A/N: This is taking place throughout Volume 5 and will tie into Volume 6 as well.

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It is a dark and rainy evening near the great city of Mistral. A small town is just a few kilometers away from the main city itself, but people are already looking for cover because of the bad weather while others are running home as fast as they possibly can. Rain and thunderstorms are normal for this time of the year, so nothing really seems out of place for now. What the citizens don't know though is that a stranger s coming closer and closer. None of them expect a man right outside the gates of this small town, but there he is. He's covered by a torn brown hat and a dark piece of cloth to cover his face. His ice green eye observes the city while the other one is closed. Not long after, he gets off the back of his only companion, a brown noble steed who seems to have seen many things along with the stranger.

???:" It has been quite the journey for the both of us, hasn't it? Unfortunately the time has come to part ways with each other. I'm thankfull for the services and the company you gave me along the way."

The stranger then takes off all his gear and the sattle from the poor animal, leaving the horse to find its own way. They share one last glance with each other before the horse finally makes an effort to leave while the green eyed man puts all the gear behind a rock just a few metres next to himself. Judging from his stance after that, he's determined to find someone and he thinks he can get information on them in the small town ahead, so that's where he's gonna go.

For certain others, the entrance way to Mistral isn't that hard to find as five people are walking through at the time. The five people are Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. All of them are former Beacon students who seek help at Haven Academy, with Qrow being the adult of the group and knowing more about Remnant than the rest. They have a friendly chat to loosen up while walking.

Qrow:" The city of Mistral."

Nora:" Ugh, it's about time. Whose idea was it to wlk again?"

Ren:" Well, we did face many obstacles - broken airships, destroyed settlements."

Jaune:" Oh and all the monsters and people that tried to murder us."

Ruby:" Pffft, we were fine. Only one of us almost died."

Qrow:" Hey."

Not long after, Ren is nudged in the side by Nora.

Ren:" Hey."

Jaune:" So...how much farther to the academy?"

Qrow:" Almost there. I'd figure I'd take you kids on the scenic ground."

And so, Qrow just opens a big door that reveals an amazing view onto the city. The easily excited Ruby is the first one to step forward and take a good look at what has caught her attention.

Ruby:" Wow...This. Is. Awesome!"

Qrow:" That's certainly something."

Ruby:" Oh my gosh, look at all of the weapons."

Qrow:" The vendors around here will sell you just about anything, whether they should or not."

Jaune:" They really made the most out of these mountains."

Qrow:" Every inch...and stay away from the lower levels. The higher you go, the nicer it gets."

Nora:" And we are going up!"

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It is a fast walk towards the academy itself as the kids marvel at the structures around them. Qrow on the other hand doesn't look really pleased with the situation. He looks around and observes everything until he notices the others getting closer to the main building, so he catches up as good as he can. Ruby already calls out through the hallway, trying to reach someone.

Ruby:" Hello! Hello!!!"

Nora:" Maybe try louder?"

Ren:" There doesn't seem to be anyone here."

Jaune:" I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."

Qrow:" No, this sin't right. Come on."

Ruby:" Wait for us!"

With that, the five of them make their way towards the headmasters' office. In the panic they feel, they pull out their weapons as Qrow prepares for what may await them.

Qrow:" Get ready, There could be trouble."

Right after, the door is kicked open, but the suspense is lifted when te man who seems to be te headmaster is startled and lets out a short cry of surprise, now startling the students, before losing his balance and landing on the floor. Qrow himself does almost the same, just without the cry, as Ruby calls out towards the headmaster.

Ruby:" Ehh...Professor Lionheart?"

The man just coughs before laying his eyes on Qrow and speaking up.

???:" Qrow, for crying out loud. You nearly scared me half to death."

Qrow:" Me?! Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

The stranger and what Team RNJR believes to be the headmaster looks at a watch he just pulled out from his pocket, just to seem him being a little embarrassed.

???:" Oh right, apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

Qrow:" You're joking."

Nora:" Where is everybody?"

???:" Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."

Ruby:" Yes Sir, Ruby Rose."

Jaune:" Jaune Arc."

Nora:" Nora Valkyrie."

Ren:" Lie Ren."

Lionheart:" A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is away until classes resume, but-"

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:" You...filled them in?"

Nora:" So...is this not going like anyone thought it would?"

All six of them then step into Leonardo's office with the headmaster himself taking a seat at his very own desk. The tension between Qrow and Leo seem to be really high as if  there went something wrong between them, but the discussion starts with a different thing.

Lionheart:" I have to say, Qrow. This all is very reckless, even for you."

Qrow:" No, reckless is leaving one of the relics completely unguarded. As is 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 couldn't imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Mistrals controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world and that makes it infinately harder to protect. We lost so many great huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."

Ruby:" What do you mean?"

Lionheart:" We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council is 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 only seems to have worsened some of his more...unfortunate tendencies. And on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."

Qrow:" All the more reasons to why we need huntsmen and huntresses here."

Ruby:"OKay, okay! Things are bad, they're bad. But we can figure this out...Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"

Lionheart(to Qrow):" I thought you filled them in."

Qrow:" Mostly filled in. Look, there is a lot to cover, OK? I quit teaching for a reason."

This answer doesn't sit well with Lionheart, but Qrow is focused on his flask at the moment, taking a big swig from it to drown out some things. The two of them seem like they are at odds with each other than anything else.

Lionheart:"  The four maidens have the power tp perform deeds 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 desruction, fall for choice and spring for knowledge. Spring is the problem."

Ren:" What happened to her?"

Lionheart:" She was determined at first when se inherited her powers. But the weight of responsability 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? These are incredible news. After all these years. Where?"

Qrow:" I did some digging around...Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits. Specifically the Branwen tribe."

Lionheart:" Raven."

Jaune:" Yang's mom?"

Qrow:" That's right."

Qrow then takes out his scroll to activate it and open a file with the coordinates of a bandit tribe. The map is displayed via a holo screen. The red spot marks the location of the main camp.

Qrow:" That's about where they set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven has managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe.And I'm sure since the Spring maiden showed up, it made things easier."

Lionheart:" Well, Qrow. I've gotta hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."

Qrow:" A few weeks?"

Lionheart:" That's right."

Qrow:" Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden and I know where she is. We need to go as soon as possible."

Lionheart:" And perhaps you didn't hear ME! This kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' doesn't mean tomorrow It means a soon as I can convince the rest of 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 on the horizon."

Qrow:" I don't give a damn about the council, we'll take it into our own hands. You and I are trained huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly push overs."

Nora:" Yeah!"

Ren:" Maybe there is a more peaceful way to approach this?"

Qrow:" We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible, but Ravn isn't giving up her most prized possesion without a fight."

Lionheart:" Unfortunately you and your sister are evenly matched and I am 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, who no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, 'cause 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:" *Sigh* You know, Oz wouldn't be happy about any of this, if he were here."

Lionheart:" Perhaps you're right, but he's not and I'm doing the best I can."

Ruby:" There has to be something we can do."

Jaune:" What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"

Lionheart:" We pulled their files after the fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

Qrow:" Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."

Lionheart:" I'm sorry. I know you all have travelled 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 coms are still up. Keep in touch...Come on, kids."

It doesn't take long for the group to turn around and make their way towards the exit after Ruby gave her goodbyes to the headmaster. Qrow on the other hand is still n a bad mood from ho the conversation ended. He expected more answers than questions, but he's puzzled right now. Reaching the exit, he tells the kids to go back to their house while he will be at the nearest bar, going for a drink to clear his mind.

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It doesn't take him long to get to his desired detination and so he finds himself sitting near the counter, sipping on his drink. The silence around him feels eerie to say the least, bu he doesn't mind until a silver coin lands right next to his glass. A few seconds later, Qrow is looking at the man responsible for the interruption.

???:" Oops, my hand slipped."

Qrow:" Got nothin' better to do thn this?"

???:" Easy there. I don't wanna start a fight in this establishment. I just saw you sitting over here, all on your own. It reminds me of an old friend of mine."

Qrow:" Oh really? Who was that unfortunate soulto become your friend?"

???:" It's the same man I'm talking to right now. It was you...Qrow Branwen."

To say Qrow isn't shocked would be a lie, so he jumps from his bar stool and keeps his distance from the stranger. Never before has someone creeped him out that much before, but when there is a time for goose bumps, it is now.

Qrow:" Who are you and how do you know me?!"

???:" You didn't really forget your best friend before Beacon, now did you?"

It's the same mn who arrived just a few hours ago when it was still raining heavily, but he's in the same bar with one of the best huntsmen in Remnant right now. To reveal hiself, he takes off his hat and the piece of cloth covering his face. After that, there stands a man with dark golden hair in the middle of his head while the sides are black and his beard is black as well. One ice green eye is still staring at Qrow who needs a moment to process what just happened.

???:" Maybe now you have a clue..."

Qrow:" Wait...The hair, the eyes-"

???:" Eye."

Qrow:" Yeah, sorry. The voice, the outfit, and the coin flipping inside a bar. It has to be you, Kain."

Kain:" Kain Phoenix at your service."

Qrow:" My gosh, what happened to you? Where have you been? Is your family alr-"

Kain:" Those are stories for another time. I believe there is someone waiting for a chance to speak to you."

Kain is even nice enough to point at a young boy with darker skin, black hair and avocado green eyes. It is unkown to both adults what he wants, but Kain decides to just leave Qrow alone to handle this situation.

Kain:" I'll leave that to you, Branwen. Don't be too hard on the boy. He's probably just curious."

Qrow:" And where are you going?"

Kain:" I'm gonna rest up. These old bones need to be ready for action tomorrow. I'll see you around."

And just as fast as Kain appeared, he vanishes as well. Now it's only Qrow and that kid who still didn't say anything.

???:" Excuse me..."

Qrow:" You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."

???(to himself):" Shut up, I'm getting there...Um. I'm supposed to tell you...I'd like...my cane back?"

It startles Qrow for a second before he realizes what the boy said, so he stands up and takes out the cane he was asked for.

Qrow:" Hm...Good to see you again, Oz."

Then he throws the cane at the boy, who catches it. It unfolds into its full length, making Qrow smirk slightly before he turns around to sit back down again and continue drinking. The boy though doesn't know what to do, so he decides to stay at Qrow's side for the evening.