Mistral...
"The City of Mistral..." Qrow said.
"Ugh! It's about time!" Nora said, annoyed.
"Tell me about it, I spent way too long on Earth." Jared said, agreeing with Nora. "What was I thinking? Defending it for over a year?"
Qrow, Jared, and Team RNJR are walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns.
"Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora asked.
"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements..." Ren said.
"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us." Jaune said.
"Especially on Earth, which were part of the people and monsters." Jared said, laughing a little. "The Trickster twice. And the zodiac."
"Pfft, we were fine." Ruby said, looking at Qrow and Jared with a smile. "Only two of us almost died."
"Hey." Qrow said, looking at Ruby, smiling back.
"Hello, Little Red. What's up?" Jared asked.
"I can't believe you went up against 32 missiles at once." Ruby said, angrily. "Without me! Like, you could have brought me to help!"
Nora puts her hands on her hips and looks at Ren.
"Hey." Ren said, looking at Nora.
Nora giggles in response.
"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune asked.
"Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route." Qrow said.
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, "Wow!"
The others join her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains.
"This...is...awesome!" Ruby said, excitedly.
Below them, large crowds of people are going about their day - walking around, talking and buying merchandise legally and illegally.
"More than awesome, it's brilliant." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "So warm..."
"It's certainly something." Qrow said.
"Is that a weapon's kiosk?" Jared asked, dragging Ruby away from the others. "Let's go!"
"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!" Ruby said, looking at the kiosk selling weapons.
"They are pretty lit. These weapons, way more cooler than the weapons Magical Girls use. The ones that made contracts with the Incubators that is."
"Vendors here'll sell you just about anything...whether they should or not." Qrow said.
"They really made the most out of these mountains." Jaune said.
"Every inch. Stay away from the lower levels. The higher up you go, the nicer it gets."
"That totally reminds me of the academy in Kill la Kill." Jared said, smirking. "I wonder if Ryuko and Senketsu are real in the other world."
"And we are going up!" Nora said, pointing upward.
Atlesian airship...
An Atlesian cargo airship flies over an enormous lake.
"So, how much farther?" Weiss asked.
She looked down at the RWBY red envelope on her lap that she's been holding.
"We're in the home stretch now." The pilot said.
In the pilot's box of the ship, Weiss stands in the back, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.
"No more stops from here to Mistral. Sorry for the long trip. Keeping us off the radar's been harder than I thought. Lots of air traffic around northern Anima." The pilot said.
"It's fine. I...just hope I haven't been a burden." Weiss said.
"You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid." The pilot said, chuckling.
"This envelope." Weiss said, looking down at the envelope. "I've been holding it for a while now. It must be important."
The ship's radio suddenly picks up a transmission.
"What the...?" The pilot asked, looking at the radio.
He reaches over and adjusts a slider, evening out the wavelengths on the screen.
"Is everything okay?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know. We're still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn't be picking up broadcasts this far from Mistral. Someone must be close." The pilot said.
A female Mistral pilot begins speaking over the radio in a panic. Hearing this, Weiss stands up straight and listens closely.
"Mayday, mayday! We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!" The Mistral pilot said.
"Oh man." The pilot said.
"The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline!"
Weiss' eyes widen as the sound of an explosion and the Mistral Pilot gasping can be heard.
"Get them off us! If anyone can hear this-- Ah!" The Mistral pilot said.
Weiss' expression grows even more concerned as the Mistral Pilot cries out and the transmission abruptly ends. The Atlas pilot turns off his radio and turns the ship.
Weiss walks over to him and grabs onto a handle in the ceiling, "We're going to help them, right?"
"What? No. I'm trying to avoid them." The pilot said.
"But...they'll die." Weiss said.
"Look, if we picked up their transmission, I'm sure someone else did, too. Besides, this is a cargo ship. She's not much good in a fight. I just wanna finish this job and get home. Sorry, kid. My ship, my rules."
Weiss closes her eyes for a moment, then gazes out the windshield as the ship turns to the right and continues flying over the lake.
Haven Academy...
RNJR, Jared, 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 and Jared place their hands on both sides of her shoulders, and she sighs.
"We made it." Ruby said.
"Yeah. Sarah Jane's home might have felt like home. But my home is with you guys." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "I missed traveling, having adventures. Saving people along the way."
"I know you did. Come on."
Qrow stops behind them, and while they continue on their way, he takes a moment to glance around and lets out a sigh.
"Hello?" Ruby asked.
Inside a hallway, RNJR and Jared are following Qrow, and Ruby calls out once again, louder this time.
"Hello?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Maybe try louder?" Nora asked.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said.
"Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it." Jaune said.
"But isn't it autumn?" Jared asked, kicking his foot back and forth. "Or is it spring?"
"No, this isn't right. Come on." Qrow said, hurrying ahead.
"Wait for us!" Ruby said.
"So, what did you think of the Trickster?" Jared asked.
"He was kinda creepy. No face, the teeth. Ugh. Why did we have to face him twice?"
"Plot, I guess. Maybe I want to amuse myself. Or give myself hell."
"What?"
"Sorry. Talking to myself."
RNJR and Jared pick up the pace to catch up, and soon, all six 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, "Get ready. There could be trouble."
RNJR and Jared follow his lead in drawing their weapons. Qrow brings up his foot and kicks the door open. Just on the other side, Leonardo Lionheart widens his eyes, throws his hands into the air, and lets out a frightened scream. Jared, 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. RNJR and Jared let their weapons down and stare, dumbfounded, while Qrow sits up.
"Uh, Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.
Lionheart gasps and sits up, "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"
Qrow stands up with a growl, "Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"
"Huh?" Lionheart asked, pulling a pocket watch from his coat and checking it. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
"You're joking." Qrow said.
While Lionheart stands up and RNJR and Jared put their weapons away, Nora asks a question.
"Where is everybody?" Nora asked.
"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said.
"Yes, sir." Ruby said, giving a loose salute. "Ruby Rose."
"Jaune Arc." Jaune said.
Nora is posing with her arms held stiffly out to the sides, "Nora Valkyrie."
Ren is putting his arms behind his back, "Lie Ren."
"And I'm Jared Shay. I'm, what do I say? A hero. I saved Earth, this planet called Earth a universe away." Jared said, smiling. "It was my home. But now my home is here. In Remnant."
"A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but..." Lionheart said, chuckling.
Hearing this, Qrow briefly clenches his fists and then leans in toward Lionheart, "What? Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"
"Qrow, the children." Lionheart said.
"Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?" Qrow asked.
"You...filled them in?" Lionheart asked, as this information sinks in.
"So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Nora asked.
Menagerie...
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.
"Unbelievable!" Ghira said, angrily.
"Total garbage!" Sun said.
Ghira lets out a growl, and he and Sun turn to each other.
"We can't let them get away with this!" Ghira and Sun said, at the same time.
"Well, at least you two can finally agree on something." Kali said, smiling.
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.
"Guys. Everything's going to be okay." Blake said, holding the RWBY red envelope, and she knows it's important. "Jared must have sent this. But why?"
Belladonna home...
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.
"Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything?" A Menagerie guard asked.
"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright." Blake said.
"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.
"You need better security." Ilia said.
Alarmed, Blake turns to see Ilia drop down onto the railing. The young Belladonna reaches for the door, but Ilia holds her hand up.
"Please! I-I just need to talk." Ilia said.
Blake slowly takes her hand away from the door, "How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?"
"Blake..." Ilia said, standing up.
"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. But you and I both know they're guilty." Blake said.
"You can't prove anything."
"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 you."
Ilia removes her mask, a solemn expression on her face, "Your plan isn't gonna work, Blake."
"Please...just leave Menagerie before it's too late." Ilia said, looking at Blake.
Blake stares at her in silence for a few moments, "You're going to have to make me."
Ilia remains silent for a few moments before responding.
"I know." Ilia said, sadly.
The chameleon Faunus dons her mask once again and steps backward off the balcony. Blake turns away and gains an angry expression, her cat ears folding. After a moment, the anger fades, and she sighs, taking on a saddened expression.
Lionheart's office...
RNJR, Qrow, and Jared are gathered in Lionheart's office, with the headmaster sitting behind his desk.
"I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you." Lionheart said.
"No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!" Qrow said.
"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" Lionheart said, standing from his chair, fists clenched. "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..."
"Penny..." Jared said, walking towards Ruby as they look away, upset. "I wish we could have..."
"...saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens..." Lionheart said, and Jaune grimaces. "...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."
"Um..." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand.
Lionheart is walking to a window and looking outside, "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."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas." Lionheart said, leaning on the windowsill. "First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders."
"Dust embargo..." Jared said, frowning. "That had Jacques Schnee written all over it."
"I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies." Lionheart said, turning and looking at Qrow, before letting out a sigh. "And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
"That's why we need fucking Huntsmen and Huntresses here!" Jared said, angrily. "Where the hell are they?"
"He's right. Why are they off on missions?" Qrow asked.
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?" Ruby asked, moving closer to the two, as she is calming Jared down with her warm hand.
"I thought you filled them in." Lionheart said, looking at Qrow.
"Mostly filled in. And Jared knows enough information about it all, but up to a certain point in time. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason." Qrow said, removing his flask from his shirt and taking a drink
"The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics." Lionheart said, sitting back down in his chair.
"What?" Jaune asked.
"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." Qrow said, taking another drink. "Spring is the problem."
"Well, Fall was at Vale, Spring is here in Mistral, Winter is at Atlas, and Summer is in Vacuo." Jared said, smiling. "I know that for sure, due to me watching those short videos narrated by you, Qrow. But we do need to find Spring."
"Right. We do. That's why you're reliable and knowledgeable sometimes."
"What happened to her?" Ren 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, I know where she is. Qrow does too. This is the season where I have the most knowledge on. It's my favorite." Jared said, sadly. "And it's the last one where I know what will happen."
"Are you serious?" Lionheart asked, widening his eyes and standing up.
"It's not exactly good news." Qrow said. "Knowing where Spring is."
"What are you talking about? This is incredible news!" Lionheart said, walking around to Qrow and Jared from behind his desk.
"Should have kept my mouth shut." Jared said, sadly.
Lionheart is taking Qrow and Jared by the shoulders and shaking them, "After all these years! Where?!"
"I did some digging around. And don't touch Jared, he's still recovering after the 456, the Master, and the Trickster. Sorry, those are things he fought somewhere else." Qrow said, shoving Lionheart off. "Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe."
"Raven." Lionheart said.
Ruby lets out a small gasp of surprise.
"Yang's mom?" Jaune asked.
"Yup, you're right." Jared said, walking back towards Ruby. "I could talk more about her. But that's spoilers."
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.
"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." Qrow said, as the map pulls up a zoomed-in section.
"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 said, walking over and patting Qrow on the back.
Lionheart walks over to the computer, while Qrow clenches his fists.
"A few weeks?" Qrow asked.
Lionheart pulls up a hologram keyboard and taps a few keys, while Qrow's Scroll displays the text 'COPYING FILES', followed by 'DISCONNECTED'.
"That's right." Lionheart said, walking back around behind the desk.
"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and Jared and I know where she is." Qrow said, placing his hands on the desk. "We need to go, as soon as possible!"
"And I know Weiss, Blake, and Yang want to see us again too." Jared said, knocking books off the desk. "We can't wait a few weeks for us to get to the Spring Maiden!"
"And perhaps the two of 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." Lionheart said, angrily.
"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids and this defender of Earth aren't exactly pushovers." Qrow said.
"Yeah!" Nora said, jumping up as Ruby and Jared gave each other a fist bump.
"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren asked, standing.
"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." Qrow said.
"Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students, that supposed hero, 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." Lionheart said.
"You know Oz wouldn't be
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