To those that have been reading "The Horrific Truth" part, I should point out that the last three chapters before this one have been modified so that Grimm Ruby's retelling of its origins took place in Pietro's pharmacy instead of inside a crater. There is no longer a "peanut gallery." The more the background characters were brought up, the less it made sense that they were there. As the majority of that part is a flashback, very little text had to be changed to make it work.
The three words that left Grimm Ruby's mouth were as momentous as they come. I saw fear: simple words on the surface, yet the implications were anything but. Up to this point, Salem was unstoppable; a dreaded force that sparked fear in the hearts of those that knew her name and its significance. To even consider facing her in open battle was suicide. Huntsmen and criminals, bandits and headmasters, and even Ozpin himself; they all feared Salem.
When those with power are influenced by fear, they made choices that inevitably aided Salem, whether they wished it or not. Those that didn't know her would soon find that fear from her deeds, and the endless Grimm under her command. And finally, those few left that both knew her and did everything they could to resist her could only do just that: resist. They became guardians, built monuments, and dedicated themselves to a so-called "free-world." But that wasn't strength, only endurance, for there was never victory in strength…not against Salem.
With these words, however, everything changed. That seemingly unstoppable monster had a weakness. It's because the term "unstoppable" is only used by those that are consumed by fear. To fight such a force, one must discover an effective means of combat that diverges from the usual methods. When such means are discovered, the monster can falter like all the rest. In this case, its corruptive red gaze pierced that illusion.
Recalling where it left off, it clawed its way out of the debris that Salem's magical assault left behind and briefly stared her down once more. It took in her newfound fear, drawing strength from it like the rest of the negativity in the environment. Having discovered this new ability, it wasted no time trying to use it again. Now knowing how dangerous its creation's gaze was, Salem quickly used her innate control over the Grimm to manipulate the liquid from the nearby blackened pool. She drew it in the form of a large blob in front of her; only a single Geist-like mask marred its perfectly round shape.
As the crimson light emanated from Grimm Ruby's eyes once again, the Grimm blob flattened and stretched out in the form of a full-body shield. The malleable substance protected Salem's body from its eyes completely, even when her curse wouldn't.
"That's how I found out," Grimm Ruby said, "my eyes don't work on Grimm."
Salem channeled magical energy through her left hand, which was entirely covered in flesh, while holding her "shield" in front of her with her slightly bony right hand. She took a defensive stance, hovering high enough to get out of range of Grimm Ruby's claws before it could close the distance. At the same time, she would protect herself with her new shield whenever it would try to use its eyes.
"This is where…I started having problems," Grimm Ruby admitted. "See, if you look past the monster inside me, I'm a lot like Ruby. In fact, I am her in a way, but we do have our differences."
"We know," Nora said with a bemused expression. "You've got that 'palette swap' thing going on."
"Again, real original, Nora," Grimm Ruby said in a deadpan tone. "That's not what I meant."
Without giving off any signals, Salem would strike her creation with magic from the safety of the air, only lowering her guard to attack, and then raising it back up before it could attack with its eyes. If that wasn't opportunistic enough, she would often use the still-standing remnants of her castle as a form of cover, letting her break Grimm Ruby's line of sight.
"The real difference is…I don't have a gun," Grimm Ruby said. Its eyes glanced at Ruby's Crescent Rose tucked away at her waist, then at the scythe coiled around its shoulder. One was also a gun, the other…wasn't. "If Ruby was fighting with me at the time…no, if anybody was fighting with me, they could've just shot her shield. My eyes can't do that." It withheld a laugh from this otherwise serious retelling. "I know this is like…the most ridiculous thing ever but, Salem started fighting me like she was a mage knight from video games."
"You're making this up," Weiss said skeptically.
"I wish I was. One minute, I'm tearing her jaw open and doing something to her gods-given immortality with my eyes, the next, she like…changes her class from 'wicked witch' to 'mage knight.'"
"We're still talking about real life, right?" Ren asked.
"Again, I know it's ridiculous," Grimm Ruby said, positioning its open claws inches from both sides of its face. "Video game terms are just the best way I can put it."
"But fighting with a shield, of all things?" Weiss pondered. "Doesn't that go against Salem's combat style?"
"Maybe she took the time to master many different fighting styles," Jaune suggested, looking at Grimm Ruby. "She could use whichever one counters her opponent's abilities most effectively."
"She certainly had the time," Blake added.
"Or maybe she still can't let go of Ozma," Oscar said. Most of the group were surprised to see him even standing so soon after his recent injuries. A quick glance of his right hand grasping Pietro's desk and his left hand planting his cane firmly on the floor suggested he was struggling to even stand.
"Oscar? What are you even—" Nora exclaimed, emphasizing from her own experiences of being bedridden. Even if his injuries were comparatively less severe than hers were, he was clearly in no shape to be standing.
"I…overheard your conversation," Oscar said, dragging himself next to Ruby. "I heard…what happened to you."
Ruby slowly looked up at Oscar; her eyes were locked on his. He had also suffered at Salem's hands, albeit in a different way and for different reasons. Seeing him try to comfort her, despite the physical pain he was clearly in, made her feel warm inside. She gave him a weak smile as his gloved hand came over hers.
"Gruby?" Oscar asked, his eyes never leaving Ruby's. "Ozma was once a righteous warrior who fought for the greater good. He had many qualities one might see from a knight in shining armor…like rescuing her from a tower. The entire reason Salem was cursed to begin with was because she couldn't let him go. Even after so many centuries, adapting that fighting style against you might have been her way of keeping the 'Ozma' she knew, despite their endless war."
"Except Ozma didn't have a shield," Yang pointed out. "He had a staff."
This made everyone pause, Team JNR especially. As those three hadn't actually watched Jinn's interpretation of the ancient past, they could have imagined the noble knight, Ozma, bearing a shield. In truth, his version of a mage knight was to wear heavy armor and wield only a magic staff. Salem's version, however, was to carry a huge shield, but wear no other protective armor. As ever, Salem was Ozma's antithesis.
Though Salem's new role as a defensive powerhouse, with no other Grimm aiding her in battle, was completely contrary to her usual role of offensive spellcaster that used many minions as pawns, the 'class change' made sense. Above all else, Salem was a mastermind; one that patiently moved to undermine and destroy her enemies with cold, deliberate resolve. Despite being immortal and unstoppable by normal means, she never lost her patience and calculating nature.
And it's that intelligence, resourcefulness, and cruelty that led to the fall of two Kingdoms. Even when something truly unexpected happens, like the then unexplained defiance of her greatest creation, she could quickly find a way to adapt. Chess metaphors were often used in this conflict between Salem and Ozma. The Huntsmen and criminals fighting on their behalf were like pawns. The Maidens were stronger, but they weren't queens…or players for that matter.
As Grimm Ruby had crippled Cinder earlier, did that act promote it to a queen's level? Or did Salem's own intentions, and the nature of her experiment, make it that way from the start? Was Grimm Ruby meant to be Salem's queen, sent to take Ozma's soul for the endgame move, only to make a catastrophic blunder by delving too deeply into the original's? If so, the countermove wasn't to fight a queen with another queen, as they were too evenly matched. A queen is best countered by a knight, for it's the only piece that can threaten a queen without putting itself in harm's way.
"Uh…yeah," Grimm Ruby concurred. "Oscar? Yang? This is interesting and all, but I think we might be reading too much into this. The point is, she knew I was a threat and had to be really cautious, as far as immortal witches go."
It was this tactic of striking without risk of a counterattack that put Grimm Ruby in a checkmate position, or so Salem thought. Going back to its recollection, it realized Salem wouldn't give it any more opportunities to land a hit in an open fight. Taking into consideration the way she was using the walls of her castle to her advantage, it would have to do the same to catch her off guard. The question was how.
"Even if I could soak up the inherent negativity of the dark world around me," Grimm Ruby explained, "that alone wouldn't be enough to pull me back up from another hit from her magic; not without another Grimm for me to kill anyway. That's probably why she stopped summoning them. She must have realized she was just fueling me."
As Grimm Ruby made the uncharacteristic choice to stop fighting, it ran across the marble floor of Salem's castle, leaving dark flames behind with its swift movements like a trail. Since direct attacks were all but useless, it sprinted across each room and hall aimlessly, not even bothering to take in the dark, foreboding scenery. Its only concern was to discover some way to get an advantage; something that would turn the tide in its favor, even if it came out of the blue.
"Also, this was still Salem's castle," Grimm Ruby added. "I might be a Grimm, but I only had Ruby's memories of it, and Salem knew all its nooks and crannies. I didn't have a plan…at all. I had to figure things out as I went along."
Having ended up on one of the upper floors, it looked up and saw the roof Salem kicked it through earlier. At least, this part of the castle was somewhat familiar. Salem herself was still hovering across one of the lower floors, following the trail her creation left behind. It knew that much, even though it couldn't see her. The Grimm shield she formed betrayed her position, due to its ability to sense other Grimm. Even in an inherently negative environment, other Grimm would stand out due to being real beings with real intent.
"No matter what, I had to avoid getting hit by Salem's magic again," Grimm Ruby said. "If she hit me hard enough to break my arms and legs again, I would die. She'd never send more Grimm after me a second time. Not after I'd just healed myself when I killed them, plus I was still worried about Ruby. I was afraid Salem would kill her if we fought too close to her, so I stayed away from Ruby on purpose…even if her pain might have fueled me."
Through this ability to sense Grimm, it felt Salem roaming across the corroded path it left behind, then glanced toward the back of its feet and saw dark flames still immolating the floor underneath it. This was useless. She could just trace its movements and follow it no matter how much it ran. She had all the time in the world, after all. Her slow and steady movement suggested she was still being cautious. As it felt her presence get closer, it wandered aimlessly around the chamber it was in. The hole both above and below the room it was in led on the castle's roof and in the chamber Ruby was still restrained in.
"That's how I found out," Grimm Ruby said, "those flames always come out of my body when I move fast, whether I want them to or not."
It finally took what little time it had to take in the scenery; nothing but dimly lit candles, strong pillars that held the roof up, and glass windows like the ones in the room below. Growing agitated, it wandered back and forth, trying to think of a plan. It took about eight seconds to realize that it was a few steps away from the trail it left behind…and didn't leave any dark flames behind as it paced.
"And that's when I knew flames didn't come out of my body when I was slow."
A spark of brilliance went through this so-called "monster" Salem had created. It walked back to the end of the trail it left behind and glanced across the room, toward a hall that leads to a spiral stairway that went to the room below. Its eyes darted back and forth between that hall and its own feet, and then ran from one point to the other. When it left behind a trail that led about three steps away from the stairs, it stopped, noting that the trail now ended behind a wall from where the previous room began. If it moved slowly enough from here, it could leave the trail in a way that suggested it went down the stairs, but be in another part of the castle entirely.
"Salem made me to be a monster," Grimm Ruby said somberly, "and it shows. I was full of anger and hate for what she did. I still am, but if I was going to have any chance of winning, I couldn't let these urges define me. I had to be better than that."
"So…you defied Salem's expectations again," Oscar said, then looked at Ruby again. "Instead of being the monster she wanted, you chose to be like Ruby."
"Yeah," it said with a bemused sigh. "I was just like her."
Having realized what kind of opportunity it was presented, its thoughts went toward the Brother Gods, having already known them from Ruby's memories. While Salem had no way of fighting them directly, as the legion of those she tempted to her side could have attested to, she could lie to them. The gods were omnipotent, but not omniscient, and after the world became godless, Salem and Ozma acted as gods themselves. Just as Salem once deceived her creators, so could history repeat itself…hopefully with less disastrous results.
There were few distinctive features in the room besides the windows, and nothing to hide behind. The only idea that came to mind was to climb the walls directly, by sinking its claws into the rock just behind one of the pillars, so Salem wouldn't see it. As they were strong enough to break weapons and tear into jaws, it climbed the wall easily. Even reaching the top and hanging on the ceiling was trivial, though pieces of the already fragile ceiling would crack off and hit the floor.
Once Salem did reach the room Grimm Ruby was in, she continued following the trail, slowly and with shield up front and channeled magic behind her back. The latter stared at her from above as a predator hiding in the darkest corner of the room, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. As she reached about halfway through the room, her shield reacted strangely. It pulsed with hostility, like it knew Salem was walking into a trap. Grimm Ruby sensed the shield's intent. It already knew where it was hiding.
It made sense. Just as Grimm Ruby could sense other Grimm, so could they sense it…but the shield had no mouth in which to actually communicate this to Salem. Just like that, Grimm Ruby understood its intent. Salem may have been imbued with the essence of Grimm, but that did not make her one. She did not speak or hear without words, so the head sticking out of the shield slowly morphed, for that was the only way its mouth could say the words. With only a few seconds before the clock ran out, the rebellious creation had only one move to call checkmate on its creator. It considered the structural state of the room; the way parts of the roof just dangled above Salem, and how the pillars supported it. It glanced at the pillar to its left, and then the one to its right, and a plan formed in its mind.
"This body is strong," Grimm Ruby explained, tapping its left arm with its right claw. "Really strong. I could do things most humans couldn't do without a Semblance…like kicking down entire pillars and climbing up on ceilings."
That's exactly what it did. Sinking its claws in the pillar to its right, it kicked the left one hard enough to smash through it in one blow. As it began to tip over, it corroded the other pillar from the inside out as its claws chipped into its surface from the outside. The noise caught Salem's attention immediately, and she unleashed a magical blast toward Grimm Ruby, only for the latter to kick itself in the direction of the pillar it smashed earlier. The magic Salem let loose ended up striking the already weakened pillar, destroying it and part of the wall behind it.
As Grimm Ruby rode down the other pillar as it fell, the entire ceiling went with it, crushing Salem underneath as the former dashed underneath the hole to avoid it. The impact was great enough to shatter the floor they were on, and both creator and creation fell into the room below, where Ruby was restrained. Having been caught off guard from this move, Grimm Ruby had the chance to close the distance. Its first action was to sink its claws inside the Grimm shield's skull, and pry it apart before Salem had a chance to fight back.
With her physical strength, Salem effortlessly shattered the debris off her. She channeled magic through her hand and held her shield up front to defend herself from the impending gaze of destruction…only to discover the smoke that signified a slain Grimm. Her brief surprise was followed by that familiar flash of crimson that engulfed her body once more. Once again, this left Salem fatigued, and once again, Grimm Ruby wasted no time in tearing its creator's arm off before she could let another spell fly.
During the destructive eyes' cooldown time, Salem struggled to stand back up, but this time, Grimm Ruby grabbed her by the throat and forced her back down. The former's arm regenerated once more, though in the same stunted manner like before, but with two fingers and her thumb reduced to bone this time. At this point, any attempt that Salem would use to fight back, whether that be channeling magic or physical strength, would swiftly be countered by a bone-shattering blow against her respective limb or its own hateful and destructive gaze.
Grimm Ruby may have felt Salem's fear for a moment when she discovered what it could do to her body, but this moment intensified that emotion at least threefold. This was the revelation that her magnum opus was not only strong enough to defy her, but also smart enough to trick her. And now, both betrayed and outsmarted by her own creation, she lacked a countermove against its relentless assault.
"I actually had her dead to rights!" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. "All I had to do was keep hating…keep using my eyes and hurting her over and over while she was down, but…I had to stop."
No matter how many times the creations of the world were destroyed, life would always return. That was the story of the Two Brothers, and the moral of it was that there was always hope, even in the darkest times. This would take on a new meaning, however, as this vicious and hateful monster possessed the original Ruby's empathy and kindness. When the roof above Ruby collapsed, her Grimm self's anger softened into fear. Without hesitation, it let go of its creator's throat and sprinted toward where Ruby was bound, intercepting the pillar that would have crushed her to death.
"I…I couldn't let Ruby die," Grimm Ruby confessed, looking at Ruby with sad eyes. "If…if I kept fighting Salem in her castle, then…then…"
"Ruby would have been crushed to death," Yang concluded.
Seeing Grimm Ruby preoccupied with lifting the pillar that nearly crushed the original, Salem took the time to crawl away. She was in no condition to fight, after what her creation did to her, so she crawled toward the murky black pool she used to conjure her shield, and dunked herself in it. Just like when she tried to kill herself once before only to fail, the pool didn't kill her this time, either. Instead of attempting to die, however, she conjured a single Nevermore from the pool, with her inside its belly, and commanded it to flee…for the time being. This wouldn't be the end. Salem never forgets, and never lets go of what she wants.
After having lifted the pillar off itself, Grimm Ruby spotted that Nevermore fly quickly out of the pool, into the air. It knew right away what Salem was doing, as it read the Grimm's intent. If it chased the flying Grimm now, it might have had another chance to finish her off…or at least leave her as a pile of bones. All it needed was some other opportunity to appear out of nowhere, so it could leap high enough into the air. It took two steps toward it…and then heard those pitiful cries.
Grimm Ruby stopped when it felt the original's agony. All that time passed, and she was still being tortured well after her Grimm self's conception. All that time it spent fighting, and the original was still being violated. From here, it had an important choice: one between destroying a vile soul and saving what's left of an innocent one. There was no contest. It turned its feet away, and walked toward Ruby. The Tartarus tentacles still haunted her, leaving her helpless to fight back, but against an outside source, they were easy prey. Grimm Ruby pried each tentacle off, ripping them from the shadows that spawned them, and left their dissolving carcasses on the floor, one by one.
The rebellious creation had one chance to call checkmate on its creator…but it chose instead to guarantee that Ruby's life was saved. It took her into its arms, caressing her forehead, never again looking back at the witch that escaped with her soul at that final moment. Future generations may revile this choice. They may consider the life of one Huntress to be an acceptable cost to end a war that would undoubtedly kill many more. Yet while there were many negative feelings that still plagued this monstrous copy of Ruby Rose, regret was not one of them.
And so, it took Ruby from this dark and terrible world. Its only wish now was to give this shining soul a second chance at life. A lingering terror was marked into the hearts of all that gazed upon it, even as the site of its birth burned to ashes behind it. The only thing that would dare interfere now…was a desperate and raving scorpion Faunus that watched the entire fight with such anguish and betrayal in his heart over its intended purpose.
"And…that's it," Grimm Ruby said. "That's everything. So, how are you all handling it?"
Everybody silently glanced at each other, expecting the one next to them to answer. The retelling was admittedly a lot to swallow, past experiences considered.
"It's all just…too much," Ruby said after a pause. Her arms were still quivering from that horrible experience. "I…I was…"
"I'm sorry," Grimm Ruby apologized. "I, uh, didn't mean to get everyone down. I just wanted to get everything out in the open; about Salem and that god. It feels good, actually. Feels like a took a huge burden off my chest."
"I…I thought I just imagined it…what Salem did to me. I thought it was all in my head, like all those horrible memories that kept flashing in my mind. I didn't know Salem really…that she actually…"
"It doesn't make sense," Oscar interrupted, keeping a focused stare on Grimm Ruby.
"What doesn't?" Nora asked.
"Her story," he answered simply. "It doesn't make sense."
"Uh…I-I don't—" Grimm Ruby stumbled.
"Let me ask you something," Oscar stood up. "Everyone. What's Salem's final goal?"
"To unite all the Relics," Jaune answered, "and destroy the world."
"Why?"
Nobody answered. Their eyes just darted around the room, waiting for about five seconds.
"Because…" Ren finally answered, sounding unsure. "she has a destructive nature?"
"Because she wants to die," Oscar explained. "Salem has been alive longer than any of you can comprehend. All she craves now is release; death. And the only way she could do that is to get all four Relics, since the parameters of her curse dictate that she would live as long as the world turns."
Everyone's eyes veered toward Grimm Ruby. Their gazes suspected something was off.
"And that's what's wrong with your story," Oscar addressed Grimm Ruby. "If Salem could truly create someone like you…by your own admission, a monster that can kill even the immortal, then fighting so hard to defend herself would be the last thing Salem would ever do."
"I…" Grimm Ruby mumbled.
"There's more," Oscar said. "The only thing she needed to make you…was Ruby. Her silver eyes were the key, weren't they? Because that's the light the gods left behind in the world, along with the Relics. If Salem knew all along she could change that light, corrupt it, use it for her own ends, even the Relics would be meaningless to her."
"Meaningless? Oscar, I don't—"
"No, not just the Relics," Oscar concluded. "The Huntsmen Academies themselves. The four Kingdoms. If all Salem needed to break her curse was to abduct those with silver eyes to use for her experiments, she would never have put so much time and effort into waging war with Remnant."
"Maybe…she just hated Ozma that much?" Blake suggested. "I know love can twist people, even make them delusional. Adam showed me that."
"Perhaps," Oscar conceded. "But what about the God of Darkness? If his command was to destroy Salem's soul, why didn't your eyes do just that? Is her curse just that strong, or is there something else in play?"
"I…I don't know," Grimm Ruby admitted. "Maybe he's keeping secrets from me; keeping things close to his chest. Wouldn't be shocking; he's willing to let Salem torture an innocent girl to get what he wants. I know it all seems…crazy. I can't actually prove any of this. I just didn't want to hide anything. Not again, not like Ozpin did. But it's up to you if you want to believe me."
Oscar gave the sentient Grimm a concerned look. There was no real enmity or irritation behind his expression, as Grimm Ruby would've sensed it. Behind the gentle face of this injured boy, there was the wisdom of someone who'd lived for ages. Perhaps he's taken on more and more of Ozpin's mindset as time went on.
"But I guess you don't," Grimm Ruby understood. "I get it. You don't have to explain it to me. Since I chose to save Ruby instead of finish Salem off, she was able to disappear back in the shadows. She could be anywhere in Remnant, or Evernight, now that her castle's gone."
"That's not really the end, is it?" Oscar inquired. "There's more to the story."
Its eyes widened. It was like he could read it like a book.
"Well, I…" Grimm Ruby began with a tinge of remorse. This was one memory it did not want to revisit. "There was also…Tyrian. I used my eyes on him, too. Only…he couldn't protect himself. Then I…"
It recalled his anguished screams and withered body as it had him at its mercy. Those were his final moments as his very soul burned away. It recalled the moment it slammed his skull into the wet ground hard enough to smash it to pieces before tossing the rest of him away with such callousness. This act was so contrary to how its copied personality usually behaved. In the end of this vile deed, it remembered the crimson liquid that coated its body, and it felt shame.
"There was blood," it said, glancing down at its shaking claws. "These things were covered in his blood…when I was done with him! The storybooks…don't talk about blood, but there was just so much."
"The way you fight, that's easy to believe," Blake said.
"I…I know. He…he was shooting at me… and…"
"You did…what you had to do, right?" Yang asked, speaking from her experiences with Adam.
"How do you know for sure?" Grimm Ruby asked, slightly annoyed at the idea. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. Looking back now, I…I'm not really sure I had to. It's not like Tyrian was a threat to me. His guns weren't any more effective than Ren's, and I could snap his blades with these things like they were graham crackers. Honestly, I…could have just left him. Maybe I could have just broke his weapons, left wounds his Aura couldn't fix, something…to make it so he couldn't hurt anyone else."
"So why didn't you?" Oscar asked.
"I don't know," Grimm Ruby finally admitted. "I…I don't know why I did…what I did, but it was murder. I murdered the bad guy. Plain and simple. That's not what the heroes in storybooks do. I don't care what those edgy comic book anti-heroes say! Killing a real person doesn't feel good. I think it's actually worse for me! I can actually feel the agony someone goes through when they die! And after I was finished, that monster inside me got this sick pleasure out of it!"
"You mean those urges?" Weiss asked. "Is that why you kill Grimm so viciously?"
"No. It's…different. When you're ridding the world of soulless monsters, you don't have this…disgusting feeling inside you. People have souls; even criminals, even murderers. It's different…when you see blood all over you. Even if you have to do it, even when revenge is considered 'justice,' even…when killing someone is considered 'right,' it makes you feel sick. I…I hope you never have to feel that way."
A quiet sorrow filled the air, particularly through Blake and Yang, who have already had to kill someone in self-defense before. This Grimm copy of Ruby was right. Killing someone didn't feel good.
"Well, that was entertaining," Maria said with a jovial tone that defied her somber surroundings. "Protecting life instead of destroying it? Regretting murder instead of embracing it? Some 'monster' you turned out to be."
"No kidding," Grimm Ruby agreed. "After I dealt with Tyrian, I carried Ruby back to Remnant. We ended up in the snowy part of Mistral, wandered around for a couple days. I think you already know that part."
Once more, the room was quiet, though it was less somber and more awkward than before.
"So what are you gonna do?" Nora asked, breaking the quiet after about five seconds. "Fight Salem for the gods or team up with her against the gods?"
"Let's get one thing clear," Grimm Ruby said angrily. "I'm never working for Salem! I'm afraid of that god. I'm afraid of what he might do if he and his brother return to the world, but…" Dark flames coursed through its lips with every emphasized word, "I hate her! I hate her for what she's made me into! Even if she was telling the truth…even if both gods toyed with her the way that dark god toyed with me, she still made her own choices. Even if the desire to destroy is a part of her, she could have chosen a different path."
"Except it was the essence of Grimm that made her—" Ruby said.
"No!" Grimm Ruby snapped at Ruby. She leaned back when she saw her Grimm self glare at her like that, though it quickly sensed her tension and backed off. "Sorry. Let me try again. What I mean is…falling into that pool…it didn't make her do anything."
"But Jinn said the pool gave her a desire for pure destruction," Yang pointed out.
"Right," Grimm Ruby concurred. Its words slowly grew tenser and more vicious with every syllable. "A desire…an urge, but that's all it is. I know. I live with these urges every day. She's not a victim. She embraced her urges. She chose to be a monster. I know better than anyone else how it feels to have this…'hangry' feeling! I still have it, every waking moment! I only made the mistakes I did because I didn't know the full extent of this body, but I never really lost control, even when I was afraid I would! And if I could choose to be who I am, then so. Could. She! There's no excuse for Salem! NOT ANYMORE!"
Grimm Ruby's speech evolved into an outburst at the end; one that caused it to swipe its flaming arm through the air. A few embers drifted toward Blake, who quickly scooted away before they could burn her skin. All in all, this was very much the opposite of the inspiration that the original would impart upon others to empower them.
"Blake, I…" Grimm Ruby said, getting up off the chair only to inadvertently burn it with its flames. Seeing Weiss quickly channel ice from her Myrtenaster to put out the flames, it backed away into a dark corner in the room with horror in its eyes. "S-sorry. Maybe I should just stay back here…away from everybody. Are you—"
"I'm fine," she said, staring at Grimm Ruby while clearly unnerved. It glanced across the room at everyone else, sensing the same anxiety from most of, if not all other people. It realized, even by accident, even without really 'losing control,' that it was still dangerous to those around it.
"There's no excuse for me, either," it solemnly declared, closing its eyes. "Just because I didn't know this Grimm body…just because I have this monster inside me, doesn't mean I'm any better. I…I'm just as dangerous as Salem, maybe worse. Even she can't destroy a soul like I can. Maybe I—"
"That's enough," Ruby interrupted, finally rousing herself from her distress. She gave her Grimm self a forceful glare that it gave her just a moment ago, only it defied the collective fear in the room rather than enforced it. Though she still possessed an inner trauma from her last encounter with Salem, her outward demeanor suggested an attempt to defy it. "No more."
"Ruby?" Yang asked with concern.
"No more self-pity," she declared, her focus remaining on her Grimm self, "from anyone."
"What are you—" Nora began.
"Wallowing over our mistakes never solved anything," Ruby stated, thinking back to her own foolhardy attempt to steal the Relics back from Salem under her nose…only to be made the subject of her cruel experiment. "We can't keep dwelling on the past."
"Ruby," Grimm Ruby said with compassion and sympathy. "When you first told me what you remembered, I thought it would have been better to keep the truth to myself. Part of me still does. I thought it was a miracle that it didn't bother you for as long as it did. But sooner or later, something would have triggered it, made you remember everything. That's why I…you know what? Now you do remember. No matter what my intentions are, I can't blame you for how you feel. I bet just looking at me gives you nightmares. I'm so sorry. What Salem did to you was horrible. If I could take that away, I…"
"It…" Ruby quivered, looking away from her Grimm self. "It's not your fault. You didn't choose to be made that way. I promise…I'll move forward. I'll—"
"Take it from someone who can see into people's hearts and know their pain from the inside out," Grimm Ruby explained. "You won't get past this in a day, or a week, or a month, or a year. What Salem did to you is gonna be stuck with you for the rest of your life! I can feel it. No inspiring speech is gonna make it better! I…I know you don't wanna hear this, but you do need support. You can't just get past it on your own. I know you're still a leader, but you need your team more than ever now."
"But I can't let this break me either!" Ruby exclaimed. "Even if you're right, I can't just be the victim forever. There's too much at stake, too much to do. I…I have to move forward, no matter how much it hurts. I…have to learn from my own mistakes, and so do you."
"Ruby…" Grimm Ruby said in awe.
"And besides," Ruby said, "you're not as overpowered as you think."
Her Grimm self gave her a raised eyebrow. Everybody else stared awkwardly at the conversation between team leader and…herself.
"You only seem like some unstoppable monster because everybody's afraid. You do have a weakness."
"Your eyes," Grimm Ruby said simply, glancing at its original self.
"You still have the same Grimm weaknesses," Jaune said.
"And you two discovered that by accident, if I remember right," Blake added.
"Just like the accident that got Ruby's arm burned?" Yang asked.
"Nail on the head," Grimm Ruby said with an amused smirk. "Y'know what's funny in all this?"
"Ruby's negativity brought you in to this world," Maria answered, "and Ruby's positivity can take you out of it."
"Uh…yeah," it said, impressed with how quickly Maria can catch on. "But I don't think Salem knows that. Or at least, she can't exploit it."
It gave Ruby a worried look. It was actually amazing she gave it a chance like she did, all things considered. This seemingly unstoppable monster had a weakness. It's because the term "unstoppable" is only used by those that are consumed by fear. To fight such a force, one must discover an effective means of combat that diverges from the usual methods. When such means are discovered, the monster can falter like all the rest. In this case, her purifying silver gaze pierced that illusion.
"So…" Grimm Ruby began. "What do you wanna do with me? Do you want me to leave now? I said I'd leave you alone after I was finished telling you everything."
"Wait," Ruby said. "If Salem's still out there, she probably worked out a way to fight back against you by now. She's smart like that. Instead of doing it by yourself, maybe it would be better if we worked together."
"What?" Yang exclaimed.
"You can't be serious!" Weiss added.
"Her little outburst almost burned me!" Blake added, pointing at Ruby's burn. That's what could've happened to Blake had her reflexes failed her.
The rest were silent, though equally as unnerved with the idea. This one was between Team RWBY.
"We don't have another plan," Ruby pointed out. "Salem still has the Relics. She won't stop just because she was nearly beaten."
"Do you really believe her?" Weiss asked.
"I…I'm not actually sure what to think," Ruby admitted. "But we couldn't save Atlas. We're just barely keeping what's left of Mantle alive until help arrives. We need all the help we can get."
Though the distrust was easily visible, nobody had a retort for that logic. The only available solution was one that was too trusting, too open; something nobody with an ounce of caution would consider now.
"If it makes anyone feel better," Grimm Ruby added to the original's offer, "she could kill me if I step out of line."
Everybody glanced at Grimm Ruby with yet another look of astonishment, save Ruby, who was more heartbroken to hear that. To think holding another's life in her hands would be the only real "solution," yet nothing else might have pacified anyone. At the very least, that much was something the majority could agree on.