Everything was black, before a voice suddenly cut through the darkness. "The City of Mistral..." Qrow declared.
"Ugh! It's about time!" Nora said impatiently.
"Patience, Nora. We're almost their. The wait merely makes the reward sweeter." Ryu told her.
Qrow and the teenagers were walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns. "Whose idea was it to walk again?" She asked.
"Our wallets. All of us together didn't have enough Lien to fly to Mistral." Jaune reminded her.
"And with the CCT down, it's not like we could call Dante or Weiss to ask for money." Ryu added.
"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements..." Ren listed.
"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us." Jaune pointed out.
"Pfft, we were fine. Only one of us almost died." Ruby said dismissively, looking at Qrow with a smile.
"Hey." Qrow said, looking at Ruby, smiling back.
Nora put her hands on her hips and looked at Ren. "Hey." Ren said with a chuckle, looking at Nora, who giggled in response.
"We all had a few moments that nearly cost us greatly. But we have the opportunity to reflect on them and become better." Ryu said sagely.
"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune asked.
"Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route." Qrow explained.
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.
"Wow!" Ruby cried out excitedly. The others joined her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains. "This... is... awesome!" She declared.
"It's certainly impressive. My old world never had anything like this. Homes ON mountains, sure, but never IN them." Ryu said.
Below them, large crowds of people were going about their day - walking around, talking and buying merchandise legally and illegally. "It's certainly something." Qrow agreed.
"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!" Ruby pointed out as she noticed a kiosk selling weapons.
"Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not." Qrow explained.
"Still, it's never a bad idea to have a weapon handy in case of Grimm." Ryu said.
"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 warned.
"And we are going up!" Nora declared, pointing upward.
An Atlesian cargo airship flew over an enormous lake.
"So, how much farther?" Weiss asked.
"Hey, relax! We'll be there in another few hours. Don't you worry, princess. Old Enzo's nothing if not a reliable transport." Enzo told her.
"You forgot a huge cheapskate." Dante said.
"What? Planes like these are expensive! Gotta pay for the upkeep somehow!" Enzo told him. In the pilot's box of the ship, Weiss stood in the back, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. "No more stops from here to Mistral. So you better have done all your, uh, business, before we left. Keeping us off the radar's been a bitch. Lots of air traffic around northern Anima." Enzo said.
"Come on, Enzo, we have a classy young lady here." Dante reminded him in a gentle tone, gesturing to his sister, before glaring back at the fat pilot. "Who is also my sister, you jackass." He snapped, reaching for Rebellion.
"Hey, hey, can't you take a joke!?" Enzo asked nervously.
"It's fine, Dante," Weiss said. "Really. He's taking us to Winter, so I'll tolerate him. Besides, I'm sure this travel must be a burden with the embargo."
"You're WAY too nice, sis." Dante told her.
Enzo simply chuckled at this. "Hey, you foot the bill for this flight, kid! You two Schnee's okay in my book. It's just your father that's a jackass." He told them.
"I'll drink to that." Dante said, pulling out a beer from the ship's mini-fridge.
"No, you won't." Weiss said sternly, snatching the drink and putting it back.
The ship's radio suddenly picked up a transmission. "The fuck...?" Enzo demanded, looking at it. He reached over and adjusts a slider, evening out the wavelengths on the screen.
"Is everything okay?" Weiss asked.
"No fucking idea. We're still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn't be picking up broadcasts this far from Mistral. Someone must be close." Enzo explained.
"Mayday, mayday! We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!" A female Mistral pilot began speaking over the radio in a panic. Hearing this, the twins stood up straight and listened closely.
"Oh, what a day." Enzo said.
"The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline!" The Mistral pilot explained. Weiss' eyes widened and Dante grit his teeth as the sound of an explosion and the Mistral Pilot gasping could be heard. "Get them off us! If anyone can hear this- Ah!" She screamed.
Weiss' expression grew even more concerned as the Mistral Pilot cried out and the transmission abruptly ended. "Sucks for them. I'll pour one out when we get to Mistral." Enzo said as he turned off his radio and turned the ship.
Weiss walked over to him and grabbed onto a handle in the ceiling. "We're going to help them, right?" She asked.
"Are you fucking kidding me!? Even if this ship WAS capable of fighting, I'm staying as far away from any Grimm as I can!" Enzo said.
"But... they'll die." Weiss said.
"Hey, you heard their transmission cut out. They're probably dead already. And besides, if WE heard them, someone else must've, too." Enzo said.
Dante put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I don't like it, Weiss, but he's right. It's probably too late to help and we have a bigger issue to deal with." He told her. Weiss closed her eyes for a moment, then gazed out the windshield as the ship turned to the right and continued flying over the lake.
RRNJR and Qrow enter the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which was devoid of any other people. They 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." Ruby said.
"It's because of you, Ruby. You pushed us to continue and your efforts paid off." Ryu told her. Qrow stopped behind them and while they continued on their way, he took a moment to glance around and let out a sigh. Ryu noticed this and fell back a bit, allowing Qrow to catch up. "Something wrong?" He asked.
"Yeah. There's no students, no staff, nothing. If this place were attacked, no one's guarding the relic." Qrow explained.
"It's the summer, but even then, some students still would've stayed. This doesn't make sense." Ryu said.
"Hello?" Ruby called. Inside a hallway, RRNJR was following Qrow and Ruby called out once again, louder this time. "Hello?!" She called.
"Maybe try louder?" Nora suggested.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said.
"Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it." Jaune offered an explanation.
"Ryu and I thought that, too, but that's not it. Even if the students were gone, there should still be staff here. This isn't good." Qrow said, running ahead.
"Wait for us!" Ruby called as she and the rest of RRNJR picked up the pace to catch up and soon, all six were running to a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow came to a stop in front of them, drew his sword and extends the blade.
"Get ready. There could be trouble." He instructed.
RRNJR followed his lead in drawing their weapons, Ryu readying his dragon sword. 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 scream as well, while Ren gave the headmaster a confused stare and Ryu narrowed his eyes a bit. Qrow was also surprised, his eyes wide, but he got over it and put his foot back down. Despite this, Lionheart made a noise and briefly fainted. RRNJR let their weapons down and stared, dumbfounded, while Qrow looked down at his downed companion.
"This is the headmaster?" Ryu questioned. The man seemed to be nowhere near the level of Ozpin and Ironwood. Both of them held themselves with confidence. This man... Clearly didn't.
"Uh, Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.
Lionheart gasped and sat up. "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!" The lion Faunus snapped.
"Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?" Qrow countered.
"Huh?" Lionheart questioned, pulling a pocket watch from his coat and checking it. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me." He apologized.
"You're joking." Qrow said.
While Lionheart stood up and RRNJR put their weapons away, Nora asked the question. "Where is everybody?" She asked.
"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said.
"Yes, sir. Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced herself, giving a loose salute.
"Jaune Arc." Jaune gave his name next.
"Nora Valkyrie." Nora declared, posing with her arms held stiffly out to the sides.
"Lie Ren." Ren announced, putting his arms behind his back.
"Ryu Hayabusa." Ryu said, giving a polite bow.
Lionheart chuckled. "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 began.
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?" Ruby's drunk uncle demanded.
"Qrow, the children." Leo warned.
"Already know. I filled them in. And Ryu's a Revived, he knew even before the Vytal festival. What do you mean your staff is away?" Qrow questioned again.
"You... filled them in?" Lionheart asked as this information sank in. "And... A revived? Here?" He added, shocked, as if something had gone horribly wrong.
"Is that a problem, sir?" Ryu asked, suspicious of Lionheart's shock of learning his status.
"N-no, it's just always been a surprise whenever I meet one. Even this academy only had two. The ones you and Kratos Nikos faced in the Vytal tournament. Bullet and Alexander Anderson." Lionheart quickly made up his excuse. Ryu was still suspicious, but decided to let it slide.
"So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Nora asked.
Dante walked through the ship, searching for his twin. "Hey, Weiss! Where are you?" Dante asked, moving into the cargo hold, where Weiss sat on a crate of Dust, looking down. "Something wrong?" He asked her.
"We're supposed to be a Huntsman and Huntress. We're supposed to help people. But how can we do that if we ignore a cry for help?" She asked.
Dante sighed and sat beside her. "I know it's tough, but the sad truth is, we can't always be there. We can't save everyone. All we can do is just try to save the people we're there for. And try to do right by the ones we couldn't save by protecting the ones we can." He said.
"I suppose you're right." She said.
Dante smirked. "Come on. Let's get back up there before Enzo crashes this thing into the ocean. If he's half as bad a driver as he is a pilot, I won't feel so bad about the fact Bayonetta wrecked two of his cars." He said, heading back upstairs.
"She did what?!" Weiss asked in disbelief.
RRNJR and Qrow 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 explained.
"No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!" Qrow countered.
"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" Lionheart argued, 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 boy get his leg broken," He began, Ruby looking away, upset. "Saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens..." He went on, Jaune grimacing. "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 finished, 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." Lionheart said, a certain emotion heavy in his voice.
Something Ryu certainly picked up on. "There's quite a bit of guilt in your voice? Something you'd like to get off your chest?" He asked.
Lionheart jumped a bit at this. "I-it's merely the feeling of if I could've done more. If I had done anything different to prevent some of the lives that were lost." He explained. "But things have only gotten worse." He said.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
Lionheart leaning 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 with a sigh. "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 countered.
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?" Ruby questioned, moving closer to the two.
"I thought you filled them in." Lionheart said, looking at Qrow.
"Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason." Qrow said, removing his flask from his shirt and taking a drink.
"The maidens can open the vaults to the relics." Ryu explained, everyone looking to him. "Ozpin told us. All of Team SCRN knows." He said.
"Right. Well, to give you the full story, 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 elaborated, taking another drink. "Spring is the problem." He said.
"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 started.
"Are you serious?" Lionheart asked, widening his eyes and standing up.
"It's not exactly good news." Qrow warned.
"What are you talking about? This is incredible news!" Lionheart assured the drunk, walking around to Qrow from behind his desk and taking him by the shoulders, shaking him. "After all these years! Where?!" He asked. asked.
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 realized.
Ruby let out a small gasp of surprise. "Yang and Bayonetta's mom?" Jaune asked.
"And supposedly the most fearsome leader the tribe has ever seen. A tribe that's already one of the most feared on Remnant." Ryu added with a glare.
"Right on both accounts." Qrow said. He then pulled 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 pulls up a zoomed-in section.
"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." Lionheart praised, walking over and patting Qrow on the back.
Lionheart walked over to the computer, while Qrow clenched his fists. "A few weeks?" Qrow demanded.
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." The lion faunus 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." Qrow said, placing his hands on the desk. "We need to go, as soon as possible!" He 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 argued.
"Yeah!" Nora cried and jumped up while Ruby fist pumped
"You've also got a Revived on your side. Possibly two." Ryu said, catching everyone's attention, but they figured they'd ask later.
"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren offered, standing.
"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. And as for the Revived, who's to say Raven doesn't have an entire squad of her own? 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." Lionheart tells them.
Qrow stared 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 suggested.
"What about Cinder? She came with Emerald, Azula and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?" Jaune questioned.
"We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries." Leonardo explained.
Jaune tightened his fists and glared at the floor in anger. Ryu put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking. Don't go there." He informed his friend.
There was another beat of silence before Qrow spoke. "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo." He 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, taking out his Scroll and waggling it at Lionheart. "Local comms are still up. Keep in touch." He said, before turning away. "Come on, kids."
They 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 told him.
Lionheart took a moment to respond. "Likewise." He told her.
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." The disgraced scientist said.
Qrow and RNJR walked back down the academy hallway. Nora was the first to stop and speak. "So, what do we do now?" She asked.
Qrow sighed and turned around. "You five head back to the house. I need a drink." He told them.
He walked off, leaving the four teenagers looking at each other with concern. Ryu, however, began to leave as well. "Let's go, everyone. Someone's waiting for us at the house." He told them. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, but followed him.
The group would soon return to the inn they were staying in, only to discover the door was unlocked. The four teens were quick to ready their weapons. "Alright, guys. On three!" Jaune declared, but Ryu simply walked past them and opened the doors.
"Ryu, what are you do-" Ruby started, but the group was shocked to see who was waiting for them in their living room.
"Hello, again!" Pyrrha said happily, her eyes closed as she gave a friendly wave. "I made some tea and muffins in case you were hungry-" She started explaining, but was soon tackled by the two other girls in the group.
"PYRRHA!" They both cried.
"I'm so happy to see you!" Ruby cried out.
"I thought we'd never see you again!" Nora sobbed happily.
"I'm happy to see both of you, too." Pyrrha said, shedding a tear of happiness, but wiping it away and proceeding to do the same for the other two girls.
The boys then made their way over. "It's incredible to see you again, Pyrrha." Ren told her as he made his way to her.
"It's wonderful to see you again as well, Ren." Pyrrha said, hugging the boy. She then turned towards her boyfriend. "Jaune... I-" She started, before he hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I should've done more! I should've been there for you! For him! I should've gotten back to Beacon to help. If I could've done more, Kratos would still be..." He said, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.
Pyrrha pulled back with a smile. "Jaune..." She started.
"Kratos would be what?" A gruff voice said, everyone turning in shock to see the friend they believed they'd never see again standing before them. Indeed, it was Kratos, he epic goatee replaced by a manly beard, wearing impressive golden armor (the Valyrie set), black pants and tough-looking brown boots.
"It's wonderful to see you again, my friend." Ryu said, the two exchanging a handshake
"You, as well." Kratos told him, looking to the others. "It's wonderful to see all of you again. Especially you, Jaune." He said, walking up to the blonde boy.
Jaune looked down sadly. "I'm sorry. I should've been there to help. What happened to you was my fault. I wasn't strong enough." He apologized.
Kratos put his hands on Jaune's shoulder. "You did nothing wrong. It's because of you Pyrrha is still here. I made my choice and suffered the consequence. But as you can see, I survived. This journey is not over yet. We'll all see it through together." He explained.
Jaune nodded, then pulled out the blades of chaos and held them out to Kratos. "Here. I never got that good with them. Maybe they're not the weapons for me." He said.
Kratos simply held up his hand in refusal however. "No. It was my wish for you to have them and I meant it. They were a gift that will not be taken back." He explained.
"But, then what will you use?" Jaune asked.
"I have more than enough weapons." Kratos explained, holding up his left arm, a device on his gauntlet unfolding into a shield. Then, he pulled out an impressive axe with an impressive blade, a smaller one on the back side and a pommel with a menacing-looking blade on the end (Hræzla Farmaðr's Grip).
"Whoa..." Everyone said, before he gestured for them to move to the side. They did so and he threw the axe with great force that sank into the door frame. He then held out his right hand, a spot on his glove giving a purple light, that also was given off from the pommel, which suddenly flew back to Kratos' hand. And upon returning to his hand, the blade glowed a brilliant cyan blue, ice starting to form around it.
"Awesome!" Ruby cried out.
"I also have these." Kratos said, pulling out a pair of short swords similar to the blades of chaos, but with a slightly more menacing appearance, looking like the blades were coming out of the mouth of a beast that was the guard of the weapon. "I call them the Blades of Exile. And my Leviathan axe." He explained, leaving everyone minus Ryu and Pyrrha in awe.
Bumblebee was parked at a fuel station named "Just Rite". Inside, a bartender cleaned a glass. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" He questioned.
Yang took off her aviator sunglasses. "A water. It's hot out." She explained.
"Cherry soda for me, please." Bayonetta said.
"Ohhh. Sure." The bartender said and disappeared below the counter and laughter came from the drunk man a few seats down from the sisters.
"Are you telling me you two are too young to drink? You look like regular Huntresses. And a couple beauties at that." The shady man said.
"We're good. Thanks, pal." Yang said in annoyance.
"Hang on a second, sis..." Bayonetta said, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder and approaching the man. "I like a man that has fine tastes." She said. Yang started forward to stop her twister, but Bayonetta turned back and gave her a wink, letting her no she had plans for this punk.
The shady man laughed at this, not recognizing the danger. "Well, you got all the right tastes. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're..." He began.
"Just right. Very clever. The only problem is..." Bayonetta said, grabbing the creep's hand as he reached for her butt, twisting it and pinning it behind his back. "You're all wrong." She said, back-flipping onto the wall behind the bar, then launching herself towards the man, rolling forward in the air to crash into the punk feet first into the center of his back, sending him flying through the doors. As the doors closed behind him, the "Open" sign flipped around to "Closed".
The bartender straightened up and set the bottle of water and soda on the counter. "Those are on the house. He's been driving me crazy." The man said.
"Cheers." Bayonetta said, raising her bottle and taking a sip.
Yang reached for her own bottle with her left hand, but it trembled. Her metal hand grabbed and steadied it. She gave a long, shaky sigh before picking up the bottle and guzzling the water down.
"So, what brings you two around these parts?" The bartender asked.
Yang held up a finger, still guzzling until the water was gone. "Thanks. And we're, uh, looking for someone." She explained.
"Indeed. Our mummy dearest." Bayonetta said, although she quickly felt ill after saying that, sarcastic as it was and took a large swig of her soda to avoid puking.
The bartender chuckled at this. "Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' around here is... well, Ra—" He began.
"Raven Branwen." Yang cut him off, retrieving her glasses and heading out. "Thanks again." She said.
"Hope you get better clientele in the future." Bayonetta said, making a mental note for Dante to make an investment into this place for some improvements.
"N-now, Missies! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!" The bartender tried to warn them.
"So I hear." Yang said.
Outside, the Shady Man was on the ground holding his face, but he called out to the sisters as Yang straddled and engaged Bumblebee, Bayonetta getting on just behind her sister.
"Hey, girlies!" He called, quickly getting back to his feet.
"Seriously? This isn't over?" Yang groaned.
Bayonetta sighed, getting off the bike. "Clearly, I kicked him too high and on the wrong side. Hope you weren't planning on having children." She said, pulling out Love Is Blue and aiming at the bandit's crotch.
The shady man let out a squeak of fear and covered his junk. "I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh." He said, then gave them a toothless grin.
The newly reunited team JNPR, along with Ryu and Kratos, were sitting on a pair of red couches in a living room when there was a knock on the door. They tensed and looked at each other before Jaune cautiously went to open it. Oscar was on the other side, looking hesitant and uncomfortable. Jaune looked back over his shoulder at the others, who shrugged.
"Can I... help you?" Jaune asked.
"Um... yeah. Is there a Ruby Rose here?" Oscar asked.
The others immediately stood up, tense and defensive. "Why?" Nora demanded darkly.
"Well..." Oscar began and looked to his left where Qrow appeared, moving drunkenly and grabbing Oscar by the shoulders.
"I found him!" Qrow declared and snorted into his hand and continued laughing as he stumbled into the house.
"I think her uncle could use some help." Oscar explained.
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." He groaned and settled onto his back and folded his arm over his eyes. "I found him." He panted.
"This is the man who's been watching your back through your travels?" Kratos questioned.
"When he's only got a flask, he's tolerable." Ryu explained.
"Will you be alright, Qrow?" Pyrrha asked in concern, only getting a chuckle from the man. She actually struggled not to roll her eyes at this.
"Your endless politeness is a curse, sister." Kratos told her.
"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. 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 questioned.
"Maybe." Qrow answered.
"Oh." Oscar declared as he finally stepped in and looked at Ruby. "You have silver eyes." He stated.
Ruby looked at him, a touch surprised. She turned to the others, who shrugged again, before looking back at Oscar. "And is this an issue for you?" Ryu questioned, him and Kratos reaching for their weapons.
"N-no! Not at all!" Oscar quickly stated, holding his hands up.
"Who... are you?" Ruby questioned.
Qrow chuckled from the couch. "Uh... Well. My name is Oscar Pine." Oscar introduced himself.
"Wait for it..." Qrow interrupted.
"But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin." The boy stated.
JNPR and Ruby all gasped and looked confused. Even Ryu and Kratos seemed shocked. Ozpin never mentioned being able to reincarnate.
Jaune took a couple steps back. Qrow continued chuckling. "I did it!" The drunken uncle cheered for himself, punching his fists into the air... Before he fell off the couch onto the floor, startling Nora.
"Ooh!" The hammer wielder cried out in shock, hands going to her mouth. Ryu put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
A/N: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully you've liked the changes I've made and rest assured, the rest of the volume will most certainly take its own unique path from the original story.
Just a reminder, but I have a YouTube channel now: Sai Blade, where I have reviewed all of Volume 7 and am currently playing the newest God of War (most of Kratos' current appearance is based off my current loadout) and Devil May Cry 5. I've recently posted my first encounter with a valkyrie and plan to post the rematch as soon as I get 60 subscribers. So, if you'd like to see how that goes, PLEASE subscribe and share it around with your friends on social media, maybe follow me on my social media as well (links in most of my videos). I don't want to sound like I'm desperate or begging, but I AM desperate and begging.
But lastly, I'm thinking that Raven's tribe needs a Revived or two, so if you have any good ideas for bandits from video games or anime (preferably evil ones), leave your suggestions in the reviews. Thank you and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!
