Chapter 5: Catching Up
Chapter 5
Catching Up
Catching Up
Qrow soared through the skies of Mistral, wings coasting along an easy updraft as he circled Haven Academy. Occasionally swooping down and looking through every window only to find it distressingly empty. Unable to sigh, let alone drink, as a crow, the Huntsmen rounded on the central tower and flew in through the open window his body shifting into its human form as he landed theatrically before the desk.
"Ah!" Leo cried, papers flying into the air, "Don't do that Qrow! You nearly gave me a heart attack." the Faunus muttered, frantically tidying his papers, and looking all together frazzled.
Qrow took up his flask and enjoyed a hefty sip of burning alcohol before he answered, "Sorry, but I didn't feel like taking the long way up." He strode towards Leo's desk and plopped down in one of the seats before the older Huntsmen, eyes glazing over at the sight of his paperwork. "Seems you're keeping busy."
Leo groaned, "That is one way to put it, do you want to take over perchance?"
"I think that's what your own professors are for, speaking of which," Qrow leaned forward, hands clasping as he eyed his ally, "Where are they?"
Leo looked up at him and then down, hand running though his beard, shame-faced.
"Leo, we don't have time for this, where are Haven's professors? They're meant to be here protecting the Academy."
Leo snorted, "They are meant to be protecting the Relic that lies beneath it, Qrow, we both know that much."
Qrow leaned back and shrugged, "Tomato, tomato, they're meant to be here."
"A fact known only to myself and you on this entire plateau Qrow," Leo waved vaguely towards the city below. "I can't just keep some of the most skilled fighters this kingdom has to offer pottering around Haven when they are needed."
"That's exactly what you're supposed to do," Qrow snapped, "Oz left specific instructions."
Leo shot up from his seat, "Ozpin is dead, his academy has fallen to Grimm, and every day more threats appear across Anima." he shook his well-tended mane of grey hair, "Qrow it is all I can do to keep my position right now and ensure that at least someone is here."
At that proclamation Leo let out an exhausted sigh and simply collapsed into his seat, muttering, "This is all I can do."
Qrow felt is throat tighten up at that, he was hardly ignorant to the constant struggle Leo was under to accomplish anything in Mistral. It was a story almost as old as Qrow himself.
Sighing, the spy nodded, "Well that freaking bites, we kind of need-em."
Leo stilled, "Why? Did you get word of something, an attack perhaps?"
Shaking his head, Qrow met Leo's eyes and steeled himself, "I found the Spring Maiden, well, more or less." Glossing over Leo's quiet 'how', he continued, "She's hiding among Raven's gang, I got as much confirmation as I was going to from Raven, and the evidence I picked up on the road. She's there, and we need her here, especially if we can't rely on the council's help."
Leo clasped his hands, staring down grimly at his desk, "I see... I see... I suppose we need to make a plan of action then."
Qrow nodded, "Exactly, if the professors are away, we'll need to get help from elsewhere, I know some reliable fighters who won't ask questions and..." He looked around uncertainly, "Have you seen a team of four, my niece is on it, Ruby Rose. They might be able to help."
Leo nodded though he refused to meet Qrow's eyes, "I have met them, a fine bunch, I couldn't help them in their goals, I don't even think they know what they're wrapped up in."
"They don't, but they might have to if things keep going like this, where are they now?"
"Investigating Grimm activity in Hinoki Forest."
"What?" Qrow rasped, shooting to his feet.
Leo reared back and swallowed, "I- I thought it would be a way they could help without being in too much danger, it was strictly observation, nothing more!"
Qrow had been shadowing those kids all trip and now they were wandering into one of the deepest, most ancient and Grimm-infested forests on Remnant, when Grimm were already acting up.
"I'm going to find them, you rally some more fighters and when I get back-"
The doors to Leo's office flew open with a painful, splintering bang, revealing three figures he recognized as Ruby's friends.
The boys looked absolutely crushed and Qrow could already feel his head growing light as the girl began to speak.
"We found out what's luring the Grimm, it's a big rift that they run into and Ruby went in after them but then she didn't come out before it closed and we tried to find another but we couldn't stay hidden and we've got to find her!"
Qrow tried to take a step forward, his jaw fell open as his flask fell from his hand and without a word, he collapsed to the ground.
Weiss Schnee, once heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and now a vagabond, looked over the ornate desk of the Mistral Council's foyer with growing concerns.
"I am sorry to cause trouble, but I was under the impression the Mistral council would be able to direct me to my sister; Specialist Schnee. She's with the Atlesian forces stationed in Mistral but I can't seem to find them."
The light blue kimono-clad secretary with bee-hive bun and pale features looked at her with a quizzical frown.
"Specialist Schnee, along with the three Atlesian battleships charted a course back to Atlas weeks ago miss," Something scornful fell over her face. "Did your General not brief you on that either?"
Weiss clutched her suit case of Dust tightly as she answered, "I...took the scenic route and with communications what they are I suppose I didn't get the message."
The secretary's arched eyebrow suggested she didn't quite buy it, but finally she nodded and said, "Will you be needing help contacting Argus young miss?"
Weiss couldn't tell if the secretary wanted to be rid of her or was trying to be helpful, 'Or maybe you're not even legally allowed to be in this country anymore?!' A frantic, nervous part of her supplied.
Swallowing, Weiss ducked her head, "I think I'll head back to my hotel for the moment, I'm sure this will all blow over in short order." She turned and heels clicking the floor made for the exit.
"Miss, can I ask where you're staying?" The secretary called, "In case anyone calls for you?"
Weiss threw out the most expensive hotel she could think of, "I'm staying at the Jade Dragon, thank you, bye, bye!" She said in a falsetto of cheeriness as she shot out the automatic doors and disappeared into the throng of the higher tier streets of Mistral. Infinitely more packed than Vale, let alone Atlas's, she had to shove and weave her way around.
As she did so, Weiss kept her Dust and blade close, well aware of Mistral's reputation for cutthroats and pickpockets. 'Not that I have much to steal,' she thought mournfully.
Her Dust and weapons would be worthwhile, and maybe her jewelry, but with Atlas cutting itself off and her loss of status, Weiss knew her Lien-Cards would get her nowhere.
'I could probably pawn some of my Dust and jewelry but then what?'
Weiss looked to the towering plateau upon which rested Haven Academy and sighed, her shoulders and head sagging as weariness seeped into her frame.
'None of this is going the way it's supposed, nothing has since the Vytal Festival...' Swallowing back her grief, Weiss force-marched herself through the streets of Mistral with confidence she did not feel. 'First things first, when lost in unknown territory get a lay of the land.'
She'd figure things out, she had no choice.
A rough voice rumbled, "Get out of here kid, and don't come back without Lien!"
A diminutive boy with tanned skin, white shirt and patchy overalls raced out of a seedy, ramshackle bar on the edge of Mistral and into the crowded streets.
Clumsily ducking and weaving through the crowd, Oscar Pines kept his head down and his hands in his pockets, eyes frantic and searching the streets, hoping to spot his target.
Sadly, there was no lanky man in grey marching through the throng of outer Mistral, which meant another bar, and likely another tongue lashing when someone too young and more importantly to broke poked around and didn't buy anything.
'I think I see another tavern over there Oscar,' An almost playfully wizened tone echoed in his head.
Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, Oscar muttered, "I see it, I just wish I had a choice in this." only to cringe the moment the thought left his mouth.
'You have a choice,' echoed the voice of the old man living in his head, 'And you have made the right one Oscar, I can assure you of that.'
Oscar nearly tuned out the familiar reframe, edging his way through the shadowy streets of lower tier Mistral. It seemed on every alley there was a watcher, and everyone was subtly armed, 'I feel like the only thing keeping me safe is I look too poor to rob.'
The newest bar stood on rickety stilts, rice paper doors looked faded of any detailing, and it was dim even late in the afternoon. Glancing about and taking in the sight of a hookah in the heart of the bar and several tails, claws and tusks the pieces fell into place, 'A faunus bar.'
'Its doubtful Qrow will be here, but let's do one circuit,' Ozpin intoned.
Oscar was already on it, shuffling through the bar, looking for a mop of slick dark hair and a heavy duty sword, but he saw nothing.
He did, however, hear something.
"Can you believe the nerve on that little bint?" One patron muttered making Oscar tense up.
"Dressing like a Schnee, and down here of all places."
'Oh good they aren't talking about me,' Oscar thought, shoulders relaxing, but he froze as Ozpin spoke.
'Listen to them.'
Oscar swallowed and glanced at the bear Faunus and their elk companion, both dowdy, but at least not bearing any weapons on their laborers garb.
"I still say it was the real thing."
"Don't be stupid, the Schnees are all up in Atlas it was just some stupid human playing dress up."
"The sword looked pretty expensive for cosplay."
Both began to grow silent, their gazes drifting to Oscar who swallowed and waved, weakly, "Um, hello sirs."
'Ask them where she went, I may know this Schnee.'
"Can either of you tell me where this uh, fake Schnee girl went?" Oscar rubbed the back of his head as they scoffed.
"What, looking for an autograph kid?" The bear-clawed woman asked.
"No it's just, ugh," He pulled out some of his left over Lien, "It doesn't matter why can you just tell me which way she went?"
It wasn't a lot of Lien, but it would cover a round of drinks and it seemed they both knew that, quickly answering.
"She was heading South, into the market district," The elk said.
His companion nodded, "Just look for Alizar's Armaments, biggest shop in the lower wrung, you can't miss it."
Oscar stamped the Lien into outstretched hands and shot out the door.
"Want to tell me what that was about?"
'Simply readjusting as necessary,' Ozpin intoned vaguely, 'You don't have the conditioning to fight without my cane yet, but if Qrow has somehow not arrived in Mistral we can perhaps secure Miss Schnee's... Protection.'
Oscar wanted to curse like his aunt, "Were you going to tell me I couldn't survive a fight, or just wait for me to figure it out?"
'Well technically I told you,' countered the voice with wry humor.
Oscar just shook his head as he weaved through the crowded, mismatched streets, silently cursing his lack of foresight.
'No wonder I listened to a spooky voice in my head and ran away from home.'
Weiss stepped out of Alizar's Armaments several Dust bottles lighter and not nearly heavy enough in her nonexistent wallet to be pleased with the trade.
Glancing around the still busy streets, she set off to where she did not know, save that she wanted to escape the scowling expressions and sharp eyes following her.
'I came down here because I thought people wouldn't recognize me; but I suppose the SDCs stellar reputation among Faunus is as heavy here as it would be in Mantle.'
That churned in her gut, the reality that she couldn't fix it anymore. That maybe her desire to right the course of her grandfather's company had always been out of reach and her father just let her delude herself into thinking she had agency when she was always in the palm of his hand.
The handle on her suit case squeaked and Weiss remembered herself and squared her shoulders, 'Well, no matter how lost or broke I might be, I'm free. Free to make my own path, wherever or however that may be.'
"Uh, excuse me, miss?" A nervous, jittery, and very young voice called from behind her.
Spinning around on the border between the low and middle tiers, Weiss blinked owlishly at the sight of the dark haired and tanned farmer lad standing before her. He shuffled his feet shyly and she almost wanted to lean down and ask if he was lost.
'Except I'm barely taller than him,' she thought, repressing a frown.
"Yes, how can I help you?" She asked, with that annoying chipper, borderline customer service voice her father taught her.
Swallowing the boy said, "Well it's just... I recognized you, from the Vytal Festival, you and your team."
"Oh, well I hope the matches were, entertaining," she smiled, trying to forget Yang's final match and the deception that heralded the Fall of Beacon.
There was an awkward sort of delay before he responded, "They were, you all fought really well; listen, I think I'm looking for someone you know, a Qrow Branwen?"
That name settled on Weiss's ears like sludge and she did not keep the disdain from her voice as she answered, "I'm familiar."
The boy looked away, as if snapping at someone who wasn't there, before rallying, "Listen, this is complicated and hard to explain, but I'm meant to deliver a message to Mr Branwen but I can't find him."
Hand on her hips Weiss arched her brow, "Why do you think I can help with this?"
He just shrugged, "I don't know a lot about this, but I know he's your team leaders uncle, and he, and maybe she as well are meant to be in Mistral and that its uh, imperative I get this message to him."
"And that message is?"
Oscar shrugged, "I'm just the carrier, like I said, it's complicated and doesn't make much sense. It's taking way longer than it was meant to and I'm..." He sagged, "I'm in over my head here."
Weiss looked around, half expecting skulking spies or a gang of ne'er do wells to have used her distraction to get closer, but even those glaring at her presence seemed to have lost interest.
Looking back at the exhausted, nervous boy, Weiss's tight posture laxed and she sighed, "Well it isn't as though I can do much else right now. How about we check Haven rather than dive bars?"
He looked briefly stricken before ducking his head, "That's a good idea, I don't think I could get up there without a Huntresses help."
"Well," Weiss pronounced proudly, "Now that you have my help things should work out just fine," she held out her hand and the boy clasped it.
"I'm Oscar Pine, thanks for helping me."
"A pleasure to meet you Oscar, now let's get going shall we? Daylight's burning."
As they began their trek towards the heart of Mistral, Weiss felt a little bubble of hope swell up in her chest. If Qrow Branwen was here, then maybe Ruby was too, maybe her whole team was? The thought of seeing them again, even just knowing they were well, brought a brilliant smile to her face.
Tyrian Callows wore a brilliant smile upon his face as he strode through the worked stone fortress, he and a host of Lancers and other aerial Grimm had made their home. The lifeless waters of the lake outside barely rippling in the decaying breeze and in the distance, he could see the great ruined city he had so recently been exploring.
Stepping into a great hall stone hall of the ruined keep, one could find the rotting remnants of tables and rusted metal strewn about in haphazard chaos. Insectoid Grimm skittered about but paid him no mind as he came to kneel before the Seer hovering at the back of the hall. Beneath it lay several people, the summoner, the goat staff bearer he'd taken, and others plucked from obscurity to bask in his mistress's glory.
Their bodies would normally be spasming by now, twitching violently as choked sobs and screams escaped them, the Seers red tendrils pulling memories to the surface over and over again. But right now, they lay unconscious, drawn, and exhausted.
"My Mistress," He beckoned falling to one knee and bowing his head low.
"Tyrian, our little test is in place then?" Her voice was stronger and clearer than when they first arrived and filling him with joy.
"Yes, your grace, Hazel's lost Seer is in place, and I have assorted a humble host of your lesser servants as requested."
"Marvelous… Sit and watch with me awhile," She intoned, voice so gentle it was like a surgeon's blade along his arteries.
"Thank you, your grace." Tyrian rose to his feet and watched as the Seer's body rippled and roiled into smoky, toxic orange clouds. They morphed into a clear if distant view of the Southern strip of the great ruined city.
Once white towers capped in colorful tiles turned ruinous and rotted by dust and decay. Each building a hollowed-out corpse, rather akin to the shambling miscreants marshaling on the border beneath the foothills, great pits and spike barricades raised up and staffed by skeletal archers.
On the Western side stood a bristling, battered Alpha Beowolf and capering around it were a host of vicious Grimm. At the beasts roar a handful of Beowolves, Sabyr and Ursa barreled forward. The feline Sabyr in front, weaving wildly, while the bulky Ursa brought up the rear guard and the ever nimble Beowolves danced between them.
As expected the spiked guards did nothing, leapt over, torn through, or weaved around. The pits had more of an impact but only to slow the first few Grimm rather than break them or halt the charge; the arrows little more than distractions as well.
"They have clearly some experience with Grimm, enough to expect an attack but nothing more, how tragic," he mused with a pleased sigh.
As the last barricade fell Tyrian's wicked smirk grew as he saw the dead had made preparations most fowl!
Storming out from the ruined city streets were a pair of mangled monstrosities, easily three stories high and hewn together from muscle and metal, squared off shoulders and fang filled maws screaming with dozens of voices as they unleashed the maces on the end of their wrists upon the Grimm. One adventurous corpse puppet even kicking a Sabyr that leapt for it and the other crushing a snarling Bewolf!
"Mighty I suppose, but rather slow, no?" Several of the Grimm killed hadn't even gone for them but tried to reach the city, only to be impeded by spiked barriers of ice bursting up from the ground.
Still, despite the strength of the dead, one of the giants was toppled by an Ursa catching its steel plated foot and flinging it backwards with a crash! The giant corpse construct was swarmed and shredded into screaming meat by several Grimm in moments as the Ursa bellowed in triumph.
Only to get crushed by the other's mace.
Apparently satisfied with its findings, the Alpha Beowolf unleashed a magnificent, air shaking roar and surged towards the city, over a hundred Grimm at its beck and call as more and more dead began to amass, walls of spiked ice rising and flaming arrows launching.
In the distance Tyrian heard a hollowed-out roar and watched a skeletal dragon shining with a light so akin to Aura it made his senses tingle swoop down upon the Alpha which retorted with claws and fangs.
Seeing his goddess's amused smirk, Tyrian decided to just lean back and enjoy the show.
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