Sorry for the wait, everyone. Life got rather busy the past few weeks and wore me out, so I wasn't able to sit down and type this as often as I'd liked.

Whelp, took a while, but recently I finally beat Death Stranding's story, ha ha. Only reason it took me this long is because I kept getting distracted by all the side stuff within it. Don't know about you guys, but I quite enjoyed it overall. Sure, had its downpoints, but its upside felt like it made it up to me. Probably because I'm the kind of guy who enjoys solving problems provided it's solvable and not on a time crunch. In any case though, I'm pretty pooped out by now with the game. Just plan to connect the first prepper, novelist's son and the other guy I missed into the network and then I'll probably call its quits on Death Stranding for a while and go back to playing God of War or DMC5. And then, when March hits… Doom Eternal, here I come!

Heh, well that aside, not much else to really say in this AN. I just hope recent scenes within my fic are living up to expectations is all I can say at this point.

Now, let's start!

P.S. Avesta of Black and White continues its craziness – and I pray dearly that it only continues to escalate! God above, I really would like to do an Avesta fic one day… or at least a fic that involves characters from it. Only time will tell!

Chapter 30

Qrow had known from the very start that things weren't going to go smoothly. For one thing, things never went smoothly in general concerning his former 'family.' For another thing, as he'd left Raven's quarters the previous day to go set up camp elsewhere, just about all of the punks that comprised the tribe now hadn't wasted any time trying to stare him down and talk a lot of shit, which told him a lot about the state of the tribe in general.

Then, this morning, thanks to his damned semblance, the little spot he'd chosen to sleep the night away in ended up having some branches from the nearby trees suddenly break off and bop him in the head and then his cape had ended up getting snagged on some big rock as he'd made his way back to the tribe's encampment, an action that had nearly caused him to jerk back had he not noticed what had happened in time.

Then, as expected, when he and Raven had tried discussing the matter from yesterday again, his sister had proven just as stubborn as before. But even worse than that, she'd managed to spend the whole night regaining her cool, meaning she'd no longer been so easy to rile up, not that he'd been trying to press her buttons – he knew that if he did push his fluctuating luck then Raven would only end up trying to boot him out of here by force and he didn't fancy his odds on avoiding that; though he was dead even with his sister in combat prowess, fighting off her and every other member of the tribe at the same time would be a different story.

But just before things could've possibly escalated to that extent, yet another spontaneous event had occurred to really ruin his day-.

-The sudden reappearance of one Tyrian Callows.

He and Raven and that little punk that was always at her side it seemed like had been interrupted by the sudden sound of blades being swung followed then by screaming and then the sounds of battle… only it hadn't sounded so much like an actual battle and more like a slaughter. And when he and his twin had swiftly exited her tent, it'd been to the sight of Tyrian going to town on every member of the tribe he could see, his random appearance having caught them all totally off guard and sending many scrambling around for their weapons.

So much for all that shit-talking, Qrow had mused sardonically.

He, Raven and that girl had then readied to fight the man off, the former confident the three of them could take the crazy serial killer, but that had been when things had gone truly bad.

The instant Raven had ended up calling out to Tyrian as she'd drawn her blade had been all that the bloodthirsty man had needed to suddenly raise his stinger high… and then stab himself.

The inexplicability of that action had caused them all to go still for just a few seconds too long and that had been all that was needed for something to happen and the next thing any of them had known, Tyrian had let loose a shrill cry of pure madness before damn near disappearing from sight in a burst of speed that they could barely even track.

What had followed next had been pure chaos in every sense of the word.

The scorpion Faunus, now under whatever effects his own venom had on him had lunged right for the girl by Raven's side only to then suddenly kick off her chest with enough force to send her flying back before heading back into the fray he'd created earlier, attacking all the other tribe members first. Then when he and Raven had tried to get into the thick of it, the lunatic had just as suddenly shrieked and thrown himself at them, the sheer momentum of his movements having been more than enough to end up forcing both of them back at the same exact time.

And that was how things ended up going for the past ten frantic minutes. If Tyrian had been nuts before, then he was well and truly out of his mind now, blitzing around the entire camp site, sporadically targeting everyone and everything with reckless abandon, even going as far as to waste time and energy just hacking up the tribe's numerous cots and supplies in between his assaults on the bandits themselves.

Qrow hadn't been sure when it quite happened during the chaos, but at some point, the madman's assault had all but kept him and Raven pinned in place despite their best efforts to even keep track of him… and that had been when, in a fit of pure rage, Raven had sheathed her blade for a moment only for her eyes to glow an all too familiar glow to Qrow.

God damn, Raven was the Spring Maiden, he'd realized in that instant. And that had been when he called up Oz for some serious back up.

Because, really, they were going to need it.

For even now, with Raven levitating in the air and commanding the elements as if they were a part of her very being, not even she was able to hit the fucking nutjob.

"Guh!" Said manic had suddenly made a beeline from his previous spot right towards Qrow, the gleam of his arm blades being all that the huntsman could fully make out in the process. He raised his sword up and blocked with the hilt as he firmly planted his feet. But even then, the attack was nearly enough to throw him off his feet; the sheer speed with which this guy was now moving at was just insane.

Making things just slightly worse, this time around, Tyrian hadn't just run off on him – no, this time he stuck around for just a little while longer, unleashing a barrage of attacks that Qrow could scarcely keep up with. For every one attack he successfully stopped in some form, at least several more would graze him and they definitely weren't love taps. He could practically feel his aura draining with every hit.

And all the while, Tyrian howled in mad delight and at such a volume that Qrow could feel his own eardrums ache.

That was when a fire ball suddenly came their way, courtesy of Raven. Qrow just barely managed to jump back in time before he or Tyrian could be struck by it but even then the sheer power of the fire ball was such that when it struck the ground, it exploded hard enough to send him flying. Tyrian went flying too, but it was clearly from how he was spinning about in midair that he'd been able to actually dodge the attack.

And just as Qrow dug his sword into the ground to slow his flight, he spotted Tyrian land on the side of a big tree and kick right off it with enough force to obliterate it. And he was heading straight for Raven.

"Shit!" Qrow hissed. Even in his still somewhat airborne state, he was able to switch his weapon to its gun form and fire several shots at the blur known as Tyrian as the man headed right for Raven. Every shot ended up missing by what felt like a mile.

However, it wasn't as if Raven was just going to let the man hit her. Drawing her blade out and visibly enhancing the currently equipped fire Dust blade her sword had with her Maiden power, she formed a blade of pure flames that extended several yards and spanning a few feet in width. Looks like Raven was going big.

His sister swung the enhanced blade with great speed and skill, the heat of it so intense that Qrow could feel it even from this distance. And by all rights, Tyrian should have no way of avoiding it.

Except…

"What?!" Qrow wasn't sure who exactly yelled out that word, but he was in full agreement as he saw Tyrian flip around and kick off the bottom of the fire blade, not even caring as his feet were now on fire as he headed for the ground… but not before having managed to wrap his tail around one of Raven's legs, pulling her down with him.

The two combatants went slamming into the ground hard, bits of earth flying everywhere. Qrow had to cut through several chunks of earth that came flying his way. He could spot Raven's right hand girl and other surviving bandits doing the same too as they tried to get close to help their leader.

Tyrian was the first to recover and he lunged for Raven's downed form, easily sidestepping the sword thrust she pulled off from her downed position. However, Raven had also slammed a free hand into the ground and once again showed off her status as the Spring Maiden by making a large chunk of the ground rise up at an angle and slam right into Tyrian's midsection and then extend, taking the madman on a ride.

The crazed killer went careening tens of meters, cackling as he went slamming through numerous trees and boulders that were just past the tribe's encampment. Then, now standing up, Raven raised her sword for an overhead swing, switching out the destroyed fire Dust blade for a lightning Dust blade enhanced by wind and ice being generated by herself. She swung down with all her strength and a shockwave of lightning, wind, and ice traveled at high speeds towards Tyrian's current location, effortlessly cutting through the manipulated earth. The shockwave went on for a solid mile before Qrow lost sight of it.

But he could still hear the madman's cackling and sure enough, there he was rushing towards them all from somewhere off to his left. Looks like the scorpion Faunus had broken free of his earthly entrapment and managed to travel at least several dozen meters before Raven's recent attack had even gotten close to his previous spot.

Qrow made to intercept just as Tyrian changed course and headed for the nearest bandits. Though he wouldn't deny that his former tribe were all scum, seeing them get cut down like this wasn't something he'd wish on anyone, except for Salem but she was a natural exception.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and he could only watch as Tyrian stabbed the unfortunate bandit right in his chest with his stinger before proceeding to maul him with a torrent of slashes from his weapons.

Grimacing, the huntsman switched Harbinger into its scythe form and swung low, hoping to take advantage of its greater reach to hit Tyrian.

For just a fraction of a second, it looked like it would land, only for Qrow's hopes to be dashed when Tyrian looked up, exposing his eyes for the first time – the whites of his eyes were now a dark purple, Qrow noted in the thick of all this – and promptly jumped over him, but not quite before Qrow could somewhat graze him, the flash of aura being all that he needed to confirm this.

Undeterred, Qrow spun and swung again, hoping to catch Tyrian in midair, but the man twisted to avoid being hit again, but this action was due less to him wanting to avoid the hit but rather to build up momentum to perform another attack. Sure enough, Tyrian lashed out with one of his legs, now trying to attack that Raven's lieutenant.

The girl was barely able to raise her weapons in time to block the axe-kick, but the sheer force behind it was still enough to knock her down into the ground. Tyrian landed all but literally on top of her and wildly went in for a stab with his stinger. The girl proved to have some damn good reflexes, moving her head to the right just enough to avoid being stabbed right through her left eye.

By now, all the other bandits that were still standing immediately opened fire, not even seeming to care that the girl was right there in the crossfire. She didn't seem to mind, from the looks of it, Qrow noted, but given that Tyrian was right on top of her, she wasn't exactly in a position to worry about much else.

Qrow charged forth as did Raven, diving right into the gunfire with nary a care and the two Branwens swung their weapons at the same time with masterful precision, with every intention of getting Tyrian off of the girl.

In this endeavor, they ended up succeeding as Tyrian jumped straight up, only to then open fire for the first time with his weapons. Qrow took over for a brief second, wordlessly cutting down the bullets as he switched Harbinger back into its sword form, providing his sister just enough time to generate a small blizzard with a swing of her Maiden empowered sword.

Said blizzard seemed to freeze Tyrian almost completely solid, but not enough to really matter for he broke free of his icy prison and somehow changed direction in midair, now going for Raven again.

But this time the woman was ready for him and backed off, making Tyrian miss his mark by just enough to then form a prison of earth, just enough to encase his limbs.

Thus did the battle finally seem to slow for just a moment. Qrow finally took this brief respite to notice that Raven's earlier earth based attack had been strong enough to break through the psycho's aura, large and bleeding bruises visible on his torso.

And the bruises… they were just so wrong. They were bad enough to be bleeding a fair bit, but the blood… it wasn't red but rather a dark purple, much like the man's eyes right now…

"Oh shit…" Qrow whispered as he came to a horrible realization.

As if wanting to confirm his thoughts, the bandit that had been stung by Tyrian just seconds ago let out a terrible gasp. Qrow spun partially to look and he was far from the only one.

"Shay…? Shay?!" one of the bandits called out, having rushed to the side of the downed bandit, who was miraculously still alive despite the plethora of deep gashes and lacerations suffered from Tyrian's assault.

Or rather, it'd be way more appropriate to say he was truly misfortunate.

The young bandit – Shay – started to convulse fiercely, every muscle in his body spasming as the veins in his face and limbs became all too prominent, turning a dark purple. Foam was coming out of his chattering mouth and the veins in his eyes bulged even as they rolled into the back of his head.

And then, after several seconds that felt like hours, there were several sickening bursts from within the poor bastard's body, blood seeping through several spots on the guy's clothes where certain organs would be… including where the heart was at.

Qrow was gaping in shock, so transfixed by how rapidly the man's state deteriorated that he was unable to do much of anything, not that anything could've been done in the first place given how fucking fast the venom was working.

And then…

Qrow had to avert his eyes as did Raven as one final burst occurred, that being the rest of Shay's veins. The other bandits hadn't quite been so fast in turning away and so they ended up getting a look of what became of the now dead bandit's body… and it was far from a pretty sight.

"Damn…" Qrow whispered as he forced himself to look back just slightly… and what little he could see was enough to make him leap back.

Shay's blood, now everywhere, was turning a dark purple.

Immediately, Qrow pulled off his cape and started to pat down his entire body, making sure he didn't have any blood on him, lest it was near any certain openings. He could spot Raven and the others quickly doing the same.

So caught up in this now, that none of them immediately noticed the sounds of earth shattering. Well, no, that wasn't quite true; they all heard, but the sight they just witnessed kept them from immediately registering what this new sound meant.

It wasn't until Tyrian had almost nearly broken free of his earthly prison that they caught on to what was happening.

"Waste this bastard!" Raven's lieutenant roared as she took aim with her weapons and opened fire. The other bandits did the same, yelling in pure rage as they did so.

"No, you fools!" Raven yelled. "Don't shoot so randomly-!"

She was too late in giving this order, however, and a lot of the stray shots ended up striking not just Tyrian but also the earth that was trapping most of his torso. It weakened the earth enough for Tyrian to break his upper body free and he immediately slammed his blades into the earth covering his lower half, freeing himself for good.

Qrow rushed forward and swung his blade with all his strength. Tyrian was able to dodge… but not quite with the same insane level of speed he'd been demonstrating just minutes ago. Qrow got another good look at the man's eyes too. They were still a dark purple… but not quite as much as they were before.

It looked the like venom Tyrian had injected himself with was now wearing off and with it, whatever effect it'd had on him was fading too.

But not quickly enough for Qrow's liking as the man had gone back to pouncing around the place, cackling once more but with just a tad bit more clarity now as whatever passed for sanity for this killer was returning.

"Enough!" Raven yelled, letting out a burst of pure magical power that forced everyone back, with Qrow and Tyrian being the only exceptions. In response to her outburst, storm clouds quickly formed above and with it came a lightning storm of a never before seen level as she clearly pushed her power as the Spring Maiden to the absolute limit, her eyes glowing so intensely now that Qrow could no longer even see her irises.

Dozens upon dozens of lightning bolts rained down from the sky and struck down everything within eyesight, with the only spots being spared from this onslaught being where Raven herself now levitated at along with Qrow's own position as well as that of the surviving bandits.

The rest of the camp, however, was fair game and Qrow could only watch as whatever had remained of the cots, supplies, and the corpses of the others that had already fallen to Tyrian's hands were damn near incinerated from the storm.

Though he could scarcely hear it over the perpetual roar of thunder, Qrow took note of Tyrian's ongoing laughter, still tinged with madness, and the huntsman kept a very sharp eye out for any sign of the depraved son of a bitch.

Any sane person would've called it quits and took off by now, but Tyrian was definitely not a sane person… but even so, would he really try dancing his damned way through all of this? Qrow's gut was saying that yes, yes that crazy bastard would try something like that, especially if he was still suffering from whatever effect the venom was having on him.

Alas, the constant downstream of lightning from above made it hard for him to make out much of anything that was more than several feet in front of him, but Qrow did his best because he sure as hell wasn't planning on dying like how Shay did. To die now, much less in a shit way like that, would break Tai again and Qrow couldn't even imagine how it'd impact his nieces.

So, he focused like he never has before and kept his senses sharp for any sign of Tyrian.

…There! Movement!

Qrow switched Harbinger into its gun form and opened fire through the lightning storm, firing shot after shot at Tyrian's barely perceptible form until he was out of ammo, at which point he wasted not even a single microsecond in reloading.

He did so in just the nick of time, for as soon as he'd finished reloading, the storm came to a stop just as quickly as it had formed. He didn't have to listen too carefully to hear how tired his sister was, the bandit leader panting hard as she landed somewhere behind him.

"Did I…?" she spoke after a few seconds in a hoarse voice.

Though she didn't finish, it was obvious what her question was. Qrow looked around thoroughly, his mind only barely registering the veritable wasteland Raven had made with her storm just now.

A silent two minutes went by in which he and the other surviving bandits looked around intensely before Qrow finally gave Raven an answer. "…Looks like he ran off," he said with a heavy grimace.

He could tell because the bodies of the now deceased bandits remained, albeit charred to hell and back. But even then, it was obvious that Tyrian wasn't among the deceased.

In response to his words, Raven clenched her hands into tight fists and looked around, clearly enraged by what she was seeing.

As she did so, Qrow quietly pulled out his scroll and called Oz back.

"Hey, Oz," he started, suddenly feeling tired. "Yeah, you can cancel that back-up – he ran off… and I think you've got someone here who'd like to talk with you."

His call to Oz hadn't gone unnoticed and Raven had all but literally tried to burn a hole through him through glaring alone. Given the shocking revelation she was the Spring Maiden, it wouldn't have surprised him if she could pull off a feat like that. And as his words had indicated, she looked like she wanted a mighty strong word with the Beacon headmaster.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth as she approached. "I'd very much like a word, dear brother."

Qrow tiredly surrendered his scroll to her and backed off for a minute, now glad to be able to catch his breath.

But even as he took this much needed respite, he could only look around as the surviving bandits futilely tried looking for any other survivors. Despite his obvious misgivings about them, his heart went out to them – this wasn't how anyone should ever die.

Just when in the hell was that though, he wondered? Just what kind of crazy semblance or whatever did Tyrian have?

Qrow could only imagine as to what exactly had been going on… but one thing he knew for sure was this:

The game has changed considerably… and they were all going to need to adapt fast if they want to survive it.

If there's at least one other thing he could say about this matter, it's this: Salem sure knew how to pick 'em.

Tyrian panted heavily as he slowly yet steadily came to his senses. It's been more than fifteen minutes now since his retreat from the battle against the tribe and only now was he lucid enough to assess the new developments.

His venom was without a doubt deadly, but not quite in the same sense as other venoms out there in the world. Normally, venoms work by breaking down cells or nervous systems or muscles due to whatever combination of toxins they're made of. In his case, however, his venom functions less like most other venoms in that his is essentially a naturally secreted concoction of performance enhancement drugs.

It overclocks the heart and other organs in the body, making them work that much more efficiently in order to keep people going, oxygenating the blood. In simple terms, it had a significant doping effect that improved the body's overall performance, especially speed as the venom functioned as a combination between growth hormone and crank in a way. This would seem like quite a boon provided it's handled delicately, however his venom possesses such a high concentration that even the slightest drop of it being injected or otherwise ingested in some way can overclock the target's body to the point where they will literally die in a span of ten minutes or so. The more he injects into someone, the more extreme the overclocking and the shorter the time frame is for them to die.

However, his semblance, a very mundane but ever so practical one that granted him an extremely high resistance to all known drugs, poisons and so forth made his own venom quite applicable when injected into himself.

Unfortunately, the trade off is that even then, not even he can fully endure his venom. But rather than have his own body break down from overexertion, the negative effect comes in the form of an all consuming high, turning him into a true berserker. While it is possible for him to direct himself provided he focuses hard enough on it prior to injection, once his senses are lost to him, making sure he stays consistently on task is impossible to do.

Thus his failure at his recent efforts. Had he enough sanity to guide himself properly, he very well could've taken down both Branwens thanks to a combination of his enhancements and tactics. Sadly, it just wasn't meant to be.

"Ah, my goddess, how I've failed you…" he mumbled as he came to a full stop beside some thick shrubbery. Another negative effect was now presenting itself in the form of some terrible fatigue and shakes, much like how a drug addict experiences a withdrawal. It disgusted Tyrian to even remotely compare himself in any way to such pathetic cretins, but it sadly didn't make it any less true. It was hard enough as it is to keep himself from vomiting where he now sat.

Trying to stay calm, Tyrian called upon his goddess to soothe his mind and assumed as close to a meditative stance as he could manage, trying to calm himself. It took a minute, but he eventually succeeded.

After doing so, he finally bothered tending to his wounds, hissing as he did so. To think Raven Branwen was now the Maiden and had used her powers to such a high degree… were he anyone else, he'd have died.

But he lived and so long as he was alive, he'd dedicate himself to his goddess with all he has. He may have failed his overall objective, but there'd been no particular deadline on it, meaning he still had a chance to remedy this.

Poking and cutting lightly into his wounds even more to empty out all the blood that had become so tainted by his venom, the scorpion Faunus considered things, recalling how he'd came upon the encampment and what had followed.

Finding said encampment had been easy once he knew Raven Branwen had been in the area – it was hard to miss the cleared out patches of forests where the tribe had clearly set up base at in the past. He'd launched a sudden attack on those miserable bandits and had quickly cut down enough of the rubble to send the rest of the rank and file into a panicked frenzy, having taken advantage of that to continue thinning out their numbers.

Thanks to having then injected himself and going on a rampage, he knew with certainty that the oh so infamous Branwen tribe had now lost roughly 80% of their members and many of their supplies. Even when now accounting for Raven Branwen being the Spring Maiden, she'd suffered heavy losses. That meant she now had less people around with which to support her in battle… and as his goddess has demonstrated many times in the past, many of her previous subordinates had been more than capable enough of challenging and subduing a Maiden, be it through direct combat or other methods. Tyrian, at the risk of sounding arrogant, counted himself among these former brethren of his who possessed what it takes to defeat those magic using worms.

Certainly, the pragmatic bandit leader would now consider joining Ozpin's side once more, but it honestly made no difference in Tyrian's eyes – sooner or later, the idea was to deal with that parasite anyways and Hazel on his lonesome was more than enough to combat that man's entire side. Of course, the time for a direct confrontation was still a ways off, but Tyrian knew it was only a matter of time until they got what they wanted.

Should Raven join Ozpin, it would only be delaying the inevitable. And if she proves herself to be foolish enough to continue doing things on her own? Well, Tyrian would definitely enjoy making her regret such a possibility very much.

Ah, but he was digressing somewhat.

In the end, the Maidens were but mere stepping stones for her grace, tools meant to be used to obtain the Relics that have been hidden away in the kingdoms. Though he nor anyone else on his side could accurately say where the Relics were, it was obvious there was one in each of the kingdoms… and that the Maidens were just a convenient key in order to obtain them. They knew not what sort of defenses were in place to guard said objects of power, but he was absolutely certain his goddess could overcome them herself if she truly desired it. After all, as a being capable of magic herself, she would undoubtedly be capable of the same feats the Maidens could perform and to even greater degrees.

Alas, such brute force tactics were hardly the most practical, not to such degrees in any case. Thus why the Maidens were even remotely needed – to pave the way to their victory that much more smoothly. And of course, capturing the Maidens deprives that pathetic wizard of valuable trump cards that would otherwise impede them.

Yes, he may have failed his primary objective, but he's still succeeded in crippling the enemy's forces as well as ascertain what had become of the previous Spring Maiden. While it would hardly make up for his loss, it still would be a boon to the goddess' plans, regardless of what happened next.

Smiling darkly as he finished patching up his wounds and channeling his remaining aura to speed up the healing process, he procured his scroll and contacted Watts.

The man answered on the first ring. "Tyrian," the man began in a calm tone. "You've news?"

Tyrian wasted no time diving into what had happened earlier. The disgraced Atlas scientist listened without ever once interrupting.

It wasn't until he finished talking that Watts finally said anything. "I see. While unfortunate, it was indeed to our advantage – we know now what became of the Maiden… as well as have a strong idea as to what she may do next. That alone is more than enough for us to use."

"What of you?" Tyrian now asked as his tail lightly swished around. "Have you reached Vale?"

"Why, Tyrian," Watts started. The Faunus could almost literally hear the smirk in the man's voice. "Just where do you think I am calling from?"

Tyrian smirked viciously. "Will you begin soon?"

"Oh, perhaps," Watts said. "To my slight surprise, it would appear Adam Taurus' sect had adopted a different approach from their usual shows of ineffectual bravado. It's honestly so amusing that it may just delay me somewhat in carrying out my goal, if only to see how they shall play their cards. But worry not, Tyrian… this may very well work nicely with what I've already had in mind."

Watts chuckled over the scroll and it was enough to make Tyrian shiver in anticipation. This was one of the reasons why he and Watts actually got along so well. Despite their very different approaches to things as well as their mindsets, they've a certain flair for sophistication and always see things through to the very end. If the former scientist says he can use whatever commotion the White Fang is now carrying out to his advantage, then he meant it.

"Ha, Ironwood and his forces will have no idea what is going to hit them," Watts continued, clearly thinking of the Atlas general's reaction to what was to come. "I'm going to relish it very much, to see just how he'll flail about trying to deal with all that's going on. And of course, the same goes for our ancient foe as well… I'm certain our queen will find some measure of delight in seeing him squirm about as well. In the meantime, Tyrian, why not try keeping an eye on our two little birds? Find out whether or not the bandits really will join back with Ozpin. If they do, be sure to inform me – I shall prepare a wonderful surprise for them as well."

Tyrian nodded to himself eagerly. "Yes, yes… I can do that."

"Then off you go," Watts responded. "Do whatever you must to remain hidden from them, but do not lose them; while this may still work out to our advantage, repeated failures at our main objectives will never suffice."

"Yes…" On that, Tyrian was very much in agreement with him. There was always something to be gained, even from loss… however, despite his optimistic view on things, losing was hardly a lot of fun.

As he ended the call, Tyrian leaned back against a tree and chose to rest for the time being, certain that Qrow Branwen along with the tribe would be too focused on dealing with the fallout of his attack to be leaving the whole area just yet.

Already, his tail was itching to be used again… and next time around, he would not lose, not to them.

He swore it.

Hazel sat with his arms folded across his chest as he watched Watts end the call with Tyrian. His sharp ears have allowed him to pick up some of the conversation on Tyrian's side and he commented on it.

"So, Branwen is now the Maiden, hmm?"

"Indeed," Watts commented. "It's obvious she slew the previous Maiden herself to obtain that power. I have to say, I'm rather impressed; relative few can be that cold-hearted… and frightened." He laughed a little.

Though he hardly found the murder of the previous Spring Maiden – if he recalled right, she'd been roughly around Gretchen's age – Hazel was in agreement with Watts on his assessment.

Though they'd had their suspicions that the Spring Maiden had run from Ozpin to join Raven Branwen's tribe, there'd been no concrete evidence back then to support this. Had the woman chosen to call off her raids for a time and go into hiding somewhere far enough away from most towns and villages in Mistral, finding her in the first place would've taken much longer.

But instead, she killed the girl, took the power of the Maiden and continued on with things as if nothing had changed. It was rather audacious in a way, for her continued raids only made her continue to stand out and eventually resulted in them roughly locating her. And now it was known to them that she was the new Maiden. Now there was no longer any reason for them to just ignore her. Raven Branwen will now be hunted by them for the rest of her life.

"Care for some wine?" Watts suddenly said as he pulled out a bottle and a fancy looking one at that. "I can personally attest to its exquisite taste."

Hazel merely shook his head in response, but through this simple action, he made his feelings known.

Currently, the two of them were within a safe house, one Watts had long since obtained albeit never really used. Unlike most safehouses Hazel has ever seen or used which were always so dreary and sparse, this one was large and furnished to a degree that it looked as if Watts had somehow imported an entire hotel suite and had it moved elsewhere. It was more than big enough for the two of them to use and was fully stocked in everything they could ever need.

Honestly, it was enough to make Hazel feel somewhat uncomfortable even though the large chair he was sitting in ought to be the very definition of comfortable.

Shrugging at his response, Watts popped the cork and gracefully filled a glass that he procured from nearby. After doing so, he proceeded to give the now filled glass a gentle shake, letting the wine sit for a moment to continue speaking.

"Well then," he began. "I suppose it's time we update Salem on how things have gone so far. While our arrival here in Vale is far from newsworthy, the update Tyrian gave us certainly is."

"Do you think she'll alter any plans?" Hazel asked of the man, knowing that Watts often served as Salem's advisor when it came to strategy, the result of the two of them being naturally inclined when it came to long term strategy. Of course, Salem was more than capable of formulating and having them masterfully execute complex plans, but Watts' own intelligence and cunning made him useful to her in laying out the groundwork for things to come.

The former scientist shook his head before finally taking a sip of his wine. "I do not believe so. This is hardly something that would warrant any significant changes to any of our own efforts. Your identity may be known to Ozpin, but so far it would not seem to be the case for others under his thumb. It's not as if anything they throw at you will succeed anyways. Tyrian's identity may now be known to Qrow Branwen and by extension the rest of his side, but until today none had ever seen the effects of his own venom on himself in action and lived. It will be some time before they can ascertain how best to deal with Tyrian and his venom once they come to blows again. And as for myself, everyone still believes me to have died in that ridiculous prototype test I'd done… and I suppose Cinder has been doing something right since so far it doesn't seem as if she's been made by any authorities."

"You sound somewhat doubtful."

"Hmm, well, given Salem's abilities and vast knowledge, it wouldn't surprise me if she could spot something that I've failed to take note of. In any case, whether or not plans are altered, I'm prepared either way."

Hazel nodded in agreement. No matter what comes next, he knew the role he would ultimately be playing in all this. Pawn though he may be to Salem, he was by far her most powerful pawn, the one who can and will cripple Ozpin's side when needed. It didn't matter how long it took for such a time to come, but he'd relish crushing that parasite all the same.

"Then let's get to it," Hazel stated.

Watts nodded and proceeded to drink the rest of his wine in one quick and quiet gulp before setting his glass aside. He then went on to fetch his bag, which he'd brought with them this whole time.

Unceremoniously, he opened the bag and out popped a Seer, which quickly swam through the air in a manner not unlike an especially aggressive jellyfish, which it took its general shape from.

After a moment, the Seer seemed to calm down and settled into position in the very center of the room. It went deathly still and as it did, a terrible darkness began to seep out of its body. It spread across the whole room, instantly putting out all the lights and dropping the temperature to such a degree that Hazel immediately saw his breath.

But more than that, a chill entered his body and seeped down to his very soul. This was far from any sort of chill that any cold environment could ever produce. It was the result of the existence of a being so unnatural that the world around them seemed to somehow shudder in terror as a response.

The darkness took shape before his very eyes, turning into the image of the woman he'd all but literally pledged his life to for the sake of his revenge.

He stood up only to take a knee, showing his fealty. Watts did the same.

"Your grace," both said at once.

"Watts, Hazel," Salem greeted in turn. "I take it you've something to tell me?"

"I do," Watts spoke as he slowly rose. "It concerns not me nor Hazel, but rather, Tyrian. He's provided me an update just moments ago."

With that brief statement, Watts then launched into a retelling of what Tyrian had told them. As he did so, Hazel slowly stood and remained in place, eyeing the woman he served curiously.

He's been in her 'employ' for quite some time now, some odd years in fact. During his tenure, he's been studying Salem slowly but with some degree of intensity. Having had his eyes opened to the former existence of the first humankind as well as the knowledge of magic, his warrior side, a side that he'd thought had died long ago, had stirred with intrigue. He'd wondered just how well magic would do against him.

Alas, he and Salem had never once come to blows for any reason. There was no denying the twisted power she naturally radiates, to say nothing of her immortality… but even then, there was some part of him that pondered over what his odds would be of winning if somehow he ever did end up combatting her.

One thing was certain, however – having lived for so long, she's had much time to master her power… as well as learn all too well the art of pain. It was because of this that his fellows – Watts, Tyrian, and Cinder – all revered and feared her so immensely. He was more ambivalent on the matter, a result of his deadening heart, but even so, not even he would dare want to be on the receiving end of her less than tender mercies.

He watched her expression closely, curious to see her reaction to the news. To his expectations, she didn't emote particularly much. There was a bit of genuine amusement in her dark eyes, as if the news of Raven Branwen being the Spring Maiden was somehow funny to her, but beyond that the ancient witch showed no real reaction.

"I see," she said in a rather casual tone once Watts was done speaking. "That is quite the interesting bits of news."

"As you can imagine, I've told Tyrian to follow them for the time being, just to be sure of whether or not they join with Ozpin." Watts quirked an eyebrow tentatively. "…Should I call him back to belay that request?"

"No. He may proceed as you've instructed… and you two shall continue with your original goals as well. As nice of a surprise as that is, it is hardly worth changing any of our plans for – we still hold the advantage so long as we remain active. Ozpin and his circle may continue to impede us as they wish for the time being, but they can only keep up their defensive for so long," Salem replied "Nonetheless, I won't just dismiss this as nothing… in fact, I'd like you to look into something else."

Hazel exchanged a quick glance with Watts, somewhat surprised. "Of course, what would it be?" the latter asked as he was the brains of the operation.

"It's been quite some time since dear Cinder has bothered reporting in," Salem responded. "While I've granted her and the rest of you a considerable deal of autonomy, given the specific nature of her mission, she should've contacted me by now with an update."

"Ah, so you wish for me to look into her matters? Consider it done, your grace."

Salem nodded in thanks. "Good. Given all the preparations she's made for the sake of her own plans, it's clear something truly unexpected had happened. I don't feel it was Ozpin nor his forces behind said unexpectedness… so I'd appreciate it if you remain on your guard. Do not become like Cinder."

She didn't have to say any more or even do anything at all for her unspoken threat to get across. Instead, the very air itself seemed to feel colder and heavier. It was more than enough for Watts to look perturbed and even make Hazel himself a bit on edge.

"Of course, your grace. I will look into this and report back as soon as I'm able to."

Salem said nothing in response but did nod again. Then, immediately after that, her dark form dispersed and the darkness that had comprised her form dissipated entirely.

The lights in the room flickered back on as if nothing had happened and the temperature returned to what it had been before. As for the Seer, it merely bobbed up and down in place, seemingly resting as if nothing was amiss.

But of course, the same couldn't be said of the two men.

"Hmm, it would seem little Cinder had been a naughty girl indeed… in all honesty, I'd expected as much ever since her call to me that time," Watts commented, trying to regain his composure.

"I take it something had happened?" Hazel finally spoke for the first time since even greeting Salem.

"Indeed. Her original plan of entering Beacon had to be altered. She spoke not of the change in circumstances, but she'd requested of me a device that could upload the virus from a distance. Additionally, from what I understood, infiltrating Beacon like she'd initially planned had become impossible to pull off, thus she and what excuses of pawns she's gotten control of are still in Vale itself."

At that, Hazel hummed. He rarely if ever had much interest in the going-ons of his colleagues, so this was all news to him.

Unlike Watts and Tyrian who genuinely loathed and antagonized Cinder, he didn't hold much of an opinion towards her at all. However, he can easily admit to her possessing just enough skill and cunning to accomplish the goal she'd been given by Salem. That it seems like the young woman has yet to make any headway was unexpected.

…Could it be? That boy… he and his friends had most likely been from Beacon. Was he perhaps involved?

It seemed like a hell of a longshot but given the insight he had on what kind of person the boy was like, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if he had somehow been responsible for these delays and changes to Cinder's plans.

…Did that also mean that he'd survived their battle? Had he already made a recovery?

"Hazel?" Watts called out to him.

The large man blinked slowly, roused from his thoughts. "What?"

"You wandered off in your own thoughts there for a moment… I merely wished to see how exactly you'd be proceeding from here on out."

Hazel thought on that. As things currently stood, it'd be a while before it would actually be necessary for him to make a move. That meant that until then, he'd have far more free time on his hands than he knew what to do with.

But if he was right…

"Once you begin to find out what's been causing Cinder such problems, be sure to inform me first," he spoke firmly, his eyes narrowing. "I already have an inkling of who might be responsible for this. And if I turn out to be right, I'll be the one to deal with him. The last thing we need is him of all people trying to interfere any further."

Watts looked at him intensely, no doubt trying to read ever deeper into his rather vague response. But after several seconds, the man seemed to drop the matter for now. "Now you've my interest piqued even further. But very well, keep your thoughts to yourself for the time being; I'm sure in due time, we'll be discussing this in greater detail anyway."

"Just focus on your new task first."

"Yes, yes, don't you worry about that. I shall begin in earnest tomorrow then. Now come – if only for a while, try to lighten up. I for one intend to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor and seeing you be so dour again is already putting a damper on my mood."

Hazel sighed. Watts was normally a rather tolerable person to be around, amicable even… but every now and then, he proved himself to be just as irritating as Tyrian and for the same reason too – they're both too obsessed with their pursuits of their vices.

…Oh well, it's not as if it'll kill him to lighten up a bit, he supposed. He could afford to wait just a day or so longer before needing to do what must be done.

"…What's the name of that wine you're drinking?"

At his somewhat reluctant response, Watts chuckled with just a bit of mirth and proceeded to grab the bottle again along with a second glass for him.

And so, the two men drank in peace for the next hour or so. It was almost enjoyable to the large man, reminiscent of far better times from very long ago, before he'd become so jaded and hateful towards the world.

He, of course, didn't dare hint at this towards Watts; last thing he needed to deal with was an even more annoying drunk right now.

Once again, a chapter mainly focused on our antagonists. And as you can see, things have been changed around a fair bit regarding some of these characters. Like Tyrian for instance. No idea what exactly his semblance is in canon – I highly doubt it's just simple venom – but I'd decided to take a bit of a different approach to it. I hope it was interesting for you guys and that future uses of it will prove to be entertaining in how he uses it.

So, yeah, things are getting real damn tense now in Vale. A lot of plans are really beginning to overlap now and with this, things are just going to get much more tense. And we all know damn well what happens when too much pressure is applied to something, heh!

Until next time, everyone. Take care!