Author's note: I guess you could call this chapter Ruby's Day Off if you want.
A group of Ruby's minions walked into an apartment in Vale's residential district, with six carrying a duffel bag each. They put gravity-dust devices on the fridge, making it hover, and moved it away from the wall before setting it down again. One minion removed the ice-dust container from the fridge, and the group began replacing the cooling system with the one Ruby had developed. Once they were done, they put the fridge back where it belonged and opened it, releasing a foul stench from the rotten food inside. The minions packed their remaining materials back into their bags and moved on to the next apartment.
~o~
Blake and Ren cut down a pack of Beowolves, both setting off Spectral Healing with each hit, and the Atlas soldiers followed once the coast was clear. With Ruby taking a day off, the two had volunteered to take care of the soldiers she usually accompanied.
"I had no idea that Ruby got this far," Ren said when the group had to take another break, and wait for the Knight 200s to bring more resources for barricades after installing the last set.
"She really is something else," Blake said, leaning against the barricade the Knights had just installed. She closed her eyes and focused on Immortal Resistance, to get a better understanding of the semblances she has access to through it, and Ren decided to do the same. Once the Knights returned, the group got going again, heading to the modern art installation.
~o~
Weiss and Arkos walked through Vale's sewer system, with the former using Guardian's Gambit, and the latter recharging her aura every time. The sewers were filled with the foul stench of the agricultural district's filthy waste water, and Arkos regretted using Douse on Amanita a bit more every time.
"Arkos, hit me with Douse, I have an idea," Weiss said after a particularly bad wave of filth came through, and jumped into the waterway, where she created a Healing Circle and Safezone. Arkos created a sphere of blue energy and nudged it towards Weiss.
"What are you doing?" Arkos asked as Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, and a small Glyph appeared around her weapon.
"Just watch," Weiss answered, "And maybe help with my aura." Two additional Glyphs appeared on either side of the first one, extending diagonally to the sides of the waterway.
"A- alright," Arkos said, set up a Grassy Terrain and began recharging Weiss' aura. The Glyphs continued to extend diagonally along the entire main waterway, and Arkos was left wondering what Weiss was planning. After a while, an aqua blue flame with green center appeared around the tip of Weiss' weapon, and a similar flame appeared in the center of every Glyph. One by one, the flames connected, forming a blue and green Aura Wall zigzagging through the sewers.
"And done," Weiss said, wiped the sweat off her forehead and jumped back out of the waterway.
"An Aura Wall?" Arkos asked.
"Not just any Aura Wall," Weiss answered, "For this one, I also defined that murky water as an enemy, meaning that it will cause the Aura Walls to release water and mint leaves as it passes through."
"That is pretty smart," Arkos said.
"Thanks," Weiss said, "But I couldn't have done it without your help." Arkos was a bit stunned at the compliment, mostly due to Jaune and Pyrrha insisting the other deserves it more, but Weiss moved on and waved them to follow.
~o~
Sky ran through Vale's agricultural district, chased by a pack of Grimm, leading them to another water-dust Combat Drone. He hooked his halberd into a rain pipe and swung around a corner, then jumped over the Drone, then set up two water-dust turrets with Tower Defense. The Grimm came running into the street and were immediately targeted by the Combat Drone and turrets. All three attacked them with energy blasts that released water on impact, quickly washing away the filth on the ground. When the Combat Drone disappeared, Sky drew his weapon and helped kill the Grimm, then checked his scroll to see where more Drones were.
~o~
In the evening, everyone gathered back at the train station, and most people had to take a shower to wash off the stench. Ruby was last to arrive, but she didn't seem like she did much fighting, even though she was visibly exhausted in some form. When everyone was ready, they had dinner, and talked about what had happened that day.
"So, Ruby, what did you do today?" Yang asked.
"Oh, you know, a bit of this, a bit of that," Ruby answered.
"Anything more specific?" Yang asked, and Ruby pulled out her scroll.
"This," Ruby answered, and her scroll projected a hologram showing the blueprints for her new cooling system.
"What is that?" Yang asked.
"A cooling system," Ruby answered, "I figured that people would already have enough trouble moving back here, so I had my minions modify as many refrigerators as possible. They no longer require ice-dust to cool things down."
"Didn't you say you wanted to take today off?" Yang asked.
"From fighting, yes," Ruby answered, "Tomorrow I plan to figure out a way to turn heat into electricity, without needing alchemy, in order to make fridges more energy efficient."
"You're taking tomorrow off, too?" Yang asked, and Ruby paused for a moment.
"I actually hadn't thought of that," Ruby answered, "Maybe, maybe not. After all, I could just create a clone and have her do the work."
"Wouldn't that make you weaker?" Yang asked.
"A little bit, yes," Ruby answered, turned to Blake and asked, "But anyway, how did things go with the soldiers?"
"We didn't make it all the way," Blake answered.
"What? Why not? Was it the Grimm?" Ruby asked and said, "I knew I should've come with you. Alright, tomorrow, I'll go there myself."
"No, it wasn't the Grimm," Blake answered, "It's just that you made it so far that we can't really get there in one day."
"Glad to hear that," Ruby said, "But I guess I can't take forever off, so I'll help out again tomorrow, and do the fridges later."
"Anyway, Ruby, I met those raccoons," Sirena said.
"Raccoons?" Weiss asked.
"Small animals, like this," Ruby answered and made her scroll show a picture of raccoons.
"I know what raccoons are," Weiss said, "I just wanted to know why they're important."
"I see," Ruby said, put her scroll away again, and explained, "I met a family of raccoons, and tried to talk to them, but they were really rude, so I got angry and stormed off."
"Yeah, they can come off as rude," Sirena said, "But they were really interesting to talk to. I also managed to help them with their problems, by unlocking their auras and making it easier for them to find food."
"How are raccoons interesting to talk to?" Cardin asked, and Sirena looked at him with a mix of disappointment and disgruntlement.
"They are fairly intelligent creatures," Sirena answered, "I had a nice conversation about intelligence with them, and determined that it is impossible for any species to objectively determine which is the most intelligent species, since some species may be intelligent in a way that may not be evident as such to whoever judges their intelligence." The group continued eating in silence after that, and after dinner, everyone cleaned up and went to bed.
~o~
The next morning, after a quick trip to Atlas so he could copy Spectral Assault, Ren made his way through Vale's upper class district, clearing out some Grimm here and there. After killing a pack of Beowolves, he fired his special disk at a manor a few blocks away to make it attract Grimm, then headed that way.
"Ren, do you need any help?" Ruby asked over communicator and said, "I can send wolves your way, if you want." Ren fired his weapon's hooks into a Boarbatusk and pulled it towards himself, then dashed around it and impaled its underside.
"No, but thanks," Ren answered, "Just make sure everything goes well on your end." Ruby stood in a Healing Circle, Safezone, and Grassy Terrain, all set up at the military's base camp at the edge of the upper class district. She used Kindred Link to follow her friends, allowing her to use them as reference points to roughly estimate where Grimm were.
"Alright," Ruby said, "By the way, there are Grimm coming your way. Mostly Beowolves, but also a handful Alphas, two Deathstalkers, and a Geist." When Ren reached the manor, the Beowolves had already reached it, and he killed them all with Necrotic Bubbles, augmented with crystal-dust. His weapon's blades were coated in a shimmering pink energy, and the pink bubbles that rose from where he killed the Grimm had a crystalline structure to them. He reapplied Tranquility, and just waited for the Grimm.
"Got it, thanks," Ren said, put his weapons away and sat down on a fancy, if dilapidated, bench. When the first Alpha Beowolf arrived, several bubbles popped and fired pink energy blasts at it, which scattered crystal shards everywhere, triggering Spectral Assault. Some shards stuck in the Grimm, and whenever it moved, they cut into its flesh, triggering Spectral Assault again and again, until it died.
~o~
Jaune led Amihan's group of soldiers along the road to the park, with a dozen pairs of Knight 200 units carrying supplies for more barriers. The soldiers noticed a pack of Creeps further down the road and got ready for battle, when a pack of wolves made from leafy green mist ran past them, jumped the Grimm, and exploded into a mass of brambles and chestnuts, killing most of the pack immediately.
"You're welcome," Ruby said over communicator, and the soldiers opened fire and quickly took out the rest of the pack, especially thanks to Amihan's semblance.
"Thanks," Jaune said and asked, "But, could you use ice-dust next time? The soldiers seem to be a bit bothered by the heat."
"Alright," Ruby answered and created a clone, who ran off to grab some of the ice-dust her minions had removed from the fridges. Once she found some, she used Wolfpack and sent wolves made from icy mist into the upper class district, targeting various Grimm along the soldiers' different routes.
"Thanks again," Jaune said, and the group continued. They briefly stopped by a large chunk of ice to cool off, then kept going until the Knights began constructing the next barricade. Once the barricade was in place, the group moved on, stopping only at ice chunks or to construct barricades.
~o~
Nora stood in her Electric Terrain, facing down a large road leading through Vale's upper class district, with half a dozen soldiers flanking her on either side. A large pack of various Grimm, led by a Deathstalker, charged through a fancy hotel and came right towards the group. Nora gripped her hammer and swung it horizontally, sending an Annihilation Field towards the Grimm. Once it hit the Deathstalker, it got electrocuted, and the lightnings jumped to the nearest Grimm, triggering Spectral Assault with every Grimm it hit.
"Fire!" Nora called out and turned her hammer into its grenade launcher form, and the soldiers opened fire. Nora fired a barrage of grenades at the Grimm, and the Boarbatusk, Creeps, Ursai and Deathstalker took massive damage before even reaching the soldiers. Just when the soldiers were about to retreat, Nora set up a Shock Crystal in front of her and backed away a little. When the Deathstalker entered its area of effect, the Crystal rapidly hit it with electric attacks, killing it and the rest of the pack.
~o~
Lich walked through the forests south of Vale and looked around, following a group of spectral bunnies they had summoned. Their summons led them to one of several small tunnels leading into Vale's agricultural district, and the fusion chuckled to themself. They made some kudzu with the plant-dust in their crocodile scales, and planted it by a nearby tree.
~o~
Glynda took out a Wilt-back and let out an exhausted sigh, then pulled out her scroll and checked the map Ruby had given her and the other teachers, as well as Taiyang, Qrow and Sirena. She looked for the nearest Grimm, put her scroll away, and got moving again.
"And, how's it going?" Qrow asked over communicator. He jumped down from a fire exit ladder and sent an aura arc through two Withershrub, killing them both.
"It's easier than fighting the Hell-back," Glynda answered, "But there are so many of these, and some have already grown into Wilt-back." Amanita sprung another trap she set with Strings, cutting three Withershrub to pieces.
"That is very much true," Bartholomew said. Peter shot a small pack of Grimm, including a Wilt-back, then engaged the Grimm with his axe.
"I wouldn't worry too much," Sirena said, "These things are pretty easy to deal with once you know how to do it." Taiyang threw a couple green energy spheres at a pack of Grimm, killing them all and creating more sprouts thanks to Power Root. He took a short break, killing any Grimm that came close with more plant-dust attacks to further increase the area of effect. Once he had recovered enough, and was satisfied with the size of the area, he moved on to the next location.
~o~
Khione led a group of police officers through the catacombs under Vale, and every officer was protected by a Frozen Shell. When the group turned into another corridor and the officers' flashlights shined on a pack of Beowolves, Khione fired an ice-dust bolt into the Grimm. The projectile exploded into a jagged ice spike, killing most of the Grimm. The officers wanted to open fire, but Khione held up her left hand.
"Let me handle this," Khione said and changed her weapon into its axe form. She lowered her head and started walking towards the nearest Grimm, and slowly got faster. She charged the Alpha Beowolf, goring it with her right horn. Khione swung her head to the side, throwing the Grimm onto the ground, and killed the remaining Beowolf with her axe in the same motion. A green lightning emerged from her axe blade as she hit the ground and zapped around the ground, until it hit a wall constructed from bones. Several bones began glowing green and assembled into a skeleton, which began wandering the catacombs.
"That was… unexpected," one of the officers said and asked, "What was that?"
"Guardian's Gambit," Khione answered, "It's a semblance I copied a while ago, but never used so far. Maybe I should change that." She walked up to the wall of bones, put her hand on it, and released another couple of lightnings, creating five additional skeletons. The ice spike immediately began recharging her aura and she created a couple more skeletons, then entered her soul core before her group moved on.
~o~
Ilia killed a couple weaker Grimm with her whip and sent icy Shooting Stars at a nearby Leshy, targeting its legs. The limbs froze, and shattered when Ilia shot them with the gun built into her whip. Just as she was about to land the killing blow, a barrage of green energy beams hit the Grimm, and Penny landed next to Ilia.
"Sorry for the wait," Penny said, "It took a while to bond to this body."
"It's fine," Ilia said, and both killed the Leshy. The duo continued along the route Ilia had been assigned, with Penny killing most of the Grimm, while Ilia picked up the resulting buffs created from Aura Nebula. Every once in a while, they came across ice chunks or floating embers, which either recharged their auras or increased their damage.
~o~
Nora walked through Vale's upper class district, leading a group of soldiers. The group paused at an ice chunk, which recharged everyone's aura as much as needed, and while the soldiers cooled off, Nora pulled out a spark-dust crystal and looked at it intently. She gripped it tightly, held her hammer in her free hand and slammed her hammer's hilt on the ground, covering the surrounding area in dark green lightnings, with sparks flying off of surfaces at random.
"Electric Terrain, Spark version," Nora said, happily, "Go me." She put what remained of the spark-dust crystal away again and focused on her electroreception, using the city's power grid to extend her reach and locate Ren. Once she found him, she held up her hammer and focused, creating a Combat Drone to protect him. Much to her surprise, the dark green orb zapped from side to side a little bit as it traveled, and made a weird electric crackling sound.
"So, this is the power of lightnings," one of the soldiers muttered to herself, "The primal force of nature, storms incarnate. Revered, dreaded, worshiped, by civilizations across the world, throughout all of human history. It is… magnificent." She looked at her hands, then clenched her fists and slammed them together. An ethereal lion made from green lightning manifested in front of her, focusing its teal eyes on her and awaiting orders. Most of the ice immediately disappeared to recharge her aura. The soldiers all looked at her, and she immediately felt guilty for using up most of the ice.
"This is so cool!" Nora exclaimed excitedly, calmed down a little and asked, "What's your name?"
"Sh- Sher," the woman answered, startled by Nora's enthusiasm.
"You know, Sher, your semblance is amazing," Nora said, "Tell it to do something."
"Oh, th- thanks," Sher said and asked, "Like, what?"
"I don't know," Nora answered, "Maybe sit. Or heel. No wait, roll over."
"Well, alright," Sher said, looked at the lion and said, "Sit." The lion sat down and looked at her, waiting for more orders.
"Now let's see if it can catch," Nora said and took the lid of a nearby trash can. She absorbed some of the electricity from the ground to greatly enhance her strength, and threw the lid like a Frisbee.
"Alright," Sher said, looked at her lion and said, "Catch." The lion dashed away with the sound of thunder, and when it bit the trash can lid, it exploded, leaving behind a could of dark green sparks. After everyone's ears stopped ringing, they all looked at Sher, who looked at her hands and clenched her fists again.
~o~
Ren took down another pack of Grimm and was about to take a break, when a Deathstalker appeared, leading a pack of Creeps. However, it also had a swarm of Ankle-biters on its back, who had made their web between its stinger and back. Just as he activated Necrotic Bubbles, augmented with crystal-dust, a dark green Combat Drone appeared.
"What is that color?" Ren asked himself, and decided to see what it did, since the Grimm didn't see him anyway. When the Combat Drone came close enough, it fired a dark green lightning at one of the Creeps, releasing three sparks and triggering Spectral Healing before jumping to the next Grimm. When it reached the Deathstalker, it jumped over to the Ankle-biters, quickly taking out the entire pack, and the second shot killed the Creeps.
"Hey Ren, did you get my present?" Nora asked over communicator and explained, "I managed to augment Electric Terrain with spark-dust." Ren watched the Deathstalker walk into the large group of sparks, and the small projectiles homed in on it, dealing massive damage.
"I did, yes," Ren answered, "It's really nice. Thanks." Ren walked around the area and placed Landmines around the manor, just in case more Grimm showed up before the effect of his special disk wore off. Whenever he placed a Landmine, the orbs from Spectral Healing came towards him to recharge his aura, allowing him to secure the entire area before moving on to the next objective.
Author's note: And this was Ruby's day off. Kinda.
Sher's semblance is based on an artifact from Reborn to Master the Blade. It's technically an isekai, except that the main character doesn't end up in another world, just very far into the future, where a lot has changed. Also, yes, her lions explode on contact.