The Grimm Prince Ch. 71 (RWBY) (Patreon)

A/N: In which Adam and Sienna have a talk.

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In the end, the Specialist, whoever she was, could wait. Seeing as she was already in the White Fang’s custody, she wasn’t an active threat like Adam Taurus was.

Besides, more than anything Jaune and Salem’s curiosity had to be sated. Adam Taurus was clearly the one behind Ghira Belladonna’s death and Sienna Khan’s poisoning… but it was also equally clear, at least to the two disguised Grimm, that he was working with Ozma for some reason. Why?

Oh sure, Taurus’ reasons for working with Ozma were obvious. Ever since the Grimm had disappeared and the Human Kingdoms had started infighting more and more, Menagerie had not only been able to capitalize on the opportunity to grow ever-stronger, the White Fang as an organization had taken a step back as well, pulling away from the Human Kingdoms and regrouping on Menagerie.

Lots of faunus who had never joined the White Fang or even considered moving to Menagerie before the Grimm had disappeared were suddenly much more interested in a Faunus Kingdom given that Menagerie was no longer considered a death trap where a bunch of idiots were trying to beat back the entrenched Grimm and build something for themselves. Instead, Menagerie had become what its leaders always wanted it to be… a proper haven for faunus kind.

And that was all well and good, but for an ambitious, aggressive, and vengeful person like Adam Taurus, it wasn’t good enough. Adam wanted to take the fight back to the humans regardless of the absence of Grimm on Remnant. He wanted to ‘free’ the faunus who had willingly chosen to remain behind and stay in the Human Kingdoms, no matter how much blood he had to spill to do it.

Ultimately, what Adam clearly wanted above all else was the power and authority that he would need to impress his will upon the world. He wanted to take over the White Fang from Sienna, and then probably take over Menagerie from its Council, and then continue his aggressive policies from there to everyone’s detriment.

But someone like Adam wouldn’t care how many people, faunus or human, got hurt in his pursuit of power. He was a would-be tyrant in the making, and from the sound of things whatever Ozma had put in his head had only made Adam more mentally unstable.

Which brought them to the main issue at hand. They knew why Adam was working with Ozma. But why would Ozma reach out to Adam in the first place? What the fuck was Ozma’s scheme here? Why was he supporting someone like Adam? No, more than that, why had he gone as far as to turn the faunus into a religious fanatic of all things?

In the end, the best way to get answers out of Adam seemed to be to just ask the man himself. But rather than just capturing him and forcing him to talk, as they could have, Jaune decided they would go with a different approach. Salem’s magic meant that it was easy enough to hide everyone except for Sienna from Adam’s senses. And that meant they could manufacture a ‘one on one’ meeting with the bull faunus between him and the High Leader of the White Fang.

Tucked away along one side of the room, hidden under Salem’s power, Jaune watches with his Queen and the Belladonna Women at his side as Adam Taurus saunters into the throne room like he already owns the place. Looking smug as can be, the eye-patch wearing faunus walks right to the center of the room and then stops before Sienna and her throne.

“I know why you’ve called for me, High Leader Khan.”

Jaune’s a little surprised by Adam’s respectful tone, even as Sienna jolts and narrows her eyes.

“Oh? And how could that possibly be, Taurus?”

Bowing his head in another show of respect, Adam sighs mournfully.

“… I have been receiving visions for quite some time now, High Leader Khan. I have seen things, both great and terrible. I have seen… you are dying of the same incurable illness that took Chieftain Belladonna from us.”

Adam sounds… almost genuine. For a moment Jaune is even willing to entertain the idea that Adam is nothing but an unwitting patsy for Ozma. Maybe he has nothing to do with Ghira or Sienna’s poisoning, other than that he’s being told that things are going to happen by Ozma.

… But no. Looking a little bit closer, Jaune can see the lie in the faunus man’s posture. He can see the deception. Adam Taurus is good at hiding his true feelings, but not good enough to hide it from Jaune. He can tell the man isn’t truly contrite, or sorry. Nor does he feel even an ounce of real pity or sorrow at the prospect of Sienna’s passing. And he definitely knows she’s been poisoned, not just merely taken ill.

Still, Jaune holds up a hand, wordlessly keeping the Belladonnas from rushing forward to demand Adam answer for his killing of their husband and father. Instead, he watches as Sienna leans back in her throne, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m dying, am I? And your visions told you this… did they?”

Frowning slightly, perhaps beginning to sense something is wrong, Adam’s hands close into fists.

“I know you have not believed me, High Leader Khan. I know that it is by your word and will that much of the White Fang has ostracized me and refused to listen to my warnings. But… I do not hold that against you. Your death, as regrettable as it may be, will pave the way for a brighter future for all of us… especially when you announce me as the next High Leader of the White Fang.”

Sienna can’t help the bark of laughter that escapes her lips at that.

“Excuse me? Why would I do that?!”

Adam straightens his spine, a flash of anger in his eyes even as he keeps hold of his composure.

“Because I am the only option. This illness… it is a byproduct of yours and Ghira Belladonna’s stagnation, don’t you see? The Brother Gods themselves have cursed you, as they did our late Chieftain, for refusing to do what must be done. I cannot save you, Sienna Khan, but your last act on Remnant can mean something. By naming me as your successor, you can rest assured that the faunus people will grow to the highest heights possible.”

“How?”

Sienna’s one word question brings a broad smile to Adam’s face as he spreads his arms wide.

“The humans have weakened themselves even more than we have, High Leader. Their infighting has left their Kingdoms ripe for the taking. Once you’re gone, I will rally the White Fang to my cause and all of Menagerie will be forced to follow suit. The faunus will rise up here and in every Human Kingdom at my call, and together we shall take the world by storm. By the time the dust settles, it will be the faunus who are in charge, all across Remnant. All will accept the rule of the Dragon… or perish.”

Sienna blinks at that, but to her credit, she doesn’t glance in his and Salem’s direction.

“The Dragon. And who exactly is this dragon supposed to be?”

Smiling wickedly, Adam reaches behind his back and pulls forth a White Fang mask. Except this one is very clearly specially crafted, and stylized far beyond what Jaune has seen most wearing so far. It is the mask of a Grimm Dragon, a large thing that Adam fits over his head in such a way that the bull horns atop his skull fit perfectly into the hollowed draconic horns of the mask.

Once it’s properly in place, Adam spreads his arms wide once again.

“I am the Dragon, High Leader Khan. I am humanity’s comeuppance upon the world of Remnant. Do not despair, Sienna. Your death, as regrettable as it might be, serves to usher in the start of a new age.”

“… You’re mad.”

Sienna can’t hold back her response. She looks amazed at Adam’s audacity. And a little disgusted by his clear mental instability. Adam, meanwhile, freezes in place for a moment before growling through his mask.

“Excuse me?”

“Tell me, what makes you think that Menagerie can even hope to stand up against the Human Kingdoms if they were to unite against us? Do you have some secret weapon that I don’t know about waiting in the wings?”

The way Adam falters makes it clear he doesn’t. His voice is still relatively certain and confident though when he finally finds it.

“They won’t unite against us. How can they? They are weakened. The Schnee is dead, Mistral has lost their greatest General, all of the Kingdoms are too busy fighting one another. They’ll never see us coming.”

Sienna scoffs, even as Jaune’s eyes widen. It dawns on him then, what Ozma’s plan is.

“They might not see the first strike coming, but what about the second? Do you intend to somehow destroy all four Human Kingdoms in one blow? You could not even hope to destroy one before the others will react. Do you think that their disunity will last in the face of a common foe? If you give them cause to unite, they will do so in a heartbeat. With the Grimm gone, you will turn the Faunus into the new boogeymen for the Human Kingdoms. They will turn their blades and guns and huntsmen onto us and wipe the faunus from the face of Remnant because of you.”

By the time Sienna is done speaking, she’s positively panting with anger. Her hands grip hard at the arms of her throne and only his order to continue feigning weakness and stay in her seat seems to have kept her from rising to her feet.

But to be fair… she’s right. That must be Ozma’s plan, insidious as it is. Turn Adam Taurus into a religious fanatic. Use his own ambition and ego against him. Have him kill his opposition so he can take over… and then have him lead the faunus into battle against the humans.

Ozma clearly thought that he’d killed Salem with his last gambit of turning Ruby into a silver-eyed bomb. But the Grimm remained out of the picture and that meant he needed something else to reunite the Human Kingdoms. He needed to give the kingdoms common cause against a new enemy knocking at their doorstep. Something that would represent ‘Other’ well enough for humankind to unite against the threat to eradicate it.

He'd chosen faunus, apparently. And Adam Taurus was his unwitting stooge for the role of villain.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Even now, the dragon-masked bull faunus refuses to listen to reason. Even Sienna’s cold, hard logic isn’t enough to dissuade him from his path.

“I have seen it, Sienna. Just as I foresaw your death. The Human Kingdoms will fail to unite in time. They will crumble before faunus might. Your lack of vision is what led to this moment. I promise you, I will not falter as you did.”

“And if I don’t name you my successor? What then?”

Adam just scoffs at the threat.

“I have already replaced your guards with my men. When I leave here, none will be allowed to enter save for my followers. In a few more days, you will be dead and the White Fang will believe whatever I tell them about your final words. I had hoped you might be willing to make the announcement before you got any weaker… but I did not count on it. I prepared for this eventuality as well.”

Suddenly, Adam scoffs.

“Stubborn even in the face of death. Goodbye Sienna Khan. This will be the last time we speak.”

He turns on his heel at that, preparing to leave and continue spreading his poisoned thoughts to others. Jaune wouldn’t have let that happen, but before he can do anything about it, Sienna calls out and stops Adam in his tracks.

“I know you poisoned me, Adam Taurus. I know you poisoned Ghira Belladonna as well. I wonder how Blake will feel when she finds out.”

Beside Jaune, the girl in question is already vibrating with fury and itching to do something. But she remains in place even as Adam whips back around and then stomps back to Sienna, growling angrily.

“How could you possibly know that? And how will she find out? I won’t let you tell her!”

Sienna smirks.

“The one who gave you the poison… who are they? What did they promise you? I’m dying anyways… so you might as well tell me.”

Adam scoffs again.

“They are beyond your comprehension, Khan. They are above even the Brother Gods themselves. For you see, I have had my eyes opened to the truth. Even the Brother Gods have abandoned us. But not my patron. He seeks to rectify the wrongs done to the faunus people. He seeks to help me put us where we always should have been… on top.”

Sienna hums.

“So Ghira died.”

“Ghira was a test. My faith was not as strong as it should have been, and I sought to ascertain my patron’s true capabilities before I went any further. That was a… mistake on my part, for it took him some time to gain more poison to be used on you.”

They all process this alongside Sienna. Ghira was nothing but a test. Jaune had had that suspicion, but to hear Adam just say it aloud like that…

“A shame. If you had more of a backbone, if you’d gone after me with the first batch of poison, you would have succeeded.”

“What are you talking about? I HAVE succeeded, Khan! There’s no hope for you!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Taurus. You’re not the only one with magical benefactors.”

Sienna suddenly rises from her throne, causing Adam to jolt in shock and go for his weapons. At the same time, Blake Belladonna finally bursts forward, HER weapon already in hand. No hesitation, no mercy. Adam Taurus will never see it coming even with Blake leaving the range of Salem’s magic, especially since he’s completely focused on the enemy in front of him.

In that moment, Jaune is the only one who can act. If he doesn’t, Blake is going to kill Adam right then and there. Not that they really need the bull faunus alive anymore. In the end, the only real reason Jaune can think up for not letting Blake kill Adam is to avoid her staining her soul.

With a frown, Jaune makes his decision.