Author's note: And now it's finally time for Ruby to contact her friends.
Ruby was sitting on the couch in the living room, looking at a Seer she had summoned, while Taiyang was standing some distance away, not sure what he was looking at. Zwei was lying next to Ruby, happy the training during the morning had paid off.
"So, what now?" Taiyang asked.
"Now I astral project to Atlas," Ruby answered, "Then, I'll find someone I can possess using Mentor, and then I'll tell Weiss to summon a Seer of her own. Then, viola." She leaned back in the couch and focused on Yang's sorrow. When she opened her eyes again, she stood in Atlas Academy. Just as she looked around, trying to find the nearest person, she heard a familiar gasp.
"You again," Nora said, paused for a moment and asked, "Wait, you're Ruby, right?" Remembering Nora could see astral bodies, Ruby sighed in disbelief at how needlessly complicated she had made contacting her friends.
"I forgot you could do that," Ruby said to herself and answered, "But yes, I'm Ruby. Anyway, I'd need you to tell Weiss to summon a Seer."
"Ok, will do," Nora said, and Ruby returned to her body.
"And?" Taiyang asked when Ruby opened her eyes.
"I totally forgot Nora can-" Ruby began to answer, but was cut off when her scroll made a sound. She pulled it out, opened it and groaned at herself, while the device made more sounds.
"What's that?" Taiyang asked, and Ruby muted her scroll to stop the sound from distracting her.
"A group chat we use to collect information," Ruby answered, "Talia made a system based on the Seer summon to let all relay towers communicate with each other, but until recently, it didn't have the aura to work properly. Then I provided that aura, and promptly forgot about it." Suddenly, the smoke inside the Seer cleared up and Weiss' face appeared on it, with Yang trying to push her aside. Ruby collapsed her scroll and put it away again.
"Ruby, how are you?" Weiss asked.
"I'm good, thanks," Ruby answered and asked, "But, how are you?"
"I'm fine," Weiss answered.
"No pain or anything? Scars?" Ruby asked and said, "New ones, I mean."
"Not that I know, no," Weiss answered and asked, "Why?"
"Because, in Atlas, I thought I saw you die," Ruby answered.
"Wait, what?" Weiss asked.
"I saw you get cut in half by a Nuckelavee," Ruby answered, "I ran faster, and things moved backwards. And now you're fine."
"Wait, things moved backwards?!" Weiss asked.
"Yes, a little bit," Ruby answered. Suddenly, Talia appeared next to her.
"So it was you," Talia exclaimed angrily.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"I detected a temporal ripple a few months ago, and have been tracking it ever since," Talia answered, "What you did wasn't supposed to be possible, and could have all kinds of consequences."
"But I had to save Weiss, even if I broke a few laws," Ruby said.
"Natural laws aren't made to be broken, though," Talia said, "Plus, you didn't just break the laws of nature. You lured them into a dark alleyway, hit them over the head with a crowbar, dragged them into a black van, did unspeakable things to them, and left them in a ditch two hours out of town. There is no telling what you did."
"I saved Weiss," Ruby said firmly, "Now if you would excuse us, this is a team meeting, and I'm sure you have places to be." Without another word, Talia disappeared.
"Ruby, are you really fine?" Jaune asked and said, "It sounds like you've changed quite a bit."
"I just grew a little while I was away, that is all," Ruby said, "But aside from that, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Where are you?" Yang asked, "Wait, are you home? How?"
"Raven brought her," Taiyang answered and sat down next to Ruby, "Hello."
"Hi dad," Yang said.
"So, that's your dad?" Blake asked, and the next minute or so was taken up by introductions.
"So, anything new with you?" Yang asked just as everyone in Atlas thought introductions were done.
"Well, one thing," Ruby answered, "And you might not believe me."
"Hello," Zwei said.
"Hey Zwei, how are you?" Yang asked, then stopped to process what had just happened and asked, "Wait, Zwei can talk? How?"
"After I woke up, we fused," Ruby answered, "And then he learned what a semblance actually was, so he unlocked his when we split up again."
"A talking dog," Yang said in disbelief.
"Hello Blake," Zwei said, "I'm sorry I scared you. I could sense that you were uncomfortable, and wanted to make you feel better. I didn't know I made you feel bad."
"I… I mean, I kind of knew that," Blake said, "But it's nice hearing it. Thanks for trying to help me."
"So, about all the weird stuff Ruby told me," Taiyang said and asked, "How do you take all of that?"
"One thing at a time, I guess," Yang answered and asked, "Wait, how much did she tell you?"
"Just the silver eyes thing," Ruby answered, "And about Salem."
"I see," Yang said.
"Anyway, Ruby, how many semblances did you copy while I wasn't there?" Weiss asked.
"Just seven," Ruby answered, "Four in Soraklia, and three since waking up."
"Did you share Mentor with me?" Nora asked.
"Yep," Ruby answered, "And Bubble Teleport with Yang, Ambush with Ren, and Frozen Savior with Marrow."
"What's Frozen Savior?" Jaune asked.
"Kiki's semblance," Ruby answered, "She's a friend from Signal. Well, I call her Kiki. Her name is actually Khione. Anyway, her semblance enhances ice-based attacks. After hitting an enemy, the ice recharges nearby allies' auras until it is gone."
"That sounds incredibly useful," Jaune said.
"I know, right?" Ruby said, "Anyway, I'd need Yang to send some of the ice-dust Eira made over before you leave. And maybe start exporting that stuff, too. Definitely get James to supply the Whitecliff base with it."
"Sounds good," Yang said.
"So, what do we do now?" Weiss asked.
"Well, I'd say we go clean up in Vale," Ruby answered, "Atlas is safe as far as I can tell, but Vale is swarming with Grimm."
"I just realized something," Taiyang said and asked, "Shouldn't you also share Frozen Savior with Niob? He's always using ice-dust, after all." Upon hearing the name, Ruby's friends fell silent.
"I… don't think that would work," Yang answered, and Weiss made Niob's guns appear from her pocket dimension.
"We found them in the ocean after the latest battle," Weiss said. However, Ruby didn't seem the least bit touched.
"Blake can just give them back," Ruby said, and her friends looked at her like she grew a second head.
"Wait, what? How? Why?" Blake asked.
"Ruby, are you sure you're fine?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ruby answered, "He's alive."
"But we found his guns," Weiss said.
"And you don't sound too happy about it," Yang added.
"True, I am not," Ruby said, "He sacrificed another soul to save his own. It was set up by him and Sirena, to help me save Atlas."
"So, he's alive?" Yang asked, "And what do you mean he sacrificed another soul?"
"His semblance allows him to consume," Ruby answered, "The soul I saved, Sapphire, told me so. When I fused with her, I saw it myself. A dark, bottomless abyss, gargling shadows lunging and lapping at all of creation. It is horror beyond what mortal minds can make."
"I see," Blake said after a few moments of silence, and asked, "But, why do I have to give them back?"
"Because, now that he is done in Atlas, he will likely join the others," Ruby answered, "And they are in Menagerie."
"Menagerie? Why?" Blake asked.
"To open a new huntsman academy," Ruby answered.
"In Menagerie?" Weiss asked, "But isn't this kind of unfair to humans?"
"Most huntsman academies are located in human-dominated areas," Ruby answered, "Opening one in Menagerie will allow faunus to become huntsmen without having to worry about people like Cardin. From there, they can move out and take missions around the world."
"But it's not going to be easy," Weiss said, "If kingdoms don't accept the graduates as actual huntsmen, their licenses mean nothing."
"That is why Sirena got the Mistral council under her control," Ruby said, "And why she helped me do the same with Atlas. And once we're done in Vale, I will ask them to accept the licenses as well."
"Wow, you… really thought this through," Weiss said and asked, "But how did you figure out they were building a school in the first place?"
"It's obvious," Ruby answered, "Argent wants to end racism. To do that, he has to give the younger generations a positive image of faunus. And to a child, the most positive image is that of a huntsman. Being located in Menagerie, it has no shortage of faunus, and can get rid of racism, both in one move. If you know what someone is trying to achieve, their next steps are obvious."
"Anyway, if I could ask something," Taiyang interjected, "How do you guys deal with Ruby's more… dubious tendencies?"
"What tendencies?" Yang asked, and gave Ruby a concerned look.
"Like her controlling Grimm," Taiyang answered, and Ruby's friends stared in shock.
"Wait, what?!" Yang asked.
"She showed me what she can do, petrified most Grimm in the pack, and chained the last one to a rock," Taiyang answered, "It pretends to sleep all day, but it's an actual Alpha Beowolf, in our backyard."
"Ruby, what were you thinking?" Yang asked, "What if it breaks free?"
"I'll know," Ruby answered, "But it is dead anyway."
"Wait, what?" Taiyang asked and looked outside.
"It got into the shed and impaled itself with a spade," Ruby answered coldly, "I did not permit it to die."
"Ruby, you've definitely changed," Yang said, "And to be honest, I can't say whether it's for the better. I'm sending over some of Eira's light-ice-dust, maybe that can cool you off." She got up and left the room, creating a bit of an awkward silence for the rest of the group.
"Alright then," Ruby said after a while, now sounding more like herself, "Get ready to go to Vale. I don't know how it looks like there, other than that there's lots of Grimm, and more coming, so stock up on all the essentials. I'll get in touch with the recovery crew and tell you what they need, then you can prepare properly. If everything goes smoothly, we'll see each other in person in about two weeks."
"Got it," Weiss said, and everyone voiced their approval.
"Anyway, what's with those crossbow bolts?" Blake asked.
"They're for the Happy Huntresses," Ruby answered, "Someone in Vale has a semblance that lets her modify projectiles, so now they get super hot after being fired."
"That sounds incredibly useful," Blake said.
"I know," Ruby said, "Anyway, one more thing." She used Mentor through the Seers to teach everyone how to imprint their semblances on someone else's soul, in case they ever needed it. A bubble containing a box of dust crystals appeared floating above the living room table, and Yang returned. Ruby filled her in on the plan, taught her the trick too, and then they all got ready.
~o~
After she was done gunning down another Ursa, Coco set down her gun and took a breather. Despite it being winter, she had worked up quite a sweat, but it was all well worth it, if it meant saving the city. Just as she wanted to continue, she heard a deep, and powerful, roar in the distance. She froze in motion, until Velvet's voice snapped her back to reality.
"We're getting visitors," Velvet said over communicator, but she didn't sound worried. Coco finally managed to look at where the roar had come from, and saw a full-size Wyvern approach. However, it was white, and had light blue wing membranes and eyes. Coco took out a pair of binoculars she had found somewhere and took a closer look, only to see Ruby stand on the summon's head. Her expression was firmly confident, and she had her arms crossed, standing straight up. As the Wyvern flew overhead, it dropped white goop, and where the goop hit the ground, a Beowolf summon emerged. The Wyvern landed on a nearby office building, lowering its head and letting Ruby get off as a group assembled around her. She dispelled the summons, and took a deep breath.
"R- Ruby?" Cardin asked.
"I… really shouldn't have done this," Ruby said and exhaled, and her aura broke. She stumbled forward, and Velvet rushed to catch her.
"Ruby, are you alright?" Velvet asked, "How did you do that?"
"Nevermind that now, we need to help her," Glynda said, "You know where to go."
"Right," Velvet said, picked Ruby up properly and jumped away, with the others doing their best to try and follow them, even if Velvet's incredible jump distance made it almost impossible for anyone without a dedicated mobility semblance.
"Where are we going?" Ruby asked on the way.
"A while ago, this weird circle popped up, and we discovered that it recharges the aura of whoever enters it," Velvet answered, "It also harms Grimm."
"That's just the Safezone," Ruby said.
"The what now?" Velvet asked.
"Safezone," Ruby answered, "Raven made it."
"Raven?" Velvet asked and landed in the Safezone, and Ruby could feel her aura start to come back. Velvet let her down, and she stood around, waiting.
"Yang's mom," Ruby answered, "You can ask her if you want to know more." Velvet's teammates and the teachers came running over to them, and in the corner of her eye, Ruby saw four birds fly behind a building before Team CRDL joined them as well, carrying duffel bags.
"Hey Ruby," Cardin said.
"Hey," Ruby said.
"Alright, time for business," Glynda said and asked, "Is your father coming, too?"
"Yep, and he's bringing Zwei, and an old classmate of mine," Ruby answered, "But they didn't want to come by Wyvern, so they'll take a boat. They should arrive in an hour or so, so I'd need someone to make sure the harbor is safe for them."
"Got it," Glynda said and asked, "Anything else?"
"Yes, my friends are coming in a week or so, with support from Atlas," Ruby answered, "Don't worry, we helped the military clean up its act, so now they're pretty decent at their job."
"Alright then," Glynda said, "Now I'd need to know what you can do, so I can include that in my plans for reclaiming the city."
"Sounds good. First things first, though," Ruby said, "If people look into the light from my eyes, we both get a kind of blueprint that allows us the emulate the other's semblance."
"Wait, are you serious?" Cardin asked.
"Yep, sure am," Ruby answered, "It's a little trick from the God of Light that allows me to share my powers with others. Not only do they get to use my semblance, but they also get to share some of my light. And if they cultivate the light enough, it will shine within their children and illuminate the future."
"That's definitely useful," Glynda said and asked, "Now, what semblances can you use?"
"A lot, but I decided to only use a few," Ruby answered, "There is Wolfpack, which allows me to summon spectral wolves to hunt down my prey. But I can also make my projectiles explode. Also, when I hit an enemy with ice-dust, the resulting ice recharges nearby allies' auras. Additionally, my silver eyes, and the light of creation, allow me to sense Grimm, which is why I use Wolfpack in the first place. The wolves will pursue any Grimm I can sense, allowing me to take out Grimm long before they even know I'm there. Now, I'd need Team CRDL to go and get me as much ice-dust ammunition as possible. Once my father, Zwei, and Khione arrive here, we'll need it to increase our chances of reclaiming this city."
"Hold on, why are you giving orders now?" Glynda asked, more confused than anything.
"Because the last time I was in charge, we saved Atlas," Ruby answered, "And the time before that, we saved Atlas. And before that, we also saved Atlas. Right now, there are exactly 3 Grimm on the entire continent of Solitas, due to my decisions. Not to mention that I have support from Atlas coming, and they are more likely to listen to me, since they already saw how efficient my decisions are. However, I do recognize that you have a lot more experience in this area, so I think we should work together and pool our resources and knowledge if we want to improve our chances."
"Wait, 3?" Cardin asked, "As in, 3 packs, or three hundred, or what?"
"No, just 3," Ruby answered, "If your team wanted to take on each Grimm one on one, one of you could stay home."
"Well, alright then," Glynda said, "A cooperation does seem to be the best idea at the moment."
"Thanks for your understanding," Ruby said, "Now, I'd need a clear path from the harbor to wherever you set up your base camp, and have at least one person wait at the harbor for when support from Patch arrives."
"Alright, we'll go," Cardin said, and he and his team got going.
"Our base camp is this way," Glynda said, and led Ruby to the train station.
"Ok," Ruby said, followed her and asked, "Now, what have you been doing so far?"
"Well, we've been clearing out Grimm," Glynda answered, "We also forage for materials, and something erect barriers to keep Grimm from coming through areas that are hard to defend, like narrow alleys."
"I see," Ruby said and asked, "So, what are everyone's semblances?"
"You already know of my Telekinesis," Glynda said, "Cardin's Underdog makes him stronger the more support his opponent has, Russel's Projectile Reflection can reflect projectiles to the attacker, Dove's Mellow can pacify people, and Sky's Tower Defense lets him create stationary turrets that shoot energy bolts at enemies in a single direction."
"My Adrenaline Shot makes me faster for every ally that goes down," Doctor Oobleck said, "It also recharges my aura fully."
"My Vengeance is similar," Professor Port said, "Except I get stronger and more resistant to damage."
"My Hype can make dust more effective," Coco said.
"Telepathy," Fox said.
"My Photographic Memory lets me perfectly mimic other people's movement," Velvet said.
"I… my Memory Wiping can erase memories," Yatsuhashi said, "But I don't like using it."
"Thanks," Ruby said, "Now I need a list of resources we have available."
"Of course, this way," Glynda said and showed Ruby the way to the improvised warehouse. It held lots of canned food, dust and goo, ammunition, and a multitude of firearms and other weapons, which had been recovered either from the police station, or private collections. Meanwhile, Team CFVY went on another supply run, looking for more things they might need.
~o~
Team CRDL was on their way to the harbor, fighting off any Grimm they met along the way. Every once in a while, Sky placed a turret facing into an alleyway. It was a simple chest-high turret made from blue energy, with a base in the shape of a lark's foot, and a lark's head resting on top, ready to fire energy blasts from its beak.
"I really wish we could just fly," Dove said.
"Me too," Cardin said, "But we have to make sure the support can get back safely."
"Let's hurry, my aura is pretty low already," Sky said and looked up from his scroll. A few Beowolves came around a corner, and just as Cardin, Russel and Dove were about to attack, spectral wolves made from icy mist ran past them, tackled the Grimm and exploded into large ice crystals. The ice disappeared partially, recharging Sky's aura, and the team continued onward to the harbor.
~o~
Salem looked out the window of her throne room, where she saw Lich attack her latest creation, the Hoick. The massive, four-legged Grimm took the hits without complaint, and allowed Marcus to add more and more Infection crystals to it as well. Its elongated mouth pointed upward at an angle, and a series of tentacles was ready to grab whatever materials are within reach. Most notably, however, was the large yellow cyst on its underside, which was filled with Grimm fluid.
"Make sure Grimm are on or near manhole covers and storm drains," Salem said to her Seer, and watched the Hoick die. The red gunk from the Infection crystal turned into another Hoick, which Marcus ordered to shoot at the Paradise field at the edge of the continent. The monstrous mockeries of Beowolves spawning from the dark red gunk immediately began tearing into the arms, tendrils and maws on the ground, since the semblance didn't consider them Grimm, and thus left them alone.
Author's note: Ruby just keeps forgetting stuff that could make her life easier. But at least she figured out some other stuff.
And you have no idea how long I've waited to let Talia drop that description of Ruby going back in time to save Weiss.
Anyway, Ruby standing on the Wyvern is a subtle nod to Chris standing on her rocket in the first episode of Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX when the girls sang RADIANT FORCE and saved a space shuttle. Great song, by the way.
Team CRDL's semblances were really tricky to pick out, because I tend to go overboard with their power level. Anyway, Cardin's semblance is easily the strongest in the world, under the right circumstances. Because, for a few months after V3, he could've taken Salem out for years in one hit, due to how many people were helping her without realizing.
Bartholomew and Peter's semblances are based on the two Dark Souls bosses. Never played any Souls games, but I like the idea, so here we are.
Salem is planning something, it seems.
Also, the Hoick belongs to risgord on DeviantArt.