A/N: I do not own any of the characters associated with the RWBY series. All rights of those characters belong to Rooster Teeth.


Setting: Throne Room

Marigold sat on his throne with a smarmy smirk. In his mind, he was already the next head of the Underland family. Looking down at the Remus who opened the door first told him Aster was defeated. He had no idea whether the members of Team VRSZ killed their enemies but he preferred if they did. If not, then Aster, Marigold's biggest competitor for the throne, was gravely injured and he could eliminate her after dealing with Remus and the other members of his team.

Marigold didn't feel like anything could stop him now. If he could describe this feeling, he'd say he was on top of the world.

Even now, with Remus looking at him with a serious eye, Marigold didn't believe he could be stopped.

"Hello again, Remus. I hope you've been enjoying your stay our humble abode," the mad Underland said with a knowing tone.

Remus didn't say anything. He continued to stare at Marigold with a stern look.

"Hm… your file didn't say anything about you being the serious, silent type. You must not be in a happy mood," Marigold said in a fake surprised manner.

The sound of footsteps rapidly scaling steps echoed throughout the throne room. Marigold was jerked forward due to Remus roughly grabbing his orange shirt's collar. The sudden movement caused Marigold's fedora to fall from his head and land next to the throne.

"You knew! You knew who we were and… tricked us! Why!?" Remus shouted, being forceful and aggressive for once in his life and Marigold liked it.

Marigold placed his hand over Remus's arm that was holding his shirt and started inducing Madness into the young Cobalt without his knowing. He had no way to fight Remus, but he knew the others couldn't be far behind so inducing him with his semblance was his best option.

The scheming Underland planned on pouring all his aura into Remus and force him to fight his allies. Marigold intended to watch them destroy each other.

"Don't think too ill of me. I honestly didn't know who you or your friends were when we met in the city. It was only when your rag-tag team arrived at our doorstep that I… connected the dots. In a way, all of you fooled me as well," Marigold said.

He was spitting nonsense just to buy time until he poured all his Madness into Remus. The effects were starting to take affect. The young Cobalt had his eye on Marigold but he was beginning to lose focus and felt like he was unbalanced with his footing. His single eye was beginning to change from amber to orange.

Marigold smiled through it all as his aura drained to absolute zero, he realized during the process there was a flaw in his plan. There was nothing he could do if no one came and Remus attacked him, but this was a desperate gamble Marigold was willing to take.

He induced Madness into Remus who began to release Marigold's shirt and clutch his head as he felt it throb in pain. Just as this happened, the door to the throne room opened and the person who arrived was Azura Cobalt.

She noticed Remus holding Marigold and said, "Good, now we can finish this."

Marigold grabbed Remus's chin and harshly turned his head over so he could see his friend from behind.

"…"

"…Remus? You got him?" Azura asked, concerned with her cousin's hesitation.

"Grrr...rrrr" Remus, fully induced with Madness, looked at her in a fit of rage.

He walked down the stairs and slowly increased in speed. Once he was lower on the staircase, Remus jumped from the steps and tried to land on Azura. She easily moved out of his way as he landed beside her, wondering what was wrong with Remus.

He wielded Romulus in double-bladed staff form with killing intent and his eye was now orange. That same orange color was something Azura recognized. It was the same thing Zelts had when they first got to the mansion.

Azura armed herself with her staff just as Remus swung Romulus at her. She blocked it with her weapon and was pushed back a little by the force of his full swing. The frenzied Cobalt didn't let up as he swung and twirled his bladed staff around Azura who parried each strike. Even as his movements got faster, Azura was able to fend him off. She may not be as fast as Remus, but she was fast enough to counter the majority of his blows.

Marigold stayed on his throne and watched the battle unfold before him with delight. He truly enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

"I've never seen two Cobalts fighting each other. Such a rare sight now that these two are the last of the line. And today will be the day the Cobalt family goes extinct,"

Azura decided to go on the offensive and activate wind dust in her left wrist while blocking Remus's bladed weapon. She pushed his weapon aside then raised her left hand with wind dust in the dust circlet and released a small compressed ball of wind at her younger cousin. She pushed him away to give herself some space. Remus was knocked back to the other side of the room but he held his weapon in one hand then threw it at Azura like a spear. Once he stopped skidding on the floor, he sprinted to Azura with great speed.

Romulus was flying toward Azura who easily deflected the weapon away with her own, hitting it into the wall near the door, but she wasn't ready for Remus charging straight for her. He hit her in the gut with a strong palm strike which knocked the wind out of her, however she wasn't going to let a gut check stop her. Immediately after he struck her, Azura gripped his arm with both of hers then tossed him toward the throne room's door. His back slammed into the door. Remus pulled Romulus out of the wall beside the door and was about to attack. Azura knew how quick Remus was in a fight and dashed for him the second after throwing him to prevent him from reacting properly. She ran toward her cousin then tackled him in an attempt to subdue and calm him.

The two Cobalts left the room while the mad Underland remained in his seat of power where he intended to wait and see who the victor will be. Truth be told, it's not like Marigold could do anything else at this point. He possessed no fighting abilities and he poured all his aura into Remus to induce Madness.

Marigold was betting it all on Remus to kill the others, deal a heavy blow to VRSZ, or for someone else to kill Remus. Whatever the outcome, he beilieved he'd come out the winner.

Setting: Underland Manor

"RWAR!"

Remus had Romulus split into dual swords and activated the energy so they were sharper and more lethal. He ran toward Azura who wielded her elemental staff with ice dust covering it and shaping it into a large, jagged, frozen scythe. She held it in her right hand while using the ice dust in her left wrist to coat her left arm in ice, creating a thick ice shield.

The blades of Romulus connected with Azura's frozen sickle and they easily sliced through the ice while the staff remained untouched. One of his swords were coming down on the Sky-Blue Warrior, but she maneuvered her body so the ice shield on her left arm took the hit. The blade cut apart a large portion of the shield, but Azura's arm was left undamaged.

Azura knew about her cousin's fighting style and what he was capable of doing. She needed to be cautious with Romulus in its energized state. Blocking doesn't work so evading was the best tactic. One thing Azura was aware of was the fact that Remus was no longer protected by his aura. Any attack from Azura could badly injure Remus and she didn't want to hurt him or accidentally kill him. Azura's desire not to harm Remus was the very thing keeping her in danger.

She assumed this scenario was something Marigold wanted and he was reveling in the throne room.

"AHHHH!"

Remus jumped in the air above Azura and tried to bring both his blades down on her to slice her in threes, but Azura dashed backwards to avoid the hit. She was a few feet away from him and quickly changed the dust in her wrists from ice to wind. She brought her hands together and created a small orb of wind between the palms. She was given time to do this thanks to the enraged Cobalt stabbing his swords deeps through the marble after his last attack. The gap was very small, but it gave Azura the time she needed to get on the offensive without actually harming him.

As Remus pulled his swords out of the ground, Azura aimed her palms at him and released the blast of wind which knocked him back. The force of wind pushed him back into the wall as well as made him lose his grip on one of his swords. It fell to the ground between its owner and the owner's opponent.

Being consumed by Madness makes the subject act violently and fight in a manner less refined than how they normally fight so it could be seen as an advantage for Azura even if it was a small one. And Remus having discarded half his weapon was a huge boon as well.

She ran for the blade and Remus dashed for Azura. She activated the ice dust in her ankles to coat the majority of the floor in ice. It reached where Remus was running and he slipped and fell on the ice while Azura skated on it to reach her target. The enraged Cobalt was on his back and sliding on the ice when he noticed his opponent coming closer. Instead of going for his discarded sword, Remus planned to cut her down. He swung his blade when he was close enough though Azura dodged it by jumping over him and his sword. She bent down and picked up the blade, the other half of Romulus.

Now that Azura was equipped with his sword she had the appropriate weapon to block the energized blade.

Remus slid to the end of the ice then quickly rose to his feet. His orange eye didn't appear to be changing anytime soon. The fight was going to continue.

With a grunt and a shout, the enraged Cobalt sprinted to his opponent very quickly. Azura repeated as she did before and covered the hall's floor in a sheet of ice keep Remus off balance and prevent him from running at full speed. Before it could reach him, Remus leapt up in the air above the ice and heading straight for Azura with his sword.

Metal clashed as Remus bared down on Azura with his blade while Azura parried him. Remus, while still in the air above Azura, flipped forward so he landed in the ice behind her then dropped down to sweep her feet. She swiftly jumped to avoid his leg and Remus responded in kind by rising to stand then swung his blade against her arm.

"Gah!"

Azura was struck by Remus's energized sword and was knocked to the ground a few feet away from him. The blow from Romulus broke through her aura and cut into her left arm, leaving a bleeding gash. Traces of blood could be seen splattering across the ice and a little was on the tip of the Romulus half Remus was holding, dripping onto the ice.

The stinging pain from her wound was a reminder to Azura this needed to be taken care of, but she ignored it to deal with the more pressing manner at the moment. Her bleeding arm would slow her down and she wouldn't be able to combat her cousin effectively anymore.

If this continued, Azura would eventually lose and Remus would kill her.

The Cobalt blinded by Madness didn't hesitate to move to his foe to deliver a killing blow. He slid on the ice and started skating his way to Azura who put Romulus in her left hand so she could fight back. With Romulus in her left hand, her elemental staff on her back, a bleeding arm, and her aura no longer protecting her, Azura didn't see a way out of this without holding back and trying to kill him.

Remus was about to strike Azura with all his might until something flew between them and landed in the ice between them. This caused him to stop in his tracks to see what came his way. Azura did the same and the two Cobalts inspected what interrupted their fight.

Piercing the ice was a very recognizable throwing knife: a Cheshire's Enigma.

This Enigma released a small gust of wind from the hilt filled with wind dust and it knocked both Cobalts away from each other. Azura was pushed back to the wall which was only a couple feet away from her position and Remus was moved to the other side of the hall.

The sound of heels clacking on the floor enveloped the hallway as someone approached the battle.

"And here I thought you two were finally starting to get along."

Remus and Azura turned their heads to see who was talking and the person was Violet Tulipe.

She was still wearing her dress though it seemed to be ripped from the legs up for better mobility and she had her belt pouch full of her throwing knives wrapped around her waist.

The Violent Flower looked at the situation before her to figure out what was going on.

"Violet…" Azura said to herself.

She was surprised to see Violet here after hearing from Aster that she wasn't in the mansion. Remus stared at her for a long time without saying a word. He may have been silent, but his orange eye was still filled with ire.

"Azura," Violet said, acknowledging the female Cobalt.

She looked at her youngest teammate and immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Remus…" she said in a slightly caring tone, wondering why he looked so agitated.

Azura intended to warn Violet about Remus's current condition, but the enraged Cobalt skated to Violet in order to fight her.

Violet was initially shocked Remus was charging to attack her and she responded by activating Invisibility. She vanished in a burst of tulip petals before Remus reached her and he stopped in his tracks when he lost sight of her. He suddenly felt something push against his back then his whole body and he was soon knocked to the floor. Laying on his stomach, Remus tried to get up but he couldn't. He was being weighed down by something he couldn't see.

On top of Remus's back, Violet reappeared through a flurry of tulip petals and she was seen pinning Remus to the ground. He thrashed and squirmed, trying to get out of her hold, but Violet wasn't budging. He needed to be restrained and she needed answers.

"What's going on?" Violet asked Azura.

She was the only person Violet could ask.

"I don't know how he got like that, but the same thing happened to Zelts when we got here. They both just went berserk and started attacking everyone," Azura answered.

Violet thought back to when she went berserk like this. She had no memories of the event but heard tales about it from the other Underlands. She didn't know how, but guessed whoever was responsible was a member of her family.

The fact that her bloodline's insanity has touched and tainted her beloved teammates and friends disheartened Violet a great deal. In her eyes, the Underland family did nothing but ruin everything good in her life.

"Rgh…grr…"

Still trying to rest himself free from beneath Violet, he was able to get his right arm out from under himself, the arm that was holding his energized sword. He flung his arm out to strike her. Violet received the blow with her aura taking the damage while she was knocked off Remus's back.

Quickly and aggressively, Remus rose to his feet while shouting angry nonsense and Violet, while still knocked away, landed on her hands and cartwheeled till she was on her feet. She pulled out three of her Enigmas and kept them in her right hand in case she needed them but slipped on the ice a little before regaining her balance. Remus ran for her then skated on the ice once he was on the ice. He moved toward Violet with his sword ready to slice her in half.

Violet was trying to be ready for his assault but she slipped on the ice again and landed on her side. Fortunately, she did so exactly when Remus tried to cut her head off. Her slipping saved her life, but the knives in her hands weren't spared because she raised her arm during the fall. The knives were cut cleanly, leaving only the hilts in her hands. Violet saw this and tossed them aside.

The next item she tossed were her purple high heels. Violet had almost forgotten she was wearing them this whole time and realized she still hated them. She truly preferred sneakers or boots compared to womanly footwear. Even going bare foot was a better choice than those heels.

Because of his speed, Remus had a hard time stopping on the ice and he slid all the way to the wall, slamming against it and right beside the door that led to the throne room. He turned around and kept his angry focus on Violet. He grunted and grind his teeth as he glared at her.

Violet needed a new way to engage her enraged friend. With Romulus in its energized state, it could easily cut down anyone's aura and be lethal afterwards. She couldn't be careless against him.

"Violet!" Azura shouted to get the Violent Flower's attention then slid the other half of Romulus to her.

Violet picked it up then rose to stand on her bare feet. She felt cold on the ice, but preferred feeling cold over slipping and falling. She wielded Romulus in her right hand wielded it with proper form. She didn't want to use her own weapons yet since he could slice through them but they could still serve a purpose in this fight. She acknowledged that Azura was no longer in a condition to fight or assist in any way. Violet needed this battle to take place elsewhere so Azura could be safe.

As a warning shot and to keep his attention, Violet pulled out an Enigma with her left hand and threw it at Remus. The throwing knife flew through the air and landed into the wall next to him, sticking out a few inches away from his head. He didn't respond or flinch like Violet wanted but he kept his gaze fixed on her.

"Grrr"

Remus walked toward Violet who quickly backed away, doing her best to lead him out of this hallway so she could restrain him elsewhere. She already had a plan in mind to do just that.

Azura quietly watched the two as Remus slowly sauntered over to Violet who was almost to the door. The young Cobalt continued to walk until he reached the end of the icy floor then he immediately jetted for Violet. He ran quickly and Violet busted the door down to enact her plan.

Their battle was taking place elsewhere.

Azura knew she didn't have a role to play anymore, but there was something else she could do. The wounded warrior stood up and walked back into the throne room.

Setting: Throne Room

Marigold was where he was as soon as the others entered and it was there he waited for everyone to destroy each other. Waiting for his results, he saw Azura re-enter the throne room though she looked much worse than when she left. A bleeding arm and a solemn expression made him wonder what she did to Remus. He assumed she killed him and was too weak to do anything else so he saw Azura as no real threat.

"My, my, you look like you've seen better days," Marigold mocked.

"…" Azura said nothing as she reached the stairway and started climbing it.

"I take it your silence means you did something horrible today. Something you never expected to do and regret for the rest of your life."

"…" Azura was halfway up the stairs and she activated the fire dust in her hand, creating a burning palm.

"It's not easy to take a life, especially the life of a family member, but let me tell you from personal experience," he said as Azura was a dozen steps away.

"It gets easier."

The Sky-Blue Warrior lunged for the mad Underland and performed the same act Remus did earlier and grabbed him by the shirt only this time his shirt caught on fire from her blazing palm. Marigold was honestly surprised she could still move like this. He thought battling Remus would wear her down to nothing but he miscalculated. Now he didn't know what to do, how to protect himself, or what she was going to do to him.

She burnt through the collar of his shirt then fiercely gripped his shoulder with her cut, bloody arm. Her amber eyes were staring him down. Her gaze left him unnerved.

"Y-you gonna kill me? Get it over with already. The suspense is boring me," Marigold said while rolling his eyes.

"No… dying is too easy," Azura replied while raised her burning hand over his face. "Dying is easy, so let's see how you'll live after this!"

Without any hesitation or thinking, Azura clamped her burning hand onto Marigold's face and started to burn him mercilessly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His screams echoed throughout the room, but Azura ignored them all. This was her payback for all he has done to everyone.


When someone is influenced by Madness they go into a blind fury. Even though Remus was fighting with Violet, he didn't really 'see' her or acknowledge her presence so Violet met her friend again, but not vice versa. He wouldn't actually reunite with her until Madness has run its course.

Violet is a very well-rounded fighter. She has an assortment of weapons with various types of dust for versatility, a semblance that allows her to trick foes, the best hand-to-hand combatant in Team VRSZ, and a tactical mind that allows her to adapt and outsmart her opponents. Violet's weakness is that while she has a variety of abilities, none of them stand out from the other. She isn't as incredibly fast like Remus or possess overwhelming power like Zelts.

In combat, Remus is second to Violet in technique and second to Zelts in strength. The weakness he possesses as a warrior is that he has no form of defense. He allows his speed and strength to serve as his defense by running away from attacks or parrying them. For him, the best defense is a good offense. He is also rather slow to deception so he can be tricked by a crafty opponent like Silver.