Chapter Ten: Empire rising.

The mansion had … well actually it had seen worse days, Ruby thought to herself. She wasn't exactly careful with her experiments, especially when trying to perfect her Arc reactor, and then there was her Mark II amour test flight, and then her Mark V amour test flight. Currently she was on her Mark VIII, although the designs for her Mark IX were looking promising, this would allow her to have it locate her anywhere on Remnant and fly to her in very small pieces and bond with her, currently it could only fly at a very close range and took 27 seconds to fully suit her up properly, and she knew she could get that down to an even 20 with enough planning and design.

The Mark IX would also have even more bells and whistles than her pervious amours and fly into the upper atmosphere and remain there for longer without icing up, she managed to break the records that Pyrrha had set in the Sanctum air force planes a long time ago and now she was going to break her own records, after all ever record was made to be broken, and if there was one thing that Ruby prided herself on it was improving constantly.

Back to the mansion, the clean-up could happen sometime tomorrow, right now though she needed sleep and a lot of milk and cookies. And looking at the team they could also do with the rest, Ruby had in-fact almost gone into cardia arrest … again … for the 12th time in her life. But working on an electro magnet in her chest wasn't exactly easy work so sometimes mistakes happened, but it wouldn't be progress if you didn't learn from your failures and the last three near heart failures were actually not even her fault. She had even invented a new element; well rediscovered it after her mum actually found it out first, which had really saved her life. The new element that she really wanted to call Creasentroseium, but the science community wouldn't let her. They also didn't really understand how she managed to make the new element either, but come on it took her one day and only a little bit or remodelling of her basement, and to top it off she was dying as well. Again not her fault; well mostly not.

Right now B.E.A.C.O.N. was transporting away most of the vicious criminals; Cinder was going back to her watery cell where she would be under even tighter lock and key, Emerald was being taken to interrogation for her acts within the Deathstalkers, Mercury was being taken to Mistral's maximum prison, Tyrian was in turn heading to Atlas this time, and the B.E.A.C.O.N. security said that they would make sure to search the mountains for wherever Ruby had managed to blast Cardin to.

He had been a fun test drive of her weapons she would admit; repulsor blasts were effective, lasers were effective, Sonics were effective, missiles were effective, actually all of her weapons worked well on him, and her amour proved to be strong enough to punch and kick him around.

Now it was time for everyone to rest up. "So Blake, I guess you can have this room for tonight, I know it's all kinda sudden and all of that, but you did save our lives and you also saved the old guy once-"

"Hey."

"- So it's the least we can do for you, I don't know if it's too much or if it's not enough or if you don't want to stay or if you wan-"

"Ruby." Cut in Blake's calm voice with a very small smile. "It's fine, thank you."

"Oh, well your welcome, have a good sleep." Replied Ruby with a light blush, getting caught rambling was a little embarrassing at times, especially when it was by someone she didn't really know.

"Hey added benefit, you get to be on my side of the place kitty-kat." Called out Yang as she was stood outside of Jaune's door with him.

"She snores loudly." Says Jaune as Yang shoots him an annoyed look and raises her fist threateningly.

"I know where you sleep Arc."

"And the whole of Vale knows where you sleep as well Yang." Says Ren, who is stood in-front of his door with Nora grinning by his side.

"Shut up Ren, you're meant to be on my side."

Ruby looked back at Blake and shrugged apologetically for her teammates, the trouble was that Blake was still wearing her mask and Ruby couldn't really read her face. The look Ruby was giving her must have been fairly obvious as Blake then reached up and after a few finger movements on the back of her head she unclasped her mask and pulled it off her head.

Blake had short dark hair that went down to her shoulders, amber eyes, sharp cheek bones and a cute button nose, not to mention her adorable cat ears wiggling on her head. Blake really was beautiful; Ruby was suddenly feeling a little bit inadequate about herself right about now.

"Thank you again Ruby, I'm going to try and get some rest now. Goodnight everyone." And with that Blake opened her door and walked into her room.

Yang let out a breath that she didn't realise she had taken in and looked at her friends to see what their reactions were. Jaune looked about as star struck as Yang felt she had been by the beautiful Cat faunus, Nora was patting her head like she wanted her own ears on her head, Ren didn't actually look so surprised, like he expected her to be stunning.

"Aww now I want cat ears." Moaned Nora.

"I've seen those eyes before." Muttered Jaune

"I suggest we all get to bed right now." Came Ren's voice breaking them out of their own minds and into the present. As Ruby then opened up her door she managed to hear Yang talk to Jaune.

"Am I really loud when I snore?"

"No, Yang. Trust me, your mum was way louder. You just breathe heavily; Nora is the one who shakes the house."

"THAT'S MY THUNDER!"

Ruby smiles to herself and slips into her PJs, the glass of milk already being poured as she made sure to keep a carton of milk in her fridge at all times, although she would need to stock up on cookies at some point so that she could at least have a nice 2 am snack when she randomly woke up with some crazy new invention.

Sleep came to all within the house very quickly.

The next morning the routine between the inhabitants was not broken, Ruby was very tucked into her nest of blankets and pillows, how she managed to breathe with all of them over her and how she didn't get to hot was truly an astonishing feat. Yang was drooling again into her pillow, hair absolutely everywhere, and true to what Jaune said before, she was just breathing heavily.

Outside of the manor after he had consumed his daily cup of tea, Ren was once again going through his kata and Jaune was running circles around the house. By the time that Ren had moved into the meditation he noticed something, Jaune had someone following him…

Usually he maintained a normal speed and only passed Ren every 53 seconds; he kept that speed the entire time he was running. This time he had managed to either half that time, which was not out of the realms of impossibility given Ren knew how fast Jaune could actually run, or Blake had risen and decided to race after Captain Vale.

"So is she chasing him or he chasing her?" questioned Nora as she sat down beside Ren, confirming that it was in-fact Blake running along the trail as well.

"Given that Jaune was running first I would say he is the one being chased."

"Well she is catching up."

'Nora is right' thought Jaune as he could feel Blake right on his heels now. He knew that she was combat quick from the fight with Mercury and then from catching the end of her battle with Tourchwick, but now he could confirm that she was actually just a fast individual, maybe faster than him.

Jaune poured on the speed.

Blake allowed a small smile to cross her lips and upped her speed to match his, this ended up becoming a recurring theme until it turned into an all-out race instead of training and they both shared a glance at each other, Jaune with a wide toothy smile on his face and Blake with a slight cheerful smile, both were enjoying this very much the chance to really crank out how quick they could move, Blake even started to pull ahead by a couple of steps and now Jaune was taking second place as Nora then waved her arms as they passed her.

"BLAKE WINS THE ANNUAL CHARGE!"

"Annual?" questions Ren, only with an eyebrow raised as Jaune and Blake both skid to a stop.

Jaune didn't need to catch his breath, yet as he turned to Blake he was shocked to see that neither did she. "You're faster than me?" Jaune says it as a disbelieving question, but in reality he is honestly amazed and in awe.

"That a problem?"

"No, everyone I have ever met I have left behind. I guess it never really hit me that the people I'm with now can keep up with me. Heh, some even go further than me."

Blake regarded him with a strange look "Your really are old aren't you?"

Jaune flushed and rubbed the back of his neck, while a surprise Nora appeared right in-front of her. "PLEASE, this young one has nothing on me; he's what 70, maybe 80 years old. Please I know dwarves with beards older than that."

Jaune chuckles at that and Ren lets out a small smile, meanwhile Blake eyes the three of them with increased interest, she can see the strong bonds forming between the three of them, between the entire group. They truly would be a great force to be reckoned with in the future.

As the four of them head inside they notice Ruby mindlessly stood near the coffee pot, not moving or even blinking. Yang was at least active munching on her cereal, she then set her spoon down and grabbed two other bowls and threw them across the kitchen towards Jaune and Nora, both who managed to catch them with ease. Their weapons would always come back to them so they had developed excellent catching skills over the years, this had also become a little bit of a game for the three of them.

Blake noticed that Jaune and Yang were looking at the red headed woman on the side of the cereal box with two different emotions; Yang seemed to have a quiet discomfort at seeing the woman's figure all smiling on the side like she was somehow unnerving her, Jaune on the other hand looked to be more concerned, like he knew she was in a tricky position and he wanted to help her.

Blake simple grabbed an apple and took a couple of bites out of that.

DING

All eyes turned towards Ruby at the coffee pot.

She poured the liquid into a cup.

She brought the cup to her lips.

…

She fully opened her eyes and set the cup down on the kitchen side.

"Mmmm, good job as usual Penny."

"Thank you Ruby, I always try my best."

"And I love you for it. You're awesome."

Ruby then turns to the rest of the team and Blake, finally awake properly. "Okay Blake, you said that you might want our help and I think I speak for everyone here when I say we are happy to help, always."

Blake looked at the honesty in her expression when she spoke, nothing like what the stories told of her originally, but then again Blake had read some strange stories that made no sense in the real world.

"Tell me; what do you know of Menagerie?" Blake looked them each in the eyes as she posed the question.

Nora shrugged "Never heard of it."

"Sorry, I never was the best at geography in school." Admits Jaune with an apologetic half smile.

Ren, Ruby and Yang all traded looks at each other and then Yang spoke up "History books tell us that's where the faunus species came from, not much else."

"It's an island, somewhere off the coast of south Anima, possible near Fort Castle. That's a dangerous place for anyone, human or faunus." Supplied Ren

"Wherever it is it is low tech, my satellites have never been able to get close enough to see it properly, the weather around the place makes it impossible to get to. How people manage to survive there is a mystery to me." Ruby explained to the others.

"Wait satellites?" asks Jaune confused

"She means a moon."

"Yeah I got that Nora, but how do you own a moon Ruby?"

"What?"

"A moon. How do you have one? They are in space."

"Oh right you were asleep for that, yeah I sent one up there years ago."

"Wait you went to space!"

"Well not me personally, but I'm working on a new amour that could take me up there."

"I've been to space. It's not all that, I could take it."

"Nora you can't fight space."

"WHO SAYS I CAN'T RENNY?"

"You mother told me in a dream."

"Oh, in that case no I'm gonna leave space alone for now, it can do what it wants."

"Can we get back to what Blake was talking about?"

"Thank you Yang." Blake took a moment to make sure she had everyone's attention, but it seemed Jaune was still trying to get around the idea of actually going to space. "What if I told you everything you knew about Menagerie… it was all a front."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying Ren, that whatever advanced technology you had access to at B.E.A.C.O.N., was made obsolete 60 years ago in my home. I'm saying that if Ruby managed to become the smartest person on the planet with only her resources and only just got to space a few years ago, then she would have done it in a fraction of the time with what we have. What I am saying is that the strides we have taken, we possibly match Nora's people in advancement, or at least at a base level."

"Now that sounds like a challenge!"

"But I am not here to tell you about that, I am here to tell you about Adam Taurus."

Ren and Ruby stiffen up; they have both heard the stories. The so called doctor of doom and death, killing whatever human he comes into contact with, saying they are trespassing in his country. His White Fang Militia has taken roots in all the kingdoms and are causing all sorts of violent acts and terrible crimes all across Remnant. All so that he can get what he wants, human subjugation.

"Recently Adam Taurus challenged my father for the throne, my father was old, but the challenge was given to him so I could not fight on his behalf. I had to stand by and watch as Adam cut him down and murdered him right in-front of my eyes. If I acted to save him, then the throne would go to Adam automatically."

Blake takes a little breath and Yang reaches out with her hand and places in on top of hers in a show of support, Ruby also comes up to her and smiles softly. "Please keep going Blake."

"I wanted to challenge him right away, to show that I was going to avenge my father and not throw my kingdom into the chaos I knew Adam would wreck across the land. But it was too late, he ordered his grunts to attack me and banish me from the kingdom, I was forced to flee. I need your help to get me back into the kingdom and to fight my way to the throne."

Yang and Ruby nodded and were on board right away, they knew that Blake needed all the help that she could get, losing a parent was something that they could both relate to, having to stand there and watch as they were taken from you when you were powerless, Adam needed to get what was coming to him and Yang was determined to make sure that Blake managed to get hers.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Nora. "You would be defying an ancient tradition of your people, going against your kings orders."

"They won't be his much longer if I am to become Queen."

Nora smiled a great big toothy smile "Let's do it then, I'm in."

"Blake I know how this is going to sound; but why is Adam taking over your kingdom, specifically just your kingdom. From what you told us it is a place for faunus, something that I am sure Adam also wants."

"Not as much as how he wants to either kill or make slaves out of the humans."

"How would he manage that with just your kingdom? Yes you said you are technologically advanced, but the resulting bloodshed would leave very little of either side, a fight would be pointless."

"It was pointless, and then he gained something only one person outside the kingdom has; am I right Jaune?"

All eyes turned to the blond as he looked up from his hands, noticeably startled and certainly out of it. "Sorry, just thinking about … uh, well space. Still having a bit of a hard time with that one."

"What can you tell me about your shield Jaune?"

Jaune took a moment to think about his most valuable partner. "It doesn't break, it doesn't rust, it doesn't bend, and it doesn't scratch. Not even Nora and her hammer can make even a little bit of damage to it."

"What you have Jaune, is the strongest material on Remnant."

"Also the rarest. Not even I can synthesis the metal."

"It is not the rarest Ruby, because my kingdom sits on a mountain size of it all."

Ren's eyes widen, he already understood the danger of having Adam in control, but having an army of warriors wearing unbreakable amour and having powerful weapons was extra bad. It would indeed be a bloodshed, but more on the side of everyone else on Remnant.

"My father gave you that shield when you saved his life Jaune; I re-paid that debt when I saved you from Mercury Black, and now I am calling in the favour for helping save you all from that Cabal of villains."

"Well that settles it. We are off to Menagerie, get suited up and then to the Bullhead team RYNRJB… RRNYJB… RNJRBY?"

"Oh sis, no… just no." sighed Yang.

Just before they were about to hop on to the Bullhead Yang grabbed Jaune before he could jump on-board and held him back and glared at him.

"Look I made sure the bucket is on there before hand Yang okay, I didn't want a re-run of last time."

"If any get in my hair, you will be doing Nora's work out for one week."

"I will be sitting near the back."

"Stay there."

The two blonds then climbed onto the ship and Jaune made his way to the back near the cargo hold, assuming a crash position, Blake stared at him in complete confusion as Yang then sat next to her near the front and Nora and Ren sat a bit away from Jaune with Ruby taking the pilots seat.

"What's the matter? Is Captain Vale scared of flying?" quipped Blake to the shaking Captain, who was actually looking very pale right now as the engines started up and Ruby called out for Penny to open up the bay doors.

Jaune raised his head a bit and gave Blake a nervous smile. "Never had good memories with it with being blow out of the air so many times, plus air sickness has never made it enjoyable."

Blake felt a little bit guilty now for asking since he had probably seen a lot of people die in planes that he was blown from.

"Oh sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." Then Jaune turned green as the ship advanced further in the air and his head went back down and he looked around panicked for a second, Ren then slide the bin near his feet all the way down to Jaune who grabbed it like it was the only thing that could save his life.

"OOOOHHHHH Ruby do a twirl I wanna see if he throws up on the ceiling!" Called out Nora excitedly. Ren glanced apologetically at Blake.

"She has not quite grasped that this is a bad body reaction for humans."

As they flew across the ocean Ruby notices the storm ahead and asks Nora to clear it.

"I can't."

"Losing your touch there 'Goddess'?" asked Yang as Jaune let out a reaching noise in the background refusing to even glance out of the window, Ren shot him a sympathetic look and then looked back out of the window.

"There is no storm to clear."

"Uh Nora, you sure about that?"

"She is right, it is not real it is a hologram."

"Large enough to cover the whole island? That is some serious power."

"Says the woman that made her own element to power her heart and then her building."

"Okay one it powers the electromagnet and C I am awesome so thank you."

"Ruby, scans indicate we are being shot at right now." Came Penny's cheerful and concerned voice.

Explosions then rocked the air around them as they flew through the holographic mist and then they saw the island nation of Menagerie, it was beautiful.

Nora had only ever seen such beauty on Valkyrie before with the shining city stood proud and valiant.

The explosions still blasted off around them and rocked the area around the ship with Ruby swerving to avoid most of the shoots. Jaune really did not appreciate that at all.

"I think we're going to have to bail out!" Yelled Ruby as she flipped the ship over and flew low over the jungle section of the island.

"Thank heavens." Jaune muttered as he unclasped his seat belt and ran to the side door yanking it open and then jumping out without even waiting for them. Ren then ran straight after him and eagle dived after the Captain, with Blake hot on his heels as she back flipped out in to the air and dived after them into the jungle.

Ruby kept trying to steer the ship but one of the explosions hit the wing sending them spinning out of control and crashing through the trees at the edge of the jungle and skipping across the desert portion right outside one of the city walls.

Back in the jungle Jaune had managed to land safely and on top of his shield before tucking into a roll and coming up ready. Just in time in fact to duck under a spear flying for his head, as it hit the tree it blew up behind him and made him stumble forward in to a large bear faunus that lifted him up by his throat and started to squeeze.

"Any chance we could talk this out?" Jaune managed to choke out as the faunus growled at him. Jaune then punched both of his hands at the large man's wrist to break it and also break the hold around his neck. He dropped the Captain in a cry of pain and then was silenced with strong rising uppercut that Jaune even added a jump too to give it more power. The assailant fell down unconscious and Jaune turned in time to block an arrow and then threw his shield at the woman with dog ears knocking her off of the tree branch. A very pale man with slits for eyes hissed at him and showed off his forked tongue and then launched at him trying to bite him with sharp teeth, most likely to poison him with some venom, but Jaune picked up a branch and put that in his mouth as he bit down near his arm and then grabbed him by his shirt and threw him hard against a tree, creating a loud thud. The fourth person was a muscular woman with bunny ears and she held a large great-sword, humming with energy and as she brought it down against Jaune and his shield an arrow wrapped itself around her hands and pinned them to a tree. Just as another arrow with a boxing glove punched her in the face and she smacked her head against the tree as well, knocking her out.

"Thank you Ren."

"Sure you looked helpless enough without me."

Blake the appeared and looked around at the warriors and sighed. "This isn't how I wanted it to happen. I should have come alone."

Jaune and Ren exchanged a glance. "It never goes how you want in a war."

"I don't want to wage a war Captain; I just want Adam off my throne."

"Then you should be prepared for a war, because those types of men never give up things without a fight."

"You don't know Adam; there are no men like him."

Jaune gave a humourless laugh. "There are always men like him."

"I guess a human would know better than me."

"Sadly I would. Now are you going to try and do this alone or are you going to lead us to him."

"Adam is a fight I have to do myself."

"Guys we should move I can see more of them coming." Ren said as he spotted three more faunus coming towards them, all wearing the insignia of the White Fang.

As they all ran through the jungle and occasionally had to leap up into the trees or to fight a small group of White Fang, they moved in silence until they managed to find a way inside the city walls when Jaune broke the silence by turning to Blake.

"Stop." Blake looked at him curiously, they were hidden so she had no need to stop, she could keep moving. "Blake I am sorry, this isn't a war. But you also cannot make this about vengeance, yes he killed your parents, but if you are going to rule it has to be justice that prevails, not vengeance. If you rule with that anger what's next? Who do you direct that rage at then?"

"It's all at Adam, when I end him I w-"

"You'll kill him?"

Blake paused as Ren spoke up, he looked pained. "It's always easier to say than to do. And it never gets easier."

"I-if that's what it takes. Then I will kill him."

"Have you ever killed before?" Jaune asked "Do you know what comes after?"

"Have you Captain? How much blood is on your hands?" Blake fired back.

"I thought I killed someone, and I was filled with an empty hollow dread. It was sickening, I hated it. I saw my teammates take people's lives and I hated it, I stopped them when I could but most of the time I was too far away. Sometimes there isn't a way out and I understand that, but you will regret it for the rest of your life, it will haunt you, you will never rest easy with the blood on your hand. And then you will think; why did I only kill them? There are other bad people, why not end them?"

"So why not?" Blake asked not breaking the eye contact with Jaune.

"Because it would be so damn easy, you don't think I never thought about it? Killing as many as I could in the war to make sure they could never have a chance to hurt the people I care about, my kingdom? No I couldn't because if you cross that line, there is no going back."

Ren was silent as he looked at the floor; he was ashamed of every life he had taken. "He is right Blake, they never leave you."

Ren looked haunted as he said those words. Blake was lucky as she had never had to take a life, but surely Adam deserved to die for the atrocities he had committed, he had killed scores of people, human and faunus he considered traitors to the higher being cause.

"Is that how you want your legacy to be when people look back at your rule? Death?"

"No." Blake was lucky she was wearing her mask otherwise they would have seen the tear streak down her cheek, that is not what her father had been trying to teach her when he sent her out into the world to see what it was like after only having known the island her whole life until that point. To become the protector you had to go through whatever trials the pervious deemed necessary to take up their mantle, and her father wanted her to see what haven they provided to the faunus inside the kingdom. However when she saw the kingdoms she saw her people being put down and subjugated and oppressed by the majority of humans, had she thought that she had the power to change this? Yes and for a brief moment she had agreed with Adam. Now though she could see the cycle that they were trapped in and she needed to break it, her father and all the leaders before him were wrong to turn his back upon the rest of the world.

"But Adam cannot go unpunished, not for what he has done."

"I think Director Ozpin at B.E.A.C.O.N. will have a lot of fun with him if we turn him over to them." Ren supplied from the side.

"Do you trust him to keep Adam locked away until the end of his days?"

"He will never see the sun." That was good enough for Blake. "Now let us get going, you have a date with Destiny Blake." Ren said as he nocked an arrow.

"Never believed in destiny." Jaune muttered as the three snuck in deeper into the kingdom.

"Look I am telling you Ruby is just buried beneath this sand somewhere; I swear I saw her blast out of the window when we crashed." Yang said as she lifted the Bullhead up and checked under it.

"How could you see that? You went head first into my butt."

"You liked it."

"No I did not, you have a very hard head, and all that hair somehow got into my mouth."

"YOU ATE MY HAIR!"

"Oh look there are Ruby's legs!" Nora pointed at a gleaming leg sticking out of the sand and she then grabbed it by the ankle and yanked it out, pulling a disgruntled Ruby out of the mess and shaking her awake.

"Ugh, anyone catch the number of the semi that hit us?" she asked weakly.

"I think it came from that way."

"What gave it away; the giant wall or the squadron of goons rushing towards us with some kind of tanks?"

"Oh I was gonna say the flying people." Ruby narrowed her sensors, jetpacks, they had jetpacks. That was so last year.

"Well looks like as usual we got a fight on our hands." Ruby stated

"You ever get bored of it?" Yang asked Nora who turned to her with a mad grin answering the question very quickly, to which Yang returned her own equally mad grin.

"Yeah, me neither." Ruby blasted off into the sky and Yang and Nora launched themselves at the forces.

The journey to the throne room is very easy, too easy. Ren never remembered it being this easy in all his espionage missions. Someone wanted them to get here.

One thing that Ren noticed along the way were the people that were moving around, every time they looked like they were going to come around the corner to discover them they simply stopped and then went into a different room or turned back on themselves and then made the path easier for the three. They also were not wearing any White Fang insignia; they were just normal members of Blake's kingdom.

"It seems that the people really want you to take back the throne Blake." Ren said quietly as they waited for another person to enter a different room off to the side of the hallway as they then ran quietly down it to pass through onto the next one.

"How do they know we are even here?" Jaune asked, as he was wearing bright white amour, with gold accents that clinked a little every time he moved, along with occasionally hitting the strapped shield to his back or the one shoulder piece that he wore. His metal gauntlets and gloves would also tap together as he had a nervous tick in which his left hand twitched a little.

Ren's eye twitched. "Maybe they can smell we are humans." Blake shot him an amused look, as strong and skilled as the Captain was, he was not made for stealth and secrecy like the silent Blake or the precise Ren were.

"This is a secret passage that will take us out near a pillar, please no matter what happens. Do not interfere; the fight has to be between Adam and myself."

Jaune and Ren nodded and then followed Blake through the secret passage, as they make it into the throne room they see a large hologram displaying the battle in the desert as Ruby flys past and blasts two jetpack warriors out of the sky, grabbing them and then making sure they do not hit the ground. Yang takes a laser from a tank at full force and punches the top off leaving the pilot sitting on the base, and he then very quickly gets off screaming.

"Cowards." Adam says distastefully

"Even if they make it here my lord, only a faunus may challenge you for the right of the throne."

"What of those that landed in the jungle?"

"Our squads report finding nobody, but Alpha had been incapacitated. Reports indicate it was the archer."

"He is only human, they all are. Kill them all and then we can show the people here that my rule is not to be contested, even those hoping for HER to return will submit once hope is ripped away from them."

Blake then chooses that moment to step out of the shadows and step into the middle of the room and surprises everyone.

"ADAM!" The two locked eyes.

"Traitor."

"By ancient law: I Blake Belladonna challenges you for the throne!"

Nobody moves as the entire throne room then rumbles and the ceiling breaks open as the pillars sink into the ground, Jaune and Ren quickly exit and move out into the open, causing Adam and his lackeys to glare at them as they make themselves visible. The entire throne room rises and mecha shifts into a massive arena, spectator seats are not filled and provide an eerie empty feeling to the whole place.

"You know back in my day we solved our problems in an alleyway."

"You got beat up a lot didn't you Jaune."

"Yep." Ren smirks.

Adam reclines back on his throne and begins to laugh, not a genuine laugh but a condescending and humourless laugh that chilled most people to the core.

"Bring up the cameras." He whispered silently to Fenic who tapped away on a controller behind his back and suddenly little cameras around the arena all popped up and began showing what was happening in the arena to the whole kingdom.

"We are live your majesty."

"Good." He said at first silently and then louder so that Blake could hear him better. "You brought humans here? My you must be desperate… kill her, then the humans, I will not entertain this deserter any longer."

Corsic and Fenic dash forward and slash with their knives as Blake dodges and weaves between them, finding it difficult to fight two very fast people that have been in sync their whole lives, Ilia hesitates for a second and then runs forward, all be it at a slower pace to join in the fighting with her energy whip.

Blake ducks under the whip and faces the three; she doesn't miss the way that Corsic and Fenic push Ilia forward to fight Blake first. Just as she lifts the whip an arrow fly's past Blake's head and nets Ilia up tightly and restrained her on the ground.

"You can have Adam, but everyone else is fair game." Jaune yells as he and Ren move up to her sides and square off against the two Faunus brothers. Blake then jumps onto Jaune's shield and he catapults her over the two of them towards Adam.

Corsic walks over to Jaune and crouches in front of him. "Ghira spoke of you when I was a child human, he said you were more than the shield, are you?"

Jaune pauses for a moment, the goading and blatant challenge clear for him to see, but he still slips the shield off his arm and back on to his back. He has to admit he is curious to see how well he does as well without the shield; he will need to pass it on one day. "Let's see."

Fenic draws a second knife out from his sleeve and stands relaxed in-front of Ren who puts his arrow back in the quiver and the bow on his back, drawing out two short sticks instead. "So human have you come here, to our own home to oppress us? Is Ms Belladonna nothing but a tool to you right now? Another 'freak', set to be cast aside when you are done with her?"

"My very good friend is a goddess from another Realm, I trust a woman that has enough dust and radiation flowing through her veins to destroy a kingdom, I live with a woman with a high powered magnet keeping her alive, and that man is 22 going on 82. As far as I am concerned Blake and I are the only normal ones in the team, and I would do anything for my team. But if words are not enough, I have always been a man more of actions anyway."

As Blake lands in-front of the throne she stands to her full height and extends her claws to provide maximum damage, she wants this fight to hurt Adam.

"Is this really what you want Blake? I killed your parents for this, I will kill you."

"Your lust for power has blinded you to peace."

"I have brought peace. Peace to my new empire! Peace and security to this empire, is that not the goal?"

"I did think you were right at one point you know, but then I realised the cycle we are in. It has to stop. Your goal for peace will end in a war, millions would die."

"And then there would be order!"

"In a world of blood."

"I won't be complaining."

"That is when I saw how wrong you were, it was always about what you wanted Adam. Vengeance has consumed you, it consumed me as well. But justice will come soon enough."

"Tell that to the dead humans I will leave behind."

"You have become a monster Adam; your soul has become so dark and twisted."

"If you are not with me Blake, then you are my enemy."

"I will do what I must." Blake said as she bent her knees, crouching down ready to pounce and strike.

Adam stood up from his throne and turned around his back facing Blake as he observed his throne. "Your will try." And then he back flipped and launched himself at Blake while un-sheathing his red blade.

He brings the sword down in a furious strike downwards that Blake sidestepped and then slide under his next horizontal slash, retaliating with a roundhouse kick that smacked him across the face. The joy she felt from that strike did not last very long as she was then grabbed by the back of her head and smashed face first into the ground. Luckily the suit absorbed the impact but it still put her at a disadvantage in her current position, Adam might not be able to slice through her suit, but he could still break her arms or legs.

Lifting her out of the crater Adam then slashed upwards with his sword, only for Blake to bring her claws together to block the strike in an explosion of sparks between them. Removing one hand she lashed out and cut across his thigh leaving five deep scars and Adam promptly retreated away from her, meaning Blake could now kick-flip up into a standing stance.

She shook the blood from her claws and pounced at him.

Jaune blocks another punch and elbows Corsic in the face as hard as he could; breaking his nose and making the faunus stumble back away from him. He was a really good boxer, Jaune realised as he came up in a classic ready position again gritting his teeth through the pain, growling at the man and then coming in with a big right swing that Jaune weaved out of the way of and spinning swept his front foot off balance and the tried a move that he saw a ninja use in the movie that Yang made them watch a few days ago. A side flip kick that came down right across his face, knocking him out and to the ground easily.

Turning to Ren he watched as he used his twin sticks to disarm Fenic and then slip the sticks back behind his back, catching the next punch and twisting at the wrist to flip him over, before kicking him while he was down. Ren even managed to break his nose as well.

With both of them done they let out a sigh of relief before they saw a lone spectator leap over the edge of the stands, he was massive and had a large tattoo on one of his arms and a giant chainsaw sword thing in his other.

"You can have this one Jaune."

"By all means Ren do not let me hold you back."

"Age before beauty."

"Captains orders."

"Ruby is the leader."

Just as the massive White Fang starts running at them a dust cloud erupts in-front of them and a flash of blond catches the chainsaw before it completes its swing. Yang stood there are the weapon didn't even scratch her skin and then she pulled back her fist.

"Boop." And she sent the large man flying across the arena into the wall with a single punch.

"HOW DARE YOU LITTLE MISSY!" Nora cried as she floated down next to her. "Boop is my word and I will not have it being used for such an underwhelming opponent."

"Well next time you make sure you get here in time to save your precious Renny before I do."

"I will because he is MY precious Renny."

Ruby hovers over them for a second before she lands with a CLANK next to Jaune and turns her helmet to him. "Tanks and guys with Jepacks; you?"

"Mostly spears and arrows that exploded; what's a jetpack?"

"You remember that movie series that I said we needed to watch?"

"Yeah you said we had to start with the fourth one."

"Remember the sixth one?"

"The sixth film we watched or the film with six in the title?"

"With the number six in the title. The dude in the green amour; with the jetpack on him. That's what a jetpack is."

"Oooh, so a less cool version of your amour, got it."

Ren broke through the nerd fest by pointing out that Blake was still fighting, and as Yang made to go and leap into combat he held her arm. "No this is her fight, we are just here to observe."

"AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH." Adam yells as he slashes his sword and a vertical beam of red energy blasts out and nearly hits Blake who manages to handspring out of the way at the last second. Her armoured suit is then shot with a heavy shotgun blast that hits her hard in the side, the damage is minimal but the impact was only meant as a distraction as Adam's sword then stabs her through the stomach.

"Nrgh." Blake groans out in pain.

"I didn't want this for you Blake, I wanted you by my side as my woman, but you just wouldn't behave."

"Argh." Blake replies as the pain spreads across her stomach, her suit might be adapted from the metal, but Adam had a sword made pure from the mound, able to slice through anything.

"Why did you have to throw everything away? Did I mean so little to you?" Adam grasps her by the throat and then lifts her head to meet her eyes. "Well? Nothing to say Belladona? You're as weak as you father."

"Checkmate."

And then her suit unleashes a blast of pure purple energy that surrounds her completely and sends Adam flying back smashing into his throne and toppling it over. His sword remains in Blake's stomach and she falls to her knees without him there to help support her, however she takes a deep breath and grasps the handle and begins to pull it out and then she uses it to help her stand to her feet. The wound on her stomach already begins the process of healing, faster than normal due to the blessing of the Herb.

Blake looked around and then locked eyes with one of the cameras that was at the edge of the arena and held the sword aloft and then plunged it into the ground and pointed harshly at Adam's prone body that had toppled the throne.

"Listen to me my people; you have spent your time fearing what the humans will do to us, that they are all hateful, angry and determined to make us suffer. That is a LIE! Adam murdered the former king and has spent his time outside the kingdom murdering anybody that speaks ill of him; he fights not for us but for himself. We allowed it to happen by staying silent and doing nothing, and we have nobody to blame but ourselves for not stopping him.

"This violence will continue out and this message will be brought to the world if he was allowed to continue, I know that some of you still fear humans and for good reason; you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated question and I do not know how to make hate go away, but I do know that this is not the way to do it.

"As your Queen I have no right to ask anything of you that I would not be willing to do myself so I shall go out into the world, I will show the humans that we are not to be feared and I will give our brothers and sisters out there hope to look to, and I will do this side by side with the heroes that helped us today. With the humans that helped us today."

Blake then turns to the Hunters and walks towards them and holds out her hand. "If they will have me." She now says to them instead of the kingdom that is watching them.

Ruby steps forward and looks back at her team. "What do you say guys? Room for one more?"

"Whoa hold up, I'm all for a beautiful cat girl, but isn't there like an interview process to go through?" asks Yang.

"I have a ship that can fly us back, unless you want to swim and get your hair wet."

"I SAY SHE IS IN ALL IN FAVOUR SAY I!"

Ruby turns to her with a smile, then realises that she is still wearing her helmet and retracts it to show off her beaming face and grasps Blake's hand firmly.

"Welcome to the team your highness."

"My friends call me Blake."

"You remember you are only allowed to remove one book at a time?"

"Yes."

"This rule is one that is clear to you?"

"Yes."

"You understand that learning to much at a time can disrupt your magic?"

"Yes."

"You understand that you are not the only person that wishes to learn more around here."

"And yet I seem to be the only person to enter the library to find any materials to learn from, I never even see you reading through any books, do you have an aversion to learning.?"

"Just be careful what you choose to study Miss Schnee."

"Dr Schnee, I didn't do 3 years of medical school just for fun you know."

"I was under the impression that it was a 5 year course."

"Yes it is, unless you have a particular talent for learning." Weiss responds, walking past the library master and towards the back where the more advanced spell books lay.

Past a glowing Green item on a pedestal.

Just teasing you is all.

Adam I wanted to make like Dr Doom, but I couldn't settle on a fantastic four so he is M'Baku, I have GALACTIC plans for Neptune, Sage and Scarlet and as for CVFY; they seem to all fit into the roles of the Defenders well enough.

You really think I would be able to find more time to write in a lockdown, and also I checked and in the UK, medical courses are apparently 5 years, but we all know Weiss wouldn't be happy with that.

Also hope you guys managed to catch the Star Wars reference I threw in.