It's the co-author's birthday! Wish Tricia a happy birthday.
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When Ben first heard of Mistral City and saw some of the Mistralian villages he'd helped on missions, he thought he knew what to expect when they arrived at the city. He was honestly expecting something like Ba Sing Se.
The only thing he was right on was the architecture.
From the airship window, Ben could see the city built entirely into two mountains. Every part of the twin mountains, from the summits above to even the foothills below was covered in oriental styled buildings, even in the shadow of the peaks there were buildings and residences. Bridges ran between the valley that separated the two mountains, giving the population ease of access to both sides of the city. Ben's attention was suddenly drawn to the top of both peaks, a single building spanning over both of the summits: Haven Academy. Two towers flanked the impressive institution, one of which was no doubt the CCT tower of the city, if not both of them.
"Welcome to Mistral," Qrow said with a smirk.
"It's beautiful," Ruby said as she walked up next to Ben. She was right, the city was stunning, an architectural masterpiece.
"Beautiful up top, maybe."
"Why only at the top?" Rook asked.
"Cause that's where the high-society folks are. The further down the mountain you go, the worse conditions get," Qrow explained, "That's why the place has two different reputations. One side's got all the stuff that makes the world pretty: fashion, theater, architecture, and so on. The other? The biggest criminal underworld in any of the kingdoms. Thriving black market deals and assassination businesses…"
"...I feel as if I should ask how you know this."
"Been around here before. Made some friends, made some enemies," Ruby's uncle shrugged it off though, "Doesn't matter how many enemies you got, though. Plenty of places to hide out here."
"Speaking of 'places to hide,' Ironwood said he had a place for us to stay?" Kevin asked.
"I have the address and everything," Weiss said, holding up her Scroll, "Three stories, plenty of bedrooms, a training room, and it's on one of the upper levels. The closer to Haven, the better."
"We're heading there first," Qrow said, walking back to his seat from the cockpit. He passed by the two least trustworthy people on this flight, at least, in his opinion. Yeah, he heard what they all said. They helped stop Salem's little portal-maker and fight off whatever Breach had in her personal hell, but...personally, Qrow was still against having Neo and Albedo here to begin with.
How was it that he had the reasonable idea to throw them back in their cell but Ironwood was the one who actually suggested taking them along? Albedo served his purpose when he decoded the files and that should've been it.
Albedo looked out the window, observing the beautiful Mistral architecture.
"Seems like a nice place to live. A lot larger than Vale was," the Galvan said.
It's like the gruff uncle said, Neo signed, Only nice at the top... Her usual sass was there, considering her name for Qrow, but she seemed a little...distracted. She was looking out towards the lower levels of the city, almost wistfully. Albedo caught the expression and quickly pieced things together.
"...he was from here, wasn't he?"
Wind Path technically. But he moved here for a bit. Even worked for someone we've met.
"I see..." Albedo said, taking a deep breath. Neo didn't say who exactly that someone was, but he had an idea. His eyes then focused on her bowler cap.
"...think he would approve of what you're doing now?" the Galvan asked.
If it means avenging him? Yeah. Neo said. Not a doubt in my mind.
Qrow rolled his eyes and got ready, seeing the docks come into view. While the others might seem more "friendly" with those two, he was still gonna keep an eye on them.
When the ship landed at the airship docks, Rook quickly put on his ID mask, the disguise forming over his usual look before the doors opened to let everyone out. The group quickly grabbed their stuff, having packed a bit since they had no idea how long they would be staying. Knowing the way Salem operated though, that might be a while. Her modus operandi is slow but effective.
Qrow handled most of the customs issues, even showing cover IDs for Albedo and Neo's current disguise, a green eyed girl with black hair done in a twin tail style. The group walked through the city and just took in the sights after leaving the docks behind them. They made their way through a marketplace on their route to the safehouse, passing by various stalls and shops. Despite it being ten in the morning by the time they reached the place, it was already abuzz with activity. Everything from ramen restaurants to weapon vendors, the latter of which Ruby couldn't help but not-so-discreetly look at, just to see what they were selling, were on full display. Min's eyes were drawn to what was billed as an occult store, but she scoffed it off after looking at one of the books on display.
"Dollar store stuff," Min explained when Kevin gave her a look, "Nothing really interesting."
"Hmm…I may have to return here before we head back," Blonko said, looking at a stall selling small plants, like bonsai trees, "Something to add more life to the Atlas quarters."
"If you can get it past Harriet's approval," Yang quipped.
"It is a plant, Yang," Blonko deadpanned.
"Yeah, and it's Harriet we're talking about."
"...touché."
"It sounds like you've all forgotten the real reason we're here," Albedo chimed in.
"We haven't forgotten, Dirty Red This is just the first time we've been here. Basically tourists!" Yang defended.
"One, that is not the most flattering comparison. Two…Dirty Red?"
"I'm still working out a nickname for you."
Aw, look. She's starting to like you, Neo smirked.
"You…don't have any nicknames for Neo, do you?" Albedo asked, slightly smirking.
"Of course, I do! I got plen-" Yang froze, her eyes going wide and looking over to the multicolored mute.
Go on. If you have so many, why not share some?
"...no. I have definitely made a mistake of some severity here."
What I thought~
Eventually, the group came to a railed off circular platform. Multiple people from the massive crowd in this district stepped onto it. The group followed suit, with only Qrow not showing any real confusion or hesitation. Once Neo took a step on, being the last one, the platform began to move up to the higher levels, making occasional stops to let off and take on more people. From what the group saw of those upper levels, it turned out Qrow was right. The further up they went, the living conditions progressively got better and better. The level the docks were on wasn't bad, per se, almost like an average suburb, but with each successful level, the wealth inherent there was obvious; from suburb to high-class to gated community type to what looked like, to Weiss anyway, an eastern-themed Atlesian neighborhood.
"Woah. It's like Atlas, but in a more...natural way," Rex commented, "Pretty cool."
"Uh huh," Qrow nodded absent-mindedly.
"Actually…where have you been?" Ben asked.
"Huh?"
"It's been like a good while since we've seen you, uncle Qrow. Well...beyond the whole...thing a few weeks ago," Ruby added, her voice still a bit unsure every time she brought it up, "After that, you just vanished again. Where did you go?"
Qrow brushed off the question, much to his niece's annoyance.
"Alright, we got some quick rules to deal with: one- No mentioning Oscar. We're trying to keep Ozpin's reincarnation as 'need to know,' as James would say. Don't know who else is out there," Qrow began, "Two- no shenanigans, no showing off, none of that crap. We're trying to keep a low profile here. And three..." Qrow gave Ben a dirty look, "Shut up when I tell you to."
Ben grimaced, "Yeah, yeah. Now...get out of my face, dude. You smell like you haven't brushed your teeth in weeks."
"...I've been hunting endlessly these past few weeks. Sorry if my hygiene ain't up to your standards," Qrow frowned.
"Hunting?" Kevin asked.
"I've been busy looking for other hunters in the Mistral area, have some more eyes out here instead of relying on mission bulletins, but...seems to be a mighty deficit of them around. Funny, since this is a very busy area. With a school no less..." Qrow explained.
"And they're not just out on missions?" Yang asked.
"Thought the same thing at first. Plenty of claimed jobs from the boards, but the timing didn't add up. Three weeks for a pack of Beowolves? Almost six for a King Taijitu? For rookies, that might make some sense. But for veterans? For guys who'd gladly take on Blind Worms or Goliaths if they had enough ammo?"
"So, you got suspicious," Ben said.
"Yep...seems that the frog back there was right," Qrow turned his focus to Albedo, "Don't know how, don't wanna know how, but Salem's influence has already seeped into the city. However she got in, Leo's been neglecting it," the gruff huntsman huffed.
"Leo?" Ruby repeated.
"The Haven Headmaster," Qrow explained, "He's...an interesting one."
"I'm assuming he's the odd man out between you and Ironwood," Ceres said.
"No, that's Theodore."
"...know what, I'll ask about him later."
"Leo's always been a polite and compassionate man," Ozpin chimed in, "He has many of the traits that an academy's headmaster should, but there's an additional reason why I chose him to take up the position."
"And that is?" Ben asked.
"Mistral is super racist towards the Faunus. Professor Lionheart, so far, is the only Faunus to ever become the Headmaster at Haven. Despite the prestige the position would usually grant, he's under constant duress and scorn from the community. Very few hunters respect him, especially the native Mistralian ones," Blake sighed, "One step forward means ten more reasons people can use to make him fail."
"Poor guy..." Rook huffed, "I cannot imagine living like that."
"It's impressive it hasn't broken him yet," Blake said, "I feel most people would have resigned with this much pressure hovering over them."
"At least he's humble like that," Min said.
"What kids went to Haven..." Kylie wondered, "Uh, Arslan, that Werlyn chick...didn't Coco transfer here?"
"No, I think she and her team went to Vacuo," Yang corrected.
"That sounds about right," Kylie agreed.
"Atlas wasn't really that popular when people considered transfer options? Wonder why," Qrow joked a little.
The platform came to a stop and the Branwen brother motioned for them all to follow him; this was their stop. The level that they were on looked to be about two or three lower than the academy, the institution looming over those last few levels from the summits.
The safehouse was pretty much like Weiss had described from her quick list back on the ship. It was a traditional Mistrallian house with three floors, built into the side of a small hill, the ground floor resting partially atop it. Qrow went up and unlocked the door to the main floor, opening it to show a wooden-floored living room, a rectangular stone coffee table surrounded by two couches and a chair. Behind that was the main feature of the house, a small multi-story enclosed garden with glass walls. To the right of the room were stairs leading to the other two floors.
"Woahhhhhh." Ruby said, putting her face against the glass. "This place is HUGE. I can't believe you paid for all this, Weiss!"
"Surprisingly, I didn't," Weiss said, pulling Ruby's head away.
"Huh? Then who-"
Qrow coughed. "I…tend to be a lot more careful with my spending nowadays, kid."
"...I don't believe you," Ben admitted.
"Professional Huntsmen jobs pay well. All I'll say on that."
The others followed them in, Rook taking off the ID mask once they were all inside and the door was closed.
"Upstairs are the bedrooms, downstairs' weapon storage and a training room," Qrow explained, taking a seat and bringing out his Scroll. He brought up a list of hunters that he could still try and get a hold of. Compared to how many names were crossed out, though, it was a short list: Shiro Wan, Heather Shields, Cyan Kratz, Ivy Altham among a few others.
"Think this place has bunk beds?" Ruby asked hopefully.
"Functional ones, hopefully. Not the ones we had at Beacon," Blake said.
"How did you even hang up those up?" Ben asked.
"Magic," Yang joked, complete with that "wiggly hand" gesture.
...I wanna ask, but at the same time I don't, Neo admitted before she started walking over and made her way up to the second floor.
"Oh! Hey, if you're going up there, could you check?" Ruby asked. Neo looked back and shrugged before continuing up. Wouldn't hurt to look, right?
"Can one of you go up with her?" Qrow asked without even looking up from his Scroll. Albedo raised a brow at that, not really thinking much of it at the time.
Ben and Ruby settled down on a couch, and sighed. "This place is too nice, honestly." Ben said. "I feel like we should be somewhere…seedier."
Qrow looked up.
"Not saying that to piss you off, but like…wow." Ben said, looking around.
"...not gonna lie, never thought a safehouse could be this nice either," Qrow admitted with a shrug, "But I wouldn't get too comfy. You and Ruby are coming with me. We're gonna pay Leo a visit."
"Good idea. Mind if I tag along?" Rex asked. Qrow had completely forgotten that the Ace-Op had come with them. Maybe he was the reason those two were allowed out of cuffs.
"...why not?" Qrow shrugged after thinking it over a little.
"I've never been to Haven. How does it pale in comparison to Beacon?" Ben joked.
"It's something..." Qrow mumbled.
Qrow wasn't lying, either. The Mistralian Huntsman academy was certainly a sight to behold. The four of them were passing by numerous different buildings, each displaying that trademark eastern style, but somehow even more grand. Students moved from building to building as they went about their daily routine, some heading to what Ruby correctly guessed was a weapons' workshop, given the larger metal chimney jutting up from the roof, while others headed to more generic looking buildings with no real hints about what was inside. They eventually passed through a massive stone quad with some lampposts dotting the perimeter. Wooden benches and even small bits of planted shrubbery helped decorate the space, with a whole forest beyond the edges. Flanking the quad, but before the forest, were the two towers that could be seen from the airship on the flight in and from the look of it. Both towers served the same role as Beacon Tower, making up another part of the CCT network. As it stood now, though, the towers only allowed for communication across Mistral. Right across from the way they came was the great hall, a spacious and multi-storied building with a golden ornament situated on the roof.
"Woooooooah," Ben said, a bit awestruck, "This place is awesome, actually! Ruby, how come you didn't come here!?"
Ruby snickered. "Well, obviously, the price. It costs a pretty penny to get in. It's second to Atlas as the most expensive."
"I can see why," Rex said, looking around, "Seems like my kind of school."
"Personally? I don't see it," Qrow scoffed as he went up to the grand hall's double doors. When he pushed them open, a small part of him expected Leonardo to be on the other side. No such luck though; the old Headmaster was probably in his office around now.
"Alright...I'm gonna try and find Leo. He loves walking around this damn place," Qrow sighed. Ben and Ruby took note of the students, giving them weird looks and whispers.
"Feels weird to be in a school like this, especially now." Ben admitted.
"At least we know we won't be alone?" Ruby shrugged.
Qrow decided to try his luck, ascending the stairs at the back of the main hall and made his way down one of the hallways that connected the hall to one of the other buildings on a higher level. Once the veteran Huntsmen was out of earshot, Ben smirked a little.
"What are the odds that the guy's just in his office?" Ben asked.
"If he is, we'll have to tell Qrow...juuuust not right away," Ruby smirked.
Ben, Ruby and Rex walked through the halls, admiring the classrooms and awards in cases. Beacon? Sure, it was nice and cozy, but Haven? It was like walking through a rich person's house.
Walking down the halls for a few more minutes led to a small waiting room outside Leonardo's office. The doors were closed and even the waiting desk was unmanned, a few black leather couches set up around the room for visitors.
"Well, worth a shot to knock, right?" Ben shrugged, as he walked over to the door.
"You won't find the headmaster in his office. He stepped out for the morning."
Ruby turned around to see a familiar face.
"Wait...Cardin?" Ruby blinked, as she looked the character up and down. Cardin looked taller and a bit more unruly, as his armor had notable scratches on it, signifying he'd been in a lot of tough battles since the last time they'd met. As if to match the tarnished state of his armor, his eyes looked a little less bright as well.
"Hey," Cardin said casually, "Long time no see."
"You know this guy?" Rex asked.
"Uh, yeah," Ben rubbed the back of his head, "We attended Beacon together."
Cardin studied Rex for a few moments, "...alright, I'll bite. What's his crazy gimmick?"
"What?" Ben blinked.
"Dude, come on. All of your friends have a gimmick at this point. Your emo friend has those...weird transformations, there's that gas girl, that muscular one that shoots fire, the really skilled one- what's his gimmick?" Cardin folded his arms.
"Well, I've got amnesia. Is that a gimmick?" Rex joked.
"Whatever. It'll do," Cardin shrugged.
"Wow, no insult. What happened to you, dude?" Ben aksed.
"...I think that's a conversation we should have over coffee," the former Beacon student sighed, motioning for them to follow, "Come on. I'll take you to the cafe."
Ben and Ruby shared a glance, as if to say "are we really doing this?" Rex just followed Cardin blindly, blissfully unaware of his history between the two.
"Well, the idiot's following him. We got no choice at this point," Ben sighed.
"Plus," Ruby said, stomach slightly rumbling, "...I could go for a snack."
The cafe was actually quite a nice place that resembled a Mistralian version of Starbucks. The cafe itself was part of the mess hall which, for the most part, was rather empty at this hour. Some students were there, taking advantage of the precious break time between some of their classes. One of the few students that Ruby and Ben recognized was actually Arslan, leader of Team ABRN. She didn't notice them herself, too busy with her own studies of Grimm hunting tactics. Cardin actually told them that Arslan was something of a star student at the school, having earned the title of "The Golden Lion of Haven Academy." In a way, it reminded Ruby and Ben of Pyrrha and her own title of "The Invincible Girl." Cardin took them over and let them order something. After paying for it, the former Beacon student took them to a table to get his story started. Cardin looked down at his coffee cup and sighed.
"After the Battle of Beacon, I had to come to terms with a lot of things," Cardin began, "One- I'm not as strong as I think. I'm just the little guy in the midst of a grand scale war on the horizon."
"Understandable," Rex said, half listening and shoving another croissant in his face.
"Second- I got to understand the cost of that war," Cardin said, gripping his coffee cup a little bit, "...I lost some of my friends during the fight. Even my own teammate, Sky. That…that was by far the hardest trial. I dunno if I ever came to terms with it, but, I'm on my feet again so...I guess I am? Like I said, I dunno. I'm not good with words."
"We get your angle, don't worry," Ruby said, dipping her cookie into her glass of milk.
"Third...I realized something important. This is an issue I'm still working on, but I'm proud of the progress I've made," Cardin said, "I'm trying to just...be equal with others."
Ruby's jaw nearly dropped, "...holy shit, who are you and what did you do with Cardin?"
Cardin chuckled, "Like I said- I'm a different person now. I've been making an effort to just cut all the racism out of my life. I've been a shitty person for too long...and maybe for once, I wanna be someone more than just an asshole."
Ben squinted, "Damn. While we were fighting mummies and a rift-creating freak of nature, you went through a whole character arc."
"...what?" Cardin blinked.
"It's not important," Rex said.
"But, uh, yeah, I decided to make a new start at Haven, like most of the other kids did," Cardin explained, "Of course, those of us who didn't have a full team were kinda split up. I'm a member of Team WBRG (Warbringer). It's not that different from Beacon. Although...I do kinda miss Ozpin."
Ben, Ruby and Rex exchanged knowing glances.
"Lionheart certainly is no Ozpin. Don't be fooled by his name; while he's all nice and polite, dude's kind of a...well, I can't find any other word to say. The dude's a pussy," Cardin rolled his eyes, "He's been so frighty and panicked after the whole Beacon thing. We have a curfew, a strict ruleset to follow, teachers accompanying students on missions is mandatory...hell, I had to go through a screening to make sure I wasn't a terrorist like that Cinder Fall lady."
"That's why we're here to talk to him," Ben explained, "We wanna see if we can get some answers for the general from her enrollment certificate or...whatever." At least, that was partially true. The general had ordered the group to keep the leaked intel of Operation Hana-Aki under wraps. The last thing the city needed was a cause for a new panic, so the "official" reason they were there was to investigate Cinder's connection to the school.
"Any ideas on why he's so protective?" Ruby asked.
"I think it may have to do with the missing hunters and huntresses recently," Cardin shrugged, "There's been some recent cases about some dude going around murdering them because...I dunno. He's probably unhinged." Cardin spotted a discarded newspaper on another table. He snatched it up, and handed it to Ruby.
"See? Here's something..." Cardin tapped the front page of the issue.
Ruby's eyes read the print-
...Huntress Dandee Ray was found dead last night, following a mission to take out some Creeps near a small Mistral town. The body was found with two massive slash marks on his neck. Autopsy reports show no sign of a struggle- just a simple, well placed blow. He is survived by-
Ruby could feel this awful sickness in her stomach after reading it.
"It's been crazy," Cardin said, "Some of the kids are scared to go out now cuz of this guy."
"I can imagine why," Ben frowned, "I got attacked by a crazy dude once. Wasn't all that bad- it got Ruby back into my life."
Cardin looked at Ben, once again totally lost as to what he was talking about. The former Beacon student was about to ask about it before he heard someone call out to them.
"Really?" Qrow asked as he walked up to their table.
"What?" Ruby smirked, playing innocent.
Qrow just rolled his eyes, "Guessing you had better luck than I did on this."
"Sorta," Ben chimed in, "Turns out the headmaster stepped out for a little bit. Should be back in…" Ben actually looked to Cardin on that.
"Oh! He said a few hours. Best guess for when he's back is around one," Cardin answered.
"Lemme guess, council meeting?" Qrow guessed.
"That's what he said, yeah."
"Figures," Qrow said before walking over to another close table. He could go for a coffee right about now, honestly.
The hours passed and, eventually, time ticked away until the clock hands landed at 1 PM. The trio had taken the time to explore the campus a little more, courtesy of Cardin's directions. It still felt a little surreal to have the guy be, well, overall better. When the clock struck the expected hour, however, they grouped back up with Qrow and walked through the halls towards the Headmaster's office once again.
Ruby's uncle took the lead as he went through the halls and through the waiting area outside the office. Qrow walked up to and knocked on the door, waiting for a response.
"A-ah! Come in!" an older voice called out.
Qrow opened the door, and walked in. Ruby and Rex followed, but Qrow purposely shut the door when Ben was about to come in. Ben hissed, as he turned into Ghostfreak to phase through the door.
"Was that necessary?" Ruby asked.
"Your uncle probably locked it," Ben rasped, as he reverted back to human. Ben's attention directed itself to Lionheart- Lionheart was a middle-aged man with a mane of tan hair and a beard, a tanned complexion with brown eyebrows and dark brown eyes.
He wore a brown greatcoat with a matching mantle, which had cross emblems on each side. He also wore a white dress shirt under his coat, a western necktie and carried a pocket watch. Lionheart also wore dark brown slacks and dress shoes.
Lionheart frantically rearranged some papers on his desk, and grinned nervously, "Ah! Qrow! You nearly scared me half to death with that knocking!"
Qrow raised an eyebrow, "Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"
"Huh?" Lionheart asked. He pulled a pocket watch from his coat and checked it, "Oh...right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
Qrow was skeptical, but shook it off- Lionheart was usually a trustworthy guy. Nothing to worry about.
Lionheart's attention turned to the students, "And you must be the three James mentioned."
"Yes sir!" Ruby gave a loose salute, "I'm Ruby Rose!"
Ben gave a nice wave, "Ben Tennyson."
"And Rex Salazar!" Rex posed, his arms held stiffly out to the sides.
"...what are you doing?" Ben asked.
"Dunno, my body just commanded myself to do this," Rex said.
Lionheart chuckled, "A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm glad you could all come and visit the recently reopened-"
"Lionheart," Qrow said, "The relic. Is it protected?"
"Q-qrow, the children..." Lionheart said.
"Already know. Me and James filled them in," Qrow slammed his hand on the desk, "What about the relic?"
Lionheart let that info sink in, "You filled them in?"
Rex glanced over at Ben and Ruby. "So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"
"Noooope," Ben frowned.
"I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you. Especially for James," Lionheart frowned.
"No, being reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz or anyone else for ages!" Qrow debated.
"There's a reason I only recently reopened this school, Qrow," Lionheart said coldly, "There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos! Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl set aflame..."
Ruby looked away, upset. Ben put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens, and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us," Lionheart continued before he walked on over to a window and looked to the vast outside, "Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, as I'm sure you remember. The main drawback of that is that it becomes infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution and it's only gotten worse, what with the Spring Maiden going missing. I just now decided to reopen the school for our benefit. There's...no reason to guard if the maiden isn't around, right?"
"Leo…" Qrow growled, ready to keep the argument going.
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad," Ruby interjected, "But we can figure this out. We know why the Maiden being missing is a bad scenario. With her out there, anyone could grab the key to the vault."
Lionheart raised a brow at that. Qrow really did fill them in on things.
"Yes...that's...correct," Lionheart said as he sat back down in his chair.
"We're aware of the Relics' rules as well," Ben explained, "Never actually got the guidelines on this one from O-" Qrow smacked Ben over the head before he could complete his statement. He gave him his 'no talking' look, and Ben shut up.
Lionheart gave him a strange look, "W-well, I wish I could tell you. Ozpin never told me how the Relic of Knowledge worked either. But, knowing how it works isn't the problem, Spring is."
"What happened to her?" Rex asked.
"She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She...ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now." Lionheart said.
"...well, that's also what we're here about," Qrow grimaced.
"Huh?"
"Few weeks ago, some of the others found the Spring Maiden. She was picked up by the Branwen tribe," Ben said, "I'm...a bit shocked you didn't keep a better tab on her."
Qrow took out his Scroll and walked up to Lionheart's desk, placing the Scroll down and connecting it to the desk's computer. A map of Remnant was projected on the desk's holographic monitor, before it zoomed in on Mistral and showed a bright red blip on the continent .
"That's roughly where they've established their main camp," Qrow began,
It's the place they go after raids and reconnaissance expeditions. Raven has amassed a sizable following since her return to the tribe, and I'm sure the arrival of the Spring Maiden only added to her popularity."
"So...what do you suggest?" Leonardo asked, bringing up a holographic keyboard and inputting a few commands.
"If I can't find enough Huntsmen...then we're gonna have to pull rank with the local police. Have them get together and-"
"That would still take some time, Qrow. A few weeks maybe," Lionheart interjected.
"A few weeks? Maybe you didn't hear me, Leo. We know where she is and the longer we wait, the more time one of Salem's agent's can find her first!"
"And maybe you've forgotten, but even as headmaster of this academy I do not command the will of the council," Leo said, anger rising in his voice, "Do you have any idea how many hoops they make me jump through as is? And let's not forget the Grimm situation! Bandits won't exactly rank very highly on the list of priorities!"
"Then we can do it ourselves," Ben chimed in, getting Leo's attention, "We have two veteran Huntsmen, an Ace-Op, the wielder of the Omnitrix, Ruby and her kickass-"
"While I appreciate your enthusiasm Mr. Tennyson, I'm not the fighter I used to be. Not to mention, Qrow is an even match against his sister and we will be dealing with a Maiden who's had years to hone her powers. Call me cautious, but I believe we should only act with force when it's a certainty that we'll bring Spring back into the fold. We get one shot at this. If we fail then the Branwen tribe scatters...so it has to be perfect."
"Ok, let's...let's put Spring on the backburner for now," Ruby said, "What about Cinder? She and her team claimed to be from Mistral, but I doubt it."
"And you would be correct, Miss Rose. Every single file we had on them was full of nothing but lies and forgeries," Lionheart stated.
Qrow sighed, letting the room fall silent for a moment.
"Well, Leo...wish I could say this was a warm reunion," Qrow said.
"I know, but I promise you, while you're in the city, I will do everything I can to help," Leo said.
"Keep in touch, then. We'll be staying for a while. C'mon, you three," Qrow turned and started walking out, Rex and Ben following him. Ruby stopped at the door and turned back to Haven's headmaster.
"It was nice meeting you, Professor," Ruby beamed.
"Likewise," Leonardo said with a small smile. With one last nod, the reaper turned and quickly caught up with the others, closing the door to the headmaster's office behind her.
Lionheart's smile at Ruby faded as she left. He put his head in his hands and took a few deep breaths, before he looked to the holographic keyboard on his desk. A message flashed a few times in place of the keys: "Files Successfully Copied." His gaze then changed over to a bookshelf, choked full of various texts, more afraid of what lay hidden behind it.
A few hours in Mistral proper, Qrow was trying his luck with the short list of people he still had. He told Ruby that he'd back up with them at the safehouse when he was done. He looked around this lower level of Mistral, certainly not as shining or clean as the higher ones. It wasn't entirely run down, it just seemed that way considering the constant shadow of the mountain looming over everything. There had to be someone, anyone, out there who wasn't out on a mission or just got back from one.
He looked at the on his Scroll and sighed when he saw it be even shorter. Even Shiro was crossed out. Shiro Wan might've been a little shady, had some minor underworld connections, small-time thieves and info-brokers, but overall, the guy was pretty good. So what if he was a little sketchy when it came to paying off his tabs? He never skipped out on a fight, which made it all the worse that he was nowhere to be seen. What was worse? As far as Qrow knew, Shiro wasn't on a mission. His name didn't appear on any already taken mission and, knowing him, he was probably enjoying the pastime of participating in underground fight clubs. When he went out to check those clubs, he got the same answer; none of the club runners had seen Shiro in a few days.
The gruff Huntsman looked at the address for the next person on the list. Heather Shields. Heather was a rare case in the Mistralian Hunter community. She didn't have any proper black market contacts, but instead she was more comfortable working with the local law enforcement. If memory serves, Heather was actually part of a Huntsmen operation a few years ago to deal with the rise of crime in Kuchinashi. Something about a gang war that got out of hand. He walked through one of the more modest neighborhoods on the lower levels of the city. Not a slum, but it was certainly a far cry from where the safehouse was.
The address led Qrow to a pretty decent, one story house at the end of a cobblestone path. One of the window's was boarded up; the glass must've been broken pretty recently and they were just waiting to get it fixed. He walked up to the simple wooden door and gave a few knocks. He looked around just to see if any neighbors were around in case no one answered.
After a few minutes, someone did answer. A man in a grey and purple kimono-like outfit appeared from behind the door, his initial expression hopeful...but it quickly faded when he saw Qrow.
"Oh...can...I help you?" he said.
"Uh, yeah. I'm...looking for Heather Shields," Qrow asked.
"You and me both…" the man muttered low enough for Qrow to miss.
"Look...pal...I've had a rough day. Really not in the mood for-"
"Daddy?" a smaller, younger voice squeaked, getting the two adults' attention. Qrow saw a small girl wearing a similar gray and purple outfit consisting of a dark purple vest over a gray-purple dress.
"Does...he know where Mommy is?" the girl asked. Qrow's heart sank a little when he heard that.
"I'm...I'm sorry...to bother you," Qrow said. The man nodded and closed the door, turning his full attention back to his daughter.
The gruff veteran looked at the list and scratched out Heather's name.
Lionheart took another long, deep breath, as he trudged over to the bookcase. Lionheart's hands ran past a few books before he pulled back one...and a secret passageway opened up. He walked through the decrepit hallway, ignoring the puddles of black ooze. Smaller, less dangerous grimm pits- they couldn't really create anything...at least, he hoped.
At the end of the curved hallway was a circular room...containing a Seer Grimm. It just floated in the middle of the room, giving off the illusion that it was unresponsive. The headmaster of Haven knew, however, that one wrong move and it would lash out.
Lionheart gulped.
"Your Grace, are... you there?"
The red smoke-like substance contained in the head of the Seer Grimm shifted to form an image of Salem and Cinder at their location in Salem's Castle. Salem looked the same as usual, but Cinder had changed dramatically.
Her hair was shorter, and styled in a way that was meant to cover up the black, glass-like mask that hid her facial injuries. Even though a small bit of that mask could still be seen. She was wearing a new red dress that somewhat exposed the right arm, covered up by a gray glove topped with a golden ring and curving branching reaching up her arm, while the left(or rather the stump of her left arm, thanks to Ruby) was covered up by a long sleeve with an ornate golden pattern that extended up to her neck. The right side of the dress was open from the hip down with two gold-colored straps made up of interwoven ropes connecting the front half to the back half of the thigh, showing the black leggings she now wore. A golden rhombus-shaped decoration adorned her right hip with a similarly shaped black grem and feathers of various blue shades extending from the bottom of it.
"Leonardo." Salem frowned. "Do you have something to report?"
"O-of course." Lionheart said "I would not waste your time, if not."
"Go on."
"...I've found the Spring Maiden."
Salem went quiet.
"Is that so? Excellent work. How did you pull this off?" Salem said after a few anxious seconds.
"Qrow Branwen, you see, came to Haven Academy earlier today. Spring, he suspects, has moved in with his sister's clan," Lionheart explained.
"...the girl," Cinder growled, "And the boy. Were they with him?"
"Yes. Both were. With a new face," Lionheart said. "They called him...Rex, I believe."
"That will bring delight to someone I know," Salem laughed a little, I'm sure you know where the tribe is."
"Yes ma'am! But you have to hurry! Qrow is already at odds with my-"
Salem made a face of annoyed concentration. In response one of the Seer Grimm's tentacles shot out to wrap around Lionheart's throat and choke him.
"Leonardo, do you remember the first time we met? I remember. I remember your fear. But, since that day, you've been extraordinarily brave," Salem chided, "I won't forget all that you've done for me. Do not forget everything that I can do to you."
The Seer Grimm placed the tip of another tentacle near to Lionheart's face before retracting it back. Salem made a motion, and the tentacle released the headmaster from the chokehold. Lionheart coughed, gasping for air.
"No time like the present to make plans," Salem said, "Effective immediately- Cinder, you and your team will meet with Doctor Watts, and together, convince Raven Branwen that the survival of her people depends on her cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Hazel."
Cinder frowned, as Salem turned back to Lionheart.
"Be ready for this evening," the dark queen said.
"Y-you'll be ready by then?" the traitorous headmaster asked, rubbing his throat.
"I work well when under stress," Salem joked, as her image was cut from the Grimm.
Salem took a deep breath, as her eyes drifted over to Cinder's own annoyed face, "Does something bother you?"
"I don't understand. Working with bandits? Keeping Ruby and Ben alive? What's the point? We're strong enough to take what we want by force," Cinder argued.
"Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo; he was one of Ozpin's most trusted, and yet now..." Salem chuckled, "You will have the power I promised you, when the time is right. But remember that it comes with a cost. If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. There's only so much I can do to aid you…"
"So, he just gave you a bunch of non answers?" Oscar asked, hands resting on the top of his cane.
"Yeeeep," Rex frowned, "That was utterly pointless."
"Strange," Oscar said. "Oz.." There were some dirty looks when he said that name. "Oz..well, Oz said he was always open to give some answers…"
"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked. "We're all here, so…"
"Well," Ben sighed, sitting down on the couch. "The only logical thing to do now is to wait here in this safe house for God knows how long until an opportunity to investigate Lionheart comes up again. So, our options are either visit the guy personally, or wait weeks for an opportunity, wasting an unnecessary large amount of time."
Silence filled the room. Kylie coughed a bit to fill in some gaps.
"Let's just say 'fuck it' and visit the guy personally," Ceres said.
"I like that plan better," Ruby said, "I've already got cabin fever in this place."
"Better than waiting for weeks for something to happen." Yang shrugged, standing back up. "So, what's the plan?"
"Before we start," Qrow interjected, "What about them?"
"What about-?"
"He means us, Yang," Albedo spoke up, "I'm afraid your uncle was never fond of us tagging along."
"Well at least you know," Qrow scoffed.
"Any reason in particular?" Weiss asked.
"...never took you one to make a joke like that, Ice Queen. Lemme see, you helped Salem for months already, almost killed Ben once, conveniently found out about the bitch's plan to attack Haven next, tried to split us up by throwing out the damn-!"
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cut him off, "We all know that last one lies with Ozpin, not them."
"Kid, you're just ignoring everything else they've done now."
"And you're too focused on them revealing one of Ozpin's secrets! They have literally been working their asses off to fix most of their own mistakes! They helped take down a serial killer in Vale, they helped us figure out which academy was next, hell they saved us from Breach!"
"Ruby…I appreciate the sentiment, but please…let me defend myself," Albedo said, before moving his attention back to Qrow, "Everything I've done has been part of my own penance. I've been working towards some form of redemption ever since the aftermath of Beacon's fall. Validation from you isn't a priority on my path to redemption. Hate me all you want, it won't stop me."
Qrow narrowed his eyes before scoffing, leaning back in his chair.
"Now…with that out of the way, shall we strategize?" Albedo asked.
They arrived during the day. Raven was alone in her tent, sharpening Omen...and thinking about her encounter with Yang. There were so many things she wished she could go back in time and say or do...
Then Vernal stormed inside her tent. Raven gave her a sidelong glance...but shrugged it away when she observed Vernal's shocked expression.
"We have a problem," the bandit gasped.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"...Salem's found us."
Raven's eyes widened briefly, "Salem..." a shiver went down her spine, "Okay."
"Four of her followers are waiting to speak with you," Vernal said, "At the front of the camp."
Raven took a deep breath, and stood up, "Right...bring me my helmet."
Outside of her camp, Cinder, Watts, Cass and Mercury all stood and waited while the bandits surrounded them, eying them carefully.
"Why'd the Maiden stay in a dump like this?" Mercury jeered, hoping to get a rise out of one of the bandits.
"It's not about location...it's about the training," Cass said, "The Branwen Tribe survives by raiding villages and stealing their resources. Their attacks attract Grimm that then kill everyone in the village leaving behind nothing but bodies and destroyed remains."
"Survival of the fittest, huh?" Mercury smirked, "Maybe I'd like it here."
"You'd fit right in," Cass said. Raven steps out of her tent with her mask on.
"I don't recall inviting so many guests into our home. Either I'm losing my memory," Raven said, now looking to the members of her tribe, "Or you've all lost your spines."
Cinder chuckled to herself, "Don't be too upset with them, Raven. Your men simply recognized the power of a Maiden when they see it," her eyes glowed and trailed fire, "Which is EXACTLY why we'd like to have a word with you."
Raven's mask hid her true feelings. She turned to the rank and file bandits, "Leave us. Pack your things, then break down camp. We're moving."
The bandits heeded her command, though with some hesitation.
"Little late to run and hide," Watts said, "You've been on our master's list for some time, so you must understand that we cannot allow you to slip away."
"I know all about your master...but I don't believe I've met her associates," her eyes turned to Cass and Mercury.
"We're the ones you should be afraid of," Cass grinned, as her eyes also lit up.
"Hm," Raven sighed. Two maidens with Salem...pathetic strength in numbers.
"I'm Cinder Fall. This is my associate, Arthur Watts, and my disciples, Cassidy and Mercury."
"Two children you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, and a Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself. Something tells me you've got more than a slight case of egomania, is that about right?" Raven had properly decimated them with words.
"...technically, I WAS a doctor, but uh," Watts cleared his throat, "Rest was spot on."
Cinder grit her teeth. "Aren't you perceptive?"
"It's what's kept me alive. Now...where's your team psychopath? You guys usually have one of those," Raven frowned, her hands moving down to her blade. "He's behind me, isn't he?"
"He's still a little busy, has some issues to work out...maybe after tonight he'll have that sorted," Mercury grinned, before Cass elbowed him.
Raven shot him a look, "What is he talking about?"
"We'll get to that later," Cinder shot Mercury a look, "I'm afraid the only reason you're still alive is because you have something our master wants. Of course, if I'm wrong..." Cinder activated her Maiden power again and held out a small flame in her right hand, grinning evilly.
"Vernal!"
Vernal emerged from Raven's tent and approached her.
"This is the Spring Maiden, then," Cass said, "Funny, you mentioned something about a Fall maiden with an 'appropriate' surname?"
Vernal shot eye daggers at Cass. The other Maiden smirked, almost welcoming the idea of a challenge.
"Right now, I'm tempted to provide a demonstration." Vernal mumbled, cracking her knuckles.
"If you would..." Cinder said.
Vernal sighed and closed her eyes. She held out her hands, as the wind started to pick up gradually. The blue sky turned gray, as leaves blew past in the wind. Watts and Mercury covered their faces as thunder was heard, while Cinder and Cass smiled in amazement. Vernal then lowered her hands and opened her eyes as the storm disappeared.
"Vernal has done well under my guidance. I'd take that into consideration before you try anything," Raven warned.
"Raven, I won't underestimate you, so please don't insult my intelligence," Cinder said, "There is a slim chance you and your Maiden could escape today, but if you know our master as well as you claim to, then you know you could never truly escape her. But we come bearing an olive branch."
"The Maidens are merely a means to an end. Salem's true desires are the Relics locked inside the Huntsman Academies. Come with us," Watts said, "Allow Vernal here to unlock the Relic of Knowledge, and all previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven...you know it's the best deal you're going to get."
"You talk as if walking into Haven will be easy," Raven frowned.
"That's because it will be. Headmaster Lionheart is loyal to Salem. And now, all we need is the key to the Vault," Cass grinned, "You're not the only one to turn your back against Oz, Raven."
Raven gripped the hilt of her sword, "I'm not helping Salem or Oz. I want no part in this."
"That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a Maiden." Cinder said, "But if you come with us to Haven, we'll leave you, your tribe, and your little secret to live out the rest of your lives squabbling in the wilderness. We just. Need. The Relic."
"...and what if I said I needed time to think things over?" Raven asked.
"Time...is a fickle thing," a voice rasped.
Raven spun around, to see something floating in her tent- a disturbing looking spectre that sent a fresh shiver down her spine.
"You...must be the ghost that Salem has allied herself with," Raven said.
"Indeed I am," Zs'skayr said, hanging back in the shade, "You don't have time, Raven. In just a few hours, Haven will fall. You're going to choose now," Zs'skayr sharpened his claws, "Or we'll force your hand."
Raven chuckled, "...backed me into a corner, huh?" she took off her mask, "Agreements like these are built on trust. And forgive me for saying this, but I don't trust a single one of you. You're going to need to give me more."
"You are in a poor position to negotiate," Watts said.
"Oh, I don't want much. I just want my brother dead."
Her unexpected declaration momentarily stunned the four- Zs'skayr was more amused than anything, given the brief cackling sound he made.
"...this just took a hardcore turn," Mercury whispered to Cass.
"Yeah, I expected something else," Cass said.
"Besides," Raven said, "if Qrow discovers I helped you, he'll pursue me and my people to the ends of the world. He already knows I have the Maiden, and learning that I assisted you will be the spark he needs to track me down. We ambush him wherever he is, kill him, unlock the Vault, and then you receive your accursed Relic. We'll all be happy after that..."
Cinder smirked and chuckled to herself, "Now...that's a proposition I can get behind." Cinder was about to extend a hand for Raven to shake before Watts interrupted by clearing his throat.
"Alright ladies, I think we need to put some things into perspective. We have one objective," Watts raised his hand and held up a single finger to emphasize his point, "retrieving the Relic of Knowledge. Now, am I defending Qrow Branwen? Absolutely not, he ranks very highly on our list of people we wish were dead. But...he is a veteran Hunter and veterans don't go down without a fight."
"He's good, but," Raven motions to everyone assembled, "I think we have an advantage."
"Especially with the Halloween reject back there," Vernal muttered.
"What was that, girl?" Zs'skayr hissed.
"Nothing."
"But it's not just him," Mercury added, "He's brought some friends along for the ride. Like Ruby and the Tennyson kid."
"He certainly did, didn't he?" Cinder smirked.
"If we turn a house on one of the upper levels into a slaughterhouse, the authorities will be on us before you can spout your cliche-riddled revenge monologue," Watts shot back, "The Kingdom will be on high alert and we'll be dealing with an entire school of Hunters on our trail."
"Birds only get the chance to flee if they can leave the nest," Zs'skayr grinned, "We need to make sure that doesn't happen. This is no longer a mission just for us. We slaughter them all, leave nothing."
"And then Salem leaves my people alone," Raven demanded.
"Deal," Cinder said, outstretching a hand...only for Watts to grab it instead. The Fall Maiden rolled her eyes, "What now?"
"You really don't think I see it? What you really hope to get out of this?" Watts asked angrily, "If this falls apart because of your grudge with two children, I will not be taking the blame."
"Then what are you worried about?"
Watts' eyes suddenly widened as he realized that his hand felt very hot. He pulled his hand away with a sudden jerk, small streams of smoke rising off his hand.
"Go back and fiddle with your machines. At least your 'assistant' will be useful tonight," Cinder mocked, reaching out her hand to Raven again. The bandit matriarch's gaze was drawn to Cinder's hand…
...before she seized and shook it.
The deal was done.
The sun had set over Mistral, letting the moon shine down. By now, Haven's students were all in their dorms, stressing over or breezing through homework and projects or getting some last minute weapon maintenance done. Which gave the assembled group the perfect cover. Qrow didn't call ahead this time. Whatever Leo was hiding from them, he wouldn't have time to cover it up before they got here.
Ruby looked around the now darkened campus, her eyes focusing on the CCT tower for a brief moment. Aside from the lights inside the dorm rooms and the towers themselves, lampposts shone out into the quad, giving some form of light for the group. Neo and Albedo weren't with them, as part of the plan. They were moving off and checking the rest of the school, trying not to draw suspicion to themselves.
"I must confess," Rook murmured, breaking the stillness, "It would have been lovely to visit here under better conditions."
"There's no argument there," Min fully agreed.
Qrow got to the double doors leading into the hall and pushed them open. This time, they were actually greeted by Haven's headmaster, who was seemingly pacing back and forth before they entered. He was standing on a terrace at the top of the stairs that appeared to be held up by the statue of a woman, almost resembling a Greek goddess with her flowing robes and hair. The statue's stone gray brought out the shining gold of the accessories the statue wore even more, particularly a pair of golden manacles around the wrists and accompanying chains.
"O-oh! Q-qrow! I-I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Leonardo sputtered. His eyes darted around to each and every person he didn't recognize.
"There's...certainly more of you than I thought," Haven's headmaster said, almost in shock.
"Well, you know what they say," Qrow began, "The more the merrier. A little surprised you're still up and awake, Leo. Paperwork?" The gruff Huntsman veteran chuckled a little.
"Why...did you bring your weapons?" Haven's headmaster asked, brushing off Qrow's question and taking note of all the unique tools of combat.
Practically every Hunter in the group raised a brow at that. Even Oscar could tell that something felt off.
"Oh! Of course, of course. Stupid question. Forgive me, I...I just haven't had my evening coffee," the lion Faunus forced a chuckle out of himself.
"O...kay. Listen, Leo, something's come up. I've been looking' into the Hunter disappearances around here and-" the Branwen brother began.
"Qrow, I appreciate the help, but I have it handled," Leonardo interjected.
"Leo, quit lying to yourself! Most of the Hunters I've looked for are dead. Even the ones who are just 'missing' are probably gone too! Salem's got someone here, and they've been picking off your people for a while now! They might be in the city, they might not be, but the longer they're here, the more likely it is that she'll come here next!"
Leonardo fell silent at that. His eyes darted around, almost like he was making sure no one else was around. In those few silent seconds, Yang started to get the oddest feeling, like eyes were locked onto her.
"Listen," Ben said, taking note of Leonardo's panicked look and walking forward, "We're people you can trust, Lionheart. Salem isn't here. Her forces aren't nearby. We're just trying to help."
"I...I know," Lionheart said, trembling a bit, "I know the strength of trust."
"Good, good," Ruby said. "So, we can discuss this all carefully-"
"But...I know the power of fear...all the more," Lionheart quivered, "There's so much to fear around us...the fear of failure, the fear of death…"
Before he could go on any further, Yang turned her head to the side and looked up. Perched on the railing of the second floor of the hall was a small black bird with red eyes looking right at her.
"...Raven?" Yang asked, eyes widening in shock. That got everyone's attention, all eyes going to the bird, before it took flight. A shot rang out, barely missing the raven and splintering the railing. The raven flew down and behind Leonardo and, instead of appearing on the other side, Qrow's sister walked out from behind Haven's headmaster.
"Woah," Ben and Ruby said in unison.
"I mean a little basic, but…" Min muttered to herself.
"If you're going to shoot me," Raven began, taking her Grimm-like mask off, "then shoot me. That was just insulting."
"And what the hell are you doing here?" Yang seethed.
"I could ask all of you the same question. Can you imagine my surprise when I found out that my own brother was planning to attack me? And that he no doubt roped my own daughter into it? Tactics like a true Branwen."
Qrow's eyes went wide in horror before he turned to Leo, "What did you do…"
"I…" Leo began before Raven cut him off.
"Did what any sane man would do in his position. Looked at the facts, assessed the situation...and made a choice. Just like all of you…" Qrow's sister finished. Yang could feel Raven's eyes focus on her specifically when she said that.
"Then let's just get this over with. Hand over Spring and we can come up with a way to beat Sal-" Qrow began.
"How many times do I need to repeat myself? There is no beating Salem! After everything you've seen, after what I told you, Yang, don't you think that if Ozpin had a way to beat her, he would have won by now?!"
"...you're wrong," Ruby said, getting Raven's attention. For the briefest of moments, it looked like her usually cold or confident look softened. Just a bit. The Branwen sister started to make her way down the stairs towards the rest of the group, one hand resting on Omen's hilt.
"We know she's immortal. But we've done things most people would call impossible. We've fought aliens, monsters, even madmen who'd call themselves gods! We're all strong on our own, but we've managed to come this far by relying on each other! We had people who taught us, who helped us! And we helped each other. As sappy as this sounds, it's worked for us! Please...work with us...and we'll at least have a better chance together," the red-hooded reaper finished.
Ruby hoped her words would get through to the Branwen sister. It was a long shot, but the reaper was hoping there was still something in there that hadn't given up.
Raven had come to a stop by now, right in front of the statue. Leonardo looked down at all of them from above, hands gripping the railing nervously. Raven closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again and looked right at Ruby.
"You sound just like your mother," Raven said, her tone hard to read. As the last word left her mouth, the bandit leader quickly drew her weapon and sliced at the air behind her, using her Semblance to open a red portal. A fireball came barreling out of it and slammed right into Ruby's chest, knocking her back. Yang managed to catch her just in time and everyone drew their weapons.
Ben's eyes went wide when he saw the first person step through that portal.
Cinder.
"Salutations," Cinder smirked as she stepped forward. Behind her came Cass and Vernal, both of them armed and ready.
"Shit...okay...we still outnumber them, so b-" Kevin began, but was stopped short by the sound of the double doors opening again.
"Charmcaster and the others are in position," came the gruff voice of Hazel, "By the time we're done here...no one'll have time to get out."
"I had to say something, didn't I?" Kevin chastised himself.
"Never say something if you know the universe would just love to prove you wrong," Doppler smirked before getting flicked by Kevin.
"Shut up…"
"...How. Long. How long have you been with...with them?" Qrow seethed, jabbing Harbinger in Cinder's direction. The Fall Maiden just chuckled and hand-waved the threat away.
"Actually she's the new girl. Relatively speaking, I mean," Cass shrugged, "but the headmaster back there? He's been in Salem's pocket for a few years now."
"...the documents. All of the forgeries in those papers stood up to inspection because he knew exactly how to hide the errors," Rex realized.
"More than that," Qrow sneered, "all those Hunters I've been looking for. Every single one of them perished out there. Salem's lackeys weren't just lucky, though, he gave them up. This whole time he's been Salem's in. He's the reason Hana-Aki is even a thing."
So Albedo really did betray us, Cinder thought to herself. It was the only way for them to know their codename for Haven's fall.
"I…" Lionheart wanted to say something in his defense, but the words got caught in his throat.
"How many of those people had families? How many people were waiting for them to return? And how many of them will never see them again?" Kylie asked, tightening her grip on True Rebel.
"Stop it…" Leonardo said sorrowfully, tightening his grip on the railing, looking away from the assembled group.
"Oh, don't blame Leo for this. Even without him, we would've cleared the board eventually," Cinder smirked, "He just sped things up for us."
"Is that all they are to you? Just...something in the way?" Ben said, capturing Cinder's attention, "Is that how you refer to living fucking beings? No, wait, I forgot who I was speaking to here! The psychopathic scumbag that almost murdered me, Ruby, Yang, and orchestrated the deaths of god knows how many people at Beacon!"
"If you're trying to act threatening...I would save all the bluster for him," Cinder smirked. A lightning bolt raced past Hazel and struck the floor to the left of everyone...and Viktor stood in the spot where it struck.
"Tennyson," Zs'skayr's brute growled, his eyes narrowing at the wielder of the Omnitrix. Lightning arced from the tesla coils on his back as he prepared to rush them.
So here they were. Enemies in front, enemies behind, enemies to the side of them, and, if Hazel was to be believed, enemies outside and all around the campus.
"...considering who's here...I don't like that we have to do this...but...Qrow," Ben whispered, "Do you think you can take Raven?"
"You mean keep her busy?" Qrow asked, "Yeah…I can do that."
"Guys...you good with handling evacuation?"
"Half of us stay and fight, half of us go out and save people...and also probably fight," Min said, "Sounds good."
"Ok, on my signal, make a break for it," Ben said, hand hovering the dial of the Omnitrix. Qrow gripped the hilt of his blade, locking eyes with Raven. The Branwen sister raised a brow when she saw that and readied her own blade. Vernal took notice but before she could do anything-
"NOW!" Ben shouted. Qrow rushed forward, bringing Harbinger down in an overhead swing to slash at his sister. Omen's blade met the significantly larger weapon and blocked it. At that point, Kevin, Min, Rex, and Weiss made a break for it. Hazel and Viktor tried to stop them, lightning arcing between the Frankenstein abomination's tesla coils...before a large sphere of metal slammed into the side of his face, knocking him off balance. He turned to see a smirking Ben.
"Now that I have your attention," Ben taunted.
Viktor grabbed Ben by the arm, and held him up. He squeezed the boy's hand in a vice grip, hard enough to hear bones cracking. He then whipped Ben around and threw him at a wall, hard enough to make a dent. Ben was thankful he at least had armor there...
Ben winced in pain as he hit the ground. "Ow..." He whined.
He suddenly picked up the sound of something whirring. He looked around, expecting it to be a weapon or something...until he realized the source of the sound.
His wrist.
The Omnitrix faceplate was yellow and spinning around a bit. Viktor must have triggered the DNA capture mode, Ben realized as he shook his hand in pain.
As for Hazel, he wound up a strike, aiming to slam his fist into Min as she darted for the doors. A few shots rang out, Hazel's Aura tanking the hits, but they worked. He missed Min by inches and instead slammed into the ground. He saw Yang, Kylie, and Blake group up to take him out.
"You again," Hazel said, his eyes focused on Kylie, "Talking you down won't work, will it?"
"What do you think?" Blake shot back, blades at the ready.
"So be it," Hazel shrugged, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards the three. The three were about to charge in before another figure blindsided Hazel with a flurry of strikes and jumped back.
"Oscar?" Yang asked.
"Lemme guess, you expected me to help with the evac?" Oscar asked back.
"Well...a little yeah."
"I spent how long training again? Now I get a chance t-"
"You," Hazel growled. His eyes were focused on the cane Oscar was holding, "You're his new...incarnation, aren't you?"
"W-wait, what?" Oscar stammered.
"You're the new OZPIN."
"You...you know him?"
"Of course I do. He's the reason I'm doing this," Hazel rolled his shoulders and ripped off the green coat he wore, exposing his arms. He opened up two pouches that were clipped to his belt and brought out pure Dust crystals.
Blake and Yang shared a concerned look and all four of them winced in pain when Salem's brute stabbed the crystals into his arms. The crystals' energy flowed through his veins, almost like Bane injecting Venom into his body for a boost. Hazel roared out as lightning sparked across his knuckles.
"...ohhh no," Oscar muttered under his breath. Hazel charged the boy, fists coming down to crush him. Yang launched herself in front of Oscar, catching the brute's swing by the wrists.
"OSCAR, GO! If you wanna help, ok, I get it, but maybe not THIS fight, yeah?!" Yang yelled, straining against the force Hazel was exerting.
Oscar glanced at the battle and nodded before sprinting by Hazel. He did strike the beast in the back of the leg one final time before leaving, causing him to wobble and giving Yang the lead. She threw Hazel off balance, forcing his arms to the side and causing him to stumble.
"...all right then. You come first," Hazel snarled.
Raven forced Qrow back, blocking a few shots from Harbinger's shotgun, the last one of the barrage shattering the blade. The Branwen sister sighed and sheathed her blade, drawing the blade out with a new yellow coloration to it. She heard Vernal ready her weapons and step up beside her, but the bandit chief held her arm out, stopping her.
"No. This one's all mine," Raven said, "Take your pick of who's left...but don't waste your powers. They're not worth it."
"...actually," Vernal said, turning her gaze over to a certain Archimedian, "Someone here does owe me a round two. And don't worry...it's not blondie."
"Fine, just make sure it's a fight you can win. I still need you," Raven said before she rushed at her brother.
"Oh trust me, I think I got this," Vernal smirked, leaving the siblings to their family matter.
Qrow rushed back in, unleashing a barrage of strikes, hoping to keep his sister on the defensive. Small sparks of electricity flew each time the heavier blade of Harbinger struck that of Omen. On the latest slash, Raven struck back, sidestepping the attack and letting Qrow's momentum work against him. The opening let her move around and slash at her brother's back. He staggered forward, growling a bit, thankful his Aura tanked the hit. He activated the shift on his weapon and the gears spun to life. His weapon changed from sword to scythe mode before he spun around, swiping back at Raven and breaking right through Omen's Dust blade.
The Branwen sister jumped back, sheathing and quickly redrawing her blade, Omen now sporting a dark green blade. She slashed into the ground and, from the mark it left, a series of vines snaked out towards Qrow. Her brother only cut through the vines like they were nothing but weeds, but that gave her the chance to close the distance. The two siblings exchanged blows, dodging as many strikes as they let their Aura stop. Harbinger's blade hooked around the Dust blade and Qrow began to press down, hoping to cut through it.
"Running away was one thing," Qrow seethed, "But this? You knew this was crossing a line!"
"Sometimes family...disappoints you like that!" Raven yelled as she pushed back, jumping back from one more missed scythe swing.
"We're not family anymore…"
"Were we ever?"
"At one point, I thought so. Guess I was wrong," Qrow lunged at his sister, taking a swing aimed at her neck, but Raven was able to quickly shift forms into her smaller bird form and fly behind him, shifting back to human form just as quickly so she could dropkick him in the back. Qrow staggered forward, barely catching himself in time. He barely missed a downward slash from his sister before a kick to his gut sent him slamming into a nearby pillar. Raven raced in and aimed a slice at his neck, but he ducked under it and the pillar caught Omen. Qrow threw a hard right hook into Raven's face, breaking the blade with a majority of it still embedded in the pillar.
"Sometimes, I hate your Semblance…" Raven hissed.
"So do I sometimes. This isn't one of those times."
Oscar rushed through the halls, trying to find some way he could project his voice to the entire school. An evacuation was needed immediately.
Oscar.
"Still not a good time to come back, Oz!" Oscar said- he was still pretty pissed at Ozma, like the rest of the group.
It was wise of you to run, Oscar. A voice in his head said.
"Shut up," Oscar growled, "You don't have a good rep right now…"
I truly mean it…Hazel's aura control is incredible…and the semblance he possesses is currently in 'Berserk' mode. Ozpin hummed.
"...what?" Oscar asked. Berserk mode? He'd never heard of it before.
Anger, when managed correctly, can be a useful emotion that motivates you to make positive changes, Ozpin explained, On the other hand, anger is also a powerful emotion that, if not managed properly, can be harmful to you and those close to you. Emotions can affect your aura, and cause it to fluctuate wildly.
Oscar shivered, "It's like a power up."
Hazel's been angry with me for a while- angry at the world. I can't blame him, Ozpin sighed, Fate dealt him a cruel hand…
"How much does it affect his Semblance?" Oscar asked.
His default Semblance is to block out pain to power through battles. He used to use simple gauntlets but, in Berserk mode…he blocks any and all pain, Ozpin explained, THAT'S how much a Semblance can change when under intense emotions. Now, you can be upset with me afterwards, but for the time being, you require my assistance. After all, I helped to build this school as well.
"Fine, fine!" Oscar groaned.
Take a left- there should be an office where they make announcements, Ozpin said, hooked up to the school's PA system and everything.
Oscar followed Ozpin's instructions and sure enough, he found the announcement office. Hopefully none of Salem's lackeys disabled the intercom. He went over and flipped a switch hoping it would turn on...and then he heard the telltale whir of the intercom turning on. Perfect!
"Everyone! Please, you need to evacuate! Haven is under attack! I repeat! Haven is under attack!" Oscar said, frantic tone in voice.
The announcement echoed throughout the entire academy. Some of the students were woken up by the sudden academy-wide broadcast, while others were still awake, finishing up assignments from earlier in the day. At first, people were skeptical. Nobody recognized the voice over the intercom after all. Then some of the students heard the sounds of muffled gunfire. After all, it wasn't hard to miss the sound of a high-caliber sniper rifle going off without a silencer.
"Oh shit. Whoever that is...he's right!" Reese said. She was one of the lucky ones who'd been awake at the time in her team's dorm.
"Bolin! Nadir! Wake up!" Arslan shouted, already moving over to quickly grab her weapon.
"B-but I wanna sleep..." Bolin yawned. "Please, lemme sleep in for-"
A bullet suddenly shattered the window, making Reese jump. Bolin shot up, "Annnnnd I'm awake!"
"If that hadn't happened, I would've thrown you out of bed," Reese grinned as she calmed down. She quickly took out her dual revolvers and checked the ammo, nodding in satisfaction.
"T-the hell...how did they..." Nadir asked, getting out of bed and racing over to grab his weapon.
"Nadir, would any of us know that?" Arslan asked, tossing Reese a few extra Dust crystals to add some more kick to her shots.
"Let's try and minimize the damage before it gets TOO hectic out there!" Arslan instructed.
"Right!" Reese said, forming her hoverboard. "I'll be sky patrol!"
"Me and Bolin can get some of the others up and send them...wherever they're needed I guess," Nadir said, shifting his weapon to its submachine-gun mode.
"If the Headmaster doesn't already know, someone needs to find and warn him," Arslan said, volunteering herself for the job, "You three...stay safe. And Reese...please watch for Nevemores."
Reese actually shivered a bit from that, remembering the fate of most of the members of Team BRNZ.
"Thanks for reminding me of that," Reese said with a little sarcasm before she left the dorm, connecting her revolvers together and forming her hoverboard.
Arslan, meanwhile, raced off in the direction of the grand hall, hoping to find Lionheart and warn him about all this. Or, if he already knew and was actively fighting, help him out a bit.
Oscar huffed, as he fell back a bit. "Okay, so...we got the message out. Now what?"
Simple: we fight. We especially avoid Hazel. I can't imagine what he'd do to you...Ozpin sounded a bit scared when he said that, And most of all...we find Lionheart.
"Think he's still in the grand hall? He didn't seem like he was gonna fight...or run."
He might be, Ozpin sighed inside Oscar's head, What happened to you Leo...
Rex was running around, trying to find a place for everyone to gather- it had to be big and open, so that some airships could evacuate the place. But where...could he find that?
As he was racing across the campus, he saw someone that...he vaguely knew. He only knew her first name, but that was perfect for this.
"Arslan!" Rex called out. Considering she wasn't really familiar with Rex, her first instinct was to grip her dagger tighter, just in case. Of course, Rex took notice of that and raised his hands in surrender.
"Not here to fight! Well...not here to fight you! Not with Salem is what I'm trying to say!" Rex hurriedly explained, "Saw the tournament but I didn't catch your full name, before you ask."
"...ok...let's say I believe you," Arslan began, "What are you doing out here?"
"Trying to find a place to get everyone together for an evac."
"What about Professor Lionheart?"
"Lionheart? I..." Rex paused. God, what was he gonna tell one of his students?
"Uh, Lionheart is...not here. He's missing," Rex said. "I've been looking for him...and also a good evacuation area."
"Missing? Damn it!" Arslan cursed, hoping he wasn't the latest victim in that string of Huntsmen murders, "Hopefully he's still alive..."
"I'm sure he is! And since he's the headmaster he can...take care of himself! Now about the evacuation?"
"Right, right..." Arslan thought, "By the training grounds. There's a good open space for ships to land. We can set up something there."
"Ok, great! Where's your team?"
"All doing different jobs. Reese is on sky watch, but," Arslan pulled out her Scroll and sent a text to Nadir and Bolin about using the training grounds as an evac point, "There. Should get them all headed the right way."
"Good!" Rex said, morphing his lower half into the Rex Ride. "Hop on!"
Arslan blinked. "...uh, alright. Can't be worse than trying to ride Reese's hoverboard."
Kevin and Min were rushing to another of the buildings on campus, on the other side of the stone quad. They heard the announcement Oscar made over the intercom, but panic would probably spread quickly through the students and anyone else who heard it. Hopefully, they could make the chaos a bit more orderly, ironic given what Min excelled at.
Of course, considering the current state of things, it wasn't going to be easy. Two shots rang out and impacted right in front of the two, forcing them to come to a halt. Walking up to them, spinning her weapons oh so casually, was Emerald.
"Figured we'd run into someone," Kevin said, "Gotta admit…didn't think it'd be you."
"What? Don't think I'm that much of a threat?" Emerald scoffed.
"Compared to the others? You are a bit lower on the power scale, but in the same vein as Mercury," Min said.
"Oh good. You still think it's just the weapons," Emerald smirked. She sheathed both sickles of Thief's Respite and closed her eyes. Min and Kevin looked to each other, confused for a moment.
Emerald was, well, ecstatic may have been an understatement. She had done it. She finally got it. All those years ago, when she tried to steal magic for herself, it almost killed her. Now? Now, she had it properly. It wasn't on the same level as Hope's, though. Hope had been training her whole life to use these spells. Emerald just got them, but she was a fast learner. Her hands were surrounded by orbs of mana and she tried tossing out a few simple mana blasts, just to test the waters.
The look of shock on Kevin and Min's faces was very, very palpable. Min quickly threw up a barrier to block the blasts. The blasts hit the shield, and it took a few projectiles well...before it cracked and couldn't block another one. The explosion from the orb sent both of them tumbling back. They skid across the floor, while Emerald looked at her hands and smiled.
This was gonna be fun.
"Ohhhhhh you have no idea how long I've WANTED this," Emerald said, not even looking up from her hands. She thrust her hands forward, shooting out multiple beams of green energy at once. Min and Kevin dodged out of the way, the former sending out her own bolts of chaos magic. The bolts either collided with the beams and canceled each other out, or bypassed the beams entirely and went right for the caster. In response, Emerald waved her hand and made a barrier of her own.
"How did you even GET magic?!" Min shouted as she saw her bolts slam against Emerald's shield. The hits cracked Emerald's shield. Looks like she still needed work on that.
"It helps to have a girlfriend skilled with it," Emerald confidently answered, "Really taught me a lot since last time," the illusionist's hands lit up, as she touched her weapons,"Besides, all those lessons have given me a lot more to work with!"
Kevin frowned, as he went for the AntiTrix. He scrolled past a few aliens, as Doppler hummed.
"What's the plan?" the techno-symbiote asked.
"No idea." Kevin said, stopping at Black Parade, "But we'll start here."
Kevin slammed down the AntiTrix dial. His skin turned pale, one large black vein wrapping around his body. Black and white tentacles jutted out from his chest as his head disturbingly turned upside down. In a flash of red, before Emerald stood Kevin's own version of Zs'skayr.
"So Ben keeps the ghost, you get the monster. Fitting from what I've heard!" Emerald shouted as she shot a stream of pure fire from her hands.
Kevin got in between the blast and Min, as his body turned pitch black- the void quickly swallowed up the magic, as Kevin hissed a bit. "Yes! VERY fitting!"
"Oh...shit," Hope's protege muttered to herself. That distraction was all Min needed. The chaos demon jumped out from behind Kevin and fired a beam of ice at the newly christened magic user. Emerald almost got out of the way but one of her feet got caught in the beam, encasing it in ice and rooting her in place. She quickly brought back the fire spell to melt the ice off of her. She looked back up and saw that Kevin was gone.
Kevin appeared behind her, his head tilted a bit for that extra unnerving factor.
"Hiya," Black Parade taunted, before he morphed his hand into a wheel with spikes on it. Emerald ducked beneath the following strike, before she flipped back to put some distance between them.
"Can't touch him, cuz of that stupid erasing form he's in..." Emerald huffed, "Now's the time for ingenuity and problem solving."
Unless that form gave Kevin some kind of other vision, this next bit should work. The illusionist held her hand out as wind started to gather in her palm. Min readied up her own barrage of chaos beams and fired. Just at the right moment, Emerald tossed out the condensed wind sphere and it exploded like a grenade, creating a thick mist around the area. Can't fight what you can't see! Hopefully, anyway.
Kevin hissed,"Clever," as he began looking around for any trace of the enemy.
"With that magic and her illusion abilities, she's going to make this an insanely tricky battle," Doppler noted.
A bolt of energy was fired from somewhere in the mist, hitting Kevin in the back. It didn't actually do much damage to him, but it did get him to look in the right direction.
Min nervously waved at him, "Sorry, hun!" Kevin just frowned.
"Well, this is getting us nowhere," Doppler said.
Of course, things were a bit easier for Emerald. Kevin suddenly saw the thief rushing at Min from behind, blades at the ready. He morphed his hand into the spiked wheel again and dashed over as well, passing Min and swiping at Emerald. Emerald was sent flying back into the mist...but from Min's perspective, Kevin had just swung at nothing.
Doppler blinked, "...what the hell was that?"
"...what the hell was what?" Kevin asked.
"What did you attack? There was nothing there," Doppler said, "Have you lost it?"
It was around then that Min saw Emerald again, this time her hands charging up mana blasts to throw. The chaos demon summoned up a black, solid sphere of mana and tossed it at Emerald, again, slamming into her and sending her back into the mist. But again, the assailant was only visible to one person.
"There's NOTHING there! Am I the ONLY one whose eyes are working NORMALLY right now?!" Doppler shouted.
"You're...immune to her illusions?" Kevin asked.
"Why WOULDN'T I be? I don't have NATURAL eyes. My current eyes are nothing but scanners. I'm a man made thing, not organic," Doppler explained.
"Well, that's nice to know," Min said, black energy forming around her hands again, "and we can test it. Kevin, on your right! Doppler, you see her?"
Doppler groaned, "Well, I don't know. Can YOU see through this stupid fo- oh, right behind you."
Min turned around and fired off a barrage of quick energy bolts. Emerald, who had been taking aim with her weapons' pistol mode, had barely enough time to dodge. She got hit by a few of them but fortunately, her Aura was able to take the hits.
Doppler grinned, "Well, one work around...she is still magic, though. That'll be annoying."
"Very," Kevin said, as his hands shifted into two drill-like weapons.
Emerald checked the ammo in her weapons quickly. She forgot about the little slime…thing. Whatever the hell it was, it made her illusions useless. That didn't mean she still couldn't play some mind games, however. Hope made mention of this particular spell once before, and with any luck, Emerald thought she could pull it off. It was similar principles to what she usually did, after all.
Kevin then heard someone run by in the fog, only able to track them by the sound of their footsteps on the stone. It wasn't another of these illusions. Min turned her head to follow the sound as well. But then it was closer to Min. Min covered her hands in chaos energy, ready to use them to boost a punch or two when Emerald tried something. And try something she did. Or rather, THEY did. TWO Emeralds jumped out of the fog, evening out the fight for her.
"The hell?!" Kevin shouted, turning intangible as the first Emerald fired a volley from Thief's Respite. The bullets passed right through him. Meanwhile, the second Emerald attacked Min and barely missed her, swinging her sickles towards Min's neck. The chaos demon ducked under the swing and slammed a fist into Emerald's back hard, pushing her to the ground.
"Ok…Doppler, you see THESE right?!" Min was just trying to confirm that what she was seeing was real. He was their lifeline in that regard, their reality check.
"I...I do." Doppler said, taking note,"Did she seriously clone herself?!"
Kevin huffed, as he pierced through the mist, swinging at the clone, only for her to sidestep the attack.
"I think she did. She's way more skilled than we thought!" Kevin called out.
"Well it's only fair, right?" Min's Emerald said as she got up, sickles at the ready, "There was only one of me and two of you. It's just me out here, after all. Don't tell me it's unfair to even the odds."
"...you're absolutely right," Kevin nodded, "Min, make this shit even MORE uneven."
Doppler, if he could, was smiling, "You really shouldn't have said anything!"
Min grinned, as she reached into pocket- she quickly pulled out some stones.
"Picked these up a while back. They're no 'liquid monsters that can pull killer unicorns asunder', but they don't give me a headache after I use 'em!" Min smirked. She threw them across the ground. When the stones settled across the stones of the quad, they started to move and vibrate before they started to grow. Their arms unfolded, each one flexing their claws after being released from their compressed state. The stone creatures roared, showing off the lines inscribed into their bodies like runes. Where mana would be running through them, black chaos energy filled them.
"...ohhhhhh shit you have those," Emerald muttered before taking some shots at the nearest creature's head. Hopefully the shots were strong enough to shatter them.
They weren't.
The creatures growled, as they closed in on the Emerald. "Your girlfriend uses them all the time. I'm sure you know how they tick, right?" Min grinned.
"...Hope might say you're 'stealing her trademark'...expect to hear from her law-oh shit!" Emerald rolled out of the way as one of the Stone Creatures slammed both of its fists down into the courtyard, right where Emerald had been. She holstered her weapons and fired another barrage of multiple beams at once. Min actually recognized the spell. These weren't just energy blasts.
"GET DOWN!" Min yelled, as Kevin quickly formed a shield around his body. Min raised up a shield around her body, as the beams hit the stone creatures, EXPLODING THEM.
Eradico. Horribly dangerous spell.
"Heh...you knew it," Emerald huffed, her clone having disappeared when she brought out Eradico, "Not really too surprised."
"That's...an advanced form of it too," Min said in shock, "You're better than I thought."
"Heh, what can I say? I'm a fast learner," Emerald smirked as the mana orbs around her hands came back. She then suddenly raised both of her hands in the air and the ground started to shake.
"Really glad you guys didn't move too far away from here! Turns out, there's some water pipes under the courtyard. Who would've thought?" Emerald taunted.
"...if she's learned that quickly, we might actually be in trouble," Min said, warping next to Kevin.
"Why, what's the worst she could do?" Kevin asked.
The concrete beneath them shook and the ground next to Emerald actually started to crack. Water started to seep up through the cracks like a flood. It just kept coming too. It was like Emerald was draining the entire water supply of the academy, bringing it right to her. The water then began to come together, forming up into a serpentine shape with tentacles.
"Oh...you know, make a water monster," Min said.
"...you HAD to mention that, DIDN'T YOU!?" Doppler sighed.
"You've been abusing the caps lock recently," Kevin said, flicking Doppler where his nose would be.
"So you got a water monster and its VERY fast learner boss on one side," Emerald smirked, "and you got a chaos demon and the bootleg Omnitrix-user on the other. Wonder who'd people bet on?"
Kevin and Min looked at each other.
"...probably still us," Kevin nonchalantly said.
"AND I'M ALSO HERE!" Doppler yelled. "AND I WILL NOT HESITATE TO USE MY SECRET WEAPON TOO!"
"YOUR secret weapon?" Emerald kept a brave face but, she was actually a bit concerned. Mostly because of what Doppler was hooked into and, if she understood everything right, it was this little ooze that let Kevin make those hybrids.
Kevin just assumed it was a bluff, but Doppler seemed very, very determined.
"Been cooking up a VERY special form for a while. It's hard to maintain two very, very unstable samples of aliens...so, I decided...why not form alllll the stable parts of the aliens into one BIG form?" Doppler boasted.
"Wait, what?" Emerald asked.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with her, you can WHAT?" Min asked, a bit shocked herself.
"The 'stable' parts?" Kevin raised a brow at that.
"They're completely purified. Prime samples, like the Omnitrix," Doppler said, pitching the form to Kevin, "True powerhouse. You wanna see him?"
Kevin looked at Doppler, back at the water monster, then to Min.
"...well, if it can beat that thing..." Kevin shrugged.
"EXCELLENT!" Doppler slapped the AntiTrix symbol...
Kevin's transformation was all over the place. It was like he was mutating, each part of him taking on a different alien's look. His shoulders resembled Rainbow in the Dark on the left and Steel Panther on the right. His arms ended in hands that resembled Twisted Sister's drill and his version of Rath's hand. Numb's cloak appeared around his shoulders and fell to cover his back. His face had gained multiple different alien features. Brainsick's and Brass Monkey's arms jutted out from underneath his larger ones, as if the body plan had originally belonged to Six for Fighting.
"I felt you should name this one, buuuuuuuuut I might have a suggestion if you don't have one in mind," Doppler said, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.
Kevin looked down at his hands- it was like the form he'd taken on as a child, but...it wasn't uncontrollable. He could feel a surge of energy rush through his body without worry. Kevin grinned, as the words escaped his mouth...
"Dragonforce."
"Oh...shit," Emerald muttered upon seeing the alien Frankenstein. That was all Kevin let her say before he rushed her. The illusionist panicked and started firing off rounds with her weapons but, thanks to Numb's inclusion in the form, Kevin simply turned intangible at a moment's notice. The shots phased through him before he turned solid as he reached Emerald again.
He lashed out with a punch aimed right at Emerald's gut that lifted her off the ground with the sheer force behind it. Kevin reared back and was about to go in for another attack before Emerald's backup lashed out in defense of its summoner. Watery tendrils wrapped around Kevin's arms and his waist, but he simply turned intangible again and let the tendrils freeze over. He easily broke out of them when he turned solid again, shattering them to pieces, but they simply regenerated. The water golem lashed out with a flurry of whip-like attacks, but Kevin either dodged them or turned intangible again, shattering them again.
With his attention on the water creature, Emerald thought she'd have some breathing room and then she was swiftly reminded that she had more to worry about than just Kevin as a black-flame engulfed fist missed her by mere inches. She quickly shifted Thief's Respite back to its blade mode and lashed out at Min, who dodged each of Emerald's slashes. The chaos demon threw a few more fire-infused punches, not giving Emerald even the smallest second to think up a plan.
So, a giant alien mutant on one side, and a demon girl with far greater experience in magic. She still was stumbling over some magic words, but that was a small hiccup.
She was still pretty handy with her illusions, after all.
Emerald grinned, right before a punch from Min connected with its target, sending her to the ground. The thief's eyes began to glow again as she wove a convincing cover for the next part.
"See, I won't deny your skill, but it's gonna take a lot more than Eradico and whatever else you have t-" Min began, before she was cut off by, of all people, Kevin. One of his own optic-blasts, probably borrowed from Led Zeppelin, narrowly hit the demon's torso. She gasped and spun around, to see Kevin running right towards her. Even stranger was the lack of the water golem, having been reduced to nothing more than a massive puddle.
"Oh, I know," Emerald grinned, as her body had now taken on Min's appearance,"I just needed a few seconds to get this set up. Mana tradeoff, though. No more water golem…buuuut, the replacement is even better."
Min looked down at her hands and the realization hit her. Emerald had managed to create a grand scale illusion via magic and, now, Min just happened to look just like the green haired thief.
Min was going to say something, but she found herself having to dodge Kevin's charge. She jumped out of the way, letting him run past the two of them before he skidded to a halt. Considering the type of illusion at play here, one of her options was just taken off the table. Doppler would be tricked by this too, no doubt. She tried to dispel the illusion herself, hoping that there was a flaw, a crack in the façade that she could take advantage of. Emerald wasn't going to just let that happen, though. The illusionist responded with a magical burst of energy, hitting Min dead center in the chest, breaking her concentration and sending her flying into a wall.
"That was pretty basic, even for you," Kevin noted.
"Hey. She's a basic bitch," Emerald joked in Min's voice, "She doesn't deserve the gourmet stuff."
Basic bitch? Did she really just say that? Min rolled her eyes and got back up, dusting herself off a bit before she locked onto Emerald.
"Wonder how much damage you can take before this breaks," Min pondered as black lightning started to arc around her hands.
"Well, first you need to get through him," Emerald smirked, patting Kevin on the arm, "so, I should be good."
"Please. Like you think I can't rough him up a bit," Min narrowed her eyes at the unlikely duo.
"I'd like to see you try," Kevin cracked his knuckles, goading "Emerald" into the fight.
With a small smirk, the chaos demon rushed at Kevin, that black lightning surging and growing bigger. Kevin opened his maw, and unleashed a sonic howl. Much to Min's surprise, it seemed that the howl's soundwaves were infused with lightning. If Min had to guess, Kevin could also infuse fire, ice and who knows what other elements into the howls as well; Dragonforce was truly a powerful alien.
Good thing she was an equally powerful demon.
She tried dodging out of the way of the howl, throwing a bolt of obsidian lightning in Emerald's direction. The illusionist sneered and brought up a barrier to let the lightning clash against. Kevin, still howling, quickly moved the sonic blast for it to slam into Min from the side, blasting her back a good distance and giving her a good shock as well. Emerald smirked and brought back the basic magic bursts and began firing them at Min in rapid succession. Using her weapons here would immediately break the illusion, after all. At least she got to save on ammo for now. Min did her best to try and block the blasts, but considering the different effects of the soundwaves slamming into her and the actual noise of the howl filling her ears, blocking them became a bit more difficult than it should've been. Several of the blasts found their mark, making Min stagger a bit.
Min frowned. She's got him wrapped around her finger, but, despite her earlier display, she's still a rookie. Min's hands started turning red, thinking up a plan.
Min began firing blasts of red energy that quickly ensnared Emerald's own body.
"The hell?!" Emerald yelled, struggling against the energy bands. Kevin tried to free her while keeping the sonic howl still focused on Min. He tried to free Emerald by disrupting the energy thanks to Rainbow in the Dark's powers. Whatever "Emerald" had thrown their way, it seemed...different. Could she really use something like this? When it became obvious that the energy needed his full attention, he was forced to stop the howl and try to help Emerald.
"What?! No, I can handle this! Just focus on her!" Emerald yelled, still struggling to free herself. The hell kind of magic was this?!
"Chaos magic," Min smirked, "You'd know what it is...if you were really me."
Min snapped her fingers, and reverted back to her usual self. "Ah, good. Midriffs aren't really for me..."
"Ohhhh shit," Emerald froze, feeling the eyes of a none-too-happy Kevin looking at her.
"Well, looks like someone fucked up royally," Doppler said smugly. He couldn't help himself, he just had to cement how completely fucked Emerald was right now.
"Drop the disguise." Kevin said, as Min snapped her fingers again. Emerald reverted back to her usual form.
"Uh...my bad?" Emerald said.
"You're CERTAINLY bad." Kevin said, grabbing her.
"Someone really should record this next part," Doppler smirked.
"Probably," Min agreed.
Kevin smirked a little, unnerving Emerald, before he simply tossed her skyward. Numb's cape unfolded into wings, letting Kevin fly up after her. Emerald could see him racing up towards her, bracing herself for whatever he was throwing her way. First, Kevin's fist connected to Emerald's gut again, making the illusionist double over in pain. He followed it up by unleashing a barrage of ultraviolet blasts from his hand, the shoulder from Rainbow in the Dark glowing as the beams fired. Each one impacted into Emerald, her Aura flickering brightly from each hit. Damn those hurt! Emerald could feel herself starting to fall after the blasts, but her descent was quickly stopped when a web attached to her back.
Emerald was left dangling, and left at the mercy of other attacks. Min grinned, as she started pelting the girl with blasts of dark energy that felt like they could rip Emerald's skin apart if Min just kept her attack up for another second.
Emerald tried to block her attacks with a simple barrier, and it worked...for just a few moments. Emerald's peace was interrupted by the same energy ripping her from the web, and flinging her against a wall.
"Your magic isn't just for show, you know. If you can do stuff like duplicate, and summon stone creatures..." Min said, "It's impressive, sure, especially with you being new to this whole thing. But…you still have a long way to go."
"You think I don't know that?!" Emerald yelled, bringing up another weak barrier to protect herself, "But where I'm at now? You don't know how long I've wanted this!" Kevin yanked her back up after the last barrage from Min with a quick pull. He cut the web to release her before adding another binding to her in the form of two green electric whips belonging to Aerosmith. After they emerged from the wrists of the Rath-like arms, the energy surged around Emerald's body, electrocuting her and almost breaking her Aura.
Emerald's screams reached the high heavens, as Min shook her head. "Again, Emerald...you've learned this, but you haven't mastered it."
Min's hands lit up, as she narrowed her eyes. "And Charmcaster still strikes me as a rookie...how about I give you a real magic lesson?"
The chaos demon's eyes flashed red as she held out her hand towards Kevin. Both of them suddenly gained a red glow around their bodies accompanied by a rush of power surging through them. Both of them felt faster, stronger, like anything they threw at their enemies would be ten times worse.
"...fuck," Emerald muttered, seeing the both of them getting their power up.
"A soul amplification spell. It'll make fighting a big hitter like..." Min paused to think. "Fuck, what's a good heavy hitter, Kev?"
"...The Hulk?" Kevin said.
"...good enough. It'll make a battle with the Hulk look easy," Min clenched her fist to emphasize her point. Emerald huffed, as she began to use a spell to regenerate some of her Aura.
She could feel it slowly start to come back, finishing at just the perfect time to protect her against the coming onslaught. Kevin yanked Emerald back with the whips and began to spin in the air, winding up momentum with Emerald so he could throw her. The whips still crackled and stung her with jolts of electricity but her Aura held strong the whole time. When Kevin was satisfied, he turned one last time and released Emerald, sending her flying towards Min.
Min summoned a pillar of dark energy in front of her, blasting the new mage back. Min's hands produced black clouds that quickly swirled around and caught Emerald in them. Emerald's eyes lit up, as she began to fire a green optic blast, and blasted the clouds away.
Emerald landed on the ground, and pulled out her weapons. The blades started to glow green again, before their owner lashed out, activating their chain function to strike at Min from a distance. The demon anticipated the attack, and quickly blocked it with a mana barrier, only for the weapons to phase through the shield and slice her in the torso. Min stumbled back, clutching her slashed side.
"Still think I need a lesson?" Emerald hissed with a smirk.
"Yeah, still do," Min said. The illusionist was about to lash out again with her weapons before a sudden burst of sound knocked her back. She dug her sickles into the ground to stop her before she got too far and righted herself just in time to see a jet of water head her way. She brought up a barrier just in time for the stream to break against it. She smirked a little, but when the stream ended she found Kevin right on the other side. He punched at the barrier and, thanks to the water weakening it, went right through it. Emerald jumped back, shifting her weapons to their gun mode. The barrels were surrounded with a similar green glow to the blades and when she fired off rounds his way, they made small green detonations wherever they hit. Kevin tanked two of the shots before going intangible. As more and more shots phased through him, he held out his hand in Emerald's direction. Thanks to that bit of Steel Panther in this form, he was able to magnetically grab hold of Emerald's weapons and tried pulling them out of her grasp. The illusionist held onto her weapons tightly, trying her damnedest not to let go.
"I'm REALLY digging this form," Kevin grinned, "All of the best features of my aliens, without the distracting parts."
"You're welcome, you know..." Doppler grinned.
"Oh, believe me. I'll be thanking you later," Kevin rushed towards Emerald, pulling her towards him. Kevin grabbed the opponent by the neck with his drill arm before punching them in the face several times with his alternate fists. Burning, freezing, pricking and shocking- Min could feel all the worst sensations.
Kevin threw Emerald to the ground. "Buy me some time, Min." Kevin said, as he flew up.
"As much as you need!" Min smirked, readying some more spells.
Emerald groaned as she got to her feet, already feeling her Aura getting lower and lower, weaker and weaker. Considering the soul amplification, she wasn't entirely surprised about it.
"O...kay...maybe learning that...wouldn't hurt," Emerald admitted, getting her weapons ready again, bringing back the blades' green glow.
Min began swiping at Emerald, who narrowly dodged all of her attacks. Her slashes were being enhanced by some sort of strange black magic, and she was scared to learn what would happen if Min even touched her.
Emerald brought up a barrier when it was clear that she couldn't dodge one. Except, it shattered almost immediately thanks to whatever magic the chaos demon was using. Blocking wouldn't work and as long as Min kept up this kind of offensive, Emerald wouldn't get the smallest chance at countering. But more importantly, she was looking for someone. Her eyes darted around on occasion, looking for the alien Frankenstein. Where the hell was Kevin, he couldn't have just vanished!
Wait, of course he could; he had two aliens that could turn invisible. Emerald would've facepalmed if she could, for even thinking that.
"Where's your focus?" Min asked.
Emerald suddenly heard something above her- she shot her head up, where she saw Kevin, now curled into a wrecking ball, courtesy of Wrecking Bolt . He'd heated himself up, electrified his body, and generated glowing red eyes all over the ball that each generated neon energy, making it more powerful.
"Through the fire and flames," Min said, as she spread flames around Emerald, so she couldn't escape. The inexperienced sorceress was left with one option.
Emerald took a deep breath- oh, please let this work...
Kevin fell towards her at max speed-
And only hit the stone of the courtyard. Emerald was suddenly teleported out in a flash of green light. Instead of defeating Emerald, Kevin was just left making a MASSIVE crater in the ground and an even bigger mess.
"Did...ohhhh my god that actually worked," Emerald sighed in relief. She'd never tried that with such a short time to focus. She looked around and saw that she'd actually manage to teleport a good distance away.
"...shit, I overshot again," the illusionist growled.
"What? Where did she..." Min looked around, eyes darting to try and find even the smallest trace of Emerald.
"We scared her off," Kevin said, as he uncurled from his ball form, "...good."
"Good?"
"Truth be told, Min...I think I totally went overkill here,' Kevin looked down at the impact crater,"Like, damn. This is a form for fighting God. Not some kid with an Aura."
"Too much?" Doppler asked.
"A little. Not saying I don't like it but...unless it turns out I have one in here, this is basically my Alien X."
"Well...about that..." Doppler said.
"Huh?"
"Oh, nevermind. You'll figure that one out soon." Doppler said, reverting Kevin back to normal.
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