Author's note: Not too much plot stuff this week, just some character things.
Blake used an incendiary-goo clone to evade a Beowolf's attack. When the Grimm struck the clone, it exploded, sending red-hot glass shards everywhere, and the surrounding Grimm immediately started taking damage from Deathzone, while Spectral Healing created its orbs, some of which restored Blake's aura. One of the soldiers used his newly unlocked semblance, coating all nearby soldiers' weapons in a golden glow and making them deal more damage. As soon as the semblance was in effect, the soldiers opened fire, taking out the Grimm. Half a dozen orbs floated over to him, recharging his aura as well.
"I still can't believe this," the soldier said, "I'm really using my semblance."
"It is a good semblance, too," Blake said, "You make those around you stronger, helping them fight their own battles. But it only works within a certain radius around you, so you have to fight by their side as well."
"Thank you, huntress," the man said, "I just wish it would last longer." The glow faded from the weapons, and he used his semblance again.
"It will come with practice," Blake said, "At first, my semblance only left a vague blob in my place, for example. But now, after hard work, and finding myself, it allows me to create a perfect copy of myself. I can even tie negative emotions to it, and fool Grimm." A nearby clone was attacked by a Creep, creating another field of incendiary-goo shards. She drew her sword and sheath, and attacked the Grimm, quickly getting rid of the pack.
~o~
Cardin brought down his mace on a Beowolf, caving its skull in and killing it. He hit another one with a diagonal upward swing, and sent an icy energy wave into an oncoming pack, stopping them with a wall of ice. An Ursa charged through the wall, taking serious damage in the process, and was taken out by Qrow.
"Thanks, mister," Cardin said, trying to avoid eye contact with the gruff, sword-wielding huntsman.
"Just Qrow is fine," Qrow said, "Besides, you're the one who stayed in a place like this, when you could've just gone to a nearby village and kept that safe from any stragglers. Though, I don't get why Glynda insists we help these bandits."
"It was Ruby's idea, actually," Cardin explained, "She got a deal with their leader, so now they don't attack us, and we leave them alone. Well, for the most part. They still ask for our help sometimes."
"That kid, I swear," Qrow said, and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Cardin asked.
"Nothing's really wrong," Qrow answered, "It's just, with all we've been through, you'd think she'd hesitate trusting random people. Especially bandits. But she doesn't. She never loses her trust that people can be good, no matter how badly she is betrayed."
"Sounds like she realizes something that not a lot of people learn, especially so young," Cardin said.
"What do you mean?" Qrow asked.
"I mean she realizes that everyone has their own lives and experiences," Cardin answered, "One person betraying her trust has no bearing on her trust for the next person she meets, because she realizes they're not the same person. Just because one person was horrible to you, doesn't mean the next has to be, too."
"And you're sure you're in her grade?" Qrow asked and said, "Because, with an attitude like that, she'd have told me about you already. It's a good mindset to have."
"Thanks, mister Qrow," Cardin said, "But to be honest, I needed to learn that lesson the hard way over the past year."
"Got it," Qrow said, chuckled and asked, "So, how about we keep going?" He rushed ahead without waiting for an answer, turned his sword into its scythe form, and engaged a pack of Grimm. Seeing Harbinger's handle extend, Cardin looked at his own weapon for a moment, and imagined the benefit of a two-handed weapon, then followed Qrow.
~o~
Yang beat up another Alpha Beowolf, triggering Daybreaker and Spectral Assault and dealing significant damage to any Grimm in the hospital waiting room. She retrained an Ursa until the flames died down and checked the timer she had set on her scroll, and noticed that the golden flames burned for a full ten seconds now. She stuck a bomb inside the Ursa's mouth and used the built-up energy from her semblance to hurl it into a charging pack of Beowolves and Creeps, knocking some down, then blew up the Ursa, lighting the Grimm on fire again.
"Ok, you can come in now," Yang called over to some soldiers waiting outside the hospital and making sure nothing snuck up on them.
"Thanks, huntress," one of the soldiers said, turned around and said, "Everyone, get ready." The other soldiers readied their weapons and shot the attacking Grimm, while Yang kept killing them with one or two hits, setting Daybreaker off at least once every three seconds. Before long, the Grimm were all dead, and the group could relax a bit. Atlesian Knight 200s moved in and installed motion sensors, and took note of everything useful in the area, while the 130 and 130b models secured the area.
"Well, that was fun," Yang said and stretched her arms a little, "Anyway, I'll go on ahead and take down a few more of them, then you can follow once it's safe." She left the waiting room, but decided to keep an eye on the soldiers, so she hacked one of the 200s and used it as microphone and camera, just in case they needed help.
"I can't believe that huntress," one of the soldiers said, "I get that she has aura and all that, but we're in serious danger here. That's not what I'd call fun." Yang stopped in her tracks and had the Knight turn around, and saw that the soldier was a woman with short, red hair, and dark blue eyes. The other soldiers also looked a bit concerned.
"Come on Kazumi, she's probably just talking to herself," another soldier said.
"Still, doesn't she take our safety seriously?" Kazumi asked, and most of the other soldiers mumbled in agreement. Yang retreated from the Knight, giving control back to its autopilot, and sat down on a chair next to the door to a hospital room.
"You know, that was uncalled for," one of the soldiers said, "When she comes back, you can tell her about your complaints. All of you."
"What, you like her, Gry?" Kazumi asked.
"Yes, I do," Gry answered, "Her attitude, that is. She makes this look easy, and it takes the pressure off of us. But she never left too many Grimm alive before calling us in, and she keeps those golden flames burning the entire fight, so you can't tell me she doesn't care about our safety. We're already fighting monsters, we don't need that extra stress."
"Well, then you can tell her that when she comes back," Kazumi said.
"I will," Gry said. Suddenly, a pack of Creeps broke out of the ground, all but surrounding the soldiers and cutting off their escape route. The Knight 130s fired their special disks at them, reducing their defense, before they attacked. A Creep jumped at Kazumi, and Gry saw the world slow down. He felt a strange power well up inside him, and erupt out of his body. A pink energy wave rolled over everyone in the room, and covered them in a weird blanket. The Creep collided with Kazumi and bounced off, only knocking her on her butt, while it was hurled into the wall and taken out by the Knights. After the Grimm were dead, the pink energy faded again.
"What was that?" Kazumi asked and got up, Gry helping her back on her feet.
"Looks like someone unlocked his semblance," Yang said, coming in through the door, "Sorry I'm late, I ran as fast as I could once the motion sensors went off. Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we are, thanks," Kazumi said, "And, well, I should apologize."
"For what?" Yang asked, despite knowing the answer.
"I haven't really been honest to you," Kazumi answered, "I find your easy-going attitude somewhat annoying, because it feels like you don't take our safety seriously."
"Don't worry, I knew," Yang said, "I used one of the Knight 200s to keep an eye on you just now, but stopped when I heard what you said."
"Then, why ask?" Kazumi asked.
"I just wanted to hear you say it," Yang answered, "But in any case, I do take this seriously. It's just that I'm a thrill-seeker, so fighting is really fun for me. But you don't need to worry, I won't let anything hurt you."
"And what about my semblance?" Gry asked, "Is it good?"
"I'd say it's pretty solid," Yang answered, "A defense boost for all nearby allies is definitely a useful skill to have when you're headed into danger. Keep working on it, and before you know it, you'll keep entire battalions safe from just about anything." The group took a short break, then moved on to the next area of the massive hospital complex. In the afternoon, they prepared to go back, and left automatic turrets behind to keep Grimm from coming back over night.
~o~
When everyone got back to the train station, a red portal opened next to Jaune, and Ruby, Weiss and Khione walked out, with Weiss leaning on Ruby. Seeing Weiss so exhausted, everyone got worried, and Yang and Nora rushed over to take her off of Ruby and help her to a chair so she could eat something.
"You're back," Jaune said and asked, "And, how'd it go?"
"Great, for the most part," Ruby answered, "Penny now knows all the projectile modification semblances the Atlas military has access to."
"So, it was a success?" Glynda asked.
"It was, yeah," Ruby answered, and she and Khione sat down and had dinner with everyone.
"Anyway, Ruby, can you help me with something?" Cardin asked.
"Sorry, I'll be busy tomorrow," Ruby answered.
"I see," Cardin said, "I just figured, I could maybe upgrade my weapon. And since you seem to know a lot about that, I wanted to ask for your help." Hearing that, Ruby looked up.
"In that case, sure," Ruby said and asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"I think you can talk about it tomorrow," Yang said, before Ruby would ramble on about weapons for the next hour or so.
"In any case, I found something weird today," Russel said, "I was patrolling a mall with some soldiers, and for some reason, the baby aisles were completely empty. It's probably nothing, but it just struck me as weird." Ruby and her friends exchanged knowing looks, while Glynda theorized about the meaning of this, drawing everyone else's attention to herself. After dinner, everyone got ready for bed, preparing for the next day.
~o~
The next morning, just before sunrise, Cardin and Ruby entered an old warehouse, and Cardin turned on the lights. Ruby looked around and immediately noticed scraps and various pieces of robots lying around, as well as clear traces that someone had been working there.
"Talia used this as workshop a while ago," Cardin explained, "She left in a hurry, so there is probably some stuff left over."
"Yeah, looks about right," Ruby said, "Let's see what we have." She created four clones of herself, and all five of her went around looking at the tools and materials available, before coming back together.
"And, think we can do this?" Cardin asked.
"Yes, easily," Ruby answered, "The only problem would be the paint, but I'm sure Yang has some back home that we can use. I'll just have to send her there in a bubble real fast, but that can wait for later. For now, let's see what we're working with."
"Here you go," Cardin said and handed Ruby his weapon, The Executioner. She pulled out her scroll and scanned the WR code on it, and secretly used Puppeteer to access the weapon's blueprint.
"And you want it two-handed?" Ruby asked.
"With a collapsing handle, yes," Cardin answered, "That way, I can do both."
"Sounds like a plan," Ruby said and asked, "Though, how about we add something more?" Using Puppeteer, she made her scroll project a holographic diagram of the weapon, and added some functions, discussing them with Cardin to make sure they suit his needs and fighting style. However, she quickly realized she ran into a problem in the latter department, and made some quick telepathic calls.
~o~
In the noon, Cardin brought his mace down on Yang, who blocked the blow with her robotic arm, but still noticed an insane drop in her aura. She hit back with an uppercut, putting all the built-up energy into it, and sent Cardin flying a bit. However, she felt that the energy she released didn't nearly match the damage she had taken.
"Alright, that's enough," Glynda said, looking up from her tablet, "Jaune, you're next." Yang left the ring, making way for Jaune.
"What's with this guy?" Yang asked and said, "He wasn't so strong before, and he didn't hit nearly hard enough to do that much damage."
"It's his semblance, Underdog," Ruby answered, "He deals more damage to opponents who have many supporters." Jaune drew his sword and readied his shield, getting ready for the match.
"That's pretty cool, actually. Could help us against you-know-who, if she gains too much influence," Yang said and asked, "So wait, he's been fighting authorities and popular folks all his life?"
"Get ready," Glynda said.
"Probably," Ruby said and answered, "And most likely, yes. It's in his nature, after all."
"Go," Glynda said, and Jaune and Cardin charged each other. Cardin tried hitting Jaune, who blocked with his shield. An instant before the mace made contact, however, Jaune triggered the gravity-dust in his shield, throwing Cardin off his balance and allowing Jaune to land a powerful horizontal strike with his sword, sending Cardin backwards.
"You've gotten stronger," Cardin said with a smile, "But so have I."
"I'd be really upset if you hadn't," Jaune said with a smile and attacked, sending an aura arc ahead. Cardin blocked the arc, stumbled backwards and took a hit from the sword, sending him to the ground. Jaune stood back and allowed Cardin to get up. Once Cardin was ready to continue fighting, Jaune sheathed his sword and changed it to a great sword.
"I see you got a new weapon," Cardin said, "Nice." He attacked Jaune, who blocked the blow, and focused his aura on the point of impact. As soon as the weapons clashed, Jaune focused on the frequency of Cardin's aura, to learn about the effect of his semblance.
"Alright, that's-" Glynda said, but stopped when she checked Jaune's aura and realized that it was almost unchanged. Jaune pushed back Cardin's weapon and used the opening to land another horizontal swing, and followed it up with a kick to the chest.
"Surprised?" Jaune asked and said, "Your semblance doesn't work on people who support you, and supporting others is my whole deal." Cardin got back up and prepared for another attack.
"Thanks, Jauney boy," Cardin said, "I really mean it. And, I'd like to be your friend. For real, this time." He charged Jaune again and landed a series of blows, which Jaune mostly blocked.
"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked and said, "We're working together, we're eating together, we're fighting and sparring together. If that's not friendship, I don't know what is." Their weapons clashed one more time, and both their auras lit up, blinding all three spectators. When the light faded, both of their weapons were on the ground, and both men were visibly exhausted.
"Alright, that's-" Glynda said, but both Jaune and Cardin stood back up. Before anyone could react, they started punching each other, and each landed a hit firmly in the other's face before falling over backwards.
"Had enough, Cardin?" Jaune asked, lying on his back with his arms stretched out.
"Not in a million years," Cardin answered, also lying on his back.
"Alright, you-" Glynda said, but was interrupted when Yang got up and walked over to them.
"Those were the most embarrassing punches I have ever seen," Yang said. Glynda sighed in defeat and looked over to Ruby.
"Have you seen enough?" Glynda asked and, more to herself, added, "Finally I get a whole sentence out."
"Yes, thank you," Ruby answered and said, "You can go back to work, we can handle this here." She took some notes on her scroll, while Glynda went back to organizing patrols and foraging missions. Jaune and Cardin helped each other get out of the training zone, which was really just a corner in the town center, despite neither of them being in any condition to walk. Once they reached a dilapidated bench, they both dropped onto it, and its rotten wooden boards gave in under them, sending them to the floor. Yang went and grabbed their weapons, and leaned them against one of the bench's concrete legs.
~o~
Weiss made her way through the city's sewers, which were almost completely dry, safe for some slime on he walls, and the occasional burst of water and other things coming from the train station, Atlas military base, or the hotel near the base. Every once in a while, she placed a Landmine, augmented with steam-dust, which was enhanced with Deathzone to harm Grimm on contact. When she came back to one area, and a cloud of steam in the tunnel, she noticed that there were some areas without any wind, while others had a noticeably strong breeze.
"Wait a second," Weiss said to herself and went around the sewer system until she found the opening into the old subway tunnels, where she found a cobweb swaying in the breeze. She headed back up through the hole Glynda had made, and saw Jaune and Cardin sitting on the ground, between the legs of a bench, with Ruby sitting on some steps nearby and doing something on her scroll, and Yang standing around.
"Weiss, there you are," Yang said when she saw Weiss approach.
"Hey Yang," Weiss said and asked, "What's going on here?"
"These two tired themselves out," Yang answered, "And since Ruby is busy blueprinting, I'm on babysitting duty."
"Alright then," Weiss said and asked, "Can I borrow Jaune for a moment? I need him to check something for me, and I think it's important."
"Sorry, but I don't think he's in any condition to do that," Yang answered, "His aura is pretty busted after his spar with Cardin, and will probably take a while to recover."
"Leave it to me," Weiss said, walked over to the two men and used both Healing Circle and Safezone.
"Now, we just need to wait," Yang said, "Which means that the only difference to before is that we have to wait less."
"Like I said, I think it's important," Weiss said and started using Aura Amp on Jaune, to speed up the process even more.
"What do you want him to check, anyway?" Yang asked.
"There is a cobweb in the sewers, where it connects to the subway," Weiss answered, "I need to know if it has always been swaying in the wind like that, or if it changed."
"Cobwebs swaying in the wind?" Yang asked, "How is that important?"
"I don't know," Weiss answered, "But I've used Landmine a lot today, which means I've become more of a trapper and strategist, and my new gut instinct tells me it's important. I just don't have the experience to explain exactly how."
"Well, if you say so," Yang said, "Anyway, I'm going to call for some backup, in case Grimm show up, because now I have three people with low aura to worry about, and Ruby is still caught up in her thoughts." She contacted the military with a request for several Atlesian Knight 130b units to secure the town center.
"Anyway, how about a sparring match?" Weiss asked, catching Yang a bit by surprise.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"You know, you against me," Weiss answered, "I figured, you could teach me a thing or two about unarmed combat, since I never know when I'll lose my weapon."
"Alright then," Yang said, "But I've got to whip those two in shape first, which will probably take all day tomorrow, and then some."
"Got it," Weiss said, "Let me know when you have time, then."
"Sure thing," Yang said, and went back to keeping an eye out for any Grimm. A few minutes later, the robots arrived and set up in the streets leading away from the town square, making sure nothing came close without eating bullets. Once Jaune came to, Weiss explained the situation to him, and he went to take a look into the past, while Weiss rested until her aura was fully recharged.
~o~
In the evening, Ruby finalized the upgrade plans for Cardin's weapon, and asked Yang to go and grab some spray pain from home to match the color of his armor, while Jaune met with Glynda to share his findings on the cobweb situation. One by one, the other teams returned from their patrols, and shortly after sunset, everyone had dinner.
~o~
Two Giant Nevermore landed in the Emerald Forest, bringing Tyrian and Tock. The two faunus got off and smiled at each other, both happy to move their plans along, and to have some time to themselves. They hugged and fused into Lich, to prepare the next attack.
Author's note: Yeah, the villains do something again.
Also, Cardin gets an upgrade.