It is daytime at the Branwen Tribe camp. Raven sits alone in her tent, sharpening Omen. Suddenly, Vernal enters, "Raven; we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Salem's found us."

Raven's eyes widen briefly, "Salem... okay."
"Four of her followers are waiting to speak with you."
"Right. We planned for this... Bring me my helmet."

Outside of her tent, Cinder, Watts, Suneel, Emerald, and Mercury all stand and wait while the bandits surround them, eyeing them carefully. Raven steps out of her tent with her mask on as she addresses her bandits. "I don't recall inviting so many guests into our home. Either I'm losing my memory, or you've all lost your spines!"

"Don't be too upset with them, Raven. Your men simply recognized the power of a Maiden when they see it. Which is why we'd like to have a word with you."
"Leave us. Pack your things, then break down camp. We're moving." The bandits all leave to do so.

"Little late to run and hide. You've been on our master's list for some time, so you must understand that we cannot allow you to slip away."

"I know all about your master, but I don't believe we've met. Except for..." She glares at Suneel, who waves at her with a slight smile, "Good to see you again, Raven."

"We're the guys you should be afraid of."

"I doubt anyone should be afraid of you."

"Oh yeah? Tell that to-"
"Quiet." Mercury relents.

"That's what I thought."

"I'm Cinder Fall. This is my associates, Arthur Watts, Suneel Jack, and my disciples, Emerald and Mercury."
"Two children you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, a lovesick maniac who is obsessed with the girl your master is against, and a Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself. And  Something tells me you've got more than a slight case of egomania, is that about right?"

Mercury and Emerald exchange a brief look, while Watts clears his throat, "Technically, I was also a doctor, but I must say, the rest was spot on."
"Aren't you perceptive."
"It's what's kept me alive."
"I'm afraid the only reason you're still alive is that you have something our master wants. Of course, if I'm wrong..."

Cinder activates her Maiden power again and holds out a small flame in her right hand, grinning evilly.

"Vernal!" Vernal steps out of Raven's tent and walks up next to her.

"So, this is the long lost Spring Maiden. Prove it."

Raven and Vernal share a glance with each other, with Raven nodding. Vernal sighs and closes her eyes. She holds her hands out, and suddenly, the wind starts to pick up gradually. The blue sky turns to gray as clouds cover it. Leaves blow in the wind. Suneel stares up at the darken sky, Watts, Mercury, and Emerald cover their faces as thunder is heard while Cinder smiles in amazement as she watches the Spring Maiden unleash her power. Vernal then lowers her hands and opens her eyes as her powers settle.

"Vernal has done well under my guidance. I'd take that into consideration before you try anything."

Watts and Mercury brush themselves off as Cinder speaks, "Raven, I won't underestimate you, so please don't insult my intelligence. There is a slim chance you and your Maiden could escape today, but if you know our master as well as you claim to, then you know you could never truly escape her. But we come bearing an olive branch."

Watts walks up to Raven, "The Maidens are merely a means to an end. Salem's true desires are the Relics locked inside the Huntsman Academies. Come with us. Allow Vernal here to unlock the Relic of Knowledge, and all previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven. It's the best deal either of you are going to get."

Watts walks away from them to rejoin his group.

"You talk as if walking straight into Haven will be easy."
"That's because it will be. Headmaster Lionheart is loyal to Salem. And now, all we need is the key to the vault. You're not the only one to turn your back against Oz, Raven."

Raven grips the hilt of her sword, "I'm not helping Salem, I'm not helping Oz! Going to a fight we are most likely to fail, if she's there. I don't want a part in any of this!"
"That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a Maiden. But if you come with us to Haven, we'll leave you, your tribe, and your little secret to live out the rest of your lives squabbling in the wilderness. We just... need... the Relic."

"I need time to think this over."
"You don't have time. In two days, Haven Academy will be destroyed by the White Fang. You're going to choose now."
"Backed me into a corner, huh?"
"So, are you with us or against us?"

After a tense moment, Raven removes her grip from her hilt and takes her mask off, "Agreements like these are built on trust. And forgive me for saying, but I don't trust a single one of you. You're going to need to give me more."

"You are in a poor position to negotiate."
"I want my brother dead."
"Qrow? Not even Saint?"
"That's right. He knows I have Spring. (Y/n) can't die, and by the looks of it Suneel would get in the way." Raven faces Suneel, who had a smirk on his face, "Good to know you remember of my loyalty."

"And if I help you get your Relic, he's going to become a problem. I have enough problems to deal with. Qrow doesn't trust me, but he does trust Ozpin's other lieutenants. If Leo really is loyal to you, then you can order him to invite Qrow into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your Relic, and we all leave happy.

"Now, this is a proposition I can get behind."

"Alright ladies, let's pause for a moment. We have one objective - retrieving the Relic of Knowledge. Now Qrow Branwen may be on our list of individuals we would very much like dead, but he's not going to go down without a fight, and he's not going to fight quietly. Our advantage here is just as you said - we walk straight into Haven, no resistance, no one the wiser. A battle with your brother throws that all out the window."

"He's good, but not that good. All of us against him? It'll be over in a heartbeat."
"But it's not just him. He has the students with him. He has Ruby! He has (Y/n)."
"He certainly does."
"If we leave that school a bloody mess, we will draw the attention of the authorities! The Kingdom will be on high alert, and the White Fang's attack will be ruined!"

Suneel steps forward, "If my beloved uses her summons like back then, it may lead to many deaths, the Grimm will do whatever it takes to get to their goddess."
"That's why the Wyvern, came to Beacon, it was because of her," Emerald spoke. Suneel nods, "She created Grimm, well the rare one's. Those are the ones we would have to look out for."

"Then, we wait. We wait until the full moon. Leo invites Qrow and his little fighters to Haven the same night Hazel and Adam arrive with the White Fang. As soon as the battle is won, the White Fang demolishes Haven, and any evidence we may have left behind is lost along with the school. If Saint happens to be separated from everyone, Suneel could easily take her, since she had never harmed him."
"Can't say she never will."

"Then, Salem leaves my people alone. For good."
"You have yourself a deal."

Cinder holds her hand out to shake with Raven's, but Watts suddenly grabs her wrist, "Wait. Don't think I don't see what you're after. If this falls to pieces over your grudge with a child, I will not be taking the blame."

Cinder glares at him, "Then what are you worried about?"

Cinder activates her Maiden powers and burns Watts's hand, causing him to remove his grip and hold his hand in pain, "Fly back home and tinker with your machines." She holds her hand out again in front of Raven, "And tell Salem she'll get what she wants - and more."

Raven stands still for a moment, glaring at Cinder's hand in front of her, but then offers her own handout and shakes it with the Fall Maiden, sealing the deal.

Later in the day, Raven sits on her bed, leaning her forehead to her hand. She hears someone enter her tent, "Yes, Vernal?"
"I followed them as you asked."
"Did they spot you?"

"Of course not. They have a ship two klicks west of here; it looks like they're staying there for the night."

"Thank you, Vernal. Anything else?"
"Do you... actually believe they'll let us go once they have the Relic?"
"Of course not. They'll never leave us alone. Once our purpose has come and gone, we'll be discarded. Salem only uses people until they are no longer useful. If we want to have any chance of defending ourselves against her, then we need this Relic." Raven stands up from her bed. "If Qrow and those brats want to follow Ozpin, then let them. When the chaos reaches its peak, we'll grab the Relic and make our escape."

"And the fact that your daughter will be a part of all that?"
"Doesn't matter. I warned her. She made her choice. This path won't be easy for us either, but we must do what's right for the tribe."
"I know. I'll do whatever it takes."
"Good."

Raven exits the tent. Vernal walks out to see where she has gone and notices a cawing blackbird and the sound of Raven's portal activating.

Back at Mistral, Qrow is drinking from his flask while sitting on a bed, and he hears the sound of a Raven cawing, seeing her through the window. Oscar Pine walks up to his doorway. "Hey, Qrow?"

Qrow turns his attention to him, "Oz needs to talk to you."

Qrow stands up and follows Oscar out of the room, looking over his shoulder at the window. Qrow and Oscar walk passed your room, where you were sleeping, Ajin was wandering the room, turning his attention to the two. "She working really hard to train us, Ajin kinda put her to sleep for she can rest." Qrow closes the door and walks passed Oscar, "It's better if we don't disturb her."

Now in the living room, Oscar, who is currently letting Ozpin take over, and Qrow are sitting opposite of one and another. Qrow takes a sip from his cup, "Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"Ever the optimist. While I would not say our current predicament is... ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."
"Oz, pro Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day. What does that say about humanity?"
"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it."

As Ozpin is about to take another sip, Ruby Rose is heard walking into the room, "Um, excuse me?"

"Ah, Miss Rose, join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps."
"Oh, uh, great."

"Something on your mind, kiddo?"
"Uh... uh, it's... if it's okay to ask.
"Of course."
"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven... and the Spring Maiden, but... what about the Fall Maiden?"
"Cinder?"

"Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon Relic?"

Ozpin and Qrow share a brief look with each other, "Very astute, Miss Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully, she does not. Indeed, the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools, by Saint's request."

Ruby sighs in relief, "Oh. That's good to hear."
"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us." Ruby nods.

"Now, is there anything else we can help you with?"
"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question."
"No, my cane is not a Relic."
"I have no more questions."

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that - precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them. Now, why don't you run and get the other students?

Suddenly, Qrow's scroll is heard vibrating. He takes it out from his pocket to see "LEO LIONHEART" calling. He takes the call, "Yeah? ... Okay... yeah, we'll be there." Qrow hangs up.

"Who was it?"

Qrow sighs while taking out his flask, "It was Leo, says he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it."

Ruby gasps and smiles, "Really? Oh, that's great! I'll go get the others."

Ruby runs out of the room while Qrow takes a drink from his flask, "Mmm, that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?"

"It does."
"Interesting..."
"Things aren't looking good, Oz."
"I know... And I'm afraid that Saint might not take it too lightly."
"That reminds me, why do you call (Y/n) by another name Saint?"
Ozpin tunes to Ruby "(Y/n) is her real name, but a long time ago, she was given that name by a certain person. I call her Saint because that was the name I called her when I first met her." Ruby places her hand under her chin, "You two have known each other for a long time. Longer than she met Uncle Qrow."
"Ozpin, here is the one who introduced me to (Y/n), and I'm glad he did." Qrow leans forward.
"Back then, I was worried that it was Professor Ozpin who (Y/n) was only going to be with." Ozpin laughs, "You weren't the first, but Saint, and I understand the task and work together to stop Salem."

Ruby nods, "I understand, I'll ask her after that meeting with Professor Lionheart."

At Leonardo Lionheart's office, the Haven headmaster sits at his desk in front of a blue holographic screen with the text "CALL END" before deactivating. Raven stands a few feet away from him, arms crossed and smiling.

Raven, "I still have questions for you."

Lionheart, "You're not alone in that."

Raven walks in front of his desk, "You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz and (Y/n). Which makes me wonder, what does she have on you?"
"I'm helping her for the same reason you are - I'm afraid. We... we can't stop her... no one can... I don't even think Saint can either."

"That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid; I'm smart, lucky that (Y/n) let me go the way I did. I can't say the same for you."

"You can call it whatever you want; it doesn't really matter. We're here... helping her." Lionheart buries his face in his hands, sighing, "I've crossed a line... I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't! I don't know where I go from here. If Saint finds out then..."

Raven places her hands on his desk, "Find courage! You did what you had to do to survive; there is no shame in that."
"Who are you trying to convince?" Raven doesn't say anything; she leaves the room while Lionheart sadly leans back sighing.

End of Vol 5 Chapter 8/9
Sorry for the late update!
More to come.
Michaelis~