Author's note: Some crazy stuff happening in this chapter. Enjoy.
Team RWBY, Jaune, Ren and Nora were on the way to pick up another pack of Megoliath roaming the tundra, when a lightning hit their aircraft and destroyed the control panel. Everyone held on to the nearest handrail.
"We're going down," the pilot called over the warning siren, and through the front window, they saw that they were heading for a ravine.
"I have an idea, but it's risky," Jaune said, "Ruby, be ready." He charged Pyrrha's aura and fused with her. As they approached the ground, everyone but Arkos closed their eyes and braced for impact. They felt the aircraft slightly change trajectory and, somehow, missed the ravine. The aircraft came to a halt and everyone got back up, groaning a bit.
"Everyone alright?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Nora answered, "Just a bit shaken."
"Sorry," Pyrrha answered, drawing everyone's attention to herself. She wore dark gray pants with golden armor, a red sash around her waist that extended to close to the ground on her right. Her red hair was braided similar to Weiss', and her weapon looked different, too.
"P- Pyrrha?" Ruby asked in disbelief.
"Jaune let me take the lead when our fusion split up," Pyrrha answered, but suddenly seemed to get uncomfortable.
"Pyrrha, what's wrong?" Ruby asked. Everyone got worried for her when she stumbled backwards against the wall, and Nora gasped in shock. Pyrrha took a deep breath and seemed to be much better, and took a few more breaths.
"Sorry," Pyrrha answered, "I have been dead for so long, I forgot to breathe for a moment."
"So, what now?" Ruby asked, "Where is Jaune?"
"He's in my soul, like I usually am in his," Pyrrha answered, "We need your help turning back, though." In the distance, the group heard the cracking of lightning and turned to where the sound came from. They saw a flock of half a dozen avian Grimm with some green feathers. A red portal opened next to Ruby, and Sirena walked out with an ice shield on her right sleeve.
"Sirena?" Ruby asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Protecting you," Sirena answered, "Those Thunderbirds are dangerous." The Grimm leading the flock, which was glowing the brightest, stopped in mid-air and unleashed a powerful and focused lightning blast. Sirena blocked the hit with her shield and was launched back by the shock, her aura dropping in one hit. Ruby burst into a cluster of rose petals and rushed to catch Sirena.
"Sirena!" Ruby called out and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am fine," Sirena answered and got back up, slightly singed from the lightning, and extended her trident. The leader of the flock had fallen behind, and its green feathers had lost their glow.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Ruby asked and walked in front of Sirena.
"Making sure you're safe," Sirena answered.
"Watch out," Pyrrha said and created multiple clones of herself around the group. The clones formed a shield dome around the group and extended green hard-light from the edges of their shields. Weiss created a Safezone and Healing Circle around the group, recharging everyone's aura faster.
"Sirena, listen," Ruby said, "Those things shoot lightning. They'll kill you." Some of the Pyrrha clones poked their guns out through the small gaps between the shields and fired at the Thunderbirds.
"I know," Sirena said, and everyone was speechless for a moment. The Grimm came closer and circled the group. Everyone got closer together and ducked under the shield dome.
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked, and tears started forming in her eyes, "But… why would you do that if you knew you'll die?" Pyrrha's shields built up a weak electric charge from the electric field surrounding the Grimm.
"I told you already, when we arrived in Atlas," Sirena answered, "I know when I will die. I've known for years now. Besides, my plan cannot be stopped any more, so it does not matter what happens to me." Nora touched one of the Pyrrha clones and absorbed the charge to make herself stronger.
"I matters to me!" Ruby called out and used Mentor to share her pain with Sirena. The Thunderbirds attacked immediately, and Nora jumped up, her hammer drawn. She landed on one of the Grimm, and her scars lit up yellow and began emitting a kind of yellow fog, with glistening particles slowly drifting to the ground.
"You guys have a face only a war hammer could love," Nora said, with static distorting her voice. She hit the Grimm in the side of the head and broke its neck, then jumped over to the next one.
"Ruby," Sirena said softly, "I still have a few decades." Nora slammed into the second Thunderbird and decapitated it with an upward swing.
"Wh- what?" Ruby asked in a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Guys, what is that?" Blake asked and caught some of the powder falling off of Nora in her hand.
"You really need to pay attention to how things are worded," Sirena said with a weak smile. Nora killed another Thunderbird and set off a puff of the yellow powder.
"So… you're fine?" Ruby asked, still with small tears in her eyes.
"I'll live," Sirena answered. Nora knocked a Thunderbird into another one, and both Grimm died from the collision.
"Why isn't your aura coming back up?" Yang asked. In her augmented vision, she saw that Sirena's aura was stuck at 2% and not increasing.
"My aura amplified the electric shock," Sirena answered, "Before it can protect me again, it has to undo the damage from before." Weiss looked at the powder.
"Guys, I think we should get out of here," Weiss said, with a sense of caution in her voice, "Slowly, without sudden movements, and without creating any sparks."
"Why?" Ruby asked. Nora hit another Thunderbird with a quick combo of hits, killing it in a few blows.
"Heavy dust," Weiss answered and held some of the dark yellow powder in her hand. Nora jammed her grenade launcher into a Thunderbird's throat, holding its beak open with her legs, and fired three fire-dust rounds into its gut.
"What's that?" Ruby asked.
"Normally we dilute dust," Weiss answered, "Make it less volatile, but safer. Heavy dust is pure dust, and it is five times as potent as normal dust." Nora broke a Thunderbird's neck with her bare hands.
"Where's all that stuff coming from, anyway?" Yang asked.
"Nora," Sirena answered, "After getting overcharged, her aura turns excess electricity into more aura for her to use, but if it is too much for her body to hold, it gets expelled. And since there is a steady supply if electricity, the high concentration of aura mixes with the electricity to create dust." Ruby felt a tingling in her nose, and was about to sneeze. Blake reacted immediately and created clones of all of them as far away as she could. As soon as Ruby sneezed and the first grain of heavy dust triggered, Blake had all of them switch places with their clones. Nora killed the last Thunderbird of the flock and heard Ruby sneeze, followed by a massive explosion. She landed, and her overcharged aura and muscles absorbed the force of impact, returning her mostly to normal. Instead of her friends, she just saw a crater, and a heavily damaged aircraft of the Atlas military.
~o~
When Ruby opened her eyes, she saw that the whole group, minus Nora, was back in her team's dorm room in Atlas Academy. Blake's aura depleted entirely and she collapsed on her bed from exhaustion. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ren and Pyrrha noticed that their auras were also weaker than before, with Weiss' dropping entirely.
"Wait, what?" Weiss asked, "And what happened to my aura?"
"It's… one of Blake's tricks," Yang answered hesitantly, "Basically, she learned how she can use the auras of others to use her semblance if she creates clones of them. It makes it easier for her, and is generally really useful. But it can come off as a bit invasive, so she only does it with people she trusts wouldn't mind, in extreme situations, or over short distances, where it isn't as obvious that the other person's aura got reduced."
"What about Nora?" Ren asked.
"Her friends disappearing in an explosion isn't helping her mood," Ruby answered, "But I know where she is."
"How do we tell her we're safe?" Ren asked. For a moment, Ruby considered to reveal that she had copied Whitley's semblance, but she didn't see the point in that, as she couldn't summon a Seer to contact Nora, and hadn't even begun training it. Everyone turned to her and Sirena, both sad for how Nora must feel now, and scared of what will become of her all alone out in the tundra and experiencing that much negativity.
"I can tell that it's not working," Ruby said, still sensing everyone's sorrow, "I don't have a plan."
"But I do," Weiss said, "Once my aura comes back, I can summon a Griffon to fly to her, and then summon a Seer so we can talk to her. I'd just need to know where she is."
"Good, but we have to hurry. There are already Grimm attack-," Ruby said, paused, and said, "Nevermind. I'll go talk to Dr. Oak and see if he can help us." She used Aura Amp to give Weiss the last bit of her aura, then headed to the one man she knew could help her solve all problems, if he just had the right information. She had more to discuss than just how to save Nora, and it was finally time for her to see if her plan could work.
~o~
When Ruby walked into the military's weapon development laboratories, she saw several men in lab coats working on some device that looked like a backpack. They all paused their work when the first one noticed her, and she realized that they were all members of Sophie's swarm.
"Young Apostle of Light, welcome," one of the men said and asked, "How may we be of service?"
"Apostle?" Ruby asked, a bit confused, then shook her head and answered, "Nevermind. I need to talk to Dr. Oak."
"Of course, this way, if you please," the man said and led Ruby through a series of corridors to the doctor. He was working on some computer, looking over a couple files, when he heard the automatic sliding door open and looked up.
"Hello doctor," the man escorting Ruby said, "I bring great news. The young Apostle of Light seeks your counsel." Ruby saw the doctor's eyes light up a little, probably a sign of him using his semblance.
"Yes, thank you," Dr. Oak said, "I am very honored by the opportunity." The man turned around and left again, and after the door closed, Dr. Oak sighed and gestured Ruby to sit down on some boxes near him.
"Everything alright?" Ruby asked after sitting down.
"Those guys," Dr. Oak answered, "My colleague, Dr. Acacia, has suggested they continue her work while she is otherwise occupied, but they're… strange. Sorry for that whole theater, I have to use my semblance practically every time I talk to them, just to get my point across. It's a bit frustrating at times, to be honest."
"Yeah, they're difficult," Ruby said, "But they mean well."
"I suppose," Dr. Oak said and asked, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Magic," Ruby answered, confusing Dr. Oak a bit.
"What do you mean, 'magic'?" Dr. Oak asked.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure myself," Ruby answered, "But as far as I know, I can use the light inside my soul for more than just petrifying or disintegrating Grimm. I know that some people can use it to manipulate the physical world in many ways, like healing. That is how Harriet regained her ability to walk."
"So that is what happened," Dr. Oak said and asked, "So, why come to me about this?"
"Because of your semblance," Ruby answered, "I have a plan, but I need to know how I can make it work."
"Alright then," Dr. Oak said, "I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks," Ruby said and asked, "I'm trying to make a living person by creating organic matter, but from what I know, that doesn't last. Any idea how I can make the body last indefinitely?" Dr. Oak was concerned, but used his semblance anyway, and it took a bit longer than before.
"Well, you can't just make a person out of only organic matter," Dr. Oak said, "You need a soul, too. And after creating the matter with magic, you'll need something to keep the body in shape, to protect it from damage. Afterwards, it needs materials for cell regeneration to occur naturally and replace the cells made from magic. Once the cells are replaced, the body should last."
"Thanks doctor," Ruby said, "Also, there is something else I'd need to know. No magic this time. But, a bit of info up front."
"Of course," Dr. Oak said and asked, "What is it?" Ruby quickly explained how people can emulate semblances, and the process of astral projection, before asking her question.
"One of my friends, Nora Valkyrie, is stranded in the tundra," Ruby answered and asked, "How can we save her?"
"That is… definitely a lot to take in," Dr. Oak said, used his semblance again and answered, "As for your friend, that's easy. You astral project to her, then use Mentor to tell her you're alive and coming for her. Then she can hunker down and survive until you get to her."
"Thanks, doctor," Ruby said, "I'm off now, see you." She got up, left the office and hurried back to her friends to tell them what to do. She also thought about how to keep Pyrrha's body in shape once she learned alchemy, but decided to postpone that for later, when she actually had the skill to make her a new body.
~o~
Back at her team's dorm room, Ruby explained how they could save Nora, and Weiss created a Healing Circle to help everyone's auras regenerate faster. She wanted to keep the Safezone she had created in the tundra active, to allow Nora to regenerate her aura if it dropped too low, and to keep her safe from Grimm. Sirena's aura still wouldn't regenerate past 2%, and she seemed pretty weak, sitting slumped in her chair.
"Guess it really was that easy," Weiss said after Ruby explained the plan.
"Yeah," Ruby said, "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself."
"Sometimes, a solution is too obvious for us to notice," Ren said, "So it always helps to get someone else to look at your problems."
"Or we were too worried that one our friends might die," Yang said.
"Anyway, let's do this," Ruby said, sat down on a chair and focused on Nora's sorrow while detaching her soul from her body.
~o~
Nora was busy killing Grimm to vent her grief over her friends being vaporized, which was luckily drawing in even more Grimm for her to pummel. Just as she knocked the head off a Big Ursa and was catching her breath, she saw Ruby appear next to her, but with a wolf tail.
"Ruby? Is that really you?" Nora asked.
"Right, I forgot you could do that," Ruby said to herself and answered, "Yes, it's me. We're all alive and well, Blake took us back to Atlas just in time. We'll send a ship to come pick you up, so just stay nearby."
"Got it," Nora said, and her mood improved immediately. Without her sorrow as anchor, Ruby's astral body disappeared, leaving Nora alone again, but much less distraught. She went back to the Safezone, used some ice-dust canisters to create an igloo around it, and waited.
~o~
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ren and Pyrrha were standing in one of the hangars, seeing an aircraft fly off to pick up Nora. None of them were in any condition to make the trip at the moment, and while it hurt, it was safer for all if the military only had to rescue one combat-ready huntress, rather than a bunch of incapacitated ones. About an hour later, after the aircraft returned and Nora walked off the ramp at the end, Ren immediately went to hug her.
"Nora, thank the Gods you're safe," Ren said, his eyes tearing up a little, "I… I don't know what I would've done if you-" He was interrupted when Nora gently shushed him and returned the hug.
"It's fine, I'm safe," Nora said and teasingly added, "And look at you, finally getting better with words." They broke the hug, Nora wiped the tears off of Ren's cheeks, and both smiled at each other.
"By the way," Yang said, "We prepared a little something for you. Both to celebrate your safe return, and also because those Thunderbirds were a real pain for the military to deal with, and James wants to thank you for taking out at least some of them."
"A party for me?" Nora asked and said, "Let's go." She ran off, but came back a few seconds later when she realized that she had no idea where the party was being held. The others laughed a little at her antics, then Ruby took the lead and they all went to celebrate.
~o~
Sirena sat on a chair, still a bit dazed from taking so much damage. If she hadn't triggered her Damage Delay semblance to spread the effect of the attack out over a few hours, the hit would've most definitely left her scarred, and unconscious for too long.
"Where… are the others?" Blake asked as she woke up, slowly raising her head and looking around.
"They are safe, thanks to you," Sirena answered, "I am glad I made you the new Fall Maiden."
"Thanks," Blake said, glad to hear that her friends are safe, and asked, "How are you, though?"
"As I have told Ruby, I will live," Sirena answered, "But I know you can tell that I am hiding a lot of pain."
"Yes," Blake said and asked, "What is going on?"
"I used a semblance," Sirena answered, "It lets me spread out the amount of damage. Imagine a car crashing into a wall. It stops too fast, and gets destroyed. The semblance I used is like letting that car slow down over a longer distance by putting up several, weaker walls. It still stops and gets destroyed, but the damage occurs more slowly. In my case, this allows me to shrug off heavy hits, because my aura has time to counter the damage more effectively."
"But, why tell me all this?" Blake asked, "Aren't you worried I get scared if I know how weakened you are, or something?"
"You risked so much to save us," Sirena answered, "And… I do not think I can pay you back what you have done for me today. But yes, if I was concerned for your safety, I would not let you know how weakened I am."
"Now I'm confused," Blake said, "The first part sounded like gratitude, but then you say you don't care if I get hurt."
"I am grateful, yes, very much so," Sirena said, "But just like Ruby, you need to pay attention to what people say. It is true that I am not concerned for your safety, but that does not mean that I do not care if you get hurt."
"What does that mean?" Blake asked.
"You will have to figure that out yourself, I am afraid," Sirena answered with a weak attempt at a playful smile. Blake tried to figure the woman out, but gave up after a while, since she wasn't making any sense.
"Anyway, about the payback, I may have an idea," Blake said and asked, "What about that sea weed your people grow?"
"The one we use for goo?" Sirena asked.
"Yes," Blake answered and asked, "Why don't you let me eat some of that, so my ears can generate a type of goo?"
"I could have that arranged, yes," Sirena answered and asked, "Which type would you like?" Blake was happy that she could not only get unlimited goo, but also make Sirena feel better by letting her repay her debt, and gave it some thought.
"Steam would be useful for stealth," Blake answered, "But I'd also like incendiary, to have some offensive options. Of course, then I could only use it with my semblance, and relying on one's semblance to use something else is not exactly a good idea. Then again, I could use it with a lot of semblances, giving me a lot of versatility. Yes, I think incendiary-goo will do nicely."
"Alright, incendiary-goo it is," Sirena said, "But we will get to that later. Now, I need to rest, and allow my aura to counter the damage. You need some rest as well." She leaned back in her chair and fell asleep, and while Blake was a bit impressed that Sirena's aura remained active despite her being asleep, she wasn't surprised any more, and fell back asleep as well.
~o~
In the biggest break room, which had been relabeled as party room and reserved for special occasions, the Ace-Ops, Winter, and Penny were already waiting, along with several soldiers in more or less casual clothing that looked like they wore it under their armors.
"Look who it is," Harriet said when Nora entered the room, and everyone cheered for her a bit before they settled down and let her have some cake. After everyone got settled and the party really started, Penny walked up to Pyrrha.
"Hi Pyrrha," Penny said.
"Oh, hell Penny," Pyrrha said, "Sorry about, you know, back then."
"Not to worry, that body was low quality anyway," Penny said.
"I still feel bad, though," Pyrrha said, "I helped cause something really horrible, when I actually wanted to prevent that kind of thing." Penny analyzed Pyrrha's facial expression and tone of voice, and cross-referenced them with her database to determine the most fitting choice of words.
"It wasn't your fault, though," Penny said, "You were simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time. There's nothing you could've done."
"That's kind of the point, though," Pyrrha said, "It just happened, and I had no choice in the matter."
"Yes, that is frustrating," Penny said thoughtfully, "But now you know, and can prevent this sort of thing from happening again in the future."
"I guess you're right," Pyrrha said and cheered up a little again.
"In any case, want to play darts?" Penny asked and held up three darts. She tilted her head a little, and Pyrrha could see a completely unused dart board on the wall behind her.
"Sure," Pyrrha answered, and got ready to beat Penny with her semblance, whereas Penny planned to use her infallible aiming protocols to win.
"I still can't believe that you can bring back the dead," Harriet said, lookin at Pyrrha and Penny.
"Well, not entirely," Ruby said, "It's just that, when she fused with Jaune, and they split up again, Jaune let her take the lead, so to speak. Because of that, their fusion's body took her shape, rather than his. She still doesn't have her own body. Instead, she is using the matter that makes up Jaune's to recreate her own temporarily. If they fuse again, they can switch back."
"I see," Harriet said and asked, "So, you can't do the same with Tortuga, right?"
"Nope, sorry," Ruby answered.
"It's fine, really," Harriet said and went back to get more cake.
"So, what happened back there?" Nora asked, saw that Ren was a bit uncomfortable and asked, "It was me, right?"
"It's not… I mean, I don't-" Ren said, but didn't know how to put it into words.
"What did I do?" Nora asked, now more serious than she had ever been. He paused for a moment, then decided to no longer hide his emotions, at least for a bit.
"Your aura reacted with the electricity from the Grimm," Ren answered, "And it created dust. Not the diluted stuff you can buy in stores, but a more potent form. And then, Ruby sneezed." Nora was shook for a moment, and didn't quite know what to say. Ren prepared for the worst, but there was no negativity. Instead, somehow, he sensed joy.
"I can't believe it," Nora said, without emotion in her voice, and everyone looked at her before she happily exclaimed, "I can create dust!" She jumped up and was more excited than anyone else at the party, mostly because the soldiers were just confused by the fact that Nora could create dust on her own. Most party-goers wanted her to show it, but Nora didn't know how to do it, so she decided to try again later.
"Ruby, can I speak with you?" Sirena asked. Ruby looked over and saw her standing in the door. She excused herself and went to speak with Sirena in the hallway.
"What is it?" Ruby asked. Sirena still looked weaker than normal, and Ruby could tell that her aura wasn't fully back yet.
"I'm leaving," Sirena answered, "My people need me, and you and your friends are strong enough to survive on your own now. Goodbye." She walked past Ruby, who put her hand on Sirena's shoulder and stopped her.
"Wait," Ruby said and asked, "What about your people? What if they see you so weakened?" Ruby could see the change in Sirena's expression, and knew that she had changed her mind.
"I guess you're right," Sirena said, "I'll stay until I'm better, but then I will leave. For good, if nothing comes up." In the evening, Ruby helped Pyrrha fuse with Jaune's soul so they could switch back.
~o~
Ichigo just got done setting up several constructs of her cream that looked like Atlas soldiers aiming their weapon at a nearby empty storage building. She had already set the main bait a few days ago, when they had to rescue one of their friends, and was just waiting for two of the good guys to appear. Right after she got into position, at night, Blake came walking around a corner and spotted her.
"Yang, I found her," Blake said over communicator and drew her weapon in its gun form. Ichigo slammed her mace on the ground and created a series of ice spikes, then ran away. Blake gave chase, but Ichigo's zigzag jumping gave her an impossible advantage through the narrow sideways of Mantle. She ran into an empty storage building and looked around.
"Here, kitty kitty," Ichigo said, and Blake shot a round in the direction where the voice had come from. She saw that there was nothing there, and turned around to see where Ichigo had run off to. Out of nowhere, Ichigo was right in front of her and hit her in the face with her burning mace. Blake stumbled backwards and looked at where Ichigo was now.
"Yang, can you hear me?" Blake asked, speaking into her communicator, "Hurry up." Two chunks of yellow cream exploded next to Blake's head, sending an electric shock through it and destroying the communicator. The last thing Yang heard was Blake screaming.
"Now now, we don't want to get this place too crowded, do we?" Ichigo asked and dropped down in front of Blake. Blake tried hitting her with her sword, but Ichigo ducked and dodged, then jumped away with a backflip. Suddenly, Preflexes told Blake of incoming danger and she created a steam-dust clone to dodge a fireball. Ichigo kept shooting fireballs from all over the place, seemingly flying around, and clearly changing direction in mid-air. Blake kept creating steam-dust clones to dodge the attacks, not sure what Ichigo was trying to do. As the building filled with steam, Blake expected Ichigo's attacks to become less accurate, or at least slower, but nothing changed.
"I'm impressed," Blake said between dodges, "I've never had someone keep up with this tactic this long. But it's time to get serious."
"Agreed," Ichigo said and dropped down in front of Blake, catching her off-guard. She kicked Blake in the stomach with impossible strength, and hit her in the face with an upward swing of her electric mace. Blake recovered from the hit and used her semblance to dodge the next attack. Ichigo changed her attack and hit Blake when she stopped next to her, depleting her aura entirely.
"Wha- how?" Blake asked as she got back up.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Ichigo asked and said, "The rabbit beats the cat. Anyway, you'll help me give this place a bit more… flavor. Mostly bitter and sour, but hopefully it'll become very sweet by the end." She cuffed and gagged Blake with cream that solidified, put her over her shoulder and left the building.
~o~
After hearing Blake scream in pain and go radio silent, Yang ignored all caution and transformed into her dragon form, following Blake's scent to where she was. She dropped down in an alley and transformed back, and saw Ichigo.
"Hello, you must be Yang," Ichigo said.
"Where is Blake?" Yang asked through gritted teeth, and Ichigo frowned.
"So sour," Ichigo said and answered, "She's in the building behind me. But if you want to see her, you'll have to get through me first. I was just about to have some fun with her, too." Yang extended her weapons, activated her semblance and attacked Ichigo with a flurry of blows. Ichigo had no problem dodging, but Yang spread explosives all around her. Ichigo hit Yang with an upward mace strike and sent her flying backwards. Yang triggered the explosives and sent Ichigo flying into the storage building, then followed her into it to find Blake.
"Blake? Where are you?" Yang asked and tried locating her aura. After walking around a bit, she saw a shadow resembling Ichigo standing over one resembling Blake, and decided to just end it. She pulled back her robotic arm and put all her built-up energy into this one uppercut. The cream replica of Ichigo exploded, triggering the other decoy as well, and together with the recoil of her own attack, the energy sent Yang flying out onto the street, depleting her aura.
~o~
Blake saw Yang run into the storage building, just before it exploded, and Yang came flying out of it. She hit the ground and her aura depleted. Blake screamed and struggled against her restrains, and triggered her Alpha State. She bit through her gag and broke the cuffs, and jumped onto the street. Blake landed on all fours and saw a series of cream blobs shaped like Atlas soldiers between her and Yang. She quickly dealt with them with her claws, and made her way over to Yang.
"And cut," Ichigo said, ended the recording of her scroll and jumped away into the night. Blake left her Alpha State, wiped the foam off her mouth and helped Yang onto her feet, who called for pickup through her communicator.
Author's note: Now there is footage of a warehouse exploding and burning, and a faunus with foam in her mouth come out of it and killing Atlas soldiers.
It feels oddly good writing such a diabolical plan, especially when Blake helps pit humans and faunus against one another.
Pyrrha's new design comes to you courtesy of DavidEllisArtwork on DeviantArt.
The Thunderbird belongs to NickShepherd117, also on DeviantArt.
Also, yeah, being dead for so long, and not having a physical body, causes some problems. But no one ever thinks about that. It was actually brought to my attention by Winx Club of all things, where Bloom's sister has been a ghost for so long, due to the Sirenix curse, that when Bloom wished for the curse to be broken, she sometimes ran into walls or fell down stairs, since she was used to not having a physical body.
Dr. Oak having to use his semblance to talk to the swarm is more about how crazy the swarm is than anything. Also, his semblance is the ultimate information processing tool, and kind of what Ren mentioned: A second opinion.
But because he didn't know that Nora could see astral bodies, his semblance didn't tell him that that's an option.
Lastly, yeah, Ruby is going to do the unthinkable: Resurrect a person through alchemy. Good thing it's not her mom, that could go poorly.