Back in Menagerie, Blake leaned against the railing on the balcony of the Belladonna Family Home. Nicolas came out to join her, putting a hand on her back as the two looked up into the night sky as a voice called out for her from inside her home. "Hey Blake! Nick! You guys ready to go?" Sun asked.
"Give us a minute, man! What's the rush?" Nick snapped.
Blake rolled her eyes at this, but smiled and turned to him. "Be right there!" She called. She then felt a note taped to the wooden railing of the balcony. She grabbed it and read the message written down:
"B
Things going too far.
Not sure what to do.
Find a quiet spot,
I'll find you.
Come alone. Please.
-I"
"Well, you know I'm not letting you go there alone, right?" Nicolas asked.
"I have to go, Nick. This may be my only chance to try and reach her." Blake told him, then looked around a bit before hearing the sliding door open. She quickly placed the note in her coat.
Sun emerged from the door. "We going recruiting or what? We've got the entire nocturnal section to hit up!" He said.
Nick looked really annoyed at this. "Yes! We're coming! Just chill out, dude. It's not like we're on a time limit or anything!" He snapped.
"We kind of are. Night time! No night, no nocturnal faunus!" Sun countered. Blake didn't say anything, still having a concerned expression on her face. Sun noticed this. "You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there. Both of you. I need to take care of something first." She said, before squeezing Nick's hand and walking away. There was a quiet sound of rustling in the trees behind her.
Nick looked at his hand after she squeezed in and apparently got the message. "Okay, Blake. I get you." He said, nodding.
I was passing by the room Ruby and Yang were staying in, when I noticed the blonde brawler sitting on her bed, looking depressed. The world went dark except for me and her, then Damion's spirit appeared beside me again. "Yang... My beautiful light dragon... But it's like all the light has left her." He said sadly, looking at Yang, before turning back to me. "Sai... help her. Say something to her. Anything. Please..." He told me.
"I'm already on it, man." I said to him, his spirit disappearing and the world returning to normal as I looked at her. "Hey, Yang. You okay?" I asked her.
She jumped a bit when she heard my voice, turning to me. "Oh. Hey, Sai. I was just thinking about..." She started, but stopped and looked out the window.
I looked to her hand and noticed that she was holding a picture of her and Damion together. I sighed and looked down myself at this. "I understand. I miss him, too." I said, sitting on the bed beside her. "I can't stop thinking about that night. He could've still been here with you if I'd just done more. Been faster, stronger... If there was anything I could've done to change what happened that night. The night I was so useless and it cost the people closest to me everything." I told her.
"You've got to stop doing that to yourself." She said, looking to me. "You were the hero of Beacon. All the people that did make it out got out because you held off all the Grimm. And you stopped that giant Wyvern. You couldn't save everyone, but you saved as many as you could. That's what matters." She said.
I chuckled at this. "Always looking for the positive, trying to brighten everyone's day. That's what he loved about you. You were everything he wasn't, all the good qualities he thought he just didn't have. You brought those out of him. Made him a better person." I told her.
"You think so?" She asked.
"I know so. Ever since we left on our journey, it's like his spirit has been connected to mine. So it's like he's still here with me. He misses you. His only regret about that night is that he misses you and wishes he could still be here for you." I told her.
"Really?" She asked, looking hopeful now, even smiling a bit.
"And we'll have him back soon, Yang. Once I make Cinder pay for everything she did, my family will be able to bring him back. He'll be back with you soon, Yang. You'll be able to hold him in your arms again before you know it. I promise. I won't rest until the two of you are together again." I told her.
She smiled at this. "And you're already making promises to do the impossible just to make others happy. That's something both you and Damion have that I love. Well, I'm gonna give him plenty of these when he's back with me, but for now..." Yang said, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "That was for him. And this is for you." She said, kissing me on the cheek, before getting up and leaving, a bit of a bounce in her step.
I smiled at this, but the world went dark again and Damion's spirit reappeared, looking REALLY mad. "I'm gonna make you pay for that." He growled.
"But that was for you!" I said nervously, leaning back and putting my hands up in surrender.
Back in Menagerie, Blake approached a darkened alleyway. "Ilia?" Blake called.
"I'm here." Ilia announced her presence.
Blake drew Gambol Shroud. Ilia walked out from the shadows with her hands up and dropped her black camouflage. "Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe. Nicolas can handle just about any threat the White Fang throws at us!" Blake tried to reason with her former friend.
"I'm sorry." Ilia apologized.
"You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec." Blake told her.
"No." Ilia said, before glaring. "I'm sorry." She apologized again as her tone turned hostile. Suddenly, Ilia's right hand curled up into a fist. Footsteps could be heard running on the rooftop next to them. Blake looked up and saw Yuma fly down and land on her back, forcing her to the ground. Blake dropped Gambol Shroud, which landed at Ilia's feet. Blake gasped, regaining her breath and struggling to get up as Yuma pressed his foot against her back. He got off her as two more Faunus joined him. Blake gets back up on her feet.
"Wait-" Blake cried out. But suddenly, she got wrapped in spiderweb silk. One of the Faunus grabbed the silk strand holding Blake from her hand.
"I've got her." Trifa assured the group.
"Well done, Sister Trifa - and to you, Ilia." Yuma praised the girls and tossed Ilia her Lightning Lash.
Nick wanted to jump right in and save Blake, but Sun held him back. "Not yet! We don't know their plan!" Sun told him.
"But they're all right here! If we take them out, we take out all the White Fang in Menagerie!" Nick countered.
"Corsac and Fennec?" Sun asked.
Nick froze for a moment, before realizing Sun was right. "Dammit." He cursed, snapping his finger.
"Ilia! What are you doing?!" Blake demanded.
"I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry." Ilia told her.
"Don't tell me you're sorry!" Blake snapped.
"But I am. I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back!" Ilia shouted.
"Well, that's a stupid argument." Nick said from his perch, looking at Sun, who nodded.
"Because we're trying to protect people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!" Blake demanded.
"The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There's the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people. But I'll tell you this..." Ilia started and pointed her weapon at Blake. "...it's gotten us results." She finished.
"It's gonna result in me beating her ass!" Nick snapped, trying to lunge at Ilia, but Sun held him back.
"Yeah, look where it's gotten you." Blake countered.
Ilia's eyes widened and she briefly pondered Blake's retort, but she just shrugged it off. "We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts." She told her former friend.
"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?" Blake demanded.
"No, but getting rid of your family is." Ilia gave away their plan.
Blake's expression turned shocked and fearful. "You wouldn't! You can't! I won't let you!"
"I know. That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam." Ilia declared.
Blake's expression grew more afraid, almost on the verge of tears. "Oh, HELL NO. I'm going." Nick snapped.
"Go for it." Sun agreed, letting him go.
"Thanks for the backup." Blake said.
"I'd say thanks for the invite, but I didn't even get to do anything." Sun huffed.
"Anything for you, my love. Are you alright?" Nick asked.
Blake picked up Gambol Shroud and placed it on her back. "No. You heard Ilia, my family is in danger. Call the police and let's go!" She told them.
"Right!" Sun agreed.
"I must save my future in-laws!" Nicolas declared as the three exited the alleyway and began running toward the Belladonna's home. Blake and Sun took their Scrolls out to called their respective contacts as Nicolas created a bone dragon and flew ahead to their goal.
"Come on, mom, pick up!" Blake urged worriedly.
Back at the Belladonna's home, a scroll was seen vibrating on the table with Blake's portrait and the text "BLAKE CALLING" on the screen. Gunfire could be heard. Suddenly, the table was knocked to its side as Kali and a Menagerie Guard took cover. "Get down!" The guard ordered and got up to fire back at two White Fang soldiers. He managed to shoot one of them down, but he got shot down by the other. With the guard incapacitated, Kali took his pistol and started firing back.
"Get out of my house! Ghira!" She cried out.
As she called out to her husband, Kali was forced to take cover again from the gunfire. Meanwhile, Ghira and a couple of other Menagerie guards fended off some White Fang troops in the entry hall. One of them tried to kick Ghira, but he grabbed his foot and slammed him into the wall. Ghira dodged a sword slash from another White Fang trooper. A guard managed to knock out another trooper after a brief scuffle and Ghira knocked out the troop that attacked him by punching him in the diaphragm and slamming his head into the ground.
"Go find my wife!" Ghira ordered.
Another White Fang troop approached Ghira with his fist drawn back, but Ghira grabbed his wrist and knife handed him in the neck and then tossed him aside. Another guard got shot while protecting Ghira and went limp. Ghira caught the guard's body and dropped it to the ground, Ghira wincing at his fallen comrade. He then growled as he turned his attention to the Albains, who had their weapons out. "I believe it's time our dear chieftain stepped down, brother." Corsac voiced his opinion.
"Yes brother, I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree." Fennec agreed.
Ghira let his claws out and ripped his coat off. He bared his fangs and made a feral growl at the two brothers, before letting out a mighty roar.
Draco and I were sitting in the living room of the inn silently, looking around for something to do. "Man, it seems like nothing's happening lately, doesn't it?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, pretty uneventful last few days. But hopefully that should change soon. The baby should come any day now, so that's definitely gonna be eventful." I said.
"You think we're missing anything awesome or important? Maybe with relevant characters that aren't here in Mistral with us at the moment?" He asked me.
I pondered this for a moment, before dismissing it. "Nah, that's crazy talk. What else could POSSIBLY be happening right now?" I asked.
Gunfire could be heard from within the Belladonna Family Home, as well as sounds of fighting grunts and efforts. Ghira was leaping around the entry hall and used his claws to hang from one of the pillars, before pouncing on a White Fang soldier and clawing him down. A female White Fang soldier charged at him with a spear, but Ghira grabbed it, lifting her off the ground and tossing her into Fennec. Corsac held out his weapon, which started to glow red as Ghira prepped to launch the spear at him. A fireball was launched from Corsac's weapon as Ghira threw the spear. The two attacks manage to hit their targets, with Ghira's Aura shimmering from the fireball and Corsac getting pinned to the wall by his hood.
"Brother!" Fennec cried out. Fennec then got back up and activated his weapon, which glowed white as a wind gust was conjured from it. Ghira brought his arms to his face to block the attack and his feet dragged backwards a couple of feet as a result. A White Fang soldier with an assault rifle was hiding behind a pillar and took the opportunity in an attempt to attack Ghira. Suddenly, Sun busted in from the window behind him and knocked him down. Corsac discarded his hood and joined his brother as they prepared to launch a combination attack with their weapons. A stream of wind and fire whirled toward Sun, but he blocked the attack by twirling Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang.
"Hurry!" He called to someone off-screen.
Gambol Shroud was seen being loaded with a new cartridge, getting the attention of Corsac and Fennec. Blake jumped down from the terrace above them, dodging a fireball and a wind attack in the process. She did a three-point landing in front of them. The brothers attempted to stab Blake, but she used her ice Dust-enhanced Semblance to trap their hands and weapons. She leapt away from them to join her father and Sun. "Nicolas! Your turn!" She announced.
Black effluvium suddenly spiraled in the center of the room, before Nicolas rose from it wearing armor that looked like it was made from flesh and bone (Vaal Hazak alpha armor), glaring at the brothers with the intent to kill. "You dare harm my beloved and her family?! I will make you suffer!" He shouted, raising a few inches into the air, crossing his arms and gliding towards the trapped brothers, who could only look at him and scream with fear. Everything went black for a moment, before dozens of purple impacts could be seen, accompanied by the sound of punches. Suddenly, a black and white flash illuminated the room, Nick now having his back to our heroes with Corsac and Fennec unconscious at his feet. "Death is too good for them." He said darkly, before turning back to his friends, the armor vanishing. "Well, that was fun! What next?" He asked.
"Dad! Where's mom?" Blake asked.
"I'm not sure. I got ambushed right away." Ghira explained.
"We gotta find her!" Sun said.
"Right! Let's split up and look for clues, gang!" Nicolas said as they all rushed off.
In the darkened tea room, Kali and a guard fire back at unseen assailants. Kali ran out of ammo in her pistol and threw it to the ground in annoyance. She then picked up a tea tray to block another shot. She looked to a wounded female guard leaning against a pillar, who just stared back. "Do you have a better idea?" She questioned.
Suddenly, Yuma flew in and knocked down the other guard to the ground. He wrapped his hands around the guard's throat to choke him out. "Quiet now..." He told the poor guard.
Kali then lifted the tea tray above her head and let out a loud battle cry as she ran toward Yuma. "Ma'am, no!" The female guard cried.
This turned out to be a bad move, as Yuma turned and knocked the tray out of her hands and grabbed her by the throat with one hand, lifting her into the air. "A brave attempt, my lady. But the line between brave and foolish is as thin as a razor." He said, pulling out a razor to end the Belladonna matriarch.
"Hold that thought!" Nicolas called from off-screen. Suddenly, a golf ball made of ice dust flew in from nowhere and hit Yuma's arm, causing his arm to freeze and force him to drop Kali.
"Who dares?!" He demanded, turning towards the direction the golf ball came from and smashed his arm against a pillar to free it from the ice, glaring at Nicolas, who had taken down the other White Fang members in the room.
"That would be me! The future son-in-law of that woman you just tried to kill! And I will not allow you to kill my beloved's parents! Get ready to meet my bat with your face, bat boy!" Nicolas declared, pointing his weapon at the assassin.
Yuma stared at him incredulously for a moment, before... "That's a golf club." He said.
"Shut up, let's fight!" He declared.
He then turned his golf club into an assault rifle and fired at Yuma, who flew into the air, flying around the room to avoid the bullets and dived down at Nicolas, kicking him in the chest and knocking him back, flipping to land on his feet, striking Nick with his wing spikes and landing some devastating punches, kicks, elbows and knees on the Necromancer, knocking him to the ground. He drew his razor and prepared to impale Nicolas, who brought his legs up, pushing Yuma off of him and getting back to his feet, swinging his golf club and hitting the bat-winged assassin in the face, knocking him out.
"That's it? Jeez, for a master assassin, you'd have thought he'd put up a better fight." Nicolas said.
"Nicolas, thank goodness!" Kali said, running up to Nick and hugging him.
"You're safe now, ma'am. And so is your husband." Nicolas assured her.
"Thank goodness. And what about Blake?" Kali asked.
Nick paused for a minute at this. "Uh... Let me go check, I'll get back to you." He said, running to the next room.
Nicolas quickly searched around Blake's home, meeting back up with Sun and Ghira and eventually bursting into their living room, where Blake and Ilia were fighting. Blake had the upper hand and had even knocked Ilia's White Fang mask off, but as they're blades clashed, Ilia activated her weapon, sending electricity through Gambol Shroud and shocking Blake, causing her to drop her weapon.
Ilia then changed her skin black and turned off the lights, blending in with the darkness... Or at least she would, if not for one thing. "You know we can all see in the dark here, right?" Nick asked, creating Gaster Blasters which shot out green fireballs at Ilia, forcing her to dodge, Sun using the distraction to rush in and taking the moment while Ilia was off-guard to hit her with his staff and stun her, before splitting it into its nunchaku form and hitting her several times, before Ghira rushed in, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her down into the floor, depleting her aura.
"Dammit! Get off me!" Ilia snapped, trying to lash out with her weapon, but Nicolas kicked it out of her hand.
"I don't think so. You don't need that anymore." The necromancer told her.
Ilia continued to struggle, before Blake came up to her. "Ilia, stop! Please! It's over! You don't have to do this anymore." Blake told her.
"Yes, I do! You're getting in the way of the Faunus moving forward!" Ilia stopped.
"The only thing stopping us from moving forward is us! We're fighting against each other, trying to decide if we should kill or help the humans!" Blake countered.
"You were so angry at them you forgot who you were fighting and why." Nicolas told her. "You lost your way. And the Albains were leading you down the wrong path. But you can choose your own path now. The right path." He said sagely.
"And I'll be there to help you... If you let me." Blake said, offering Ilia a hand up. Ilia was shocked at this at first, before smiling and taking her hand.
Outside of the Belladonna's home, a large crowd of Faunus gathered outside, having heard all the commotion coming from the building.
"Back! Everyone, stay back! We've got people inside doing their best." A guard in front of the home ordered.
"Look!" A random Faunus called out.
From the broken doorway, Ghira walked out carrying the motionless bodies of a White Fang soldier and a Menagerie Guard on each of his shoulders. He handed the bodies to two guards as Saber arrived. "Get in there! Search for any stragglers!" Saber ordered.
Nicolas walked out of the damaged building, dragging the unconscious Fennec brothers and Yuma behind him, their heads bouncing off the steps as he walked down them followed by Blake, Kali, Sun, Ilia and others. "It's alright, everybody! Ladies and Gentlemen, we got 'em." He told them, raising his defeated foes up proudly, before dropping them harshly on their heads.
"We came as soon as we got the call." Saber explained to Ghira.
"You couldn't have gotten the call like, oh I don't know, a half hour ago when all the shooting was going on?!" Nick demanded angrily.
Blake put a hand on his shoulder at this. "Nick, it's okay. Everything worked out. Mostly thanks to you." She told him.
He smiled back at her. "Well, I can't take ALL the credit. You and Sun were a huge help, too. I mean, I'll take like 75% of the credit, but you and him DEFINITELY earned your 12.5% of the credit." He said teasingly, causing her to giggle and punch his arm. As the commotion continued, Blake shared a brief look with her boyfriend, then Sun and Ilia. Blake took a deep sighed as she went down the steps. Ghira noticed his daughter walking away.
"Blake!" Ghira called to her, but before he could go any further, his wife stopped him and both looked on. Blake then stopped at one of the steps as she addressed the crowd.
"Humans didn't do this." She declared and pointed at the damage done to her house. "We did this: Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to." She told them all bravely.
Nicolas smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll never have to stand alone while I'm here, Blake." He told her, causing her to smile and the two of them to embrace.
"I'll stand with you!" A familiar voice declared as the couple turned around with a surprised look on their face as Ilia stood up. She then looked down, still having that pained expression on her face. "If... if you'd have me." She added.
"I thought we made it clear Blake doesn't swing that way." Nick told her, deadpanned.
"Isn't that the White Fang girl?" A male Faunus asked.
"I thought she hated the Belladonnas." A female Faunus said in confusion.
Despite some of the crowd's murmuring amongst themselves, Blake smiled at her old friend. As Ilia proceeded forward, Saber suddenly stopped her. "You're not going anywhere!"
"Let her come." Blake told him.
"Huh? You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!" Saber asked incredulously.
"I am." She told him.
"Dude, you're not getting her to change your mind, so you might as well let Karma Chameleon go." Nick told him.
Saber looked to Ghira, who nodded to let Ilia go. Ilia continued to walk down the steps to stand next to her friend. "What does she think she's doing?" Saber questioned.
"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: That there is strength in forgiveness." Ghira explained with a smile.
Blake put a hand on Ilia's shoulder, sharing a smile together. "I'll go!" Mata the ram Faunus declared and stepped forward and raised his hand, followed by many more.
"I'll go too!" An aquatic female Faunus cried out.
"I'll stand with you! I'll go! Yeah! Me too! Let's go! Yeah, let's go!" More and more Faunus gave Blake their support. Sun walked down the steps to join her and Ilia. The crowd was heard cheering as a majority agree to volunteer. They all smiled at the crowd.
"Yeah! Viva Revolution!" Nicolas cheered.
"Looks like we've got work to do." Sun said.
"Thank you." Blake said gratefully.
Sun: (pointing to Ilia) You stabbed me.
Illia looked down sorrowfully, but Nick raised a hand up defensively. "Oh, come on, Sun, it's probably not the last time you're gonna get stabbed." Nick told him playfully
Sun huffed at this, but smiled. "Considering we're about to head into a war, you're probably not wrong." He said.
Ghira and Kali then walked down the steps to join their daughter and her friends. "We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven. We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible." Ghira explained.
"Oh, don't worry. Nicolas' boot camp starts now. They'll be begging to go to war to get away from me!" Nick assured them.
"We'll need transportation too. For everyone." Kali added.
"I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor." Blake said, smiling.
