Team RNJR...
Mistral...

Qrow: "The city of Mistral."

After the long and treacherous journey through the continent of Amina to the Kingdom of Mistral, the makeshift team RNJR, along with Setsuna, Qrow and Dante had finally managed to make it to their destination in mostly one piece with little casualties. After the battle against the Nuckelavee, Team RNJR was exhausted beyond belief and with Qrow poisoned by Tyrian and Setsuna crippled due to her Semblance, things wouldn't have gotten much better for them. Thankfully however, the smoke from the Nuckelavee's death alerted two Mistralian Airships that flew overhead of Kuroyuri, one of said ships even having Dante and Qrow's old friend, Selena Yaeger, who was a doctor.

After bringing them to the Mistral, Selena housed the group in her home and took care of Qrow and Setsuna, allowing them to recover back to peak condition. With the poison fully out of his system, Qrow was ready to lead the children to Haven Academy alongside Dante, while Setsuna was able to regain her ability to walk just in time. Now, the group of 7 were walking through a dark hallway, with the two adults leading them.

Nora: "Ugh! It's about time! Whose idea was it to walk again?" Setsuna just deadpanned and looked at the ginger-haired girl, causing her to look away with a shy laugh while rubbing the back of her head.

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! Only one of us almost died!" She glanced towards her uncle, who raised an eyebrow.

Qrow: "Hey." The argent-eyed girl grinned sheepishly and ended up giggling in response as Nora glanced at Ren, with an obvious look causing him to look at her in return.

Ren: "Hey." She too ended up letting out a light giggle. Setsuna watched the interactions with a small smile but then looked towards the man she called her father. Dante was abnormally silent this time, his hands in his coat pockets as he just walked on ahead. It did confuse her slightly, as she wondered what he was thinking about, though out of all the possibilities in her head, she'd never thought that he was thinking about the figure that he saw in the cave, the one that looked like Setsuna. Though, he'd be brought out of his thoughts by the conversation.

Jaune: "So, how much farther to Haven Academy?"

Qrow: "Almost there, but Dante and I figured we'd take you kids on the scenic route."

At the end of the hallways was a set of double doors. Putting their hands on them, Qrow and Dante pushed them open, slightly blinding everyone with a white light. But the moment their vision cleared up, they were treated to the beautiful view. The multiple layers of the Kingdom of Mistral.

Ruby was the first to excitedly jog out, her eyes sparkling in pure excitement as she looked out into the view. The others soon joined her.

Ruby: "Wow! This is awesome!"

Qrow: "It's something for sure."

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

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

Dante: "Welcome to Mistral, kids. But don't be fooled by its beauty. It's a real hell hole down there; take it from the guy that lived here for a couple of years. The vendors will sell you just about anything really... unless you're a Faunus." He and everyone glanced at Setsuna, who looked down while clenching her fists.

Setsuna: "Mm... Akito and Setsuna only lived here for a couple of months and it wasn't... the best experience..." She muttered as Ruby rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

Dante: "Yeah... Only real way for Faunus to get sold anything here is to go to the lower levels, but as you might guess, it's not really the best area to go to. For everyone."

Qrow: "Aka, stay away from the lower levels. Besides, it gets much nicer the higher you go up."

Nora: "And we're going up!" She exclaimed while pointing upwards with a large smile on her face.

>Chapter 41: Haven Academy<

After making it to the top, the group had made it into the courtyard of Haven Academy. Ruby looked around in pure awe as Qrow and Dante led them through, with the argent-eyed girl mumbling to herself as it was the first time she witnessed what the academy Ace went to looked like in person. Just seeing all of the architecture of the academy brought a tear to Ruby's eye as she quickly wiped it away. Setsuna stopped next to her and smiled.

Ruby: "We made it."

Setsuna: "Yeah... Together." The Teenagers continued to look at the scenery in triumph before continuing their way forwards while Qrow and Dante hung behind.

Dante: "It's too quiet... Where the hell's Lionheart? Selena said that he'd be waiting for us here at the entrance."

Qrow: "Mm... Let's just keep moving."

The two men glanced at each other briefly before catching up with the group of 5 in front of them, all the while warily glancing around at their surroundings. After entering through the doors of the Headmaster building, Ruby began to let their presence known.

Ruby: "Hello?" She called out, but there was no response. "Hello!?" She called louder, causing Setsuna to cover her ears from the sudden increase in volume.

Nora: "Maybe try louder?"

Setsuna: "Please no..."

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." Both he and Dante suddenly began to jog forwards, startling the teenagers but they soon began to follow after them.

Ruby: "Wait for us!" Soon enough they stopped just in front of the door to the Headmaster's office and almost immediately, Qrow pulled out his Harbinger while Dante unholstered Ebony and Ivory.

Dante: "Keep on guard kids. There could be trouble." With a collective nod, the others all took out their weapons and pointed them towards the doors. Dante glanced at Qrow and gave a small nod, giving him the signal. With a return nod, Qrow kicked the double doors open, only to be met by a startled Lion Faunus man standing on the other side.

???: "Ah!"

Ruby, Nora and Jaune: "Ahhh!" They also yelled as Ren and Setsuna both looked confused. There was an awkward silence as Qrow and Dante just blinked before the former suddenly began to lose his balance.

Qrow: "Woah!" He fell over as Dante just dropped his twin guns, with a noticeable thud being heard. "Ow, asshole!" He complained just as the Lion Faunus fainted. Everyone else slowly lowered their weapons as they realized who the man in front of them were.

Ruby: "Uh, Professor Lionheart?"

(Leonardo Lionheart)

Leonardo: "Qrow! Dante!" He got back up on his feet, holding onto his chest as if he had suffered a minor heart attack. "For crying out loud, you both nearly scared me half to death!" Qrow instantly stood back up as Dante just face palmed and rolled his eyes.

Dante: "Here we fucking go..."

Qrow: "Us!? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance like Selena said you would?"

Leonardo: "Huh?" The lion Faunus blinked in surprise before he took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

Dante: "You're shittin' me, right?" he deadpanned while crossing his arms as Nora slightly stepped forwards.

Nora: "Where is everybody?" Noticing the teenagers, the professor put on a gentle and welcoming smile as he made himself look more professional, all the while dodging the question that was asked, which caused Dante to lightly hum to himself.

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

Ruby: "Yes sir! Ruby Rose!" She gave her signature friendly salute/wave with a smile.

Jaune: "Jaune Arc."

Nora: "Nora Valkyrie."

Ren: "Lie Ren."

Setsuna: "Setsuna is Setsuna!"

Leonardo: "Hm... Ruby Rose, huh?" The argent-eyed girl was slightly confused for a moment before a smile formed on the man's face. "I see, you're Mr. Ace's younger sister, aren't you?" At the mention of her brother's name, Ruby's eyes instantly sparkled.

Ruby: "Y-Yeah! Well... technically, we aren't related by blood, but we're still siblings by nature... you get it." She scratched the back of her head as the man chuckled.

Leonardo: "That I do. That aside, it is a pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart at your service." He gave a small bow towards them. "I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but–"

Qrow: "What?" he suddenly cuts him off, causing the Headmaster to stumble back slightly. "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the relic!?"

Leonardo: "Qrow, the children–"

Dante: "Already know. We filled them in already. So what the hell do you mean your staff is away?" He questioned, crossing his arms.

Leonardo: "You... filled them in?" Nora blinked before leaning towards Ruby and Setsuna, who glanced at her.

Nora: "So... is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Ruby and Setsuna just gave her a small shrug of confusion.

After that less than stellar introduction, Leonardo took the group into his headmaster office, allowing them to settle in a bit. Nora and Ren sat down on the couch in the room while Jaune, Ruby and Setsuna stood behind Qrow and Dante, who stood in front of the Headmaster desk, where Leonardo sat.

Leonardo: "I have to say, this all seems reckless, even for the two of you."

Dante: "Says the one leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded in a kingdom with a security system that's barely even serviceable.

Qrow: "And it's not checking in with Oz for ages."

Leonardo: "There was nothing to check in about before the Fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" He stood up and stared at the two Huntsmen. "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..." Ruby looked down, remembering the sight of Penny's ripped apart corpse as Setsuna placed a comforting hand on her back. "...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." he turned around and walked towards the window. "Mistral's controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and it makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."

Ruby: "W-What do you mean?"

Leonardo: "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 the borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only 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 reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here."

Ruby: "Okay, okay!" She quickly stepped forwards to try and de-escalate things. "Things are bad. They're bad, but we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"

Leonardo: "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 said while taking out his flask as Dante rolled his eyes but chimed in.

Dante: "We told you five that the Four Maidens possess immense power, magic that's beyond anything in this world, any Semblance. Due to said magic, they're the only ones able to access 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."

Setsuna: "Akito's sisters... They really were named after the Maidens..." She mumbled as Dante hummed and nodded.

Dante: "Yep. After all, they were their original reincarnations."

Nora: "Wait, so if they were still with us, does that mean that they'd also be able to open the Vaults?"

Qrow: "That's something we haven't really considered. Ozpin would be the best one to answer that question. But even again, we're trying to keep the vaults closed and the Maidens out of Salem's reach. But right now, that's not important, because our Spring Maiden's missing."

Ren: "What happened to her?"

Leonardo: "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."

Dante: "Well it so happens that Qrow and I know where she is." Leonardo's expression instantly lit up with hope as Qrow slid his hand into his pocket. "Well, at least we have a pretty good idea."

Leonardo: "Are you serious?"

Qrow: "It's not exactly good news." In an instant, the Lion Faunus stood back up from his seat and walked excitedly over to the two men.

Leonardo: "What are you talking about? This is incredible news! After all these years! Where!?"

Qrow: "We did some digging around. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits. Specifically... the Branwen Tribe." In that same instant, Leonardo's smile immediately vanished upon the realization.

Leonardo: "Raven and Vergil..." He mumbled, causing Ruby to gasp in surprise and for Setsuna's eyes to widen as she remembered those names from the time she was in the dorm back at Beacon when Qrow was talking to Yang.

Jaune: "Yang's mom and Ace's dad?"

Qrow: "That's right." He pulled out his scroll and put it on the table as a map projected from it. "That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe and no doubt with Vergil being by her side, and when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."

Leonardo: "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." He said as he pressed a couple of holographic buttons on his desk.

Dante: "Wait a sec, a few weeks? You sure you're not shitting me?" he looked at the Faunus with a raised eyebrow.

Leonardo: "That's right."

Qrow: "Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister and his brother–" He pointed at Dante to emphasize his point" –have the Spring Maiden and we KNOW where she is. We NEED to go as soon as possible!" He demanded, raising his voice as he knocked some books off the desk, slightly angering Leo who sat down and glared at him.

Leonardo: "And perhaps you didn't hear me. The 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. "

Qrow: "Then damn the council! We'll do it ourselves. You, Dante and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers."

Nora: "Yeah!" She stood up instantly, with Ruby giving a look of confidence and a nod.

Ren: "Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?"

Setsuna: "Setsuna doubts that... After all, from how Qrow described Raven and Vergil, they don't seem like the types to just willingly hand over someone as important as a Maiden, even then, I say we jump them. Hit and Run!" She said, unintentionally mimicking Yang's signature pose as she pumped her fists together.

Dante: "Well said, Wolf Pup. See?" He looked back at Leo as he gestured to Setsuna. "Even my girl over here understands the urgency of the situation, Cowardly Lion. We need to hit them fast and hard and get Spring as far away from here as possible."

Qrow: "And just as the kid said, Raven and Vergil aren't going to give up their most prized possession without a fight."

Leonardo: "Unfortunately, you two and your siblings 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." Setsuna just scoffed and crossed her arms, annoyed as she took on entire military squads and platoons before in the past with Akito by her side. She was about to speak up again, but Dante stopped her, placing a hand on top of her head. "We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven, Vergil and their tribe will scatter, and we'll be lost. We get one shot at this, and it needs to be perfect."

Dante rolled his eyes and scoffed while Qrow just stared at the headmaster with his arms crossed before sighing.

Qrow: "You know, Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."

Leonardo: "Perhaps you're right, but he's not. And I'm doing the very best I can."

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

Setsuna: "Yeah! Like Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. What about them?"

Jaune: "They came from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"

Leonardo: "We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries." The answer caused Jaune to clench his fists and grit his teeth out of frustration, his grudge against Cinder still being strong.

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

Leonardo: "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." He began to leave the room while Dante stared at Leonardo for a moment, the Lion Faunus noticing and slightly looking away in what looked like slight nervousness, but he sighed and did a two finger wave before turning around and leaving with Qrow. The others began to follow them, with Ruby being the last one as she looked back at him.

Ruby: "It was nice meeting you, Professor."

Leonardo: "Likewise." The group continued through the hall together, feeling like they haven't made much progress with the conversation with Leonardo.

Nora: "So, what do we do now?"

Qrow: "You five head back to the house, I need a drink." He said before he began to walk ahead. Dante rolled his eyes but glanced back at the teens.

Dante: "And I'll make sure he doesn't fucking kill himself. Take the rest of the day to do whatever you kids want, so long as it doesn't get us in trouble. And also, give Selena an easy time." He said, before giving a slight wave to the teens and following after Qrow.

Ruby: "Well, we heard them. Let's head back."

>>Later<<

In a bar, Qrow sat at the counter, glass in hand as Dante sat next to him, his back facing the counter this time as he had his eyes closed.

Dante: "Leo's behavior's rubbing me the wrong way."

Qrow: "I hear you, but Spring in the hands of Raven and Vergil, we'll have to deal with that later."

Dante: "I know." he lowered his head as Qrow noticed that for once, the usually foul-mouthed Huntsman seemed... somber. "If they were still here, we'd be able to track them down easily with no issue or risk. But..."

Qrow: "Hey, you don't gotta beat yourself up about it. You were occupied with evacuation like I was. We couldn't make it to the tower in time."

Dante: "I know that asshole. It's just... I made a promise to myself to take care of the Akito and the girls for Oz and Claret after they ended up on my doorstep and I couldn't even do that. How the hell am I supposed to face either of them now all of the shit that happened? Shit's just fucked up man..." He said before taking a swig from his glass and sighed deeply. Qrow said nothing, not able to find the words to tell the man. In the end, he also sighed.

???: "Excuse me?" The voice caught the two men's attention as they both looked towards the entrance of the bar, where a scrawny looking farm boy was. Dante rose an eyebrow in slight confusion as the boy approached them.

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

???: "Shut up, I'm getting there." This response caused the two men to look at each other, confused as if that kind of response didn't seem to be directed at Qrow. Rather, it seemed like he was talking to himself.

Dante: "Uh... you good kid?" There was a brief silence before...

???: "Um, I'm supposed to tell you, I'd like my cane back." The moment those words left his mouth, Dante and Qrow's expressions both expressed shock. Qrow reached around and held out the collapsed Long Memory, before he chuckled.

Qrow: "It's good to see you again, Oz." He tossed the Long Memory to the boy, who caught it as it extended.

Dante: "Well... speak of the fucking devil." He mumbled to himself but hummed and glanced upwards for a brief moment.

Selena's House...

Jaune, Ren, Nora and Setsuna were seated in the living room of the house while Ruby was up in her room, reading her comics and Selena was in the kitchen, cooking up dinner for everyone to enjoy. However, there was soon a knock on the front door, catching everyone's attention.

Selena: "Can someone answer that?" She called out from the Kitchen as Jaune stood up.

Jaune: "I got that." He said as he walked towards it before opening the door. However, he became confused to see the small farm boy standing at the door, with a sheepish expression. "Can I help you?"

???: "Um... Yeah... Is there a Ruby Rose here?" In an instant, Ren, Nora and Setsuna stood up while narrowing their eyes in suspicion, with the Arctic-Wolf Faunus slowly opening and closing her fists.

Setsuna: "Why?"

Boy: "Well..." Before he could finish, Qrow suddenly stumbled into view, nearly knocking the boy over as he had a stupid drunken smile on his face.

Qrow: "I FOUND HIM! PFFT HAHAHAHAHAH!" He snorted and laughed before stumbling into the house as everyone looked at him worryingly.

???: "I think her Uncle could use some help..."

Dante: "No he doesn't." He stepped into frame, with an irritated expression as he crossed his arms. "What this dumbass needs is to be knocked the fuck out."

???: "Um, I don't think that's such a good idea..." He mumbled as the drunken Qrow stumbled over to the couch, before falling over while panting heavily

Qrow: "Woah... Ugh... Oof... I found him..."

Selena: "Oh my Oum, Qrow..." She mumbled as she stepped into the living room, her hands on her hips as she sighed. "I thought we said, no coming home blackout drunk anymore?"

Qrow: "Hah... hahaha... Hey, Selena... You're looking sexier than usual~ Did your boobs grow in size? Hahaha..." He slurred his words as the woman in question's face became bright red, with her immediately crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Selena: "E-Eh!? There are kids here! Don't say that stuff!" She scolded as Dante merely snickered while the teenagers all shared confused looks. Then, Ruby's voice was heard, screaming from the upstairs in an irritated tone.

Ruby: "What is going on down there!?" The argent-eyed girl stomped down into the living room with a pout. "Can't a girl read her comics in peace!?" The only response she got was silence and the drunken chuckles of her uncle. She turned towards him and sighed while facepalming. "Qrow... did you get drunk again?"

Qrow: "Maaayyybbbee~ Heh..." Ruby just shook her head before...

???: "Oh... You have Silver Eyes." Everyone turned to look at the boy in confusion, while Ruby was just sort of startled at him noticing that specific trait of hers.

Ruby: "Who... are you?" She questioned as there were subtle drunken chuckles from Qrow.

Boy: "Well, my name is Oscar Pine..."

(Oscar Pine)

Qrow: "Wait for it..."

Oscar: "But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin." There was a collective gasp from all the teens and Selena as they all stared at the boy before them, with Selena muttering out a...

Selena: "Oz...?" ...In a slightly hopeful tone, before...

Qrow: "Heh... Heh Heh... Heh... I DID IT!!!" he suddenly yelled as he sat up and raised his arms into the air in excitement before he collapsed onto the floor, finally knocking out cold and taking the teens by surprise while Dante snickered in amusement and Selena facepalmed.

Selena: "Idiot..."

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Next Chapter: Dread in the Air