Hello and welcome to a new chapter! I hope you are all enjoying this little arc. Figure to have a little side story before we go back to all the action. Now, there will be parts in this chapter that will have interesting information and how Alduin influence Kuo Kuana just a bit. I promise, it is a positive one. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 52
After helping Summer, Ruby and Yang get off the wall, the three of them immediately rushed to Tali and resumed their loving affection towards the young Dragon Faunus. The young girl smiled and giggled at the sight of the three women as they were all in the living room as Tali sat on Summer's lap while Ruby and Yang were making silly faces, causing Tali to laugh.
"You are so gentle with children," Sienna said.
Summer replied "Well, when you have three of your own, you need to learn a trick or two."
"I would imagine so," Sienna sighed as she relaxed on the couch, "I can barely handle one."
While Yang continued to make silly faces at Tali, Ruby looked up at Sienna and asked "So if Alduin is Johnny's brother, and you are married to Alduin, does that make us sisters?"
Hearing this, Sienna's ears perked up, thought for a moment and said "Well…I suppose so?"
"Oh!" Yang said, "If that's the case, wouldn't that make Blake our cousin?"
When Blake heard this, she tensed up and said "Oh no…not in a million years I will…"
Just then, a red blur dashed towards her and hugged Blake tightly. Blake looked down as she saw Ruby hugging and said "Yay! Team RWBY is a family!"
Near them, Weiss turned to them and said "Not really, I have no involvement with anyone of you."
"Aww, don't be like that, Ice Queen," Yang said as playing with Tali, "We can always adopt you."
"Oh hush you," Weiss said.
"Though I have to ask," Taiyang said as he looked at Tali and then at Sienna, "Your daughter is a Dragon Faunus and your husband is also a Dragon Faunus, but you are a Tiger Faunus. Wouldn't your daughter be a different kind of Faunus since you and Alduin are not the same species?"
Alduin looked at him and replied "My Dragon DNA is much more dominant than normal Faunus DNA. No matter who our mate is, whether it be Human or normal Faunus, the child will always be a Dragon Faunus."
"So wait," Arthur then said, "Since your daughter is half Dragon Faunus…would she also be a Dragonborn?"
Alduin grinned at him and said "Someone has been paying attention. Yes, my daughter is indeed a Dragonborn, like my brother.
"Oh wow," Cinder said, "That is interesting. Oobleck would have love to know this kind of information."
"Oh!" Ruby said, "Then that will mean I will have more Dragon Faunus nieces and nephews!"
Hearing this, Blackheart blushed a bit as Cinder did as well after she glanced at him and looked away. But that moment was interrupted when Arthur asked "Tell us, how is it that there are only 3 Dragon Faunus in existence? From what I heard, there were a lot of your kind in the past."
Inwardly, Blackheart grinned when Arthur asked that question and wondered what answer Alduin will give out. To his surprise, Alduin replied "Our once proud race was wiped out…by a Dragonborn. Ironic that the once powerful race of Faunus was wiped out by one of their own."
Before anyone could ask anything, their conversations came to a short when Ilia and 3 Dragon Priests appeared and kneeled before Alduin. Everyone looked at them, especially Blake, who had known Ilia while in the White Fang, was surprised that Ilia was willingly kneel before Alduin like that. She knew that Ilia would never do such a thing, as far as she knew.
"My lord," Ilia said, "The council has been gathered, they are about to conduct Leonidas' trial."
"Already?" Arthur asked, "But it's barely a day. Shouldn't there be like a wait period before his trail should begin?"
"Normally yes," Ghira said, "However, Leonidas has committed numerous crimes in the past while in the White Fang, we cannot risk for him escaping…once again."
"He has been avoiding Menagerie for the longest time," Sienna said as she stood up, "And now that he is here, he must be tried and have him strip of his title."
Alduin nodded as he got up and said "Me, Sienna and Ghira will have to be part of this trial, so we will resume at another time."
Sienna looked at Summer and said "Would you mind watching over Tali for while?"
Summer gasped and said "Of course I will! Oh! I must take her shopping for clothes! Grandma is gonna spoil her!"
As she gently hugged Tali, who in turn hugged her back, Ruby cried "Oh! I wanna go too!"
"Me too!" Yang shouted.
Arthur then said "Actually, me and my team need to buy new clothes…as you can see."
"I agree," Riku said.
"Hmmm," Alduin said, "Very well, but you will need some guides to escort you around Kuo Kuana. Don't want the people to think something is amiss."
He turned to Ilia and the priests and said "Ilia, I want you to escort them and assist them if you can."
"I will, my lord," Ilia said.
Blackheart said "Is there someplace I can rest for a while? That battle really took a lot out of me."
Alduin looked at him and replied "Of course, brother. One of my associates will take you to where my family lives. Make yourself at home."
When Blackheart nodded, everyone went their ways: Ghira, Alduin and Sienna went to where Leonidas' trial is being held; Teams RWBY and AVGR, Summer, Taiyang and Kali took little Tali to shop and, to quote Summer, spoil the little princess; and finally, Blackheart followed a priest to where Alduin was living and Cinder decided to accompany him.
On their way, Cinder leaned into Blackheart and whispered "So why are you really going to do?"
Blackheart whispered back "Me and Arthur found a flash-drive that was on one of Elsa's followers. I am going to see what plans they might have in it."
"Interesting," Cinder said, "A bit convenient that have something like that. Too easy to find in my opinion."
"Normally, I would agree with you," Blackheart said, "But with Ozpin dead, it's up to us to finish what we started."
As Cinder nodded, they eventually arrived at a large house, almost like the Belladonna's but much smaller. The Dragon Priest led them in and said "Let me know if you need any assistance. In the meantime, I will go and prepare Lady Tali's meal. Excuse me."
The priest bowed before they left Blackheart and Cinder alone. Once they were gone, Cinder turned to him and asked "Ok, now that we are alone, who in the world are these people? They look like the same people that Ruby encountered when we first arrived here."
"I know," Blackheart said, "And I know exactly what they are: they're Dragon Priest, they were part of Dragon Cults that worshiped dragons as gods. I guess Alduin brought that order back into this world. Only, except for the worshiping, they seem to just follow him and obey him."
"Right," Cinder said, "So, want to see what our 'friends' plan to do next?"
Blackheart nodded as they found a couch and the two sat on it. While Blackheart took out the flash-drive and inserted into an output on his Dragon Gauntlet, Cinder moved in close as a screen popped up and the two began to look what was in the drive.
"Tali! Tali! Look up here, baby!" Summer cried as she held up her Scroll.
Below her, Tali was wearing a brown bunny onesie pajama and was making a cute face. However, due to her little horns, the hood with the bunny ears would not completely go over her head properly, so the hood would just hang in the back. Tali looked up as both Summer and Kali cooed while they were taking a lot of pictures. Near them, Ruby and Yang were gushing on how cute Tali was while Weiss and Blake were near them. Sure they were thought Tali was cute in her onesie, but not to the extent. Blake, on the other hand, was more focused on Ilia, who was just watching them. Earlier, Ilia changed into more practical clothes, which mostly consisted black shorts, black shoes and a grey top with a black jacket. As Blake continued to look at Ilia, the Chameleon Faunus noticed her staring and she looked back at Blake. The two stared at each other for a while before Ilia looked back at where Tali was.
As Blake sighed, a voice near her asked "You doing alright?"
Hearing the voice, Blake turned around and saw Riku standing nearby her. She smiled as she noticed he was wearing a dark blue vest with chest and upper back armor underneath it alone with a yellow long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark blue fingerless gloves, dark blue pants with a black belt and black boots.
When Riku asked her that, Blake softly nodded and said "I am. Just…so much to take in."
"I understand," Riku said before he looked up to see everyone else far away from them, "I mean…to think…your godfather is literally a god…"
"I'm aware," Blake said as she rubbed her right arm, "But the story he told us…it doesn't add up. He told us that Jonathan was born here and was lost almost 10 years ago. But…if that's true…why wouldn't I remember him or why my parents agreed to that story unless…"
Riku caught on and said "Unless your parents are covering up for him. But why?"
Blake looked at him and replied "Well, he is good friends with my parents. I can't imagine Alduin forcing them to do whatever he tells them to do. In fact, he gave my father great advises on how to interact with those who weren't Faunus. It was one of the reasons why the White Fang was doing so well…before Leonidas decided to ruin that."
"Wait…he actually did that?"
Hearing the voice, they turned and saw Arthur walking up to them. He too was wearing a new set of clothes, which consisted a long sleeve white shirt with loose black armor that had one shoulder pad on his right side, a new pair of black pants with armor pads on the thighs, black boots and black fingerless gloves with his Righteous Furry Gauntlets.
When Arthur was close to them, he said "When I was traveling, I would hear the White Fang forming charities to help both Human and Faunus and there were communities where there was less discrimination."
"Huh," Weiss said, "Who would of thought that. But, of course, we know what happened in the end."
"Yeah…" Arthur said as he looked at Blake, "What will happen to the White Fang now?"
Blake thought about it and replied "If Leonidas is found guilty, the title of High Leader will have to be given to someone else."
"Yeah," Riku said, "But who?"
Just then, Ilia walked up to them, who was listening in on the conversation, said "As far as the council is concerned, there are 3 candidates who would fill the set: Ghira Belladonna, if he wishes to return to the White Fang, Lady Sienna Khan, and Lord Alduin."
The four of them gasped and Arthur said "Wait, Alduin can be chosen to be the leader of the White Fang?"
"If he wishes," Ilia said, "As much as he would want to, I'm afraid that my lord will be unable to carry the responsibilities of High Leader, since it would require him to leave Menagerie. And I am sure you all know the reason."
When they all nodded, that was when Victor and Grif showed up wearing new clothes. Victor still had his hat and coat, had a brown sleeveless shirt underneath his coat, blue Levi pants and brown boots. For Grif, he finally decided to have a shirt one and was wearing a light orange sleeveless shirt with a left shoulder pad that was attached to a harness on his chest, grieves on both arms, brown cargo pants and brown boots. When the two of them were near them, Victor was fiddling with his weapons while Grif was enjoying a nice jar of red honey.
"Whatcha guys talking about?" Victor asked.
"About who is going to run the White Fang," Arthur answered before looking at Grif, "Enjoying that?"
Grif nodded and said "This honey is the bomb. Don't know why they don't have this kind of honey anywhere else."
Ilia looked at him and said "That honey is locally harvested here. While it is delicious, I'm afraid people outside of Menagerie will find it…strange."
"Strange how?" Grif asked as he ate a spoonful of it, "Where you guys get it from?"
Ilia simply replied "From Rapier Wasps."
The moment she said that, the six of them gave her a shocked look as Grif had his spoon of honey close to his lips when she said that as Weiss shouted "How is that possible?! Isn't that dangerous?!"
"Normally yes," Ilia said, "But my lord found a way to bypass the Grimm to the point of them leaving us alone."
"Wait…what?!" Victor shouted, "How?!"
Ilia replied "He created a device that will allow the wearer to sort of blend in with the Grimm. Only problem is that the devices only work within Menagerie and not anywhere else. As for the honey, it was kind of an accidental discover made on our end. The story goes, a couple of Faunus obtained it as a form of dare. When Alduin heard about it, he was upset at first, but when he tasted the honey, he decided to let it go unless they obtained it more. And so, Menagerie is famous for the red honey."
"And you sure it's safe to eat it?" Grif asked.
"More importantly," Arthur said, "How was Alduin able to make these devices? And what for?"
Ilia replied "Well, we have our own Dust Mine here in Menagerie. Unlike the SDC, Alduin cares for the lives of those working in the mines. As for how he made them, he created the devices from his Aura and Sembalance. The Grimm fear him, so he thought if someone has a piece of him, then the Grimm would ignore them."
She then looked at Grif and said "And yes, they are safe to eat."
Grif sighed in relief as he continued to eat his honey as Blake said "And…you are alright with that? I mean, with the Faunus who work the mines. You sure they are safe?"
Ilia looked at her and replied "I have been to those mines, I saw the workers safe and out of danger. I saw Huntsmen and those trained under my lord's guidance protecting him in case anything happens. And…I saw Grimm near the mines…I saw one looking right into my eyes…and just walked away. Believe me Blake, if anything, I wish the SDC would learn a thing or two from my master."
As Weiss looked away in shame, Yang walked up to them and asked "What's going on over here?"
She then looked at the jar of honey and said "Oh, honey!"
Later that night…
The group all went to Alduin's home where Blackheart and Cinder had finished looking over the flash-drive. Once they all went in, Blackheart looked at them and saw the dozens of bags they had on them and asked "Someone sure went all out."
Summer excitedly said "I will do anything for my granddaughter!"
As Blackheart rolled his eyes, he said "Well how about you feed the munchkin then. Her food is ready."
Summer, Yang and Ruby gasped as they threw their bags onto Taiyang and Summer held Tali in her hands as they dashed to the dining room. Kali chuckled and said "They really love her."
"Oh trust me," Blackheart said, "Once they love something, it will be impossible for them to let go."
As Kali laughed for a bit, Cinder walked up to Weiss and said "Weiss, is there somewhere I can speak with you…in private."
A bit curious, Weiss replied "Sure."
While she and Cinder walked to a different room, Arthur gave them a confused look as Blackheart walked up to him and whispered "It's something in the flash-drive we found. I'll tell you guys later."
As Arthur nodded, the group began to put the bags away and gathered in the living room. Just as they were about to talk among themselves, they heard 3 screams coming from the dining room. The screams belonged to Summer, Ruby and Yang and everyone quickly got worried and rushed in. The moment they entered the dining room, they were confused as they saw Yang coughing violently as she reached for a cup of water, Summer was practically drinking water from the sink and Ruby was drowning herself in a gallon of milk while Tali was sitting on a boosted seat while happily eating curry.
"What is going on here?" Blackheart asked, "What happened?"
Yang, while still coughing, pointed at the food Tali was eating and shouted "Food! The hell?!"
Confused, Blackheart walked to where Tali is sitting and saw the curry she was eating. He carefully got the spoon, got a piece of the curry and tasted it. He savored it and said "What? It's not that bad?"
"Not that bad?!" Ruby shouted as milk leaked out her mouth and nose, "My mouth is on fire!"
"Oh right," Kali said, "I should have warned you about Tali's…unique appetite. See, both her and her father love to eat very spicy food. As Alduin said, the hotter the better."
"And that doesn't bother Tali at all?!" Summer cried as he chugged her sixth glass of water.
"Oh of course not," Kali said, "In fact, she loves it."
Everyone looked back at Tali, who was eating more of her curry while happily kicking her feet. Victor then said "Well I'll be darned. You think it's because she is a Dragon Faunus, she can't feel heat as much as we do?"
"Seeing how Jonathan isn't coughing up a storm or nearly dying," Grif said, "I guess their taste buds are tougher than we thought."
Taiyang looked at his family, slowly start to smile and said "Well…guess you girls know how to…SPICE things up."
Hearing the pun, everyone groaned as Yang smirked as well and said "Yeah, it was…TOO HOT for us to handle."
Once again, everyone groaned from Yang's pun as Blackheart said "Knock it off, you guys. Don't want you guys to BURN off your tongues with those puns."
When Blackheart made that pun, everyone groaned even more as both Taiyang and Yang laughed and Taiyang said "That's my boy!"
As Blackheart laughed, they heard the doors open from the entrance. Everyone made their way as they saw Sienna and Alduin entering their home. Once the pair saw everyone else, Blake asked "So…what's the verdict?"
Sienna replied "Just as we expected, Leonidas is found guilty, his title is stripped from him and is sentenced to life behind bars for his treason."
"You know there will be some of his fanatic followers who will try to break out or him trying to break out," Arthur said as he crossed his arms, "You really need to have great security on him."
After Arthur said that, Alduin just let out a small laugh and said "Oh, we don't have to worry about him being a danger anymore."
"What you mean?" Ruby asked.
Alduin grinned as he patted his stomach and said "Let's just say his ego was enough to fill my belly."
When he said that, everyone grew silent as Summer said "You…ate his Aura? Is…Is that even legal?"
"The council is aware of my appetite," Alduin said, "I can devour practically anything I set my eyes on: Aura, Dust, even the Grimm themselves."
Everyone's eyes widen as Arthur asked "Wait…you can eat the Grimm?"
As Alduin nodded, Ruby then asked "What did they taste like?"
"Kinda like rotten meat," Alduin said, "But living in the wilds for almost 70 before meeting Sienna and the others, I don't complain about what I eat."
Sienna then clapped her hands and said "Has Tali eaten her food?"
"She did," Summer said as she gave her a playful glare, "You should be ashamed of yourself for making your daughter eat that stuff."
"She loves it as much as her father," Sienna said before she looked at her and laughed, "You had some of it, didn't you?"
"My mouth is still burning!" Summer cried.
As Sienna laughed Kali turned to everyone and said "Well, I suppose it's time to head home. If you all like, we have spare rooms for you all to use."
"That sounds like an idea," Sienna said as she turned to Summer and her family, "And we do have spare rooms as well. I'm sure we will be happy to have you spend the night."
Summer replied "We'll love to spend the night here."
"Yay!" Ruby said excitedly, "Sleepover!"
"Great," Yang said as she stretched her arms, "We need a good rest."
Just then, Weiss and Cinder returned as Cinder asked "What's going on?"
Arthur replied "We were about to head out to Blake's home and spend the night there while Jonathan and his family will rest here."
"Alright then," Kali said, "Come on, I'll see if we have room for everyone."
As Kali left, the only people who followed her were Team AVGR, Weiss and Blake while Taiyang, Summer, Ruby, Yang, Blackheart and Cinder stayed behind. Summer looked at Cinder and asked "You don't plan on going with them?"
Cinder blushed a bit and replied "Um, well, I guess, since I am already here, I might as well rest here instead of walking a long distance."
As Summer nodded at her reason, both Yang and Ruby looked at each other and snickered, knowing the reason why Cinder was staying was because of Blackheart. Blackheart then rolled his arms and said "Well, I say we all need our rest. But before any of that, I would like to speak with my brother…'alone'."
When he said that, only Yang, Ruby and Cinder all gave him a worried looked as Blackheart gave them a slight nod as Alduin said "I assume you would like to know more of your 'heritage'?"
"I don't mind at all," Blackheart said.
"In that case," Sienna said as she looked at the others, "Why don't I show you all to the rooms you will be staying in?"
They all nodded as they followed Sienna upstairs, leaving Blackheart and Alduin all alone. Alduin then made his way upstairs and said "Follow me to my studies, 'brother'. We have so much to discuss."
Belladonna Manor…
Everyone washed up and dressed into their night clothes, thanks to the shopping they all did earlier that day. In the balcony overlooking the forest, Weiss, who was wearing a blue sleeping dress, was leaning on the railing with her hair completely down. As she continued to stare out into the distance, Arthur, who just had a grey shirt and black sleeping pants, walked next to her and asked "How are you holding up?"
Weiss looked at him and replied "A bit better. Just…been through a lot the past few days…"
"Yeah…" Arthur said as he gently placed his hand on her, "Once everything was settled, I went to look for you…but the only thing I found was your broken weapon and I feared the worse."
When Weiss felt his hand on hers, she softly squeezed his hand and said "I'm sorry…if I would have…"
"You don't have to apologize, Weiss," Arthur said, "It's not your fault, we were all caught off guard."
As Weiss leaned on his shoulder, she said "I'm…just glad you and the others saved me and Blake."
Arthur then rested his head on hers and said "Weiss…I will go through hell and back to keep you safe. I will fight through a horde of Grimm and White Fang to save you. You are the most important person in my life, and I will never let you go."
Weiss softly smiled, happy to hear that he and Winter cared so much for her. However, memories of her father and him willing to let her die just so he can save his business and reputation start to come up and she gave out a sad sigh.
Arthur noticed something was wrong as he looked at her and asked "Is…everything alright?"
Weiss replied "I…don't know…"
He then remembered her and Cinder talking privately and aske "Was it something Cinder told you?"
Weiss replied "More like she found out something that I already know."
As Arthur raised an eyebrow, Weiss sighed as she said "When I was held captive…one of them…the one you fought, had a flash-drive that contained all of my father's illegal activities and business. He had me off to the side while I watched him call my father and made him choose what to save…and my father…chose to save his own image rather than his own daughter."
When Arthur heard that, he gripped his hands in rage as he said "He did what?! Is he really that heartless to allow his daughter to die for his secrets?!"
Weiss looked down in sadness and replied "From what I saw…yes…"
"That bastard!" Arthur said, "When I see him, I will make sure to beat the hell out of him!"
"As much as I would love to see that," Weiss said, "I don't want you to get involved with him. As heartless as he is, he has a lot of influence and he will pull some strings to see you ruined. And I don't want that."
Arthur saw how worried she is as he held both her hands and said "Don't worry about that, my ice princess. I swear, on my honor, that you father will pay."
Weiss smiled hearing Arthur say that and said "Thank you, my knight."
The two smiled at each other as they leaned in and slowly kissed each other under the moon's light.
Once Blackheart and Alduin entered the study room, Alduin immediately locked it as he made his way over to the desk on the other side of the room. Blackheart looked around and saw that the room had bookshelves on both sides of the room filled with books, and a desk on the far end. Behind the desk on the wall was a large portrait of Alduin, Ghira and Sienna. As he looked closer, he saw a writing on the bottom that read 'The Heads of the White Fang'.
"Huh," Blackheart said, "Didn't know you joined the White Fang. Though, it doesn't surprise me that you would join a group that would focus on putting Humanity in it's place."
"That was before Leonidas decided to ruin what Ghira and those before him fought for," Alduin said as he took his seat behind the desk, "But we aren't here to talk about that, isn't it? Now that we are alone, we can talk."
The moment he said that, Blackheart slammed both his hands on the desk and shouted "What the hell are you doing here?! I was certain that I killed you!"
Alduin laughed as he said "Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes!" Blackheart shouted, "I killed you in Sovngarde! I saw you get blown to pieces! There is no way you should be here!"
"But forgot one thing, Dovahkiin," Alduin said as he looked into his eyes, "I am Alduin the World Eater. My existence cannot be vanquished, for it is my destiny to destroy everything."
"That can't be," Blackheart said, "I made sure you were dead!"
"You may be the one to stop me," Alduin explained, "But your victory only delays my conquest to devour everything in my path. And, in case you can't wrap you head around this, I am a god. You really think you can kill a god with the weapons and abilities you had at your disposal?"
Blackheart stood there for a moment before saying "So what? You can have Nirn or Sovngarde, you decide to invade another world to satisfy you hunger?"
"As if," Alduin said, "If I wanted to devour this world, I would have done so by now. However, I am unable to do so."
Curious, Blackheart asked "Why? I noticed you gave me hints when you were telling your story. Care to elaborate?"
Alduin stared at Blackheart before he asked "Tell me, how did you come to our world? Who brought you here?"
Blackheart replied "It was Sheogorath. What about you? What Daedric Lord decided it would be funny to have the World Eater live in this world?"
Alduin sat there in silence before saying "It wasn't the Daedric Lords, they only wish they can use their powers on a god like me. No, it was the Divines, or more specifically, Akatosh."
"Akatosh?" Blackheart asked, "You mean…the one who created you and sent you here? For what?"
Alduin growled a bit and replied "It was supposed to be a form punishment for my disobedience. So, Akatosh found this world and placed me in this land, away from the mortals that live in this world. From what he told me, the land was dangerous for any mortal to live in."
"But he didn't account for the Faunus moving in," Blackheart said, "But…what exactly happened to you? Why the sudden change? Why are you a Faunus? And what have you done?"
Alduin smiled as he leaned back on his chair and said "That, Dovahkiin, is a long story. Sit down as I tell you what happened after your small victory."
I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. As I said, those details in this chapter will be revealed later on when the next chapter comes out, hopefully. And yes, I added how a 'Dragonborn' was responsible for the extinction of the Dragon Faunus, was supposed to be a jab at Blackheart. I know you guys wanted to see a Leonidas trial, but it would take too much time. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and see you all next time! Until then, please review!