Author's note: Enjoy another slow chapter, this time with minimally more action, since some characters do combat training now.
James sat up in his bed, breathing heavily, and looked around. It was midnight, the sky was clouded, and there was barely any light in his room. He also felt different, as if something deep within him had changed.
"Hello there, General Ironwood," Talia said, and a warm olive green orb of light became visible above her. She was sitting perched on the foot end of his bed, looking like some form of gargoyle watching over him.
"T- Talia? What are you doing here?" James asked and pulled his blanket closer to himself to cover his exposed torso. Talia giggled.
"Don't worry, there's nothing I haven't seen already," Talia said, "But to answer your question, I'm here because some of my tracking spells went ponkers."
"Don't you mean bonkers?" James asked.
"That's what I said," Talia answered.
"I'm sure you said ponkers," James said.
"Did not," Talia said.
"Yes, you did," James said.
"It's 'did too', actually," Talia said, "Come on, say it." James sighed in defeat, realizing that this had all been a setup to make him say those two words and engage in some game.
"Whatever," James said and asked, "What did those spells track, exactly?"
"Soul corruption," Talia answered, "I've never observed it in full effect, so I set up some spells to let me know when it happens."
"Wait, what?" James asked. Talia reached into a rift in space-time and pulled out a mirror, then handed it to James.
"See for yourself," Talia said. James took a look in the mirror and saw that his eyes were no longer blue, but red. When he looked up at Talia, she handed him a pair of colored contact lenses.
"I need your help," James said and gave the mirror back, "Is there any way I can learn to use magic like you do?" Talia took the mirror and put it back in the rift she took it from.
"Yes, but I can't help you, sorry," Talia answered, "But if you want, I can let you borrow some of my tricks."
"Thanks," James said, "I just need a little help. Anything to make me stronger."
"Sure, here you go," Talia said and hopped onto his bed, sitting next to him. She pulled the blanket away and her left hand began glowing, with her entire lower arm being surrounded by circles of runes, arranged in pairs that crossed each other.
"What… are you doing?" James asked.
"Letting you summon a Pesthound demon," Talia answered, "They're fairly weak lesser demons, but they are ferocious beasts that excel at tearing through enemy ranks. If you tell them to kill something, they won't hesitate to do so, but it's nearly impossible to get them to do anything else." She pressed her hand on his chest, and burned a mark into his skin.
~o~
Sirena and Harriet were walking through Atlas Academy and discussing Harriet's training. They entered a classroom and Sirena made a holographic image pop up to help her visualize the lesson.
"In combat, the best state is that of water," Sirena said, "If it is a slow moving stream, it effortlessly goes around any obstacle, but as a raging tsunami, it tears down the biggest buildings. And while it will readily take any shape if poured into a container, it will not allow you to compress it. If you try to force it, the water will rather destroy the container than submit to your whims. That is why water is important. It is gentle when treated so, but it can also be your undoing if you do not show it respect."
"What does this have to do with my semblance?" Harriet asked.
"Everything at a time," Sirena answered, "Water, if struck fast enough, will act as a solid. Give it time to adjust, and it will embrace you. But try and force it, and it will act as though you ran against a solid brick wall. People are similar, in a sense. If enough people join in on something, their number alone can make up for any shortcomings. But only if they are truly united under a common goal."
"So wait, if I hit water fast enough, it's solid?" Harriet asked, "As in, I could run on water if I'm fast enough?"
"Correct," Sirena answered, "But first, you must break the barriers holding you back."
"What barriers?" Harriet asked.
"Those that I cannot help you overcome," Sirena answered, "Ruby will have to cover that part of your training."
"So, what's it like walking on water?" Harriet asked and said, "I mean, you're quite famous for that."
"Am I now?" Sirena asked with a smile and answered, "But sorry, that is different. I simply use my aura to increase my personal water friction. It is a party trick at best, as it puts some strain on my aura, even considering the increased regeneration. I mostly use it for intimidation, or shock value, or to let my opponent think that that was my semblance, so they do not notice how their aura drops with every hit they land on me."
"Wait, it's just a trick?" Harriet asked in shock, "Also, why are you telling me this? Aren't you afraid I could use it against you?"
"There is a possibility, yes," Sirena answered, "However, when working with people, sometimes you have to take risks, including who to trust. I… trusted the General. And it did not pay off for me. However, Ruby convinced me to try again, this time under her guidance, and now we are here."
"But we can't afford to take risks," Harriet said, "Not with Salem on the horizon."
"Why do you think the Great War started?" Sirena asked, throwing Harriet off a bit.
"Because Atlas wanted to protect people," Harriet answered.
"And because they didn't want to take risks," Sirena said, "The king of Atlas decided what is best for the world, and wanted to force his opinions on others."
"Yes, and history showed us that he was wrong," Harriet said.
"But the General was planning the same," Sirena said.
"No, he wasn't," Harriet said, "General Ironwood wanted to warn the world of Salem, and use the military to keep them all safe."
"Alright, let's play this game," Sirena said and asked, "How did you feel when Ruby revealed that she, Maria and I manipulated all of you for what we considered your benefit?"
"We were pretty pissed," Harriet answered, "I still am, actually."
"Good," Sirena said and asked, "And if Vale's military came into Atlesian territory, and told you how to live your life to be safe from Grimm, and follow their orders, what would you think of that?"
"I'd be upset that they think they know what's good for me," Harriet answered.
"Then how do you expect the other kingdoms to react?" Sirena asked, "If General Ironwood's plan comes to fruition, the other kingdoms will see an army come into their territory and demand they change their way of life. You would not be seen as the saviors the General thinks you would be, but rather as hostile invaders trying to conquer their land, and be treated as such."
"But… I mean," Harriet said, but was cut off by Sirena.
"World War 2 would erupt," Sirena said, "Remnant would perish in the flames General Ironwood started, and Salem would be free to pick her rewards from the ashes."
"And you would come and stop her?" Harriet asked, both scared of the scenario and joking to deal with the fear, and something also told her that she could trust Sirena if it ever came to that.
"My people would, yes," Sirena answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "I have prepared my armies, just in case, and if the second war broke out, my entire kingdom would travel to the surface and claim control. Our innate ability to wipe out large hordes of Grimm would earn us the people's respect, and we would assume influential positions within each kingdom's government, united under me. Remnant would perish in flames, and the Soraklian Union would rise from its ashes."
"I was… actually just joking," Harriet said, shocked by the reveal, and asked, "Do you plan to start that war?" Sirena looked at her for a moment, showing confusion for the first time, then laughed.
"What, me? Not in a million years," Sirena answered, "I do, however, have plans if others start that war. That is one thing the deep sea taught me. Always be ready for everything. Now come, I need to train your body, mind and soul to better handle high speeds." She turned off the projector and went to leave the room.
"I'm pretty sure I can do that already," Harriet said, and Sirena stopped halfway to the door.
"No, you cannot," Sirena said, "Follow me, and I can prove it. Or you can try and prove me wrong. I would honestly like to know what that is like." She smiled excitedly, not even faking it, but genuinely being excited about being proven wrong for once, and left the room. Harriet sighed, got up from her seat and followed Sirena, not being able to make much sense of the woman's training methods.
~o~
Ruby and Weiss were sitting in the break room and looking at a holographic map projected by Ruby's scroll. It had several locations in the oceans marked in red dots, and the duo thought about their next move.
"You know, Ryn was amazing out there," Weiss said.
"Thanks, I'll let her know," Ruby said, "But Donna was also great."
"Thanks," Weiss said and asked, "So, where do we go next?"
"I was thinking of here," Ruby answered and pointed at a single red dot far away from the others.
"Why there?" Weiss asked.
"It's a bigger one," Ruby answered, "But it's also near an old ship graveyard, so there should be plenty of skeletons for Guardian's Gambit to do its thing. Plus, we can call Ilia, so Ryn can grab Emphatic Beacon as well, and then the Grimm won't approach that place for long enough that the minions can fully charge up."
"Sounds like a plan," Weiss said, "Let's do it." Ruby put her scroll away again, the duo left the break room and headed to the hangar, where they took an airship to the harbor. On the way, Weiss contacted Ilia and arranged a meeting with her and Ryn, and explained the whole situation. Once at the harbor, they jumped into the water and fused with their respective shark souls. Ryn and Donna immediately headed to the ship graveyard to clear out the Grimm, before Ryn departed to meet up with Ilia.
~o~
Near a small village in Mistral, a group of children was playing with the devil pod plants, picking the fruit off the plants and setting them on flat stones to dry. The pods had a series of light yellow patterns, which got darker the more the fruits dried.
"Ao, there you are," a woman said and walked over to greet her daughter when she came back from the small forest near the village. She wore regular farm clothes, but also a studded leather armor made from green energy.
"Hey mom," Ao said and asked, "And, how is the armor?" Ao herself wore brown leather shoes, blue jeans and a light green vest over a white t-shirt.
"It's great, dear," Ao's mother answered, "Everyone is really happy, it fits perfectly and doesn't get in the way. And it makes it easier to work."
"One day I'll become a real huntress," Ao said, "And then I'll keep everyone safe."
"Of course, sweetie," Ao's mother said and patted her head. Suddenly, the ravens that lived in the nearby woods alerted the people of danger.
"Grimm! Grimm! Grimm!" The ravens cawed, circling above the village and then above the Grimm. The farmers took their tools, and some hunters grabbed their longbows, and got ready to defend their village. The children ran to grab the dried devil seed pods and scattered them around the village to keep the Grimm away, then hid inside the town hall.
"Here they come," one of the hunters said and pulled back his bow. A pack of Beowolves, with an Alpha leading the charge, came running to the village. The Grimm in the front were stunned by the dried pods and easily taken out by the villagers' arrows, while the other Grimm trampled over their stunned brethren. Just as the Grimm were about to reach the village, they started exploding, or were taken out by a sniper. The last few Grimm stopped and turned around, but the sniper took out their legs specifically.
"Got here just in time, it seems," Swara said and lowered his wrist-mounded needle guns. He flew down from the town hall and the villagers turned around to look who had saved them. Lily teleported down.
"I'll deal with those cowards," Lily said and teleported over to the Grimm, "You do not let others escape, so neither will I let you do it." She jammed her thumbs into the first Grimm's eye sockets, and its eyes erupted in light blue flames where her hands made contact. The villagers turned away from the Grimm's tortured screams, and Ao's mother went to talk to Swara.
"Thank you for saving us," Ao's mother said and asked, "Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
"Just be happy," Swara answered, "My daughter told me you guys needed some help, and since I'm on a mission in the area, I figured I might drop by."
"Actually, there is a way," Lily said after giving each Grimm a painful death, "Have you seen this woman?" She used the hard-light-dust in her skin and her color change ability to assume Yang's appearance, and all the children were amazed.
"Yes, we did," Ao's mother answered and asked, "Why?" She got a bit suspicious, and the children got cautious as well.
"She told me there is someone with a strong support semblance here," Lily answered, "I was ordered to offer my help." She dropped the disguise again.
"What kind of help?" Ao's mother asked.
"I am here as representative of a swarm," Lily answered, "This swarm would allow the person in question to access the knowledge and skill of everyone else in the swarm. It would help her improve in any area she chooses."
"Really?" Ao asked excitedly, blowing her cover. Her mother stepped between the two children. Swara decided to distract the adults and children, and give the two some space.
"What would happen with her if I allowed this?" Ao's mother asked.
"She would be part of our swarm," Lily answered, "She would have access to all our collective knowledge, such as craftsmanship, acting, medicine, various wilderness survival skills, countless weapons and combination weapons, aura control, and some members are scientists, so they could help her understand her semblance better, allowing her to improve it more efficiently than she could normally, while still being in a safe environment. And of course, I could teleport backup to her in an instant if she was ever in danger. However, she would retain her full individuality. Our queen, my mother, would of course be able to issue commands, which she then would have to follow, but only does so in dire circumstances. Furthermore, upon her death, her soul would remain with the swarm, waiting for a new body to be reborn into."
"And if I refuse to let her join?" Ao's mother asked.
"Nothing," Lily answered, "I am on orders to offer my help, and I cannot help those who do not wish to be helped. Though, I do have a personal interest in your daughter's semblance, and could offer a trade."
"I… don't like where this is going," Ao's mother said.
"It is simple," Lily said and explained, "I can release light from my eyes. My soul, in a sense. If it collides with another person's soul, both leave a mark on one another. Your daughter would be able to use my semblance, and I could use hers."
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow this," Ao's mother said, "Even if it is true that you can do that, it seems unnatural. I'll admit, I don't know a lot about semblances and how they work, but if it was possible to safely use another person's semblance, it would be more commonly known about."
"I understand," Lily said, "My apologies. Swara, I am done here." She walked over to Swara, took his wrist, and both teleported away after Swara bid his farewell to the people. The villagers returned to their everyday work, but Ao still occasionally thought about what it would be like to join that swarm.
~o~
Ilia was on her way to help keep Grimm away from the railroad repair site, when she got a text from Weiss. She turned away from the other faunus sitting in the aircraft, then opened the message.
"Ilia, we need to talk," Weiss wrote.
"Sure, what is it?" Ilia replied.
"Are you somewhere near the water?" Weiss wrote.
"Not really, why?" Ilia replied.
"Ruby and I have a plan," Weiss wrote, "But we kind of need your help. Your semblance's, actually."
"Didn't Ruby copy my semblance already?" Ilia wrote.
"Yes, but Ryn didn't," Weiss replied.
"Ryn?" Ilia wrote.
"A fusion," Weiss replied, "Ruby and a shark. It's a long story."
"So, like a mermaid?" Ilia wrote.
"Kind of," Weiss replied, "Look, Ryn needs to copy your semblance so we can set something up."
"I see," Ilia wrote, "There is an under water tunnel near where I'm headed, so maybe we can meet there. I'll use distracting Grimm as an excuse and bring some with me while I'm at it."
"Good," Weiss wrote, "Can you send me the coordinates?"
"Sure," Ilia replied.
"Actually, better send a picture," Weiss wrote, "This is still sort of Ruby we're talking about here."
"That bad?" Ilia wrote.
"Well, I'm not much better," Weiss replied, "Blake is really the only one in our team who never got lost in the woods at some point."
"Got it," Ilia wrote, "Hold on, I'm drawing it. I'll also include coordinates, just to be sure." She drew a rough sketch of the area and sent it to Weiss, along with some coordinates.
"Thanks," Weiss wrote.
"You're welcome," Ilia replied, "But I really have to go now. Bye."
"Bye," Weiss wrote, and Ilia put her scroll away. The aircraft landed and the mechanics began unloading the materials, while the combat-ready faunus went to inspect the area.
"I'll go draw some Grimm elsewhere," Ilia said to the others, who gave her a slight wave that they heard her. She walked towards the cave leading to the meeting point and used her semblance to make a large boulder near the entrance attract Grimm, but also gave them a desire to explore the cave. At every crossing, she left a pebble in the wrong direction, scaring Grimm, and driving them deeper into the cave. The plan worked a bit too well, as Ilia had to fight off Beowolves in an enclosed space on and off for some minutes, until a monstrous humanoid head poked out of the water.
"I am Ryn," Ryn said, startling Ilia, who jumped in surprise and let out a short scream.
"Sorry," Ilia said after calming down, "I'm just used to knowing what's walking around me, and you're not exactly the kind of mermaid I expected."
"Is fine," Ryn said, "Wait for Grimm."
"Yeah, I guess I got too carried away killing them all," Ilia said, "I can't even sense any right now."
"Grimm there," Ryn said, pointing in the direction of the entrance, "Far. Is fine, Ryn lure." She closed her eyes and focused on all the sorrow she could, and Ilia quickly felt Grimm charging at them. As soon as they got within range, Ryn unleashed a burst of light from her eyes, turning them all to stone.
"Are you alright?" Ilia asked, remembering how much it used to take out of Ruby when she did that.
"Yes, fine," Ryn answered, "First, Ruby feel bad, punish Grimm. Make weak, but strong. Now, feel good, save lives. No weak, but no strong. Later." She disappeared under water again and swam away, leaving Ilia to make her way past a horde of petrified Grimm to get out of the cave. A Beringel fell on her and trapped her underneath itself. Ilia suddenly felt a surge of power, as if she was much stronger, and accidentally launched the stone Grimm against the ceiling when she tried lifting it. She looked at her hands, trying to figure out what just happened, and noticed ants around her.
"Well, that is useful," Ilia thought and left the cave to return to the repair site. Armed with her new super strength, she helped move crates that would take four people, but she could lift by herself once she got a good grip on them.
~o~
Harriet and Sirena got ready to spar, with both having their weapons drawn and ready. Sirena held her trident in her left hand, and behind her back, with the tips almost touching the ground to her left.
"Make the first move," Sirena said with a confident smirk, "I'll teach you what it really means to be fast." Harriet activated her semblance and tried to punch Sirena with her super speed. Sirena suddenly had her trident up and deflected Harriet's attack. Harriet ran past Sirena, not landing a hit. Harriet stopped and looked at the aura monitor on the inside of her left weapon, and saw that her aura had gone down much more than usual after such an attack.
"What? How?" Harriet asked.
"My semblance, of course," Sirena answered, "You cannot beat me in hand to hand combat. And since that is all you have right now, you have no hope against me. Now, about what I wanted to teach you." Sirena deactivated her semblance and walked up to Harriet, who felt a sudden impact in her chest and heard a rib crack. Harriet collapsed on the floor, gasping for air, and her aura dropped as it repaired the damage. After she was fully healed, in part due to Sirena using Aura Amp on her, Harriet took a deep breath and got back up.
"What was that for?" Harriet asked angrily.
"Training," Sirena answered casually, "You need to understand what high-speed attacks can do if you are not trained to withstand them."
"Can't you warn me next time?" Harriet asked.
"Ok," Sirena answered, "Here it comes." Before Harriet had time to react, she felt another rib crack, but again, Sirena moved too fast to see. Sirena felt that she was getting too hot, so she created a thin layer of ice under either of her sleeves to cool off again.
"That is not what I meant," Harriet said after recovering again.
"Calm down, I know what I'm doing," Sirena said, "Your aura is predisposed to high speeds, so it is actually pretty easy for you to learn to block those kinds of attacks. You just need to get faster."
"Alright, fine," Harriet said and asked, "But how about we try a different approach now?"
"If you think that will be better," Sirena answered and asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"I punch you, until I'm fast enough," Harriet answered, "I try to hit as fast as I can, and all you have to do is stand there and take it."
"Alright," Sirena said, put on a serious face, and added, "But give it your all." Harriet was temporarily intimidated, and unsure if this was a trick, but then banished the thought, as her gut told her that she could trust Sirena to help her improve. She ran as fast as she could and charged at Sirena, who just took the hit. They kept going until the evening, with Harriet showing no improvement whatsoever.
~o~
Ryn swam up to the ship graveyard, which was already protected by some minions. A skeletal merman swam past the mermaid, who found Donna resting on an old couch, lying on it like a diva that just received the worst possible news.
"Donna fine?" Ryn asked as she approached the other mermaid.
"Yes," Donna answered, "Donna aura weak. Donna rest."
"Good," Ryn said.
"Ryn got semblance?" Donna asked.
"Yes," Ryn answered. She put both her clawed hands on the wooden floor and started using Emphatic Beacon to keep Grimm from approaching the ship for three months. When Donna's aura had recharged, she went back to turning skeletons into mermaids and mermen, augmenting Guardian's Gambit with water-dust to give the minions better aquatic mobility. After all the skeletons were turned into mermen and mermaids, the two fusions swam back to the harbor, jumped out of the water and split up again, then headed back to the academy.
Author's note: Because of his pact with Sirena, Ironwood was forced to see his body make only decisions he'd never make have the exact results he wanted his decisions to have. He wanted to reach a goal, and where he would go left and get hopelessly lost, the pact made him go right and reach the goal.
I also added this bit between Ruby and Weiss for some shipper on Reddit. It may not be the most romantic thing, but at least they're spending time together.
Sirena can ignore a person's aura once before she has to cool off. Twice is critical, and three times is a heat stroke. And it's not a training thing, either. This is universal to anyone without any means to combat the heat. Speed semblances can also help ignore the drawbacks.