"Let me be the first to say that I did not see that coming!" Sun said.
"I doubt anyone here did, Sun," Blake retorted dryly.
The group was still reeling from that final reveal. Ruby was a Titan. What were they supposed to make of that?
"Ruby is a Titan." Weiss had never looked as lost as she did now. To be fair to her, everyone in the theatre was in similarly confusing states.
Ren shook his head. "It now makes sense why the Rogue Titan was only going after normal Titans."
"I'm still curious as to the 'how' part," Qrow said. "What on Remnant could have given my niece the ability to turn into a 15-meter tall rampaging monster?"
"Her father." Salem's sudden interjection startled the audience, making them turn to her.
"Care to elaborate?" Ozpin asked tentatively, careful not to annoy or anger arguably the most powerful person in this room, barring Blahk (whom they had yet to see physically).
Salem glared briefly at the reincarnation of her former lover before turning back to the screen. "If you all remember, Ruby had a nightmare of her father injecting her with some sort of fluid and handing her a key. A nightmare that turned out to be very real."
Multiple eyes widened. The memory of that scene flashed through their minds. For something that happened six episodes ago, it felt so far away.
"He's a doctor... a scientist," Hazel began, realization kicking in. "It's possible that fluid held the key to Miss Rose's Titan abilities."
"That just raises other questions: How did he come about it? Did he engineer it himself or does it already exist?" Ironwood fired off question after question. "There's still a lot that has been left unanswered."
"And what about the Colossal and Armoured Titans?" Hazel crossed his arms. "We've already established that they are intelligent. Now that we know humans can be transformed into Titans, does this mean they are also similar to the girl?"
"Possibly," Cinder said. "It still calls into question where they came from, how they were created and their relation to other Titans. Did the normal Titans spawn first and the intelligent Titans come later or is the reverse the case?"
Ozpin shook his head. "I doubt we'll be getting answers anytime soon. It is for the best we keep watching the show."
Ruby could still hardly believe she had survived. And gained superpowers too. Regardless of how they came about though, the feeling of relief radiating off of Yang was worth it.
"Oh man, I almost can't wait to find out! The suspense is killing me!" Nora vibrated excitedly in her seat, causing her teammates and friends to chuckle.
Right before the episode began, Ruby felt Yang's hand squeeze hers. She squeezed back in assurance, smiling at her sister.
The episode opens up with an overhead shot of Trost. Plumes of smoke rose from parts of the district.
"One of the reasons why the Titans' attack on Trost claimed so many soldiers' lives was that the elite Survey Corps wasn't present." Oscar narrated. Titans roamed around and houses were destroyed. "They'd left on a mission outside the Wall that very morning."
The scene changed and the chaos disappeared, showing what the surrounding area looked like earlier that day.
"Wow. The Titans really did a number on this place," Jaune said. It was astounding how easy it was for the Titans to utterly demolish years of hard work.
"They're here! The main force of the Survey Corps is here!"
"Commander James! Kick the Titan asses for me!" The commander marched forward on his horse.
"Huh? Haven't we seen this already?" Yatsuhashi asked. He wasn't the only one confused.
The crowd—the main trio included—watched them with wide eyes. "Look! There's Captain Neo! They say she alone counts for an entire brigade!" Neo, Glynda and Clover came after James.
"I find that hard to believe," Emerald said in disbelief. "It has to be an exaggeration."
"What else could it be? She's human," Salem scoffed, causing Neo to glare at both of them.
Neo looked less than thrilled with all the praise. "Tsk... Can they shut up?" she grumbled.
"I still can't believe you can talk in this universe." Roman stared wide-eyed at onscreen Neo, his partner mirroring his expression at the sight of her counterpart.
"I bet they wouldn't worship you so much if they knew what an obsessive clean freak you are," Glynda said.
Blake tilted her head. "We didn't see this earlier."
"I think we're about to see things from the Scouts' perspective," Winter explained. "Earlier, we were looking at things from Ruby and Oscar's perspective. This is probably about to show what the Scouts were up to during the Battle of Trost."
"Oh."
Neo scoffed.
The gate was slowly lifted to grant the Scouts passage.
"The Titans are out there!" Glynda brought her hands together, looking dreamy. "I wonder what kind of Titans I'll see this time! I'd really love to see some abnormal ones!"
Everyone's eyebrows rose upon seeing this Glynda's... exuberant personality.
"Well, this Glynda appears to be... different," Ozpin said, looking highly amused. His amusement rose when he saw Glynda's eye twitch.
"I can see an abnormal one already," Neo said.
"Huh?" Glynda looked around. "Where?"
Neo grabbed Glynda by the hair and turned her so they were now face-to-face. "Right here."
Chuckles rang out in the theatre. Glynda glared at the mute thief who stuck her tongue out at her.
"Move out!" Ironwood ordered.
"Surveying outlying areas and establishing supply points that would support a human advance." The Scouts marched out of the district. "The Survey Corps entrusted with this mission were mankind's best and brightest soldiers."
Ironwood smiled, pride welling up in his chest for his counterpart at the opportunity to lead this branch.
"The ingenuity of these few raised the survival rates for all. Even so, when troops advanced into Titan territory, casualties still exceeded 30%."
"Exceeding 30%?!" Winter gawked at the screen. That was a high number of casualties, even for their world. Then again, the presence of aura, semblances and dust gave them a massive heads-up above their counterparts.
Ironwood grimaced, his thoughts echoing the same sentiments as Winter's.
A 15-meter was gnawing on a Survey Corps soldier. "That's just how great the power gap between Titans and men was."
"Damn. Even we don't have it this bad against the Grimm," Qrow muttered. There were casualties in battles against the Grimm and even impossibly horrifying situations such as the case of Kuroyuri. However, these were outliers, mostly in villages and towns outside the protection of kingdoms and Huntsmen, and with little protection against Grimm.
"Just… Just watch…you bastards…Mankind will…destroy you all…Mankind will… survive…!" Using the last of his strength, he stabbed it in the cheek with his broken sword. The Titan eyed him and clenched its teeth. He screamed, blood squirting in the air. "You bastards… will all… fall to Captain Neo!"
The students grimaced at the sight of his wounds. It was clear to anyone watching that the soldier will not survive.
Neo quirked an eyebrow at the soldier's defying words. Twice now that her counterpart has been hailed as some sort of prodigy. She almost couldn't wait to see herself in action. Fortunately for her, she won't have to wait long.
A hook shot past the Titan and Neo flew behind it in a flash and slashed its nape. Blood sprayed in the air and she spun gracefully before landing on a rooftop. Looking around, she spotted more Titans. One on the right. Two on the left, she thought.
Multiple eyes widened in surprise. She's fast! was the consensus among the audience.
"Captain Neo." Fiona Thyme joined her on the rooftop, Robyn and Joanna behind her. "I've gathered the reinforcements."
Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "I know her," he announced.
"Who?" Cardin asked.
"The woman with light-blond hair and tanned skin. She's a recognized figure in Atlas and Mantle."
"She is?" Pyrrha asked in surprise, looking back at the screen.
Winter nodded. "Robyn Hill, a graduate of Atlas Academy and a well-known political figure in Mantle."
"Fiona, look after that soldier down there. The rest of you attack the one to the right. I'll clean up on the left." Neo left to handle the Titans.
"What? Captain Neo!" Fiona called out after her.
A Titan dove after two Scouts who shrieked in fear as they dodged. "Woohoo!" Glynda cheered as she flew, and landed on a roof behind the Titan as it turned to face her.
"I'm already a fan of this Miss Goodwitch," Yang said, grinning.
"She looks so much more fun than ours!" Nora voiced her agreement much to Glynda's annoyance.
"Don't worry! I'm not gonna hurt you!" The Titan moved to grab Glynda and she leapt out of the way. "Woo! Hahaha, not quite!" she mocked and came up behind it. "It's my turn! Gotcha!" she yelled gleefully, slicing off a chunk of flesh and landing on the ground.
The adults were impressed.
"She might be loony but she is a capable soldier," Ironwood said, oblivious to Glynda's heated glare.
"See? It didn't hurt, did it?" she asked as the Titan blood evaporated off her cloak.
Neo made her way over to the two Titans. "What a lovely bunch." She landed on a roof and walked toward them. "You all have such funny faces." As a Titan opened its mouth wide, Neo shot her hook to the left, embedding it into a brick building. She flew to the right, hooking her wires around its neck. Spinning, she took it out quickly and used the momentum to jump off a ledge and head toward the second Titan.
"Whoa!" Roman yelled. The speed and ease with which Neo took down the Titan were more than impressive. He would never tell Neo this but even he had doubts when the crowds praised her and hailed her as being as strong as an entire brigade. He had zero doubts about her skills now.
Sun whistled, impressed. "Damn, she can move!"
Neo threw her blades in its eyes, blinding the Titan. It grabbed its face, screaming in pain while Neo landed on its head. "Stay still. Otherwise, I'll never get a clean cut of your flesh."
Nora and Ruby stared in awe. She's so cool!
Such a badass! Sun, Neptune and Oscar grinned.
Yang scoffed under her breath. Despite her personal feelings towards Neo, she couldn't fault the criminal's skill, in this world or hers. Of course, she'd sooner lose her right arm than confess to it.
Neo maintained her smug smirk throughout, nodding at all the praise her counterpart was receiving.
Killing the Titan with ease, Neo landed on a roof. She stood and checked her sword, coated in blood. "Tsk. It got all filthy." She pulled out a cloth and began cleaning.
"All that blood would have evaporated in seconds," Winter said. "Shouldn't she be more worried as they are still within Titan territory?"
"They did say she is a clean freak," Port pointed out.
"Plus if she is as skilled as they say she is, she can afford to do so," Ozpin said. I do agree that it was unnecessary, he thought.
Neo walked toward Fiona, who was holding a cloth to the soldier's wound. "Captain," she said. "I can't get the bleeding to stop!"
"Cap...tain..." The soldier on the ground rasped.
Neo knelt beside him. "Yes?"
"W-Was I... helpful to humanity... at all...?" He weakly raised his hand. "Am I... going to die... without having been... any help at all...?"
The students and teachers grimaced.
Without hesitation, Neo grabbed his blood-soaked hand.
Cinder scoffed. A minute ago she couldn't wait to wipe off the Titan blood- that would have evaporated in seconds- on her blade.
"You achieved many great things. And... you'll continue to. The resolve you leave behind will give me strength. I promise you. I will put an end to the Titans, without fail!" Neo vowed.
Ironwood and Winter gave small smiles, nodding their respects to the captain.
Roman leaned in closer to Neo. "Would you look at that? Your counterpart might actually have a heart," he whispered, causing her to snort.
"Captain... He's already..." Fiona wept, unable to finish her sentence.
The students and teachers dipped their heads in respect for the fallen soldier.
Neo blinked, staring down sadly at the dead man before turning to her. "Did he hear it all?"
"Yes," Fiona assured her. "I'm sure he heard you. He's resting with a look of relief on his face."
"Good, then..." she said and stood.
"Neo!" Ironwood's horse stopped before them. "We're pulling out!"
Fiona rose to her feet and Neo turned to the commander. "Pulling out? We haven't reached our limit yet! Did my men die in vain?"
"A swarm of Titans has begun moving northward, toward the city."
Fiona gasped and Neo tensed.
"This is just like five years ago. Something's happening in the city. It's possible the Wall's been broken through."
"I wonder..." Oobleck began. "Do you think they planned it?" he asked.
"Who planned what?"
"The Colossal's attack on the Wall. We've now ascertained that it is most likely a transformed human carrying out these attacks. Isn't it way too convenient that both attacks occurred when the Survey Corps, the branch whose job involves facing down Titans, was unavailable?" Oobleck asked, his tone laced with suspicion.
"And how would they know that?" Glynda asked. "The only way they would know it is if they were on... the inside..." She trailed off, as the realization hit herself and other members of the audience.
"But that would mean..." Ruby trailed off, unwilling to finish her train of thought.
"That in all likelihood, both the Colossal and Armoured Titans have insider knowledge of their military. Including when they were scheduled to leave," Ironwood finished with a grimace.
As the next scene began, the knowledge of possible traitors was a bitter pill many were forced to swallow.
Damn...
The scene flashed back to the battle for Trost. Titans were everywhere, eating humans and tearing apart buildings.
Damn...
Oscar cried, reaching out for her. Large white teeth came together, separating her left arm from her body. Darkness engulfed her.
"Is this Ruby's point-of-view from when she was eaten?" Blake asked.
Ruby grimaced, suddenly feeling nauseous.
Red. Everything was blood-red, even the circular walls of the Titan's stomach. Looking around, she saw a corpse as well as several different body parts from multiple people floating in blood.
"Blegh!" Jaune and Neptune forced back the bile that came up.
Yang, Velvet, Nora, Sun and Pyrrha paled at the sight.
Others felt immense disgust roll through them, some even leaning back unconsciously as if to put as much distance between themselves and the sight.
Ruby gasped, backing away. Half of her body was under the red sludge. She screamed in terror, surrounded by nothing but blood and dead humans.
Ruby had never considered herself claustrophobic but at the moment, she felt light-headed. Only Yang and Weiss' grip on both her hands brought her any form of comfort.
"Dear gods..." Emerald gasped.
Velvet somehow paled even further, but focused on keeping her hand over Oscar's eyes to shield him from the sight. It didn't stop him from feeling her shuddering silently.
Not even the battle-hardened adults could hide their fear and disgust at such a sight.
Ruby bumped into something- someone- behind her and turned. The floater's body twisted, revealing a chalky face with completely grey eyes. "This... This can't be happening...!"
Neo and Roman had seen some fucked up things in their criminal careers. They'd killed so many in cold blood and felt absolutely nothing for it. This was a new level of FUBAR. Neo could almost imagine how it would feel; the miasma of blood, the sizzling of the Titan's stomach, the feeling of confinement on all sides by— Fuck! She gripped his arm tightly, almost crushing it.
Salem was entirely unmoved by the sight.
We've changed in five years... The top ten stood side-by-side. We trained to become soldiers... We thought we were soldiers... The bearded Titan stared at Oscar, who was frozen in place, looking traumatized. So that we could defeat them... So that they couldn't prey on us...
"It's hot..." A feminine voice came from behind her, revealing that a female soldier was unfortunate enough to survive the harrowing experience of getting eaten. "Help me, Mom..."
Weiss audibly gasped. "Brothers, people survive being eaten? And they just stay there until..." A bucket appeared in front of her which she promptly threw up in. Ruby softly rubbed her partner's back.
"Would it be possible to save someone if they cut open a Titan's stomach immediately after they kill it?" Blake asked so quietly, they almost didn't hear her.
"No," Oobleck shook his head. "They'd probably be too injured to survive."
"What if they are swallowed whole?" Ren asked.
Ironwood shook his head. "The pressure of getting swallowed will probably break some bones. And so far, we've yet to see any case of a Titan swallowing a human whole although it seems plausible."
"Plus you have to consider that they might have lost a staggering amount of blood by the time they are cut free," Qrow chimed in, his expression stony. "And if that doesn't kill them, a Titan's stomach doesn't look like the most sanitary place in the world so they are still at risk of infection."
The adults' analysis slowly killed whatever hope the students had of increasing the survivability rate. One was well and truly hopeless once eaten by a Titan.
"Mom..." Mom... Ruby's mind flashed to Summer's smiling face, putting a white sheet out to dry on the line. Little Ruby snuck from the other side, making a goofy face and causing her to laugh. Mom... She beamed with pride, watching her mother laugh.
"Mom..." The female soldier began to drown in blood. "Help me..."
Ozpin closed his eyes in silent prayer for the soldier. May you find peace in the life after this one.
Why must this happen? Ruby continued to stare in horror at the spot the female soldier sank. Why do they prey on us? Her mother's death came back to her. They take our lives... Our dreams... Little Oscar was excitedly showing Ruby his grandfather's book.
"Why?!" Tears began pouring from her eyes. "Dammit! God dammit!" She began to sink.
Yang's grip on Ruby tightened.
"I refuse to give up!" Only Ruby's head remained afloat and the stump of her left arm was raised. "I'll annihilate you! Every single one of you! I'll destroy you with my own hands!"
Ironwood was more than impressed with her determination and will, even against unfair odds. In contrast, Salem mentally scoffed. She'd lived many lifetimes and had seen even those with their so-called "iron wills" falter. Sooner or later, she would break. They always do.
Blake frowned sadly. She couldn't help but draw some comparisons with onscreen Ruby and Adam. Their motives were far apart yet in the end, the same thing drove them both; rage and hatred, the former for Titans and the latter for humans. Revenge was always at the forefront of their mind, guiding their every action, their every breath.
A hand shot out of the bearded Titan's mouth, making it stumble and fall. Bones broke and skin stretched and twisted, exploding, and caking nearby buildings with large quantities of blood. The Rogue Titan rose from the steaming pile of flesh, her skin and hair stained red. She threw her head back and roared.
How did she transform? And why now? Why not earlier before she was eaten? What triggered it? Salem thought.
Noticing a 3-meter Titan down the street, she scowled, moving toward it. The bearded Titan's skin squelched beneath the 15-meter's feet as she walked through the body.
I'll exterminate you all! Ruby's voice, distant, rang through the Titan's mind. I'll purge this world... The small Titan lunged at her. The Rogue Titan threw a fist through its mouth and destroyed its nape. ...of every last one of you!
More! She began stomping on the fallen Titan. More! I'll kill more of you! I wanna kill more! Finally, the Rogue Titan ceased its stomping, standing straight. Kill 'em all!
Ruby winced at the sight. The thought of all that anger bottled up inside of her almost made her choke up.
"I'll kill you..." Ruby said, barely lucid.
Oscar gaped at his best friend, supporting her body with his. "Ruby?" The last of the fog slowly disappeared and she finally came to her senses. Pyrrha shielded them with her body as the Garrison stood at arms around the trio, backing them into a corner.
"What's going on?" Yang asked, eyeing the soldiers surrounding the trio.
"What do you think, blondie?" Roman rolled his eyes. "The soldiers are afraid of your sister and consider her a threat."
Pyrrha looked over her shoulder at them. "Ruby!" she called out in concern.
"Ruby! Can you move?" Oscar asked. "Are you yourself again? Tell them everything you know! I'm sure they'll understand!"
Ruby turned to him in confusion. "Oscar?"
"Did you hear that? She said, 'I'll kill you!'"
"Yeah, I heard it too. She wants to devour us all!" Their faces twisted with fear and anger.
What are you saying? Ruby eyed the blades in their grips and pointed threateningly at her and her friends. Why're they raising their swords against us?! Those are weapons for killing Titans! Why are they glowering at me like that?
"She doesn't remember? How do you forget transforming into a 15-meter-tall rage monster?" Emerald asked, somewhat sceptical.
Weilman, in particular, was looking terrified.
Roman snorted. "He looks ready to shit his pants."
What's going on here? Ruby thought.
Currently Disposable Information
The current Survey Corps (part 1)
The chief purpose of the survey corps was to survey the land outside the Wall but their actual duties have changed since the fall of Wall Maria.
The current Survey Corps (part 2)
Since the fall, their main objective has become establishing footholds and supply lines for troop movements in preparation for the second attempt to retake Wall Maria.
On the other side of Wall Rose, the cadets were gathered around to restock their supplies.
"All cadets are to ready their equipment and standby!"
"So that's how we managed to refill our gas and get out of Trost," Yatsuhashi finished narrating their ordeal in Trost to Velvet and Salem. [1]
"I'm so sorry..." Velvet said sympathetically. "We asked to send reinforcements for you..."
"We'd even managed to secure some gas, too," Salem said.
"Their superiors left them to die?!" Jaune asked incredulously.
"In their defence, they had no way to know whether or not the cadets were still alive," Ren said.
"And at the risk of sounding cold, they'd be risking the lives of fully-trained soldiers for what is to them, a few cadets," Winter added.
"Wait, then the people who aren't here are all..." Velvet trailed off.
"Yeah..."
"Even Pyrrha?" Salem asked in surprise.
"No," Yatsuhashi said, "I thought Pyrrha came back late with Sun and the rest..."
"Sun!" Salem called out. He was sitting at a table with Weiss, Jaune and Ren. "Don't tell me Pyrrha was wounded?"
"Hey, what's wrong?" Yatsuhashi asked, noticing the dark look on Sun's face.
Sun took large gulps of water from the waterskin and wiped his mouth with his sleeves. "We were sworn to keep it a secret."
"They really think they can keep such a huge secret from the people?" Velvet asked, incredulous.
"Why not come out with it from the start?" Nora asked, just as flabbergasted.
"To avoid mass panic," Ozpin piped in. "We all just saw the Garrison confront Ruby. They, with all their physical and mental training, were overcome with fear and panic. Now imagine that but on a much wider scale."
The students grimaced at that mental imagery.
"A secret?"
"What the hell?"
"It's hardly something they can keep covered up, though." Flashbacks showed the teens that saw Ruby's reveal taking a lift down, an unconscious Ruby being supported by Pyrrha and Oscar, and meeting Garrison soldiers at the bottom. "Soon all of mankind will know about it. If mankind survives long enough, that is."
"Your counterpart is really pessimistic," Neptune told Sun.
Sun shrugged. "Meh, I'll say he's more of a practical realist."
Atop Wall Rose, the Garrison troops stood, looking down at the Titans below. A metal gate covered the hole, blocking the Titans' way in, and forcing a large group to pile up against it.
"They built a wall of flesh out of Titans," Qrow said. "The technical crew is pretty damn clever. Still, we can't afford to let our guard down."
"He really has changed for the better," Winter said.
Qrow fake gasped. "Is the great Winter Schnee, Ice Queen extraordinaire, complimenting me?" He clutched his chest, grinning like an imp.
"Now if only you could follow your counterpart's example," she finished, letting out a long-suffering sigh.
"This is the front line between mankind and Titans. We're on the edge of a cliff." Qrow then noticed his comrade's odd expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing… Our mission is going smoothly. I'm just worried about my comrades in the vanguard. A messenger just rushed into HQ looking as pale as death."
"Yeah, but we need to stay focused on interception, just as we trained."
"I heard those three kids you rescued five years ago are cadets now. Are they in the vanguard, too?"
"I thought he saved only Ruby and Pyrrha?" Fox asked.
Coco waved it off. "The three are practically tied at the hip so it's probably a misunderstanding."
"Yeah..." Qrow replied.
"I'm sorry, sir," his comrade apologized, realizing that he was asking personal questions. "I'm talking too much."
"They're fine. They're strong," Qrow said, his tone full of conviction. "They each have a means of survival. One is a skilled fighter. One has a tenacious spirit. And one is smart as a whip. They're fine. I know they're alive."
The trio couldn't help their joy for the older man's absolute belief in them and their abilities.
Back within the walls, Ruby, Oscar and Pyrrha were still being questioned.
"Cadets Jaeger, Ackermann, and Pine!" Weilman yelled. "Your present behaviour is high treason!"
"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Ironwood commented sardonically.
"What do you have to say in your defence?!" he demanded.
"What...?" Ruby was still puzzled by their questions.
"If you try anything deceitful or attempt to make a move, the artillery will open fire on you immediately! We won't hesitate! I ask of you: What are you? A human or a Titan?"
What's with that question? It's like they're all… The Garrison's faces were twisted with fear and rage. ...staring at a monster. Is that what they think I am? "I… I don't understand the question!" Ruby answered as honestly as she could.
"You're feigning ignorance? Damn monster!" Weilman pointed angrily. "Try playing dumb with me again! We'll blow you to bits in an instant! We won't give you time to show your true face!"
"Brothers help us!" Glynda groaned, rubbing her eyes. "You don't allow idiots like this to reach the rank of captain, do you?" she asked, frustration evident on her features.
"That's assuming they even make it past cadet training," Winter replied, mimicking Glynda's expression.
"My true face?" Ruby parroted.
"Everybody saw it! You emerged from the carcass of a Titan! Mankind has allowed creatures like you to infiltrate Wall Rose! Even though you're cadets sworn to the King himself, it's appropriate to preemptively eliminate this risk! I'm not wrong!"
"Buddy, who are you trying to convince?" Roman and Neo deadpanned.
"The Armored Titan that broke through Wall Maria could appear at any moment!"
"Sure, and why not waste time that could be better spent preparing for its arrival on bitching at three cadets," Hazel muttered, rolling his eyes at the stupidity on display.
"Mankind is once again on the brink of extinction! Do you get it? We can't afford to waste our troops and time on you! I'll blow you to pieces with the artillery!" Weilman's attempts at bravado were betrayed by his body shaking like a leaf in the wind.
"All it'd take is for someone to shout 'Boo!' in his ear for him to go flying." Nora's comment caused a bout of chuckles around the theatre.
Rico stood behind him, appearing calm. "They are clearly defiant. I doubt we'll be able to obtain any useful intelligence from them." She glared at the trio. "As you say, this is a waste of troops and time."
"What defiance?!" Jaune looked ready to tear his hair out. "They aren't even doing anything!"
"It should be illegal to be this stupid!" Weiss said. "They don't know whether or not Ruby, Pyrrha and Oscar have more info! Ruby hasn't even answered your question yet and you already concluded that she's a monster!"
"In all fairness, Ms. Rose emerged from the carcass of a Titan, an unheard-of occurrence," Ozpin said, playing devil's advocate. "That plus her 'I'll kill you' comment doesn't inspire much confidence."
Ozpin's logic was sound but that didn't get rid of their irritation at the Garrison's incompetence.
"Commander, it'll be easy right now! We can blow her away while she's in human form!"
"My speciality is slicing up flesh." Pyrrha stepped forward, brandishing her swords. "If need be, I'm prepared to display it. Anyone interested in experiencing my skills firsthand, step right up." She glared murderously at them.
"Dang, P-money!" Yang whistled, impressed. Inside, she was overjoyed that Ruby's best friends had her back.
Kitz gulped, taken aback by her threat. Ian stepped up next to him.
"Commander, that's Pyrrha Ackermann. She was with our elite unit in the rear guard," Ian informed him. "She's worth a hundred average soldiers. Losing her would be a huge blow to mankind."
"That should hopefully buy them some time," Oobleck commented.
"Pyrrha! Oscar! What's going on?"
"Pyrrha!" Oscar ignored Ruby's question and turned his attention to Pyrrha, trying to reason with her. "You can't fight our own people! Where could we run within these crowded walls?"
"I don't care who my opponent is. I'm not letting anyone kill Ruby. I couldn't care less about anything else."
"We need to talk to them! No one knows what's going on! Their fears are just running rampant!"
So I'm the only one who doesn't think I'm a Titan? Ruby gritted her teeth, eyes closed. Dammit! I've got no memory at all of how I got here! I'm so worn out I can't stand. They'll kill me if I say one thing wrong.
"With this crowd, you'd likely wind up dead no matter what you say," Blake said.
Cannons were still aimed at her. Soldiers on the ground readied their blades, glaring.
Getting killed by humans… That's just absurd! What's this all about? I emerged from a Titan's body? What's he saying? What does that even mean? Wasn't that just a dream? The memory of losing an arm, getting eaten and floating in a pool of blood flashed through her mind. If not, that means everything below the sleeve on my arm grew back! That's just like a Titan! It's not possible. How'd I… How?! She stared at the arm in confusion, trying and failing to make sense of it.
"Her memory loss is going to make convincing the soldiers a lot harder," Ruby said with a grimace.
"Let's hope she can jog her memory in time before this escalates any further," Ren said.
Pyrrha lightly scoffed. "In a crowd like this? They're probably itching for an excuse to shoot already. Wouldn't come as a shock if someone 'accidentally' misfires."
"I'll ask you once again! What are you?!" Weilman screamed.
Salem was finding it hard to contain her irritation for Weilman. If you're going to shoot, then do so already! You've come to your own conclusions anyway.
I can't answer this wrong. It's not just my life at stake. Oscar looked back at Ruby, scared. The silence was thick in the air. Everyone stood still, waiting for her answer. Yeah, I've always been... the same as you! The trio, as children, ran in the street, looking happy.
"I'm human!" Ruby yelled.
The wind blew gently, its whistling sound audible and cutting through the silence. Ruby shook with fear and trepidation.
"I see. Don't think badly of me." Weilman's arm began to rise and Oscar gasped. "We've got no choice. No man can prove… that he's not a devil." Kitz fully raised his arm, prompting the rest of the troops to ready the cannons.
"Who could have seen this coming?" Cinder dryly commented.
Pyrrha ran back toward Ruby and Oscar, abandoning her swords. "Ruby! Oscar! We're going up!"
"Wait!" Ruby's protests were ignored as Pyrrha picked her up in one swoop.
The bronze key around her neck danced in her vision, triggering memories. "Ruby. When I return, I'll show you the basement I've kept secret. Always keep this key with you," Taiyang said as a young Ruby stared at the metal object in her hand. "Never let go of it. And when you look at it, remember! You must go to the basement!"
"Wait, what's happening?" Sun asked, confused by the onslaught of images.
"It's all coming back to her," Blake said, leaning forward in anticipation. "Her memories."
Ruby grunted at the onslaught of images.
Taiyang prepared the injection. "Because of these injections, your memories will be damaged. it's pointless for me to explain things now," he said with tears running down his cheeks. "Just remember this! Retake Wall Maria and reach that basement!"
"Whatever's in that basement better be worth it after all the times it has been mentioned," Ironwood murmured.
"So that's why she couldn't remember clearly what happened," Oobleck muttered, eyeing the syringe.
"Why didn't he take the serum himself?" Penny asked all of a sudden. "Matter-of-fact, where is he? Wouldn't it be more efficient to turn such experiments over to the military to give them a better fighting chance against the Titans?"
Penny's question stunned the audience. In hindsight, it should have been obvious. Where was Doctor Jaeger all this time?
Little Ruby backed up, nervous and scared, holding her hand.
"This power will prove useful then! Their memories will show you how to use it!"
"'Their memories'?" Jaune parroted. "Whose memories?"
Ozpin's eyes narrowed in thought. Whose memories, indeed. The makers of the serum? Past shifters? Do they reincarnate the way I do?
"Ruby!" The flashes ran more quickly through her mind. "Once you enter the basement, you'll find the truth!"
Ruby struggled, throwing Pyrrha off-balance and dragging her by the arm back toward Oscar, a look of pure determination on her face.
"It will be a hard and merciless road, but you must walk it!"
Weilman dropped his arm. A cannon fired and a charcoal, iron sphere raced towards the trio.
The watchers held their breaths in anticipation and anxiety.
Ruby, what are you doing?! Get out of there! Yang thought, gripping her sister's hand.
Move, Friend Ruby! Penny mentally shouted.
Team JNPR were in the same boat, with Jaune and Nora squeezing Pyrrha's hand tightly.
"If you want to save Pyrrha, Oscar, and everyone else," Ruby wrapped her arms around her friends. "...you've got to take control of this power!"
Ruby bit her hand, drawing blood. A golden sphere of energy encircled them, lightning arching in multiple directions.
"Holy shit!"
"Is she transforming?!"
A spine erupted from the smoke, ribcage forming around them. A skeletal arm quickly formed as well, red muscles wrapping around it as it caught the cannonball.
They all leaned forward slightly as if it would give them a better look at the situation.
The explosion caught the attention of Qrow and his fellow soldiers on the Wall. On the other side of it, Sun and the rest watched the smoke rise in shock.
Weilman gazed at the smoke and steam blanketing the area. "Did we get her?"
Pyrrha and Oscar stared with wide eyes, pure shock and fear written all over their faces, at the bones wrapped around them.
Rico's eyes widened in horror. Weilman was frozen (not surprising), unable to wrap his head around the sight before him. "No way..."
The soldiers cried out in panic and fear at the half-skeletal, half-muscular Titan that had appeared before them.
To be continued...
The watchers finally released their breaths, hearts pounding loudly in their chests.
"That was intense!" Nora and Sun said, shaking excitedly in their seats.
Neptune placed a hand on his still-pounding heart. "That was way too close for liking!"
"Agreed," Yang said, slouching in her seat. I'm going to die of a heart attack before we leave this place, she thought.
"Nice reflexes, pipsqueak," Qrow complimented Ruby, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "But how did you do it? Transform, I mean."
Ruby scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "We did see her memories slowly reawakening. Maybe buried in there was the knowledge of how to transform," she finished with a shrug.
"But the transformation process itself... It all happened so fast but I could have sworn she bit her hand at some point," Cardin said.
Port stroked his moustache, deep in thought. "Indeed. Perhaps the transformation process does entail some form of self-harm," he speculated.
"And she was already injured when she was eaten by that Titan so it fits that one requirement. But I feel like it should be more than just that..." Winter trailed off.
"It has to be more than just an injury," Blake interjected. "If it was that simple, Ruby should have transformed a long time ago, especially during their training days."
Weiss' eyes widened. "Remember her head injury? I thought it was a trick of the light but it looked like steam was rising from her head."
"Whoa."
"Well, we can only theorize for so long. Let's just keep watching," Hazel said. They all nodded and the next episode began playing.
[1] For those still confused about Ymir/Coco being called Salem.
Ymir Fritz (the Founder) - Salem, Queen of the Grimm
Ymir (104th) - Coco Adel.
And since Ymir was named after the Founder, Coco would be too. Understood?
Welp, here's the chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Been busy with a bunch of IRL stuff which ate at my time. I've had the transcripts ready for over a month but never got around to typing out the reactions. Please don't spam the reviews/comments asking for updates or weird questions like "Are you dead?" The hell? I've not forgotten about the story, simply been busy. I gave my word I'll finish this story and I intend to. And if for some reason I am unable to complete it, I'll let you know and orphan the story instead.
Moving on. I decided to put the after-episode discussions at the end of the chapter and I kinda like it this way. Also, we've been introduced to Levi, well, Neo squad and Neo's pure badassery. Anyway, casting changes:
1. Robyn Hill as Eld Gin
2. Fiona Thyme as Petra Rall
3. Joanna Greenleaf as Gunther Schultz
4. Clover Ebi as Mike Zacharias