Qrow: "The City of Mistral..."
Nora: "Ugh! It's about time!"
Qrow and Ruby's Group are walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns. Summer was able to get some fire dust and brighten the tunnel up a bit.
Nora: "Whose idea was it to walk again?"
Mecha and Penny looked at Nora, as if she's crazy.
Mecha: "Walking is your idea, Nora! Did you forget that easily?!"
Nora looked wide-eyes, and scratched her head rather sheepishly.
Nora: "Hehehehe...yeah...right. Sorry."
Penny simply smiled and held Mecha's hand in a rather tight manner, showing great comfort.
Ren: "Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements..."
Jaune: "Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us."
Ruby: "Pfft, we were fine."
Yang: "Yeah. Only one of us almost died."
She spoke, whilst looking at Qrow with a smile. Qrow looked at Ruby and smiled back his adopted niece.
"Hey."
As they chuckled, Mecha than thought at them with an angry tone.
'You idiots! This isn't funny! We almost did lose a life! Why is this something that you people take lightly?!'
As he thought of this, Nora puts her hands on her hips and looks at Ren.
Ren: "hey."
Jaune: "So, how much farther to Haven Academy?"
Qrow: "Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route."
Penny: "Ohhhh...I can't wait to see how pretty it is!"
Pyrrha than puts a hand on Penny's shoulder.
"We all are, Penny. We all are."
Papyrus: "This will be my first time coming here."
May than held on Papyrus's hand.
"I am excited as well!"
Weiss nodded, and so did Summer.
The group approaches a pair of large, wooden double doors, which Qrow opens, flooding the tunnel with sunlight. Ruby runs out onto a massive platform that doubles as an elevator, stopping at the railing to gaze out over the city in wide-eyed awe.
The city looked so beautiful. It had a bunch of towers of red and white, which adds its beauty. The sky was also perfect. It is blue and is very rich, with pure clouds as white as a daisy.
Ruby: "Wow!"
The others join her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains.
Yang: "This... is... awesome!"
Weiss: "It's beautiful."
Papyrus: "Wow...I know that it is beautiful, but I member thought this is beautiful."
May: "It's on of the greatest things I have ever seen in my whole life.
Below them, large crowds of people are going about their day - walking around, talking and buying merchandise legally and illegally. Mecha looked deadpanned at the illegal part of the merchandise.
"Really? Are you serious here?"
Qrow: "It's certainly something."
Ruby than took notice of a kiosk selling weapons.
Ruby: "Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!"
Qrow: "Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not."
Jaune: "They really made the most out of these mountains."
Qrow: "Every inch. Stay away from the lower levels. The higher up you go, the nicer it gets."
Penny and Mecha than prepare their equipment used for flight.
Nora: "And we are going up!"
Mecha and Penny than fly, while shouting at Nora.
"RACE YOU TO THE TOP!/RACE YOU TO THE TOP!"
They spoke. Nora relished the challenge, and used her weapon to chase after the robotic duo for the fun here.
Sans side...Mantle's military...fixing weaponry...
Sans is seen using Protogenium to mold parts of the weapons. Apparently, because of how much the weapons used gear, it had melted them, mostly. Thankfully, he has more than enough Protogenium to make enough of the weapons needed in case of a Grimm attack.
Neo is there in the room with him, alongside the other members of Team SEAN. They all agreed to help out, after seeing Sans' determination. He refused to give up, regardless of how long the process of doing it is.
"I really hope that this is worth it, Sans."
Emerald spoke to her lover. Sans a than spoke out to her back.
"It will. It has to be worth it, Emerald."
Amber: "you seem pretty determined."
She spoke to him in a bit of a flirty voice. Neo than held up her scroll to communicate.
"He always has been, hasn't he?"
Amber took notice and chuckled to her.
"Yes...I guess he always has been, Neo."
As they continued working on the weapons, Sans than sensed a unknown presence coming out of nowhere.
"Guys. I think I sensed that something's here. I will be right back."
He than stood up, and sped out of the room.
As he looked around outside, a figure than pulled out a Sai to strike at him.
Back with Ruby's group...
Ruby's group and Qrow enter the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which is devoid of any other people. They stop in a courtyard, where Ruby smiles and wipes a tear from her eye. Jaune places a hand on her shoulder, and she sighs.
Ruby: "We made it."
Mecha and Penny landed with the others. They were able to scan and find where Haven Academy is located. They were able to give signals of the directions, and they had found it now.
Qrow stops behind them, and while they continue on their way, he takes a moment to glance around and lets out a sigh.
Ruby: "Hello?"
Inside a hallway, RNJR is following Qrow, and Penny than calls out once again, louder than Ruby this time.
Penny: "Hello?!"
...nothing.
Nora: "Maybe try louder?"
Ren: "There doesn't seem to be anyone here."
Jaune: "Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."
Qrow: "No, this isn't right. Come on."
Qrow hurries ahead. Both Mecha and Penny followed suit.
Ruby: "Wait for us!"
The group picks up the pace to catch up, and soon, all five are running to a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow comes to a stop in front of them, draws his sword, and extends the blade.
Qrow: "Get ready. There could be trouble."
The group than follow his lead in drawing their weapons, with Penny summoning her weapons: Floating Array. Qrow brings up his foot and kicks the door open. Just on the other side, A Lion Faunus widens his eyes, throws his hands into the air, and lets out a frightened scream.
Jaune, Ruby, and Nora widen their eyes and scream as well, while Ren gives the headmaster a confused stare. Standing on one foot with his eyes wide, Qrow suddenly looks down, loses his balance, and falls. Shortly after, Lionheart makes a noise and briefly faints. Th group than let their weapons down and stare, dumbfounded and confused, while Qrow sits up.
Ruby: "Uh, Professor Lionheart?"
The Lion Faunus gasps and sits up.
???: "Qrow! Summer! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"
Qrow stands up with a growl. Summer just simply looked confused.
Qrow: "Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"
Summer: "Yes. Why, Lionheart?"
???: "Huh?"
The Lion Faunus than pulls a pocket watch from his coat and check on the time here.
???: "Oh, right. My Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
Qrow simply looked like he wanted to punch him, very badly.
Qrow: "You're joking.
While Lionheart stands up and RNJR put their weapons away, Nora asks a question.
Nora: "Where is everybody?"
??? heart than takes notice on the others present.
???: "Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."
Ruby: Yes, sir.
She than gives a loose salute.
"Ruby Rose."
Jaune: "Jaune Arc."
Nora poses with her arms held stiffly out to the sides.
"Nora Valkyrie."
Ren puts his arms behind his back.
"Lie Ren."
"Pyrrha Nikos."
Yang than pumps her fist in the air.
"Yang Xiao Long."
Weiss Schnee."
Penny did a pose with her left hand on her hip, her right foot off the ground, and her right fist up in the air.
"Penny Polendina."
The Lion Faunus than chuckles and spoke out to them.
Lionheart: "A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. But who are you, sir?"
He noticed Mecha, and than he did a dramatic pose, while on a red chair.
"The name is Mecha, darling. How nice to meet you."
He spoke to him, dramatically. He chuckled and spoke out.
"The honors mine. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but--"
Hearing this, Qrow briefly clenches his fists and then leans in toward Lionheart.
Qrow: "What? Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"
Lionheart: "Qrow, the children."
Qrow: "Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"
Lionheart looks surprised, but looks calmly as the information begins to sink in.
Lionheart: "You... filled them in?"
Nora: "So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"
Penny than looked at her and spoke out.
"I think we know."
Back at where Blake is...
In the front room of the Belladonna Family Home, Ghira Belladonna and Sun Wukong burst in through the front door, angry. Kali Belladonna watches from the front porch.
Ghira: "Unbelievable!"
Sun: "Total garbage!"
Ghira lets out a growl, and he and Sun turn to each other.
Ghira and Sun: "We can't let them get away with this!"
Kali looks amused and spoke.
"Well, at least you two can finally agree on something."
They look at her, then back at each other. Sun gives an awkward chuckle while rubbing his head, and Ghira glares slightly and growls, fists clenched. The three soon have their attention called to Blake Belladonna, who speaks up from the porch.
Blake: "Guys. Everything's going to be okay."
A little while later, Blake exits her father's study, stepping out onto the balcony where an armored guard is standing. The guard turns and addresses her.
Menagerie Guard: "Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything?"
Blake: "Just a little time to myself, if that's alright."
Menagerie Guard: "Sure thing. Just call, if you need me."
The guard walks into Ghira's study, shutting the door behind her. Blake takes a deep sigh and is soon alerted by a familiar voice.
Ilia: "You need better security."
Alarmed, Blake turns to see Ilia drop down onto the railing. Blake than calms down and spoke out to her.
"Geez, Ilia. Do not make that much noise. I thought it was the White Fang again."
Ilia than smiled embarrassingly and spoke out to her.
"Sorry about that. Won't happen again."
Blake smiles a bit, and the both of the sit down next to each other. Blake Shan frowned and spoke out to her.
Blake: "This entire thing is a mess now. Corsac and Fennec blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they deny knowing anything and everything found on your Scroll. They talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you'd sided with Adam, even though it had never happened here. But you and I both know they're guilty."
Ilia looks down really sad and spoke out.
Ilia: "But...how can we prove it?"
Blake: "That Scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should Adam."
Ilia than spoke out to her.
"You know Adam will attack you."
Blake than spoke out, confident.
"But his White Fang will be arrested. And besides, we have our friends here with us. So it will work."
Ilia than spoke in a solemn voice.
"I hope so."
Blake than puts a hand on her shoulder.
"It will."
Ilia looks, and smiled genuinely. They both than looked at the bright, night, starry sky, seeing the beauty of it.
Back with Ruby's group...H.A...
The group, along with both Summer and Qrow are gathered in Lionheart's office, with the headmaster sitting behind his desk.
Lionheart: "I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you."
Qrow: "No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"
Lionheart: "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 ripped to pieces, 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. Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."
Ruby gasped and grimaced. Penny and Mecha looked very stressed, and tightened their hand locking at one another, trying to comfort the other. Ruby than looked worried and spoke out to him.
Ruby: "What do you mean?"
Lionheart then leaned at the window, as he spoke very sadly.
Lionheart: "We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies."
He than sighed, obviously is a stress.
"And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
Qrow: "All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!"
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"
Lionheart looked surprised, and than looked at the drunk.
Lionheart: "I thought you filled them in."
Qrow: "Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason."
He than takes out his flask, and began to drink away.
Lionheart: "The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics."
Jaune: "What?"
Qrow: "The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge."
Spring is the problem.
Ren: "What happened to her?"
Lionheart: "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."
Qrow: "I... know. At least... I have a pretty good idea."
Lionheart: "Are you serious?"
Qrow: "It's not exactly good news."
Lionheart: "What are you talking about? This is incredible news!"
He than takes Qrow Byrne shoulder.
"After all these years! Where?!"
Qrow than sighed and shoved Lionheart off of him, roughly.
Qrow: "I did some digging around. Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe."
Lionheart: "Raven."
Ruby lets out a small gasp of surprise. Yang was as surprise.
Jaune: "Yang's mom?"
Qrow: "That's right."
Summer than looked confused.
"What does she have to do with any of this."
Qrow pulls out his Scroll, walking over to and placing it on Lionheart's desk. The hologram monitor on the desk displays a map of Remnant.
Qrow: "That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."
Lionheart: "Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."
Lionheart walks over to the computer, while Qrow clenches his fists.
Qrow: "A few weeks?"
Lionheart pulls up a hologram keyboard and taps a few keys, while Qrow's Scroll displays the text "COPYING FILES", followed by "DISCONNECTED".
Lionheart: "That's right."
Mecha than thought out this in his head.
'Wrong.'
Qrow: "Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister knows the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is. She is just hiding her for some reason. We need to go, as soon as possible! "
Lionheart than spoke angrily at Qrow.
"And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is in shambles. "As soon as possible" does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon."
Mecha than got up and spoke out in a tone that nobody has seen him use in quite a while.
Mecha: "Then damn the council! We'll do it ourselves! You, Qrow, Summer, and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers. I am not a pushover myself."
Nora than jumps up while Ruby fistpumps.
"Yeah."
Ren than stands up.
"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?"
Qrow: "We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."
Lionheart: "Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail Raven and her tribe will scatter. And we'll be lost. We get one shot at this. And it needs to be perfect."
Qrow: You know Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."
Lionheart: "Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can."
Penny: "There has to be something we can do."
Jaune than spoke to the others.
"What about Mercury. He is still out there, and possibly has friends waiting for us to try and get us killed! And also, what about Cinder?"
Lionheart: "We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."
Jaune tightens his fists and glares at the floor in anger. Penny comes in and pats him on the shoulder in a soothing manner. There's another beat of silence before Qrow speaks.
Qrow: "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."
Lionheart: "I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."
Qrow: "Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Local comms are still up. Keep in touch. Come on, kids."
They all begin to file out of the room. At the rear, Penny turns around to face Lionheart again.
Penny: "It was nice meeting you, Professor."
Lionheart than stops to take a moment to respond.
"Likewise."
After Ruby departs, Lionheart hangs his head, looking stressed. A holographic W projects up from his desk, followed by the sound of Arthur Watts' voice.
Watts: "Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills."
Qrow and the group walk back down the academy hallway. Nora is the first to stop and speak.
Nora: "So, what do we do now?"
Qrow than sighing and turned around.
"You all head back to the house. I need a drink."
He walks off, leaving the teenagers and Summer all looking at each other with concern.
Qrow than sits down at a bar from somewhere, alone and looking down at his glass, before drinking. As he kept on drinking, Oscar approaches him from behind.
Oscar: "Excuse me?"
Qrow turns around to face Oscar.
Qrow: "You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."
Oscar looks at his left arm at it moves.
Oscar: "Shut up, I'm getting there."
Qrow gives him a questioning look.
Oscar: "Um, I'm supposed to tell you, I'd like my cane back?"
Qrow's eyes widen for a moment in surprise.
Qrow: "It's good to see you again, Oz."
Qrow withdraws Ozpin's Cane in its compact mode and tosses it to Oscar, who presses a button on the hilt, extending the baton. Oscar grasps the baton with the other hand, surprised, before looking at Qrow with a determined face.
Somewhere in at sort of bar...
At a gas-station, there is a bar that is known as Just Rite". Inside, a bartender cleans a glass.
Just Rite Bartender: "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"
He spoke to Obscruo, who has is hood off, revealing his face.
"No, and I want cold water. Outside is really hot there."
Just Rite Bartender: Ohhh. Sure.
He disappears below the counter and laughter comes from a strange man, who than takes a few seats away from Obscruo.
Shady Man: "Are you telling me you're too young to drink? You look like a regular Huntress. And a mysterious at that."
Obscruo: "I'm good. Thanks, pal."
He than takes a few seats toward Obscruo, with a strange grin.
"Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're..."
Obscruo: "Just gone. Yup. Like I said, I'm good."
The mook puts his hand on the countertop next to Obscruo, and pulls out a menacing grin.
"That cloak...let me have it!"
He prepares to take it, but Obscruo grabs his hand, and looks at him with menacing red eyes that glows.
Shady Man: "Huh?"
He barely glances in the correct direction before a shadowy hand punches him, with Obscruo simply looking at him with spite. pinball before disappearing through the doors. As the doors close behind him, the "Open" sign flips around to "Closed".
Just Rite Bartender is straightened and setting the bottle of water on the counter.
"This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy."
Obscruo reaches for it with her left hand, but it trembles. Her metal hand grabs and steadies it. She gives a long, shaky sigh before picking up the bottle and guzzling the water down.
Just Rite Bartender: "So, what brings you around these parts?"
Obscruo holds up a finger, still guzzling until the water is gone.
Obscruo: "Thanks. And I'm, uh, looking for someone."
Kingdoms. "Only person worth notin' around here is... well, Ra—"
Obscuro than cuts him off.
Obscruo: "Raven Branwen. Thanks for asking me that."
Just Rite Bartender: N-now, sir! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!
Obscruo: "So I hear."
Outside, the Shady Man is on the ground holding his face, but he calls out to Obscuro as she crouches and prepares flight.
Shady Man: Hey, punk!
Obscruo: "Seriously? This isn't over?"
Shady Man gets to his feet.
"I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh."
He gives her a toothless grin.
Back with the group...
Jaune, Ren and Nora are sitting on a pair of red couches in a living room when there's a knock on the door. They tense and look at each other before Jaune cautiously goes to open it. Oscar is on the other side, looking hesitant and uncomfortable. Jaune looks back over his shoulder at the other two, and Nora shrugs.
Jaune: "Can I... help you?"
Oscar: "Um... yeah. Is there a Ruby Rose here?"
Ren and Nora immediately stand up, tense and defensive. Penny and Mecha tensed as well, threatening to bring out their weapon to attack.
Nora and Penny: "Why?"
They spoke, with Nora in a dark tone, and Penny in a worried tone. Mecha than used his aura scanner and looks at Oscar.
'This is strange. Why do I see Ozpin's aura fused with the little guy there?'
Oscar: "Well..."
He looks to his left and Qrow appears, moving drunkenly and grabbing Oscar by the shoulders.
Qrow: "I found him!"
Qrow snorts into his hand and continues laughing as he stumbles into the house.
Oscar: "I think her uncle could use some help."
Qrow almost makes it to the couch Jaune just vacated before he stumbles and saves his balance by falling backward onto the cushions.
Qrow: Whoa. Ugh.
Qrow settles onto his back onto a nearby couch and folding his arm over his eyes.
"I found him"
Ruby heard and is irritated
Ruby: What is going on out there?!
She stomps into the living room:
"Can't a girl read her comics in peace?"
Qrow burps and chuckles, catching Ruby's attention. She sighs and puts a hand to her forehead exasperatedly.
Ruby: Qrow, did you get drunk again?
Qrow: "Maybe."
Oscar: "Oh."
He steps in as he looks at Ruby.
"You have silver eyes."
Ruby looks at him, a touch surprised. She turns to Ren and Nora, who shrugs again, before looking back at Oscar.
Ruby: "Who... are you?"
Qrow chuckles from the couch.
Oscar: "Uh... Well. My name is Oscar Pine."
Qrow: "Wait for it..."
Oscar: "But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin."
The group all gasp, and look confused. Jaune takes a couple steps back. Qrow continues chuckling.
Qrow than punched his fists into the air with a triumphant look."
"I did it!"
He falls off the couch onto the floor, startling Nora.
Nora has her hands going to her mouth
"Ooh!"