Oscar stared in awe at the city of Haven, leaning over the railing of the balcony. He had never seen so many buildings, so tall, and so packed together like this. He'd seen movies, and news channels and stuff like that, but he'd never actually witnessed it in person. He had lived in Mistral all of his life, but the curved architecture of the city was nothing at all like the farm he grew up on, and the small town he would occasionally visit.
You're in the minority regarding that, Oscar, A voice appeared within his mind. Most of the architecture within Mistral, from larger cities to villages with a handful of homes to their name, adopt the style of Haven itself.
"Really?" He never really thought about it before.
Really, Ozpin confirmed. You know, the spread of Haven's particular architectural style is actually rather interesting. Oscar froze. That…that sounded like his teacher voice. For instance, Menagerie is nearly indistinguishable from any larger town within Mistral. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference, were it not for the property of being an island. You see, after the Faunus war, when Menagerie was established, the majority of its residents were former citizens of Mistral, being the most racially hostile of the kingdoms. Naturally, they built their new home in a similar fashion to their old one.
Oscar groaned, laying his head down on the railing. "Why?" He moaned. "Why did you have to make my first time in a city boring? How did you do that?"
I'm a teacher, Oscar, it's a gift, Ozpin answered, and he could hear the smirk behind it. And I was only engaging you in conversation. You were the one admiring the beauty of the city. I simply wanted to open your eyes to the history of that beauty.
"Well, mission accomplished," Oscar sighed. It really was beautiful, the city. He originally came out to catch the sunset. The way the last rays of sunlight had bounced off of the curves of the city had entranced him, and he had been out here watching, taking in every detail his eyes could find well after the sun had set.
As enjoyable as this is, I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short, before long, Ozpin told him. The others are likely gathering now, and Qrow said he had something important to tell us all. He seemed rather conflicted.
Oscar groaned, and Ozpin was quick to reassure him. Although It won't do any harm to stay out a little longer, I suppose. The professor fell silent, and Oscar was grateful for it. He had been silently dreading the inevitable briefing from Mister Branwen. Ever since he left the farm, ever since he first heard Ozpin's voice pop into his head, really, his life had been one constant whirlwind of excitement and danger.
Maidens, magic, evil witches who ruled over the Grimm, it was all way too much for him. And he just knew that whatever Mister Branwen had to say would probably be some other world shattering revelation. So, he had come out to the balcony to get away from it all, if only for a couple hours. And it had worked, much to his surprise. He actually had forgotten about his troubles for a time.
But Ozpin was right. He usually was, Oscar was beginning to learn. Unfortunately.
He sighed again, taking one last look at the city, before heading back inside the building their strange little group was staying in.
And they were a strange group, for sure. From what he had gathered, it was originally Ruby, Ren, Jaune and Nora. Except, they weren't supposed to be a team? Ruby's team had her sister and Miss Schnee, but they hadn't arrived until after he had. The others were a part of a completely different team, who had lost a member at Beacon. They traveled with Ruby most of the way to Haven, when Qrow joined them. Only, he had actually been following them the entire time? Oh, and Ruby's team still had another member, but for whatever reason, her sister got angry whenever someone mentioned her.
It all made his head hurt, but he was pretty sure he got it right. At least, Ozpin didn't chime in to correct him, and he knew the old teacher wouldn't be able to resist pointing out if he had made a mistake.
As soon as he entered the building proper, he ran into a strange girl he didn't recognize. Oscar froze, and he almost shouted for help, until he saw her throat, which was wrapped in bandages.
That would be Miss Valkyrie, Oscar, Ozpin confirmed. No cause for alarm.
In his defense, he hadn't actually met her yet. Just heard about her from the others. She had only just woken up earlier this morning, and she wasn't in the room when Qrow told everyone he had something to tell them later.
She smiled, and waved. Oscar cleared his throat. "Um, hi! I'm Oscar. Did, uh, did Mister Branwen already tell you about me?" He hated having to explain everything about Ozpin, especially when he barely understood it himself.
Nora nodded enthusiastically, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled out a scroll, and her fingers flashed across the screen, and before he could blink she shoved it in his face.
So Professor Ozpin is just in your head? Like, at all times? That sounds weird. I'm glad he's still alive, though! Technically.
Oscar scratched the back of his head. "He…kind of is? He also stays quiet for a lot of the time. And yeah, it's really weird." But then, all of this was really weird for him.
Please give Miss Valkyrie my thanks, and my relief at her own recovery. Ozpin sounded amused.
"Um, Ozpin says thanks," Oscar relayed nervously. "And he's glad that you're okay, too."
Nora beamed, then went back to typing on her scroll.
So what do you think Qrow has to say? It read. He mentioned something about Lionheart, and some things he said not adding up, but he wouldn't budge when I asked. And I'm GOOD at finding out what I want to know. Ren always just gives up and tells me if I ask.
Oscar was about to tell her he knew even less than she did, when a voice that wasn't quite his own spoke first. "Leonardo?" Ozpin through him. "You're certain that's what Qrow said? What wouldn't be adding up?"
Nora frowned. Professor?
Ozpin blinked, and realized what had happened. "Ah. I seem to have…One moment." He blinked again, and Oscar felt his mind recede into the background. I apologize, Oscar. My surprise got the better of me.
"It's fine," Oscar spoke out loud. "And yeah, that was the professor," He said to Nora.
Really, I do apologize. But…please ask her to clarify. She is absolutely certain Qrow mentioned Professor Lionheart? About what he told Qrow?
He frowned, but asked anyway. "The professor wants to know if that's really what Qrow said, about Lionheart." Oscar didn't see why it mattered. He doubted whatever it could be was serious.
Nora nodded. He's supposed to be coming back any minute now, She typed. The others should be getting here too. Sure enough, he spotted Yang enter the living room behind her, laughing with Jaune. They each took their seats on the couch, and Yang kicked her feet up on the table.
The others arrived not long after, Weiss almost dragging Ruby along, while Ren followed not far behind. They all gathered together, reminiscing on old memories, mostly of Beacon. Oscar hung on the outskirts, feeling like he was intruding somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.
Nonsense, Oscar, The Professor chided. You have as much a reason to be here as any of them. More so, I'd say, though that isn't through any fault of your own. In a perfect world, It would have been a good deal longer before we met, and everyone in this room would still be attending Beacon, with no inkling of the awful truth of the world.
Wouldn't that be nice? Oscar thought. He would have loved to stay home, helping on his Aunts farm. He didn't think he would see his Aunt again anytime soon, though. Because unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect world. And Oscar still felt awkward. At least the professor didn't push him any further.
Qrow himself finally arrived, striding into the apartment with purpose. He actually seemed composed, for once, not stumbling, or smelling of alcohol. The others fell silent at his entrance, and he took his own seat in a lone chair, sitting down with a heavy sigh.
"Right, this is gonna suck. A lot. But we gotta get this over with sooner or later, so may as well suck it up and bite the bullet now." His hand reached absently towards his coat, before he seemingly decided against it. "Okay. So, we've all had a few days to get some rest, catch up, heal, do all that crap. Now, it's time to get started on why we came here in the first place."
Ruby shared a look with the others, before turning back to her Uncle, her face full of resolve. "Cinder," She said plainly.
"Not quite," Qrow told her. Ruby frowned, but the Huntsman carried on. "You and your friends came here for that reason, sure, and I wasn't lying when I said their trail led here, but there's a bit more to it than that."
"What happened to telling us the truth?" Jaune scowled.
"I am telling you the truth," Qrow answered. "I couldn't exactly tell you every little detail while your friend was dying, now could I?"
Jaune growled, and Nora crossed her arms, glaring at Qrow. Surprisingly, that seemed to get him to back off. "Look, I'm telling you now because it didn't really change anything earlier. Now, it might."
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"Because while you were traveling to Haven, did you ever stop to think why Cinder might be making her way there next?"
Nearly every pair of eyes in the room went wide. "She wants to make another Beacon," Yang realized.
Qrow nodded. "Eventually, sure. First, though, she needs the Relic. Oz has already told you all about that, so I won't waste your time going over it again. But to get the relic, she needs the Spring Maiden."
"Then we're fine," Yang said with a grin, placing her hands behind her head. "They don't know who the Spring Maiden is. We don't even know who she is."
Her uncle winced. "Well…about that." He scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable. "Yeah, we do. She's with your mother, somewhere in the tribe."
Yang's eyes narrowed, and she slowly took her feet off the table, sitting up straight. "And how long have we known that?" She asked, placing a special emphasis on 'we'.
"Known? Not long," Qrow answered. "We spoke, not long before Oniyuri, before RNJR knew I was following them. She didn't confirm anything, but from the way she spoke, she definitely knows something. And If I know my sister, there's no way she would let something like the power of the Spring Maiden slip through her fingers. Whoever it is, she's with the tribe."
"Then we have to find her first," Jaune decided. "We have to warn them Cinder's coming. She'll have to understand then."
This time, both Qrow and Yang winced. So did Weiss, for some reason. "Raven isn't someone we can rely on. Chances are more likely she'll keep the Maiden away just to spite us." He bit his lip. "Besides, it might be a bit worse than we think."
"How so?" Ren asked.
Qrow was silent for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Last we spoke, I told Leo we should get ready to raid Raven's camp. Find the Maiden, make sure Cinder can't get to her first. Course, I was planning on leaving you all out of it, no sense dragging a bunch of kids along, so I decided to look around for some old friends of mine, to help me and Leo."
He was quiet for a while longer. "See, I started going around town, checking bars, and a few other old haunts that Huntsman tend to frequent. There were none around. I started making some calls, and no one answered. I finally dragged myself over to the mission board, and wouldn't you know it?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Every Huntsman or Huntress currently out on a mission has been flagged missing, going back for months now. Every. One."
Qrow sighed. "Then last night, I got a call from the Headmaster. He sounded frantic. Only, the weird thing is, all he told me was to show up an hour later than we had agreed on. And he said to make sure to bring all of you."
"Why?" Ruby blurted. "I mean, doesn't that sound kind of weird? After everything else?"
He nodded. "Yeah, it does. I don't know what's going on, and I sure as hell hope it's not what it looks like, but I think it's fair to proceed with a little caution."
"Soo…We're not going to see the Headmaster?" Yang asked, confused.
"Oh no, we are," Qrow confirmed. "We have to. But I think we'll have to be a little careful. Have a look around before we show our hand."
Ruby gasped. "Are we going on a stealth mission?"
Qrow looked like he had a number of things he wanted to say to his niece, but he sighed. "Sure, yeah. We're doing that."
Ruby pumped her fist in the air, jumping up. "Awesome!" She held out a hand for a high five, which Nora promptly gave her.
"But I meant it when I said we have to be careful," Qrow warned. "I'm not sure what's going on, but it could be dangerous. And remember, we know that even ignoring whatever is going on with Leo, Tyrian is still loose somewhere in the city. We can't let our guard down."
Ruby sat down sheepishly, nodding. "I know."
Qrow straightened up. "Now, as far as the game plan goes, it's nothing genius. The school should be pretty much empty except for Lionheart, so we'll just have a little look around before meeting him. That's all."
"When are we leaving?" Ruby asked eagerly.
"In a couple of hours," Her Uncle answered. "Gives us some time to get our things together. I'm not kidding when I say we'll have to be careful. There's a lot of us, sneaking around won't exactly be easy." He stared pointedly at Yang.
"Hey, I can be quiet if I have to, jerk!" She defended lightheartedly. "Besides, Oscar should probably stay back just in case, and there was no way Nora was going in the first place, so it won't end up being that bad."
The others murmured in agreement, but Oscar saw Nora scowling. She whipped out her scroll, furiously typing, but Qrow spoke first. "Oscar's coming, because I can guarantee Ozpin isn't just gonna stay back after hearing what I just said about Leo."
Oscar frowned. That…made sense, he guessed, but now that he thought about it, Professor Ozpin had been weirdly quiet ever since Qrow started talking.
That's because I have been listening, Oscar, the headmaster chimed in. We'll talk later.
Qrow wasn't finished. "And Nora…Nora's coming too."
The room erupted into shouted protests, Yang jumping to her feet. All of the voices piled on top of one another, and Oscar couldn't make out a word of what was actually being said. What he could do, Is watch Nora quietly fume, while Qrow weathered the shouting with an almost bored expression.
Eventually, they seemed to get tired of speaking over each other, and he could finally hear Yang clearly speak to her Uncle. "You can't be serious!"
"Sure I can," Qrow said blandly. "You're coming. Ruby's coming. A farm boy who probably hasn't ever held anything more dangerous than a shovel is coming. Why can't she?"
"Oscar also has the former Headmaster of Beacon inside his brain!" Yang yelled. "Nora is injured! She just barely got out of the hospital!"
Qrow nodded slowly, as if considering her words. "You got a point there, kiddo. I get what you're saying, I really do. It's good that you're worried about your friend. But are you just gonna stand there talking about her like I'm twisting her arm to go, or are you gonna ask her what she thinks?"
Only then did Yang and the others finally pay attention to Nora. She looked angry at being ignored this whole time, and thrusted her scroll towards Yang. "It's not your choice what I do," Yang read aloud. "I'm not just gonna sit by either." Yang handed back the scroll with a huff. "Nora, I'm just trying to help you here!"
"Yang," Ren cut in gently, speaking up. "It's unreasonable to ask her to stay back for this. I don't like it either, but it's her choice. If she were still seriously injured in a way that affected her ability to fight, it would be different. But, well, how would you feel in her place? Would any of us want to stay back?"
No one spoke up. Nora gave her scroll back to Yang, a new message on the screen. "I'm not going to sit here worried about what could be happening at Haven all night," Yang read. She bit her lip, before sighing. "I'm sorry, Nora. You're right, it's not really my choice, is it? I was just worried about you. Weiss and I got here, and we've had no idea what any of you have been up to for months, and the first thing I hear about is that you're in the hospital. I just-"
Nora cut her off, wrapping her arms around Yang and lifting her into the air. Yang yelped, struggling against her, and Nora set her back down with a grin. The tension left the room, to Oscar's relief. He was already uncomfortable as it was, he didn't want to be here in the middle of an argument.
"Alright! Great! Now that's been settled, I believe that's just about everything I had to say," Qrow said. "All that's left to do now is wait. Get ready, prepare, rest, do whatever. In a few hours from now, We're leaving for Haven."
Qrow got up and leaned against a wall, content to wait. As soon as he finished speaking, the room burst once more into conversation. Nora was smiling with Yang, who was demonstrating something about her prosthetic arm. The others were engaged in a looser conversation, much like it had been before Qrow arrived. Ren and Weiss, he noticed, had begun preparations, checking their ammo, and ensuring their weapons were in good condition.
I apologize for my silence, the professor spoke up, and Oscar jumped, nearly screeching. When Qrow began speaking about Leo, I had to listen very closely. I didn't want to miss a word.
"It's fine, really," Oscar told him. "But about the Headmaster…what do you think is going on? A lot of what Qrow said didn't make a whole lot of sense."
I'm not entirely sure myself, Ozpin confessed. Qrow is suspicious, but that's understandable. He's acted as my eyes for so long, it's in his nature to doubt. As for myself, well, the Huntsmen and Huntresses disappearing must have been going on for a while. It's certainly worrying that Leonardo never said a word to any of us, but It isn't inherently malicious. At least, I hope not. Truth be told, I don't know what is going on, Oscar. I am hoping tonight will clear things up.
"So am I," Oscar agreed.
"You're what?" A raspy voice asked suddenly. His heart leapt in fear, before he recognized it as Qrow's. The Huntsman noticed, frowning. "You alright kid?"
He nodded quickly, his face turning red from embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm fine! I was just talking to Oz, that's all."
Qrow nodded in understanding. "That's gotta be a headache and a half, dealing with him in your head, huh?"
Oscar chuckled nervously. "Yeah, it's, uh, it sure is something, that's for sure."
Qrow stared at him for a moment, before sighing heavily. "Kid, I get this is a lot for you, I do. I remember what it was like the first time I left my home, too. But you need to relax a little. You're doing fine. You don't really know any of us that well yet, but considering that you're gonna be stuck with us for a while, it won't kill you to start warming up to us."
He has a point, Oscar. It would do you some good to mingle. "I just…They all already know each other. I don't want to intrude or anything."
The Huntsman snorted. "Have you seen Ruby? Yang? Trust me, Ruby might be a little nervous at first, but they're the friendliest brats you could ask for." He reclined in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. "You'd be surprised how quick they'd be to include you, you know."
Oscar rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "I know, I know. Can I…can I step outside for a second?" He was starting to feel closed in, he needed to get some air.
Qrow frowned. "Uh, yeah, I guess. Are you sure you're alright?" He sounded concerned.
Oscar nodded. "I'll be fine, really. I just need to get out for a second."
"If you say so," Qrow shrugged, but Oscar didn't think he fully believed him. "Take as long as you need. You'll want to have a clear head before we get to the Academy."
Oscar thanked him, and once more found himself on the balcony looking out into the city. The sun had truly set now, and the shattered moon let a different kind of light fall on the city of Haven. Different, but no less encaptivating.
He felt himself calm down, having a minute to himself, to breathe, and let the events of the past few weeks catch up to him. The last few days, every now and again it would hit him just how much his life had changed in so short of a time, and he would have to step away, to ground himself.
Are you feeling better, Oscar? The professor asked gently.
He nodded. "I'm okay. I think I'll stay out here a few more minutes though."
There's nothing wrong with that, Ozpin reassured him. A lot is being asked for you, Qrow was right when he said you're doing perfectly fine. Personally, I think you're handling this all incredibly well given your circumstances. Certainly much better than I would have, were I in your shoes.
Oscar flushed at the praise. "Thanks," He mumbled appreciatively.
I mean it Oscar, He continued. And as time goes on, it will become easier. More natural, as more and more of my experience comes to you.
His stomach dropped. He had almost forgotten about the merge. Ozpin noticed. I'm sorry, Oscar. I truly am.
He shook his head. "Don't be, It's not your fault."
Oscar sighed, turning away from the city. He could worry about the merge later. For now, he decided to take Qrow's advice.
He slid open the door to the balcony, and called into the room. "So how do teams in Beacon get selected anyways?"
"You're certain you gave him the right time? Cinder asked impatiently.
"Yes, yes! Of course I did!" Lionheart huffed.
"Then where is he?" She growled.
"I don't know!" Lionheart shouted in a panic. "I gave him the time you gave me, and I made sure to tell him to come alone."
"Clearly, something's gone wrong. What did you do?" Cinder demanded.
"Nothing!" Lionheart pleaded. "I did everything you asked!"
Raven sighed, rolling her eyes at the display. She was getting tired of standing around. She felt restless. Give it time, she told herself. Qrow will come. There's no chance he hasn't realized something is wrong with Lionheart, and he won't be able to stop himself from looking into it. She knew her brother better than to believe he wouldn't come.
Still, Cinder had a point, even if she was whining about it. Qrow should have arrived by now. Raven had waited a full twenty minutes before she got sick of it, and opened the portal to Vernal. Cinder and her larger friend, Hazel, had been…displeased, with the current turn of events.
For her own part, it set her on edge. She hated that Cinder twisted her arm into this. What's more, it put her own plans in jeopardy. Qrow needed to come here, and he needed to bring those brats he was traveling with. Cinder only had Hazel. Qrow had five Beacon students along with himself. Surely they could handle one man, while she and Vernal went into the vault and took care of the Maiden themselves.
After that, it wasn't her concern. She and Vernal would make off with the Relic, and that would be that. Hell, Qrow ought to thank her for taking care of Cinder for him.
Of course, he'd have to drag his sorry ass over here, first. Raven frowned. What could be holding him up?
"Arguing with each other isn't going to solve anything," Hazel said reasonably. "All we can do is wait for him to arrive. It's no different than before, just a little delayed."
"Why would it be delayed in the first place?" Cinder hissed.
"It doesn't matter." Hazel said.
"It does matter!" She argued. "What if he doesn't come alone? What if he suspects something?"
"Then we'll handle it," He said calmly.
"What do you mean we'll handle it? How is that supposed-"
"I mean we'll handle it, because we don't exactly have any other options," He growled, finally showing his annoyance. "Your little minions ran off, you burned Watts' face when he offered his help, and refused Tyrian when he did the same because you couldn't let go of your grudge. We'll handle it, Cinder, because we don't have a choice. Salem gave me orders to be here, and you ran off our help. So you better hope that whatever happens, we can handle it."
Cinder looked furious, but held her tongue. Raven smirked at the bickering. They don't stand a chance. It would serve the bitch right for trying to threaten her.
"I'm sure they'll come. He said he would." Lionheart finally spoke up.
"He better," Cinder threatened. "Or what use would I have for you?"
Raven's eyes widened at the Headmaster's words. Did no one else catch that? Cinder was fuming, as expected, and Hazel was too annoyed to notice. Vernal wasn't paying attention, something she'd have to reprimand the girl for later.
And Lionheart? Lionheart was sweating, looking between the rest of them. He must have realized his mistake. They. He said he was sure they'd come. His eyes met hers and she grinned. He took a step back in fear, but stopped when she didn't say anything.
He wanted Qrow to bring help, and he wanted them to stop Cinder. That was fine by her. She knew Qrow and the others would be able to handle themselves. What mattered was that she got her hands on the relic.
Anything outside of that? Like if a certain little Lion decided he had enough? Well, that wasn't her problem, now was it?
"We should have gotten special costumes," Ruby grumbled.
Qrow sighed without looking behind him, knowing his niece would be following with a pout, arms crossed. "Kid, don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not being ridiculous!" She protested. "We're on a super secret stealth mission, we should have stealthy outfits!"
"She has a point," Jaune chimed in. "I mean, I'm wearing metal armor. It wouldn't have been a bad idea for us to wear something…stealthier."
"You just want a new costume!" Weiss accused.
"But it'd be so cool!" Jaune whined. "And it makes sense! It's not like we're never going to have to sneak around again in our career, why not grab a sneaky suit now?"
"Hey, just a tip for you all, the word stealth usually implies an attempt to remain quiet," Qrow interrupted.
"Sorry uncle Qrow," Ruby mumbled, looking at her feet.
Nora would have liked to give her opinion on super cool stealth costumes, but it was kind of awkward to just stop someone and give them her scroll to read while they were walking. She frowned. I really have to find something better than a scroll.
It worked so far, but she hated not being able to just speak her mind anymore. Anytime she wanted to say something, she had to grab her scroll and write it out first, and it was so annoying to either take out her scroll and put it back, or to hold it for an entire conversation. So she wound up listening a lot more than she used to. It sucked.
The edge of Nora's lips came up in a faint grin as an idea popped into her head. She pulled out her scroll, quickly typing out what she wanted to say, and launched herself on to Qrow's back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He stumbled forward before catching himself. "Argh, what the hell? Get off me, kid!" Ignoring him, she held her scroll out in front of his face so he could read it. I vote for new outfits!
Qrow groaned, and unwrapped her arms from around his neck, separating them. "Look, I'm so glad you all want nice little costumes," He said through gritted teeth. "But honestly, we don't need them."
"But what if we run into Professor Lionheart?" Ruby argued.
Qrow shrugged. "Then we run into him. So what?"
"Wouldn't he think it's weird we didn't come in the front door?" Ruby pressed. They had snuck in through a side entrance, and were slowly making their way through Haven's empty halls, looking for…something. Qrow hadn't exactly specified.
"I don't see why," Qrow said nonchalantly. "If he's got nothing to hide, he shouldn't care. You're students from Beacon, who are seeing another academy for the first time in your lives. Makes sense you might want to take a look around."
"Hmm!" Ruby huffed, crossing her arms. Qrow chuckled, and they carried on.
Nora was getting restless again, when Qrow held a hand up, signaling them to move slowly. They were coming up on a large door, closed shut.
"That leads to the grand hall," Qrow whispered. "I hear something behind it."
As they drew closer, they could hear raised voices, becoming clearer and clearer. "I'm tired of your excuses. How much longer will we have to wait?" Nora's eyes widened. That…that's the voice from the Vytal festival. That's Cinder.
Another, older voice spoke up to answer. "I-I don't know! You know as much as I do! He should be here soon!"
Qrow sighed, shutting his eyes. "Damn it, Leo," He muttered. He turned back to face them. "Well. Looks like we have company." The others had fallen silent.
"Was this…was this supposed to be a trap for you?" Ruby asked quietly.
He nodded. "Seems that way, doesn't it?" He thought for a moment, before continuing. "And it seems like we don't really have any other options than to spring it. Everyone, get ready for a fight."
They drew their weapons, checking their ammo, and making sure they were prepared. Nora looked at her teammates. Ren seemed as calm as ever, somehow, but Jaune's eyes were burning with hatred. She frowned. Don't do something rash, Jaune.
Qrow stepped up to the door, hesitant. "No time like the present, I guess," He finally sighed, and kicked open the door. The grand hall of Haven lived up to its name, a sprawling, open space where once hundreds of students would walk to and from their classes. Now, it was almost empty. Strangely, a statue of a woman in the center of the room was raised up, revealing an entrance.
Five heads snapped towards them, eyes widened in surprise. Qrow himself stepped back in surprise. "Raven?" He blurted.
"Hello Brother," She called out smirking. "Surprising no one, you stumble in late through the wrong door. Do you ever change?"
Qrow opened his mouth to reply, but Yang beat him. "Mom? What are you doing here?"
Raven's smirk faltered. "I-"
"Raven has seen the wisdom in not opposing the unstoppable." Cinder cut in tauntingly. "She's offered her aid, in return for Salem turning a blind eye to her tribe."
"You can't be serious," Qrow said in disbelief. "Even you can't be this stupid. Hate Oz all you want. Hate me all you want. But throwing in with Salem? Seriously? The hell's going on in your head?"
"You, actually," Cinder crooned. "Her one other condition for her assistance, was the assurance that you specifically would be killed."
Qrow opened his mouth, and closed it again. His face went through several different emotions, from hurt, to angry, to resigned. "Figures," He muttered bitterly. Then louder, he called back to her. "You know, there's a lot I'd be willing to believe about you Rae, but I can't say even I thought low enough of you to expect this."
"Mom?" Yang called again, her voice shaking. "She has to be lying, right? You wouldn't seriously try to kill Uncle Qrow."
Raven pursed her lips, and refused to answer. Yang grimaced. "Some mother you are," She scoffed. "Fine, you want to fight with them?" She gestured towards Cinder and Hazel. "Then you can get your ass kicked with them." She nodded towards Cinder. "And what about you, hmm? What happened to your friends? They ditch your sorry ass after my little sister crippled you at Beacon?"
Cinder snarled. "Perhaps you need a little reminder of exactly what happened at Beacon. I won."
Yang made a show of looking Cinder up and down. "Right," She drawled. "Some victory. So the eyepatch is just a fashion choice, then?"
Cinder hurled a fireball towards Yang in a rage, which she swatted away easily. "I'll kill you," The maiden swore. "You first, so your sister can watch. Then I'll burn her alive for what she did. I'll make her watch all her little friends die, then make sure she feels every agony that I did."
"Tough talk, for someone outnumbered eight to five." Qrow pointed out.
"You're counting the kid?" The short haired woman beside Raven laughed.
Qrow shrugged. "I also counted Lionheart."
"Enough!" Cinder roared. "It doesn't matter who you brought, this ends now! You will never interfere with my plans again, Ruby Rose. Tonight, you die!"
An icicle emerged from a glyph behind Cinder, slamming into the maiden and sending her stumbling forward. "That's my partner you're threatening," Weiss said coldly. "And I think you've done enough talking, for today. My ears are screaming for someone to shut you up."
As if on cue, Jaune and Ren ran forwards. Cinder launched herself towards them with a roar. Ruby started firing at Raven, while Yang shot herself forwards with Ember Celica to engage her mother. Weiss stopped to consider where she would be most useful, and made up her mind, choosing Vernal as her opponent.
"Nora!" Qrow called, bringing her attention away from the battle. "You're with me. You and I are the best muscle we have, and we need to focus on the big guy." He nodded towards Hazel, who sighed, cracking his knuckles.
Nora grinned, tightening her grip on her hammer. Finally, some action! Ever since Tyrian cut her throat, she'd been either injured or recovering. She felt…useless, like she was just trotting along with the others, weighing them down. She had also been itching for payback. Two birds, one stone, blah, blah, blah! Get with the slamming!
She brought her hammer back, preparing for a swing, when Qrow put a hand on her shoulder. She frowned, looking up at him. "Don't rush in," He warned, not taking his eyes off of Hazel. "This isn't like another student, or a Grimm. This guy is dangerous. Circle around him, and take your openings when you find them." She nodded, and the two of them went opposite directions, slowly circling him.
"You know, this doesn't have to end in bloodshed," Hazel said.
Qrow snorted. "Really? What was all that about melting my niece and killing all of her friends, then?"
Hazel shrugged. "That's Cinder. Not me. Surrender, and I'll take care of her. We just need the relic." He paused. "And the silver eyed girl."
Qrow clicked his tongue. "No can do on either one of those, friend."
Hazel sighed. "Then you don't leave me with much choice." Hazel ran forwards, swinging an arm out towards Qrow. The leaner man darted back, quickly firing off two rounds from Harbinger, before snapping it back into it's sword configuration.
Nora seized her chance, jumping up into the air and bringing her hammer down onto Hazel's spine. "Aargh!" He roared in pain, arching his back. Qrow took advantage of the moment, slipping forward and slicing at his neck with Harbinger, biting into his Aura.
Hazel lashed out with a kick, sending Qrow flying into a pillar. Nora almost tried to capitalize on his distraction, but held back, remembering Qrow's words. Sure enough, he spun right around to face her, and would have caught her if she had tried.
"Pick another fight, little girl!" He panted. "Run off and help your friends."
Nora smirked, noticing Qrow rising to his feet behind Hazel. Qrow nodded, and they launched themselves towards the man, determined to bring him down.
Qrow and Nora were handling Hazel well enough, being careful not to get too close, attacking sparingly. Weiss was smoothly dueling the short haired girl, parrying her every blow without breaking a sweat, all the while driving her opponent back. Ruby and Yang weren't quite so effortlessly holding off Raven, but they were managing to hold their own.
Jaune and Ren were struggling against Cinder, but at least they were surviving. Jaune was reckless, rushing in to strike at Cinder without rhyme or reason. Thankfully, Ren showed a little more restraint. He stayed back, putting careful thought into timing his shots. Each time Jaune would push forward, he would fire a few shots at Cinder, forcing her to switch targets, and focus on him. Jaune would rush in again, stopping her, Ren would reposition a little further, and draw her attention once more. It was dangerous, but it was also working. Out of everyone fighting, they definitely needed help the most.
Not that I can help much, Oscar thought bitterly.
Don't think like that, the professor told him. You've already done what you could. And rest assured, you are not defenseless, not so long as I am in your head.
"But I want to help!" Oscar argued.
Interfering with any of their fights will only distract them, and put you in harm's way, Ozpin said. However, there is someone that must be handled, who remains on the sidelines.
Oscar frowned, before his eyes widened. "Lionheart!" He shouted. "I completely forgot about him!"
I have not, Ozpin said coldly. Not at all. If you don't mind, Oscar, I would like to have a few words with my old friend. Oscar nodded. Finally, a chance to do something!
He picked his way carefully around the battle, running up the stairs to where Lionheart was looking over the railing. The Headmaster was sweating, watching nervously as the fighting raged below him.
Oscar, may I…? Ozpin trailed off.
Go ahead. His eyes flashed, and he felt himself recede into the back of his own mind as Ozpin took control. Ozpin strode forward, confident and sure of himself in every way that Oscar was not. He was glad at least one of them knew what they were doing.
"Leonardo," He called out in Oscar's voice.
Lionheart jumped, looking over towards him in surprise. "What? Not now, boy, I'm trying to focus!"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Really? It seems to me you're watching your handiwork. You betrayed me, Leo. I placed my faith in you, gave you my trust, and you spat on it, siding with her, of all people."
His eyes widened. "Oz?" He whispered. "You've returned so soon?"
"I have," Ozpin inclined his head. He grabbed the cane from his waist, and flicked it outwards, extending its length. "And I'm quite displeased."
"What are you doing you fool!" Lionheart cried. "Put that away, don't you recognize Hazel? If he learns you're here, this gets much more difficult!"
"I-huh?" Ozpin took a step back, taken by surprise. "What are you talking about?"
It was too late, though. Hazel must have caught sight of Oscar out of the corner of his eye. He recognized the cane, and slowly put two and two together. "OZPIN!" He roared.
"Oh no you don't!" Qrow flicked a mechanism on Harbinger, transforming it into a scythe. He leapt into the air, hooking Hazel's neck with the blade and holding him back, while Nora slammed her hammer into Hazel's stomach, sending him flying into the wall.
Hazel rose from the ground with a handful of dust crystals in both hands. With a roar, he stabbed them into his arm. "Dammit all!" Lionheart swore. He raised his arm to take aim with his own weapon, and fired, managing to knock a single crystal out of Hazel's arm.
"I…don't understand." Ozpin said in disbelief.
"It doesn't matter, explanations can wait until this is over with," Lionheart said. "I'm sure you're familiar with Mister Rainhart's semblance. You need to assist Qrow and that young woman."
Ozpin hesitated, looking between Hazel and the headmaster. "This isn't over," He warned.
Lionheart nodded. "I don't expect it to be." Ozpin climbed over the railing, and leapt down onto the ground. "Apologies, but I will have to be using your body a little longer than anticipated."
I understand, Oscar said.
"No," Ozpin said. "You don't. Hazel's semblance allows him to ignore pain, permitting him to directly infuse himself with dust crystals, far more than any normal person can. I will have to expend quite a bit of effort to combat him. Your body may suffer for it in the morning."
So long as I'm alive to make it to morning, Oscar told him. Wait, Nora's semblance makes her stronger with electricity? Can't we use that, since she's fighting Hazel?
"That…is a rather clever idea, Oscar," Ozpin smiled. "Good thinking." He cupped his hands, and called out across the hall. "Miss Rose! Lightning!" Ruby turned away from her own fight with a frown, before her face lit up in realization. She swung Crescent Rose around, and swapped out cartridges. She took aim for only a second, before hitting Nora in the back, sending her out of the way from one of Hazel's punches.
Hazel took the moment to grab another handful of crystals he had hidden away, and jammed them into his other arm. He yelled in exertion, throwing back Qrow. Nora came at him with a powerful swing, which he caught, sending her flying in the other direction. She recovered smoothly, and rushed forward to rejoin the fight.
Cinder must have noticed Hazel had suddenly become much more of a threat, forcing the others to focus on him. "Raven!" She yelled. "Grab your maiden and get to the vault!" She sent out a ring of fire, pushing back Jaune and Ren, and ran towards the opening below the statue. Jaune and Ren made to follow, when Ozpin shouted. "No, come back here! We need help with Hazel!" They seemed torn for a moment, but ultimately ran back.
Raven immediately disengaged, turning into a bird and flying past Cinder. Not long after, a portal opened up behind the spring maiden, who backed into it. Ruby rushed to help with Hazel, while Yang stood still near the vault. "Someone has to stop them, and get the relic," She said.
Ozpin nodded. "There should be plenty of us to handle him now. Go after your mother." Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to the battle, finally joining in.
It was chaos. Seven on one, some of them attacking in turns, others whenever they found a chance. Ren held back, laying down a constant stream of fire, whittling down his Aura. Ozpin darted forward, delivering a lightning fast series of jabs.
Ozpin backed off, but Hazel caught his leg. Ozpin's eyes widened. A second, he thought. A second too late, because I'm not used to this body. Hazel threw him with all the force he could muster, slamming his body into a pillar with a roar. Oscar heard something crack, and his body erupted into pain. He wanted to scream, but Ozpin was in control of his body.
I'm sorry, Oscar, He said inside his mind, his voice racked with agony. I'm trying to shield you from the pain, but it's…hard to focus.
"Oscar!" Jaune yelled, breaking away from the battle to run to his side. Ruby followed not far behind.
"Get him away!" Qrow called. "It's a bad idea to move him, but it's a worse one to keep him so close to Hazel!"
Jaune obeyed wordlessly, gently scooping him up in his arms. Oscar, I…I don't think I can…Ozpin's voice grew silent, and Oscar's vision dimmed.
Although, before he lost consciousness, he swore he saw a shimmer of white run over his body.
Qrow stepped back as Nora delivered one more blow to Hazel, pushing him back against the two large doors that lead into the courtyard. He was panting from exertion, the use of so much dust crystals clearly wearing on him.
Qrow frowned, risking a look behind him. Ruby and Jaune were still with Oscar, well away from the fighting. It had only been a few minutes since Oz went down, but weirdly enough, there was some kind of white light shimmering over Oscar's body, like aura. Maybe it was some kind of his magic? But then, Jaune seemed focused, maintaining contact with Oscar's body, so maybe it was the kid. Either way, he hoped whatever it was worked.
As he was looking back, the elevator to the vault rose up, showing Yang, with the relic of knowledge hanging from her belt. He turned back with a grin to watch Hazel's mouth fall open, before closing with a grimace.
"Cinder must be dead or restrained somehow," He reasoned. "Which means there's nothing for me here." He bit his lip in thought, before turning, ramming through the door's to Haven and breaking out into a run.
He immediately skidded to a halt, staring out as an army arrayed itself in the courtyard of Haven. "Blake?" He heard Weiss call out in surprise. Sure enough, his nieces' teammate stood at the head of the small army.
Hazel took all of this in, and took one last look behind him. Qrow readied his scythe, and he heard the others prepare themselves for another fight beside him. Hazel let out a heavy sigh, hanging his head and holding up his hands. "I surrender," He said, defeated.
Six armed guards, probably from Mistral's local police, Qrow assumed, ran up and placed Hazel in cuffs. He didn't bother resisting.
"Blake!" Ruby called out behind him, and a whirl of rose petals slammed into the older girl, nearly knocking her off her feet. Blake managed to catch her in a hug, and regain her balance, before setting her down. "How did you even get here?" His niece asked.
"It's…a long story," Blake said, nervously playing with her hands. "But, umm, I'm back now. And I'm not going to leave again."
Yang made it to the entrance. "I'm glad," She said with a smile, and left it at that. Well that's nice, at least. He knew Yang had been angry with her partner the last couple days, but it was good to see her happy that she was here.
Jaune arrived, trailing after Ruby, supporting Oscar, who was up and walking around. Oh yeah. "What the hell was that?" Qrow asked. "Was that…was that Oz?" He asked, careful of the guards running around them, piling into the academy.
Oscar shook his head. "He thinks it was Jaune's semblance. And…he wants to say thanks, Jaune."
Qrow nodded. "I second that, kid. Good work. Otherwise, Oscar might not be in as good of a shape as he is right now."
"I don't feel like I'm in a good shape," Oscar groaned.
"If you can feel it in the first place, that's a good thing," Qrow told him.
"What are we going to do about Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked quietly. They all looked back towards the academy. Lionheart was standing by the railing, seemingly lost in thought. None of the guards approached him, not knowing about his betrayal, and he made no attempt to flee.
"That is something that can be determined tomorrow," Oscar said in a tone that didn't match his own. "I believe there's quite a bit we don't understand. For now, though, it will have to be enough for us to tell the police to take him into custody. Everything after that, can wait until we have some rest."
"Umm…sorry, who are you?" Blake asked.
Ruby gasped. "Oh my gosh, you don't know about Oscar! Oh there is so much we have to catch up on!" She latched herself onto Blakes arm, and dragged her off, filling her in on everything she missed at a speed that Blake couldn't have understood. Yang followed, chuckling, and slowly, the others gathered around each other, catching up with one another and laughing.
That's good, He thought. It was good they were laughing. After what they had been through, those kids deserved it.
There would be plenty of unpleasantness soon enough. Blake would find out about Salem, and Ozpin, and Nora's injury. They'd have to deal with Lionheart eventually. He was sure Blake had some bad news of her own to deliver at some point.
But for now, it was nice to see them laughing together.
And so we Finally come to the Battle of Haven! I'm aware that this might seem like the stakes were sorta low for the battle, but bear with me for a moment, because I think it was necessary.
First off, this story is about Mercury and Emerald, and the two of them finding out what it is that they want. RWBY/JNR's purpose in the story is to show the ramifications of M&EM's actions. Them ditching Cinder drives Cinder to even greater heights of recklessness, trying to make up for her failure of keeping them in line in the same vein of Tyrian trying to atone for his own failure. This chapter, I think, best exemplifies that Cinder is her own worst enemy.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Please, leave a comment if you did, I love reading your thoughts!
As always, I crosspost on AO3!
Next Chapter: Tuesday, May 28th
