"It's the pocket watch from what professor Ozpin says," answered Oscar. When Jaune and Jeanne came back from their own investigations, they asked if there is some kind of special key that was needed to access the Vault. "While there were freedoms afforded for the different headmasters on their Vaults, professor Ozpin did have some kind of knowledge about that before or after."
"That only leaves the Spring Maiden." Jeanne was pacing around the room. "I could try sure but that is not guaranteed."
There was a moment of pause whenever Ozpin wasn't the one in control. "He says that it is unlikely but he also says that there is a chance that the Spring Maiden is compromised."
"Do we even know who Spring is?"
Oscar eventually shook his head. "We only know that she is somewhere among the Branwen Tribe, a tribe of bandits."
At the mention of bandits, team JNPR looked at one another. "You don't think?" Nora was the first to speak out.
"Some of the people did mention bandits," Pyrrha said out loud everyone's assumptions. "If the Spring Maiden is…"
"Then, unless Jeanne could open the Vault herself," Jaune completed. "We have no means of getting the Relic."
Oscar looked like he could collapse at any moment. He was massaging his temples. Ozpin must have had some strong emotions at that and the poor boy was the one suffering for it.
"It's alright," he assured the voice in his head. "it's alright. I think it's a terrible thing too."
"We should expect a trap then," Jaune said.
Just then, they were, all of them, called to Leonardo's office. Team JNPR did what they could to make themselves as natural as it seemed. With the exception of Oscar who had to spend more time hiding the cane lest it be recognized by Leo. They still weren't sure if he would be recognized but they opted to assume that Leonardo is at least suspicious.
"Well," the headmaster began. "I am not one to keep you all waiting. I do have some missions for you. You see, there are some bandits that have been wreaking havoc all over Mistral…"
At the mention of bandits, every member of team JNPR stiffened.
It went unnoticed as Leonardo went on. "…and I believe that with your experience, you should be able to deal with the bandits. So, what do you say? Of course, you don't have to hurry. You have just recently arrived and all and you will definitely need to stock up on supplies before you start leaving."
"I think, we'll take it," Jaune spoke for everyone. "We'll take the mission, headmaster."
"Thank you, thank you," Leonardo said. "Ah but wait. Before that, you have done Mistral a great service already, it only seems right that you all should have the privileges of proper huntsmen and huntresses. If you're going to take this mission it might as well be as professionals."
At the sound of that, team JNPR were caught off-guard. They had expected a trap but they could not find any malice nor advantage behind it. Leonardo's face, however, spoke of apology and remorse, like he wanted to give them that at least.
The process was rather quick and unceremonious. It felt more like a formality than it was a celebration. Team JNPR didn't know how to react when they had finally received their respective huntsman licenses. Even Oscar had one despite the obvious fact that he was too young. Their identifications were there now, as huntsmen and huntresses under the authority of Haven Academy.
"That's it?" Nora asked. "I didn't think we would get it this soon."
"It doesn't feel real, does it?" Pyrrha asked. She was still waiting for the big reveal, that this was just a prank of some sort and was waiting to be pointed to some cameras. But there wasn't any pointing nor were there any cameras. Team JNPR really had become professional huntsmen and huntresses.
"Well," Leonardo said. He appeared jovial and still carried about him an air of jolliness. "This should make things easier for you. You know how it is out there. With these licenses, I'm sure you'll have no problems asserting your authority if need be."
"We kind of don't need to—" Ren tried to say.
"But come now!" It went unheard as Leonardo placed his arms over the shoulders of Jaune and Ren, as if he was their close friends. "A moment of celebration is to be had, and while it may be a short notice, I think I can manage in the short time that we have! Consider it a sendoff from the headmaster of Haven Academy, yeah?"
"Uh, okay…then?" Jaune was unsure.
Jeanne, on the other hand, was heavily focused on the headmaster. There were clear signs of sweating and his movements were forced and unnatural. Whether this was a distraction meant to stall them or something else, she wasn't sure. Still, they had no valid reason to be outwardly antagonistic towards the headmaster, not with the few passersby that were there. Any wrong move would make them be the bad guy.
A team of newly made huntsmen and huntresses, a young child way too below the average to even be considered a huntsman-in-training, and the headmaster walk into a restaurant. Given that Oscar is a minor, there was no alcohol. As they dined, one could easily cut the awkward silence with a knife. Leonardo appeared to be slouching and defeated now. Wait. There was alcohol, he only ordered for himself.
"Tell me," Leonardo began. "Why did you do the things you did? I've heard about it in passing. Every town that you children have gone through, you've stayed to train up the people to defend themselves from the Grimm. A noble goal, yes, but why? Why do you do that?"
It was Jaune who was the first to answer. "It wasn't an idea that we collectively decided on, no. But Jeanne here believed in that."
"Is that so?" the headmaster turned to face her. "Ah yes, you are considered as—Jaune, was it? —right Jaune's semblance. Well, you're a huntress now but I'm sure that will be fine. It was your idea?"
"It just seemed the right thing to do, sir," she answered.
"Right thing to do," Leonardo repeated with a softer voice. "The right thing to do… it must be nice to believe like that."
"Is everything alright, headmaster?" Oscar asked. Whether that was for himself or for Ozpin was anyone's guess.
"I've been a huntsman a long time," he replied. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Or maybe you do what with your travels and all. Sometimes, I wonder if there really is an end to it all. With the Grimm being as part of our lives for as long as history itself, it gets you to think about what life would be like without them. It's honestly impossible for me to see that lately."
Leonardo downed another glass. "What keeps you going, kids? In the face of an endless horde, what keeps you going?"
"Tomorrow," Jeanne answered.
"Tomorrow?"
She nodded. "Tomorrow. Thing is, maybe we've seen the destruction. For every settlement we've saved, there are ones where we didn't." The memories of Shion came back to her. "I heard this wisdom from someone else, leaving the world a better place than when we first got here is a noble goal. It won't be a perfect world, but it will be better."
"Tomorrow," Leonardo repeated. "Tomorrow. Heh. Still too young and yet with a wisdom that I never possessed. Maybe the future of Remnant is in safe hands."
The headmaster of Haven Academy then produced a pocket watch. He held it tight at first before letting it go. "Here. This will serve you more than it could me. It is a key to something. I'm sure you kids can figure that out."
When the meal had been had, it was charged to Leonardo Lionheart. He then essentially isolated himself from the rest of them and closed the door to his office behind him.
Nora was the first who broke the silence. "Did… did we… did we just get the key to Vault?"
Oscar had no answer. He shook his head. Not even Ozpin had any idea of what to make of the situation. "Professor Ozpin has nothing apparently."
"I… I guess we could try if I could open the Vault?" Jeanne sounded so unsure. "I mean, we have it now?"
Team JNPR, along with Oscar, returned to the statue. Placing the pocket watch on the space that fit it, the statue then began to open. There were series of mechanisms that allowed the statue to move into the staircase as the platform was made open for them to step on. It was rather small for all of them but they did manage to fit.
The path was normal, like any other elevator. It had taken them quite some time before they reached their destination. The Vault was many levels below the ground floor.
There were three, glowing circles with each one larger than the one before it. At the end of it, there was a door that was far too large for any person. It was much closer for a giant. Hugging it were roots that led to a large tree. The tree itself bore fruits of some kind that none of team JNPR recognized.
"Woah," Jaune said. "That's the Haven Vault? I don't think Beacon had that."
Oscar answered shortly after. "Ozpin says that he kept the Relic of Choice hidden elsewhere. It is too important to be trusted in the simple Vault."
Team JNPR approached the doorway towards the Vault. Normally, they needed the Spring Maiden for this but if that were the case, then Jeanne would not be able to open any Vault in the slightest on account of being the fifth out of what should have been four. Technically, Jaune could do that as well; they still shared the same soul and all but this was more for everyone else's convenience and especially the two blondes. Jaune gets unstable whenever Jeanne dematerializes and brings the Maiden powers with him. Useful perhaps if they had time to prepare in fights, not so much in the heat of the moment.
Jeanne reached out her hand. There was no specific incantation, only the use of her abilities that would be enough. A minute passed. Two minutes passed. Three. Nothing. Nothing was happening.
"It didn't work?" Pyrrha asked.
She shook her head, apologetically. "We'll need the Spring Maiden. There's no other way to open this."
Team JNPR turned around and returned to the above ground. Having found that there was no chance for Jeanne to open the Vault, the next step would have been to find the Spring Maiden. Of course, the biggest problem here would have been where the Spring Maiden would be.
The ceiling lights of Haven Academy greeted them as the platform made its stop. Stepping out of the platform, team JNPR didn't really have to move far before they were stopped by Leonardo Lionheart.
"So," he said, defeat filling his voice. His eyes had bags beneath them and he was slouching. There was a grayness to his eyes as his movements were lacking in life. "You've found the Vault but couldn't open it."
"Headmaster?" Pyrrha asked. Every other member readied their weapons. They didn't draw them yet but their grips were on it.
"You'll need the Spring Maiden, no?" Leonardo continued.
Footsteps were heard. Three of them in fact. JNPR's eyes widened as they recognized the same figure of Tyrian Callows, his tail had been replaced with Grimm-like prosthetic. There was even a container for the venom as they could see. When did he get that so quickly? How had he recovered so quickly?
"Why, hello children," he greeted them with that same mania that they encountered the first time. "Did you miss me?"
Tyrian Callows wasn't alone. With him were two others. One was a hulking man with stoic expression. Oscar Pine's eyes widened at the sight of him and so too did he upon seeing each other. They must have recognized each other. The older man narrowed his eyes at the sight of Oscar. Jaune had to move between them on instinct, shield raised.
The other was a woman. She reminded team JNPR of Yang with how similar she looked. Black hair and red eyes, she had a katana by her side. Jeanne's eyes widened then glowed the flames of the Maiden at the sight of this woman also having a similar glow.
"The Spring Maiden," Jeanne declared. "So, it's not just the headmaster that had been compromised."
"I'll admit," she responded. "It took a lot longer to get here. I could have sword that my precious brother would have joined you. Qrow always did like following Ozpin like a lapdog."
"Qrow?" Jaune said. "Qrow Branwen? Ruby's uncle?"
"He didn't tell any of you? I'm hurt. Does family mean nothing to him that he wouldn't even talk about his dear sister to anyone else?"
Jeanne stepped forward. "You're the Spring Maiden. You've sided with Salem." She took a good look over her. "You're a bandit."
"Well guessed," she returned. "Raven Branwen. You must this so-called fifth Maiden, I've heard about."
"News travels fast, it seems."
"Oh, not too fast. I only just recently heard about it. Imagine my shock, headmaster Ozpin, still having enough juice in him just to make one more. Another one to throw against her. What else is he hiding, I wonder?"
It was in this moment Oscar Pine expanded the cane. The air about him had changed as well. Gone was the farm boy and team JNPR knew that the one in control in this moment was their headmaster. The cane was pointed at Raven.
"What." Ozpin's—or rather Oscar's—voice carried with it the tone of an individual holding back their fury. "Did. You. Do. To. Spring. Miss Branwen?"
"Ozpin?" Leonardo gasped. "All this time? That was you?"
It went ignored as Ozpin pressed on. "What happened to Spring, Raven?"
The hulking man's shoulders began to rise and fall. His breathing was intensifying at Ozpin's revelation.
"Hazel," Raven immediately said. "Don't lose yourself to the anger."
"Ozpin!" Hazel roared. He was the first to move. His target was predictably Ozpin.
Ozpin moved fast. However, given the current physique of Oscar, he was slower as his body simply wasn't capable of the feats that he normally would have in a more developed body. However, Ozpin made up for it with experience and muscle memory. He had to keep pacing himself though lest he strain his own muscles and push the body so beyond its limits that it simply could not handle it anymore.
Leonardo blasted a ball of flame from his mounted wrist weapon which had been blocked by Jaune's shield. The knight of team JNPR was ahead of them as they rushed forward to meet them. With him was his partner Pyrrha.
Ren and Nora were focused on Tyrian. Having been refreshed and upgraded, the faunus was once again proving himself the superior fighter due to his control of metal. However, the two had also been accustomed to his fighting style and have readied themselves accordingly. The two of them had the least amount of metal on their person and they made full use of that as the three of them clashed.
"Oh, I'm not sure it will end like the last time," Tyrian taunted as he spun.
"We know," Ren replied. He lowered himself and swept his foot, making Tyrian get back on his own two feet. Disarming his weapons, Ren readied his unarmed fighting stance. "This time, we're prepared."
However, none of the other fights could compare to the sudden gusts of wind that had been the result of Raven and Jeanne's clash. Both of their eyes glowed the lights of the Maidens. One was the crimson red of Spring while the other, the burning white of the Fifth or Holy as Jeanne had decided to address herself as, embracing that moniker of hers from life.
"You didn't answer the headmaster's question," Jeanne demanded. "What happened to the previous Spring Maiden?"
"She was weak," Raven replied. Both of their arms were shaking as banner and sword locked with one another. "I did her a favor by relieving her of her burden."
The walls of Haven Academy had broken. It was followed by a crater on the ground outside of it. Lights of white and red escaped the resulting dust cloud and two shadows of the figures in conflict had become clearer as the dust cloud soon dissipated.
Raven Branwen had been caught off-guard by the sudden surge of force that Jeanne emitted. It was a sudden increase of power due to the anger that now decorated Jeanne's expressions heavily. Despite having the advantage of reach, Jeanne kept close to Raven as pole met with Dust-infused blades. Raven had reserves of blades, each with different colors that turned out to be Dust when Jeanne's banner managed to break through one of them.
Jeanne stabbed down the spearpoint of her banner from above. Raven had to buckle at the momentum and weight behind the strike. The Spring Maiden had used the flat of her blade to prevent the spearpoint from sliding and descending straight on her face.
Between the two Maidens, Raven was more grounded as her feet never really left the ground. Jeanne was overwhelming her by keeping her contained within that circle. Raven Branwen was a bandit. She wasn't just any bandit, but the same bandits that must have destroyed Shion. The faces of the dead still visible to Jeanne's memories.
Was it improper for someone like her? Yes. However, Jeanne isn't in a Grail War, she had no such obligations. Jeanne is a huntress now. The obligations she had was to her team and to the people of Remnant. If only they had some artillery with her.
"You know," Raven spoke. "If you're plan is to have me open the Vault, you're doing a rather poor job at convincing me."
"Forgive me, I'll try to do better," Jeanne said. By hitting you harder, she did not.
AN: More of an update really, but work is starting to pick up its pace again resulting in some changes to the updates (don't worry about it, the nature of said work makes it so that I can't bring them home even if I wanted to. Helps with the work-life balance in a way). Relative to my time (Philippine time), will be posting in the later hours of my day.