The one advantage of fighting outdoors, Jeanne supposed, was that neither her nor Raven have to really take into account much of the walls that would have surrounded them like their respective allies. Not like that mattered since only the two of them had any sort of increase in power being Maidens which meant that something was going to get some damage.

It is either a testament to the people's necessity for safety or they had been evacuated at some point since there was an absence of onlookers or panicking civilians. Jeanne could only conclude the latter when she broke through the walls of one of the houses and found it empty.

"More experienced," Jeanne said to herself as she got back up. She shook off the dust and dirt. "More refined."

Unlike Cinder Fall, Raven Branwen had more control and a cooler demeanor behind her attacks. Her usage of her Maiden powers was much closer to further enhancing her own abilities as a huntress than relying on it entirely. With her being a bandit, that also meant that she was willing to play dirty with little sense of honor behind it.

"If that's how she wants to play it." Jeanne stepped out into the open, looking up to a levitating Raven Branwen. "I may not be as powerful as a proper Servant, but that doesn't mean I'm hopeless."

The flames of Jeanne's eyes were snuffed out. Twirling her spear, she readied herself to fight much closer to a Lancer-class than she would a Ruler. Then again, there was no Grail War for her to oversee here. She could also use the blade at her side, however considering what had occurred during the Fall of Beacon, she would rather not take that risk.

Raven met Jeanne on the even battlefield. Rather than fight like Maidens, the two opted to fight like huntresses that so happen to be boosted in terms of power. Before Jeanne engaged, she felt within herself the state of Jaune; there was nothing that was too concerning.

Blade clashed with spearhead as Jeanne kept her distance from Raven. The bandit had every advantage in close range, forcing her to control the gap between them. She focused primarily on hit-and-run tactics as any chance that Raven did get past her defenses would mean that she had to put more distance between them.

The fight between them was going nowhere. Either party was attempting to seize the initiative and take control of the direction. Jeanne kept her distance, often breaking away should the fight go against her while Raven sought to close that gap to turn the tides in her favor.

They kept moving in circles out in the open. Jeanne managed to catch a glimpse of the fights occurring inside Haven Academy. Jaune was engaging with Leonardo in a reversal of roles when compared to her own against Raven. Ren and Nora were engaging with Tyrian who had adapted to their unarmed methods. Oscar—or rather Ozpin—was engaging with a raging Hazel.

"Is that really the best that you can do?" Raven started as their weapons locked with one another. "Run away and hope that your friends will come and have your back?"

"I could ask the same for you," Jeanne pushed aside the blade. Before Raven could close the distance again, the spearpoint slid across the bandit's cheek. It would have been bloody were it not for aura. "Taking Spring's powers for yourself."

"I'm doing her a service," Raven retorted. She swung from overhead. "She wasn't ready for this."

"And you are?" Blocking the oncoming blade, Jeanne kept the momentum of her swing going, throwing Raven to the side.

Getting up, Raven's eyes began to glow the flame of the Spring Maiden. "Do you even know who you're dealing with?"

"A dread queen of the Grimm," Jeanne answered. "We have a reincarnating wizard, so what's so special about that?"

Raven shook her head. "He's still keeping secrets. Even when he made you, and here I thought that he would at least tell the truth about her."

"Her?"

Jeanne didn't get an answer. Instead, she received a rapidly approaching Raven. Jeanne didn't have the quickest time to react before the gap had been instantly closed. She had to dig her feet into the ground to brace for the attack.

Eventually however, Raven's entire body, combined with the momentum of her flight, overpowered Jeanne as she fell on her back. The two rolled across the ground like pebbles skipping across a pond.

When they both got up, neither side made any attempts to move. Though their hands held their weapons tight, neither Jeanne nor Raven moved from their spot. Behind her, Jeanne could still here the sounds of fighting occurring. Checking within herself, Jaune was still doing well though his aura reserves have understandably gone down by quite a bit; he was holding on though and that was enough for Jeanne.

"Had enough?" Raven asked. "You know you can't get the Relic without my help."

Jeanne sighed. Raven was right. If they needed the Relic, they needed Raven's help. However, with the bandit having betrayed them, there was little chance of that happening.

"So?" she replied, instead. "What do you want? Money? Comfort? A drink?"

Raven scoffed at the last. "I am not my brother. No, I have no interest in those sorts of things. They most certainly didn't bribe me like that."

"Then, what do you want?"

"Simple." Raven sheathed her sword but kept her hand on the grip. "I care only for the safety my tribe." Jeanne's grip tightened. "I'm willing to help you brats if it means that my tribe is secure. I'll even open the doorway to the Relic if you want."

"But you make no promises on whether or not we could protect the Relic itself?" Jeanne assumed.

Raven shrugged her shoulders. "They have their reasons. So long as my tribe survives, it doesn't matter to me which of you gets the Relic."

"Does it though?" Jeanne refused to lower her weapon. "Seems to me you have reason to want the Relic be away from Salem if you're willing to negotiate at all."

"You don't know what it is you're dealing with here, kid," Raven retorted. "Ozpin? That old wizard has skeletons in his closet that he keeps even from those he says he trusts."

For a moment, Jeanne's facial expression nearly relaxed as she pondered the question. She shook her head. Not now. There is a time and place for everything and right now, her priority was either finding some way to secure the Relic or to neutralize Raven Branwen.

"I know that Salem has interest in me and Jaune," she said. Tyrian Callows had made that much clear to her.

"Then maybe you should consider looking after yourself," Raven replied. "Consider it a piece of advice from an old bird."

"Sorry." Jeanne shook her head. "But my duties lie elsewhere."

"Then die with the rest of them!" Raven raised her voice. "Why on Remnant must people like you have to throw away your lives in an unwinnable battle against an immortal is beyond me."

"Immortal?" Jeanne paused.

"Oh, that's right." Raven found her opening. "Newsflash, Salem is immortal. Did it ever occur to you how long Ozpin has been fighting her with his reincarnations? Thought not."

"Why would Ozpin—"

"Because he knows he can't win. The most he's hoping for is to keep her at bay while he twiddles his fingers and hope for a miracle. An impossible miracle of uniting humanity. Keeping this secret from us, I don't blame him. How could anyone after learning something like that?"

Jeanne d'Arc took a step back. Her banner had been lowered as she had been faced with this information. She shook her head. "I'll get the answers from headmaster Ozpin myself."

"Not willing to take my word for it?" Raven nodded. "Good. At least you have a head between your shoulders."

Before she could step any further however, Jeanne had her spearpoint pointed directly at Raven's face. "Even if what you say it's true. I still have a duty sworn to my friends and to the people here."

"Spoken like a true hero." Raven rolled her eyes. "Just like the other one, except you don't have the eyes."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll figure it out."

Unwilling to give Raven a chance to attack her, Jeanne made sure that she was the one who was behind the bandit. Her hands held her banner tightly, ready should there be another fight going on. However, the noises from inside Haven Academy made her rush ahead. Raven Branwen didn't follow in the slightest, uncaring to the outcome of the battles going on inside.

Depending on where one decides to put their attention on, the skirmishes here in Haven were in favor of one side or the other. Oscar Pine, for all of Ozpin's experience, was still lacking in terms of conditioning and was thusly being overpowered by Hazel. Jaune was doing fairly well if held back by Leonardo's range which Pyrrha thankfully supplemented. Tyrian against Nora and Ren was pretty much even since Ren especially utilized every trick and technique that he learned while also adapting to Tyrian's unorthodox approach.

Jeanne's decision to help Oscar had been the easiest one to make. For one, Oscar was just a boy who had been entrusted with a mission that shouldn't have been his. Secondly, he was getting overwhelmed by Hazel for all of Ozpin's experience. Thirdly, Jeanne wanted confirmation of Raven's words.

Bright lights blinded Hazel for a moment which Jeanne used to her advantage to give Oscar the time to escape.

"Thank you," Oscar said. Or was that Ozpin? The mannerisms aren't that distinct at the moment.

Jeanne then faced Hazel Rainhart. The hulking man was breathing heavily not out of exhaustion but rather of seething rage.

"You would let yourself be a pawn of his actions?" he asked her between anger-filled breaths.

"And you've let yourself be pawns to hers."

"That parasite in the boy's head has sent children to die."

"And Salem has killed children."

"You do not know the truth of Salem, do you, child? You'll die if you persist in this crusade."

"I don't have all the answers, no." It was useless for Jeanne to deny it. "However, as for the death, wouldn't be my first time. Besides, I—or rather—versions of myself have seen things that I personally would never have."

A ring of light appeared by Jeanne's feet. Hazel didn't care as he charged towards her. She had a moment of shock when the spearpoint didn't seem to faze him at all, aura or not.

"His semblance," Oscar managed to speak. It was definitely Oscar right now. "It allows him to nullify any feelings of pain."

Jeanne had to move back. Pain was in instinctive part in combat, it takes either willpower or discipline to be able to overcome pain and keep fighting. But if one were to remove any feeling of it? She couldn't keep him at bay as a threat which meant that she would have to engage fully in combat.

"Nullifying pain doesn't mean immunity," she replied. Change of strategy. She had the advantage of reach still and while Hazel would get close anyway, that doesn't mean he won't get to her without a scratch. Slamming the rest of her banner against Hazel's jaw was proof enough of that; the man followed along when she did that.

Hazel didn't fly too far on account of being too heavy to have been thrown that far. Jeanne cursed a little of her current capabilities. She had hoped that she had enough strength to at least disrupt Tyrian's fight with Nora and Ren; the former was gaining the upper hand due to his experience and his adaptability.

"Raven," Jeanne called out. "Get the Relic. Oscar! Watch your back."

The bandit rolled her eyes. "Like I would bite."

"You dare betray the goddess." Tyrian heard that apparently. "You shall burn, infidel!"

And I thought I'm devoted, Jeanne thought. None of that matters right now. While Raven and Oscar—the latter understandably cautious of the former—have decided to make their way again towards the platform, Jeanne was left with dealing with an angry Hazel.

If Hazel wasn't willing to back down due to the nullification of pain, then she would have to force him to retreat to tend to his wounds that he cannot possibly ignore. Her self-preservation instincts kicked in whenever Hazel came in close but the slashes and thrusts that she had done in retaliation was chipping away against his aura.

At the sight of Hazel boosting himself further using Dust Crystals, Jeanne couldn't help but be disadvantage. If it wasn't for aura, Hazel would have put himself in dangerous risks with how much he was just plainly ignoring any attack. How much aura does he have?

Jeanne was being forced back. It was a slow and arduous process, chipping down Hazel's aura. It certainly didn't help that he was just as fast as he was physically strong. A bright light temporarily stunned him. Immune to the feeling of pain did not mean immunity to other forms of disruption it would seem.

Rather than press on with her advantage, Jeanne decided to disengage and assist Ren and Nora instead. Tyrian's superior experience was affording him the win as Ren's movements are being predicted and disrupted. Nora's strength was taken into account and Tyrian could avoid her at times since she was opting to avoid using her weapon as well.

"Trade partners?" Jeanne offered.

Nora didn't miss a beat as she quickly deployed her hammer and smacked Hazel away. "Feels good to use Magnihild again."

"Thank you," Ren managed to muster out; he was exhausted.

Rather than engage with Tyrian on his terms, Jeanne made full use of her Maiden abilities. Ice, fire, and stone flew around her like a protective layer, preventing the scorpion Faunus from doing anything to close to her.

Ice and fire flew at Tyrian like projectiles while stone stuck close to her to keep her protected. Tyrian could guess where she was because of the metal but that did not mean he could come in for an attack.

Using the debris that were had because of the damages done to Haven's structures, Jeanne levitated those and either flung them at a distant Tyrian or used them as her weapon of choice against a melee one.

"My goddess demands a sacrifice," Tyrian said. "And I shall deliver you to her."

"Sorry," Jeanne replied. Mentally, she asked for forgiveness but she felt that it was necessity. "But that is just heresy against my Lord."

"You dare call my goddess, false?" Tyrian flew at her in a rage. "Heathen!"

That worked, Jeanne thought as she sidestepped. Tyrian's movements have become wilder, relatively speaking. In his anger and rage, Tyrian Callows cared little for his own safety only flinching occasionally when his aura had been hit. Unlike Hazel, Tyrian had a smaller and lighter flame making it easier for Jeanne to fight back.

/-/

"What is your angle here, Raven?" Ozpin, through Oscar, asked.

"I'm simply keeping to my end of the deal," Raven replied, not even bothering to look at the child. "You owe them an explanation for all your secrets, headmaster."

Oscar's hand tightened. Technically Ozpin was the one in control but it was still Oscar's body. He then sighed. "I have made many mistakes. However—"

"However, nothing!" Raven exploded. Even her eyes had begun to glow the light of the Spring Maiden. Ozpin himself still had reservations about her being the Maiden. "You kept your secrets from people you claim to trust. See where that took you? Right here, having to do the same thing over and over and over again."

The platform may have stopped but Raven Branwen did not. "And for what? Were you just twiddling your thumbs and hope for a miracle? Or did you seriously think that uniting humanity is possible, and that you only need to keep Salem at bay? You know, for someone who has lived hundreds of years, you're surprisingly naïve, aren't you? Tell me, Ozpin. Which one is it?"

Ozpin sighed. "Is everything okay?" Oscar said in his head.

"It's alright, Oscar," he assured the boy in his head. He then turned to address Raven. "First, Miss Branwen, you and Leo are living proof of why I keep my secrets. Neither of you are the first to have done what you did upon learning the truth. The difference between you and the first was that I told them myself."

Memories of all other companions that he had made over the lifetimes began filling his head. Each of them with their own faces. Could he even remember their names at this point? It had been so long.

"And no," he continued. "I did not believe that humanity would have been united and thusly settled for simply keeping her away." An image of a particular group of students and their actions stuck with him. "However, I'm beginning to think otherwise. I do not know what it is myself, but I believe that a miracle has indeed been possible."

Raven scoffed. "You referring to that other Maiden? What does she have that the others don't?"

"Faith," Ozpin answered.

"Faith? Call me a heathen, Oz, but the gods aren't exactly worth being faithful to."

"I'm not referring to the Brothers. Miss d'Arc is not of this world, that much was clear. She is from a place without their influence. Perhaps better, perhaps worse. The point is that she is an extra; a foreigner that was never meant to be here, and yet here she is. I'm sure the Branwen Tribe receives news somewhere; you must have heard of team JNPR's exploits."

"They're naïve. Making every place they go to endure the inevitable for a while longer."

"They're uniting." Ozpin emphasized. "Under the banner of—" he chuckled. "—under the banner of the Holy Maiden."

Raven rolled her eyes. She personally couldn't believe it, yet. However, a deal was a deal. She opened the doorway to the Relic of Knowledge and Ozpin stepped inside. It didn't take long for him to come back out with it.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Raven asked.

It had taken a minute before Ozpin answered. It wouldn't be the first time, but it would certainly would be in a long time. "I will tell them the truth. The whole truth. What they wish to do to me afterwards will be their own."

AN: Maybe it's my bias, but I really can't get mad at Ozpin for keeping secrets. Maybe it would be better if he had at least a temporary solution like using Silver Eyes to freeze Salem into a statue as a close compromise or something but eh.