{1.} Alright, here are the shoutouts to the people who helped me come up with some Semblances for the characters. I made a slight alteration for the shoutouts, in that you'll get a shout out if you at least come up with the ideas or a concept behind them, but that doesn't mean they won't appear later. Besides, I'm always willing to come up with a sort of compromise.
FullmetalDeadman93 – Gave me some concept ideas for Levi's Semblance(s). I was originally going to choose one or both of the two Semblances they suggested, but now that we know what Jaune's Semblance is {with volume 5 and all}, it has given me some more ideas about what would match with Levi's character and how he's grown from his past experiences. Still, it's possible that I may end up choosing one of the ideas anyway.
Leonidas101 – We both had the same ideas on what Eren's Semblance would be, which will be shown in upcoming chapters.
Both of them helped me with some ideas for Mikasa's Semblance, but I'm going to use the same Semblance choosing tactic as I'm using with Levi, so I'm still not sure about what to give Mikasa.
{2.} I apologise in advance if you were waiting for Mikasa's Semblance to be revealed this chapter. It pains me to say this, but Mikasa is not the lucky soldier that gets to obtain their Semblance in this chapter. She'll get hers in chapter 13. I don't have anything against Mikasa, I'd just prefer it if she wasn't the first person to obtain their Semblance, since that is what people would expect.
{3.} I don't know if I have mentioned this or not, but I'll just say this: Krista Lenz is my favourite character in Attack on Titan. If you see any spotlight on Krista – before those arcs that focus on her – then just know that that's why.
Blake Belladonna
Blake couldn't help but hum the tune of a song she'd caught Weiss singing yesterday as she pulled off some weeds stuck to the walls of the castle. It wasn't everyday she wore a skirt that went down to her ankles, but hey, she didn't want to get any of her other clothes dirty. Or soaked, whilst Ruby and Weiss took turns manning a hose that was supposed to be washing down the walls of the castle.
The clothes Blake wore were relatively simplistic: a white button-up shirt with long sleeves folded up mid-forearm, the black ankle-length skirt draped over her legs, a pair of black socks, some flat brown boots, a purple scarf, and a white bandana on the crown of her head where her fringe started, for the most part covering up her cat ears that were folded down on her head. In one hand was a mop, and behind her was wooden wheelbarrow, to which she threw the weeds into.
"It's nice that Pyrrha brought some cleaning equipment with her," Blake turned her head to see Yang leaning against a doorway, holding a bowl full of boiled potatoes that Sasha had made for her that morning.
Blake lifted the mop with both hands, seeing some dirt that had accumulated on the wall over the years of it's abandonment. "Yeah. Her and the others really thought of everything. They probably knew we barely keep any of that around, and Weiss was no help either. She may have secured this place for us, but she barely made it clean enough to live in."
"I suppose that's to be expected, though. I mean, she is a Schnee. You'd expect her to have grown up with people like butlers and maids doing all the housework for her and her family, like making dinner or maintaining the residence." Yang shrugged and took a bite out of the potato, and then two more bites after that.
"I guess so. Weiss' parents probably didn't think they'd have to teach their kids how to maintain a comfortable living environment because they didn't think anyone would leave the family home like Weiss did." Blake scrubbed away at the dirt, seeing it dull and disappear bit by bit with every rough scrape of the mop soaked in cleaning detergents.
"What was your family life like, Blake?" Yang asked after she ate the rest of the potato. "You never really told me what life was like for you, before the White Fang, I mean."
"There really was no 'before' the White Fang. My dad was already the leader of the White Fang when I was born, back when it was just about discriminated and bullied Faunus protesting with signs in the streets, and it stayed like that a couple of years after I was born, too. Life got better for my family and I when our protests finally came through for us and we were given the island of Menagerie as a homeland for Faunus. My family and I moved there, and all was well until we realised that Menagerie was two-thirds desert with only a third of it being liveable enough to create the actual village most Faunus live in. Still, at least it was safe. And unlike with the White Fang, my father continues to live as the Chieftain of the village."
Yang's jaw dropped open. "Wait, so you're like... a princess?"
"No?" Blake stopped scrubbing and looked at the blonde with a raised brow. "My dad is the Chieftain, not the King of Menagerie."
"Still though, two-thirds desert or not, Menagerie's still a country, right? And your dad's still the only leader within it, even if it is just the village. Therefore, being the Chieftain would probably be the equivalent of being the King, wouldn't it? Which means that you may be the Faunus equivalent of Weiss, if not better."
Blake stared deadpan at her team partner, unable to think of a response.
"Who's the Faunus equivalent of Weiss?"
Blake and Yang both turned their heads to find Eren climbing off his horse along with Levi and some more members of the Scouts that the girls hadn't met yet. Yang smiled at Eren and Levi.
"Blake is." Yang grabbed a potato and lightly tossed it to Eren. The boy caught it, but the potato seemed to scold his hands, and he ended up tossing it between his fingers a few times before he finally balanced it between his fingers and thumbs, not allowing it to touch his palms.
"No one told us you guys would be staying here too." Blake lowered the mop and dipped it into the bucket, holding it there.
"Some of the higher-ups were debating where Eren could be kept for safety purposes. It took a while during the night, after you guys left. They only realised after about an hour that you guys were staying here, so the decision was made short-notice." Levi explained as he climbed down off of his horse, having to hop slightly from the saddle due to his short stature. Despite his issue with the length of his legs, he made his way over to Blake in two blinks of an eye, and ended up looking up at the wall beside her. "I thought Weiss already cleaned this place."
"At best, she only cleaned the room we're staying in. But even then, all she did was some dusting and hosing down." Blake lifted the mop out of the bucket and planted it on a windowsill a foot above her. She wiped off the grime and dirt from the concrete and glass, and even on the underside of the windowsill, but some of the water ended up falling and soaking the white bandana she wore. "Hey! Which one of you girls is supposed to be doing the windows?" she shouted, again lowering the mop into the bucket. She planted a hand on her hip.
Pyrrha opened the windows, her circlet headpiece nowhere in sight and replaced with a white bandana covering the top of her head. From what Blake could see, Pyrrha was wearing a brown tunic with a pale golden skirt, and over it a red cardigan shoved up at the elbows, with a white apron covering the front and hanging from her neck.
"Weiss was supposed to be doing them, I think! At least, that's what Ruby told me!" The redhead waved as she leant over the edge of the window. "By the way, do you have any paint? I can't help but feel the inside would look better if we coated the walls and gave it some décor!"
"Are there any storage cupboards?" Blake asked, moving the hand on her hip to the handle of the mop. "If there is, there might be something in there! It might take a while to paint the entire place, though!"
"I'll do that! Thank you!" Pyrrha smiled and waved again, shutting the windows and moving out of sight.
"You know, you'd think some of us have never helped their parents out around the house." Yang said before she took a bite out of another potato.
"And you," Blake turned her head and raised her hand, and with a quirk of her index finger, pointed at Yang. "You have been no help. You've recovered, you're up and about, you have your appetite back, and you have been eating nonstop since last night, so all things considered, you should be well enough to help out around here."
"Huh?!" Yang's eyes widened, and she stepped away from the wall.
"Get an apron on, tie your hair up, and start cleaning the windows." Blake demanded, ripping her bandana off her head and tossing it at Yang. A soft breeze hit Blake's cat ears. She reached down her shirt and into her vest underneath, pulling out her ribbon she'd previously used to create her signature bow, and pulled her hair up into a ponytail and fastened it up with the ribbon, making a bow as she tied it. "There's some buckets on the tables near the kitchen, and Pyrrha left her cleaning detergents on the counter beside the sink. Get going, before I get Ruby to tell you the same."
"Alright, alright," Yang picked up the bandana off her chest, and held it between her finger and thumb. "Where do I put these potatoes?"
"Leave them with Sasha. The others will probably want some, if you're done with them."
"The others?" Eren tilted his head.
"Some of the cadets decided to visit Yang to see if she was getting any better, and we let them stay for a while. Annie, Sasha, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Reiner, and Connie are in there... somewhere." Blake shrugged her shoulders as her hands found the mop again. She turned to Yang and nodded her head at the wall, watching as the blonde sighed and nodded at her, spinning on her heel and proceeding back into the building.
Jean and Reiner appeared in the doorway afterwards, having come from the same way Yang was going.
"Hey, Blake. Mikasa decided to help Ruby set up the rooms you girls will be using for the most part, and Armin's gone to teach Weiss the proper protocol for cleaning a place to make it liveable. Is there anything we can help with?" Reiner asked her, giving Blake a serious vibe of responsibility.
Blake nodded and smiled. "Actually, I'm glad you asked. Jean, you don't mind pulling up some of the weeds that have grown over the years, do you?"
"U-Uh, no, no I don't mind!" Jean waved his hands up in front of him in assurance, and jogged over to the wheelbarrow.
"Thanks. There was a lot that have grown around the stables and the walls around there, if you need a place to start. When the wheelbarrow's full, just see if you can find a dispenser or some place to tip it in and get rid of it, and keep going if there's any weeds you missed."
"Will do!"
"And Reiner," Blake pivoted back toward Reiner, "I've told Yang to help out by cleaning the windows. If you're looking for a job to help with, you can help Yang out and half the amount of work she has to do."
"I'm on it!" Reiner nodded eagerly and jogged back inside the castle.
"Looks like you have it all under control." Levi commented with raised brows, and Blake didn't think she'd ever seen the man so surprised. He folded his arms across his chest and slightly looked up at her. "There anything you need us to do?"
"Actually, if you have your gear, you'll be able to help out for the higher areas." Blake set the handle of the mop again the wall. "Eren, you can help Ruby and Mikasa set up the rooms."
Eren's shoulders hunched and he tensed up, but smiled and nodded eagerly. "I'll get right to it!" he said as he ran through the doors and disappeared into the castle.
"You two," Blake pointed her index and middle fingers at a small woman with honey-blonde hair, and a tall man holding his bleeding tongue, "you can use your gear to get yourself up there and clean the walls. Cleaning supplies are on the counter in the kitchen, as well as some water and paper towels for your tongue, whatever happened to it."
"Yes, ma'am!" The woman hopped off her horse and pulled the man off his, before dragging him into the building.
"You guys," Blake aimed her index and middle fingers at a man with dull blond hair tied up in a bun, and another man with dark brown hair and slightly tanned skin, "can help those other two by clearing the weeds and other overgrown plants off the areas they're cleaning."
"We're on it." both men said simultaneously and nodded their heads after getting off their horses. Unlike the others, who seemed to be in a rush, they calmly entered through the doorway and disappeared into the building.
"And what would you like to do?" Blake placed her hands on her hips as she turned back to Levi.
"I'll clean the rooms on the higher levels, where my team is. That way, more work will get done and we'll shave off some time."
"You know where the cleaning supplies are, Captain, so get going. We have all day; just not all night."
Yang Xiao Long
"Alright, so since you're all already here anyway, we're just gonna start you off with a lesson on the basics."
"Now, this lesson is going to be about two things in which you probably aren't familiar: Aura, and Semblance. These are two very important concepts that we fight with, and it wouldn't be out of the question to say they help us to survive when the fight gets a bit tough. If it helps, take notes of what we say, as it could help you during future training exercises when you'll be asked to put your skills to the test." Pyrrha advised, flattening the skirt that came with the Beacon uniform when she sat on the front of the desk. "The training isn't as pressuring as it may sound, in all honestly. The training exercises we planned for you aren't that difficult. Well, they shouldn't be, but you're all capable people, as Team RWBY tells me. Anyone can learn how to use Aura and Semblance, given enough practice." she quickly assured everyone, waving her hands slowly and reassuringly. "By the way, if you have any inquiries during the lesson about what we teach you, feel free to raise your hand and ask them."
"Alright, now that that's cleared up, I guess I can start by explaining Aura." Yang spun on her heel and walked toward the black board. Picking up a chalk, she drew the outline of a human, and then beside the human, she drew the outline of a Faunus beside it. She wrote 'FAUNUS' above the outline of the Faunus, and the outline had cat ears. Of course, the word 'HUMAN' was written above the outline of the human.
In the centre of each outline, Yang drew a wavy circle with what appeared to be flames rising from the top half of it. Yang labelled it as the soul.
Yang spun around to face the class, flashing a smile as she said, "Aura is the manifestation of the soul, and is the term given to the innate power that those with a soul possess. It is a powerful ally in battle, and is required to trigger the use of Dust, which I'm sure a lucky few of you have witnessed Weiss use in combat."
"Creatures that have souls, by extension, have Auras. Some creatures, such as humans and Faunus alike, are able to use their Aura to enhance their strength, endurance, agility, dexterity, and even constitution. Weapons and armour can also act as conduits for a person's Aura, which allows for a wider range of offensive and defensive capabilities." Pyrrha continued on with a smile. "However, Ruby will be the one to teach you about how to handle weapons." She added.
Then, Jean raised his hand. Yang nodded her head at him, motioning for him to speak. "What does Aura look like?" he asked as he lowered his hand.
"Because Aura is the manifestation of the soul, it can appear differently depending on who is using it. The colour or element of an Aura differs with each individual. However, it isn't uncommon for a person's Aura to be the same colour or element as someone else's." Pyrrha answered, laying one hand on her skirt and covering the back of her hand with the palm of the other. "For example, both Ruby and I have a red coloured Aura. Weiss, Yang, and Blake may end up sharing the same colour or element of their Aura with one of you."
"In other words, Aura is able to manifest in different ways when in use, taking on the colour, and in some cases, the element, of someone's inner energy." Yang clarified. The blonde was drawing coloured Aura patterns around the human and the Faunus outlines. From Pyrrha's expression, it was apparent she had noticed that Yang was using herself and Blake as examples of Aura.
Mikasa then raised her hand. "How is Aura unlocked or activated, so to speak?"
"To unlock or activate your Aura on your own requires training and, most of all, willpower. However, someone who has done considerable training with their own Aura can unlock the Aura of another person. In fact, some people may prefer to have their Aura unlocked by another individual instead of having to spend time training in order to activate it themselves." Yang replied, perching herself on the front of the desk. "A lot of parents, specifically in the huntsman line of work, often unlock their child's Aura in order to carry on protecting them when they're not around. And a lot of Faunus have their Auras unlocked at a young age – despite being from civilian families – due to the bullying and discrimination they suffer."
"However, unlocking someone's Aura has an effect on the person unlocking it." Pyrrha raised her finger. "Some examples include momentary fatigue, weakness in the legs, and uncontrollable bladder. The list goes on, but I think you get the point."
"And that's about it for Aura. Are there any more questions?" Yang asked, her gaze wandering the room, searching for anyone who had any more questions. Everyone sat in silence. Yang nodded at Pyrrha. "Alright, since no-one has any more questions, let's start with Semblances."
"Semblance is the manifestation of one's personal power as an ability often unique to each individual. It is the projection of one's Aura in a more tangible form, and the will of your soul manifested onto the environment. With Semblance, you can manipulate certain physical phenomena according to the nature of your power. A person's Semblance can represent an aspect of their character or your personality can be a result of discovering your Semblance. That being said, some do end up with the same Semblances, and a Semblance can run in the family, though that is quite rare. For example, Ruby's Speed Semblance is a rather common Semblance, usually found in people with a bubbly or hyperactive personality, and Weiss' Glyph Semblance is hereditary – essentially, in runs in the Schnee family bloodline." Pyrrha explained, her eyes scouring the room. "To make things simpler, you could say that Semblance is what makes the term 'willpower' take on a more literal meaning." she added, and there was a round of Ohs that passed around the class.
"It's also worth noting that after a person's Aura is unlocked, they can discover their Semblance afterwards. The girls and I can unlock the Aura of one person each, but we can't go round all of you. The ones we unlock the Aura of will need to memorise what the feeling of having your Aura unlocked feels like, and using that, we need you to unlock the Aura of someone else in this class, and then that person will do the same until you've all had your Auras unlocked. We know you won't have had any training in the use of Aura, and it is a bit sudden to ask of you, but we can't get through you all at the same time because of the effect it has on us." Yang spun around and folded her arms.
"A similar thing applies with Semblance. If you do find your Semblance during this month we have, make sure you get the chance to review it and memorise the feeling of it, as it is important that you know what your Semblance feels like after you first discover it. Doing that could also help you learn to control your Semblance as well." Pyrrha advised. She breathed out, sparing a few glances at Yang, before looking around the room, trying to find anyone that had any questions. "Does anyone have anything to ask now?"
Mikasa raised her hand this time. "Is it possible for someone to have a Semblance that revolves around the use of a specific material, such as Dust?"
"While it is indeed possible, having a Semblance like that is dependent on a person's character or soul, unlike hereditary Semblances. However," Pyrrha responded, raising her hand and letting her palm glow the same colour of her skin, and in an instant, her shield (that had been laid on the wall underneath the board) was lifted into the air and moved through the air beside her, spinning slowly. Pyrrha smiled and looked to her shield, "those Semblances do exist. My Semblance is Polarity, meaning I can control magnetism, or manipulate metal that can be affected by magnetic forces. Since I discovered my Semblance, I have trained this magnetism to control any metal, including the metals that aren't affected by magnetic forces."
"I also know that it is possible to have a Semblance that allows the user to manipulate Dust. It's quite a boring Semblance on its own, but you can use different Dust types as a conduit to make it look more impressive than it is. An example would include using Volcanic Dust as a conduit to create glass."
Then, Reiner raised his hand. "Can stress affect the use of Semblance?"
"Yes." Yang said and nodded her head. "But stress isn't the only thing that affects the use of Semblance. Emotions can also play a role in affecting the use of Semblance as well. For example, my own Semblance can become more powerful when I'm fuelled by rage or anger. If someone is stressed or facing emotional turmoil, then that person's Semblance can be out of control like mine was at Trost, or in some cases, a person's Semblance can be weakened."
"Overuse of a Semblance for a prolonged period of time is also not a great idea, as it can affect the user, at least in the short term. The overuse of Semblance can cause the user to tire out, and can momentarily weaken the Semblance along with that person, and in some cases, their Aura too." Pyrrha concluded, catching her shield after she released it from its suspension.
Everyone took a moment to divulge the information, while Yang's gaze wandered over the seemingly uncomfortable students. Yang was terrified that they may have scared some of the cadets with talking about the cons of using Semblance. Pyrrha was scratching the back of her head.
"Uh, how about I unlock someone's Aura?" Pyrrha asked, placing both hands on the edge of the desk and gripping it. "Are there any volunteers that want to have their Aura unlocked?"
Armin and Mikasa were the first to raise their hands, which prompted Yang to motion for them to come up to the front; and despite any nagging concerns that both Yang and Pyrrha were sure they had, they stepped up to the front of the class. Mikasa stood beside Pyrrha, electing herself to be the first in the class to have her Aura unlocked.
Pyrrha placed a gentle hand on Mikasa's shoulder, her breathing becoming steady as she stared into Mikasa's steely grey eyes, which appeared to be as expressionless as ever. Without so much as speaking a word, Pyrrha's body began to envelop in a red glow, and a brief moment later, Mikasa's body was encased in a smoky, steely silver glow that would have matched Ruby's eyes. Pyrrha soon removed her hand from Mikasa's shoulder, and proceeded to watch as Mikasa gazed down at her glowing hands with widened eyes.
"There. I have unlocked your Aura. Remember the feeling, and drill it into your memory." Pyrrha told her, and though Yang could hear the strain in her voice from the momentary fatigue, she realised Pyrrha had softened her tone as if she had been speaking to Jaune. Mikasa clenched her fists, before opening them again. The glow disappeared, causing Mikasa to ball up her fists again, and as expected, the glow returned.
"Mikasa," Yang called out to the girl, and her head snapped up, her eyes meeting Yang's as her glow disappeared. Yang pointed to Armin. "Now that you have your Aura unlocked and know the feeling of it, try unlocking Armin's."
Mikasa nodded without a word and pivoted to face Armin. She gently planted both hands on his shoulders and appeared to steady her breathing like Pyrrha had done, while closing her eyes. The silver glow that had enveloped her earlier came back with a strong vibrancy and when it came into contact with Armin, his body glowed a cute baby blue colour that shone like the sky on a sunny day without clouds.
Mikasa opened her eyes and stepped back, allowing Armin room to see the glow that enveloped him and keep it visible with the soft clenching of his fists for five blinks of an eye, before he finally relaxed his muscles and his Aura faded, and it was then that Yang had realised that his eyes had been shining a stronger and lighter blue, sparkling along with the glow of his Aura.
"Good." Yang nodded her head. "Armin, you and Erwin are being taught the knowledge and usage of Dust by Weiss, right?"
"Uh, y-yes," Armin gave a polite smile and nodded his head, standing awkwardly, as if he wanted to leave.
"Now that you have your Aura unlocked, you'll be able to use the Dust she's teaching you about. Go and see her and tell her I told you to practice with the four primary types of Dust she found in the mines. She's set up outside the castle, somewhere, and is busy combining the primary types of Dust at the moment, so you may or may not have to wait unless she asks you to help out." Yang stepped away from the board and went to open the door, Armin following behind her. When she opened the door, she stepped aside and turned halfway to face him. "Also, don't forget to let Erwin know that you've had your Aura unlocked and have been practicing with the Dust. Go and see him when Weiss says the day's over."
"O-Okay! I will!" Armin nodded, twice, and awkwardly left the room with a self-conscious walk that gave Yang the vibe that he was trying too hard to be calm.
"Mikasa, I have something for you as well," Yang shrugged, "or, at least Ruby has. She asked me to send you to her after you'd had your Aura unlocked. She needs your help with some prototypes she's made for the ODM Gear, and how well you would be able to use it with its improvements. She should be outside making some adjustments to her sketches and ideas." Yang raised her hand and with a quirk of her thumb, she pointed over her shoulder, her other hand on her hip.
"Last time I heard, I think she's making specialised gear for certain people and their skills. I believes she's made concept sketches for Eren and Captain Levi's gear as well." Pyrrha straightened her back and craned her neck in order to look over Mikasa's shoulder.
Upon hearing that, Mikasa braved a sweet smile and nodded her head, giving a slight bow. "I won't let her down." she vowed, before setting off in a jog as she left the room.
Yang closed the door behind Mikasa and observed the rest of the group. She had forgotten that Levi's squad was here.
"Alright, so who's next?"
Krista Lenz
Krista sprinted through a large forest overlooking the pathway to the old castle, the former Scout Regiment Headquarters. She was a small girl – the smallest of the cadets, standing at 4'8" or 4'9" inches, since she hadn't really checked if she'd grown recently – in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by large and tall trees that covered a rather wide surface area, combined with thick brush that almost anything or anyone could hide in.
The training exercise she was doing now had been pushed to today. Just half an hour ago Krista and the other soldiers had been sitting in a classroom in the castle, where the Special Operations Squad – otherwise known as the Levi Squad – were now keeping Eren under surveillance, and the five new girls were staying anyway, and the group were taken out here and given scarves and fifteen minutes of preparation for the training exercise. Pyrrha and Yang were running it, but with Blake nowhere in sight at all today, Krista had to wonder if Blake was secretly taking part, waiting for an opportune time to strike and see what the person she ambushed had to fight with up their sleeves.
Speaking of Pyrrha and Blake, Krista herself had been in awe last night, when Blake had introduced her to Pyrrha, another newcomer to this world from Remnant. She was so tall, so beautiful, and looked so mighty and strong, and the muscles on her upper arms were a bit bigger than Mikasa's, and she had such a beautiful figure too. Krista had adored the girl's selfless personality and kind-hearted character, and she couldn't help but feel as if Ymir had been jealous of Pyrrha when Krista had introduced her to the redhead.
Today was also the day that she had to choose her career, and she already had it in her mind to go and join the Scouts. She was doing it for a reason that she couldn't quite remember, but she had been telling herself that she wanted to help people, sacrificing herself for the safety of someone more important, if need be. She wasn't sure whether she had really wanted to join the Scout Regiment, though, but it beat the MPs and to be honest, she couldn't commit sacrifices in the Garrison Regiment, no matter how enticing the two roses on the badge looked. Besides, she knew Ymir would be there with her when she joined anyway, since the two were inseparable.
According to what Yang had told the group of Scouts earlier, before the exercise had begun, they had one month to prepare for the upcoming expedition outside Wall Rose. Apparently, the soldiers were given a single month to recuperate from the recent events that tragically transpired, and to get the recruits familiar with the strategy that Commander Erwin and Weiss were working on together.
During the fifteen minutes preparation beforehand, Krista had asked gone to Ruby for some clarification on Aura and Semblance, and while she told the girl that she understood what they were telling her, she had to specify if Ruby had any analogies or anything that helped her when she was training to be a huntress. Whilst there, Mikasa, who had been trying on an improved version of their ODM Gear designed by Ruby herself, complained that Commander Erwin could have and should have agreed on more time, maybe two or three more months, at least, to have a better chance for more people to find their Semblances and thus more would survive the expedition. Krista knew Mikasa was right, and she agreed that one month wasn't enough time to get many of the soldiers to learn how to fight like the five girls did, but still told Mikasa that at least it got them started and perhaps they would achieve the task of finding their Semblances faster.
However, whether it was one month or more didn't matter, as that still wouldn't be enough time to teach the newcomers how to use the ODM Gear. Krista thought it was only logical that they opted for the more productive and effective training, since learning how to use Aura and Semblance, and even Dust, would no doubt help them in the long run.
Krista shook her head, trying to regain her focus on the task at hand. She stopped running and skidded to a halt. Bending her knees, Krista shifted a portion of her Aura to her feet, and with the power, she leapt high into the air. She stretched her arm up above her head, reaching for a branch that was about five meters above where she had jumped from. After one hand made contact with the branch, Krista used her other hand to grip the wood as well, and she used the strength in her arms to pull herself up, her nails digging into the bark.
She rested her back against the tree trunk once both of her feet were on the branch. It became apparent to her that she would need to improve her manoeuvring abilities, to prepare for if there was ever a situation where she didn't have her gear and needed to fight with just her body, like right now. She didn't have her ODM Gear to aid her in this training exercise. She needed to get used to the feeling of manoeuvring her own body without the stiffness of the ODM Gear, and feel as flexible and free as she assumed the girls felt, and she needed to do it fast.
Aiming her sights on a taller branch of the tree in front of her, Krista then began sprinting to the edge of the her own branch, and shifted her Aura to her feet at the last second, allowing her to jump up to the branch she was aiming for. The part of the branch she had jumped from then snapped, though she never lost focus on the one that her hands had just reached.
It appeared that although Aura enhanced certain physical capabilities of a person, such as her agility and dexterity, it was unable to compensate for the amount of built up pressure with the distribution of it, but the momentum she gained while distributing it to parts of her body was still unaccounted for.
The mission of the activity was simple: find either Pyrrha or Yang (and possibly Blake) in the forest, and defeat them in hand-to-hand combat. Each of the Scouts carried a white scarf, and the girls carried a red scarf each. Krista's scarf was tied around her neck, though she could have had it anywhere on her so long as it was still visible. If the scarf was taken, the owner of the scarf would have to report back to the camp, where Commander Pixis would be waiting with Captain Rico to document the results. When they reported back to the camp, they would be eliminated from the exercise. It was the same for Yang and Pyrrha, and possibly Blake if she was included; if they had their red scarves taken, or if every soldier had been defeated and had their white scarves taken, they would blow a whistle to indicate the activity's termination.
There were no rules to say that the soldiers couldn't gang up on any of the females, so it seemed kind of unfair – at least in Krista's mind – that the soldiers were all trying to hunt down females with no rules to say that you had to be on your own. But then again, Yang and Pyrrha had appeared to be confident that they would win the activity. Krista had a feeling that it didn't matter to them how many people they had to fight; they could all handle multiple opponents. Being outnumbered probably was not a big deal to them.
With Armin practicing the use of Dust with Weiss, and Mikasa helping Ruby on the mechanical side of things, there were only a select number of soldiers left that Krista could have the possibility of finding: Eren, Annie, Captain Levi, the four soldiers that had been handpicked to join his squad, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Reiner.
Swinging her body to and fro, Krista flipped her body up, with her knees landing on the branch. She rose to her feet immediately, as if she felt accomplished with the fact that she was finally getting somewhere with her manoeuvres. Krista observed her surroundings, training her senses – specifically her eyesight and hearing – to be alert, should she see or hear anyone or anything, any slight movement or noise.
The bushes surrounding the trees rustled. Krista's attention snapped towards the bushes, and she saw Blake with her arm outstretched with a smile as she advanced through the air up to where Krista herself was. It was clear she had leapt up from the bushes below, hence the rustling. Krista automatically leapt backwards to dodge Blake's sudden attempt to grab the white scarf around her neck.
The petite blonde rotated her body around while she was in the air, hastily searching for a tree branch that would prove useful in helping her to get into the treetops in order to hide. However, all she found was a tree trunk a few feet away from her. She performed a somersault and guided herself towards the tree trunk, watching as her feet landed on it, causing slight cracks to appear in the wood underneath the soles of her boots. Krista then swiftly swerved to the left, swinging her legs until her toes were pointed towards the ground, and her nails dug into the bark. Using the position to her advantage, Krista transferred her Aura to her feet and leapt again, aiming for the branch ahead of her.
She reached her hands out and grabbed the tree branch she aimed for, but the branch quickly snapped off the tree, detaching itself from the trunk. Krista had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming as she fell to the ground below. Krista landed on her back with a thud and a crack and a groan. The soft sensation of pain spread across her back, but her Aura had absorbed the impact, preventing her back from being damaged. Still, though, she couldn't help but feel slightly winded.
Placing the palms of her hands on the ground above her head, Krista threw her legs up and jumped to her feet, letting out a soft grunt as she did so. Her head swivelled and her eyes scoured everything in the directions her head turned. Blake was nowhere in sight; probably hiding again, Krista assumed. Her best chance was to run, and find a good place to hide until she found another soldier to possibly team up with. For now, it was safe to assume that Krista's gut feeling had been correct. Blake was a part of the exercise.
Twirling on her heel, Krista bolted through the forest, trying to escape the place where she had encountered Blake. As she ran, she heard the loud grunt and shout of another soldier, no doubt a man, judging by the gruff voice. If she had to guess, the voice was Reiner's. Skidding to a halt, Krista's muscles tensed and she glanced around the area, searching for where Reiner could be.
Bending her knees, Krista shifted her Aura to her feet again, and launched herself high into the air. Her hands made contact with a thick branch that seemed to be relatively sturdy. It was enough to hold her weight. Wrapping her arms around the branch, Krista used all of the strength her small body had to pull herself up onto it. Throwing one leg over it, she sat upright on the branch, with her hands planted on the wood so she could steady herself. She pulled one leg up and carefully set her foot down on the branch, and then did the same with her other leg. Removing her hands from their place on the branch, Krista regained her balance, and managed to stand upright again, and steady.
Then, another loud grunt came from Reiner, along with the sound of a punch being thrown. Krista knew that the noise originated from the left of her, and judging by the volume, she took an educated guess and presumed he was close by. Krista turned to her left and leapt from the branch, altering her aim to the right in hopes of being able to kick herself from each tree trunk.
Once she planted her feet on the tree trunk, Krista transferred her Aura to her feet and her lower legs, and using one foot only, Krista kicked herself off of the tree, landing her other foot on the tree that was slightly to the left. She repeated the process on the next tree that was to the right of her, and she hopped down from the trees, landing with a roll as she sprinted into a clearing, where Reiner was laid flat on his back. Across the clearing was another pathway, where Annie was sprinting from, and upon seeing each other, Krista and Annie dug their heels into the dirt, skidding and grinding to a halt in just enough time to stop themselves from colliding into each other.
Annie and Krista both looked up and stared at each other for a moment, and pulled their legs back, straightening their postures. They both swung their arms, their hands clapping together and fingers grabbing at the other's hand. After shaking each other's hand and nodding their heads at one another to show their silent alliance, they both let go and pivoted, their backs coming into contact with one another as Annie tried to talk to Reiner.
"Reiner; which one did you see?" Annie called out to him as she and Krista balled their fists and raised their fists, placing one foot forward. This was Annie's signature fighting stance, which Eren learnt from Annie when they were training in hand-to-hand combat. Krista felt reassured that she had found Annie, as the girl placed first in hand-to-hand combat, Eren coming second due to Annie teaching him most, if not all, of what she knew.
"I think... it was Pyrrha? All I saw was red hair and then I was thrown over someone's head." Reiner said, groaning when he crawled onto his front side, supporting himself on the palms of his hands. He lifted pushed himself off the ground and smiled, showing off his white scarf, which he had stuffed down his sleeve, with the corner of it in his palm. "Not against the rules."
"Nice thinking. I wish I'd thought of that." Krista gave him a closed-eyes smile for a mere two seconds and turned back in just enough time to see Pyrrha reaching for the white scarf around her neck, fast. Krista grabbed Annie by the shoulder and spun the girl around, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down to duck. She felt Pyrrha's hands on her back and saw Pyrrha somersaulting over her and Annie and landing. The redhead had to dig her heels into the ground to stop.
Annie was the first to stand up, pulling Krista up by the arm. "Thanks."
Krista gave the other blonde an uneasy nod of her head, and receded back into a fighting stance.
Pyrrha set off in a sprint towards Krista and Annie, with one of her feet skidding across the ground. She raised her leg up and swung it in a horizontal motion, aiming to hit either girl in the side of her abdomen. Annie immediately lifted her opposite leg to counter Pyrrha's kick. Annie's knee connected with Pyrrha's lower leg, with Pyrrha's foot just inches away from her face. Annie bent her knee, planting her foot on Pyrrha's shin. Launching herself off of Pyrrha's leg, Annie somersaulted in the air, with the force of Annie's leap sending Pyrrha's leg back down and her foot slamming onto the dirt. Annie directed a diving kick at Pyrrha.
Annie's attack didn't hit Pyrrha. Pyrrha performed a backflip to dodge Annie's kick and Annie landed firmly on both feet.
Krista pushed Annie aside and sprinted toward Pyrrha, using her Aura to gain speed and momentum. Balling a fist and pulling her arm back, Krista planted the soles of her boots down and slid across the dirt with incredible speed. She threw her fist out towards Pyrrha, only for the girl to catch her by her wrist with one hand and make a reach for her scarf.
Krista grabbed Pyrrha's other hand and pushed the girl's arm with her own, despite being over a foot shorter, weaker, and naturally at a disadvantage. Pyrrha's hold on her wrist seemed to slip, and used the opportunity to perform a backflip, in hopes of gaining distance. When Krista landed firmly on her feet a few yards from where Pyrrha stood, she thought about what the redhead herself had told the group earlier, when they were in class, being taught the properties of Aura and Semblance by only Yang and Pyrrha.
"You could say that Semblance is what makes the term 'willpower' take on a more literal meaning."
'Twist the world's laws until they act to your will.' Krista revised in her head the words that had come from Ruby during the 15 minutes of preparation beforehand. Pyrrha swiftly approached Krista after blocking another one of Annie's kicks and throwing the girl over her head. Krista's fist made contact with the palm of Pyrrha's open hand, affectively stopping her from reaching for her scarf. Crossing her free arm over the one she was currently stretching out, Krista gripped the sleeve of Pyrrha's uniform blazer.
With the enhanced strength of her Aura, Krista spun herself around with the aim of making Pyrrha dizzy by spinning her around repeatedly. After twirling around five or six times, Krista let go of Pyrrha and heaved the taller girl over her shoulder with what strength she had. The action sent Pyrrha flying into a tree. Unfortunately for Krista, Pyrrha didn't seem to be affected, and she didn't look as if she had been dizzy when she somersaulted backwards and the soles of her shoes hit the trunk of the tree, steady and ready to pounce.
Krista narrowed her eyes as Pyrrha leapt from the trunk, lifting her leg up high (seemingly regardless of the fact she was wearing only a skirt and tights) to attack Krista from above. Krista evaded Pyrrha's kick by leaping backwards, and for a brief moment, Krista felt like she could fly. If only she could...
"As long as you believe it is possible, you will discover your Semblance." Ruby's words ran through Krista's mind as she rolled backwards, gaining some more distance between them. Krista raised her head to find that Pyrrha's kick had created a crater similar in size to what a Titan would create if it fell down hard.
Krista rose to her feet and stood up straight, taking a deep breath to calm herself and control her thoughts. As Krista had gained a brief opportunity to begin to think straight, Pyrrha also hesitated to move, and instead narrowed her eyes at Krista, no doubt curious as to what she was doing. Then, Pyrrha bent her knees and began to resume her charge towards Krista.
Krista focused all of her attention on her Aura, feeling a sudden wave of power coursing through her body. She felt as if everything happening around her had been slowed, as if the world was waiting for her to do something. Krista's breath hitched, and her body tingled, but the most prominent of the signs was her back muscles tightening.
"Believe, and it will be so." Ruby's voice conquered her thoughts.
And despite all of the questions she withheld in her head and heart, Krista believed.
A pair of white translucent wings protruded from Krista's back muscles and shoulder blades in a bright flash of light, fluttering as they lifted Krista off the ground. The wings flapped forward to create a strong gust of wind that caused Pyrrha, Annie, and Reiner to cross their arms in front of their faces in order to protect themselves. Krista twirled around and flapped her wings again, flying up into the air. She travelled upwards with such incredible speed that her hair flew in all almost all directions and she could feel the wind smacking her face and causing her eyes to water. She was nearing the treetops until one of her wings collided with a thin branch, causing her apparent angel wings to flicker and grow smaller, before disappearing into a mixture of white floral patterns that seemed to absorb into her back.
Krista threw herself into the dense foliage of the tree beside the one her wing hit. Her back hit the trunk, though she was fortunate enough to have a thick branch under her to settle on. The leaves around her rustled as she kneeled on the branch, sitting upright as the rush from discovering her own Semblance was still prominent in the way she shivered and breathed.
Krista could only revel in wondrous shock at what she had done when she managed to find a moment to think clearly. She attempted to understand what had just happened; to her especially.
For the first time ever, she had been able to manoeuvre in three dimensions on her own, without the aid of her ODM Gear. She was probably the first person in this world that had achieved flight, if some other soldier hadn't also managed to find their Semblance and ended up being at least similar or the same to her own.
However, the excitement of first activating her Semblance was quickly overcome by the feeling of dread, as she realised that she was still in the middle of her fight with Pyrrha, and had effectively just abandoned Annie and Reiner, leaving them at the redhead's mercy. Krista was hidden in the treetops, which had given her an opportunity to review her Semblance and reflect on how she had gotten it to activate for the first time, but then again, her choice of where to escape to was also like a glass cannon. The foliage that surrounded her was also obscuring her view, blocking her visibility above, below, and all around; sight was rendered useless in a place like this, as was hearing, because of the rustling of the leaves that hid her.
Krista knew that Pyrrha could never have anticipated her sudden take-off into the trees, which meant that Pyrrha had as much of an idea about where Krista was as Krista did about where Pyrrha was. Krista wasn't in the open, but she certainly could've chosen a much better place to retreat to, considering that she wasn't able to do much of anything if she didn't know where Pyrrha was.
As she was instructed in class two days prior to today, Krista reviewed the feeling of having her Semblance activated for the first time. Her back muscles twitched when her hand traced her shoulder blades and the muscles around them, feeling as that had been where her wings sprouted from. Her wings seemed to respond to her thoughts and feelings, it seemed, though it was clear her back muscles were what directed the wings.
The only thing in Krista's mind at the time it happened was one command: Fly.
Krista theorised that thinking about what her Semblance could do in better detail, she could learn to control it better; maybe even master it before the month was over. The exercises seemed to be reckless in a sense, but then again, it had been apparent during the battle of Trost that so were some of the girls that taught them. Krista was happy for that; reckless as it all seemed to be, the things they taught the soldiers would prove useful on the upcoming expedition. Krista knew better than to bet on something she didn't know in a fight for survival, and a fight for survival sometimes demanded recklessness in order to live another day.
She concentrated on shifting her Aura to her legs and feet as she slid off of the branch and dropped out of the foliage. After her foot made contact with the trunk of a tree, Krista began leaping between branches to slow her fall into the clearing. Diving from a branch just meters above the ground, Krista flexed her Semblance by arranging her thoughts into commands.
White wings sprouted from her shoulder blades again, straightening themselves out majestically as they acted like a parachute, slowing her descent and providing her with a smooth landing as she used her back muscles to direct herself over to Reiner. She hovered beside him as gazed up at her with widened eyes.
"Krista...?" Reiner's voice was barely above a whisper Krista looked towards Annie, and then at Pyrrha. Feeling her back muscles starting to constrict slightly, Krista allowed her majestic angel wings to absorb back into her muscles and shoulder blades and landed securely on the ground beside Reiner. When she looked back at Pyrrha, the redhead was nowhere to be seen.
Krista's first instinct was to look up, anticipating a strike from above. Sure enough, Pyrrha had her leg outstretched, aiming for a diving kick directed to the narrow gap in-between Krista and Reiner. She hadn't had any control over her wings when she launched from the ground and dragged Reiner away with her a few feet, landing on the ground with him before she hopped off. Krista rolled out of the way a few extra feet just as Pyrrha's foot stomped down on the ground where Krista and Reiner had stood only moments before.
Upon swiftly recovering from Pyrrha's attack, Krista countered with one of her own: her own take on the infamous kick that Annie had taught Eren during their time as cadets.
Krista used her Aura to generate enough speed to move faster than the eye could see for a split second, advancing towards Pyrrha. The redhead's eyes widened as the smallest blonde instantly planted her hands on the ground and lifted her legs to about knee-height. Krista balanced on her fingertips and twirled her hand, spinning herself around. Krista's foot connected with the back of Pyrrha's knees, knocking the girl off balance for a moment.
Krista's wings sprouted from her back again in a blaze of white and flapped forward with such ferocity that the gust of wind it created was enough to knock Pyrrha back. Because she had lost her balance and had been in the air when Krista performed the attack with her Semblance, Pyrrha had ended up rolling away, several yards back from where Reiner was.
Her angel wings stayed extended as they gave her a burst of speed, allowing her to suddenly appear in front of Pyrrha. Krista instantly made a grab for the red scarf around Pyrrha's neck. Pyrrha barely had any time to react when Krista's hand made contact with the fabric and she pulled it over her head with complete ease. Krista flew up in celebration, holding Pyrrha's scarf above her head as if it was a trophy.
"I got it! I got the scarf!"
With a bright smile, Krista slowly hovered back down and let the soles of her boots rest on the dirt.
"Well I'll be damned..." Annie barely managed to breathe out.
"Krista?" Reiner piped up, steadily lifting himself to his feet. He blinked rapidly whilst Krista's wings fluttered and disappeared. He tilted his head, looking extremely puzzled. "Did you just... fly?"
"Yes, she did." Pyrrha answered for her in a rather congratulatory tone, not bothered at all by the fact that she'd lost. It was at that point that Krista felt a surge of pride wash over her.
Krista tried to produce her wings again. Her wings didn't appear on her back, and she clutched at her shoulder blades. She could feel the shallow pain of her strained muscles. Maybe she'd not gotten used to her Semblance, and therefore didn't have enough endurance to last long?
"I think I may need to work on my Semblance's durability." Krista informed them, gazing up at Pyrrha with soft-hearted expression. "My back already feels strained and I'm absolutely exhausted."
"Let's get back to camp. You don't seem like you'd be okay to carry on without your Semblance." Reiner stated, walking over to Krista as Annie jogged over to her and helped the smaller blonde to her feet. Pyrrha took the liberty of taking Krista's, Reiner's, and Annie's scarves. "We can talk about your newfound Semblance while we get some food."
"Sounds good to me." Krista responded, hanging her arm over Annie's shoulders whilst the other girl stabilised Krista's smaller frame by wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her side.
It didn't take long to find their way back to the castle, with Reiner and Krista both breathing heavily. It seemed as if Reiner hadn't quite gotten used to using his Aura yet, but Krista was sure he'd improve, given practice. There were bound to be some who needed more help than others. As far as Krista was concerned, she was one of the lucky ones.
When they got there, they managed to find Commander Pixis standing there with Ymir on one side and Captain Rico standing on the other. Krista's eyes sparkled when she saw Ymir again, and she gave her a bright, wide smile. Then she observed the rest of the people with them: Ruby, Mikasa, Weiss, Armin, Commander Erwin, Captain Mike, Connie, Sasha, Jean, and the four people Levi handpicked for his squad. None of them had a single bruise on them, and in front of them on a wooden table with benches on either side was a basket with white scarves.
"Wow, I was the first to go?" Pyrrha smiled as she dropped her red scarf and the three white scarves into the basket. "I'm surprised Krista didn't get a higher placement within the top ten in the 104th Cadet Corps. She and Annie made quite a strong duo."
"Wait, hold on. You, the Invincible Girl, were beat by two girls, both half your size?" Weiss asked, staring at Pyrrha with raised eyebrows.
"It had a lot to do with Krista's speed and the fact she has a great Semblance, but also Annie's control over her Aura is better than what I expected for someone having to practice using it for the first time." Pyrrha patted Krista's and Annie's shoulders gently.
"You discovered your Semblance already?" Armin questioned as he stared at the girl with raised brows and widened eyes, yet Krista could see the faintest smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Yes. Using it repeatedly in such quick succession wore me out, but I still managed to do it." Krista tried to lift herself up a bit, and straightened her back, causing a slight twitch in her muscles. "My Semblance is the ability to fly. I was able to manifest a pair of wings on my back and move in three dimensions. Unfortunately, my back may need some rest now as it hurts a bit, but I'll show you what I can do later!"
"You don't have to push yourself to prove yourself. After all, Pyrrha, Reiner, and Annie can vouch for you." Ruby said as she waved her hands reassuringly. "Anyway, I guess all we're waiting for is—" Ruby craned her neck to look over Annie's shoulder, prompting everyone else to turn to look in the same direction. "—Eren and Levi."
Coming out of the brush were Yang and Blake. Blake carried Captain Levi over her shoulder, whilst Eren was being carried in both of Yang's arms, with on arm under his back and her other arm under his legs. Eren had a frown and his eyebrows were slanted. Perhaps the reason he looked sad was because he lost?
"He might be Humanity's Strongest, but he's sure not as adept in hand-to-hand combat. Then again, he could match me with speed, and his reflexes without the gear were better than I expected." Blake informed them as she approached the group, with Captain Levi kicking his feet out and glaring at her and the others over his shoulder. "He's already managed better than average control of his Aura, too. He used it to generate speed in coordination with the speed he's shown in the past."
"Annie also demonstrated above average Aura control." Pyrrha chimed in, nodding her head at Blake.
"So has this champ." Yang planted Eren down on one of the benches, and his saddened expression warped into shock when Yang patted his head. "He was able to use his Aura in a similar way I do, easily manipulating it to create a larger impact, especially on the environment. Almost gave me a run for my money."
"Huh. This month might go smoother than I expected, then." Weiss folded her arms, a slight smile forming.
"Now that you four are here, Krista managed to discover her Semblance already." Pyrrha announced with a wide closed-eyes smile.
At the news, Captain Levi hopped off Blake's shoulder, and spun around immediately to face Krista herself. "What is your Semblance?"
"It's the ability to fly, sir." Krista gave the man a nervous smile as a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
"Krista was able to sprout two wings from her back and take flight into the treetops. Now, Aura can do many things, but forming wings is, sadly, not one of them." Pyrrha clarified, cocking her head to the side a bit. "It's quite impressive, really, since she was able to use it repeatedly until she wore herself out, but if given enough practice, she might not even have to use the gas for the gear."
"And how would we practice her Semblance?" Commander Pixis asked, taking a sip of alcohol from his flask.
"Oh! I've got an idea!" Ruby clicked her fingers, an excited look on her face as she looked at Krista. "We need to improve the durability of her Semblance, which means Krista needs to use it for longer periods of time instead of in short bursts. That being said, there's a good chance of encountering Titans, so she'll also need to learn how to use it while aiming for a moving target, which means the wooden cut-outs of Titans won't be good enough." Ruby's gaze trailed to Eren.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna have to transform to help Krista train her Semblance?" Eren asked, his face contorting into an expression of exhaustion, his eyes half-lidded.
"You're the only real Titan we've got." Ruby cheerfully stated, clasping her hands together in front of her skirt with a bright smile on her face. "Besides, it'd also give me a chance to see how well Mikasa can use one of my prototypes for the improved Omni-Directional Mobility Gear when faced with a Titan, too."
"When do we start?"
Mikasa Ackerman
"Before we start, I'd just like to warn everyone that this is still a prototype. I only had at least a couple of hours to make these changes to the gear, maybe a day if I lost track of time." Ruby warned, grabbing a belt that didn't seem as if it was fully made of leather, if at all. In fact, it looked more like Ruby's belt, but black and a bit thicker in width and rattled faintly as Ruby approached Mikasa with it, almost as if there was something inside it.
The two girls were stood in front of the castle, facing the tall trees. Behind them, sat on either the ground, the benches, or leaning against the wall, were the others. There was Commander Pixis, Captain Rico, Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, Petra, Oluo, Eld, Gunther, Eren, Armin, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Krista, Ymir, Reiner, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Annie. Major Hange, as well as Captain Mike had since arrived, too. They had quite the crowd, and Mikasa wondered if Ruby was nervous.
"Where are the wires?" Mikasa tilted her head, watching as Ruby crouched and took off Mikasa's brown belt. She replaced the brown belt with the black belt, which had since stopped rattling.
"When I first looked at the gear, I thought it might have been a bit sophisticated to adjust and looked pretty constricting and the blade boxes were too big and noisy." Ruby divulged as she stood back up and smiled, raising her index finger in the direction of the sky. "So, my first thought was to make the gear more... compact, I guess," Ruby shrugged her shoulders, "but not smaller, if that makes sense. So, I used my head and built six wires into this belt. But since I didn't have a design for a belt that was wide enough in height, I used my own belt as a basis and made it adjustable to fit around anyone."
"Okay. But if the wires are in this belt, then how am I supposed to use them?" Mikasa asked, but it occurred to her immediately when she straightened her neck and head back up. "I assume I'm going to have to use my Aura?"
"You assume correctly!" Ruby gave the girl a nod and patted her on the shoulder. "See, you're already starting to get it. Alright," Ruby lifted her 'Crescent Rose' weapon off the back of her belt and planted it in both of Mikasa's hands, "to get you used to using your Aura to activate machinery and weaponry, try opening up Crescent Rose into its scythe form with your Aura. Connect your Aura to Crescent Rose – don't worry, when you've done it, I can still connect my own Aura back to it – and, if it helps, just try to think of it transforming into its scythe form."
"Oh—Okay." Mikasa nodded uneasily and looking down at Ruby's weapon, Crescent Rose, still in its compact form. She remembered how her Aura felt when it was unlocked for her: a surge of vitality and power and energy, coursing through her body like a tidal wave and giving her what had been a previously unimaginable strength. She had projected this new energy onto Armin when she first unlocked his Aura. After doing it once, she was sure she could do it again, and so her grip on the metal of Crescent Rose tightened and she stared at the compacted weapon. Immediately, she felt a connection establish between herself and what she was holding in her hand. Once her Aura was connected to Crescent Rose, she did as Ruby had advised and thought of it opening into the majestic form of a scythe.
All of a sudden, the metal moved and opened up, unsheathing the scythe blade and the staff of the weapon stretching as long as Mikasa, revealing a lever and a trigger and what she was told was a rifle scope, and a large magazine cartridge. When it opened up in merely several seconds, Mikasa fumbled around with her grip of it, her hand almost slipping on the shaft, but she managed to retain her grip and hold up the scythe, with the edge of the scythe blade a hair away from her foot.
Ruby gave a wide smile and hopped in place. "Good! Now, see if you can fold it back up again. Once you've done that, repeat the process at least twice, so you're used to the feeling of it opening and closing, and the transformation speed will get faster the more you practice and get used to it. Eventually, you won't even have to think about it doing what you want, and it should just respond to you."
Mikasa nodded with a slight, barely-there smile as her eyes trailed down to the scythe. In her mind and heart, she wanted it to close, and to her surprise, it did so and returned back into its compacted form. She tried doing the same again in getting it to open into the scythe, this time no longer thinking about what she wanted it to do. She figured her will would be good enough to open it.
It opened again, stretching and transforming into the scythe, and this time Mikasa was ready to keep her hold on the staff. It had only taken a few seconds, and Ruby nodded at Mikasa's progress.
Mikasa hadn't even had a chance to think when the scythe suddenly closed in her hands, retracting again into its compact form, and it took her a second to realise that it had responded to only her will. In the next second, Crescent Rose opened yet again in the space of a second or two.
Ruby was ecstatic!
"Looks like you've already got the hang of it!" Ruby beamed and clasped her hands together, her fingers intertwining. Mikasa merely nodded with a soft hum of agreement and closed Crescent Rose back into its compact form for a third time, and passed it back to Ruby, who took her weapon back and returned it to her belt. "Alright, now you've got the hang of how to activate Crescent Rose, try doing the same with those wires inside that belt. When you activate the wires, one or two sides of the belt will open and fire into whatever direction you want them to go – even if one of the wires is going a different direction from the other. There are two wires in the rear of the belt to go backward, two wires in the front of the belt to advance forward, and two wires around the sides, one in the left side and one in the right."
"Alright," Mikasa nodded her head, "but wouldn't I need to use the gas?"
"Nope," Ruby said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Well, not now, anyway. I still have to make my improvements to the ODM Gear, which means I'll need the canisters and blade boxes. Besides," Ruby opened her eyes and smiled, "you can still use your Aura to make the wires pull your towards where you've shot the wires, meaning you can pull yourself up to that tree right there." Ruby turned around a raised her arm, pointing her finger at the tree directly in front of them.
"I see. I'll get up to that branch up there." Mikasa lifted her hand and pointed her finger at a branch on the tree, the last branch to be seen before leaves obscured the rest of the tree from there upwards. "And then, I can jump and use the rear and side wires to suspend myself from the branch."
"Well then, go for it!" Ruby rubbed Mikasa's back and then started to pat her. "If you fall, I'll catch you, so no need to worry."
Mikasa gave Ruby another nod of her head and a hum as a sort of 'thank you', and stepped forward a few steps. Apparently she didn't need to connect the wires in the belt to her Aura, as it had already been done, presumably when Ruby had planted the belt on her waist. It didn't require any thought, as expected, for the front two wires to shoot out of the front of the belt, with the belt having circular openings that slid open, with the hooks having a small spike at the top of each and the arms of the hooks were closed, not open as they had been originally. Of her own accord, Mikasa directed the wires at the trunk of the tree, about two metres above the branch she had aimed for, and the spike penetrated straight through the bark. The hooks opened up once they were through to the other side of the trunk, and they lodged themselves into the bark on the other side.
The girl's wires pulled her up, and she somersaulted onto the branch with ease. The hooks released the bark and closed, both rewinding back into the belt at incredible speed and allowing the circular openings at the front to close when they were fully inside. Mikasa then somersaulted off the branch, firing the two rear wires and shooting into the branch, where the hooks pierced the wood and opened up on the top of the branch. Once the hooks hooked onto the bark and stabilised Mikasa, she stopped falling only a quarter of the way down, and stayed suspended in the air.
"Okay, I've managed to get the hang of it." Mikasa loudly declared, somewhat proud of herself for having accomplished the task. She lowered herself until she was three-quarters of the way down, before she unhooked the hooks from the branch and she dropped the rest of the way, landing softly and securely on the ground. She allowed the rear wires to retract back into the belt and let the circular openings for the rear wires close. She approached Ruby afterwards. "You know, I'm glad you changed the hooks. Not that I had any problem with them, but the previous ones didn't seem as steady as the new ones you made."
"I thought closing the hooks and adding something sharp on the top of them would help it pierce whatever you're trying to latch on to better, thus giving a firmer grip and sustainability when hanging from something. Connie also told me that one of his wires bounced off the wall during the mission to retake Trost, so I hope it stops that from happening again, even if its not to Connie." Ruby stated, causing Mikasa to glance at Connie, who seemed rather tense. Ruby shuffled in place a bit. "I also decided to make the hooks with the closest metal I could find to that which makes up the blade of Crescent Rose, so the metal is likely more durable and less likely to dull when used too many times. And if it does go dull, you could always carry an extra knife with you to sharpen the metal when its needed."
"It's like she comes up with everything." Petra remarked with clear astonishment, her lips pursed.
"I mean, she is our team leader," Blake reminded her with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, she's a fanatic about these things, so you should learn to expect this when it comes to Ruby. In any case, Ruby's able to learn quickly from past experiences, and she's applied it to her improvements to the gear. She's come up with a solution to the problem Connie once faced because it happened and she knows it could be a possibility with the other wires. I also told her about Jean's gear malfunction as well, so I believe she's going to be coming up with the closest thing to a solution in the next few days. And I would think that she's going to do something about the possibility of a shortage of gas and blades."
"Expect me to have a fully improved ODM Gear to use in three days!" Ruby called out, raising her hand to the sky and waving wildly with a bright smile.
"Only three days?" Commander Erwin queried with an arch of his brow and a slight tilt of his head.
"Three days with no sleep and only food and toilet breaks!"
"Are we sure she'll last that long?" Captain Levi was now the one to ask, folding his arms over his chest. Mikasa could've sworn she'd seen the ghost of a humoured smile grace his face.
"Believe me, I learned a long time ago that there's no stopping her when she puts her mind, heart, and soul to something." Yang folded her arms across her chest.
"Admittedly, I've always liked her spirit." Blake gave a soft smile while sparing a glance at Captain Levi.
"At least if you're going to overwork yourself this month, you should take a day's break between projects. To catch up on sleep and all." Mikasa advised the girl with a slight smile. "Or maybe two. It would depend on how hard you work during each three days."
"That's a good idea." Ruby nodded eagerly. She glanced down at the belt Mikasa wore. "You know, I wonder if we can make any copies of these for everyone that already has their Aura unlocked. And for my team and Pyrrha, since we're not really equipped enough to maintain stability in the air whilst fighting the Titans without using up most of our supplies and rounds and exhausting ourselves with our Semblances."
"Ruby?" Mikasa asked, and the girl in question immediately looked up, snapping out of her trance. Mikasa tugged lightly on the belt. "So, I assume you would want this back?"
Ruby crossed her arms and poked her cheek with her index finger. "Actually, I don't mind you keeping it, so long as you take good care of it. You'll be able to use it without the need of gas, but keep a knife on you to sharpen it in case you use it too much and the hooks get dulled. I've still got some sketches, but now that I know it works, I can officially call it the first improvement of the gear and be confident in making more." Ruby unfolded her arms and lowered them by her sides. "Essentially, you can keep practicing with them, but just keep them maintained and in top condition. I'll be back with you soon when I manage to get another idea off the paper and built."
"I'm glad I could help."
