Disclaimer: Brotherhoof12 does not own RWBY or the Spider-Man franchise.


Chapter 62: Spring Cleaning

A fight between three opponents, one being a friend, was not something Spider-Man planned to do on a Saturday. Needless to say, the start of the fight began when a 100-foot Wasp tried to stomp him into a smear on the ground. Spider-Man avoided the crushing stomp, yet the giant's foot speed and weight caused a small shockwave that made the hero fly in the air and land several feet away from the crater. Landing on his back, Spider-Man didn't waste any attempt of trying to talk his way out of this problem, for the lady with the bone mask tried to impale him before he could get up.

As the dark blade descends upon Spider-Man's chest, the young spider lifts his legs and, using his fantastic flexibility, reflexes, and strength, stops the sword with his feet. He wasn't sure what look the mask chick had, but he was sure she was surprised at his unorthodox method. That gave him a small window to allow his counterattack by using his leg strength to fling the sword and the woman holding it to be tossed away like a piece of trash. Her rolling was put to a stop when she plunged her sword to stop her momentum. Looking at her enemy to asses her next attack, Spider-Man quickly closed the distance between them, causing her to avoid the strike and try to get some space by swinging her blade at him.

Using his trusty spider-sense to evade the blade, Spider-Man stuck close to her and did not give her enough room to try and use the sword. He tried to attack whenever he had the chance, but it seemed that whoever this chick was had some experience with close-quarters combat.

Dodging a swing strike that was about to decapitate his head, Spider-Man bent low enough to be close to the ground and was going to grab her legs to knock her off balance. As his gloved hands grazed her legs, a strong gust of wind came from nowhere, making him lose focus as he was tossed around in a small twister.

'Is her clothes infused with dust?' Thought Spider-Man as he was being twirled around in the air. Thankfully he did not feel nauseous thanks to his super equilibrium and used this moment to think of a plan. 'She must think that this will either cause me to be sick from the spin or lose my breath from this artificial cyclone. Well, then, I guess we can work with that.'

The twister that was spinning the hero started to die down, and the hero fell straight down to the dirt with no signs of moving. Not wanting to have a loose end, the woman with the bird mask decided to make the final blow by stabbing the hero's heart.

[TWIP!]

"Gaah!" Her focus was lost when Spider-Man sprung his trap by faking his defeat and obscuring her vision by shooting webbing at her eye slits. Just when she was about to cut the web off her mask, Spider-Man had the quicker reflexes and fired another web line at her leg and then pulled, making her lose balance and landing forward.

On reflex, the bandits' leader was going to use her sword to stop her fall, yet her blade could not reach the ground as the weapon seemed to be floating!

'Looks like my trap worked.' Just as Spider-Man blocked her field of vision, Spider-Man used his other web shooter to set a gravity dust web where he knew she would fall. 'Now, let's finish this!'

Pulling the web line that was still attached to her mask, Spider-Man pulled her to him and got ready to land a savage downward strike to her head. His fist could feel the hard exterior of the mask beginning to give way before showing signs of shattering. Soon pieces of the mask began to fall off, showing some of her face, when all of a sudden, the force behind the blow began to hinder Spider-Man.

'No way!' Not realizing his mistake, Spider-Man was so focused on hitting his enemy that he didn't account for a portal to form underneath the swordswoman, who sunk quickly into the portal. 'Did she use the force behind my punch to make her plunge into the portal faster? I wasn't expecting that semblance of hers to be this troublesome!'

Spider-sense was not flaring to let him know that danger would befall him. Spider-Man was already hightailing it back to Iron Man, who was dealing with the girl with the mind control semblance, and Wasp, attempting to grab the flying hero. He could see Iron Man was easily evading Wasp's futile attempt at capturing and fired a barrage of condensed energy at the witch.

The long-range attack was stopped as the witch used her mind-controlling powers to order Wasp to use her large frame as a shield. Not wanting to hurt his friend with friendly fire, Iron Man boosted the energy in his boots to accelerate his speed to maneuver around Wasp and catch the controller off guard.

Wasp performed a broad sweep to swap Iron Man away, but Iron Man easily dodged and charged headfirst at the witch. His speed was too fast for the girl to defend herself, and she stared in surprise when a dark portal formed between her and Iron Man. What came out of the portal was the swordswoman who Spider-Man punched, who no longer had her mask, showing an eerily familiar face. Too fast to fly away, Iron Man braced himself as the now unmasked bandit leader unsheathed her blade and fired an arc of blue ice that collided with Iron Man.

Ice covered his armor, and the speed at which he was going, plus the surprise attack, made Iron Man fly out of control. Wasp saw how Iron Man flew haphazardly as he tried to defrost his armor and used Iron Man's weakened moment to finally land a solid hit.

"Iron Man!" Spider-Man shot a web line to slow Iron Man's descent and caught the iron hero before he could hit the ground. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Replied Iron Man. Whatever ice hit Iron Man seemed to be unique, for the cold seemed to spread, making Spider-Man hiss underneath his mask at how painful it was. Activating the heat in his hands, Spider-Man melted away the ice and assisted Iron Man after his feet when all the ice came off his armor. "Thanks... wait, did you watch the entire time?"

"That semblance of hers is trouble," Spider-Man and Iron Man got ready as the three women began to charge at them. "Though, I think the real problem has Wasp on their side. We need to find a way to snap her back to normal or knock her out."

"Let's get this done then."

Running headfirst, Spider-Man used his web shooters to fire a wall of fire to obscure their vision. Running into the fire, Spider-Man emerged on the other side and could see the girl who was controlling Wasp flailing her arm that was on fire and the boss who tried to help her. "I could joke about how a witch and fire go together, but where are my manners? Let me help you."

The oddly familiar woman shoved the girl away and was going for her sword to attack. Yet Spider-Man's speed and reaction were fast enough to have him shoot a super-strength web adhesive sticking her hand to the blade. Struggling to pull the blade and her hand from the string webbing, Spider-Man slid down and aimed at her legs. Spider-Man's low slide swept her off her feet and made her fall on her back, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

Before she could get up, Spider-Man decided to encase her in ice webbing to stop her from breaking free and preventing her from teleporting.

"Payback is as cold as you are a b-" He couldn't finish his sentence because Spider-Man had to fire a small web glob at the young bandit who was about to use her semblance on him. "Yeah, I ain't falling for that."

"Grr!" Gritting her teeth in anger for failing to control the masked hero, the witch controlled her only puppet to squash this bug when her vision darkened. "GAH!"

"Oh no, you don't, little witchling." Webbing the bandit in a cacoon, Spider-Man grabbed the silken prison and placed her on his back.

"Mind control, you do not do. Prison for life, you will." Spider-Man said in a croaky and weird voice. He then heard the sound of something breaking and turned around to see that his ice was no longer holding down the swordswoman. "Iron Man! I got the mind controller on a wrap!"

"Cool, so how about helping me with Waspthra!" Flying close enough to avoid getting hit, the young Schnee flew high and punched Wasp's chin, making her take a step back. "Hey, Spider-Man! I go high; you go low!"

Adding another layer of ice to keep the bad boss down a little longer. Spider-Man, along with his new human-shaped backpack, ran to Wasp's legs and started to shoot web lines. Too preoccupied with Iron Man flying around her, Wasp didn't pay attention as Spider-Man laid the last touches on his webbing. Getting some distance, Spider-Man signaled his friend that he was ready and pulled the web lines tight.

Wasp started to lose balance when the lines tightened around her legs, and she tried her best to remain standing. Iron Man boosted his speed, brought both hands to his front, and collided with Wasp's head to force her to fall backward. Gravity took hold of her, and no amount of flailing her arms helped her as she fell on her back. The two waited and prepared to fight again, yet it seemed that the fall was enough to finally enough for Wasp to stop the fight. Signs of her gigantism started regressing back to her regular size, giving them a chance to check her vitals to see if she was okay.

"Wasp," Iron Man kneeled to angle her head to face his gently. "You ok? Please, say something."

"Hmm," Wasp's eyes fluttered open, and her vision became clearer. The young Pym could also think with a clearer mind now, no longer muddled like before. Taking into account what was around her, Wasp was greeted by the sight of Spider-Man and Iron Man. "You guys? What happened?"

"We just handled a problem involving mind control. Nothing much." Iron Man helped Wasp get back on her feet. "You remember who put you in a trance?"

"Yeah, I saw her face when she tried to enter," Wasp looked over her memories to piece together what had happened to her. "It just, once her semblance took hold of me, I felt like I was somewhere else, talking to someone else. Just glad it's over, but where is the one who mind-controlled me?"

"Right here," Spider-Man turned his back to show Wasp the human-shaped cacoon sticking to his back. Tapping the side of the web prison, the three saw it and started to move frantically. "Cool. She's still alive. Anyway, the reconnaissance was a bust, but maybe the person I have strapped to my back could be the Maiden?"

"Maybe. You mind helping me to make sure?" Asked Iron Man. Tossing the iron hero, his webbing dissolvent, the golden Avenger used it to make it easier to remove some webbing to show the girl was ok. "Her glare is a sign that she is doing just fine, but the webbing on her mouth won't have any damage, right, Spider-Man?"

"I made sure to cover her mouth, so her nose should be enough to breathe."

"Good enough for me." Iron Man's H.U.D. scanned the teen, and the readings she was producing gave an odd energy reading that was somewhat similar to the Fall Maiden. "Weird. She gives off something similar to what Cinder had when she had the Maiden power, but comparing Cinder's to the girl strapped to your back shows that she has something else."

The glare she was giving the heroes turned to surprise at how this man could deduce her hidden secret. Suddenly, her gaze looked to the ground in a vain attempt not to look at Iron Man's reflective face plate as he continued to figure her out.

"The readings are close, yet almost familiar. I can't get enough data, but I can't deny that she could be the Maiden or this 'Witch' that village they were extorting talked about. Hmmm! Heads up, a spike of power just pinged on my H.U.D.! And it's coming from over there!"

The three turned to where Iron Man was pointing and saw the ice trapping the bandit boss starting to shake. Wasp readied her stingers, and Iron Man's gauntlets began to hum in preparation for firing a repulsor blast. Suddenly, the ice stilled, and silence filled the tension as none dared to relax and drop their guard.

Iron Man's H.U.D. beeped as an energy spike surged close to their proximity.

"Get back!" It was the only thing Iron Man said before Spider-Man kicked him in the stomach to avoid being impaled by a katana.

Being the one with the fastest reflexes and having the power to know danger is about to happen, Spider-Man was already a step ahead of Iron Man's warning. So as he kicked his friend away from him, Spider-Man ripped off the webbing that still held the witch, tossed her into the air, and fired a barrage of webbing to restrict her movement.

The only thing is, the webbing didn't come close to her as the sword that emerged from the weblike cacoon swiped downward, causing a rift to emerge that swallowed up Spider-Man's ranged attack. Soon after, the portal engulfed the web net that held the young thief, which popped into existence a couple of yards away from the Avengers.

Out came the leader, who had a small trail of blood running down the side of her face helping her young ward remove the last strands of webbing from her person. Now free from her bonds, the girl used her hand to touch the webbing still stuck to her mouth, which soon burned, finally allowing her to breathe more air into her lungs.

"You still good to fight, Vernal?" Said the older woman.

"Y-yes," Replied the younger raider. "I, I think we need to escape. The one in the armor, I just now remembered who these people are!"

As the two were talking amongst themselves, Spider-Man's eyes widened behind his mask as he got a better look at the bandit leader. He thought he just saw things, but now seeing her from a better angle, there was no doubt about it.

"Iron Man, do you see what I'm seeing?"

"Yeah," Whitley met Yang for brief moments during the Vytal festival, but the young genius came to the same conclusion as his friend. "Facial structure matches well with Yang; there's no doubt about it. This woman could be Yang's mom."

"I'm sorry," Wasp looked between her teammates and had to raise her hands to stop their conversation. "I don't understand what ya'll are talking about or who this 'Yang' person is. So can you guys tell me what's happening?"

"Long story short, that woman with the long black hair is a relative of someone we know. And by a relative, I mean she is a mom of a friend we know."

"Then I hope your friend isn't too close to her because it looks like she isn't going to see her for the next 10 to 20 years."

"Can we arrest someone? We are technically working under a secret government that will deny any involvement with us."

"Guys! Not the time! Look what's happening!" Spider-Man's sixth sense was raging as danger could be felt all around him. It jumped from a slight buzz to a full-blown hot iron rod being jabbed into this spine! The once bright blue skies turned dark and stormy, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the teenage girl was the center of such a storm. "Ok, I'm 100% pretty sure that girl I wrapped up is the Maiden. And a strong one too! Her control over her powers is incredible. She just did a freakin 'thunder wave'!"

'Cinder had the firepower but was unable to master it in a short time fully. This one had years under her belt, and she could control the weather itself!'

His body was shaking at being close to such danger, which urged him to get away, yet thankfully Spider-Man pushed such feelings down.

'Can't wimp out now! We need to end this before we get overwhelmed!' Steeling himself for what's to come. Spider-Man turned to look at Iron Man and Wasp. "Maybe we can try and talk to them?! Try and explain the whole situation?"

"You can't be serious right now!" Shouted Iron Man. "There, bandits! Not to mention the little gremlin did a sith trick to control Wasp!"

"I hate to break to you, Spider-Man, but diplomacy is off the table. If they beat us, they could kill us or try to use us as leverage to try and get the rest of our team. We'll have to knock them out, restrain them, and then try and talk this out with us holding all the advantages."

Spider-Man didn't have time to talk as a bolt of lighting tried to strike the three Avengers. Spider-sense and his superhuman reflexes kicked in as the spider hero shot two web lines at Wasp and Iron Man and pulled them away from the lighting that scorched the spot where they stood.

"Yeah, ok, point taken!" Said Spider-Man. "Let's take'em down!"

Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wasp took three different directions, making them spread wide enough so that it would be hard enough for the Maiden to pick which one to hit. Iron Man and Wasp chose to stay on the ground, not in the air, to change their predictability, and Spider-Man used his web-shooters and fired fire and ice webbing to create a thick fog to obscure their forms.

Wasp shrunk small enough to the point where she could enter a small ant hole in the ground, and Iron Man used a small burst from his boots to make zig-zag motions while also creating a blanket fire to cover his teammates charging forward.

The leader of the bandits unsheathed her sword and made a wide strike with her katana that unleashed a wave of ice that absorbed the energy bolts. At the same time, the young witch used her hands to control the lighting to hit the fog in hopes of getting lucky to hit someone.

Iron Man was able to dodge and fire, but Spider-Man kept charging forward despite having lighting rain down on him. As get got closer, it made his position easier to be spotted, so putting all the attention on Spider-Man, the Maiden commanded all the lighting she could summon to strike the masked vigilante before reaching them.

Flashes of light reflected off of Spider-Man's compound eyes as he evaded each attack with inhuman reaction and speed. No matter how many attacks were thrown at him, attacks that were the speed of light, Spider-Man dodged them all and reached into the two's space.

"Raven!" The young girl called out her boss's name in alarm. Too afraid to attack when Spider-Man was too close for them to try and use lightning when they also could get hit.

"Get back!" Raven lifted her katana and swung down to cut Spider-Man in two. Her blade was right close to her target's face, and before she could feel her blade dig into flesh, a sudden pain could be felt from her hand.

'I've dealt with bladed jerks a dozen times.' Spider-Man kicked out his right leg at Raven's hand that was holding the sword, causing her arm to be angled awkwardly over her head, leaving her open for Spider-Man to unleash another leg kick to her chin. 'If I just stay close to her, then she won't have many options to attack!'

Raven's feet left the ground, and her entire body flew in the air from Spider-Man's mighty kick. A flash of her aura showed that it took the brunt of the hit, granting Raven to recover quickly enough to notice Spider-Man was going for another attack. Going for a right hook, Spider-Man aimed at Raven's face to knock her out but was stopped as Raven used her semblance to create a portal small enough to transport Spider-Man's fist, forming it behind his head, causing the young spider to attack himself.

"Ow!" Not expecting to hit himself, Spider-Man's head was swimming at the punch and could only dodge Raven's sword swing thanks to his spider-sense activating and moving his body away from the danger. "Guess your semblance has more uses than just running away!"

Attempting to attack again, Raven performed the same trick again, but Spider-Man wasn't fooled a second time and could dodge both Raven's sword attacks and his own. Seeing as Spider-Man dodged each attack, Raven knew that it would be a matter of time before Spider-Man landed another hit. Experiencing his attacks twice already, Raven knew that getting struck a third time would make her aura shatter.

So when Raven sheathed her katana back in her sheath, the bandit queen deployed her sheath that held several small cylinders of dust and unsheathed her sword, which was now on fire. With a wide sweep, her fire sword spewed a wall of fire large enough to obscure Spider-Man's vision giving Raven time to summon a portal that would reach her back to the Maiden.

Entering head first, Raven expected to see a familiar face, and she did only to see her second strongest member of the tribe be bound and captured by Wasp.

"How did you-?" A metal fist was all she saw before everything went black.


Raven's aura flashed brightly before shattering, unable to withstand the attack. Her body fell back first into the dirt for the last time, unable to move a finger or even open her eyes.

"Looks like your hunch was right, Spider-Man." Iron Man said through the comm link. "Raven would eventually try and teleport back to the Maiden, but thanks to you keeping her distracted. Wasp, and I was able to deal with her little witch."

As Raven was still breathing and not attacking, Iron Man turned around and saw Wasp getting the Maiden back on her feet. The size-changing hero pushed the Maiden forward, who did not fight back as she knew that both she and Raven had lost.

"Not so brave now, are you?" Wasp wasn't much for gloating, but she felt she deserved some spite as she got brainwashed a few minutes ago. "Iron Man, you got the other one?"

"Yeah," Iron Man carried Raven bridal style. "Good thinking of you to shrink small enough to run underneath the ground and attack from behind."

"It wouldn't have worked without you playing bait."

Spider-Man ran back to his two teammates and helped Iron Man with Raven by wrapping her arms and legs with webbing. For added security, Spider-Man took away Raven's weapons and slung them over his back. "Man, this thing looks cool, but I swear I feel like anyone who wields a katana is a fan of the black color way too much for my liking."

"What are you going to do to us now? Arrest us?" Asked the Maiden.

"Yes, well maybe, possibly- you know what, we'll put a pin on that," Spider-Man answered her. "You guys extort villages as if it's the only way and force them to give away all they have and repeat the same thing repeatedly. You're wrong if you think you can apologize and think we would let you guys Scott-free. Now that you are bound and surrounded, please answer some questions."

"You really think I would spill out my guts now that your acting nice?"

"No, I'm asking nicely because I don't want to escalate things any further. Listen, that woman you are so close with, well, that woman is someone's mother we know. And, if I'm correct, I also know this woman's brother. Does a Qrow Branwen sound familer?"

Spider-Man could see recognition pass through her face before it turned neutral.

'Dang, so I hit the nail in the coffin. I fought Ruby's uncle, and now her auntie too? Yeah, it looks like it will be really weird when I see Ruby again.'

"Listen, we already know you are the Maiden, which is why we wanted to find you and tell you that you are in danger. That's why we're here to talk to you."

"You have a funny way of talking."

"Ok, you got us there. But in our defense, we thought you were held captive here or being used by these guys. Are you being held against your will and forced to use your powers?" Spider-Man asked out, just in case.

"No, I'm not being held captive. This tribe is my family! And Qrow is no family! He betrayed the family, and if you know him, then that means you are an enemy of the Branwen tribe even more!"

"Wow, so we were wrong about her being a hostage, and instead, we have an overzealous child soldier." Wasp elbowed Iron Man's stomach, then hissed in pain. "Can we at least have your name? We're kind of tired of just calling you 'Maiden' and 'Witch.'"

"My name is... Vernal," The girl now named 'Vernal' told the Avengers who she is. "I was raised in the Branwen tribe, and Raven trained me since I was a child to harness my Maiden powers."

"Hmmm," Iron Man tapped the chin of his helmet. "Branwen tribe, Vernal, I feel like I forget something here. Hey, crazy, do you know another person? About this high," Iron Man raised his hand over his head. "Somewhat has silver hair and also had a speed semblance? Guy's name is Pietro?"

Vernal's glare dropped from her face as she looked at Iron Man in bewilderment. It felt like forever since she heard her brother's name after he left the tribe.

"My brother," She whispered. "So he is ok?"

"He's doing fine. I can tell you more, but I will trust you not to attack us, deal?"

"Yes, I understand." Despite having loyalty to the Branwen tribe and to Raven, Vernal couldn't help but be curious as to what her brother has been doing without the tribe without her. "I won't fight; I just want to know about my brother."

Iron Man motioned for Wasp to let Vernal go, and Wasp was hesitant to follow his lead. He wasn't the one being toyed with and forced to fight her friends. Wasp wanted to keep Vernal restrained as a precaution when a hand was on her shoulder and squeezed in assurance.

"It's ok, Wasp; if she tries anything, I'll be the first to stop her." Spider-Man gave Wasp a thumbs up. "And, if you are not convinced. If Vernal does attack, and I stop her, you get the chance to punch her lights out! How does that sound? You can even use your stingers too!"

"That does make me feel better."

"I don't feel the same." Grumbled Vernal. "Just let me go already! I promise that I won't attack."

Letting Vernal go, the spring Maiden messaged her wrists and listened to Iron Man's history between him and her brother.


"Urrg!" A sound of discomfort left Raven's lips as she opened her eyes and noticed that the sun was already setting. A second passed, and the moment of clarity returned to her, making the Branwen jump to her feet and reach for her sword. Her hand grasped air which made her register that the familiar weight of her weapon, Omen, was not on her person, leaving her defenseless.

Weaponless, Raven had to take a precautionary approach to things until she found a suitable replacement. Taking in the area around her, the bandit queen could see she was in a large tent that was usually used to tend to the wounded, making Raven think about how long she was out.

Sounds of the tent flaps rustling; Raven looked to where the sound was coming from and saw Vernal holding a fruit bowl. She was going to ask what happened, only to have the wind leave her when Vernal chose to rush her and tightly hug her midsection.

"I'm glad you are awake." Due to Vernal burying her face in Raven's clothing, her voice was a little difficult to understand. Though, Raven showed some affection by patting the young girl's back in comfort.

"There, there," Even after several years, Raven can't get the hang of showing actual concern for others. But then again, no one has to deal with a girl as unique as Vernal, so Raven will allow herself to lower her guard. "Vernal, I'm glad your safe. I see that I'm in our medical tent. Does that mean you had to use your real powers?"

Vernal broke away from the hug and looked down at the floor like a child who was scared to confess that they had done something terrible. This behavior was not new to Raven, and she waited for Vernal to look at her disapproving glare. "Vernal, tell me."

"I think it's better if you see what happened when you were out cold." Vernal motioned for Raven to follow, and the two exited the tent. Raven could see that her base was still in ruins, with only a few tents being raised by her tribesmen.

It should have been a regular sight to see, for there were times when her tribe had to rebuild their homes with exceptional cases of Grimm swarms or when Vernal couldn't control her powers. Unfortunately, such cases did not happen, as Raven can see her tribe members getting assistance from giant ants the size of houses. Even worse, the Avengers were in the center of her home, which means she wasn't in some weird dream.

'Of all the people I wish not to meet, it had to be these people.' Raven could count the people she never wanted to see with one hand, but after seeing the Avengers stop Vale from falling, she had to use her other hand. 'I kind of wish I was meeting Ozpin; at least I know what his plans are- which is just doing nothing. These guys, though, I think the only chance I have is to try and escape with Vernal, and a select few who I know are strong.'

She would admit that she was not taking these heroes seriously after witnessing Spider-Man emerge from Vale's news. It was insane and downright pitiful that people thought that a person in a stupid costume could be called a hero.

That all changed after watching the Vytal festival that showed these heroes in action.

Their powers were no joke despite wearing such ridiculous get-ups. Ozpin could not stop Salem's minion's from taking over the kingdom, and Atlas's mindless drones couldn't prevent the inevitable, yet a ragtag of ill-minded individuals who thought themselves superheroes could?

She already made a policy to avoid Ozpin's schemes and steer clear of Salem's wrath, but it seems she just wasn't prepared enough to have the Avengers decide to walk right up to her home.

The first to notice her awakening was Iron Man, who had a suit that any kingdom that wanted to boost its military would do anything to get. If what she remembers, during the Vytal festival invasion, the Atlas droids were acting violently and were taking part in destroying Vale, yet soon changed to assisting civilians and attacking Grimm. If she had to throw a guess, the person who was the mastermind of taking over the massive army of robots was Iron Man. How someone can easily control an army without thinking of using such power for their own needs is lost to her.

After the Avengers took notice of Raven's presence, some of her tribe members stopped what they were doing to look at their leader. A few started to whisper to each other and asked each other what to do now that Raven was awake. Will they try and fight the intruders or try and run?

Their questions are stopped as the ants begin to screech and move close to the bandits making them get back to rebuilding.

"I swear, you look away for one second, and soon people start thinking of starting a mutiny."

'I thought only the man with the silver helmet that looked like an ant could control bugs.' It still feels unreal to see such small creatures grow an exponential size. Then again, when witnessing Wasp grow to the size of a goliath, Raven wonders how much power is used so carelessly. 'Her power is impressive, but that makes me more curious about who these people are.'

"Hello, Raven," The final member of the Avengers greeted her. "Or should I say, Mrs. Xiao Long? Man, I can't seem to take a break from anyone related to Qrow."

'This one is the most troublesome and the most annoying.' Out of all these 'superheroes,' Raven was confident that this buffoon was the weakest. And yet she could not help but remember that moment when he was strong enough to lift Vale's clocktower, making Raven wonder how she could still be alive after receiving hits from the man. 'All these people have such strong powers as Vernal. And yet they show us mercy? No, there is more to this, and if they are siding with Ozpin or Salem, then there really is no choice but to try and get Vernal away from here as soon as possible.'

"What do you want with us?" Skipping the pleasantries, Raven didn't want to go through hoops of throwing banter and just wanted to go straight to why these people were here. "I didn't expect you heroes to show up to these backwaters."

"Well, you know, we just saw how great the view is, wanted to really get the feel of nature- What the hell do you think we're here for? We were tracking the Spring Maiden, the previous Maiden's last location, and it led us here."

"Don't say she isn't here because we know who the Spring Maiden is." Iron Man's scanners identified two individuals with similar energy signatures to the Fall Maiden. "When we were fighting you two, Vernal showed some impressive skills that I thought were her semblance."

"So then you figured out that Vernal is the Spring Maiden." Raven lied through her teeth as the true Maiden was none other than herself. It was a simple trick she devised when she killed the previous Maiden. Ever since training Vernal with her powers, Raven and Vernal discovered that the two had similar powers making Raven use the idea to fool others into thinking Vernal was the Maiden.

"Still playing ignorant? Come on, Raven, I know Pietro; he told me about his childhood living with the Branwen tribe and how he hated living here and being near you. But the most notable thing he warned me about you is that you are a liar. A liar who is the real Maiden, not Vernal."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise at how Iron Man knows Vernals twin brother. She looked at Vernal, and she could see that the young teen looked away from Raven's gaze. 'If what Iron Man says is true, then my lies about how Pietro ran away without thinking about taking Vernal with him have been revealed.'

Schooling her features to where she had a neutral expression, Raven motioned with her head to the Avengers to follow her to her tent. Luckily it was one of the few things that were not destroyed, so when all five settled into place, Raven chose to reveal some truths.

"I won't deny it. I am the Maiden of Spring." The Branwen Chief couldn't see their expressions because their masks hid their faces. Yet from how their bodies were rigid and their fists tightened into fists in anger. She can see these three have come to the same conclusion on how she has these powers. "The original Maiden was too weak even to handle such powers, and I tried to train her to defend herself. After countless failures, I had no choice but to take the powers and be the new Maiden."

"No other choice? There's always a choice, and you chose to murder someone!" Spider-Man yelled at Raven. "You could have just protected her or even taken her to Vale or somewhere else safe."

"Don't think you know everything. If I gave the Maiden back to Ozpin, there was a higher chance of her getting killed. You might not know this, but the Ozpin you think you know is but a fraud. Someone who does not care for the people he controls as if we are just chess pieces to him."

"And your better?" Iron Man started to control the conversation. "You think killing a girl is a mercy? Don't paint yourself a saint, Raven. Pietro told me how you treat those you believe are weak. And your lying also won't save you this time either, especially how you lied to Vernal about her brother. As much as I don't trust Ozpin, I don't trust you either."

"You think it's easy?" Raven scoffed. "Don't act like your better than me. You can throw as many insults at me if you want. It only proves my idea that those with strength can be able to speak their minds. Think I'm wrong? You three are proof."

"You can't be serious? We are here to stop you from taking innocent villagers' livelihoods and find the Spring Maiden. Not abusing our powers like you."

"More denial. If you truly don't believe 'might makes right,' then why dress up as costumed characters? Why not follow the rules of the kingdoms and register your powers and become Hunstmen? You don't because, deep down, you don't trust them to know your identity. To know your special and the thought that they would try to take your power and make it their own. But we can talk in circles about who is right and wrong. We should get back to the main topic. You now know I'm the Spring Maiden, so what will you do? Will you take me to Ozpin?"

"First off, I would say that you're not really a 'Maiden' if you're already sporting crows feet and have a 17-year-old teenager." Iron Man smiled underneath his helmet when he saw Raven sneer at his remark about her age. "Second, while you were counting birds in your sleep. We contacted someone who will choose what to do with you."

"And that person is?"

Iron Man didn't answer her and chose to show her instead. Lifting his gauntlet, Iron Man produced a small projection showing Nick Fury's upper body. The head director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stared at Raven, who had a look of recognition at seeing a face she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Fury, I present you the Spring Maiden, Raven Branwen, local bandit and worst parent and caretaker within this side of the kingdom. Word of warning, she lies as easily as she breathes with no issue. I recommend we can still take her somewhere safe but at a maximum prison."

"Raven Branwen," Unlike Raven, who looked like she saw a ghost, Nick Fury held her in a neutral gaze. "You have been busy traveling around the kingdom and taking things that weren't bolted down."

"Nick Fury, can't believe the person who is able to control this band of weirdos is you."

"You two know each other?" Spider-Man was surprised before looking at the hologram of Nick. "What the heck, Fury? Couldn't you have told us sooner? Things would have been much easier rather than making us find out ourselves."

"Man, we are full of coincidences today." If Wasp weren't wearing her helmet, she would have pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fury, would you enlighten us on how you know this person?"

"I know her during her time when she was still in Beacon. Her brother, Qrow Branwen, is someone I also know, but that's neither here nor there. I didn't bring up knowing Raven, for I was not tracking her tribe would be the one causing this string of crimes. Mostly out of respect for her privacy, as she did not want to have any connection to Ozpin anymore."

"... If you think that will be enough for us, then I think that eyepatch is restricting your head." Spider-Man pointed out. "Come one, Fury, don't hold out on us. Tell us what you know."

Shaking his head, Fury would have liked to tell them some other time and with the full team, but as things stand, he might as well explain his history between himself and Ozpin.

"I have a long history, and telling you all would take too long. So I'll let you know why I came to know Ozpin and why I decided to leave. It was during my time when I was still within the military and not the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I worked with James before he was a General, and to keep things short, James invited me to meet Ozpin, who thought the two of us could be of great use. When Ozpin told me about who he is and the history behind Remnant, I was a bit skeptical but soon believed him. Afterward, I was introduced to the rest of his members, including Qrow and Raven. As to why I decided to leave Ozpin's group, well, you all remember the siphoner, correct?"

The three heroes nodded their heads. Raven didn't really know what this 'siphoner' was, but the look of Vernal shaking her head at Raven could tell her that it was bad.

"From your clueless look Raven, I can tell you don't know. It's understandable, as you were starting to lose connection to Ozpin and the rest of us. The machine was built to take away the Maiden's powers and transfer them to someone else." The explanation made Raven gasp in surprise. "However, it has a catch. You see, when taking the powers of the Maiden, it also carries the previous wielder's thoughts or 'lingering will.' The prototype was first built in an undisclosed location where Ozpin, James, and I were going over the details as it was being made. We used small creatures to see if they could work, only it never turned on. Thinking it was a dud, Ozpin took a closer look to check if something was wrong. I did the same and checked the second pod, while Ozpin checked the first. Nothing was out of the ordinary until a bright flash of light suddenly encased both Ozpin and me."

"So it was actually working. It just needed time to build up. Am I getting that correct?"

"Yes, Iron Man. James didn't prepare for the thing to work and did his best to turn it off. While James desperately tried to shut it down, Ozpin and I tried our best to get out from the inside. As I tried to destroy the pod I was trapped in, I caught glimpses of Ozpin's life. His previous incarnations and his incarnations of him with Salem that he did not tell me nor James. Before Ozpin's memories could fully consume me, James was luckily able to cut off the power of the entire machine saving Ozpin and myself." Nick Fury paused, his eye having a thousand-yard stare as he not only went through countless lives at Ozpin but also experienced Ozpin's many deaths.

"Next thing I remember was waking up on a medical bed. On that day, I started to doubt Ozpin as I knew all the secrets he had kept from us. Speeding things forward, I left Ozpin's inner circle and became fully invested in S.H.I.E.L.D., where I rose through the ranks and became the director."

"Did you try to talk to James also to join you?" Asked Iron Man.

"I wanted to, yet I didn't think he would believe me at the time. James held too much trust in Ozpin, and we soon started to drift apart once I was part of S.H.I.E.L.D. I did talk to Ozpin about why I chose not to follow him and then severed any ties I had with him and his companions."

"Wait, so what about Raven? Did you guys leave at the same time?"

"No, Spider-Man. Raven was the first to leave after she gave birth to Yang. I soon left afterward, and we stumbled upon each other during my time in S.H.I.E.L.D. I was part of a group tracking someone and met Raven, whose tribe temporarily took residence at the location of my target."

"Needles to say, we agreed that none of us would talk about seeing each other." Raven finally took over the talking and, in a brief moment, looked at Vernal and then at the heroes and Nick Fury. "Everyone got caught up? Good, so about the deal with us working with you-"

"I'm sorry," Spider-Man twisted his pinking next to his ear. "I think I misheard you saying you will be working with us: you, the person holding a village hostage."

"I didn't stutter," Raven was a lot of things, and being a survivalist was one of them. It would have been different if they were working with Ozpin, but now that she is seeing Nick, her choices do not seem limited anymore. "Ozpin is someone I wish never to work with because of his failed plans of dealing with Salem. He became complacent in his tactics to deal with Salem, showing no signs of making any progress. On the other hand, I can put some faith in Nick as he is mortal, and if you are working with him, then I see a better chance at staying alive if working alongside you all."

"Good to see your only good quality is that you're an honest piece of s#!t." If Iron Man had his way, he would have just used the siphoner and given the Spring Maiden powers to Wasp, as he doesn't trust Raven. Pietro gave him a bad rap for her, and what Spider-Man said about how Raven being Yang's mom made the young Schnee hate her even more, as she is here stealing and not at Patch helping her daughter. "Fury, you must be on something if you think this chick will help us. She'll probably split the moment we leave this dump."

"I won't make a pardon for her past actions, but I won't throw away her help either. I'm sure you have already seen her semblance at work. With her help, we can cut our time for travel from any kingdom. Imagine it; we no longer have to use Bullheads to enter enemy territory. Our chances of being spotted are lowered as Raven can make a portal and enter enemy lines."

"Now, wait a moment. I didn't say I would knock on Salem's door."

"I never said about heading straight to Salem. What we need from you is getting these guys to meet Lionheart."

"Lionheart? Why would- ah, I see." Raven nodded her head in understanding. "I should have expected him to be the traitor. I just didn't know it would be later rather than sooner. Can I assume that Ozpin isn't tracking that his ally already turned?"

"No, and I like to keep it that way because the less he knows, the higher our success in diffusing the situation without him making things worse."

Nick Fury's blunt opinion on Ozpin made Raven laugh.

"Oh, Nick," The Branwen tribe leader looked at her old friend. Talking to him after all these years made her smile. "I always felt like I was the only one sane enough to talk back about Ozpin. Everyone, including my brother, always thought of Ozpin as a man who could finally save Remnant. Fat chance that had as it took just five people to fix all the mistakes he made. Talking to you makes me glad that I got to know you, for you at least had an actual brain and not blindly followed such an old fool."

"Save the sentiment for after we save a school. Avengers, after you are done assisting Raven in fixing her home. She will take you to where Lionheart is. Once you are there, you will meet with my spy."

"Have you got any update from Ant-Man?" Asked Wasp.

"They are getting their side of the mission completed. While you secured the Maiden, the other team successfully prevented the assassination of Sienna Khan."

"Glad they were able to complete their mission without any problems."

"But in the process, Adam was still able to pull off his coup and is in charge of the White Fang, resulting in the other Avengers fleeing along with Sienna Khan."

"Nick, what the hell and f #k!" Iron Man slapped his face plate with his free hand. "You could've told us that sooner?"

"All you three need to know is that they are adjusting their mission parameters. As of right now, they are laying low and awaiting extraction. So long as we are able to extract Sienna Khan, I can chalk that up as a win." Nick Fury looked to the side as if someone was talking right next to his ear. "Something just came up that needs my immediate attention. Avengers, now that you have found the Spring Maiden, the next part is to infiltrate Haven and get the relic."

"I thought we were going to take her to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Spider-Man got a glare from Vernal. "What? We flew, and the last time I checked, the bullhead didn't have an extra seat."

"That is true; however, my spy that is implanted in Haven has just gotten word that the school will be the next target to be destroyed."

"Already?!" Spider-Man shouted in alarm. "When will the attack start?"

"Soon, give or take a day or two." Nick turned his sight on Raven. "Looks like your services will be starting now. Please don't make my trust in you wasted. I'm already giving you a lot of leeway after the string of crimes you have."

"Out of everyone I know, Nick. You are one of the few I wish not to be on their bad side."

"We'll see." They continued to stare each other down before the hologram ended.


Welp, this is the chapter for this month and also for this year of 2023. Man, I kind of thought that the show would already be over by now since RWBY was made in 2013. It turns out I could have this story finished before the show! All jokes aside, I hope this chapter was a good read for those who waited.

Some would argue that the fight looked one-sided in the Avenger's favor. But let me explain why I wanted the conflict between the Avengers and Raven and Vernal to be over in the first half of the chapter. As some would already know, Vernal is Wanda, making people wonder how she lost so easily. The reason is that she is near her tribe members and does not wish to harm them.

As for Raven, being the Spring Maiden, she should have had a more considerable advantage over the Avengers thanks to her experience in using the Maiden magic powers. Not to mention the semblance that allows her to make a portal to those she has a connection with. However, the Avengers had already handled a Maiden and did so after burning a lot of energy, keeping Vale safe from the Grimm. Another flaw with raven's semblance is that she can only teleport with those she has a connection. Sure she could teleport to her knocked-out tribe members, but she also had to take care of Vernal. Why does she need to take care of Vernal? Well, you guys just have to wait for the next chapter.

The B plot, where the other half of the Avengers deal with Adam, will come to a conclusion soon, too, as I wish to close this small arc and push to the next main story point in RWBY.

Another year passed, and a new one was right around the corner. Makes me feel sad knowing that stories end, but it also makes me happy knowing that I had the part of making such a story.

I can't thank you all for your support of this story! I hope the next year will be great for you all!


[Omake: A Year to remember]

Night has shrouded Vale, and most have gone home to relax after today's hard work. On the other hand, Spider-Man does his usual patrols at night and stops any crimes like normal, yet this night is unique, for this night is the end of the year.

"Damn you Spider-MMPFF" An armed robber tried to kill Spider-Man when he wasn't looking but got trapped in a web line.

"Don't scream. Did you forget what area you are in?" Spider-Man put his finger on his mask. "Shh! You are in a residential area. Some people are actually trying to sleep."

Checking the time on his scroll, Spider-Man can see he only has half an hour before it starts.

"Great, looks like I don't have a moment to spare. Ok, you all know what to do when I'm gone. Sit tight, wait for cops, and be sure to be in your jail cells before midnight, ok? Don't want you guys to be cranky in the morning."

Slapping a small note on the forehead of one of the robbers that had 'Ophapned neer-do-wells. Need home!', Spider-Man web swung away from the crime scene and allowed the proper authorities to handle the rest.

The trip back to his Aunt's house showed Spider-Man that most of the people in the city were still awake. Many were at bars singing and dancing, and some were walking along the sidewalk enjoying the night lights shining extra bright as everyone was excited for tonight being the end of the year.

"Please don't close! Please don't close!" Muttered Spider-Man as he finally reached the local supermarket. "Yes! Still open!"

After finding a secluded area to dress up in his regular clothes, Jaune was luckily able to be the last customer before the market's owner closed. Now, with a grocery bag full of party snacks, Jaune went back home and was welcomed to the sight of Aunt May, who was in the middle of setting up for the New Year's party.

"Jaune! Glad you're back! Were you able to get what I need?"

"Yup!" Jaune showed her what was in the bag. "Got some non-alcoholic sparkling cider, some party poppers, noise blowers, and I even got some sparklers too!"

"Great, just put them somewhere in the kitchen. Also, there are some people here who showed up early that are helping set things up."

Entering the house, Jaune walked to the kitchen and saw Pyrrha and her team setting the table up with Mr. Li operating the oven, cooking what looked like a cake.

"Jaune!" Nora screamed in her own weird way of greeting him. "You're just in time for the party!"

"Good to see you guys." Jaune greeted back and handed the bag to Ren, who placed them close by. "Glad you guys could make it."

"Well, Mr. Li wanted us to get out of Beacon to enjoy some time away from school," Ren explained. "We got a text from Ruby that her team will be here soon too."

"Glad to hear it. Now, what else needs to get set up?"

After placing everything for the party, the last group to show up was team RWBY, who brought their own fair share of party games and food. It wasn't just team RWBY either, for Qrow and his daughter were also invited to take part in the festivities.

Yang and Nora were locked in an arm wrestling match to see who was the strongest.

Weiss and Mr. Li were talking to each other about if F.E.A.S.T could help the SDC in the future to try and stabilize the growing friction between humans and Faunus within Weiss's family business.

Aunt May was getting help from Ren, and Blake put away all the used dishes and put the leftovers in Tupperware.

Qrow and his daughter, Sofia, are in the living room on TV, watching a cartoon before changing the channel to the news, which shows the clock counting down to the new year.

As everyone was enjoying their time, Jaune and Ruby were enjoying their time by lighting sparklers outside the house's front yard.

"This is nice." Ruby smiled as she saw the lights starting to fizzle out, making Jaune light a new one. "Glad you invited so many of us, Jaune."

"I'm glad you accepted it. I know you must feel homesick." Jaune looked away from the small sparks to look at Ruby. With the dark surrounding the two and the sparkler being the only light source, Jaune could see that their faces were just a few inches away, making him blush. 'Seeing her eyes this close reminds me how pretty Ruby really is. I always forget behind her dorky personality is someone who is drop-dead gorgeous.'

"Dad said he is fine. He's actually enjoying a staff party at Signal, so he won't be alone." Ruby saw the light was halfway about to die out. "Hey, Jaune, you got one mo-"

As Ruby looked at Jaune, she held her breath and looked at Jaune's clear blue eyes. 'Now that I'm this close to Jaune, I can see how handsome he looks. Look past his awkward and nerdy antics. Jaune is a handsome guy.'

Jaune and Ruby didn't know what to say. Should they look away, get back inside, or...

The two kept eye contact as the sparkler faded, leaving them in the dark. Both teens didn't say anything, and in the background, they could hear their friends and family begin to shout the countdown.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"Jaune..." Ruby leaned in.

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"Ruby..." Jaune leaned in too.

There were many things the two wanted to say to each other. How meeting each on that day made their life shift into something for the better. The thought of not seeing each other after graduating from their respective schools makes them afraid. What are their plans for the weekend?

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

Those thoughts that were on the tip of their tongues were left unsaid as both gave their answer.

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"