and forgeries."
Jaune clenched his fist his in anger before Qrow spoke up. "Well, this isn't the warmest reunion I've been a part of."
"I know, and I'm sorry." He replied. "I know you've traveled a long way, and I will do everything I can to help."
"Well, we better get back to the others." Qrow said, taking out his Scroll. "Comms are still up. Let us know if anything changes with the council. Lets go."
He lead the group out of the room with Ruby the last to leave. "It was nice to meet you, Professor." She said before closing the door.
Lionheart sighed as he stared at his desk before a little 'W' popped up. "Leo, Leo, Leo, we really need to work on your improvisational skills." Watts said.
Leo hung his head in shame before the door to his office opened. Watts walked in and Leo looked up to the weaselly smile of Watts before standing up. He pressed a button in the side of the wall and a door slid open before the two walked through the short hall. At the end of it was a single Seer, waiting for someone.
"After you." Watts pushed the mole forward towards the Grimm.
"S-Salem, are you... are you there?" He asked.
The central orb of the Grimm swirled red before a visage of Salem and Cinder appeared. "Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?"
"Y-yes. I wouldn't bother you otherwise." The headmaster replied as Watts walked forward.
"A truly fascinating creature." The scientist said, staring into the Grimm. "Cinder tell me, can you see us clearly?"
"I'm fine." The girl replied, annoyed at the tone given to her.
Salem raised her hand and quelled the growing argument. "Your report. What is it?"
"I've... I've found the Spring Maiden." Leo said, making Salem raise an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" She replied. "Tell me, how did you find her?"
"You could say a little birdie told us." Watts chuckled.
"Explain." Salem demanded.
"You see, Qrow Branwen arrived here earlier today." Leo explained. "He believes that his sister, Raven, has been keeping her within the Branwen tribe."
"The same Branwen tribe that Roman and Neo just defeated?" Salem asked. "The tribe where Neo killed a maiden and gained her power?"
Leo went wide eyed before bowing his head. "F-forgive me, ma'am. Had I known you knew I'd never would have bother you."
"Was... the girl... with them?" Cinder asked in anger.
"Yes, miss Rose was in attendance." Leo replied. "But you have to hurry! Qrow has already voiced his distaste for my-"
A tendril shot up and wrapped around his neck, making him gasp for air as it pulled him in. "Leonardo, you do remember the first time we met? Because I do, and I remember your fear. But ever since then, you've been especially brave. I will not forget what you've done for me, so long as you do not forget what I can do to you."
A spiked tendril pointed at his eye before the other let go of his neck, freeing his neck. "Cinder, you and your team will meet with Roman, bring Neo to Haven and escort her to the relic. Then contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the devastation of Haven and they will have it once we have what we need. Arthur, you will return at once. Tyrian's in need of a new tail."
"What happen to his old one?" Watts asked before coming to the same conclusion. "The silver eyed girl?" Cinder glared at the man at the mention of Ruby. "It will be done." Salem's face faded as Leo continued to cough. "Seems Qrow was right. The students aren't pushovers."
With Yang, Vergil, and Aerith
The blonde panted as she threw another punch against the dummy. 'Glynda's gonna kill me for this.' A high kick rocked the head as she flipped back and charged towards it. 'He was hoping no one would find this out.' A back fist spun the head around as her eyes turned red. 'Don't blame him for what he is.' With a roar she threw a punch and triggered her weapon, blasting the head to splinters.
Panting, she snapped her head around to see Aerith and Vergil walk into view. "You know these things aren't cheap, right?" Vergil asked, walking over to the dummy.
"Yang, are you sure you didn't want to go with Ruby and the others?" Aerith asked as Vergil replaced the head.
"They'll be fine without us." Yang said as she moved towards a sandbag and started throwing punches.
"Are you... okay?" Aerith asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The blonde replied, throwing a few punches. "So, who's up for a little sparring?"
"I don't think now is the time for this." The swordsman replied.
"What, scared to get beat?" Yang threw a punch that Vergil blocked before throwing a kick. Yang ducked and punched him in the gut, making him gasp in pain. She swung her legs and took out his before punching him in the head. Vergil landed with a thud and Yang quickly mounted him, unleashing a flurry of punches.
The swordsman held up his hands to block before rolling, throwing Yang off before flipping back. Vergil entered a kickboxing stance as Yang charged him. The blonde threw a flurry of punches with angry red eyes that forced him back into a wall. A body blow broke the block and Yang continued to punch him.
"Yang, calm down!" Aerith shouted before pulling the blonde off. "Vergil, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He panted out. A slamming door notified the pair that Yang had left the room.
Menagerie
Belladonna Household
Sage sat in the house that was slowly but surely being repaired waiting for some kind of response. The main door burst open as Sun and Ghira walked in. "Unbelievable!/ Total garbage!" The two turned to each other and spoke the same line. "We can't let them get away with this!"
"Well, it looks like you two can finally agree on something." Kali said. Sun nervously smiled as Ghira growled at him.
"I take it it didn't go well?" Sage asked.
"No, but it's fine." Blake said, walking into the house. "Everything will be okay." She quickly walked through the house and out onto a balcony for some fresh air and time to herself.
"You need to work on your security." Blake turned to see Ilia landing on the ledge. She reached for the door before the chameleon faunus spoke up. "Please, I just want to talk."
Blake took her hand away from the door and stared at her former friend. "How could you take the fall for them?" She asked as Ilia stood up. "Corsac and Fennec blamed it all on you. We confronted them and they denied knowing anything about what we found on your scroll. They talked about how dissapointed they were that you had sided with Adam.
"You and I both know their guilty, but that doesn't mean you can just get off scott free. You blackmailed an innocent man, you threatened a child! You killed someone!"
"It was a necessary evil." Ilia replied. "And you can't prove anything."
"That scroll might not have been enough to arrest them, but its enough to sway the Faunus here." Blake declared. "Once we go public tomorrow with it and the fact that you tried to kill my parents they won't stand for any of this. And they won't stand for you either."
Ilia reached up and pulled her mask off. "Your plan won't work, Blake. Just leave Menagerie before its too late."
Blake just stared back at her. "You're going to have to make me."
Hours Later
Haven
Yang sat on her bed as a knock caught her attention. "You calmed down yet?" Vergil asked as he and Aerith walked into the room.
"Yang, what was that all about?" Aerith asked, sitting next to the blonde. "You've never done that before. What's wrong?" Yang said nothing in response as the male walked over. "We're here for you. If you want to talk about anything." No response came as the brunette stood up. "Well, we're here if you need us."
The two started walking towards the door as Vergil reached for the handle. "Did you two know?" The blonde asked, making the two stop. "What Natsu really is?"
The two shared a look before Vergil shook his head. "What are you talking about?" Aerith asked. "Natsu is your-
"Don't play dumb with me." Yang replied. "I'm asking if you knew how Natsu was born, what he was made to do, that he EATS Dust?"
Both went wide-eyed in shock before they turned around. "How did you-"
"Qrow finally told me everything." Yang said standing up and walking over. "Now, I'll ask again: Did you know what Natsu really is?"
The two stayed silent trying to find the right words to use. "Yang, the new issue!" Ruby shouted as she burst open the door holding a package only to find the tense scene. "...Did I miss something?"
"Not really." Yang said, grabbing the package and opening it.
The two sister laughed as the other two left the room. A quick walk lead them to the main room where they found Jaune and the rest of his team sitting around the furniture. "Any word?" The swordsman asked.
"Nothing." Jaune replied. "I know we shouldn't expect anything in a day, but all we can do now but wait and hope that he can-" A knock cut them off as the five turned to the door. Jaune walked over and opened the door, only to find a dark skinned boy with brown hair and amber eyes in farming clothes. "Can I... help you?"
"Uh... yeah. Is there a... Ruby Rose or Yang Xiao Long here?" The child asked.
Vergil walked over and leaned into the kids face. "Who's asking?"
The intimidating presence made the boy stammer and mumble before Qrow entered the door way. "IIIII found him!" He drunkenly declared before stumbling into the room.
"I think their uncle needs some help...?" The boy said.
Qrow fell on to the couch and started laughing. "I found him, I found him, I found him!"
"What's with all the noise!?" Ruby shouted as she and Yang entered the room. "Some of us are trying to read comics here!" Both looked over at the drunken Qrow and let out a sigh. "Qrow, are you drunk again?"
"Not as think as you drunk I am." He replied.
"I'll go make some coffee." Yang said walking into the kitchen. "Make sure he doesn't try to show off his 'skills' again."
The blonde left the area as Ruby turned to the gasping boy. "You... have silver eyes."
Ruby turned to the others, who just shrugged their shoulders in confusion. "And... you are?"
"Sorry, my name is Oscar Pine..." The boy replied, making Qrow chuckle. "But I think you know me better as... Professor Ozpin?"
The glass pot shattered on the ground as Yang entered the room in the middle of the conversation. Everyone stared at the boy in shock before Qrow broke into laughter. "I DID IT!" He declared before rolling onto the floor.
I thank all of you who waited for this story to return. I never intended to make you wait this long, but TEOR took longer than expected. Easily one of my favorite reviews during this little break was a guest review criticizing Ryuko's weapon. In piece of fanfiction with animal-human hybrids, monsters birthed from black goop, and freaking magic, that's your breaking point?
Now, I'm sure some might be wondering why I'm repeating canon at the moment. You need to remember, half of the group was over a mile away fighting the Nuckelavee in a cave. And the other half were hiding in the middle of a war-zone with no way to look out onto it. There's no way any could know about the dead Maiden. Don't worry, I plan on making more changes than just this.
Beta read by Natsu is Awesome.