I apologize for taking so long to update, I have been suffering from a bad case of writer's block. The next few chapters might take me longer to get out than I have been, but I promise I will try and update as much as possible! Anyway thank you guys for all of your support and patience, I hope you enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Speech

Thoughts

Chapter Twenty: Atlas Academy

Slade awoke gasping for breath, looking around worriedly he found Ruby sitting up next to him; concern written across her features.

"Are you alright?" she asked as he sighed in relief.

"I'm fine... just another nightmare" he answered.

"You seem to be having those a lot lately"

"It's the same one" he replied shaking his head.

"From during the attack?" she asked.

"No... that stopped shortly after we were reunited in Mistral for whatever reason. This one I've been experiencing since then has been some dark destroyed version of our world, Beacon crumbling around me, then Atlas, Haven, and Shade follow shortly afterward, with everyone we know from each school dead around me. It ends once Salem's dark eyes appear in the sky" he explained.

"That's horrible" she wrapped him into a comforting hug, Slade returned the hug rubbing her back comfortingly.

"I'll be fine, Ruby. I promise"

"Everything alright?" Qrow asked approaching them.

"Slade had another nightmare" Ruby answered.

"You alright?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine, I just need some fresh air" he answered standing up from the bedroll.

"Want me to come with you?" Ruby asked.

"No, I'm fine. You should get some rest" he smiled kissing her forehead before turning to leave "There's a pond just a short way east, I'll be back soon"

"Don't go too far" Qrow called after him, Slade waved his hand dismissively.

"Is he gonna be okay, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked worriedly. Qrow sighed deeply, looking away slightly.

"He's been through a lot recently, I'm sure he'll be fine... but for now he has to sort through some things. We're gonna have to be understanding and help him when needed" he answered smirking at her "What're friends for?"

"Absolutely" Ruby smiled nodding determinedly.

Slade arrived at the pond after about a minute of walking, he could still see the camp from the top of the small hill he climbed. Looking up he saw a small Raven sitting on one of the rocks around the pond, he sighed shaking his head annoyed. Unsheathing his blade he struck for the Raven as it transformed blocking with her own blade, Raven placed her hand onto his shoulder pulling herself over him as he slashed for her chest again, rolling off his back she twisted around finding the barrel of his pistol staring back at her.

"What do you want?" Slade asked, Raven sat down calmly on a rock beside the pond.

"Awful rude way to greet family"

"Being related to Yang and Qrow doesn't make you family. Especially after that fiasco at Haven" Slade shot back darkly.

"Touchy... Well if that's how you're going to be maybe I should just go" she stood up from the rock.

"Out with it already, I'm in no mood to play games with you, Raven; say what you've come to say or leave before I put a bullet in your head for annoying me" Slade growled.

"Alright, alright, I get it" she placed her hands up in surrender "I'm here to talk to you about Ozpin"

"This again? Didn't you bother us enough the first time?" Slade asked lowering his pistol.

"I didn't give you all the details last time, remember? You went off with Qrow"

"Still better than sticking around with you" he spat crossing his arms.

"Maybe... but at least I'm upfront with you about things, I don't pretend to be a good person. Not like Ozpin"

"Ozpin is a good man, Raven. Maybe he's not perfect but who is?" Slade defended.

"Does a good man keep things from his friends? Does a good man send others to die while hiding away in his ivory tower? Does a good man involve children in something he, himself hasn't been able to solve for over a thousand years?" Raven asked.

"What is it that Ozpin is keeping from us then?" he asked raising his eyebrow.

"Ozpin knows more about Salem than he's letting on. He knows who she was before she became master of the Grimm and how she became the way she is today" Raven explained.

"And? How does this help us defeat her? Is there something you know that can help stop her?"

"There is no stopping Salem! I've told you that already; weren't you listening!" she struggled to hide her frustration "Ozpin is just using you all to prolong his war with Salem. His; not ours" she emphasized.

"No one is unstoppable, Raven. Everyone can be beaten given the proper opportunity"

"Even if Salem could be stopped, do you really think using the same methods that haven't worked for the past thousand years is going to get you anywhere?" Raven asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Ozpin chooses select teams of students and personally oversees their training through the school as I told you before, but then he sends them off on some quest to save the world from Salem only for all of them to end up dead at best. I discovered this and decided for myself, I refused to be Ozpin's sacrifice. The more he lies and hides the truth the more hatred he breeds. Why do you think Hazel is so desperate to kill him? Why do you think so many people who find out the truth side with Salem? Because she may be an evil Grimm god trying to destroy humanity... but she's never acted like anything else" Raven ranted.

"Is that what he did with your team?" Slade asked.

"He tried to, until I left shortly after giving birth to Yang. As much as I wanted to take her with me, I knew Tai would never stop looking for me if I did... Yang had to seek me out on her own" she answered.

"Qrow and Taiyang... Summer. Did they know about this too?" Slade asked.

"They all decided it was a necessary sacrifice, they were glad to give their lives to protect others. Not me"

"Perhaps that should tell you something"

"What do you mean?"

"You left Ozpin and rejoined bandits that routinely hurt and kill people to get what they want. Can you not see how similar that is to what Salem's doing?"

"I chose to go back so I could live on my own terms, not Ozpin's"

"Everyone here with me is living on their own terms. Ozpin couldn't force any of us to be here even if he wanted to. Regardless; he left the choice up to us if we stayed or not"

"So you all decided to stay... how sweet you all are" she rolled her eyes.

"You may not agree with our decision, but don't try and make us regret it. The world is going to be destroyed if someone doesn't stop Salem for good, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in our lifetime... but someday Salem is going to accomplish her goal unless someone stops her"

"And what? You believe you're the ones to do it? Wake up!"

"You never know until you try"

"You sound just like Summer" she groaned shaking her head "The only place you'll end up fighting Salem is six feet under"

"What makes you so certain she cannot be stopped? No one is so powerful they cannot be killed"

"Salem is... Ozpin's tried killing her before you know. No matter how many times she's been killed she always returns somehow" Raven explained.

"So you just gave up and ran home to a bunch of scum seeking to hurt innocents?" Slade asked leaning back against a tree.

"I chose to live my own life. I may die one day but it will be fighting for what I chose to fight for, not Ozpin-"

"Ozpin doesn't make choices for people, Raven. Summer made the choice to fight and die fighting the Grimm just as much as my father did"

"You don't know the first thing about what happened to either of them" she growled.

"And you don't know the first thing about Yang!" Slade shot back.

"How dare you!"

"No, how dare you! Raven, if you truly cared about Yang you'd be here helping her. Instead you try and convince her she's wrong, when that doesn't work you try and convince me so I can convince her myself. Nothing you try is going to work"

"Then I have done all that I could" she sighed dejectedly.

"You've done all you're willing to do" Slade corrected. Raven glared at him.

"Are you going to allow me to leave? Or do you plan on killing me?" Slade remained silent while he weighed his options, his hand hovered over the hilt of his blade.

"Leave, I don't ever want to see your face again" Raven smirked.

"Thank you, Slade-"

"Thank Yang. She's the only reason I didn't pull the trigger when you came here" Raven's face changed to one of shock.

"Why?"

"Because as much as you've hurt her, Raven. You're still her mother, and that matters to her... Summer is the only one deserving of the title for Yang but she still holds out hope that you'll change one day" he sighed shaking his head "I'm just disappointed that you're going to let her down" he turned heading back toward camp. Stopping after a few steps he turned around to find Raven vanished, he sighed once more continuing on toward camp.

As Slade reentered the camp he noticed something felt off, his hand hovered over his blade as he looked around cautiously. Qrow noticed this and nodded toward him, quickly unsheathing their blades simultaneously they pointed them in the direction of the intruder.

"Come out, with your hands where I can see them" Qrow ordered. A shadowy figure raised her hands into the air stepping out from behinds a large bush; stepping into the light she smiled lightly at them.

"Glad to see you're both alive and well" Winter greeted.

"Winter?" Qrow asked causing Weiss to stir at the name.

"Where?" she asked standing up noticing her sister in front of her, she grabbed Winter into a hug smiling brightly "I'm so glad to see you"

"I'm pleased to see you well" Winter returned the hug hesitantly "Is this hugging a normal thing for you people?" she asked confused.

"Something you'll get used to" Slade chuckled sheathing his blade.

"What brings you here Ms. Schnee? I wasn't aware you would be meeting us before we arrived in the city" Ozpin asked curiously as Qrow began waking the rest of the group.

"I was informed of a shuttle crash not far out of an abandoned village, I alerted General Ironwood to the situation barring your involvement. I told him it was a transport I lined up for my sister who had been coming from Mistral. Let's just say he had many questions" she explained "I arrived at the crash site to find signs of battle and tracks leading here. I'm pleased to you're all faring well" she finished.

"James doesn't know about the rest of us then?" Ozpin asked.

"No, Professor. I thought given the circumstances you should be the one to inform him of your presence in Atlas" she answered.

"Excellent, I will speak with him when you report to him"

"I can always wait until we arrive in the city" she smiled.

"Don't you have to report back to him now that you've found us?" Qrow asked.

"Not if I deem this an emergency. Knowing that you have the relic from Haven, I believe he will come around to my way of thinking" she assured.

"I'm starting to like your sister" Slade laughed lightly, Ruby groggily approached the group being the last to be awoken. She groaned lightly into Slade's shoulder not wishing to move anymore.

"Come now, Ms. Rose. We have places to be" Winter ordered gaining no response in return.

"I've got her" Slade replied picking her up bridal style, Ruby leaned her head into his chest smiling contently as she continued to sleep.

"Coddling won't do her any good, Mr. Stroud. She's going to have to learn to act like a Huntress someday" Winter sighed.

"She's already more of a Huntress than many I have met. You'll see, she can surprise you if you're not careful" Qrow laughed.

"I sincerely doubt that, even more so now that you've said it" Qrow pointed at himself in mock disbelief.

"Ruby's unimposing form allows her an advantage over her opponents" Slade said regaining her attention.

"What kind of advantage?" she asked curiously.

"When someone's expectations are low, they're easy to take by surprise" he answered smiling down at Ruby.

"You sound like you speak from experience"

"I do... though not in terms of her fighting ability" he replied.

"So there's two Ice Queen's? Here I thought we had enough fun with just one" Roman yawned sarcastically earning a laugh from most of the group. Winter and Weiss narrowed their eyes at him. Blake struggled not to laugh at his comment.

"Roman Torchwick and his accomplice Neapolitan. What're they doing here?" Winter asked gritting her teeth "You're supposed to be on our side and you bring two well known criminals into our kingdom-"

"They're not as bad as you think, Winter" Weiss defended surprising many people present "Well, Roman is, but Neo is really nice; even though she's mute" Neo offered two thumbs up while Roman rolled his eyes.

"How do you know?" Winter asked.

"They've helped us against Cinder in Haven when they didn't have to. They could've just stayed with her and helped destroy the school and try and kill us again. Without them we wouldn't have been able to recover the relic" Weiss explained. Winter looked unconvinced but sighed reluctantly.

"Fine, you can come along. But I'm warning you; one wrong move and I'll remove your heads from your shoulders before you have the chance to draw your weapons" she growled.

"We'll be the perfect guests" he winked removing his hat, bowing with a flourish of his hand holding the hat.

"I sincerely doubt that" Winter scoffed.

General Ironwood sat at his desk looking over the reports on his desk, he sighed placing his face in his hands. The was a crisp knock at the door gaining his attention as he straightened himself out.

"Come in" he ordered finding Winter to be on the other side of the automatic door, it closed behind her as she saluted.

"General" she greeted.

"Specialist. Do you have something to report"

"Yes, sir. I found the crashed ship you sent me to investigate"

"What have you found"

"I found signs of a battle, sir. Nearby tacks led me the passengers of the ship camping out in the forest... I believe it best if I show you what I found" she walked over to the door inputting the code forcing it to stay open.

"Schnee I really don't see-" Ironwood stopped upon seeing Ozpin's face smiling at him from the doorway.

"James, it's good to see you again"

"Oz? What are you doing here?" he asked standing from his desk.

"You wouldn't pick up our calls so we came in person" he answered.

"We?" Ironwood asked just as the group entered the room.

"He means us, General" Slade chuckled from behind him causing Ironwood to leap over his desk reaching instinctively for his pistol.

"Slade?" he asked confused. Using his metal arm he picked Slade up by the throat "I know you died during the attack on Beacon, you cannot fool me with your tricks"

Slade mimicked his movement grabbing Ironwood by the throat as well "This isn't the most comfortable way to have a conversation" he choked out smirking.

"Relax, Jimmy. That's really him" Qrow chuckled. Ironwood reluctantly released him as Slade did the same, he rubbed his throat before he spoke.

"Apologies... I have been under a great deal of stress lately, sometimes I don't know what to believe"

"I'll forgive you, this time" Slade replied moving to rejoin the group. Ruby started checking him over much to his protest, the others laughed at the sight.

"Should we get down to business then?" Ironwood asked "Thank you for bringing them here, although I was under the impression your sister was the only passenger you lined up" he added to Winter, she saluted in response.

"No thanks necessary, sir"

"What brings you all to Atlas? Vale doesn't require our assistance again does it?" he asked concerned.

"No, James. We've come to bring Knowledge here for safe keeping" Ozpin explained.

"Knowledge? What kind-" he stopped upon seeing the relic Ozpin produced from his bag "What the hell are you thinking, Ozpin!? You brought a relic here?"

"Salem made an attempt on it back in Mistral along with destroying the school same as she did in Vale. Thankfully we were able to thwart her plans once again even preventing her from gaining the Spring Maiden's power for Cinder"

"What happened to Leonardo?" Ironwood asked. Ozpin sighed looking down dejectedly.

"He's dead, Jimmy. Leo was working with Salem... she didn't take his failure too well" Qrow answered.

"I see, that's why you brought the relic here... Why didn't you bring it to Vale?" he asked curiously.

"Vale is still recovering from the attack several weeks ago. Salem isn't going to wait for us to be ready before she makes her next move. Atlas is the most well defended city in the world as of right now. We cannot allow the relics to fall into Salem's hands" Ozpin explained.

"It's not going to do you much good, Oz. My latest reports say the Winter Maiden has been captured"

"Salem?" Ozpin asked.

"That is the prime suspect but it's possible someone else is behind the abduction. Reports from the local law enforcement state she was attacked by a large knight in black armor with a large glowing sword" he explained.

Slade narrowed his eyes at Ironwood "When did you receive these reports?"

"Last night just before I went home for the night. It sounds similar to a legend I once heard when I was a boy, but it's likely just a coincidence"

"It's no coincidence, General. That story is true" Roman said stepping out from behind the group, much to Neo's protest.

"Roman Torchwick" he growled "What the hell is he doing here?" he asked struggling to remain calm.

"Believe it or not, he's actually on our side" Ozpin answered.

"Ridiculous! There's no way you can trust him-"

"Roman has more than earned his place here" Slade defended stepping in front of him glaring at Ironwood "I know he aided our enemy in the past, but he only did so out of fear like Leonardo did. You cannot blame someone for that" Yang and Ruby joined him in front of Torchwick, shortly followed by Weiss.

"He was trying to save his own skin! It's all he cares about-"

"Roman is fully aware he is likely to die in the coming days, General. He isn't here to save himself... he's here to protect her" Slade interjected gesturing to Neo behind him. Neo hid herself behind Roman.

"You cannot possibly expect me to believe he's going to just hand himself over once everything is over if he survives"

"Believe what you will, General" Roman shrugged "I honestly couldn't care what you're willing to believe about me. If it were up to me I wouldn't be involved in this at all, but when someone offers you a choice of living or dying and can back up that offer. I chose living... I changed my mind about what I was doing not long before the attack on Vale but at that point I thought I was in too deep to get back out"

"What changed then?" Ironwood asked.

"Slade saved my life" he answered.

"You what?" Ironwood looked at Slade in disbelief.

"Aboard your airship during the attack, Slade fought with Neo and I while we attempted to kill Red here" he pointed to Ruby "Grimm attacked me while I was beating her into the ground when he pushed me out of the way... It made me wonder if I was truly trapped with them, I decided I had a choice to make. I could either die destroying the world with Salem, or die trying to save it with Slade"

"What swayed your decision?"

"Only one of those scenarios played out with Neo having the possibility of surviving. Salem couldn't care less about any of us" Roman answered taking out a cigar.

"You truly believe he can be trusted?" Ironwood asked.

"I do" Ozpin answered with a small smile. Ironwood sighed with a small shake of his head.

"I better not live to regret this... Welcome to Atlas, Mr. Torchwick"

"Thank you General, I promise you won't regret accepting my help" he smirked lighting his cigar.

"There's something else we need to talk about, James"

"What is it?"

"Salem's followers have already infiltrated the city" Ironwood stood abruptly slamming his hands down onto his desk.

"What!? How!? Where are they hiding? Do you know their identities?"

"We only know of two of them in the city. Tyrian Callows and Dr. Arthur Watts"

"That's impossible! Dr. Watts hasn't left his office since the attack on Vale, he's a respected scientist and one of my top researchers"

"I have recorded evidence proving his allegiance to Salem" Ozpin replied holding up his scroll.

"Send it to me, I will review this evidence later. Winter, double the guard around the city and alert them to keep their eyes out for anything suspicious; anything at all, and make sure we have constant surveillance on Watts."

"Yes, General" Winter saluted turning on her heel to leave the room.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ozpin. Without you I would've never known about these infiltrators"

"Think nothing of it James. I only ask you return the favor by allowing us to hold the relic here along with Creation"

"Of course. I'll see it safely locked away" he agreed "I believe I have a safehouse you can all stay in while you're here. If Salem is planning to attack Atlas next; we need all the help we can get"

"You can say that again" Slade sighed "Salem's sure to double the amount of forces she commits to this attack. Most likely planning on sabotaging our defenses somehow... Do you have any men defending the power supply for your automated defenses?" he asked curiously.

"They're under Watts office... I will see to it they're inspected for tampering and have guards on it around the clock"

"Good, we're also going to need anything you know about Watts, we don't want him surprising us"

"I'll pull up everything we have on him for you to look through"

"Excellent" Slade smiled as Winter reentered the office.

"Guard has been doubled, sir"

"Fantastic, please show them to the safehouse in town. They'll be staying there for the duration of their visit"

"Will do, sir" she saluted once more turning she led them out of the office. Ozpin remained in his place as they left.

"It's good to have him back" Ironwood sighed in relief.

"Slade has certainly proven himself time and time again. I'd be willing to bet he'll be able to stop this attack in it's tracks just like the previous two"

"I certainly hope so... I'm sorry about Winter, Ozpin. I wasn't able to keep her safe-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, James. Salem's hunter was a formidable enemy"

"You know for sure it was Salem?"

"Yes, James... it was her Pursuer" he answered. Ironwood's eyes bulged in shock.

"Torchwick was telling the truth then?"

"Indeed, it attacked our transport forcing us to crash. Slade was able to defeat it when none of our attacks harmed it. The Pursuer only became more powerful with every hit"

"How did Slade defeat it then?"

"Slade used it's own weapon against it" he smirked.

"Mr. Stroud just continues to impress... the more I get to know him the more I see his mother in him" he smiled.

"She was a unique woman, similar to his father" he laughed.

"His father certainly was... different"

"He was a better man than you give him credit-"

"I know, Oz. I just never knew him to be that person... he was always just a criminal to me. Guess everyone can change"

"Leonardo certainly did" Ozpin sighed.

"Have you filled them in yet?"

"Not everything..."

"Soon?"

"Very"

"Good. They're going to need to know everything if they're going to have a chance at stopping Salem"

"You believe they can stop Salem for good?" Ozpin asked.

"I don't know... no one has been able to do if before. Doesn't mean it can't be done"

"We'll be there every step of the way"

"Absolutely"

"Have they arrived yet?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"They?" Ironwood asked confused "Who's they?"

Slade walked at the back of the group as Winter led them through the city silently. The others conversed amongst themselves while Blake held back keeping pace with him.

"Hey" he waved noticing her fidgeting "Everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine... just worried about my parents is all"

"They'll be fine, they're making their way to Vale as we speak to talk with the council right?" he asked trying to reassure her.

"Yes, Dad wants to form a political following to give the Faunus a voice in the world"

"Good for him, Faunus deserve a win for once"

"You can say that again" she groaned.

"So what's really bothering you? We haven't really talked since you returned" Slade asked raising his eyebrow questioningly. Blake sighed reluctant to answer.

"I... I've been trying to find the right time... to say I'm sorry"

"Sorry for what?" Slade asked confused.

"I ran away again, just like I always do when things get hard. I didn't even stay long enough to find out if you guys were alright, I thought you were dead"

"You ran away because you thought you were protecting us. I understand that more than you might think... Yang did the same thing, she just had less ground to cover" he chuckled lightly "Ironically if you hadn't left and gone to see your parents, you never would've been in Mistral during the attack and we might've lost"

"I... I guess that's true"

"You shouldn't feel guilty about running away, Blake. Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes they turn better than if we never made them at all... Just know that no matter what happens, we've got your back" he placed his hand onto her shoulder. They both looked ahead watching Jaune and Pyrrha walking hand in hand, her head resting on his shoulder as they walked.

"Are they?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, they finally told each other how they feel"

"I thought Jaune liked Weiss"

"That was more of a crush than anything else, he's happier with Pyrrha than he would've been with Weiss anyway" Blake giggled.

"Thank you, Slade"

"For what?" he asked.

"You're always there when we need you to be. Even when we don't know we need you"

"I don't know about that, I wasn't around after the attack"

"You didn't have your memory of Beacon, you would've had no reason to return there"

"I suppose that's true"

"We're here" Winter announced stopping the group "This is the safehouse you'll be staying in" she added gesturing to the large wooden house behind her as she turned.

"We're staying here?" Ren asked in surprise by the size of the house.

"Of course, you've got quite a large group" she answered.

"I like it" Roman grinned.

"Don't get any funny ideas while you're here Mr. Torchwick, you shall be under twenty-four hour surveillance" Winter narrowed her eyes.

"So long as it's surveillance and not guards. Neo and I enjoy our privacy" he wriggled his eyebrows causing Neo to blush from embarrassment punching him in the shoulder. Yang made a disgusted expression matching Weiss's and Winter's.

"On that cheery note, why don't we all get set up inside" Qrow suggested stepping ahead of the group.

"There's only five bedrooms" Winter called after him.

"Two beds per room?" he asked without turning around.

"Only for two of them"

"Excellent. JNPR can share one room while Yang and Weiss share the other room. Ruby and Slade will bunk together, Roman and Neo can handle their own affairs in the farthest room from all of us, and Blake and Sun can have the last room" Qrow divvied up between the group pointing to everyone collectively.

"What about you and Ozpin?" Slade asked.

"Oz will probably be spending more time with Ironwood than in the house anyway, I'll take the couch in the living room" he answered.

"Sounds good to me!" Roman agreed immediately.

"Excellent then I should be on my way" Winter turned to find Ozpin standing in front of her.

"Please, Ms. Schnee; stay awhile longer. You and Weiss should catch up"

"I would love to-"

"James has already told me to give you the rest of the day off to spend with your sister"

"Truly?" she asked surprised "That doesn't seem like the General at all"

"I asked him personally, he agreed on account of your father; we all know he'll find out Weiss is back in the city before long" Winter rolled her eyes relaxing slightly.

"That's going to be a fun day for all of us" she replied sarcastically.

"I'm looking forward to meeting your dad" Slade said looking to Weiss "He and I are going to have such fun talking" his tone turned dark as he cracked his knuckles.

"There's really no need for that, he's not going to be able to do anything about it anyway. I'm here on a mission" she smiled.

"Quite right, let's get set up inside. We'll figure out our next step in the morning when the others have arrived" Ozpin explained.

"Others?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, I called in some more Huntsmen for our mission. They're arriving tomorrow, figured we could use all the help we can get now that the Winter Maiden has been taken, her powers have likely already been transferred to Cinder or someone else working for Salem"

"Then we need to work fast, she's not going to want to wait if she knows we're in the city already" Slade pointed out.

"How would she know? We've only just got here?" Yang asked.

"CONSPIRACY!" Nora yelled.

"If Dr. Watts is truly working for this "Salem" then she very likely already knows you're here" Winter sighed.

"No way! It's too soon! You can't seriously expect me to get rid of him before the attack" Adam protested.

"It's an order. Why do you hesitate?" Cinder asked "You, who has been ruthless towards those who turned their backs on the White Fang" she continued.

"You cannot send me off into a city full of guards and expect me to kill one guy heavily guarded by Huntsmen, not to mention he's not exactly defenseless himself" Adam explained.

"If Slade remains alive he remains a threat to us all, he must be killed for us to be able to move forward with our plan. You will kill him, or you will face the consequences" Cinder ordered embedding a fire spear into the chair he sat in mere inches from his face; Adam didn't flinch.

Salem raised her hand to Cinder indicating her to let off "Adam is correct. Slade has proven himself powerful enough to defeat an unbeatable foe such as my Pursuer, he is far too powerful to take on alone. Be it from raw power, a brilliant mind or just dumb luck; Slade has survived everything we've thrown at him. Not many can claim that"

"Do my ears deceive me? Does he really hold that kind of power? He is nothing but a boy" Hazel asked surprised.

"You saw it yourself back in Haven" Cinder growled.

"Give him a chance" Mercury chuckled "Slade's straight as an arrow, he's pure of heart. Unlike all of us here" he gestured to the group.

"He'd better be worth all the trouble we're going through to kill him" Watts sighed relaxing into his chair.

"I truly hope he's enjoying himself on his adventure" Tyrian laughed "Perhaps he would like a hand to determine his fate?" he offered with a wicked grin.

"As long as it works in our favor, we can let him do what he wants for now. Then we'll all jump in if necessary" Emerald pointed out.

"Those are some bold words coming from you, Em" Mercury laughed "Are you saying you'll volunteer to take care of Slade if things go wrong?" he asked knowingly.

"What!? Me?" Emerald asked surprised "You've got the wrong girl, I'm not comfortable with that" she shook her hands in front of her face.

"You act as though you have a choice" Cinder turned toward her "When was the last time any of us was victorious against Slade?" she asked the room.

"Truer words were never spoken" Tyrian agreed "Well, I guess the fun is going to have to wait" he pouted.

"Perhaps we should do something about the girl, she's the real reason he fights against us so brazenly; he wants to protect her. Do you know what happens to someone when they lose their purpose? Inevitably they destroy themselves" Watts explained.

"Enough" Salem held up her hand gaining their attention "Ladies and gentlemen, Slade Stroud has embarked on a quest to end each and every one of us in this room. Make sure he doesn't accomplish this task by any means necessary, but I want that girl alive... now go" she waved her hand dismissively, everyone in the room bowed their heads in acknowledgement before they were each engulfed in darkness vanishing from the room. Salem looked up through the glass on the ceiling into the sky. Salem began chuckling darkly.

"I suppose I should find some time to come see you again" she grinned.