Author's note: Get ready for Gloria. She's a real piece of work.
Also, a shorter chapter today. Don't worry, there is no hiatus coming up, it's just that extending this chapter wouldn't work too well.
Taiyang and Glynda watched as Gloria blazed through the hordes of Grimm, knocking them aside with the strong winds in front of her, and followed on the path that appeared behind her. Every time they passed a larger road, Glynda used Telekinesis to move some of the Knights onto the road and off the trail Gloria left behind herself, and the Knights deployed their weapons and began attacking the Grimm. Meanwhile, Taiyang used his semblance to throw balls of energy at Grimm, taking out a few here and there.
"You can stop now," Glynda said after she deployed the last couple Knights.
"We'll see about that," Gloria responded, looked at them with a carefree smile, and crashed right into a wall. Taiyang and Glynda ran up to her, following the path, which quickly disappeared from the back, now that Gloria had stopped.
"Hey, you ok?" Taiyang asked and helped Gloria get back up.
"Yeah, just a bit muddy," Gloria answered, "Thanks." Despite being covered in animal waste, she maintained her carefree smile, and chuckled a little.
"What's so funny?" Glynda asked, "And who are you, anyway?"
"I don't recall the last time I was so free," Gloria answered, "And like I said, I'm Gloria."
"Gloria who?" Glynda asked.
"Just Gloria," Gloria answered, "I like the name, so I'm using it. Gotta work on breaking through walls, though. Off to the zoo."
"Hold it," Glynda said, picked Gloria up with Telekinesis and asked, "Where did you come from?"
"Maybe I'll tell you later," Gloria answered, "I mean, I already told you where I'm going, so at least you don't have to ask me that later."
"Glynda, I think I've figured it out," Taiyang said.
"Wait, really?" Glynda asked, "So, who is she?"
"A fusion," Taiyang answered, and he and Glynda looked at Gloria.
"Well, guess that cat's out the bag," Gloria said and asked, "Can you let me down now?"
"Alright," Glynda answered and let Gloria down.
"Thanks," Gloria said and asked, "So, what were you two doing here?"
"Well, we were supporting the soldiers," Glynda answered, "But then you showed up, and we were kind of swept along with you due to your semblance, so now we're quite a distance away from where we started."
"I see," Gloria said, "Yeah, makes sense." She smiled and rubbed the back of her head, seemingly oblivious to what was stuck on her hand.
"In any case, now that we know you're a fusion, we're curious of whom," Glynda said, turning away from Gloria.
"Sirena and Sapphire," Taiyang said, looked at Gloria and asked, "Right?"
"Wait, what?" Glynda asked, "Tai, I don't think I heard you correct. Did you just say that this fusion is half Sirena?"
"I did, yes," Taiyang answered.
"Why in the world would you think that?" Glynda asked and said, "Just look at her. There is nothing resembling either of them in her."
"It's true that Gloria doesn't seem like it," Taiyang said, "But there are only so many fish faunus with gills and silver eyes."
"Gills?" Glynda asked and took a closer look at Gloria's neck, where she did actually find gills, and even the fusion was surprised to hear that he had noticed them. Suddenly, Gloria grabbed both of them and coated all three of them in water for a few seconds, washing off all the smelly gunk.
"There, all clean again," Gloria said, holding on to Taiyang and Glynda so they wouldn't fall down without friction. Glynda pulled her arm out of Gloria's grip and coughed up some water, while Taiyang just pulled away from her, and she let go.
"Was that really necessary?" Glynda asked.
"Nope, but I figured it'd be better than letting you stink," Gloria answered and asked, "So, what now?"
"Now I'd like to know who you're made of," Glynda answered, and Gloria sighed.
"Taiyang's got it right, actually," Gloria said with an amused smile, which only grew when she saw Glynda's face.
"Any idea how we can get back?" Glynda asked and said, "It's pretty late already, and we're not where we're supposed to be. If they send a search party, it could be bad for them, since they would attract Grimm, and also nocturnal animals."
"Not to worry, my semblance can help," Gloria answered and asked, "Either of you want to copy it? It helps traversing difficult terrain, and helps your allies keep up."
"Sure," Taiyang answered, after giving it some thought.
"Me too," Glynda said. Gloria held up both of her hands and left an imprint of her soul on both people's souls, then activated her semblance once more and started the return trip. Along the way, Glynda picked up any Knights she found, since they only stood around, due to being off their assigned path. Once they got back to where they started, Gloria stopped using her semblance and split up into Sirena and Sapphire again, and all four headed back to the train station.
~o~
Glynda, Taiyang, Sirena and Sapphire were last to arrive at the train station, and found Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Cardin and Khione in front of it and looking at Jaune's scroll, with Cardin's right hand glowing cyan. When Jaune noticed them, he drew the others' attention to them as well.
"They're back," Jaune said, and the others looked over to the four returnees, and Cardin's hand stopped glowing.
"There you are," Weiss said, walked over to them and asked, "Where were you?"
"We were about to send a search team," Khione said.
"Sorry, I guess we got a little… carried away," Taiyang answered.
"A rescue party?" Glynda asked, "Did you have a plan?"
"We did, yes," Ren answered, "Weiss was supposed to give me a Combat Drone, and Khione a Frost Shell. Then Cardin would have sent a Messenger Bird to you, and I would have followed it."
"And then?" Glynda asked.
"Then we would've followed the Combat Drone," Weiss answered.
"I see," Glynda said, "Yes, that is a very good plan. Well done, everyone."
"To be honest, it was Khione's idea," Jaune said.
"What? Well, I mean, kind of," Khione said, getting a bit nervous, "I just figured we should do something, but it was actually the others who came up with most of the plan."
"Yeah, but you go us to start," Cardin said, "The rest of us just sat around, expecting Sirena to have everything under control as usual. You were the one who convinced us to act."
"Well, yeah," Khione said, "I mean, even though I had a feeling it would all work out, you can't be too careful with missing people."
"Aren't you supposed to wait a bit, though?" Jaune asked.
"No, absolutely not," Khione answered, "If someone is gone longer than they should be, and you can't reach them, every second counts."
"In any case, I think we're all tired," Taiyang said, "So, off to bed, all of you."
"And what about me?" Sapphire asked.
"You too," Taiyang answered, "Now go, you can have Ruby's bed tonight." Everyone headed inside and went upstairs, and despite feeling a little weird about it, Sapphire laid down in Ruby's bed and tried to fall asleep, with mild success.
~o~
The next morning, before breakfast, Sapphire and Sirena fused again, then pulled Ruby's soul into it, and split up into Sirena and Garnet, who then reverted to being Ruby. After that was taken care of, they went downstairs and had breakfast, after which Ruby went straight into preparing another plan to kill the Carcolh.
"So, Opal is no longer an option," Ruby said, "Not to mention all the drama that caused. Sorry, Sky."
"It's fine," Sky said, "My old man's got insurance, and he put some money aside for hard times anyway."
"So, any other plans?" Coco asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Ruby answered, "I'd like to experiment with fusions for the time being, since yesterday's events caused a drop in Grimm activity in the city. Maybe we can identify common traits among fusions involving specific people, which we can then use to narrow down possible fusions that can give us useful semblances."
"Sounds interesting," Coco said, "I'm in. I've always wanted to try fusion, actually."
"Good, then I'll start with you," Ruby said, "Sirena, you go and fuse with the other half of Team CRDL and share the fusion's semblance with the boys."
"What about the rest of us?" Yang asked.
"You stand by in case something bad happens," Ruby answered, "I know it's unlikely, but seeing how Fireblossom acted, it can always happen, so we need to be prepared for anything. If my fusion with Coco goes rogue, it's best if Blake immobilizes her and Cardin takes her out."
"And if that doesn't work?" Coco asked.
"Then I'll just charge in," Yang answered, "Either I knock you out, or you hurt me enough that Ruby's guilt forces the fusion to split up."
"Is that really a good plan?" Coco asked.
"It is one that is sure to work," Ruby answered, "And besides, we can't kill Yang as long as I'm involved, so Jaune can patch her back up after we're done."
"You guys are crazy," Coco said, "But hey, it's not my funeral, and you seem to know what you're doing. So let's go." Everyone got up and went outside, and while Sirena, Russel and Sky walked away to have their privacy, Ruby and Coco went to the center of the town square, with the remaining people taking up position at the edges, leaving at least some of them in the fusion's blind spot at all times.
~o~
The Carcolh stood around and let its few remaining minions attack it. After the huntsmen had retreated, most of its minions had formed a single file line to the Shock Crystal, leading the lightning to the others, which strengthened the Grimm as they died. Just after it summoned more minions, a swarm of spectral Ankle-biters, summoned by Lich's semblance, entered its lair, covered themselves in its slime and left again, making their web on the bridge.
~o~
When the light of Ruby and Coco's combined auras faded, everyone present saw a well-built, athletic woman with silver eyes and short, black hair, that shifted to caramel at the tips. She wore bright red, high-heeled boots, black bike shorts, and a white leotard with a boob window in the shape of two crossed rifles, whose barrels turned into rose stems halfway through. She wore a large red bow around her waist and metallic red armor plating on her shoulders, as well as red gloves on both hands, and had trapezoid armor on her lower arms. Lastly, she wore a black handbag, which had a red zipper in the middle and a shoulder strap attached to it in four places, as well as reinforced edges.
"How do you feel?" Yang asked, "Also, did you think of a name?" She raised her voice so the fusion could hear her from the distance.
"Porcia sounds nice," Porcia answered, "And I feel… fine. Kinda itching to kick ass, though." Just as she said that, a portal opened next to her, and a pack of Beringel flooded the town square. Everyone got ready to fight, but Yang held up her hand.
"Stop it," Yang said, "Let her have them. We'll just deal with any that try to run away."
"Thanks," Porcia said and grabbed her hand bag, swinging it like a ball on a chain. She hit the first Beringel with an upward swing and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying into a building and killing it, as well as any Grimm it hit on the way. Porcia then opened the red zipper, turning her weapon into a meteor hammer, and continued to kill Grimm in one fluent, continuous motion.
~o~
After fusing with Sirena and getting a new semblance, Russel turned into his bird form and flew into the agricultural district. When he found a swarm of Ankle-biters, he landed nearby, turned back, drew his weapons and slowly approached.
"Ok, let's hope this works," Russel thought as his aura manifested as a cloud of small diamonds around him. As soon as one of the Grimm spotted him, the entire swarm focused on him. Before the Grimm could attack, Russel jumped back and swung his daggers down, sending two aura arcs into his Reflectors. Once the attacks hit, they were split up and bounced back and forth, until they eventually hit the Grimm with a barrage of smaller attacks, trading individual strength for area of effect.
~o~
Sky walked through Vale, looking for Grimm to fight so he could test his new Hydra semblance. When he found several Knights fighting a pack of Beowolves that tried to break through the military's defenses, he decided to help out and rested his halberd on the barricade the robots stood behind, giving him more stability for ranged attacks.
"Let's see how this works," Sky thought and took a deep breath. As he focused, two serpentine heads made from blue energy manifested on his back, and their lime green eyes locked on to the Grimm. When he fired a shot, the Beowolf died, and nothing happened. Sky loaded air-dust bullets, and fired another shot, killing another Beowolf. As soon as the bullet hit, the two heads spat energy blasts at all the Grimm that were hit by the burst of air.
~o~
Porcia stood in the town square, looking around to see if there were any more Grimm for her to fight. When she didn't see any, she let her head hang in disappointment, but quickly perked up again and started running towards the harbor, prompting everyone else to follow her, with mixed results. Yang ran into an alleyway and turned into her dragon form, then followed the fusion in the air. She landed on a storage building and transformed back.
"Hey, wait up," Yang called out and asked, "Where are you going?" Porcia stood on a dock, staring out onto the sea. She opened her handbags and put her hands inside, just as five Sea Feilong rose from the sea. While the Grimm unfolded their wings, and the rest of the group arrived, Porcia's bags turned into Gatling guns, each with two sets of three barrels.
"Yep, that's Ruby, alright," Taiyang said, looking at the weapons, which made it more than obvious that the fusion was very low on the list of people it was safe to upset.
"Let's see what these babies can do," Porcia said and opened fire, focusing on one of the Grimm. The other Grimm flew towards the city, only to get attacked by Weiss' summoned Queen Lancers, while Glynda used her semblance to knock them around, and Jaune and Ren shot regular energy disks at them. Yang joined in with her explosive disks, and Nora helped out with lightning-dust grenades.
"We have to clip their wings," Blake called out, turned her weapon into its grappling hook form and threw it at one of the Grimm, then climbed up the ribbon, while Ren shot the blades from his weapons and let the cables pull him up. Blake created an incendiary-goo clone, covering the massive Grimm in shards, then went on to attack one of its wings, while Ren dealt with the other one.
"Stop moving around so much, I can't kill you if I can't hit you," Porcia said, trying to hit the flying Grimm. Behind her, one of the Sea Feilong crashed into the concrete, and Blake and Ren went on to down another one while the others killed the first one.
"This is actually working pretty well," Yang said, delivering a flurry of blows from the Grimm's massive blind spot. Suddenly, Porcia stopped firing, and when the group looked at what was going on, they saw her stare at the Sea Feilong, which prepared its lightning breath.
"Why isn't she doing anything?" Velvet asked.
"I know why," Yang said under her breath, took a deep breath and shouted, "Don't let her take anyone else!" Hearing that, Porcia snapped back to reality and let out a vicious battle cry. She opened fire a split second after the Grimm, and the stream of bullets hit the lightning.
"Is that also Ruby?" Bartholomew asked, leaning over to Taiyang. When the bullets were pushed back, Porcia screamed louder and released a wave of energy, and the ground cracked from the combined recoil of her weapons.
"I… don't know," Taiyang answered, and everyone watched the bullets push back the lightning. As the bullets hit the Grimm, they took a chunk out of its head, and when the head was gone, Porcia moved to the rest of its body, literally shooting it apart. Seeing the carnage, the remaining Grimm, minus the wingless one, tried to fly away, and Blake and Ren quickly jumped off the one they tried to down.
"You're not getting away from me!" Porcia shouted and aimed her guns at the fleeing Grimm, shooting them to bits in seconds. Once the Grimm were dead, Porcia stood there, breathing heavily, while everyone else stared in disbelief. Suddenly, the fusion's aura broke, and Ruby and Coco appeared, with Ruby pushing Coco onto the dock. Weiss rushed to the edge of the water and used ice-dust to create a platform, then jumped onto the platform and caught Ruby. Yatsuhashi picked up Coco, and everyone returned to the train station.
Author's note: Porcia is the first Symphogear reference I came up with. She's based on Chris Yukine, with her weapon being basically Chris' Billion Maiden attack. I had some trouble deciding on her semblance, but luckily, a friend of mine helped with that.
Her design is fairly different from Chris though, safe for some elements, like the armor on her forearms.
Also, I had to cut this chapter short, with just under 3k words, so I could end it like this.