Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...

I'm not sure why, but Raven Branwen has left her Huntress position and team STRQ."

"So Raven and Qrow Branwen know Ozpin's secrets." Marc then shut off his computer.

"Where did you find this 'trespasser'?" Raven asked the bandit.

"A couple miles out," The bandit answered. "And he was looking for you."

"He was looking for me, and you actually brought him here?" Raven questioned in an angered tone

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?"

"Fine. I'm here for answers about Ozpin."

Raven didn't seem to expect this answer. "Ozpin?" She asked, as if checking if she heard him right.

You left Beacon and Team STRQ because of something between you and Ozpin, and much like you, I'm not on the 'Trust the Sketchy Headmaster' bandwagon. He's hiding something, and you probably know what it is, so I want to know."

Raven smirked a bit and pulled her weapon away from Marc's throat. "It seems Ozpin just can't stop turning his allies away with his secrecy."

"You four will accompany the Defenders to the southeast region, locate the White Fang's base of operations, and rescue Peter before it is too late. This will be your first mission as huntresses."

"So, do we know exactly where we're going?" Jessica asked.

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby answered.

"That's right! It was an expansion of Vale!" Yang added. "But in the end, it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off by the rest of the city…"

"Why would you of all people choose to be a Huntress?" Danny asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, that didn't come across right. What I mean is, you're the heiress to the most important corporate entity, the most important family in this universe. You could've done anything with that name, or nothing. You chose to train to be a warrior. Why?"

I'm a Schnee. I've got a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no question of what I would do with my life. It's my duty."

"Well… I guess I'm a thrillseeker. I wanna travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I can help people along the way, then that's even better! It's a win-win, y'know?"

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption, someone has to stop it."

The eight of them then settled in for the night, hoping tomorrow would prove more fruitful results for the search for Peter Parker.

The Defenders of Remnant

Chapter 23: Quote the Raven

Raven sipped in her tea, Vernal sat across from her doing the same. The two did so silently until Vernal spoke up. "Are you sure we shouldn't just kill that man now?" She asked.

"We will," Raven replied, "Just wait patiently. He may still be of use to us."

"Useful how?"

"That is what we'll wait and see soon enough," Raven said as she took another sip. The two's peace was quickly interrupted when a commotion could be heard outside the tent. "What is going on out there?!" Raven stood up and held one of her hands on the hilt of her weapon as both she and Vernal exited the tent, only to find an ever growing pile of beaten and brutalized bandits strewn about the ground around Marc Spector, free from his bods and blood starting to stain the white of his gloves. Vernal moved to stop him when Raven put a hand in front of her. "Not yet. I want to see firsthand what he can do." Raven then watched the ex-mercenary with interest. His methods were brutal, with the thinnest barrier of mercy. If anything, keeping his adversaries alive was a worse punishment. He would snap bones in half, dislocate jaws, shatter noses. His fighting was brutal, but precise. Monstrous, yet swift. Raven couldn't help but smirk. He would make a fine member of the tribe. She holds her right hand up above her head.

"That's enough!" Her men quickly paused and backed away from Marc. The ones that could walk at least. At least eight were on the ground, two were crawling away, and the rest no longer had the capacity to move at all. Raven gave no care. Yes, this amounted to almost thirty total of her men that Marc had torn through in just a few days, but if anything, that showed just how many men Marc Spector was worth. And if Raven could convince him to join the tribe? He would prove invaluable. "What was your name?"

"Marc Spector."

"Well, Marc Spector, you now have my attention. Clean yourself up, then come join me, and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability." Raven turned on her heel and re-entered her tent while Vernal looked in confusion in shock after her. Then she glared at Marc with immediate anger. Marc glared back at her, not a word said between them, then Vernal followed her leader back into the tent.

Ironwood stood at the edge of the bay on Beacon's campus, staring off towards the silhouetted city of Vale with his hands behind his back. The Punisher had reported that Penny made it to her dorm safely, after which Ironwood relieved him for the night. The general himself was having trouble sleeping, unable to share in the same rest.

"Trouble sleeping?" Goodwitch asked as she approached, taking a place to the general's left.

Ironwood chuckled a bit and glanced at her. "Arm was acting up," He said, patting his covered-up left arm.

"Ah, of course," Goodwitch replied. "So logically you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely, and decided to gaze menacingly off into the distance." Goodwitch then took a small step closer to Ironwood. "What's wrong?"

He exhaled a bit. "I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just… I can't help but feel he's keeping us in the dark."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know very well that we aren't the ones in the dark."

"That makes it worse," Ironwood chuckled in an exasperated way. "I refuse to believe that a man I've trusted for so long would act so… passively.."

"You're a good person, James," Goodwitch assured him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "You've always done what you think is right for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stop talking about trust, and started showing it." She lets her hand slide off his shoulder. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering."

Everyone had laid down for the night, save Ruby who still sat in an opening in the wall to keep watch of the surrounding area. She eyed up a Beowulf through the scope of Crescent Rose's sniper mode, before letting the weapon fall to her lap and sighing out of boredom and impatience. She wanted both more action and to find Peter as soon as possible. She took out her scroll and opened her photo gallery, scrolling through and looking upon pictures taken with Peter over the last few months. One she stopped on was of RWBY, JNPR and Peter the day after orientation, with the nine of them huddled together, each with a smile to the camera. She stared at Peter in the picture, standing between her and Yang on the left side of the photo. Peter and Yang had an arm around each other's shoulders, and Peter's other hand was placed on Ruby's shoulder. She couldn't begin to explain it, but the two sisters especially became fast friends with Peter. In less than a month, Ruby had felt Peter was as close to her as Yang, her own flesh and blood, almost like he was her older sibling as well. All of this before she even knew he was behind the mask of Spider-Man, a hero who she considered a role model upon his first appearance. She guessed it only made sense they were one and the same. She let out a sad sigh and set her scroll aside, trying to take her mind off of it.

One of her teammates wasn't better off. Weiss laid on her mat, running her thumb over the tiny gems decorating the necklace Peter had gifted her. Despite how the two had clashed so fiercely when they first met, and even more so since then, Weiss considered Peter a good friend, on the same level as the rest of her teammates. In a way, he along with the rest of her team became her new family. And given what she knew about Peter's past, perhaps the same was true from his perspective.

"Blake, you awake?" She heard Yang say quietly. This broke Weiss from her stupor and she quit caressing the jeweled snowflake.

"Yeah," Blake replied.

"Why do you think they asked us about being Huntresses? Were they trying to get at something? Or was it just a coincidence?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. Really, I'm thinking about… well, the obvious…" Blake said.

"We're all thinking about him," Yang said. "But I think it's better we think about it too much. If we overthink it, imagine the worst possible scenario… it'll drive us crazy until we find him."

"Agreed," Blake sighed. "No, I don't know why they asked. Maybe they were all just as curious about us as we were of them. We haven't really been around them too much."

"You think?" Yang propped herself up on one arm.

"No," Blake retracted. Yang sighed and laid back flat again.

"Weiss, you awake?" She asked.

"Of course I'm awake, you two are talking," Weiss replied, not admitting she was also thinking about Peter. "And I think they… when I said I wanted to uphold the family name, I meant it, but it's not what you think. I'm not stupid, I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a… moral gray area."

"That's putting it lightly," Blake remarked.

Weiss sat up and looked at her faunus teammate. "Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it." The heiress then laid back down on her mat.

"All my life, I've fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea for a 'perfect future' turned out to be… not perfect for everybody. I joined the academy because I knew Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world, always fighting for good. I never really thought past that. When I leave the academy, what will I…" She pauses a moment, a catch in her throat. "How can I undo so many years of hate?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Yang assured her. "You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake."

"But I am! I do it all the time!" Blake replied. "When you learned I was a faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself, an empty copy to take the hit while I run away…"

"At least you two have something that drives you," Yang said before rolling over onto her stomach. "I've kinda always gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am! But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a huntress, but not really because I wanna be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a huntress just happens to line up with that." She rolled back over onto her back, placing her hand behind her head. "I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she dreamt about being like the heroes in the books, helping people and saving the day, and never asking for something in return. Even though she couldn't fight yet, that's what she knew she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."

"Well, she's still just a kid," Weiss said.

"She's only two years younger," Blake said. "Peter told me he was fifteen too when he started being a hero, and he didn't have any training. Face it, we're all kids."

"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are!" Yang replied. "In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth?"

"It's the life we chose," Blake agreed.

"It's a job," Weiss corrected. "We all have this romanticized vision of being a huntress in our head, but at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people. And whatever we want will have to come second."

In the next room over, while Luke, Jessica and Danny slept away, Matt sat awake, listening in and smirking at the conversation.

Marc now sat across from Raven, a new warm pot of tea placed between them. Marc didn't even reach for a cup. As Raven sipped her tea, Vernal still angrily glared at him. He returned it without a spoken word. "So, Marc Spector," Raven said as she set her cup down, "What particular questions do you have?"

"Ozpin is hiding something from the rest of his staff, the rest of his kingdom. And yet, he told you and your brother. Why? And what was it he had to say behind closed doors?" Marc asked.

Raven smirked a bit. "Ozpin trusted our team, my brother and I especially. He told us the truth behind the Grimm, the huntsman academies, and the very purpose that we fight."

"That truth being?"

"That the Grimm are merely the moving forces of a woman named Salem, who aims to wipe out what remains of humanity on Remnant, especially Ozpin."

Ask about the Two, Khonshu's voice rang in Marc's head.

"I was under the impression that the Grimm were created by the Younger Brother, this supposed God of Darkness," Marc said.

"Hm. You've done your research. Yes, the Grimm were initially created by the Younger Brother, but the gods have since abandoned Remnant, and the creation of new Grimm has fallen to Salem," Raven replied.

"So why does she want Ozpin dead in particular?" Marc asked.

"Apparently, there's some kind of vendetta, though even I couldn't tell you the details. All I know is Salem hates Ozpin, very much so. And that this feud of theirs has gone on for centuries." Raven refilled her cup and sipped on more tea.

"I'm sorry, centuries?" Marc repeated.

Raven smirked a bit again and set her cup aside. "Salem herself has proven to be immortal, and the same could almost be said for Ozpin's soul. Any time the man dies, his conscience merges with that of a living like-minded soul, as is the curse of Ozma bestowed upon him by the gods for failing to stop Salem long ago. His curse was the last mark the Brothers made on Remnant before they left us to fend for ourselves."

It seems the headmaster has some explaining to do, Khonshu remarked.

To all of us, Steven added.

I told you we couldn't trust him, Jake said, finally coming back from months of silence.

Marc's eyebrow slightly twitched, then he looked back to Raven. "So if it's a vendetta, then there's more to this fight than sending Grimm out into the world to kill everyone. What else is there?"

"Astute deduction, Mister Spector. But I have given so many answers, and asked no questions of you. So before we continue further, I want to know more about the man I have let within my tribe's walls."

"I didn't come here to answer questions, I came to ask them. You've given me what I wanted so far, but you're holding out on one last thing, which to me seems like the most important. So I won't ask, Branwen, what is Ozpin hiding?"

"You're in no place to make demands, Spector," Raven replied. "For the one so hard-pressed for the information you desire, you push your luck to its furthest limits."

"Because I've wasted too much time on my manhunt for you," Marc said.

"More time will be wasted the longer this takes. So I suggest you stay in your seat, and answer my questions as well," Raven said sternly.

"And is that a threat, Branwen?" Marc said aggressively, leaning forward on the table.

"Perhaps it is," Raven replied as she also leaned forward. "And?"

"You've seen what I can do to everyone else in your tribe. Why don't we see how well you fare?"

"I could say the same to you," Raven said, a faint glow starting to appear around her eyes. Marc could feel Khonshu stir. But before a conflict came, Raven smiled and the glow disappeared as fast as it came, and she sat back down. "I like you. You're aggressive, brutal; Not afraid to get some blood on your hands if it gets you what you need."

"At least my hands aren't stained with innocent blood," Marc sneered as he also sat back down.

She is hiding her own secret, Khonshu muttered, The powers of a god reside in her just as they reside in you.

We'll find an opportunity to pry the answer from her, Jake remarked.

"Blood is blood, Marc Spector," Raven said dismissively.

"I don't ever want innocent's dead at my hand again," Marc snarled.

"So you have done as we have."

"That was another life," Marc denied.

"We all have one life, and wasting any part of it fretting about the past is time that could be spent on the future," Raven said.

"Is that why you abandoned your husband and daughter? Why you left your team to fend for themselves? At any point, did it occur to you that had you stayed with your team, regardless of how you felt about Ozpin, that Summer Rose might still be alive?"

"Stay your tongue," Raven snapped. "My tribe, my family needed me here. Without my leadership, this tribe would have fallen long ago."

"Your family is exactly where you don't want to look: behind you. You have a husband and a daughter that you abandoned without a second thought-"

"Of course I gave it thought," Raven snarled. "But I don't need to explain my decisions to you."

"You're right. You just need to tell me what Ozpin's keeping secret, and where those borrowed powers of a god you have came from," Marc replied. Raven and Vernal's eyes slightly widened in surprise.

"How did you-" Vernal started to say.

"I have a god of my own behind me, one who is very happy to let me tear through every inch of this camp until I have my answers. And if you want no mercy, Raven? You will have it."

"You're bluffing. The gods have long since abandoned Remnant, the only remaining fragments of their power in the world within Salem, Ozpin and the Maidens." Raven then realized what she let slip. "Dammit…" She cursed through gritted teeth. Her patience was growing thin with Marc. Vernal remained silent to the side, watching the back and forth between Raven and Marc, one trying to bait information from the other in a precise skirmish of psychological warfare, one that Vernal was now realizing Raven was gradually losing.

"The Maidens? You mean that stupid fairy tale you tell kids?"

Raven sighed, realizing there was no reason to avoid the topic further. "Yes. The story is entirely true. Except in reality, the old man in the story was Ozpin. He gifted part of his powers given to him by the Older to the four young women. Those four women became known as the Maidens, each with a part of the God of Light's powers, and each representing a season of the year: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall."

"And you're one of them," Marc said.

Raven hesitantly nodded with an angered look on her face. "When a Maiden dies, her power goes to the next worthy young woman, or to the last person in her thoughts, unless that person is a man or too old. That is how I obtained the powers of the Spring Maiden."

"So, what, you killed the Maiden?"

"Of course not!" Raven snapped, almost defensively. Marc noted she almost seemed hurt by the accusation. However, Raven composed herself and continued. "No. The last Spring Maiden ran away from her responsibilities, and she ended up falling into my lap, you could say. She was scared, alone. I gave her a home within the tribe, and trained her to defend herself, made her strong. She was thankful to us, to me. But in the end… it didn't matter. The maiden still passed on, and her powers came to me. Because she trusted me so much, I was the last person he thought of before leaving this world, and before I knew it I was the new Spring Maiden. And I have since used this power to protect my tribe from those who would see us destroyed."

"Hm… you mentioned responsibilities that Spring was running from. Her responsibility, it's Ozpin's final secret, isn't it?" Marc asked.

"I'm done answering questions," Raven said as she stood up. "I will give you this one chance to leave my camp and never return."

"And here I thought you liked me," Marc teased as he also stood up. "But maybe you didn't hear me: I'm not going anywhere until I have all of my answers. And my god is more powerful than your fraction of an old man's curse."

"You have no god," Raven spat as she gripped her the hilt of her weapon. "Now leave, and never return!"

Marc leaned forward. "Make me."

Marc regretted the words once a blast of energy sent him flying out of Raven's tent and skidding through the dirt, stopping right back in the open area where he had just fought her tribe. Raven stomped out of her tent, following Marc out. "You have run my patience thin. I will no longer tolerate your presence in my camp. So you will leave with your ideas of a false god, or you will die with that belief! Make your choice!"

"Seems like she doesn't believe in you too much," Marc said.

Then we will make her believe. We will make her see, Khonshu replied. Marc dug into his utility belt and retrieved a small totem, no bigger than the palm of his hand, in the shape of a humanoid bird holding a staff with a crescent topper. I have an idea. Marc listened as Khonshu ran him through a plan, and nodded. He looked back up at Raven.

"So what will it be, Marc?" Raven asked hatefully.

"This. Catch." Marc tossed the totem to her, and she caught it before looking it over.

"What is this? An idol to your imaginary god?" Raven asked.

"Why not give it a touch of your maiden powers? Mix in a little of that semblance of yours?" Marc suggested. Raven scoffed at the suggestion, but then eyed up the totem again, curious. She decided to entertain the idea, and surged some of her maiden energy through the totem, only for it to quickly shatter in her hand, a small wave of silver energy passing over. She scoffed again.

"What was that supposed to-" She looked back up at Marc only to see a figure standing behind him, a large body of a man with a floating bird skull above it's shoulders, wrapped in bandages and rusted pale armor. In its left hand was a staff identical to the one from the totem, and brandished in its chest was the same crescent moon emblem Marc bore on his outfit. "... achieve…?"

"Maybe I should thank you, Raven. With a touch of your semblance, and some of that power from your god, I was able to bring mine," Marc smirked, his eyes now glowing. "And now you see him too."

"W-What is this?!" Raven asked in confusion.

"Raven, what is it?" Vernal asked. "What are you seeing?"

"This… this proves nothing!" Raven exclaimed before she let out a bolt of lighting from her hand, an attack Marc stopped effortlessly by simply putting out his own hand. Raven's eyes widened and she took a step backwards, pure shock and even fear running through her.

"Need I remind you, you carry merely a fraction of a fraction of a god's power. But I am the genuine article," Khonshu said. He then glanced up at the shattered moon. "Allow me to show you." Khonshu and Marc both simultaneously put a hand out towards Remnant's moon. Raven, Vernal and the rest of the present tribe members looked upwards, looking at their broken moon curiously, and nothing happens for a moment.

Then the broken pieces start to move, piecing back together one by one until Remnant's moon had become whole once again.

Raven's eyes widened even further, and her grip on her sword loosened. The weapon slipped from her hand and clanged on the ground, and the tribe leader dropped to her knees, her vision locked on Remnant's now whole orbiting moon.

"So, Raven," Khonshu boomed, his own voice echoing through Marc's mouth as well, so every bandit heard him, "What was that you said about a false god?" Marc and Khonshu then swiped their hands down and the moon blew back apart, shattering once more, returning to almost the exact state and position it was in before. Raven felt her soul sink to the ground. The Brothers may have been long gone, but a real, in-the-flesh god stood before her, and she had incited his fury. Vernal was shaking behind Raven, staring at Marc as she couldn't see Khonshu, but knew the voice she heard wasn't his. "Now, kneel, welp."

"W-What?" Raven stammered, looking back at the lunar god.

"I said," Khonshu raised his staff up and slammed it against the ground, shaking the very earth below Raven's knees, "Kneel!" Raven put her hands down on the ground, looking down as well. As the ground shook below them, the other bandits did the same, including Vernal. Now the entire tribe bowed before Khonshu. Raven heard as Marc stepped towards her, and she looked up just as he kneeled down in front of her.

"Now, what is Ozpin hiding?"

Ruby was trying to fall asleep after Yang had taken up watch. She started to feel sleep come down on her when Zwei stirred next to her, standing up and facing towards an exit back into the ruined city. Ruby propped herself and turned to her pet. "Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed," Ruby yawned. Zwei lightly barked and bolted out the door. "Zwei? Zwei!" Ruby quietly but quickly got up and followed her dog out the door, grabbing Crescent Rose along the way. "Zwei? Zwei where are you? Zwei!" Ruby stopped, however, when she saw Zwei relieving himself behind a metal scaffolding. Ruby just sighed. "Zwei, this is a wasteland. You literally could have done that anywhere." Zwei barked and hopped along back over to Ruby. She picked him up and started to carry him back to the camp when Ruby started to hear voices.

"What was that?" Ruby quickly hid behind one of the large metal scaffoldings and looked down the road to see two members of the White Fang.

"What was what?"

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something," The first one said.

The second just sighed. "Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base." The two then started off down the street, away from Ruby and Zwei. "This place gives me the creeps." Ruby glanced up and saw Matt on the roof of the corner building, looking down. He looked over at her and nodded before following the two from above. Ruby nodded back and dropped Zwei before also tailing them from a distance behind. They followed up to an abandoned building with a lock on the front doors. Ruby stopped at the corner and held Zwei just around the bend.

"Did they go in yet? One bark means yes," Ruby said. After a few moments, the White Fang locked the door behind them, and Zwei let out a single bark. Ruby quickly set the dog back down and grinned excitedly. "This is it, this is it!"

Matt dropped down next to her and Zwei. "Ruby, call the others."

Ruby nodded and took out her scroll, trying to call the rest of her team, but a warning with red text read Low Signal across her screen. "Dang it!"

"Then c'mon, let's go back and get them ourselves," Matt said. Ruby nodded, and the three started off back towards the camp, but Matt stopped them as they started to cross the street.

"Hm? What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Back up," Matt replied, and the three back away from the center of the street. "The street under us is unstable," He then stomped his foot on the ground and listened. He heard the hollow ground below, and could feel the vibrations cut short at a certain point. "And there's a big drop below it."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Glad you caught that. Would've been bad if we fell through."

"C'mon. Let's go get the others," Matt said.