Author's note: This chapter, you'll learn another new thing. I know I've been dropping them on you a lot, but this is it for now.
In the evening after Sirena had her try and locate Ren and Nora for the first time, Ruby struggled to fall asleep. She still occasionally reached out to sense Ren and Nora's sadness, and while she did feel like she was getting better at it, Ren's semblance was still messing with her powers, even when she tracked Nora's sadness. As she slowly drifted off into a sweet and well-deserved slumber, she began hearing a familiar barking.
"Zwei, be quiet, I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled, before realizing she shouldn't be able to hear her dog. Ruby opened her eyes and found herself in her bedroom in her family's house on Patch. Zwei was barking outside the door, and Ruby saw a yellow shape walk up to the door.
"Zwei, what's wrong?" Taiyang asked, "Is Talia playing pranks again?"
"No, it's me, Ruby," Ruby said and reached for the door knob, but stopped when she realized that she could see right through her hand. Taiyang opened the door and Zwei ran circles around Ruby, who was both scared and confused as to what was going on.
"I guess you miss them, too," Taiyang said, "Come on, back to work." He had Zwei follow him out of the room and closed the door behind him again.
"Dad, wait, I'm still here," Ruby said, trying to follow him. She hesitated to just try and phase through the door, not sure how she should even communicate with her father in this state. Suddenly, she heard a strange sound, like a whisper mixed with a gust of wind and the flapping of wings, and found herself standing in front of her body, which was still lying in her bed in Mistral. As she was about to touch her body's cheek, she heard a voice behind her.
"Are you really going to go back so soon?" Talia asked, floating behind Ruby, who turned around when she heard the voice.
"Talia, what's going on?" Ruby asked, "Did you do this?"
"Nope," Talia answered, "My semblance isn't really one I can use on others, I think. And even if I can, it'd get rid of your physical body in the process. But you seem to still have a connection to your body." She pointed behind Ruby, who looked at her back and saw a dark gray wolf tail with silver tips protrude from her hip. Ruby started to panic a little.
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked, "Since when do I have a tail?"
"No idea, but you should ask someone about it," Talia answered.
"Who could I even ask about this?" Ruby asked.
"Maybe someone who has seen a lot," Talia answered, "Just think of the oldest and most experienced person you know."
"Ozpin!" Ruby blurted out.
"Worth a try," Talia said and floated through the door. Ruby tried following her, only to run into the door and end up on the floor.
"How do you do this?" Ruby asked, rubbing her forehead. Hearing the thud on the other side, Talia poked her astral head through the door to see what was taking Ruby so long.
"Like I said, you're still connected to your body," Talia answered, "I am just a sentient aura in this state, so I don't have to bother with this kind of stuff."
"You know, you could've warned me," Ruby said, got up and opened the door.
"Yes, but this way you're less likely to forget," Talia said. Ruby left her team's bedroom and followed Talia through the house. When they walked past the living room, they heard steps coming their way and Talia hid in the walls. Ruby was nervously looking around, but realized that Taiyang couldn't see her earlier, so she shouldn't have to worry about being spotted. Just as she thought she was safe, Qrow walked into the hallway, visibly drunk, and stopped to look at Ruby.
"Ruby," he slurred, looked at her tail for a moment and asked, "Have you done anything with your hair? Looks great." Qrow drunkenly staggered past Ruby and went to bed. Talia poked her head out of the wall.
"By the way," Talia said and explained, "Somehow drunk people, and some others, can still see me in this state. Luckily they don't seem to remember much when they sober up."
"Couldn't you have told me earlier?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, but then it wouldn't be as fun," Talia answered and said, "Anyway, I have things to take care of now, bye." She disappeared into the wall again, and Ruby kept walking. As she passed the room Jaune, Ren and Nora were staying in, the door opened and Nora stumbled out, half asleep. She looked at Ruby, took a moment to process the information, and tilted her head.
"Do I know you?" Nora asked with unnerving clarity in her voice, considering it was the middle of the night.
"W- what makes you say that?" Ruby asked nervously.
"I don't know," Nora answered, "But you look like one of my friends. She doesn't have a tail, though. At least as far as I know." Nora went to the kitchen, and Ruby continued her way to Oscar's room. The situation was still freaking her out, however. By all accounts, Nora should be half asleep, but she seemed wide awake and fully aware of what was going on around her, even though she didn't recognize Ruby. Ruby reached Oscar's room and slowly opened the door, poking her head in. She saw Oscar sleeping in his bed, with a spectral professor Ozpin sitting on a chair by the end of the bed and watching over him.
"Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked to get the former headmaster's attention. He gestured her to come inside, she grabbed a chair and sat down in the middle of the room.
"Miss Rose, why are you not in bed?" Ozpin asked with a half joking, half scolding tone.
"I am," Ruby answered with a smile, which Ozpin returned.
"Alright," Ozpin said and asked, "But, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Well, yes," Ruby answered, gestured at herself and asked, "Do you have any idea what happened to me?"
"Astral projection," Ozpin answered and explained, "It is an ancient art, where a person separates their soul from their body. Your body is left without emotion, meaning that it is mostly invisible to Grimm, but some residual negativity may remain. Also, some individuals may still be able to notice you, but those are usually in a state where their memory does not work properly. Animals and small children will always be able to sense you, however."
"What about my tail?" Ruby asked and brought her tail onto her lap.
"Many believe it is linked to what kind of person you are," Ozpin answered.
"Meaning?" Ruby asked.
"What comes to your mind when you think of wolves?" Ozpin asked. Ruby thought about her answer for a moment.
"When I was younger, I was scared of wolves," Ruby said, "I mean, they're wolves. They seem really scary to little girls. But then we got Zwei, and whenever I got scared, he would be there for me. My mother told me that he sees me as a member of his pack, so he will protect me. I started reading more about dogs, and eventually found out that they are descendant from wolves. Their pack mentality was what made early humans domesticate them. Then I learned that wolves howl to communicate over long distances, to make sure everyone was alright. They're a lot like me, actually. They look out for each other. The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."
"Who's a good girl?" Ozpin asked jokingly. Ruby chuckled, got up and noticed that her tail was wagging as soon as she let it go.
~o~
In another dream training session, Jaune and Niob walked along a gravel path, winding through a lush forest. Niob looked around with a critical eye.
"Attention to detail is satisfactory," Niob said, "Not perfect, but not too flawed to be immediately noticeable to an untrained individual. You improve expeditiously. However, we must not forget the reason for this training."
"Right," Jaune said, "Whatever the next lesson is, I'm ready."
"Now, what have you learned about yourself?" Niob asked.
"I'm a complete failure of a huntsman," Jaune said, letting his head hang.
"I have to disagree," Niob said, "There are many who could only hope to achieve your level of skill that quickly. And even more who will never be as good at this as you are naturally. Your family has a powerful gift, all you have to do is use it."
"Who would be jealous of me?" Jaune asked and said, "I didn't even make it to Beacon on my own. Someone helped me get there. I was just tricked into enrolling, and now I'm stuck trying to save the world, with no real clue of how to do it."
"I know of at least one person who wishes he had your natural skill," Niob said.
"Who?" Jaune asked.
"Me," Niob answered.
"Wait, you're jealous of me?" Jaune asked and said, "But how? You're amazing. You have nearly perfect control over your aura, to the point where you can replicate people's semblances if you feel like it. It's like you're some kind of one-man army, with hundreds or even thousands of souls or something. Why would you be jealous of me?"
"It is true that I can change my aura quite a lot," Niob said, "However, it will always remain the same at its core. And while I have a lot of control over it, my aura is not as strong as other people's. Your aura is exceptionally strong, something that is unique to your bloodline. This gift will make it a lot easier for you to use astral abilities, which in turn will give you more control over your aura. As far as improvement goes, you are a sun, and I am but a smoldering piece of coal. It took me half a year to achieve what you achieved in those past weeks we have been training. You will improve faster, learn new abilities, and those abilities will further expedite your growth. Before long, you will not need me any more."
"Come on, I'll always need a mentor," Jaune said and asked, "Now, what's next?"
"We will see," Niob said and answered, "Now, we will try to unlock your semblance."
"Really?" Jaune asked and said, "I'm sure it can wait. I mean it's not like you already figured it out."
"I have a suspicion," Niob said.
"What is it?" Jaune asked. He swallowed nervously, not sure if he would like Niob's way of unlocking his semblance.
"Throughout your journey, you have placed others before you," Niob said, "So, what would you do if one of your friends was in danger? How far would you go to save them?" Suddenly, Pyrrha stumbled out of the undergrowth and dropped to the ground on the gravel. She was covered in cuts and bruises, as if she had fought her way through a large blackberry bush.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out, ran over to her and tried to help her up.
"Jaune, I'm so glad I found you," Pyrrha said. Jaune hugged her.
"It's ok, everything will be ok, just let me help you," Jaune said. He closed his eyes and tried to heal her injuries, thinking she was part of his dream. Niob stood nearby and sensed the truth, looking on in surprise, and a bit of confusion. All of a sudden, Jaune's hands began glowing white, and Pyrrha's body started glowing black and her injuries started to heal.
"Jaune, I finally found you," Pyrrha said, "I was so alone. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Jaune said, trying to calm her down and asked, "What happened?"
"I went to fight Cinder," Pyrrha answered, "But she was gone. I went to look for you, but you were gone, too. I was alone, but I still had hope that I would some day find you. Then I was in this forest, and now I finally found you." She hugged Jaune tighter, and Jaune opened his eyes to see Pyrrha's entire body glow black, with his hands glowing white.
"What is this?" Jaune asked, looking at his hands.
"Your semblance," Niob answered, "It lets you amplify another person's aura, speeding up their healing process or increasing the effectiveness of their semblance. It is quite the useful semblance for a protector such as yourself."
"But, why did you make Pyrrha appear here?" Jaune asked.
"I didn't," Niob answered, "Her soul found you on its own."
~o~
The next morning, after breakfast, Team RWBY, Jaune, Ren, Nora, Qrow and Oscar gathered in the living room. Ruby and Jaune still didn't look each other in the eyes, due to how Ruby had been lying slumped over Jaune after she returned to her body, and had to use her semblance to get back to her team's bedroom before the others woke up.
"I saw something super weird last night," Nora said, "Basically, there was this faunus girl. She looked kind of familiar, but I can't really put my finger on it."
"Was it Blake?" Ren asked.
"No," Nora answered, "She had a tail. Something told me she belonged here, so I didn't really worry about it."
"That… might have been me," Ruby said, surprising everyone in the room.
"Wait, you're a faunus?" Blake asked.
"No, I'm not," Ruby answered, "I just kind of detached my soul from my body last night, and that tail was the connection to my body." Everyone looked at Ruby, not sure how to process that information.
"I managed to unlock my semblance, by the way," Jaune said to break the awkward silence.
"Really?" Nora asked, "What's it do?" She seemed the least disturbed by the fact that she ran into a disembodied soul last night, and her excitement quickly spread to the others, who just accepted that that was a thing Ruby could do.
"It lets me amplify the aura of someone else," Jaune answered, "Basically, I can recharge someone's aura using my own, or make their semblance stronger, or I can make their aura heal them better."
"I wish I could do that", Ruby said.
"But you can move super fast," Jaune said.
"Yeah, but your semblance is so much better at helping people," Ruby said.
"Anyway," Jaune said, "Niob told me I should get started on learning astral projection soon."
"What now?" Nora asked.
"It's when you separate your soul from your body," Ruby answered.
"Exactly," Jaune said and explained, "Depending on how well I can control my aura, I can go farther away from my body without risks. This also means that if use this technique often, I'll get better at controlling my aura, because I will get a better understanding of how aura works. After all, an astral body is nothing more than sentient aura."
~o~
Argent left an underground facility disguised as a small and unassuming cottage, which his team used as base of operations when in Mistral. Hazel walked up to him, covered in dirt and with cuts on his upper arms, and stopped in front of him.
"Do you know Sirena Blue?" Hazel asked.
"Looks like she already put you six feet under once," Argent responded, "If I were you, I'd just leave her be. It's healthier."
"So you know her?" Hazel asked and clenched his fists.
"I'm her team's leader," Argent answered, "I don't know what you did to piss her off, and I don't really care, but you should just be grateful she didn't bother checking your pulse, forget about whatever problem you have with her, and leave this city."
"I can't do that," Hazel said, "Tell her to face me again if she wants to see you again. And no dust this time."
"Is that a threat?" Argent asked. He clenched his fists, letting lightning-dust surge through the knuckles of his thick gloves. Hazel punched him with his right fist. Argent deflected the blow and landed three strikes on Hazel's face. The people on the streets started running away. Hazel tumbled backwards, and Argent kicked him in the chest. Hazel flew backwards and crashed into a market stall selling dust. Hazel got up, grabbed four incendiary-dust crystals and jammed them into his upper arms. The energy surged through his arms, and his battle cry tuned out the panicked screams of the people on the market. Hazel jumped at Argent and slammed his right fist into his enemy. Argent evaporated and reassembled a few meters away. The force of the explosion set nearby market stalls on fire and melted the ground where Hazel had hit. Hazel punched several balls of red-hot glass-like material at Argent. Argent crossed his arms and blocked the attacks. Hazel jumped towards Argent and tried to hit him with a hammer fist. Argent caught Hazel's arms in his tail and extended the two thin blades from each of his bracers. Before either Hazel or his aura could react, he had several punctures in his upper torso. Hazel's aura immediately healed the injuries. Argent tossed him to the ground and shot a short barrage of fire-dust bullets at Hazel's upper arms. The dust crystals exploded, setting even more things on fire and turning the nearby street into molten rock. Hazel's aura dropped completely.
"H- how?" Hazel asked, looking up at Argent, whose aura was still intact. Argent used his tail to pick Hazel up by his arms again.
"My aura regenerates faster when it's warm," Argent answered, "Also, you never had a chance against me. After all, I'm the King of Shadows." Hazel's eyes widened in horror as Argent held him over a waterfall.
"No, please," Hazel pleaded, realizing he was about to meet his end. One quick aura shockwave was all it took Argent, and the bones in Hazel's arm turned to powder. Argent dropped him into the water and walked away, whistling as if nothing had happened. Argent pulled out his scroll and contacted Sirena.
"Just had a run-in with Hazel," he wrote, "Don't worry, he'll live. Why is he so important to you anyway?"
"Good," Sirena replied, "I just need him to deliver something. Also, maybe he can help Ruby with her training. And I want to see his face when he realizes that his survival was never an accident."
"So, what now?" Argent asked.
"Don't worry, I'll still help with Project Alpha," Sirena replied, "We'll just use Ruby and her friends as decoy to keep Salem off our backs."
"Sounds like a plan," Argent wrote and asked, "Anyway, would you mind showing me your ability to petrify Grimm? It's still difficult to believe, and I really want to see it."
"No, I don't mind," Sirena responded, "I will send you the coordinates shortly."
"Thanks," Argent wrote, then put his scroll away. He continued walking, helped some people fix their market stalls, and generally made sure there were as few traces of the fight as possible. When he heard the police approach, he evaporated.
~o~
Argent entered Sienna Khan's throne room and walked up to her. Sienna looked at him, but gestured her guards to let him be. Argent knelt down before her throne and looked up.
"Sienna Khan," Argent said, "I have a plan for how the White Fang can atone for Adam's actions."
"Argent Star," Sienna said and asked, "What would that plan be?"
"Quite simple," Argent answered, "My team is planning to retrieve something from the city of Vale. In the past, relations between humans and faunus have improved after they fought together to defend settlements. Now imagine how much humans will respect the faunus if we help reclaim one of their biggest cities."
"Won't it seem like we attacked Vale just to take it back?" Sienna asked.
"No," Argent answered, "Because you won't actually take it back. You will simply set up a base camp and allow humans to use it to take back Vale."
"And what do you gain from it?" Sienna asked.
"Like I said," Argent answered, "My team plans to retrieve something from the city. With the White Fang's help, we can get it easier and faster."
"Can you make sure it will help us?" Sienna asked.
"Of course," Argent answered.
"Alright then," Sienna said, "We will wait until you are ready."
~o~
Ruby and her friends were sitting in the living room, discussing their plans for the day. Sirena was leaning against the wall behind Ruby, and had her arms crossed.
"So, what were you planning to do today?" Sirena asked.
"We're trying to get people to help us against Salem," Ruby answered, "I think we'll try the White Fang today, since Salem has used them in the past. She'll definitely try that again, so we have to get to them first."
"There are a few problems with that," Weiss said, "For one, I don't think they'll let me walk around in their headquarters. And secondly, I don't think they'll let anyone but Blake inside."
"Actually," Yang said, "I heard some stories about a human getting to talk to the White Fang's leader."
"Really?" Qrow asked, "Where did you hear that?"
"Some conspiracy nuts told me the other day," Yang answered, "Apparently some underground anarchist group tried to assassinate their leader and replace her with one of their own, or something like that."
"Do you really think we should believe them?" Weiss asked and said, "I mean, those are the same kinds of people who believe that there is some secret cabal led by an immortal wizard ruling the world from the shadows." Oscar slowly raised his hand.
"But how did they know about it?" Qrow asked and said, "I personally kept the information on that meeting from getting published."
"You did what?" Ruby asked.
"I had to do something," Qrow answered and explained, "A certain someone sent information on a meeting between one of Salem's pawns and the White Fang's leader, Sienna Khan, to a local newspaper. I flew in and stole the stick with the files, so noone would get suspicious."
"And that's why I always have a backup plan," Sirena said.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, gave Sirena a stern look and asked, "What did you do?"
"Quite simple," Sirena answered and explained, "During my last stay in Mistral, before graduating from Beacon, I spread some news about an anarchist organization that tries to destroy the kingdoms. It was a kind of backup plan in case my plans to protect Vale would not work. With Beacon's destruction, people remembered these rumors. I also decided to let it slip that one of our enemies can control birds, in case a certain someone tried to interfere with my plans. One of the supporters of this theory works for the newspaper Qrow sabotaged, and when he saw the bird, he knew what was happening."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ruby asked.
"If you want to deceive your enemies, you have to deceive your allies first," Sirena answered.
"Why can't you trust us?" Ruby asked, and started to get upset.
"I trust you," Sirena answered, "I just have to be careful not to reveal too much. As of right now, I only know three of Salem's pawns, and none of their semblances. If I am correct about her, she has dozens of minions, each of which more powerful than the last, with all sorts of semblances. We have to be on high alert at every step we take."
"What is your next step?" Ruby asked and turned around, resting her arms on the back rest, and her chin on her arms.
"I will make sure Salem can't destroy Mistral," Sirena answered, "I will use the rumors to convince everyone to help me, and I will draw Salem's attention away from you, allowing you all to get to safety."
"We won't leave you alone," Ruby said.
"I know, but you must," Sirena said, "I will be fine. If things do get bad, I can bring my people here. Within five minutes, there will be an army whose potential to kill Grimm makes the Atlas military look like children playing with toy guns."
"I honestly have a hard time believing that," Weiss said, "I mean, the Atlas military is comprised of elite huntsmen. Your people may be good, but that seems a bit extreme."
"Let's try it, then," Ruby said quickly, realizing Sirena was barely keeping it together.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
"Well, I have silver eyes, just like Sirena's people," Ruby answered, "So, if we find some Grimm, we can see whether you or I can kill them faster."
"Good," Sirena said, looked at Weiss and said, "Then you will see how much better we are at this than you, and Ruby can train her powers. Keep in mind that we were born with this gift, while you had to work to acquire your combat skills."
~o~
Salem walked through her castle, looking at a Seer. Tyrian, Mercury and Neo followed her, and the Seer contacted the one in Leonardo's office. Both Leonardo and Adam's faces appeared in the spherical body.
"Adam, it is time," Salem said, "Your trial will begin tomorrow at noon. You are to fight several Grimm. Survive until the end, and you will be considered part of my inner circle."
"Of course," Adam said and asked, "How many Grimm, exactly?"
"Several," Salem answered, "Be ready." She gave her Seer the order to cut the connection.
~o~
Weiss and Ruby were flying on summoned Griffons, while Yang was in her dragon form and carrying Blake. Sirena was already waiting for them in the target location, near where she had spotted a pack of Beowolves. The group landed and Weiss made her summons disappear, absorbing them to salvage the aura she invested in summoning them, though the aura she used to keep them active was still lost. Yang had Blake jumped off her back and flew into a treetop, and dropped out of it in her human form. Sirena appeared from behind the tree.
"I see we're all here," Sirena said, looked at Weiss and asked, "Ready?"
"I was born ready," Weiss answered.
"Actually, that would be the two of us," Sirena said and gestured at Ruby and herself.
"Sirena, can you please stop that?" Ruby asked and said, "We're not that much better than my friends."
"I'm just honest," Sirena answered, "You have to be honest with yourself if you want to master your abilities."
"Says the person who keeps more secrets than anyone else from us," Blake said.
"I'm honestly sorry that I have to do this," Sirena said, "But I also know that it is the best way to handle things. Ask the right questions at the right time, and you will get an honest answer. Now Ruby, if you would."
"Alright, alright," Ruby said. She sat down on a rock and closed her eyes, reaching out to the sorrow of everyone she knew. She saw the silhouettes of her friends, even Ren and Nora for a short moment, before her inner eye, and sorrow and pain washed over her. In the distance, she even saw Neo, and as soon as the shape became clear as day, Ruby opened her eyes again and unleashed a burst of silver light. Her friends had drawn their weapons, and Weiss had killed a Beowolf, when the light washed over them and they closed their eyes. Sirena kept her eyes open and felt the power fill every part of her being for about a second, which felt like an eternity of hope and compassion to her. Yang opened her eyes and looked around. Ruby was still sitting on the rock, but unconscious, and fell over. Sirena caught her and sat her down next to a tree.
"What the..." Yang said, looking around the petrified Grimm in disbelief.
"That is the power we wield," Sirena said. Suddenly, Blake turned her sword into its gun form and shot one of the petrified Grimm, which was next to a tree. The Grimm shattered and revealed Adam.
"Adam!" Blake called out, and turned her weapon back into its sword form. She dashed towards him and created four clones. The clones dashed past him and stopped in a star shape. Blake attacked Adam, switched places with a clone and attacked again, landing five hits in seven seconds. Adam blocked each hit with his sword, absorbing the energy. Yang launched herself forward and hit Adam with several heavy blows. Adam blocked each hit with his sword and absorbed the energy. Weiss summoned a Queen Lancer and had it shoot projectiles at Adam. He blocked the attacks and absorbed the energy.
"Is it me, or is nothing working?" Yang asked.
"His semblance is like yours," Blake answered, "He absorbs attacks with his sword, and gets stronger the more he does it." Suddenly, Adam unleashed a powerful wave of red energy in Ruby's direction.
~o~
After using her silver eyes, Ruby found herself standing in a large room with green pillars, planter boxes on the second floor, and two people in it. A massive man was sitting on a couch, and a more slender woman was pacing up and down on the other side of the table standing in front of the couch. The woman was coated in a thick yellow aura.
"Kali, dear, please calm down," the man said.
"I can't," Kali said, "Ghira, aren't you even a little worried our little girl is getting hurt? Don't you miss her?"
"Of course I miss her," Ghira answered, "But Blake is a big girl now. She can make her own decisions. The best we can do for her now is to support her in whatever she does, and hope she does the right thing."
"I know," Kali said, "But I still miss her so much. What if she gets in trouble? What if her friends don't like her? What if her friends only want to use her?"
"We won't," Ruby said, acting without thinking. Kali stopped dead in her tracks, and her right cat ear twitched a little.
"Did you hear that?" Kali asked.
"Hear what?" Ghira asked.
"I thought I just heard something," Kali answered and said, "I must be going crazy from how much I miss her."
"No, you're not," Ruby said, and Kali perked up as Ruby continued, "We're her friends, we all love and support her in everything she does, and we all make sure the others always do the right thing. She is safe with us in Mistral, and I'm sure she misses you, too. You will see her again, we will make sure of that, so please cheer up and have hope."
"You know what, dear?" Kali asked and said, "We should just go and visit her in Mistral. Something tells me she misses us as much as we miss her. And we don't need to worry about her doing the wrong thing any more. I have hope that her friends will keep her on the right path, just as she will them." Kali's yellow aura faded, and Ruby felt her grip on reality slip as she was pulled back into her body with the same otherworldly sound as before.
~o~
The wave of energy exploded halfway to its intended target, and when the cloud of dust and debris settled, everyone saw Sirena standing in its path, with a dark blue ice shield on her left sleeve.
"Adam Taurus..." Sirena said with a cold and threateningly emotionless voice. A pair of fins and a fish tail made from dark blue energy manifested on Sirena's arms and protruding from her back, respectively. A cold shiver ran down Blake's back as she sensed the immense power radiating off the woman. Adam sheathed his sword and took a step back. The shield on Sirena's sleeve crumbled away. Before anyone knew what was happening, Sirena had dashed towards Adam and punched him in the gut. A second punch lifted him off the ground. Sirena hit Adam's head with a right hook, sending him flying. He plowed through the ground and got back up. After Sirena activated her semblance, she dashed towards him, her trident drawn. He could barely block the attack with his sword. Adam unleashed a wave of energy, knocking Sirena back a little. Adam went on the attack, using what little energy he had left to deliver several rapid strikes. Sirena blocked every single one of them. Adam stopped his attack after a few strikes. Sirena hit him with jab after jab of her trident. Adam blocked all of them, absorbing the energy.
"Impossible," Yang said, "Her aura is at twice its capacity, and it won't budge." Adam delivered another series of powerful blows, dashing past Sirena again and again. Sirens stood there, seemingly motionless, but blocked every attack, moving too fast for the eye to see. When Yang checked Adam's aura, she finally realized Sirena's plan. Adam noticed that Yang had seen something, and just as he delivered another strike, his aura broke.
"What? How?" Adam asked.
"My semblance," Sirena answered, "Whenever I take melee damage, my opponent takes as much damage as if they hit themselves." She pulled her trident back and was about to stab Adam through the head, throat and upper torso, when a cluster of red petals rushed past her and stopped under a tree. Everyone gasped at the development.
"Ruby," Yang said, looking at her sister standing in front of Adam and breathing heavily.
"Why?" Blake asked.
"I don't need your pity, human," Adam grumbled.
"Sirena, I thought we talked about this," Ruby said, "No killing people. Not even Salem's disposable puppets." Sirena calmed down, her aura traits disappeared, and she put her weapon away again.
"I'm sorry," Sirena said. Ruby turned her head to look at Adam.
"Now go," Ruby said, "And don't do any more stupid things. I will save everyone I can, but if I'm not around, I can't help you."
"Blake… listen," Adam said.
"Get lost!" Ruby screamed at Adam, stomping her right foot. Everyone was shocked by the outburst. Adam grabbed his weapon and ran off into the forest.
"Ruby… are you alright?" Yang asked.
"Yeah," Ruby answered, turned back to face her friends and said, "Just tired." She leaned against the tree and sunk to the ground again.
"You better prepare a camp," Sirena said, "She will be out for another few hours, and won't wake up again before sunset."
"Really?" Weiss asked.
"Yes," Sirena answered, "You three go and find some firewood, I will protect Ruby."
"Ok," Blake said, and both she and Yang went into the forest.
"Are you not going to help?" Sirena asked Weiss after Blake and Yang had gone.
"No, I think I should help you," Weiss answered.
"You don't know which pieces would suffice, correct?" Sirena asked.
"How did you know?" Weiss asked.
"For one, you just told me," Sirena answered, "And secondly, I was there myself once. Being the crown princess of my kingdom meant I was always handed everything. When I started studying at Beacon, I realized how little I knew about living. However, I could not let that continue, and so I learned to do many things by myself. One might think that, as crown princess and now queen, I should not have to do anything by myself, but I believe that I am a representative of my people, in every way. As such, if I am not self-sufficient, I would set a bad example for those following me."
"Wow," Weiss said and asked, "Did you… really open up to me just now? That feels kind of strange. In a good way, though."
"Yes, I did," Sirena answered and said, "I was cautioned not to reveal too much about myself. I have since learned that every bit of information can be too much, if it falls into the wrong hands. You, Blake and Yang have proven that you can be trusted, so I will try to be more open with all of you."
"Thanks," Weiss said. They waited for Blake and Yang to come back, and started a campfire.
~o~
In the evening, after the sun had set, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Sirena were sitting around their campfire. Ruby was still unconscious, but seemed to be alright.
"Sirena, what's the deep sea like?" Weiss asked. Blake and Yang turned to look at Sirena as well.
"Yeah, what's it like?" Blake asked.
"It depends on where you are," Sirena answered, "Close to my kingdom, it is relatively tame and safe. You can compare it to the desert of Menagerie."
"Wait, what?" Blake asked and said, "But that is full of hostile animals and dangerous plants."
"I said relatively," Sirena answered, "As you venture deeper into the pitch-black depths of the sea, its cold and unforgiving claws will envelop you, ready to punish even the slightest mistake. If you so much as blink at the wrong time, or inhale for too long, you are dead. Everything down there is designed to kill, and nothing else. On the surface, creatures look intimidating, but down there, looks mean nothing. Even the most docile creatures will kill you if they think that you are a threat in any way. Food is hard fought for, and every creature, big or small, will classify every other creature as potential rival for food, even if they are herbivores. Just to stand a chance, you must be the best at killing everything that could get in your way."
"Sounds rough," Yang said, while Weiss and Blake were still too shocked to respond.
"It is," Sirena answered, "Not many can handle it." After a short moment of awkward silence, Ruby started waking up. She stretched herself, yawned and looked around.
"Hello, everyone," Ruby said and asked, "Did I do this?"
"Ruby, you're awake," Yang called out and went to hug her sister.
"Yes, you did," Sirena answered.
"Well, except for the campfire," Blake said, "That was us."
"Man, and I thought I had campfire vision," Ruby said with a jokingly sad tone. Suddenly, a red portal opened near Yang, and Raven stepped out, not wearing her mask.
"Sirena, Argent wants to talk to you," Raven said, "I'll make a portal that takes you to him."
"First, make sure they get home safely," Sirena said, gesturing at Ruby and her team. Raven groaned.
"Fine," she said.
"If you want, you can keep those petrified Grimm," Ruby said.
"Why should I want them?" Raven asked, "And why would you let me have them?"
"I don't need them any more," Ruby answered.
"Also," Blake said, "Argent told me that they soak up negative emotions, so putting them around your camp would make it difficult for Grimm to detect."
"You know I'm a bandit, right?" Raven asked and said, "I enrolled at Beacon not to become a huntress, but to learn how to kill huntsmen. I pillage villages and kill innocents. You shouldn't want to help me. It doesn't make sense."
"I know all that," Ruby said, "But I also know that you're a human. From what I understand, you care a lot for your tribe. I care for every human and faunus like that. That's why I want to help you." Raven sighed, let the portal she came through close and opened a new one.
"Alright you four, go," she said to Team RWBY. After they all walked through, Sirena sensed their fear to make sure they were in fact back home.
"Good, now get me to Argent," Sirena said.
"No need to get impatient," Raven said. She closed the portal to Qrow and opened a new one to Argent.
~o~
Sirena stepped out of the portal and found herself in a conference room in the White Fang headquarters. She sat down on a free chair between Niob and Talia, and heard a door open.
"Sorry I'm late," Adam said as he rushed into the room, "I was… held up." He sat down next to Sienna and froze up as he saw Sirena.
"Calm down, Adam," Sirena said, "If I were here to hurt you, you'd be dead."
"Can we begin, then?" Sienna asked.
"Yes," Argent answered. He pressed a button on the tablet in front of him, and a map of the area around Vale appeared as a hologram in front of everyone.
"What is your plan?" Sienna asked.
"Quite simple," Argent answered and explained, "We will have one of our allies send Niob to a friend near Vale. Niob will then travel to Mountain Glenn, where Sirena will join him. The two will take out any Grimm in the area. Then, we will establish a base camp inside the underground section. I have already requested an expert in area control and Grimm elimination to assist us. Then, we will prepare for our attack on the city of Vale, using the collapsed tunnels as entry point."
"And where do we come in?" Sienna asked. Sirena pressed a button and the map changed to show the area around Lake Matsu, with one spot being marked.
"Here," Sirena answered and explained, "My people will deliver crates of fire-goo to this lake. You will set up a camp here, pick up the crates, use them to create ammo and other materials, and deliver the materials to the village of Blackport. From there, the materials will be transported to Mountain Glenn to help with the efforts of reclaiming Vale. Also, we will need some of your manpower for the assault and to protect the humans in the city. Faunus with night vision would be optimal."
"Do you know what risk my men would take?" Sienna asked and said, "That area is incredibly dangerous, so without proper protection, I sadly cannot send anyone to go out there."
"My people are the ones taking a risk," Sirena said, "The deep sea is far more dangerous than any location on the surface. If the Grimm don't kill you, the animals will, and even if you survive them, the water itself can end your life in an instant. You just have to sit there and pick up the crates, while my people risk their lives every second they spend out in the ocean."
"We will of course make sure your men are safe," Argent said, "Niob will accompany the initial soldiers going there, and fly ahead to ensure the Grimm are dealt with when they arrive. Furthermore, I am certain Sirena has a plan to ensure your men are safe out there." He looked over to Sirena, who responded with a small nod.
"Of course I do," Sirena said, "If all goes according to plan, that base will be safe from Grimm, and noone will have to fear getting attacked by them."
"What is your plan, exactly?" Sienna asked.
"My apologies, but at this moment, I cannot tell you," Sirena answered, "But you can rest assured that I have accounted for every possibility, and there is no way it can fail."
"I honestly have doubt in your strategic skill," Sienna said and asked, "When has a plan of yours come to fruition?"
"Check your scroll," Sirena answered calmly, and said, "I set an automated message to be sent to you three years ago, which was previously locked and inaccessible. You can open it now." Sienna pulled out her scroll and opened the file. Reading through it, her eyes widened.
"What is it?" Adam asked.
"Impossible," Sienna answered, "She predicted everything."
"Yeah, that's impossible," Adam and Sienna said, the latter more in disbelief.
"Wait, how?" Argent and Sienna asked simultaneously, Sienna still reading off her scroll.
"I told you I'm good with strategies," Sirena answered.
"But how?" Sienna asked, "How did you know all of this?"
"Knowledge is half the battle," Sirena answered, "The other half is knowing how to use it."
"Then… what about your plan to protect Vale?" Adam asked.
"My failure there was due to unforeseen circumstances," Sirena answered, "I didn't account for Ruby to be present during the events, hence my plan fell apart rather quickly. However, now we need to take Vale back from the Grimm."
"Alright," Argent said, "So, to summarize, during phase one, my team will help the White Fang establish a base camp by Lake Matsu, while Sirena will have her people bring crates of materials to the location. Phase two begins when everyone is ready. Niob will travel to Mountain Glenn and Sirena will join him there, in order to wipe out any Grimm. During phase three, the White Fang and other allies will arrive at the location, bringing the materials and manpower needed to attack the city. Niob will lead a group of aerial faunus, armed with sniper rifles, to provide air support. There will be eight groups of five faunus, which will operate in three hour shifts."
"Hold up," Talia said, "I also have something to add."
"Sure, what is it?" Argent asked. Talia pressed a button on the tablet in front of her and a picture of a vertical windmill popped up, with a short section of conveyor belt attached to it.
"I came up with this design," Talia answered, "Basically, if we stay in Mountain Glenn, the air temperature there will increase. If we reduce to air temperature in Vale, the pressure differences will cause air to flow to Mountain Glenn. With my windmills and conveyor belt system, we can use that air flow to move materials and people to and from Vale. I also have some things that can turn kinetic energy into electricity, so we can attach them to the conveyor belt and generate electricity for the city to use."
"Electricity without dust?" Adam asked, "What kind of magic is that?"
"Not magic," Talia answered, "Just clever manipulation of the laws of nature. Think about nature as a game. Our technology works because we know what the rules are, and the better we understand the rules, the better our technology can be, which in turn helps us understand the rules even better. You can't control nature. The only thing you can do is follow her laws."
"Alright," Argent said, "We will need materials for the conveyor belt and the windmills. Sienna, I'd like if you could send some people to help with that."
"Fine," Sienna said and asked, "What do we need?"
"I'll compile a list," Talia said and pulled out her scroll. Sirena pulled a golden coin from one of her pockets and flipped it to Sienna.
"You can use this if the money runs out," Sirena said. Sienna looked at the coin and was shocked to see such an old item in such a great condition.
"Where did you get that?" Sienna asked.
"The bottom of the ocean," Sirena answered and explained, "They're quite common there. My people have no need for them, so we mostly melt them and use them for other things, but the most well-preserved ones are kept for their beauty."
"Thank you," Sienna said. Talia sent her a list of materials, and the meeting ended shortly after, as everyone had to start doing their part of the mission.
Author's Note: Ruby astral projected into another time zone, so it's day in Patch. Also, the rules for astral projection are more or less adapted from the anime Noragami. You should really check it out.
The sound was inspired by the game Qbeh-1: The Atlas Cube. Basically, every time you fall off the platform, you hear this sound. It sounds nice, so I tried to describe it.
Argent's title will come up again later. For now, just know that the title was what terrified Hazel so much, due to the stories he had heard. Also, Hazel won't die. So far he got drowned, steamed, and buried alive, and got back up. He survived the first two by slowing his heart beat down a lot, and the last one by just being strong enough to push the dirt off of him.
People think Sirena is joking when she said she could buy most properties on Remnant. She's not. The only thing that kept her from legally owning most of the world, aside from the fact that most of her wealth is in Soraklia, was global communication, which meant that prices would adjust too quickly for her to buy everything. Also, I plan to reveal the secret behind her tactical skill during my version of V8.